next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-195--142909797 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi Dave et al.! On 20-Oct-07, at 4:36 PM, David & Alison Webster wrote: > Dear All, Oct 20, 2007 > I found Featherwing Beetles (Ptiliidae; about 1-mm long; new to =20= > me) on Oct 11 and this being, after the warm rain, a time when =20 > things might be active I looked for and found several more today. Fabulous beetles aren't they? ;-> What habitat are you finding them in? > To see the impressive feathery hind wing, I removed one elytron =20 > and teased out a hind wing in water. A trace of detergent causes =20 > the hairs to splay out. The fully expanded hind wing is about 3 =20 > times as long as the elytron and folded in 2 places. What a design. Those who are interested in seeing what these look like are welcome =20 to look at the following photographs which I've taken of three =20 different species of ptiliids from Nova Scotia: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Acrotrichis_sp-1.jpg http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Acrotrichis_sp-4.jpg http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Pteryx_sp-3.jpg The genus Acrotrichis, which is both the most abundant and the most =20 species-rich (with 19 species in the Maritime Provinces) is =20 fiendishly difficult in terms of species identification - certainly =20 one of the most difficult genera of beetles in Canada. There is, in =20 fact, only one person in the world who can do this, Mikael S=F6rensson =20= of the University of Lund in Sweden, and there are presently no keys =20 to this genus in North America, although Mikael is working on a =20 revision of the genus which will include this. Those who would like to know more about ptiliids in the region are =20 welcome to read our paper: Majka, C.G. and S=F6rensson, M. 2007. The Ptiliidae of the Maritime =20 Provinces of Canada (Coleoptera): new records and bionomic notes. =20 Zootaxa, 1423: 27-38. A copy of which is available at: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/PDF/Maritime_Ptiliidae.pdf Its a fairly dense scientific read but we will also have a chapter on =20= this family in the forthcoming Atlantic Maritime Ecozone book (due =20 from NRC Press in mid-2008). Also, there is a web page on one particularly fascinating ptiliid, =20 Cylindroselloides dybasi Hall, which at 0.6 mm in length is the =20 smallest beetle in the Maritime Provinces. It lives in the pores of =20 polypores and is quite abundant in the Maritimes. If you have =20 conifers with polypores in your area, these beetles are probably =20 there, although you will need a hand lens in order to see them! :-> =20 The page is located at: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Cylindroselloides_dybasi.html > By the looks of it, this beetle should be easily able to float =20 > on a rising column of warm air and I wonder if in fact they can do =20 > this. We actually discuss this in our AME chapter, since some authors (i.e. =20= Pringle 1957) have suggested that the beetles move around through =20 passive flotation in the manner of dandelion seeds. However, this is =20 an erroneous notion, as one can easily observe directed flight =20 behavior in various situations, for instance in searching for their =20 ephemeral breeding sites such as dung, compost, and decomposing =20 fungi. Despite their tiny size, and unusual wings, they can fly with =20 the same (or even better) facility as many other species of beetles. Cheers! Chris _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20= _. 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> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20= _. --Apple-Mail-195--142909797 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> Hi Dave et al.!<div><br><div><div>On 20-Oct-07, at 4:36 PM, David & = Alison Webster 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; ">Dear All,<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 =A0= =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 </span>Oct 20, 2007</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0=A0 </span>I found<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </span>Featherwing Beetles = (Ptiliidae; about 1-mm long; new to me) on Oct 11 and this being, after = the warm rain, a time when things might be active I looked for and found = several more today.</div></blockquote><div><br = class=3D"webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Fabulous beetles aren't = they? ;-> What habitat are you finding them in?</div><br><blockquote = type=3D"cite"><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-text-stroke-width: -1; = ">=A0=A0=A0To see the impressive feathery hind wing, I removed one = elytron and teased out a hind wing in water. A trace of detergent causes = the hairs to splay out. The fully expanded hind wing is about 3 times as = long as the elytron and folded in 2 places. What a = design.</span></div></blockquote><div><br = class=3D"webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Those who are interested = in seeing what these look like are welcome to look at the following = photographs which I've taken of three different species of ptiliids from = Nova Scotia:</div><div><br = class=3D"webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><a = href=3D"http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Acrotrichis_sp-1= .jpg">http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Acrotrichis_sp-1.j= pg</a></div><div><a = href=3D"http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Acrotrichis_sp-4= .jpg">http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Acrotrichis_sp-4.j= pg</a></div><div><a = href=3D"http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Pteryx_sp-3.jpg"= >http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Pteryx_sp-3.jpg</a></di= v><div><br class=3D"webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>The genus = <i>Acrotrichis</i>, which is both the most abundant and the most = species-rich (with 19 species in the Maritime Provinces) is fiendishly = difficult in terms of species identification - certainly one of the most = difficult genera of beetles in Canada. There is, in fact, only one = person in the world who