Chris Looney

Pheromone Lure and Trap Color Affects Bycatch in Agricultural Landscapes of Utah

Abstract Aerial traps, using combinations of color and attractive lures, are a critical tool for detecting and managing insect pest populations. Yet, despite improvements in trap efficacy, collection of nontarget species (“bycatch”) plagues many insect pest surveys. Bycatch can influence survey effectiveness by reducing the available space for target species and increasing trap screening time, especially in areas where thousands of insects are captured as bycatch in a given season. Additionally, bycatch may negatively impact local nontarget insect populations, including beneficial predators and pollinators. Here, we tested the effect of pheromone lures on bycatch rates of Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Apoidea (Hymenoptera), and nontarget Lepidoptera. Multicolored (primarily yellow and white) bucket traps containing a pheromone lure for capturing one of three survey target species, Spodoptera litura (F.), S. littoralis (Boisduval), or Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), were placed in alfalfa and corn fields, and compared to multicolored traps without a pheromone lure. All-green traps with and without H. armigera lures were employed in a parallel study investigating the effect of lure and trap color on bycatch. Over 2,600 Coccinellidae representing seven species, nearly 6,400 bees in 57 species, and >9,000 nontarget moths in 17 genera were captured across 180 traps and seven temporal sampling events. Significant effects of lure and color were observed for multiple taxa. In general, nontarget insects were attracted to the H. armigera lure and multicolored trap, but further studies of trap color and pheromone lure specificity are needed to better understand these interactions and to minimize nontarget captures.

The Distribution of a Potential New Forest Pest, Monsoma pulveratum (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), in the Pacific Northwest States

Monsoma pulveratum (Retzius) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae: Allantinae) is an alder-feeding sawfly native to Europe, Asia Minor, and northern Africa. Smith and Goulet (2000) reported the first records of M. pulveratum in North America from Newfoundland, Canada, where it has been present since at least 1991. The species was subsequently detected in Alaska in 2004, and has become a significant defoliator of thin-leaf alder, Alnus incana (L.) Moench ssp. tenuifolia (Nutt.) Breitung in Alaska (Kruse et al. 2010; USDA 2010). Adults of M. pulveratum and the single native congener M. inferentia are described in Smith and Goulet (2000). Kruse et al. (2010) provide larval descriptions and compare them to other introduced alderdefoliating sawflies. Larvae of M. pulveratum are notable for their habit of pupating beneath the bark of decaying wood or in branches, generally without constructing a cocoon (Pieronek 1980). Only females are known in much of its range, and no males were observed by Smith and Goulet (2000) or Kruse et al. (2010).

Patterns of population genetic structure and diversity across bumble bee communities in the Pacific Northwest

Patterns of genetic structure and diversity are largely mediated by a species’ ecological niche and sensitivity to climate variation. Some species with narrow ecological niches have been found to exhibit increased population differentiation, limited gene flow across populations, and reduced population genetic diversity. In this study, we examine patterns of population genetic structure and diversity of four bumble bee species that are broadly sympatric, but do not necessarily inhabit the same ecological niche in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Testing for the effect of isolation by geographic distance (IBD) with linearized Fst and Dest found that Bombus sylvicola and B. mixtus exhibited significant IBD across populations. In contrast, both B. melanopygus and B. flavifrons, two species that are distributed across a broad elevation gradient, exhibited no IBD, a result further corroborated by Bayesian a priori population assignment tests. Furthermore, we discovered that B. sylvicola populations distributed on the Olympic Peninsula have significantly less average allelic diversity than populations distributed in the Cascade Mountains. Our results suggest that populations distributed in the Olympic Mountains represent a distinct genetic cluster relative to the Cascade Mountains, with B. sylvicola and B. mixtus likely experiencing the greatest degree of population genetic differentiation relative to B. flavifrons and B. melanopygus. While bumble bees are known to co-exist across a diversity of habitats, our results demonstrate that underlying population genetic structure and diversity may not necessarily be similar across species, and are largely governed by their respective niches.

Sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) Newly Recorded from Washington State

1 Washington State Dept. of Agriculture, 1111 Washington St. SE, Olympia, Washington, 98504, USA 2 Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, c/o National Museum of Natural History, NHB 168, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA 3 Washington State University Extension, 600 128th St. SE, Everett, Washington, 98208, USA 4 Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, 5320 122 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 3S5, Canada 5 Biology Department, Western Washington University, 516 High St., Bellingham, Washington, 98225, USA

Your Hypothesis or Mine? Terminological and Conceptual Variation Across Disciplines:

Cross-disciplinary research (CDR) is a necessary response to many current pressing problems, yet CDR practitioners face diverse research challenges. Communication challenges can limit a CDR team’s ability to collaborate effectively, including differing use of scientific terms among teammates. To illustrate this, we examine the conceptual complexity and cross-disciplinary ambiguity of the term hypothesis as it is used by researchers participating in 16 team building workshops. These workshops assist CDR teams in finding common ground about fundamental research assumptions through philosophically structured dialogue. Our results show that team members often have very different perceptions about the nature of hypotheses, the role of hypotheses in science, and the use of hypotheses within different disciplines. Furthermore, we find that such assumptions can be rooted in disciplinary-based training. These data indicate that potentially problematic terminological differences exist within CDR teams, and exercises that reveal this early in the collaborative process may be beneficial.

Range Extension of Two Bumble Bee Species (Hymenoptera: Apidae) into Olympic National Park

Abstract Bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Bombus) are cold-adapted insects, primarily known for their importance in providing ecosystem services to wild and cultivated flowering plants. Recent expeditions into the wilderness regions of the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park, USA discovered undocumented populations of two bumble bee species: Bombus sylvicola and B. vandykei. Application of species distribution models with range-wide locality records identified the Olympic Mountains to have high habitat suitability for B. sylvicola and low habitat suitability for B. vandykei. Our results suggest that Olympic National Park is a habitat island for B. sylvicola, isolated from the relatively contiguous distribution of the species in the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. Bumble bees are sensitive to environmental change, thus our discoveries will likely stimulate conservation-oriented investigations on these charismatic pollinators on the Olympic Peninsula and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Distribution of Two Invasive Leaf Beetles, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull) and Lilioceris lilii (Scopoli) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in Washington State

Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull, 1799) and Lilioceris lilii (Scopoli, 1763) are two adventive beetle species that have quickly expanded their ranges in North America during the past several decades. Both species are significant garden pests with potentially serious impacts on native flora. This note documents the recent appearance and rapid spread of these beetles in Washington State. Pyrrhalta viburni, the viburnum leaf beetle, feeds and reproduces on species of Viburnum L. (Adoxaceae) (Weston and Desurmont 2002; Weston et al. 2007). It is native to Europe, from the British Isles to the Caucasus Mountains and western Kazakhstan (Majka and LeSage 2007). The earliest known North American collections of P. viburni are from Nova Scotia in 1924, although it is not clear if these were from established populations (Majka and LeSage 2007). The species was clearly established by the 1970s in Ottawa, Ontario, and Hull, Québec (Becker 1979). The first US records are from Maine in 1994, and the species is now found throughout New England and east to Illinois and Wisconsin (Weston et al. 2007; Estes 2014; Liesch 2015). Pyrrhalta viburni was first reported in the Pacific Northwest in British Columbia in 2001, in the Fraser River Valley and on southern Vancouver Island (Gillespie 2001). Damaged plants and P. viburni larvae from Everson, WA (7 km south of the British Columbia border) were brought to a Whatcom County Master Gardener clinic on 30 June 2004 (Murray 2004). Further reports of P. viburni were verified in Mount Vernon, Skagit County, 6 June 2005 and in Monroe, Snohomish County, 15 May 2005. The southernmost collections thus far in Washington are from east of the Seattle area, collected in 2013. The easternmost collection was made in Spokane, Spokane County, on 2 May 2016. Pyrrhalta viburni has probably spread into western Washington naturally from British Columbia, and it is common throughout its distribution west of the Cascade Mountain Range (Fig. 1). The recent detection in eastern Washington State is likely from the movement of infested plant material. Lilioceris lilii, the lily leaf beetle, is a destructive pest of species of Lilium L. (Liliaceae)and Fritillaria Salisb. (Fritillariaceae) (Salisbury 2003) and feeds on species of Cardiocrinum (Endl.) Lindl. (Liliaceae) (Cox 2001). Native to Asia, the beetle spread to continental Europe by the 1600s (OrlovaBienkowskaja 2013) and was established in the United Kingdom in the 1940s (Fox Wilson 1943). Lilioceris lilii was discovered in North America in Montréal, Canada, in 1943 (LeSage 1983), although Say’s (1826) lost specimens of Lema melanocephala Say, subsequently synonymized with L. lilii, likely represent an even earlier North American occurrence (Brown 1946; White 1993; Majka and LeSage 2008). The first US records are from Massachusetts in 1992, and it is now known from nine states and seven provinces (LeSage and Elliott 2003; Majka and LeSage 2008; Majka and Kirby 2011; Maier 2012; Hicks and Sellars 2014; Cappuccino 2015). In 2011, a gardener in Bellevue, WA (King County) discovered L. lilii adults and larvae feeding on Asiatic hybrid lilies. Washington State University Extension released a pest alert (Murray et al. 2012), resulting in detection of three more

Mompha epilobiella (Momphidae), a European Moth in the Pacific Northwest, with Notes on Associated Parasitoids

Momphidae is a primarily Holarctic gelechioid family, comprising 60 described species in six genera (Koster & Sinev 2003; Pohl et al. 2010). About 40 named species are known from the United States and Canada, although there are potentially many species yet to be described (Powell & Opler 2009). The North American fauna is represented predominantly by the genus Mompha, unique among lepidopteran genera for specializing on the family Onagraceae. Adult Mompha are small moths, with forewing lengths varying from ~2.5 to 8 mm. Larvae are typically leaf miners or stem miners, while a few species induce galls in plant stems and tips (Koster & Sinev 2003). Oenothera and Epilobium are the most common host genera in western North America (Powell & Opler 2009). Host damage varies, from little or no obvious damage to significant depredation that can reduce host plant fecundity (Doak 1992; DeWalt 2006). The host specificity displayed by some Mompha species makes them potentially valuable biological control agents for weeds (Bradley et al. 1973; Winder 2002; Culliney et al. 2003). Mompha epilobiella ([Denis & Schiffermüller] 1775) is common throughout Europe, parts of Asia Minor, and low-lying regions of Central Asia (Koster & Sinev 2003). The species is typically associated with marshes and wetlands in Europe, as is its primary host plant, Epilobium hirsutum L. Other infrequent hosts include E. montanum L., E. palustre L., Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.), and Oenothera sp. (Koster & Sinev 2003). Ivinskis (1982) records larvae of M. epilobiella from Lythrum salicaria L. (purple loosestrife) and Eupatorium cannibinum L. in the 1970s but provides no evidence of successful rearing. Early instars mine leaves and bore into flower buds, whereas later-stage larvae feed in clumps of webbed apical leaves (Koster & Sinev 2003). Mature larvae pupate between leaves, and the species overwinters in the adult stage (Koster & Sinev 2003). Epilobium hirsutum is a Eurasian introduction to North America and a widespread weed of natural and man-made wetlands in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, as well as Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in the Pacific Northwest. The plant is commonly associated with ballast sites and was sometimes introduced inadvertently via that pathway; in some of the earliest records from the eastern seaboard it was recorded sporadically in “waste sites” (Trelease 1891). Its spread was likely aided by its status as an ornamental plant (Stuckey 1970). At one time the species was sold in nurseries, and some Washington gardeners considered it an attractive replacement for purple loosestrife (L. Baldwin pers. comm.). The plant has been known from Washington State since the 1930s, with the earliest detections made in Klickitat County (WTU 2011). To date, E. hirsutum has been found in eleven counties in Washington. Franklin, Island, Klickitat, and Whatcom have infestations of up to 40 hectares, while the remaining counties all report infestations under four hectares (WSDOE 2010). The plant is categorized as a class B noxious weed in Washington State, and its sale and transport are prohibited (WAC 16-752-505). In Whatcom County in particular, E. hirsutum has become established in several wetlands, often cooccurring with purple loosestrife, another class B noxious weed. When established, E. hirsutum can form large, nearly monotypic stands, often replacing more diverse assemblages of native species. Mompha epilobiella was collected relatively recently in New York and Quebec (Sinev 1996). We report here the first records of M. epilobiella from the western

Distribution, Biology, and Identification of Argyresthia pruniella in Washington State

Argyresthia pruniella (Clerck, 1759) (=Argyresthia ephippella) (Lepidoptera: Argyresthiidae) is a minor to moderate pest of cherries that sometimes causes severe damage to cherry crops in parts of Europe (Wimshurst 1928, Carter 1984, Alford 2007, Jaastad 2007). Called the cherry blossom moth or cherry fruit moth, the species is a well-documented herbivore of Prunus blossoms and buds (Wimshurst 1928, Jancke 1932, Jasstad 2007). Other recorded hosts include Pyrus (Spuler 1910, Lewis and Sohn 2015), Sorbus (Réal and Balachowsky 1966, Lewis and Sohn 2015), Malus (Alford 1978, 2007), Lonicera (Réal and Balachowsky 1966), and Corylus (Réal and Balachowsky 1966, Lewis and Sohn 2015), although given the host specialization common within Argyresthia some of these records are dubious and likely due to misidentification (J.F. Landry pers. comm.; also see comments in Réal and Balachowsky 1966). The current distribution of A. pruniella includes the United Kingdom and most of continental Europe (see country lists in Zhang 1994, Karsholt and Razowski 1996, Lewis and Sohn 2015), Russia (Gershenzon 1989), Asia Minor (Agassiz 1996), and British Columbia, Canada (deWaard et al. 2009). Here we confirm the establishment of A. pruniella in the continental United States based on pheromone trapping of adults and larval collections in Washington State. We also give notes on the biology and identification of this pest. The phenology and morphology of A. pruniella has been fairly well studied, with accounts scattered throughout the literature. Eggs are initially pale brown, later turning grey, and are oval, flattened, with raised reticulations, and a circle of small hooks at one end (Carter 1984, Agassiz 1996, Réal and Balachowsky 1966: fig. 93). They are laid in sheltered areas of the host plant, including cracks in the bark, at leaf scars, beneath bud scales, or at the base of shoots and spurs (Jancke 1932, Alford 2007). Most eggs hatch the following spring, although some larvae will emerge in September and overwinter in a silk hibernaculum beneath the empty egg (Carter 1984, Alford 2007). The larva of A. pruniella was described by Werner (1958). He stated that the thoracic L setae form a slanted line on T2 and T3, SD1 is dorsad of the spiracle on A3, the prolegs of A3–6 have 12 crochets in a circle and the tarsal setae are long and bent apically. In the few specimens we examined (n=2), the thoracic setae form a slightly bent diagonal line, there are 12-14 crochets in a circle on the prolegs of A3–6 and there is a single very long tarsal seta that was either broken or not bent apically. The mandible has four teeth, no retinaculum, and only four of six setae are on the prothoracic shield. Werner (1958) noted that a related species also in North America, A. conjugella, has six setae on the prothoracic shield, there are 28–34 crochets on the prolegs of A3–6 and the body pinacula GENERAL NOTE