|
|
HALIFAX (29 January 2009) - TWO Canadian researchers have found a new species of beetle in Nova Scotia and have named it in honour of the Mi'kmaq First Nations. The beetle is called Euvira micmac and Christopher Majka, a research associate of the Nova Scotia Museum, who together with Jan Klimaszewski of the Canadian Forest Service discovered it, said that the first specimens in Canada were collected along the shores of Little Ponhook Lake in Queens County, Nova Scotia. "Since this lake is adjacent to the Wildcat Reserve of the Acadia First Nation, we decided to name it in honour of the native people of Nova Scotia whose culture has had a profound relationship with the natural world for millennia," said Majka. "They have a deep respect for the natural world and the native plants and animals that inhabit it. For this reason we thought that it appropriate to name this fascinating new beetle in their honour. As far as I am aware, it is the first animal or plant named in tribute to the Mi'kmaq." The name "Micmac" is also spelled Mi'kmaw (singular) or Mi'kmaq (plural); however, the spelling of "Micmac" was used for the new beetle since apostrophes are not permitted in scientific nomenclature. The word has variously been thought to mean either "people of the red earth" or "our kin friends." The finding is reported in The Canadian Entomologist, the scientific journal published by the Entomological Society of Canada. In Nova Scotia almost 2,150 species of beetles have been recorded to date and the number of species in the Maritime Provinces probably exceeds 2,500. Ecologically Euvira micmac is a fascinating species, unlike almost any other beetle found in Canada. To date, they have only been found inhabiting oak-apple galls. These grape-sized swellings on leaves are formed by so-called "gall-inducer wasps," small insects that inject the leaves of red oaks with a chemical compound that causes the galls to form. The wasps lay their eggs in the galls and the larvae feed on the plant tissue. The galls, however, become a unique miniature ecosystem inhabited by other wasp and moth larvae (called "inquilines"), parasites of these wasps, fungi which grow in the galls as they become hollow, insects that feed on the fungi, and predators of all of the above. Some galls can host up to 16 species of insects. "Euvira micmac may be a predator, or feed on fungi, or a combination of both," said Majka. "At this stage we simply don't know." "The first specimens we found were from Nova Scotia," says Majka. "However, after checking museum collections throughout North America, we also found hitherto unidentified individuals collected in Ohio and Michigan. To date, these are the only places in the world where the beetle is known." Euvira is a genus in the rove-beetle family, Staphylinidae. These beetles have short wing-covers, leaving their abdomen exposed. This allows them to move much more flexibly than other beetles, an adaptation to the many environments that these beetles inhabit. Other species of Euvira are found mainly in the tropics, from Mexico south to Argentina. One, Euvira quadriceps, is found in Mississippi and some Mexican species are associated with the nests of communal butterflies. Hence the presence of this Euvira micmac in Nova Scotia, a beetle associated with oak-apple galls, is particularly unique and noteworthy. Having recently been discovered, what is the future of this unique beetle? "The first priority needs to be to learn more about Euvira micmac," says Majka. "In our research on forest beetles in Nova Scotia, we have found that a large proportion are apparently rare. Twenty-eight percent of the forest beetles that we have studied in the Maritime Provinces are known from five or fewer specimens -- a very high proportion. Although our collecting efforts thus far may not have properly sampled them, it could also be the case that they are actually rare. If so, the question is why." Majka said that the long history of forest management practices in the region, such as clear-cutting, short-rotation cycles, monoculture planting, the use of biocides, and the almost complete loss of old-growth forests are all factors that need to be considered. For example, in Nova Scotia, although 78 per cent of the land is forested less than one per cent of that is made up of old-growth forests. Selective cutting and disease have particularly affected hardwoods, and Euvira micmac appears to be exclusively associated with oak, a hardwood. "We need to find out more about the extent of its distribution in Nova Scotia, its remarkable biology, and to determine how vulnerable it may be to disturbance," says Majka. "It is a unique species, both ecologically and as a member of Nova Scotia's fauna, thus far found nowhere else in Canada. We must ensure that having just been discovered, it is not threatened. Euvira micmac, like its namesake the Mi'kmaq people, has inhabited Nova Scotia since time immemorial. Part of our present responsibility is to ensure the continued well being of both the Mi'kmaq and their culture, and the wealth of plants and animals that existed together with them." The Canadian beetle fauna has been the subject of investigation for almost two centuries. Rev. Charles J.S. Bethune, Gustave Chagnon, Philip H. Gosse, W. Hague Harrington, William Kirby, and l'abbé Léon Provancher are just a few of the prominent entomologists who made important early contributions to its knowledge. The 1991 national compendium, Checklist of the Beetles of Canada and Alaska, recorded 7,436 species in Canada and many others have subsequently been added or described. The past two decades have seen an explosion of interest in Coleoptera, with many studies on taxonomy, biodiversity, zoogeography, distribution, ecology, and adventive species having been published. Nevertheless, many groups require taxonomic revision and basic parameters of the distribution, dispersal, zoogeographic status, phenology, and bionomics of many species have yet to be understood. The answers to these questions have important economic and environmental repercuissions. Many beetles play prominent roles in forestry and agricultural, sometimes as beneficial species, at other times as pests. In an era of concern with regard to invasive species, pollution, and climate change, the possibility of employing Coleoptera as indicators of ecological change is being investigated. "For all these reasons we need to develop our knowledge of this important group of Canadian invertebrates," Majkaa adds. For further information please contact Christopher Majka, (902) 425-3725 or c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca. A photograph of Euvira micmac is available at: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/Images4/Euvira_micmac.jpg Please credit: photo by Klaus Bolte. To read the scientific description of the new species see: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/PDF/Euvira_micmac.pdf Christopher Majka - Atlantic Canada Coleoptera http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/atlantic_coleoptera.html c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca |
| |
|
Comments to : shunpike@shunpiking.com Copyright New Media Services Inc. © 2007. The views expressed herein are the writers' own and do not necessarily reflect those of shunpiking magazine or New Media Publications. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Copyright of written and photographic and art work remains with the creators. |