Newsletter Volume 32, Number 1 March 2005 WES SPRING MEETING Saturday, April 9 t 2005, 11:00 a.m. Russell Labs UW-Madison Campus (Map on Page 10) C“ 1 AGENDA 11:00 A.M. Discussion, Identification, Questions 12:00 Noon Insect Research Collection with Steve Krauth Bring a bag lunch. Snacks will be available. 1:00 p.m. Election of Officers SPEAKER TOPICS THE INVASIONS NEVER STOP! What's new in the arthropod world ? Presenter: Phil Pellitteri NEW WISCONSIN MOTH RECORDS Over 15 newly-recorded (and a few overlooked) moth species have been documented since the Checklist of Wisconsin Moths came out In 2000. Speaker will speculate on their status, as well as the spread of several Introduced European Noctuids. Presenter: Les Ferge NAME THAT CATERPILLAR CONTEST How many caterpillars will you be able to Identify? A prize will awarded to the winner. Presenter: Janice Stiefel Dear WES Members, I know that some of you were less than satisfied with our November meeting and I am sorry. Our Spring meeting has been planned to make up for that. Phil, Les, Janice, and I all plan to attend and we need you as well. Bring your photos, specimens, questions, and a bag lunch and be prepared to visit. See you there! jtfieyan/ &re&ic/ent/ In TMs Issue... WES Spring Meeting Page 1 WHAT’S IN A NAME? Answer to Oct\ober Mystery Insect Page 2 PHOTO SALON WINNERS Page 3 THE DRAGONFLY DANCE Page 4 2004 LEPIDOPTERA SEASON SUMMARY Pages 5, 6, 7 MYSTERY INSECT Page 7 THE CADDISFLY [Agapetus illini ) IN WISCONSIN Page 8 THE MOTH THAT EATS CORN Page 9 Directions to WES Meeting Page 1 0 The Wisconsin Entomological Society Newsletter is published three times a year, at irregular intervals. It is provided to encourage and facilitate the exchange of information by the membership, and to keep the members informed of the activities of the organization . Members are strongly encouraged to contribute items for inclusion in the newsletter. Please send all news items, notes, new or interesting insect records, season summaries, and research requests to the editor: Janice Stiefel, 2125 Grove Road, Bailey’s Harbor, WI 54202, (920) 839-9796, e-mail: Jstiefel@itol.com NOTE: Please report any address changes to Les Ferge, 7119 Hubbard Ave., Middleton, WI 53562. e-mail: ferge@chorus.net Wisconsin Entomological Societu Newsletter — March 2005 Page 2 Readers* Answers to October 2004 MYSTERY INSECT To refresh your memory, see photo at the bottom right RON HUBER Bloomington, MN "The October Mystery Insect appears to be the Ailanthus Webworm moth, Atteva punctella (Cramer) (formerly A tteva aurea Fitch in Holland's moth book), family Yponomeutidae. It is interesting that this native moth lays eggs primarily on an Introduced tree species! The five native tree species of the Quassia family Simaroubaceae are all deep south and southwest. Perhaps If the Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven) hadn't been introduced here, we wouldn't have the moth in Minnesota. Of interest, my wife caught one A. punctella in western Kansas out on the prairie In the "middle of nowhere”" We looked around, and sure enough, there was a huge Ailanthus towering over us. Must have been an old homestead once upon a time (no sign of it now) where they planted the tree. Way out there, but the little moth found it! (Or maybe came in with the tree 70 years ago).” GENE DRECKTRAH Oshkosh, WI “It’s the Ailanthus Webworm Atteva punctella (Cramer) adult. Order: Lepidoptera. Family: Yponomeutidae “I have four specimens in the university collection and three specimens in my personal col- lection (if that means anything).” RICHARD BREEN Wisconsin Rapids, WI “The October Mystery Insect looks like an Ailanthus Webworm Moth to me. That would be: Family: Yponomeutidae Genus: Atteva Species: punctella Hobomok Skipper male (Poanes hobomok) Mi -ingled with I the butterfly [population in Wisconsin, are the seemingly insignificant skippers. Many people think they are moths because of their chunkier bodies but they are butterflies that belong to the Hesperiidae (hes-pi-RY- i-dee) family. Between the years of 1860 and 1870, three American lepidopterists by the name of Moses Harris, Samuel Scudder and W.H. Edwards, found themselves with the honor of naming the Skippers. Because the Indian tribes, along with their chiefs and leaders were being slaughtered at such an alarming rate and because they felt their names would be lost forever, these three men decided to name some of the Skippers after Native Americans. Of the three dozen or so Skippers found in Wisconsin, four with the most Interesting past are: Indian Skipper ( Hesperia sassacus). The species name, sassacus, was named for the last important chief of the Pequot tribe which domi- Ailanthus Webworm Moth nated land from Photo: Carroll Rudy Indian Skipper male ( Hesperia sassacus ) Wat’s in A name? The Naming of the Skippers Text and Photos by Janice Stiefel Narragansett Bay to most of Long Island. Sassacus had great hatred for the colon- ists. . .probably because they killed his father. In 1836 the colonists waged war against his people, defeating them. Sassacus escaped into Mohawk territory with a small band of his men. The Mohawks had no pity or use for them, so they killed Sassacus, sending his scalp and those of six of his followers to the governor of Massa- chusetts. Delaware Skipper ( Atrytone delaware ) is named for the Delaware tribe which inhabited New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The Hobomok Skipper ( Poanes hobomok ) was named for Wampanoag Chief Hobomok, who lived in southeastern New England at the time of the Pilgrim’s landing. Long Dash Skipper (Polites mystic) [photo not shown! was named for Mystic, Connecticut where the Pequot tribe was defeated in 1636. Arctic Skipper ( Carterocephalus palaemon mandan) was named after a group of Sioux Indians who spoke the Mandan language and inhabited North Dakota in the area between the Heart and Little Missouri Rivers. Besides adding to the diversity of Wisconsin insects, the heritage of the Skippers offers a history lesson. We can thank Moses Harris, Samuel Scudder and W.H. Edward for having the foresight to preserve Indian legacy. Delaware Skipper female ( Atrytone delaware) Arctic Skipper ( Carterocephalus palaemon mandan) Wisconsin Entomological Societu Newsletter — March 2005 2004 PHOTO SALON WINNERS Page 3 Bog Fritillary Butterfly ( Bolorta eunomta dawsont ) McFarland Bog, Marquette Co., MI THIRD PLACE - KYLE JOHNSON Red-disked Alpine Butterfly ( Erebia discotdalts) McFarland Bog, Marquette Co., MI FOURTH PLACE - KYLE JOHNSON Wisconsin Entomological Society! NewsReUer — March 2005 Page 4 O ne of the joyous thrills of nature-watching Is the un- expected, once-ln-a-lifetime encounter. I know the moment Is really special when It makes me stop in my tracks and stand there wide- eyed, and all I can say is, WOWI One such moment occurred on May 10, 1998. Lund’s Swamp is my affectionate name for a wonderful wetland mix of wet meadow, shallow marshy lake, cattail marsh, swamp woods, forested upland on sandy soil and forested ponds. On the map, this place is known as McDonald’s Flowage, part of the Navarlno State Wildlife Area in Shawano County. This wildlife refuge provides habitat for wood ducks, bald eagles, muskrats, woodcocks, painted turtles, wood frogs, mustard white butterflies, blackberries, winterberry, wood ticks, and dragonflies. Picture the moment: about three o’clock on a sunny, warm (78°F) May afternoon. My husband, Jerry, and I slowly motor along the swamp road listening for spring sounds and watching for critters. A car approaches us and instantly a big black “cloud” appears over the road ahead of us. As soon as the car passes, the cloud disappears. Another car approaches us and the same thing happens. The black cloud reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock’s, The Birds. The cloud looks like a giant flock of starlings flying in close formation: swirling, dipping, turning, rising as one except the individuals do not look like birds. This cloud also Instantly disappears. Now we approach the spot. As we drive slowly, the cloud instantly reappears and we are engulfed in the biggest swarm of darting, turning, zipping, flipping dragonflies I have ever witnessed. I yell “Dragonflies" and Jerry quickly stops the car. By the time I Jump out of the car, the dragonflies are gone. Where are they? I look around and notice a few transparent wings glistening in the sunlight. I step off the road to investigate and discover about 30 dragonflies clinging to the bare branches of a shrub. A few individuals rest with wings open, but most perch with wings closed up Spiny Baskettail Dragonfly (Epttheca spinlgera) May 10, 1998 Navarlno State Wildlife Area Shawano County, WI over their bodies, looking like giant Mayflies. They are all lined up, resting at oblique angles, one right after another. Looking around and up, I discover other branches, both leaved and unleaved, bedecked with dragonflies. I expand my field of view and see more dragonflies. Motionless dragonflies are everywhere. I am surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of perching dragonflies, resting in the warmth of spring. Just then another car passes, going about 45 MPH. The dragonflies erupt into flight, I hear the chorus of stiff membraneous wings fluttering at they effortlessly lift the insects. The startled dragonflies dart up, out and over the road. The black cloud swirls over my head. Amazingly, hundreds of dragonflies flying in very tight formation and there are no mid-air collisions. As soon as the car passes, the dragonflies drop from the cloud to resettle on the vegetation. Most quickly land, equidistant from their neighbors, with no Jockeying for position. Some lite on others, but quickly flit off to find an open spot. In just a few moments, all is quiet, hundreds of dragonflies resting, once again, motionless in the sunlight. I Just stoof there and said, “WOW!" Knowing that no one picture could capture the total scene, the sounds, or the feeling of being surround by all these incredible dragonflies as they take flight and then resettle. I hoped for another car to pass. These dragonflies are Spiny Baskettails ( Epttheca spinigera ), inhabitants of marshy lakes. Lund’s Swamp is an ideal home. These individuals had recently emerged as their wings had not yet hardened into their permanent horizontal positions. Swarming is something this species may do upon emergence. Why and how long they swarm, I do not know. I hated to leave for I knew the swarm would soon dissipate with individuals staking out their ideal spot in Lund’s Swamp. That warm May day, I had been in the right place at the right time. More importantly, I was aware that something unusual was happening and I took the time to investigate. I still get excited when I think of how lucky I was to experience this phenomenon. WOWI WES member Anita Carpenter is a pharmacist by profession and a naturalist by passion. Her nature articles regularly appear inside the front cover of Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine. Spiny Baskettails have dull metallic green eyes. They are medium-sized and dark, with orange spots on the sides of their abdomen. They sometimes feed in swarms and inhabit marshes, borders of lakes and slow streams. From Dragonflies of Wisconsin Edition 4.0 2003 by Karl & Dorothy Legler with Dave Westover Wisconsin Entomological Societu Newsletter — March 2005 2004 WISCONSIN LEPIDOPTEBA SEASON SWIMARY Coordinator: Leslie A. Ferge Contributor^Cited: James A. Ebner (JAE), George J. Balogh (GJB), Leslie A. Ferge (LAF), Kyle E. Johnson (KEJ), Waldemar E. Kmentt (WEK), Janice J. Stiefel (JJS), Ann & Scott Swengel (SAS). Temperatures were below average for most of the season, with frequent and often heavy rain prevalent. Spring conditions were cool and wet, with May being one of the wetttest in recent memory. Dismal conditions hampered field work and delayed emergences of many spring species . Summer was erratic, with August temperatures being far below average but September above average. Numbers of most butterfly species continue to be significantly depressed, and moth numbers seemed less than usual as well. It was not a particularly good season for migratory butterflies. Pyrgus communis and Euptoieta claudia were recorded northward early in the season, but few other species were seen in August and September. Interestingly, JAE found very late season arrivals of several species in SE Wisconsin in October. Monarchs arrived later than average, but numbers remained very low throughout the season. The records are arranged systematically by checklist number, following the Checklist of the Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico (Hodges et al., 1983). New county records are Indicated by county names appearing in CAPITAL letters. Abbreviations used in the data include: CF = County Forest, SF = State Forest, SNA = State Natural Area. BUTTERFLIES Hesperlidae 3966 Pyrgus communis ONEIDA Minocqua Twp. 15 Jun 2004 LAF collected by Daniel Balogh 4006 Oarisma powesheik Waukesha Kettle Moraine SF 1 1 Jul 2004 JAE 4022 Hesperia ottoe Crawford Hogback Prairie 14 Jul 2004 SAS 4022 Hesperia ottoe Grant Dewey Heights Prairie SNA 14 Jul 2004 SAS 4023 Hesperia leonardus Brown NEW Zoo Reforestation Camp 18 Aug 2004 KEJ 4027 Hesperia metea Jackson Jackson County Forest 9-26 May 2004 SAS 4049 Atalopedes campestris Waukesha Okauchee 9-25 Oct 2004 JAE 4072 Euphyes dion BROWN East River Trail 14 Jul 2004 KEJ 4072 Euphyes dion Waukesha Vernon Swamp 12 Jul 2004 JAE 4075 Euphyes consplcua BROWN East River Trail 15 Jul 2004 KEJ 4080 Atrytonopsls hianna Papllionidae Sauk Mirror Lake SP 2 Jun 2004 SAS 4170 Papillo cresphontes Pierldae Waukesha Kettle Moraine SF 12 May 2004 JAE 4195 Pieris oleracea Walworth Lulu Lake 26 Jun 2004 JAE 4237 Eurema lisa Crawford Hogback Prairie 23 Jul 2004 SAS 4237 Eurema lisa Crawford Prairie du Chien 29 Aug 2004 LAF 4237 Eurema lisa Dane Madison: L. Mendota lakeshore 2 Sep 2004 KEJ 4237 Eurema lisa Grant Cassville 29 Aug 2004 LAF 4237 Eurema lisa Grant Jamestown Twp. 29 Aug 2004 LAF 4237 Eurema lisa Lycaenidae Sauk Mirror Lake SP 1 1 Jul 2004 SAS 4249 Feneseca tarquinius Waukesha Lannon Swamp 10 May 2004 JAE 4253 Lycaena dlone Waukesha Lannon Swamp 17 Jun- 12 Jul 2004 JAE two new colonies discovered 4261 Lycaena dorcas Douglas Summit Twp. 1 Aug 2004 KEJ 4326 Callophrys henrici Price Flfield Twp. 6 Jun 2004 SAS 4336 Strymon mellnus Waukesha Okauchee 29 Oct 2004 JAE 4374 Lycaeldes Idas nabokovi Riodinldae Marinette Shrine Rd. 3-17 Jul 2004 SAS 4391 Calephelis muticum Fond du Lac Dundee 22 Jul 2004 JAE only one fresh male seen Libytheidae 4410 Llbytheana carinenta WAUKESHA near Merton 23 Jul 2004 JAE Wisconsin Entomoloaical Societu Newsletter — March 2005 Paae 6 Nymphalidae 4440 Junonia coenia Crawford Prairie du Chien 29 Aug 2004 LAF 4440 Junonia coenia Dane Madison: L. Mendota lakeshore 29-24 Oct 2004 KEJ 4440 Junonia coenia Jackson Dike 17 12 Jul 2004 SAS 4440 Junonia coenia Milwaukee Oak Creek 29 Sep 2004 JAE 4440 Junonia coenia Waukesha Kettle Moraine SF 1 1 Jul-30 Sep 2004 JAE 4447 Euptoieta claudia Burnett Crex Meadows 13 Jun 2004 SAS 4447 Euptoieta claudia Jackson Black River SF 1-6 Aug 2004 SAS 4447 Euptoieta claudia ONEIDA Minocqua Twp. 15 Jun 2004 LAF 4450 Speyeria cybele WAUPACA Wolf River between Hwy 54 & X 18 Jul 2004 KEJ 4452 Speyerla Idalia Portage Buena Vista 2 Jul- 11 Sep 2004 SAS 4466 Boloria frlgga saga FLORENCE E of Long Lake 3 Jun 2004 LAF 4466 Boloria frigga saga Forest Armstrong Creek 3 Jun 2004 LAF 4471 Boloria freija Price Fifleld Twp. 15 May 2004 LAF 4474 Boloria characlea grandis Douglas Summit Twp. 1 Aug 2004 KEJ 4481 Phyciodes tharos Brown Fonferek Glen County Park 7 Oct 2004 KEJ 4489 Chlosyne gorgone carlota Burnett Crex Meadows, Burnett CF 13 Jun-31 Jul 2004 SAS 4489 Chlosyne gorgone carlota Jackson Jackson County Forest 16 May-24 Jul 2004 SAS 4568.3 Satyrodes eurydice Brown East River Trail 14 Jul 2004 KEJ 4568.3 Satyrodes eurydice Douglas Summit Twp. 1 Aug 2004 KEJ 4568.3 Satyrodes eurydice WAUPACA Wolf River between Hwy 54 & X 18 Jul 2004 KEJ 4569 Satyrodes appalachia Brown NEW Zoo Reforestation Camp 18 Aug 2004 KEJ 4569 Satyrodes appalachia Waukesha Lannon Swamp 9-12 Jul 2004 JAE 4583 Coenonympha tullia inornata Douglas Summit Twp. 31 Jul -1 Aug 2004 KEJ 4583 Coenonympha tullia inornata MARATHON Norrie 27 Jun 2004 LAF 4596 Erebia discoidalis Price Fifleld Twp. 15 May 2004 LAF 4611 Oeneis jutta ascerta Price Fifleld Twp. 15 Jun 2004 LAF 4614 Danaus plexlppus Brown East River Trail 14 Jun -7 Oct 2004 KEJ 4614 Danaus plexlppus Dane Madison: L. Mendota lakeshore 28 Oct 2004 KEJ 4614 Danaus plexlppus Waukesha Okauchee 28 May-30 Sep 2004 JAE MOTHS Geometridae 6362 Dlgrammia continuata OCONTO Oconto 18 Jul 2004 LAF 6898 Cingllla catenaria Door Bailey's Harbor 1 1 Sep 2004 JJS 7216 Plemyria georgli DOOR Bailey's Harbor 14 Aug 2004 JJS Saturaiidae 7704 Eacles Imperialis CRAWFORD Marietta Twp. 21 Jul 2004 LAF 7709 Sphlngicampa bicolor Crawford Marietta Twp. 21 Jul 2004 LAF Sphingidae 7775 Manduca sexta Dane Middleton 5 Sep 2004 LAF 7796 Sphinx eremitus DOOR Liberty Grove Twp. 28 Jun 2004 JJS Collected by Sara Larsen, larva found 10 October 2003 7854 Hemaris gracilis Oneida Minocqua Twp. 15 Jun 2004 LAF Arctiidae 8146 Ecpantheria scribonia ROCK Turtle Twp. 17-25 Jun 2004 WEK Noctuidae 8359 Macrochilo bivittata Oconto Oconto 18 Jul 2004 LAF 8362 Phalaenostola metonalis DOOR Bailey's Harbor 14 Aug 2004 JJS 8368 Tetanolita floridana DANE Middleton 12 Sep 2004 LAF 8490 Pangrapta decoralis DOOR Bailey's Harbor 16 Jul 2004 JJS 8588 Panopoda carneicosta CRAWFORD Marietta Twp. 21 Jul 2004 LAF 8698 Zale phaeocapna Marinette Dunbar 6 Jun 2004 LAF 8770 Catocala innubens CRAWFORD Marietta Twp. 21 Jul 2004 LAF 8776 Catocala coelebs Door Bailey’s Harbor 20 Sep 2004 JJS 8821 Catocala semirelicta Door Bailey's Harbor 21 Aug 2004 JJS 8822 Catocala meskei CRAWFORD Marietta Twp. 21 Jul 2004 LAF 8927 Syngrapha eplgaea Door Bailey's Harbor 5 Sep 2004 JJS 8929 Syngrapha virldisigma Door Bailey's Harbor 4 Sep 2004 JJS Wisconsin Entomoloaical Societu Newsletter — March 2005 Page 7 8946 Syngrapha microgamma Price Fifleld Twp. 15 Jun 2004 LAF 9055.2 Maliattha concinnimacula MARINETTE Dunbar 6 Jun 2004 LAF 9055.2 Maliattha concinnimacula ONEIDA Minocqua Twp. 15 Jun 2004 GJB 9061 Cerma cora Marinette Dunbar 6 Jun 2004 LAF 9343 Apamea apamiformis DOOR Bailey's Harbor 27 Jul 2004 JJS 9362:1 Apamea unanimis ONEIDA Minocqua Twp. 15 Jun 2004 GJB STATE RECORD, introduced European species 9362.1 Apamea unanimis SHAWANO Jung Hemlock-Beech Forest SNA 26 Jun 2004 LAF 9398 Eremobtna jocasta DOOR Bailey's Harbor 12 Sep 2004 JJS 9427 Meropleon diversicolor Douglas Solon Springs 7 Sep 2004 LAF 9429 Lemmeria digitalis DOUGLAS Solon Springs 7 Sep 2004 LAF 9436 Spartlnlphaga panatela Oconto Oconto 18 Jul 2004 LAF 9443 Chortodes defecta OCONTO Oconto 18 Jul 2004 LAF 9483 Papaipema inquaesita DOUGLAS Solon Springs 7 Sep 2004 LAF 9485 Papaipema baptisiae DOOR Bailey's Harbor 22 Sep 2004 JJS 9486 Papaipema bird! DOUGLAS Solon Springs 7 Sep 2004 LAF 9524 Bellura brehmei SHAWANO Jung Hemlock-Beech Forest SNA 26 Jun 2004 LAF 9876 Xylena cineritia DOOR Bailey's Harbor 18 Apr 2004 JJS 9881 Homoglaea hircina Door Bailey's Harbor 24 Mar 2004 JJS 9888 Lithophane innominata DOOR Bailey's Harbor 3 Oct 2004 JJS 9915 Lithophane grotei DOOR Bailey's Harbor 27 Sep 2004 JJS 10200 Cucullia asteroides Door Bailey's Harbor 28 Jun 2004 JJS 10878 Richia albicosta DANE Middleton 19 Jul 2004 LAF STATE RECORD, one fresh specimen at UV light 10917 Diarsia rubifera DOOR Bailey's Harbor 9 Aug 2004 JJS 11063 Pyrrhia adela DOOR Bailey's Harbor 26 May 2004 JJS Collected by Kay Stiefel, ex larva from garden beans 11095 Schinia Indiana Burnett Crex Meadows, Burnett CF 13 Jun 2004 SAS 11095 Schinia Indiana Jackson Jackson County Forest 12 Jun 2004 SAS 11105 Schinia bina ONEIDA Minocqua Twp. 15 Jun 2004 LAF Collected by Daniel Balogh 11174 Schinia lucens Green Muralt Bluff Prairie 23 Jul 2004 SAS MYSTERY INSECT Can you Identify it? V WES Membership Dues This caterpillar stands out from the rest because it has an extra set of prolegs at A5 and frlnge -like. pale hairs running along the length of the lower abdomen. The ground color varies from gray to brick red, or less commonly, smoky green. Each of the tan spiracles is ringed with black. Generally the mature larva is said to be about 1-1/2 in. long, but this individual was 2 in. Send common and scientific name to the editor. Individuals with correct answers will be announced in the next issue of the WES Newsletter. ^ Individual Membership $5.00 per year Family Membership $10.00 per year Sustaining Membership $15.00 per year Patron Membership $25.00 per year Please make check payable to WES and send to Les Ferge, 7119 Hubbard Ave., Middleton, WI 53562-3231. Wisconsin Entomological Societu Newsletter — March 2005 Page 8 Ti ^he caddisfly {Agapetus hesst ), a state “Special Concern" species, is the only member of its genus documented from Wisconsin. Dr. Hilsenhoff 11 ’ indicates that two other species, A. rossi and A. tomus, also likely occur in the state. Records in the flies of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) suggest that a fourth species, A. illint , might also be added to the state's fauna. While preparing a water quality management plan for the Upper Green Bay Basin, I examined a series of data sheets with the results of a northern Wisconsin field study conducted in May 1980. The DNR investigator collected aquatic insects from the Pike River and its major tributaries in Marinette County. He found larval caddisflies of the family Glossosomatidae at six of eleven sampled sites. Members of the widely distributed genus Glossosoma occurred at four sites. In addition, the investigator identified specimens collected at two sites (North Branch Pike River at Lily Lake Road and Little South Branch Pike River at Nutt Road) on 15 May as A. Mini, a possible new state record. One can easily recognize larvae of the family Glossosomatidae by their small anal claws and saddle-shaped or turtle-like cases (see accompanying figures. Identification of Agapetus species, however, poses a challenge; only adult males can be identified to species level with certainty 12, 6) . The DNR data sheets, unfortunately, indicate neither the sex nor the Identifying characteristics used by the investigator, and voucher specimens are no longer available to confirm his identification. The genus Agapetus occurs rarely in northern Wisconsin 1 11 , and A. Mini has previously been reported only from Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana (where the state considers It a threatened species), Kentucky, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 12,8,91 . Neverthe- less, Hilsenhoff and his colleagues 13 ’ Glossosoma Intermedium, a widespread member of the family Glossosomatidae (from Ross, 1944) Larval case of Agapetus sp., lateral view (from Wiggins 1996) reported collecting unidentified Agapetus from the nearby Pine-Popple River system. The possibility that these were A. Mini should not be dismissed without further in- vestigation. Agapetus has a very low tolerance for organic pollution 14, 5) and occupies only cool or cold streams 18, 7) . The field data sheets indi- cate the investigator noted excellent water quality at both col- lection sites and biotic index values 14 ’ confirm that per- ception. Even though the investigator was a competent field biologist, the pos- sibility of misidenti- flcation cannot be overlooked, especially since the identifications were based on larvae. Therefore, we should not consider A. Mini a component of Wisconsin's fauna at this time. Investigators working in northern Wisconsin streams with excellent water quality, nonetheless, should be on the look out for additional Agapetus specimens. Such collections could help further delineate the Wisconsin distribution of this genus and might shed light on this interesting, but questionable, occurrence. ^ References 1. Hilsenhoff. W.L. 1995. Aquatic Insects of Wisconsin . Univ. Wisconsin Natural History Museums Council Publication 3. Univ. Wisconsin. Madison. 2. Ross, H.H. 1944. The caddisflies or Trichoptera of Illinois. Bulletin of the Illtnots Natural History Survey 23:1-326. 3. Hilsenhoff. W.L.. J.L.Longridge.R.P. Narf. K.J. Tennessen and C.P. Walton. 1972. Aquatic insects of the Pine-Popple River, Wisconsin. Technical Bulletin 54. Wisconsin DNR, Madison. 52 pp. 4. Hilsenhoff, W.L. 1987. An improved biotic index of organic stream pollution. Great Lakes Entomologist 20:31-39. 5. Hilsenhoff. W.L. 1988. Rapid field assessment of organic pollution with a family-level biotic index. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 7:65-68. 6. Wiggins, G.B. 1996. Larvae of the North American Caddisfly Genera (Trichoptera). Univ. Toronto Press, Toronto. 7. Ross. H.H. 1956. Evolution and Classification of the Mountain Caddisflies. Univ. Illinois Press, Urbana. 8. NatureServe. 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An On-line Encyclopedia of Life. NatureServe. Arlington, VA. Available on the web at http://www.natureserve.org/explore 1 L 9. Discover Life. 2004. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Aquatic Insect Checklist. The Polistes Corporation. Available on the web at http ://www. discoverlife . org/nh/cl/G SMNP/aquatic insects GSMNP.html . Dreux Watermolen is a member of WES. He is an ecologist interested in the zoogeography, life history, and taxonomy of Wisconsin’s rich biological diversity. Wisconsin Entomological Society Newsletter — March 2005 T he European Corn Borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) came to America in 1 9 1 7 , in an unusual way, not hitch-hiking in corn at all. Instead this small moth came in brooms made in Hungary and Italy. How is that possible? Brooms are made from broomcorn sorghum, a relative of corn and one of the borers’ many foods. The pupae of the moths were hidden in the straws of the brooms. Apparently, the boat ride to the US was pleasant. The moths emerge from their over-wintering pupae in May and June and fly to a nearby field to lay about twenty eggs in a quarter-inch white mass per leaf. In about a week, the eggs turn dark and the hatchlings move out as first instar larvae or borers. About every two weeks a larvae sheds its skin and passes through second, third, and fourth instar stages. The borer is fully grown by the fifth instar stage and pupates in the stalks and leaves. The second brood moths emerge from the pupae in July and August and they flit and flirt in the weeds along the cornfields. These summer moths mate and then the females lay eggs that become the second generation. Even a third generation is possible if the weather Is favorable for a longer growing season. These larvae can over-winter as borers that do not pupate until spring. So you see. a few adult moths can cause a large population of borers since each female can lay over 500 eggs in her short lifetime. Borers get around, with all those legs, and can bore into the tassels, the ears, the ear shanks, and the stalks. The plant is weakened and produces fewer ears of corn with smaller kernels. However, cooler-than-normal temperatures can chill any ovipositor in the first brood. In the second generation, if the weather is hotter- and-drier than usual, a Beauveria fungus often dines on and in the THE MOTH THAT EATS COM by Linda Curtis European Com Borer Larva inside cornstalk Forestry Images Website European Com Borer adult (Ostrlna nubilalis ) Photo: Janice Stiefel, 7/20/04 larvae, covering It with a cottony white mass. It’s not easy being a moth-er of a borer. The female lays her eggs, but now scouts (people) walk the cornrows and look for the egg masses. With a formula based on the number of eggs per plant, the scouts estimate the amount of insecticide the farmer could apply to the corn field. "Could apply” is a key phrase here, because pesticides are expensive and cost-benefit analysis is studied before making that decision to spray. If the eggs have already hatched, scouts look for tiny but shiny "windows” in the leaves created when the first instars feed on Just the epidermis and mesophyll layer, but can't eat all the way through the leaf yet. After that breakfast, they have enough strength to chew into a leaf, tunnel down a vein, then eat their way down the stem. If they make it. A good rainstorm can knock them off, as will stiff winds. Hot weather can dry them up if they don’t squirm on down the leaf whorl soon enough. Yes, life is tough in the borers struggle of life. But still, population-wise, borers are successful because they can eat over 230 species, including cotton, some vegetables, and weeds alongside the fields. But corn of all kinds are their favorites, popcorn, seedcorn, sweet- Page 9 “I corn, as well as sorghum raised for bird food and brooms. So the scouts are checking other crops as well, looking for other —I clues of the borers presence. One is “Shotholes,” which are small holes eaten entirely through the middle of a leaf, but not toward the tips. The middle of the leaf Is a bad place for borer tunnels because the leaf will break easily in the wind or rain. A scout may slit the corn midrib and find the borer, easily identified by their black head and light-colored body. The other sign that trained scouts and ento- mologists can spot before any one else is frass...the tiny particles of excretement. Ah ah! Good news Is the borers do not feed on seedling plants. The bad news for farmers is: there are a lot of other insects that do. So, is it borers: 10 and humans: 0 in the game card of life? Not in our generation. The humans have struck back In an unprecedented manner. Instead of applying insecticide to the plants, the plants are genetically modified with a gene from Bt, the bacterium that kills the borer stage. So borer eats, and borer dies. No next generation. The process of gene- transfer in the making of Bt corn is called biotechnology. The transgenic crop or GMO is a genetically modi- fied organism that Is patented and carefully controlled so farmers will not save the seed for the next season of planting. The concern over GMO’s may be outpaced by farmers in the US, Canada, China and Argentina who are increasingly planting the new corn hoping to raise yields yet reduce pesticide costs. While cultural controls, such as burning the stalks or plowing them under, does reduce local over-wintering corn borer populations, the moths still can fly in from other fields. Our native lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculatct, is a natural predator on the egg masses. In some areas, wasps such as Ertborus terebrans and Macrocentrus grant parasitize the 2nd to 4th instar larvae. ^ Linda Curtis is a WES member and retired biology instructor from College of Lake County in Gray’s Lake, IL. She is the author of Aquatic Plants of Northeastern Illinois, 1995. Wisconsin Entomological Society Janice Stiefel, Editor 2125 Grove Rd. Bailey’s Harbor, WI 54202 Address Correction Requested Wisconsin Entomological Societu Newsletter — March 2005 Page 10 DIRECTIONS TO RUSSELL LABS MADISON, WISCONSIN Wisconsin Entomological Society Officers President: Megan Hvslop 1635 Haas St. Madison, WI 53704 608-244-2570 or 608-264-1021 mjhyslop@wisc.edu Vice President: Phil PeUitteri Dept, of Entomology 1630 Linden Dr. Madison. WI 53706 pellitte@entomology.wisc.edu Secretary-Treasurer: Les Ferge 7119 Hubbard Ave. Middleton, WI 53562-3231 ferge@chor us . net Newsletter Editor: Janice Stiefel 2125 Grove Rd. Bailey's Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 839-9796 j stiefel@ itol . com