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--Apple-Mail-163--132844374 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Gerald, There are all fascinating questions, but no one has the answers to any of these. It would require an enormous amount of research to be able to even guess at an answer. Even in relation to beetles (on which I conduct research) I wouldn't have the faintest hope of being able to answer your question! :0> Just for fun, however, I took a quick look at the eight most species- rich families of beetles in the province: Staphylinidae (rove beetles) - 439 species Carabidae (ground beetles) - 290 species Curculionidae (weevils) - 227 species Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) - 176 species Elateridae (click beetles) - 110 species Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles) - 92 species Dytiscide (predaceous diving beetles) - 89 species Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles) - 60 species There are 1,483 species in this grouping, almost 2/3 of the species known in the province. Of these, only the following six species have been recorded from every county in the province: Philonthus caeruleipennis (Mannerheim) - rove beetle Harpalus rufipes (DeGeer) - ground beetle Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Fabricius) - weevil Dalopius vagus Brown - click beetle Melanotus castanipes (Paykull) - click beetle Ilybius biguttulus (Germar) - diving beetle There are 14 additional species that have been recorded from 17 of the 18 counties in NS. So, even for one of the best known groups of insects in the province (beetles), there are only a handful (if you happen to have six fingers) of species that have been recorded (even at the level of county) from across the province, and we can, of course, say very little about the relative abundance of these species. In contrast to the situation with birds, where resources like the Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces gives very specific estimates on the breeding populations of all the breeding birds found in the region, when it comes to insects we are decades (centuries? :- >) away from anything even remotely similar. For that reason, I always urge people to collect and report even common species of beetles, particularly in areas like Antigonish, Richmond, Shelburne, and Digby counties, where we lack records of even many common species. All the best! Chris On 31-May-08, at 11:56 AM, Gerald Ruderman wrote: > Hi, > > I am curious to know what is the most common insect in Nova Scotia? > By genus or species or higher rank. > > I am curious about several measures of common. How many are there at > one time? How many are there over the year? As well as by population > what is most common in terms of most mass? > > Thanks > Christopher Majka Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca --Apple-Mail-163--132844374 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; = ">Hi Gerald,<div><br><div>There are all fascinating questions, but = no one has the answers to any of these. It would require an enormous = amount of research to be able to even guess at an answer. Even in = relation to beetles (on which I conduct research) I wouldn't have the = faintest hope of being able to answer your question! = :0></div><div><br></div><div>Just for fun, however, I took a quick look = at the eight most species-rich families of beetles in the = province:</div><div><br></div><div>Staphylinidae (rove beetles) - 439 = species</div><div>Carabidae (ground beetles) - 290 = species</div><div>Curculionidae (weevils) - 227 = species</div><div>Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) - 176 = species</div><div>Elateridae (click beetles) - 110 = species</div><div>Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles) - 92 = species</div><div>Dytiscide (predaceous diving beetles) - 89 = species</div><div>Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles) - 60 = species</div><div><br></div><div>There are 1,483 species in this = grouping, almost 2/3 of the species known in the province. Of these, = only the following six species have been recorded from every county in = the province:</div><div><br></div><div><div><div><i>Philonthus = caeruleipennis</i> (Mannerheim) - rove beetle</div> </div> = <div><div><i>Harpalus rufipes</i> (DeGeer) - ground beetle</div> </div> = <div><div><i>Otiorhynchus sulcatus</i> (Fabricius) - weevil</div> </div> = <div><div><i>Dalopius vagus</i> Brown - click beetle</div> </div> = <div><div><i>Melanotus castanipes</i> (Paykull) - click beetle</div> = </div> <div><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: = 13px; "><i>Ilybius biguttulus</i> </span>(Germar) - diving = beetle</div><div><br></div><div>There are 14 additional species that = have been recorded from 17 of the 18 counties in = NS. </div><div><br></div><div>So, even for one of the best known = groups of insects in the province (beetles), there are only a handful = (if you happen to have six fingers) of species that have been recorded = (even at the level of county) from across the province, and we can, of = course, say very little about the relative abundance of these = species.</div><div><br></div><div>In contrast to the situation with = birds, where resources like the Atlas of Breeding Birds of the = Maritime Provinces gives very specific estimates on the breeding = populations of all the breeding birds found in the region, when it comes = to insects we are decades (centuries? :->) away from anything even = remotely similar. For that reason, I always urge people to collect and = report even common species of beetles, particularly in areas like = Antigonish, Richmond, Shelburne, and Digby counties, where we lack = records of even many common species.</div><div><br></div><div>All the = best!</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div></div></div><div><br></div><div>= <br><div><div>On 31-May-08, at 11:56 AM, Gerald Ruderman wrote:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite">Hi,<br><br