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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-14-191285586 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi Ian, In John Gilhen's Reptiles & Amphibians of Nova Scotia (1983) he has it indicated as occurring on Brier Island so its been known from there for some time. On John's distribution maps I don't see any other islands indicated (other than, of course, Cape Breton Island where they are widely distributed), so their presence on Brier seems to me to be noteworthy. As to its origins, I suspect they reached Brier on their own steam rather than being released as pets. This might have been as long ago as post-Wisconsinian glacial times when sea levels were depressed and Brier might have been connected to the mainland. There are a number of flightless beetles found on Brier Island. Some of these are introduced Palearctic species which would have been brought there via human agency, but they also include native ground beetles like Sphaeroderus stenostomus lecontei Dejean and Pterostichus coracinus (Newman) which must somehow also have reached Brier on their own. It is a fascinating subject. In press, at the moment, is a paper on the preliminary results of a "bio-blitz" on Scatarie Island, where again a number of flightless beetles have been found. Sable Island also provides some fascinating examples, most notably the flightless tenebrionid, Ephalus latimanus (LeConte), which is found in Canada only on Sable Island. It is a coastal species whose northward extent in New England terminates in southern Maine. Cheers! Chris On 4-Sep-07, at 7:37 PM, iamclar@dal.ca wrote: > All: > > I might mention that on Sunday Sept. 2 Eric Mills and I found a red > eft > (terrestrial juvenile Newt) crossing the dirt road near Western > Light, Brier > Island. The road was dry, but I imagine the creature could have > made it across > without our assistance - we put it in a flooded ditch to help it re- > hydrate. > We were a bit surprised that they had reached the island, although > Anne Mills > says that she had found them on there previously. Did they get > there via > proverbial birds' feet, or were newts released by someone on the > island who had > them as aquarium pets? Are "pet" newts usually of the regional, Red- > spotted > Species? > > Cheers, Ian McLaren > > Cheers, Ian McLaren _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. 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> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. --Apple-Mail-14-191285586 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Ian,<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>In John Gilhen's Reptiles = & Amphibians of Nova Scotia (1983) he has it indicated as=A0occurring = on Brier Island so its been known from there for some time. On John's = distribution maps I don't see any other islands indicated (other than, = of course, Cape Breton Island where they are widely distributed), so = their presence on Brier seems to me to be noteworthy.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">As to its origins, I suspect they reached = Brier on their own steam rather than being released as pets. This might = have been as long ago as post-Wisconsinian glacial times when sea levels = were depressed and Brier might have been connected to the mainland. = There are a number of flightless beetles found on Brier Island. Some of = these are introduced Palearctic species which would have been brought = there via human agency, but they also include native ground beetles = like=A0<I>Sphaeroderus stenostomus lecontei</I> Dejean = and<I>=A0Pterostichus coracinus</I> (Newman) which must somehow also = have reached Brier on their own.=A0</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">It is a fascinating subject. In press, at the = moment, is a paper on the preliminary results of a "bio-blitz" on = Scatarie Island, where again a number of flightless beetles have been = found. Sable Island also provides some fascinating examples, most = notably the flightless tenebrionid,=A0<I>Ephalus latimanus</I> = (LeConte), which is found in Canada only on Sable Island. It is a = coastal species whose northward extent in New England terminates in = southern Maine.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Cheers!</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Chris</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV= >On 4-Sep-07, at 7:37 PM, <A = href=3D"mailto:iamclar@dal.ca">iamclar@dal.ca</A> wrote:</DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">All:</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I might mention that on Sunday = Sept. 2 Eric Mills and I found a red eft</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = ">(terrestrial juvenile Newt) crossing the dirt road near Western Light, = Brier</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Island. The road was dry, but I = imagine the creature could have made it across</DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">without our assistance - we put it in a flooded = ditch to help it re-hydrate.<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">We were = a bit surprised that they had reached the island, although Anne = Mills</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">says that she had found them on = there previously.<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Did = they get there via</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">proverbial birds' feet, or = were newts released by someone on the island who had</DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">them as aquarium pets? Are "pet" newts usually of = the regional, Red-spotted</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = ">Species?</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Cheers, Ian McLaren</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Cheers, Ian = McLaren</DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px = 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT = face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">Christopher Majka = - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: = 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Times">1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>B3H 3A6</FONT></P> <P = style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">(902) 424-6435 <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Email <<A = href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</A>></F= ONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times"= size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>= --Apple-Mail-14-191285586--
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