Canadian Forest Service Publications
Further contributions to the longhorn beetle (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) fauna of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada. 2016. Webster, R.P.; Alderson, C.A.; Webster, V.L.; Hughes, C.C.; Sweeney, J.D. ZooKeys 552: 109–122.
Year: 2016
Issued by: Atlantic Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 36810
Language: English
Availability: PDF (request by e-mail)
Available from the Journal's Web site. †
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.552.6039
† This site may require a fee
Abstract
Sixteen species of Cerambycidae are newly recorded for New Brunswick, Canada: Arhopalus obsoletus (Randall), Atimia confusa confuse (Say), Callidium frigidum Casey, Phymatodes amoenus (Say), P. testaceus (Linnaeus), Neoclytus mucronatus mucronatus (Fabricius), Xylotrechus aceris Fisher, X. sagittatus sagittatus (Germar), Tylonotus bimaculatus Haldeman, Lepturges angulatus (LeConte), L. symmetricus (Haldeman), Urgleptes querci (Fitch), Oplosia nubile (LeConte), Eupogonius subarmatus (LeConte), Monochamus carolinensis (Olivier), and Pogonocherus parvulus LeConte. Urgleptes signatus (LeConte) and U. querci are newly recorded from Nova Scotia. All but two specimens were collected in 12-funnel Lindgren traps. Xylotrechus aceris, T. bimaculatus, L. angulatus, L. symmetricus, U. signatus (NS), and P. parvulus were detected exclusively in traps deployed in the forest canopy, and most individuals of O. nubile and M. carolinensis were captured in canopy traps. Arhopalus obsoletus, A. c. confusa, C. frigidum, P. testaceus, and X. s. sagittatus were captured almost exclusively in traps near (1 m above) the forest floor. These results highlight the importance of sampling both the understory and upper canopy when using traps for surveying diversity of Cerambycidae.
Plain Language Summary
Sixteen species of longhorn beetles are newly recorded in New Brunswick and two species of longhorn beetles are newly recorded in Nova Scotia, i.e., these species had never before been observed and documented as occurring in the respective provinces. Longhorn beetles feed under the bark and in the wood of trees and shrubs. Many longhorn species play an important ecological role in the breakdown and decomposition of dead and dying trees but can also degrade the value of logs during the period between harvest and milling. Several longhorn species attack live trees that are weakened or under stress and others feed in healthy trees. Some species are major forest pests, e.g., the Asian longhorned beetle is an invasive pest that threatens maple trees and other hardwoods in several areas in the world where it has become established outside of its native Asia. The main contribution of this paper is to improve the knowledge of species diversity and composition of longhorn beetles in Canada. The more we know about the distribution and composition of our forest insect fauna, the more readily we can detect changes in species abundance and distribution that may result from forest disturbances, e.g., changing climate or establishment of invasive species. Most of the beetle specimens for these new species records were collected in traps baited with sex- or aggregation pheromones (a chemical compound or blend of compounds that is emitted by an individual that attracts the opposite sex, or both sexes, of the same species) as well as ethanol, which is naturally emitted from trees, especially those under stress. Some of the species were collected only in traps that were suspended high up in the tree (in the “canopy”) and other were collected only in traps near the ground (in the “understory”), so the study also highlights the need to sample both the canopy and understory when surveying a site to determine the species of longhorn beetles present.