Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods)

News and Notes

The Scientific Committee met in Kelowna on November 5-6.

The grasslands focus trip held in Dunvegan last summer was well attended although the weather for collecting was less than optimal. Some other collecting was done in other areas before and after the organized collecting period. Next year’s focus site will be Aweme, Manitoba.

2. Family keys
The apterygote and exopterygote keys are progressing slowly, and a subcommittee was established to take forward the project for the endopterygote orders.

3. Insects of Newfoundland and Labrador
Much work has been done on this project recently by Dr. David Larson especially on aquatic orders, Orthopteroids, Hemiptera and Coleoptera. Many keys and other drafts have been produced. There are various possibilities for future products but no decision has yet been reached on which product(s) will be pursued. There remains much work to do and help is needed from others especially for some groups. Dr. David Langor reviewed other elements and possibilities for the project. The Survey encouraged the project to move ahead broadly. In consultation with Dr. Larson, the BSC will investigate publication outlets (including the possibility of funding for a Survey-published series), and encourage wider participation. An article will be produced for the Survey newsletter to publicize it.

4. Forest arthropods
Dr. Langor reported that he had consulted about this topic with a number of people across Canada. Information exchange among various people and organizations is especially poor, with virtually no synthetic activity, cohesion or long-term products. This would be a good opportunity for the BSC to fulfill its role as clearing house and coordinator and as a voice for matters of concern. Instead of focusing on a particular subject, therefore, it might be better to embrace all topics and foster better communication including an update of the 1997 BSC list of what is going on in forest biodiversity studies and investigating the possibility of starting a forest arthropod newsletter in partnership with the Canadian Forest Service. These initiatives were agreed to (see New project: Arthropods of Canadian Forests). A symposium discussed at earlier meetings on carabids (and probably including comparisons with other groups) would also be moved forward, provisionally for 2005. This symposium will be coordinated as necessary with the Survey symposium on arthropods and fire. Other proposals, for a prospectus, web page, etc. would be reconsidered after progress has been made on these items.

5. Insects of the Arctic
Dr. Currie reported a fourth year of field activity on this project, with visits to Rankin Inlet, Arviat and Baker Lake. In previous expeditions 30 spp. of blackflies had been collected in the Thelon River area and the Horton River area, of which half of the species were shared, but so far only one species different from the Thelon collection has been identified from those more eastern areas. The process of sorting and analyzing the data is ongoing. Given the extraordinary expense of arctic field work, instead of another field trip next year to the Mackenzie/Keewatin region a start will be made on writing up the findings of the work so far. However, future visits are planned to the Seward Peninsula of Alaska, and perhaps to the Anadyr region of Russia. Dr. Giberson continues to work on the mayflies and stoneflies from these expeditions, and is exploring alternate ways of obtaining data from various co-operators, given the great expense of arctic fieldwork. Dr. Giberson and Dr. Currie plan a symposium for the 2004 ESC meeting to summarize what the project has achieved.

6. Seasonal adaptations
Dr. Danks reported upon several papers and conference presentations on mitochondrial status, insect photoperiodism and rhythmicity, seasonal adaptations of arctic insects, insect cocoons in cold conditions and insect adaptations to cold and changing environments. The latter, given in the Richard Ring symposium at the recent ESC/ ESBC meeting, has been submitted for publication as part of the symposium package. Dr. Danks also hopes to go to Japan for several months in 2004-2005 to further these studies as an invited visiting professor at Okayama University, at a time between the fall and spring meetings of the Scientific Committee.

A broader idea about invasions and reductions is to examine basic principles by means of a synthesis through a symposium and publication. This would include issues such as an early warning system for the detection of invasive species that might be developed from collections and regional faunal surveys. A subcommittee will take forward ideas for a symposium and synthesis.

2. Endangered species
The Committee agreed to re-address a potential Biological Survey project that was put forward some years ago to develop a list of rare or potentially rare species of insects of Canada. At that time a project was organized but serious resistance was received from a few members of the systematics community. However, since then a list has been produced for British Columbia, demonstrating that such a publication does not seem to have the feared detrimental effects such as restriction of permits. Indeed such a list generates an incredible profile and brings in money for surveys.

The Committee also commented on the fact that COSEWIC now intends to deal with other insect orders, not just Lepidoptera as at present. The current Lepidoptera group works well, with good expertise. In this context, a Canadian list could be accompanied by a preamble and associated documents pointing out that it would have been impossible to call attention to the status of the species without good solid field work. As well, as soon as a list is available the community is placed in the position of having to do more work to discover where the endangered species are, a task that the Survey should be involved in. However, some potential negative consequences were identified. For example, in B.C. collecting is no longer possible in Indian reserves where it once was feasible. Butterflies and dragonflies are easy to identify in the field, an estimate of populations can often be made, it is known that they can be wiped out by collecting, and collecting techniques are specialized. As soon as other insect groups are involved and different collecting techniques come into play, permits become more difficult to obtain, for example, and expertise may be limited. Some members noted that a species-by-species approach will not work for most insects. Alternative approaches can be proposed (e.g. taxon reports), as recently accepted by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO). An action plan for the project will be developed for discussion at the spring meeting.

3. Survey website
A number of updates have been made to the website such as posting the voucher brief and the Survey newsletters, and revising the Scientific Projects page to reflect the review of scientific priorities in April. A few problems occurred as a result of server updates but these have been rectified. The idea of a permanent web site subcommittee was considered but deemed unnecessary given the current operation by the Secretariat.

4. Survey poster
A poster about the BSC had been drafted, and comments were provided by the Committee. After revision, the poster will be made available for downloading by members of the Committee for various uses.

5. Databasing
Information was received about topics of interest, including attempts to create an international butterfly network by databasing specimens and making information available on the internet, and other large networks of databases. The virtual museum hosted by the University of Alberta is a prototype for an Alberta-wide application that will involve all the natural science collections across Alberta. The Geolocate program was described, a georeferencing program for all natural history specimens available at http://www.museum.tulane.edu/geolocate/default.aspx. Other software available for this purpose was noted (e.g. OziExplorer, SoftMap). Topgraphic maps can downloaded from the Natural Resources Canada website [http://maps.nrcan.gc.ca/topographic.html].

6. Monitoring of continuing priorities
Information on ongoing interests in the Canadian fauna was reported, including arthropods of the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), arthropod ectoparasites of vertebrates, arthropods of the Yukon, arthropods of special habitats, small regional projects, and agroecosystems, including mention of some specific studies and a discussion of the need for proper pre-release surveys before biological control agents are brought in. Some members noted that it is easier to get money to bring in and release foreign parasitoids than to do a proper study ahead of time, because it is difficult to receive grants to study insects that are not pests. The Committee will consider inviting a representative of the regulatory agency for importation of biocontrol agents to explain the process.

Information about arthropods of aquatic habitats included a discussion about "rapid biodiversity assessments". Many of the people driving studies of aquatic habitats seem to believe more and more strongly that genus-level identification is not necessary. The North American Benthological Society meetings have been dominated in recent years by papers that espouse this notion, and most government-sponsored studies will only fund studies that identify to a family level. Those shortcuts stem partly from the fact that the time and money available is inadequate to do the proper work. Journals continue to accept papers based on inadequate taxonomy, including even a belief in the validity for detailed impact assessment of identification only to order (and as taught at a recent workshop) and some people are making a career out of doing these sorts of rapid assessments. A brief pointing out these matters was published by the Survey years ago, but non-scientists are especially pleased to hear the erroneous but time-saving message that species identification is never necessary.

Discussion about interests in arthropods of Les Îles de la Madeleine led to the decision to pursue a project in this area, broadened to include arthropods of islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A short concept document will be developed for discussion at the next meeting.

7. Other priorities
The Committee also discussed actions and information about a recently published brief on voucher specimens and its wider distribution, arthropods and fire (a symposium is planned for 2005), the insect common names list (including expertise to validate scientific names in the list), naturalists’ publications, a potential Canadian "Encyclopedia of Life", the potential for memoranda of understanding with certain government departments, potential website links from natural history sites, and other topics.

Mr. Baird reported that a steering group for the management and coordination of biodiversity information as it is collected in federal organizations has been set up through the Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership (FBIP). A modest number of model projects have been identified to demonstrate the value of working on a larger scale in collecting biodiversity information. Five projects have been funded and are underway. In September the CMN in conjunction with the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) was the organizer and host for the North American training session for the Species Analyst – DiGIR (Distributed Generic Information Retrieval) protocol for sharing species data. The goal of databasing the CNC collections is to have the material verified, georeferenced and made available electronically.

Mr. Baird announced that the CMN has now received authorization from Treasury Board to proceed with a complete rehabilitation of the Victoria Memorial Museum Building, the Museum’s main exhibit facility in Ottawa. The CMN remains responsible for the costs of developing new content for the galleries whereas the Treasury Board funding will cover the rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the building over a five-year period. Four new major galleries, scheduled to be opened in phases from 2006 to 2009, will be funded through the $16 million Natural Partnerships fundraising campaign. The first new gallery will be a new fossil gallery.

2. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Dr. Jeff Cumming reported that the reorganization at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada continues to evolve with the development of national themes and programs. Many of the entomologists in Ottawa work under the Biodiversity theme. With the reorganization has come recognition of the importance of the national collections housed in the Neatby and the Saunders buildings. A proposal is underway to upgrade these facilities or perhaps to construct a new building on the Central Experimental Farm. Dr. Kevin Floate commented that at a recent Agriculture and Agri-Food workshop biocontrol and biodiversity were identified as major departmental priorities. There is also an emphasis on memoranda of understanding and linkages with other institutions.

3. Entomological Society of Canada
Dr. Sandy Smith, Past President, reported that the annual ESC meeting was successful and the Society continues to generate revenue. The new editor-in-chief for the Canadian Entomologist in 2004 will be Dr. Richard Ring. The Publications and Finance committees are looking at more cost-effective ways of publishing the Bulletin and the Canadian Entomologist. The Canadian Entomologist is the only journal published by NRC that does not follow NRC’s standard format. Dr. Smith noted that recommendations for changes to the journal and bulletin will be reviewed at the April 2004 Executive Council meeting; comments can be sent to Dr. Ring.

The ESC Governing Board had welcomed the Survey’s report and also was pleased to have the BSC meeting held in conjunction with the ESC annual meeting. The ESC had reacted positively to the Survey’s proposal for a BSC award (and see below). The Committee expressed appreciation for Dr. Smith’s support of the Biological Survey.

Ongoing operations of the Biological Survey secretariat were reviewed including clearing house and coordination roles, research and other items, and Dr. Danks’ travels to entomological centres on behalf of the Survey to exchange information about relevant work. In 2003, visits were made to Kelowna, Victoria, Edmonton, Vegreville and Winnipeg. Seminars and lectures presented in addition to more or less informal treatments of the Biological Survey included Insect adaptations to cold and changing environments, Dehydration in dormant insects, How to assess insect biodiversity, The insect fauna of the Yukon, Knowledge of the insect fauna in relation to pest management, and Ranges of Yukon insects and their Beringian history.

2. Survey succession
A succession document drafted by a subcommittee and distributed prior to the meeting was approved for submission to the Canadian Museum of Nature. Among other elements, the succession plan points out the need, when the head of Secretariat eventually retires, for continuity and staffing overlap and gives details about the need for a well motivated scientist rather than simply an administrator to steer the Survey.

3. ESC liaison and BSC award
A regular BSC report to the ESC Governing Board had been instituted and well received. Such a report provides the opportunity to highlight future action items. The Board is happy to recognize BSC symposia and put appropriate instructions in the meeting guidelines and requested that proposals make the Survey’s involvement clear.

The idea of a BSC award was thought to be a good one by the Board but potential problems are created for a travel award by recent developments with the ESC Scholarship fund and Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) rules. Therefore, Dr. Giberson will prepare a modified proposal for a research award, in consultation with the Committee, for further consideration by the ESC. Fundraisers will also be sought.

4. Regional developments of potential interest
Information of potential interest was reported from different regions of Canada. In British Columbia, various projects in the Okanagan are underway including attention to potentially endangered invertebrates and ecoregional planning. The text of a handbook on mirids is finished and drawings are in progress. Publications on the Montane Cordillera and Pacific Maritime ecozones are in progress. Other work focuses on alien species, and on temperate canopy arthropods. Dr. Richard Ring, who gave the heritage lecture at the ESC meeting, retires officially in June, but there are no plans at present to replace his position with an entomologist. The Royal BC Museum has a new exhibit on giant robotic insects which includes some information panels on entomological work in British Columbia. Dr. John McLean has returned from sabbatical to the University of British Columbia. At Simon Fraser University the Masters of Pest Management program is back on track. Dr. Peter Belton has been brought out of retirement to deal with the mosquito aspects of the West Nile virus problem. Other projects in B.C. were also noted.

In the Prairies, Dr. Dan Johnson has accepted a Canada Foundation for Innovation chair at the University of Lethbridge. There is a new entomologist at Agriculture and Agri-Food in Saskatoon, Dr. Chrystel Olivier. Employment of some recent graduates was noted. The 7^th Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference and Workshop will be held in Calgary on February 26-29, 2004. The theme title is ‘Keeping the Wild in the West’. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan West Nile virus has dominated the local news and has brought resources to some entomologists. The forestry program at the University of Winnipeg continues to be active. Initiatives by the Canadian and U.S. Nature Conservancies to purchase and preserve tall grass prairie continue. For example, sections in Canada have been approved for purchase but only if the pig manure easement can be removed from those lands. Databasing of the University of Manitoba collections continues. The Criddle homestead site at Aweme is now a provincial park and has been nominated as a national historic site. The University of Alberta has a new entomologist on faculty, Dr. Maya Evenden, who is studying pheromones of Lepidoptera.

The Alberta Department of Environment has again funded members of the Alberta Lepidopterists Guild to go to far northern sites, leading to a survey of the Caribou mountains. The International Lepidopterists Society meeting was hosted in Olds last summer. A number of forest biodiversity projects centred in Edmonton through partnerships between the Northern Forestry Centre and the University of Alberta were reviewed, including work on beetles and fire impacts and ecological land classification systems. Synthetic publications in progress include treatments of the importance of biosystematics in addressing key forest research and policy issues and arthropods as ecological indicators for sustainable forest management.

In Ontario there are several current or recently completed graduate students in entomology in Toronto, Sudbury, Guelph and elsewhere. Major efforts at the Royal Ontario Museum recently have been concentrated on gallery redevelopment. Current work is on the life sciences components of the new galleries. Odonates at the ROM from the old historical Ministry of Environment collections will be properly identified and curated. The Ivey Foundation is putting funds towards the study of biodiversity of forests in the context of conservation, but the Foundation will not fund graduate students, long-term research or studies of individual species! The Entomological Society of Ontario meeting is in Guelph, November 28-30, 2003. Three new research scientists have now started work at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Drs. Patrice Bouchard, Jeff Skevington and Andrew Bennett. Dr. Don Bright has retired. Two large North American catalogues are in press on Dolichopodidae and Tachinidae.

In Quebec the annual meeting of the Société d'entomologie du Québec is in Quebec City in November with the topic of Insectes sans frontières (insects without borders). The provincial diagnostic laboratory is now on the internet, and a lot of applied information will be posted for extension personnel. Many graduate students are now working at McGill University in Dr. Wheeler’s laboratory and also Dr. Chris Buddle’s laboratory with work on forest biodiversity projects. The current databasing focus at the Lyman Museum is on the Diptera collection. No replacement for Dr. Peter Harper at the Université de Montréal has yet been hired after advertising for the last two years.

In Newfoundland and Labrador and the Maritimes the work of graduate students and others in the region was noted. Hurricane Juan caused considerable damage in Prince Edward Island including blowing the roof off the Biology building at the University of PEI. The joint annual ESC / Acadian Entomological Society meeting will be in Charlottetown in 2004, from 15–18 October. The collection of Odonata from PEI National Park is now at the New Brunswick Museum, and has just been databased.

For the arctic, a two-week course on boreal and arctic entomology was held in Churchill last summer under the auspices of the University of the Arctic (see p. 34). The course will be repeated next year. Some groups have high diversity there, perhaps because Churchill represents the southernmost extent of many arctic species and northernmost extent of many boreal species.

5. Other matters
The Committee considered information about international liaisons, membership of the Scientific Committee, the location of meetings, and other subjects.