NEWSLETTER
of the

Wisconsin Entomological Society

Volume 4 Number 3

James W. Mertins, Editor

EDITOR’S NOTES

October, 1976

Despite the encouraging start to the collecting season which I mentioned in my last
column in May, the promise of a good season for entomologists has, in general, gone
unfulfilled. Heat, and especially drought, such as we had this summer have not been
experienced in Wisconsin for at least 40 years. The insect populations that had it so
easy last winter and an early start last spring were at least decimated by mid-summer.
The last few weeks in my jaunts through woods and fields, I have been amazed by the
remarkable absence of the normal insect inhabitants of lare summer - especially the
Lepidoptera. The only things that seem to be present in large numbers everywhere are
bees, hornets^ yellowjackets , and other wasps.

At least the weather was mostly ideal for being in the out-of-doors all summer,
but it seems not to have stimulated my hoped for contributions to the NEWSLETTER about
experiences from members. Nevertheless, I think this issue has much of interest to
the reader, as there are several other types of contributions. How about some more?

The annual national meetings of the Lepidopterists 1 Society and Xerces Society were
held as scheduled in Madison, and were resounding successes. Due to their timing,
however, which corresponded to the week we normally hold our Society collecting trip
to Bill Sieker's farm, there was only the sugaring trip in August to report on this
year. However, some members did participate in a semi- organized collecting expedition
to the UW Arboretum in Madison set up for the Lepidopterists* Society members. I have
no reports yet on how it went.

Finally, I should correct an error made in the last NEWSLETTER regarding Prof.

John Medler’s distinction as the first sustaining member of WES. In point of fact, he
is the third to so aid the Society. The first was Bill Sieker in 1968, and the second,
Randy Powers, in 1971. My apologies, and our thanks to all of these contributors.

NOTICES

Wanted. Collecting data (identification, locality, date) for specimens of sphinx

moths collected in Wisconsin. Information to be used in a soon to be com-
pleted publication on the "Sphingidae of Wisconsin”. Send to Bill Sieker,
2633 Stevens St., Madison, WI 53705.

Wanted • Collecting data and/or specimens of tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae: Cassid-
inae), especially those taken in Wisconsin. Trading material is available.
Contact John or Carolyn Baker, Insectarium, Dept, of Entomology, Univ. of
Wis., Madison, WI 53706.

The NEWSLETTER of the Wisconsin Entomological Society is published two to four
times yearly at irregular intervals. Please send all news, notes, contributions,
and other items for the NEWSLETTER to the Editor, Department of Entomology,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.

NOTICES (cont.)

For sale . 11 glass top U.S.N.M. -type insect pinning drawers. These are old, but in

good condition and will accommodate insects. A cabinet could easily be built
to accommodate the set. $5 each or best offer. Contact Eric Erickson, 21
Burning Wood St., Madison, WI (tel. 249-3404).

Wanted . Uropodid mites associated with ant and termite nests in North America. Please
contact William Phillipsen, Dept, of Entomology, UW, Madison 53706.

Wanted . Records for all Wisconsin Aegeriidae (clear-winged moths) with information on
county, host-plant, etc. if possible. Will accept any specimens you don't
want, or have some lesser peach tree borers (male and female), Synanthedon
pictipes . for trade. Clyde S. Gorsuch, Dept, of Entomology, Univ. of Wis.,
Madison, WI 53706.

For sale . Very large selection of foreign exotic insects, especially butterflies,

moths, and beetles. Many large showy species. I have taken over the busi-
ness of the late Mr. George Schirmer and will welcome any inquiries or cor-
respondence. I will also consider trades for certain species. Please con-
tact Dan Capps, 231 Powers Ave., Madison, WI 53714 (tel. 249-7271 evenings).

Wanted to trade . Native of exotic foreign beetles; have numerous perfect mounted

Catocala moths (mostly duplicates) for exchange. John Hempel, 1516 Sherman,
Janesville, Wis. 53545.

Wanted. Records by county for all Wisconsin Rhopalocera, Sphingidae, Saturniidae,

~~ and Catocala . For more details write Roger Kuehn, 5042 N. 61 St.,

Milwaukee, Wis. 53218.

NEWS OF MEMBERS

(Please submit items of interest about yourself or other members for this column.)

We received word over the summer that Barb Campana, past Secretary of WES, has
moved again with her husband to New Mexico. And none too soon; Barb is expecting
a baby in late November.

Prof. John Medler is preparing to go to Indonesia as Director of a new 5-year
AID program, and will leave in mid-December for an initial 2% year appointment.

Dr. Michael Klein recently received quite a bit of national publicity for his in-
volvement in the identification of the sex pheromone of the Japanese beetle. Most
newspapers and many radio and TV stations across at least the eastern US carried re-
ports of the discovery, and Mick reports he and his colleagues almost needed a press
secretary to take care of the interest shown.

Prof. Gene DeFoliart was awarded the 1976 ESA-North Central Branch Award of Merit
at the annual awards banquet in Denver last March for his work on transovarial ar-
bovirus transmission in mosquitoes.

Dan Capps, intrepid collector and dealer in exotic insects, reports that his latest
trip to the subtropics was less than successful in the specimen department. Last
summer he went to GuantAnamo Naval Base on the island of Cuba to visit a nephew, and

2

NEWS OF MEMBERS (cont . )

also to collect. Unfortunately, the habitat on the base could perhaps best be des-
cribed as a pesticide-treated desert, and not only were very few insects seen, even
fewer were collected.

Dr. Michael Karandinos earned tenure in the UW Department of Entomology as of
.last July 1.

Prof. G. M. Boush has been officially appointed as Chairman of the UW Department of
Entomology.

Prof. Roy D. Shenefelt has retired from daily duties in the UW Department of Ento-
mology. He is now Emeritus Professor of Entomology, and is still actively pursuing
his work on world Braconidae at home, with occasional forays back to Russell Labs.

Paul Kotila passed his preliminary oral exam on the way to a Ph.D. in entomology
at UW on August 27. Congratulations Paul!

New Members

Charles Behnke Rt. 2 Box 152, Dodgeville, WI 53533

Wayne Duesterbeck 2015 2nd St., Eau Claire, WI 54701

Richard Schroeder 28 Gaslite So. Apt. 5, Madison, WI 53713

Joseph Sonza-Novera 4913 Chalet Gardens Rd. #210, Madison, WI 53711

Changes of Address

Barb Campana 3916-D Ortiz Ct . NE, Albupuermie, NM 87110

Leslie Lyons Canada Dept, of Environment, Great Lakes Forest Research Centre,

Box 490, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

Richard P. Narf 3911 F i s h Hatchery Rd., Madison, WI 53711

Randy R. Powers 10519 W. Donna Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53224

Lost Member

Does anybody know the whereabouts of the following, whose correspondence keeps
coming back? (Last address given.)

John Masters P.0. Box 66872, Scott's Valley, CA 95066

Member R&sum£s

New member Charles Behnke wasted no time in attending his first Society meeting
only five days after joining WES. He is, by trade, a photographer, and his interests
in entomology run along those lines. I've seen some of his insect photographic work,
and it is very ,very good. *

3

NEWS OF MEMBERS (cont.)

New member Wayne Duesterbeck indicates a primary interest in collecting Lepidoptera.

In renewing his membership, Dr. Les Lyons tells us of his continued interests in
life history, biology, behavior, and population dynamics of Neodiprion sawflies.

Another new member, Richard Schroeder, is a student and bartender, and has a par- ^
ticular interest in collecting aouatic insects.

Still another new insect photographer for WES, Joseph Sonza-Novera is a graduate
student in Madison and also is concerned with general insect collecting, taxonomy, and
biology.

HISTORY OF WISCONSIN ENTOMOLOGY - X

(In this installment we begin to recognize a number of names familiar to us as current
members of WES.)

When H. F. Wilson stepped down as Chairman in 1942, the Department of Entomology
came under the direction of its third Chairman, Professor C. L. Fluke. Prof. Fluke
joined the staff of the department in July, 1916, with a newly earned B. S. degree
from Colorado Agricultural College. He soon distinguished himself as a fine teacher,
and some years later won an award as the best instructor on the College of Agriculture
campus. Continuing his education himself, he earned a M. S. in 1918 and the Ph.D. in
1928 from UW-Madison with his thesis on "The Known Predacious and Parasitic Enemies of
the Pea Aphid, Illinoia pisi (Kalt.) in North America with Special Reference to Syrph-
idae."

Fluke’s specialty was taxonomy and ecology of the Syrphidae, or flower flies, and
he became a world-renowned authority on this important family, publishing many tech-
nical papers on them. Recognition of his expertise came in 1956 with the appearance
of a "Catalogue of the Family Syrphidae in the Neotropical Region - Part I" under his
name. Fluke described 154 new syrphid species and was awarded a Sigma Xi grant to
visit and study at the Ohio State collection, the US National Museum in Washington,

DC, American Museum of Natural History in New York, The Boston Society of Natural His-
tory, and the Canadian National Museum in Ottawa. Over his 42 years of service to the
University, Prof. Fluke published many papers on his other research interests which
were strongly oriented toward fruit insects, and included work on the pea aphid, cab-
bage, radish and apple maggots, cherry casebearer, potato flea beetle, raspberry borer,
codling moth, and apple curculio.

Personnel prior to Prof. Fluke's retirement included: Profs. C. L. Fluke, T. C.

Allen, H. F. Wilson; Assoc. Profs. J. H. Lilly, C. L. Farrar (USDA) ; Assist. Profs.

E. H. Fisher, J. T. Medler (% Agronomy), and R. J. Dicke. Extension activities in the
department were handled part-time by Harry Chada, who dealt with vegetable insects.

The first full-time extension specialist. Dr. E. H. Fisher, was appointed in February,
1946. A former student of T. C. Allen's, Dr. Fisher worked for a time at Stokely
Foods, Inc., after completing his graduate work. Very soon after his arrival in Madison,
Dr. Fisher helped Prof. Fluke to organize the first conference of the Wisconsin Pest
Control Operators held in February, 1946. Chairman Fluke also brought Dr. John T.

Medler to the department from the University of Minnesota as a joint appointee shared
with the Department of Agronomy, and funded by University President E. B. Fred with
funds from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. Prof. Farrar was assisted by a
well-trained staff at this time, including W. Stephen, E. Bielinski, F. Moeller, and
W. C. Roberts. The white grub laboratory was manned by Chamberlin and Seaton, and

4

HISTORY OF WISCONSIN ENTOMOLOGY - X (cont.)

entomologists at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture were Chambers, A. Pillar, and
Phil Smith. Though student enrolment during Fluke's administration was unstable due
to comings and mostly goings as men entered the armed services, a few of the names may
be familiar: R. K. Chapman, Richard Dobson, H. C. Coppel, William Hull, Phil Stone,

and others .

The department now occupied several additional rooms in King Hall, particularly in
the basement, and in the dairy barns. The first indication of new facilities came in
1945, when the University Building Committee requested funds to construct several build-
ings, including one on the site of the old entomology location.

Prof. Fluke became ouite ill and slowly weakened, and was forced to retire in 1946
after serving for four years and months as Chairman. In July, 1958, he was awarded
the status of Emeritus Professor. Prof. Fluke died February 11, 1959. With the ex-
ception of the holotypes. his entire fine collection of syrphids was deposited in the
UW Insectarium, where it remains today, as does his reprint collection, now available
in the C. L. Fluke Reference Room.

Winged Treasure of the Sierra Madre
by Herb Grimek

A very interesting article concerning the discovery of the overwintering locale of
the eastern monarch appeared in the August, 1976 issue of the National Geographic . The
article contains some spectacular photographs, as well as fascinating information.

It has been known for some time that the western populations of the monarch but-
terfly overwinter on the Monterey Peninsula of California. The much larger eastern
population, however, always seemed to vanish into thin air south of the Mexican border.

Dr. Fred A. Urouhart, a Canadian zoologist, and his wife, Norah, have been trying
to solve the riddle of this butterfly's disappearance since 1937. With the help of
many volunteers of the Insect Migration Association, which was formed by Dr. Urquhart
in 1952, large numbers of monarchs were tagged. As tagged butterflies were returned,
it became increasingly clear that the overwintering place was somewhere in Mexico.

An ad placed in a Mexican newspaper by Norah Urouhart in 1972 resulted in the help
of Kenneth C. Brugger of Mexico City. Ken Brugger systematically searched likely areas
of the Mexican countryside until, on January 9, 1975, he was able to give Dr. Urouhart
the exciting news that the long sought hiding place had been found.

The elderly Dr. Urouhart was finally able to make the trip for which he had waited
nearly 40 years during January, 1976. The sight that awaited him in Mexico's Sierra
Madre was truly spectacular. Many millions of monarchs covered more than 1000 large
trees. The insects covered the trees so densely that limbs sometimes broke under their
weight. This remote area of the Sierra Madre north of Mexico City is an ideal site
for the butterfly's hibernation. The 9000 foot elevation results in winter temperatures
which hover near freezing. The constant cold temperatures keep the monarchs from using
up the stored fat needed for their return flight north.

Hopefully, the Mexican government will take steps to set this area aside as a san-
ctuary as soon as possible. It would indeed be tragic if the population of this col-
orful insect were decimated due to some careless or wanton act.

WISCONSIN INSECT NOTES (etc.)

With our very dry summer, and the resultant lack of mosquitoes, we may discover
that some of our wildf lowers are in for a hard time. According to the National Wild-
life Federation, Lewis Nielson of the University of Utah is collecting evidence to

WISCONSIN INSECT NOTES (cont.)

prove that if it weren't for those often pesky creatures, some of our most beautiful
wildf lowers would vanish. While the females feed on us, the males are out working the
flowers for nectar like bees. Nielson is attempting to show that mosquitoes do carry
pollen from flower to flower, and successfully pollinate some tiny flowers that bees
ignore, such as forget-me-nots.

Former WES member, James R. Neidhoefer, has given his entire world renowned col-
lection of Lepidoptera to the Milwaukee Public Museum. The approximately 150,000
specimens from all over the world are conservatively valued at $150,000. In August,
the Friends of the Museum entertained Mr. Neidhoefer at a dinner to honor his gift,
which is being housed in a special new room in the invertebrate zoology section of the
museum. The room also provides a desk and study space for Jim, who is a Research Asso-
ciate and Honorary Curator of Entomology at the MPM.

Over the years Mr. Neidhoefer has been instrumental in getting several large and
important local collections of Lepidoptera for deposit in the museum, including the
Moeck and Shirmer collections (both former members of MES) . The current contribution
incorporates several other collections acquired by Mr. Neidhoefer, and is still being
retained in the fine original custom-made cases and drawers where it resided at Jim's
home in Menomonee Falls.

The collection has two centerpiece subcollections. One, which completes a con-
tribution begun earlier, includes the largest and finest collection of gynandromorphic
Lepidoptera in the world. These so-called "genetic accidents" are specimens which
show characters associated with both male and female specimens in a single insect, and
are quite spectacular. Neidhoefer estimates such occurrences at anything from one in
50,000 to one in a million. The collection includes more than 1000 gynandromorphs com-
pared with less than 300 in the British Museum, generally considered to have the finest
collection of Lepidoptera in the world. The second subcollection is one of the finest
series of birdwing butterflies (Ornithoptera) in the world, and the only collection in
the USA to include all of the known species.

Finally, to top it all off, Mr. Neidhoefer has also donated his entire worldwide
library of Lepidoptera literature to the museum. Many of the volumes included are as
beautiful and rare as the insects they describe.

Shortly after the last NEWSLETTER in May we learned that a number of State and
Federal agencies and private organizations were cooperating to distribute some 6000
gypsy moth pheromone traps throughout the State of Wisconsin. The results are now
pretty much complete, and are not encouraging. This year, as of September 10, a total
of 11 male moths were trapped in the State, compared to three last year in Appleton.
Nine males were caught in 1976 in the Outagamie County section of Appleton, and one in
the Calumet County section of that city. The eleventh male came to a pheromone trap
in an oak tree in Dane County east of Madison at Blooming Grove.

In contrast to the gypsy moth situation, news of the Japanese beetle trapping pro-
gram was all good. For the first time in several years, no specimens were caught any-
where in the State, including Kenosha where five were taken in 1975.

This past summer a new concept (at least in the USA) in zoos come into being at the
Smithsonian Institutions in Washington, DC. At the U.S. National Museum of Natural
History a special room was opened as an insect zoo in conjunction with the August con-
vening of the International Congress of Entomology in that city. I understand from
several who attended the Congress and saw the zoo that it is a most worthwhile effort.
The zoo has two curators whose main jobs are to keep the inhabitants healthy, well-fed,

6

WISCONSIN INSECT NOTES (cont.)

and cleanly. Their charges include many interesting forms "doing their own thing."

There are dung beetles rolling balls of manure, burying beetles burrowing under dead
mice, leaf-cutter ants chomping flower petals and carting them off, a hive of honey-
bees, tarantulas, butterflies, moths and caterpillars, large lubber grasshoppers,
hissing cockroaches, and unicorn beetles.

The Cincinatti (Ohio) zoo is not far behind. Presently under construction, and
scheduled for a spring (1977) opening is a 6400 souare foot subterranean insect building.
"Big game" hunters for the nation's second insect zoo recently travelled to Panama in
search of exotic inhabitants for their new facility. The list of species planned for
exhibit sounds very similar to those on display at the Smithsonian.

In early May, the first insects made the endangered species list of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. The El Segundo Blue, Philotes battoides, and five other species
of California butterflies made the list, and will hopefully benefit therefrom. Like
many other plants and animals along the scenic California coast, P. battQidftS » is
threatened by uncontrolled development of their restricted habitats by human inter-
lopers. The blue's population at El Segundo is now limited to a few acres at the west
end of the airport, and any further development of the area would no doubt drive the,
insect into extinction.

Butterflies are Free (They Say)
by Paul M. Kotila

All butterflies are free, they say;
they flit, and f lut , and fly away,

On gentle wind or ouiet air.

Can any blossom flash so fair?

The practiced eye finds names to call,
of monarch, copper, admiral.

All well enough, yet some do fuss;

"But of course -- Papilio glaucus !" *

In earnest quest, with quickened hand,
the lep-i-dop-ter-ist does plan.

To capture one soft pastel tone,

and make this nature's joy his own.

But flitting still across the sky,
to passers of and passers by;

A nameless bright, in summer sun,
begs moments pause from anyone.

*Tiger Swallowtail

Although there are surely others, I am aware of two new state records taken recently,
both in Madison. A tortoise beetle, Physonota helianthi Ran., was collected on May 14,
1976, and an encyrtid parasitoid of brownbanded cockroach eggs, Comperia merceti (Compere),
was taken by former WES President Ralph Howard in the University Houses, March 18, 1975.

7

WISCONSIN INSECT NOTES (cont.)

Herb Grimek brought attention to an article in a recent issue of the National
Enquirer about a California gentleman, Ken Gidney, who has what must be close to a
unique entomological-type job. The 54-year-old Gidney hunts and picks California
harvesting ants, which he sells to Uncle Milton Industries, manufacturers of ant farms.
The Culver City, California, firm buys its ants exclusively from Mr. Gidney, and at the
rate of a penny apiece, every anthill he finds is a potential minor gold mine. One
estimate has it that since the early 1950's when he began, Gidney has earned $1.4 mil-
lion. Modern technology has displaced the crude early collection method of poking a
straw into anthills and scraping ants that clung to it into a coffee can. Now equip-
ped with ten special vacuum devices to suck out the tunnel-digging ants by the
thousands, Gidney says, ”1 go out two, three days a week, pick ants for half a day,
and then go fishing." Many times he makes $3000.00 a week, and at the Christmas peak
of business, can boost that to $5000.00. In case you haven't seen them, each ant farm
is essentially a half-inch layer of sand sealed between two rectangular sheets of clear
plastic -- and a free supply of 25 of Gidney 's ants!

PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST

Butterflies in My Stomach (or Insects in Human Nutrition) by Ronald L. Taylor
(1975). Woodbrtdge Press Inc. Price- $8.95. Urges us to thoughtfully consider using
the vast and prolific insect populations to ease the world's protein shortage.

Includes instructions, recipes, proposals, illustrations, and nutritional tables.

Wellso, S. G., G. V. Manley, and J. A. Jackman. 1976. Keys and notes on the
Buprestidae (Coleoptera) of Michigan. Great Lakes Entomologist 9: 1-22. Because of
the geographic proximity of Michigan and Wisconsin, this should have considerable
utility in both states. Includes information on 116 species and 1 subspecies and a
description of a new species.

I recently noticed that a good basic manual on collecting insects for the begin-
ning and/or young entomologist is still available. How to Collect and Preserve Insects
by H. H. Ross is a 71 page booklet published by the Illinois State Natural History
Survey, and one copy is available free to any interested person on request by writing
to the Chief, Illinois Natural History Survey, Urbana, IL 61801, and asking for
Circular 39. Though some parts of the information are a bit outdated, the overall
product is still useful and informative. Advice is provided on where to collect, how
to make and use simple equipment, how to handle, mount, preserve, label, and house
specimens, and on how to identify specimens; with a synopsis of Illinois insect orders
and their relatives.

PROGRAM NOTES

FERRY BLUFF COLLECTING TRIP - AUGUST 14, 1976

The day dawned cloudy and stormy, one of the very few such all summer. The threat-
ening weather was certainly a factor in keeping attendance down, but as it turned out,
by late afternoon, the conditions at Ferry Bluff were very pleasant indeed and a fine
night for collecting followed. Unlike last year, not a mosquito was there to trouble
the collector. Seven members and guests attended, and a good time was had by all, if
you don't count the run-in that the Martin boys had with a nest of hornets! The date
of the event was several weeks later in the season than previous years, and as a con-
sequence some of the species taken were different than those taken normally. The

8

PROGRAM NOTES: FERRY BLUFF (cont.)

cardinal flowers along the river bottom were beautiful and in full bloom, with fre-
quent visits by hummingbirds observed. We attracted one deer mouse to our sugar bait
solution this year, and a little brown bat was surprised by the Editor under some
loose bark while searching for beetles there. The following list will give an idea
of what we found this year.

Species list

Orthoptera:

Hemiptera:

Neuroptera:

Coleoptera:

Lepidoptera:

Hymenoptera:

Blattidae
Tettigoniidae
Coreidae
My rme 1 iont idae
Carabidae

Tenebrionidae

Scarabaeidae

Noctuidae

Formic idae

- Parcoblatta sp.

- Ceuthophilus sp.

- Acanthocephala terminale (nymph)

- (larvae obs.)

- Carabus serrata

- Galerita janus

* Alobates pennsy lvanica

- Osmoderma eremicola (dead adult)

- Catocala cara

- C . cerogama

- C . concumbens

- C. retecta

- Camponotus pennsy lvanica (queen)

Arachnida: large wolf spider, and many large daddylonglegs (obs.)

1976 LEPIDOPTERISTS * SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING
sponsored by WES and the UW Department of Entomology

The 27th annual meeting of the Lepidopterists 1 Society held in Madison last July
25 - 28 in conjunction with the 3rd annual meeting of the Xerces Society was a great
success due largely to the efforts of WES members Walt Gojmerac and Bill Sieker, who
took care of all the local arrangements, and contributions by many other Society mem-
bers. Although I have no official report, a few personal observations on the sessions
I was able to attend may be of interest to those who couldn't come.

A list I saw contained the names of some 52 officially registered participants, but
I'm sure dozens more were in attendance at times. Besides many local people, there were
literally representatives from Maine to California, and Florida to Colorado. The meet-
ing facilities in the Wisconsin Center were superb, and attendees were greeted by an
original painting by butterfly artist, William H. Howe in the lobby. Although many ex^
cel lent papers were presented, I think few would argue that the highlight of the meet-
ing was the last paper by J. Oppenwall, "From the Gold Rush to the Hollywood Rushes:
Alchemy and Entomology in California: Some Notes on the History of Butterfly Farming."

Other successful events were the film by Ken MacArthur, "Excursion into the Tropics,"
an illustrated caterpillar identification quiz by Jim Mertins and John Baker, and the
banquet presentation by George Archibald on the International Crane Foundation.

PLEASE NOTE !

Members will find enclosed a copy of the WES advertising brochure and invitation to mem-
bership. PLEASE put it to good use and share it with a friend who might be interested
in joining. WES needs new members to help us avoid a threatening dues increase. More
pamphlets are available on request.

9

WISCONSIN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Wisconsin Entomological Society
Department of Entomology
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wis. 53706

Address correction requested