Abstract Two new species of podapolipid mites (Trombidiformes: Heterostigmatina) are described from subelytral spaces of carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) hosts from Alberta, Canada. Eutarsopolipus husbandi sp. nov. , a member of the pterostichi species group, is parasitic on Pterostichus adstrictus Eschscholtz, 1823 and is closest to two European species, E. pterostichi Regenfuss, 1968 and E . vernalis Regenfuss, 1968. Eutarsopolipus paraplatyni sp. nov. , a member of the biunguis species group, is parasitic on Platynus decentis (Say, 1823) and is closest to the North American species E. platyni Husband and Husband, 2002. We provide a table of diagnostic features of the enigmatic pterostichi group. These two new species bring the total number of Eutarsopolipus spp. known from Canada to seven and the total number of named species in the world to 103.
The willow mason wasp, Symmorphus bifasciatus (Linnaeus) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), is a Palearctic and Oriental species, which we verify as having been introduced to North America at least as early as 2010. Since then, it has become established across Canada, a fact which came to light through Bees@School, a community science initiative in which solitary bee nests were deployed across Canada from 2019 to 2023. Using DNA barcoding, with identifications subsequently confirmed by morphological identification of barcoded specimens, we detected S. bifasciatus 80 times throughout the sampling period.
Abstract Cabbage root maggot, Delia radicum (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), has been an economically serious pest, damaging a wide range of Brassica crops, across Canada since the late 1800s. A robust body of research literature exists, encompassing a range of control options that have been explored across commodities within Canada. Despite this body of work, pesticides remain the most commonly used option for control of D. radicum . Insecticides registered for use against D. radicum in Canada are facing increasing restrictions or deregulation, making D. radicum more difficult to manage. This review provides an overview of the research conducted in Canada up to 2022 and discusses various management approaches that need to be explored to lessen our current reliance upon insecticides for D. radicum control.
Abstract Critical examination of artistic embellishment on maps is useful for understanding values, fears, and political leanings of the past. The 1750 “Porcupine Map” by Moses Harris, published in The Gentleman’s Magazine (London, United Kingdom), depicted Halifax Harbour to encourage British emigration to Nova Scotia. Compared to earlier regional maps, changes reflected in the Porcupine Map, such as removing depictions of Indigenous Mi’kmaq, suggest efforts to make the colony feel more familiar to British readers of the time. Although the titular porcupine illustration has received significant interest, the map also features three prominent insects labelled as “The White Admirable,” “The Orange Underwing Tyger,” and “The Musk Beetle.” These common names refer to species occurring in Britain but not in Nova Scotia. We posit that “The White Admirable” depicts the American white admiral, Limenitis arthemis Drury (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), and “The Orange Underwing Tyger” represents the St. Lawrence tiger moth, Arctia parthenos Harris (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Although less detailed, “The Musk Beetle” illustration resembles the brown prionid, Orthosoma brunneum Forster (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a conspicuous long-horned beetle native to North America. Including these detailed depictions of insects but mislabelling them as European species may be due to human error, artistic licence, or an overlooked expression of imperialistic propaganda.
