FW: [NatureNS] Carrion Beetle ID plus galls? on leaves

Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:05:35 -0300
From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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Chris had a slight typo in the carrion beetle's name -- it should be
Necrophila americana -- AND this is the same kind of carrion beetle that Pat
and I saw on a trail at Noggins Farm in Greenwich about a month ago?  I read
in one of my books that this species specializes on carcasses that are quite
old and dried out, I believe.

I wasn't able to view the red dots on the leaf that Jeannie photographed.
What kind of trees were they?  If these dots were raised up into pimple-like
growths, they are probably galls caused by gall mites, which with a strong
hand lens do not look at all like mites -- the body in elongate with only 2
pairs of short legs near the front.

If the spots are flat and circular, they might be spangle galls caused by a
gall midge perhaps?

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville
----------
From: Jeannie <jeannies@ns.sympatico.ca>
Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:32:29 -0300
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Beetle ID

Hi Chris,
I photographed it on 2007/7/3.It was dead in my driveway, in Port
Hawkesbury.
Jeannie Shermerhorn,Port Hawkesbury

Cottage....Cape George,Cape Breton


jeannies@ns.sympatico.ca
----- Original Message -----
From: <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 11:06 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Beetle ID


> Hi Jeannie,
>
> On 4-Jul-07, at 10:06 PM, Jeannie wrote:
>
>> When I was a youngster we spent a lot of time swimming in the Bras
>> d'Or lakes and most of my uncles were fishermen.These beetles used
>> to be all over dead and rotting fish... we called them fish
>> bugs.Could someone give me the proper name.
>
> This is Necrophilia americana (Linnaeus), one of the species of
> carrion beetles found in Nova Scotia. You can find them on fish, and
> just about any other kind of carrion. Take a look at the following
> URL for a series of good photographs:
>
> http://bugguide.net/node/view/37921/bgimage
>
> Can you tell me where and when you photographed this specimen.
> Records of this species from Cape Breton are very useful.
>
>> Also I took a walk down to the elementary school this evening and
>> noticed that the trees planted in the yard were dieing.I brought
>> one of the leaves back and took a couple of photos,they are covered
>> in these tiny ( eggs?) red dots.Anyone have any idea what they are?
>
> They look to me like galls of some sort. These can be caused by a
> variety of insects, but often by various species of cynipid wasps.
> You should take a look inside one of them and see if you find a small
> larva. You would probably have to rear them in order to be able to
> determine exactly what they were.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Chris
>
>> http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2338434020025930195iKNjPz
>> Jeannie Shermerhorn,Port Hawkesbury
>>
>> Cottage....Cape George,Cape Breton
>>
>>
>> jeannies@ns.sympatico.ca
>
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> _.
> Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
> 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada  B3H 3A6
> (902) 424-6435   Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> _.
>
>


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