NEWSLETTER of the Wisconsin Entomological Society Volume 4 Number 1 James W. Mertins, Editor January, 1976 EDITOR'S NOTES I hesitate to mention it, but at the risk of overkill, this is the first issue of our WES NEWSLETTER bicentennial volume. That announcement aside, we will dispense with any further special emphasis of our nation's 200th anniversary. Probably of more immediate and direct interest to the membership is another event to be held in the U. S. this year - that is the 15th International Congress of Entomol- ogy to be convened in Washington, D. C. in August. This important worldwide convention of entomologists occurs only once every 4 years, and we are indeed fortunate to host it this year. This brings me to a notice from the North Carolina Entomological Society which recently crossed my desk, and which I quote below. " We think your mail will be bugged in 1 76 . A hot issue? You bet it is. What we're talking about is a U. S. commemorative postage stamp to mark this year's 15th International Congress of Entomology at Washington, D. C. Your help is vital to convince the U. S. Postal Service that 1-4 insect stamps should be issued when the meet- ing convenes in August, 1976. DID YOU KNOW THAT: 1. Over 100 countries and dependencies from every corner of the world except North America have issued stamps portraying insects? Believe it or not, the list in- cludes a place as remote and forbidding as France's "Southern and Antarctic Territories." 2. The United States has issued stamps depicting birds, fish, mammals* and dino- saurs, but not the first insect? 3. Previously, many countries issued stamps publicizing International Congresses that incorporate insects in their designs? 4. Only 1 of 14 International Congresses of Entomology held since 1910 were honor- ed by a stamp from the host country? That was in 1968 when the Congress was held in the USSR. (Although Australia used a special postmarker for the Congress in Sydney in 1972.) Aptly termed, "A Nation's Calling Card", stamps acquaint the rest of the world with im- portant facets of its cultural, scientific, and political life. No better opportunity will come along to focus attention on American entomology than in 1976. Here's what you can do to make the possibility of an insect stamp a reality: write 1 or all of the fol- lowing urging 1-4 commemoratives be released in conjunction with this year's entomolo- gical congress. 1. Your congressman. 2. Your senators. 3. The Postmaster General, Washington, D. C. 20260. 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. EDITOR'S NOTES (cont.) It is exactly this procedure that contributed successfully to the release in 1969 of 4 commemoratives to highlight the 11th International Botanical Congress held that year at Seattle, Washington." So there you go philatelists and entomologists. This i£ a worthy undertaking and I hope that all of our members will take out a few minutes and write in support of issu- ing a series of insect stamps to commemorate the Congress. NOTICES Wanted . 1975 Lepidoptera field summary from all North Central states and adjacent On- tario (including Wisconsin) for Annual Summary of "The Lepidopterist ' s 11 Society. Send data (new records, range extensions, changes in populations, etc.) to M. C. Nielson, 3415 Overlea Dr., Lansing, MI 48917. Wanted . Uropodid mites associated with ant and termite nests in North America. Please contact William Phillipsen, Dept, of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, 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 or exotic foreign beetles; have numerous perfect mounted Catocala moths (mostly duplicates) for exchange. John Hempel, 1516 Sherman, Janesville, Wis. 53545. Wanted. Cockroaches, any species, but especially non-domestic ones; live or pre- served in alcohol. If possible, location and habitat data on specimens would be greatly appreciated. Ralph Howard, Wood Products Insect Lab., P. 0. Box 2008, Evergreen Station, Gulfport, Miss. 39501. Wanted. Records by county for all Wisconsin Rhopalocera, Sphingidae, Satumiidae, and Catocala. For more details write Roger Kuehn, 5042 N. 61 St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53218. Wanted . Confirmable reports or specimens from termite infestations within Wisconsin. Please contact Glenn Esenther, U.S. Forest Products Lab- oratory, Madison, with any information you may have. ODE TO A BUG (or: How low can you go?) Twinkle, twinkle little bug, How'd you like a great big slug? It may seem strange to slug a bug... But at least I'd never bug a slug! (From the comic strip: Funky Winkerbean 1/11/76) 2 NEWS OF MEMBERS (Please submit items of interest about yourself or other members for this column.) Dr. Ralph Howard, immediate past-president of WES, accepted the position of chem- ical ecologist with the U. S. Department of Agricultum^ Forest Service, at the Southern Forest Experiment Station in Gulfport, Mississippi. Ralph began his new job on Nov- ember 24, 1975, and recently reported that he and the family are settled in for a warm- er winter than they had here in Wisconsin. In fact, he says some insects are available for collection even at present. Prof. Gene DeFoliart recently stepped down as Chairman of the U. W. Department of Entomology. The second week in January he packed up his family (in part) and labor- atory technician, and took off for a 12 week sojourn in Hawaii, where he will work on improving his course in medical entomology. Assistant to the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Walter Scott, retired since our last NEWSLETTER after 39 years service with the DNR. Kenneth MacArthur, president of WES, recently wrote a fine article for the National Wildlife Federation on the monarch butterfly. The well-illustrated article, entitled "Monarch Reigns Supreme", appeared in the Federation's magazine. National Wildlife, for Dec. -Jan., 1976 (vol. 14(1): 43-45). Dr. Allen Young has moved to the position of Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Milwaukee Public Museum, taking over from the retiring Ken MacArthur. Allen be- gan his new duties in September, 1975. New Members Ken Luckey Route 2, Clinton, WI 53525 Changes of Address Bob Borth 1129 Jackson St. #501C, Milwaukee, WI 53202 Wills Flowers Laboratory of Aquatic Entomology, PO Box 111 Florida A. & M. University, Tallahassee, FL 32307 John Hempel 1516 Sherman, Janesville, WI 53545 Ralph Howard Wood Products Insect Laboratory, PO Box 2008 Evergreen Station, Gulfport, MS 39501 Kenneth MacArthur 15900 W. Monterey Dr., New Berlin, WI 53151 James Parkinson 10846 Sequoia Dr., Sun City, AZ 85351 Joe Sloup Route 2, 5805 Tall Oaks Rd., Madison, WI 53711 Allen Young Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St., Milwaukee, WI 53233 3 NEWS OF MEMBERS (cont.) Member R&sumAs New member, Ken Luckey, is a nurseryman who is also interested in Lepidoptera. He runs the Evergreen Nursery and Greenhouse in Clinton, WI. Allen Young has been a member of WES since shortly after his appointment as Assistant Professor of zoology at Lawrence University in Appleton. After 5 years in that position he has taken on the responsibilities of Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Dr. Young earned the Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, and has been working for 3k years on and off in Costa Rica under a grant from the National Science Foundation. The major subject of his studies there has been a group of 6 species of cicadas, individuals of which he blasts from perches in the tall tropical trees with a shotgun loaded with flour. Captures thus made aid him in his studies of cicada populations, behavioral ecology, and evolution- ary biology. Some of his other tropical undertakings include studies of evolu- tion in tropical butterflies, and part ownership in a venture in making wines from passion fruit. HISTORY OF WISCONSIN ENTOMOLOGY - VIII The second chairman of the U. W. Department of Entomology was Professor H. F. Wilson, who succeeded J. G. Sanders in that position on September 1, 1915. Wilson had previously been head of the Department of Entomology at the Oregon Agricultural College in Corvallis (now Oregon State University), and was brought to Wisconsin on the recommendation of Dean Russell. Born in Colorado, he majored in entomology and horticulture at Colorado State College and received a B.S. in 1907. After about one year of graduate work at the University of Illinois, he withdrew to take a position as Special Agent with the USDA Bureau of Entomology in Washington, D. C., and in 1910 accepted an appointment as Research Assistant in entomology at Oregon Agricultural College. He received his MS there, and in 1913 became Professor of entomology and Entomologist at the Oregon State Agricultural Experiment Station. Wilson shortly be- came head of the Department of Economic Entomology and had been on the Oregon staff for nearly six years when he came to Wisconsin. Over the period of Wilson's tenure as chairman (1915-1942) a number of new courses were developed and added to the four original courses taught in the department. Some of these courses came and went according to the availability of qualified staff with suitable research background to handle the teaching chores. Wilson's specialization was apiculture, and so, of course, the beekeeping course begun in 1912 was continued under his tutelage. In 1915-1916 courses were added in truck crop insects, thesis, and farm insects. Later, in 1921, came larval taxonomy, in 1923, seminar, and in 1926-1929, came insect morphology and taxonomy, insect transmission of plant diseases, and a methods course. Insect ecology was first taught by Professors Sears and Fluke in 1930, and principles of insect control was a new course by Professor Allen in 1936. Professor Wilson's interest in beekeeping at Wisconsin brought many distinguished apiculturists to the Department to study, some of whom made this field their future endeavor. Of particular note were C. L. Farrar and W. C. Roberts. Many other budding entomologists attended Wisconsin during this period as graduate students and went on to make entomology their profession. A few of these men were T. C. Allen, R. J. Bush- nell, T. L. Carpenter, J.A. Callenbach, R. J. Dicke, C. L. Fluke, S. B. Fracker, M. H. Doner, J. H. Lilly, P. 0. Ritcher, C. W. Schaefer, E. M. Searls, Alfred Weed, and C. E. Woodworth. A total of 20 students earned doctorates under Wilson's direction. 4 HISTORY OF WISCONSIN ENTOMOLOGY - VIII (cont.) At the time of Prof. Wilson's retirement the full-time staff included: H. F. Wilson-Chairman and Professor, C. L. Fluke-Professor, C. L. Farrar-Assoc . Professor and USDA, E. M. Searls-Assist . Professor, T. C. Alien-Assist. Professor, J. H. Lilly- Instructor, J. A. Callenbach-Instructor and USDA, and C. W. Schaefer- Instructor and USDA. There were 5 part-time graduate Research Assistants, and 10 other part-time graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the department. During his tenure as chairman, Prof. Wilson's cooperation with USDA was notable. In 1915 truck crop insect research was located on the Madison campus with a number of permanent and part-time assistants, many of whom were also enrolled as part-time grad- uate students. In 1935 USDA established research studies on cereal and forage crop insects on campus with the assistance of J. A. Callenbach, who was also on the academic staff. And, in 1938, came the establishment of the North Central States Bee Culture Laboratory, with C. L. Farrar, Division of Apiculture, in charge of the Federal Project. With an appointment on the college staff. Prof. Farrar also taught subjects on bee culture in the Department of Entomology, in addition to directing research. WISCONSIN INSECT NOTES There have been several developments in the gypsy moth situation in Wisconsin since the last NEWSLETTER. In addition to the 3 moths trapped at Appleton (reported last time), a single male moth was taken in a sex pheromone trap September 2, 1975, on oak at Elkhart Lake in Sheboygan County. A third trapping encounter with 1 male was also reported October 14, 1975, in Manitowoc County. The big news, though, was a supposed find of a gypsy moth larva near Clam Lake in Ashland County. The incident received wide press coverage around the State. The significance of this find is that the single males taken previously were likely to have been simply "hitchhikers'' carried into the state on vehicles from infested areas in the Northeast, and did not necess- arily indicate an established population. If, in fact, the new larva is a gypsy moth and it did come from the woods of Ashland County, then an infestation is much more likely to be present. The caterpillar was turned in as part of a class project at U. W. - Stevens Point by a senior forestry student from Syracuse, NY. His professor in the class recognized the larva and sent it to the USDA laboratory in Beltsville, MD for positive identification. Various officials of Wisconsin and Federal agencies have been predicting and expecting the inevitable establishment of the gypsy moth in the State for some time, and are currently working to establish several beneficial parasitic insects here on alternate hosts, in hopes of increasing the environmental resistance of our forest land to the "scourge of the Northeast". Another lepidopterous pest, the armyworm, was without doubt present in outbreak proportions this past summer in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Statistical Reporting Service said that the cost of insecticide treatment and crop loss to fanners in 29 northern counties was more than $8 million during 1975. Seventy-eight percent of the loss oc- curred on oats, but corn was also heavily damaged. Marathon County was the hardest hit with $1.4 million in losses. PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST Shortly after the last NEWSLETTER was published the forecast book. Butterflies of North America , appeared in local bookstores. It is indeed a treasured addition to any entomologist's library, and a magnificent tribute to the artistic skills of the coordi- nating editor and illustrator, William H. Howe. In 97 color plates he has illustrated 2093 specimens in full color paintings covering all 50 states and Canada. The 633 pages of text are rich in descriptive material on all life stages and habits, food plants (with a separate index), distribution, techniques, and equipment. 5 PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST (cont.) It seems 1975 was a banner year for new insect books, and especially those on Lepidoptera. The Editor has also acquired copies of the following. Watson, Allan, and Paul E. S. Whalley. 1975. The dictionary of butterflies and moths in color . McGraw-Hill Book Co. $29.95 until June, 1976 ($39.95 thereafter). Worldwide coverage; contains 144 pages of color plates illustrating 1000 species in beautiful photographs; followed by 150 pages of text in dictionary style with over 2000 entries, from Abantiades to zymna . Tyler, Hamilton A. 1975. The swallowtail butterflies of North America . Nature- graph Publishers Inc. Healdsburg, Calif. 95448. $5.95. A must for "papillo-people" with nice color plates including all known species, subspecies and forms (103) found from the Yucatan to Alaska. The line drawings are less impressive, but otherwise, a very useful book. Dirig, Robert, (no date). Growing moths . 4-H member f s guide from NY State Col- lege of Agriculture at Cornell University (available from Entomological Reprint Spec- ialists, Los Angeles, 90007). $1.50. Highly recommended, especially for beginners, but something new for almost everyone. Contains 39 pages chock-full of fine black and white photos, very good drawings, and useful practical information on about everything you need to know to raise your own beautiful specimens. One if the best I've seen. Sargent, Theodore D. 1975. Legion of night : The underwing moths . University of Massachusetts Press. $15.00. I haven't seen it yet, but it's on order. Contains 224 pages, 8 color plates, tables, graphs, and appendices. A modern study of the noctuid genus Catocala . Also available from Entomological Reprint Specialists, a complementary series to the monumental Moths of North America ; The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland . Eleven volumes proposed, covering all families, plus larvae. Volume 1 available December, 1975; $45.00. The Biological Research Institute of America, P. 0. Box 108, Rensselaerville, NY 12147 (publishers of Insect World Digest ) has available the 1975 "yellow version" of a Checklist of the beetles of Canada, United States , Mexico , Central America , and the West Indies , complete in 8 parts, 2500 pages, indexed. $200.00. Members only. Dalton, Stephen. 1975. Borne on the wind . Reader's Digest Press. 160 pages. A beautiful book with fantastic photos (many in color) that must be seen to be believed. A definitive and unparalleled study of insects in flight. Webb, Donald W., Norman D. Penny, and John C. Marlin. 1975. The Mecoptera , or scorpionflies , of Illinois . Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 31(#7) ; 66 pages. Single copies free on request. Great for anyone interested in scorpionflies in Wis- consin because coverage is broad enough to include the whole Midwest. The senior author (Webb) recently described a new species of Panorpa , P. setifera , from specimens taken, so far, only at Parfrey's Glen in Sauk County (Entomol. News 85(5 & 6): 171-173(1974)). PROGRAM NOTES As per the tradition of WES, there was no meeting during the month of January, and in preview of the Meeting Notes from the December meeting, which will be sent out be- fore next month, we announce here the results of the election of officers. The nomina- 6 PR OGRAM NOTES (cont.) ted slate of officers went unopposed, and was elected by unanimous vote, as follows: President - Kenneth MacArthur, Vice-President - Herb Grimek, Secretary - David De- Swarte, Treasurer - William Hilsenhoff, Councilman(1975-77) - Robert Topczewski. Con- gratulations to all. The Milwaukee Entomological Society did hold a meeting in January. The follow- ing report is from Bill Phillipsen. Those WES members who attended the January 12th Milwaukee Entomological Society meeting heard an interesting talk given by Dr. Ernest S. Del Fosse. The topic was ’’Biological Control of Water Hyacinth versus Alternate Methods". Dr. Del Fosse re- cently received the Ph.D. in entomology at the University of Florida at Gainesville, where he worked on 2 biological control agents of the water hyacinth; the water hya- cinth mite and the water hyacinth weevil. Water hyacinth was introduced into the U. S. in 1884 and through prolific growth soon became a pest problem in the Southeast. These free-floating plants reproduce mainly by vegetative growth associated with stolons. Seeds that require scarification to germinate are produced by white, blue, or violet flowers. The plant can double its biomass in 12.5 days. Excessive growth impedes boating and other recreational pursuits, and interferes with the activities of gambusia mosquito fish in controlling mosquito larvae. Dr. Del Fosse emphasized that biocontrol is the only cheap and effective control method, with cultural, mechanical, and chemical methods being expensive and impermanent. The adult water hyacinth weevils feed on the shiny leaves, while the larvae cause much damage by burrowing down through the plants and pupating on the air-filled roots. The water hyacinth mite makes galleries in the leaves which cause dehydration. The weevil and mite also often are associated with a fungus, Cephalosporium zonatum, which causes plant necrosis. Dr. Del Fosse closed his presentation with a riddle; "What do you call a weevil on a motorcycle?" The answer, of course, "Weevil Kneival" t TREASURER'S REPORT - 1975 Balance in checking account January 1, 1975 Disbursements Jan. 2 - Rubber Stamp Jan. 16 - Insty Prints May 16 - Insty Prints June 20 - DeSwarte for postage and printing July 24 - Mertins for postage Sept. 23 - Insty Prints Total Dues deposited in checking account Dues received but not deposited Balance in checking account December 31, 1975 Membership of Society as of December 31, 1975 Dues paid through 1974 Dues paid through 1975 Dues paid through 1976 Dues paid through 1979 Total Membership $322.56 $9.88 26.21 39.27 81.13 14.80 43.63 $214.92 $118.00 $ 0.00 $225.64 14 members 67 members 11 members 2 members 94+1 library subscription William Hilsenhoff, Treasurer DUES The WES fiscal year runs concurrent with the calendar year. Members who have not already paid thir dues for 1976 will find enclosed in this issue a preaddressed envelope for paying what they owe. A few members will find that they have not yet paid their 1975 dues. Because of inflation and the diminishing treasury, we cannot carry these delin- quent members. If their payment is not received soon they will be dropped from the rolls, M M » £ W* i as w ■ O 0 X n 5 O V 0 b 9 ■< u 5 S ■8 >0 * 9 e 5 § * I s w * u T ■* ' « * » X-N U «- s z -2 o 8 S "I £8 •* o. hi « o J= B 4J *4 9 * 0 C S S *r4 » 9 a® S