BIOLOGICAL NOTES ON OCHROTRICHIA XENA (ROSS) (TRICHOPTERA: HYDROPTILIDAE),A SPECIES NEWLY RECORDED FROM OHIO

2 Pages·1998·0.64 MB·

by  J B Keiper

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
100(3). 1998, pp. 594-595
Note
Biological Notes on Ochrotrichia xena (Ross)
(Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae),
a Species Newly Recorded from Ohio
Ochrotrichia xena (Ross), an uncom- ring O. wojcickyi Blickle which lack this
monly collected microcaddisfly in North spot.
America, has been reported from Arkansas Larvae moved along algal filaments and
(Bowles and Mathis 1989. Journal of the macerated cells, breaking the cell wall in
Kansas Entomological Society 62: 234- many places along its length to obtain the
244), Illinois (Ross 1944. Illinois Natural cellular contents. This is similar to Niel-
History Survey Bulletin 23: 1-326), Ken- sen's (1948. Det Kongelige Danske viden-
tucky (Resh 1975. Transactions of the Ken- skabemes selskabs Biologiske Skrifter 5: 1-
tucky Academy of Science 36: 6—16), In- 200) description of feeding by larvae of an
diana, Missouri (Waltz and McCafferty European species of Hydroptila Dahlman.
1983. Purdue University Agricultural Ex- However, he observed that Hydroptila lar-
perimental Station Bulletin 978: 1-25), and vae moved algal filaments with their fore
Tennessee (Edwards 1966. Journal of the legs to their mouth parts and pierced indi-
Tennessee Academy of Science 141: 116 vidual cells. Hydroptila larvae generally
128). We report O. xena as new for Ohio, have a serrated left mandible and a knife-
and give biological notes on larvae collect- like right mandible, each specialized re-
ed in northeastern Ohio. spectively for gripping and piercing cell
The first record of O. xena for Ohio was walls of green algae (Nielsen 1948; J. B.
obtained from adults reared from larvae Keiper, unpublished data). The feeding be-
collected in the South Fork of Eagle Creek havior of O. xena contrasts to that of Hy-
(41° 13' 36" N, 81° 04' 15" W) in the Ra- droptila. and is reflected by the structure of
venna Arsenal, Portage County. A second their robust mandibles (Fig. 1) which ap-
pear suited for crushing food items.
record for the state, provided by Dr. Oliver
On 19 May, larvae moved from the Cla-
S. Flint (Smithsonian Institution, Washing-
dophora to a rock substrate where they at-
ton, DC), is 3 June 1953, near a tributary
tached and sealed their cases, and pupated.
of the Stillwater River, Miami County (A.
On 27 May, two males of O. xena, several
R. GauHn, collector).
undetermined Ochrotrichia Mosely fe-
Fifth-instars were obtained from fila-
ments ofCladophora on 13 May 1996 from
a riffle in the South Fork of Eagle Creek.
The water temperature was 9.5° C; flow
rates, 40-50 cm sec '; depths, 10-15 cm.
Larvae were returned to the laboratory
on the day collected, and placed in aerated
rearing chambers (Keiper and Foote 1996.
Hydrobiologia 339: 137-139) containing
stream water, small stones, and filaments of
Cladophora. Ross (1944) noted that the lar-
va of O. xena has a white spot on the center
ofthe head. This allowed us to separate lar- Fig. 1. Ventral view of mandibles ofOchrotrichia
vae of O. xena from those of the co-occur- xena.
VOLUME NUMBER
100, 3 595
males, and one O. wojcickyi male emerged T. Morgan for providing access to South
in the laboratory. Additional males of O. Fork ofEagle Creek as it flows through Ra-
xena emerged on 30 May, 1 June, and 2 venna Arsenal. These observations were
June 1997. made during a larger study partially funded
We thank B. J. Armitage, Ohio Biologi- by Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research.
cal Survey, for providing distributional data
on Ohio Hydroptilidae and S. C. Harris, J. B. Keiper and B. A. Foote, Deportment
Clarion University, PA, for confirming the of Biological Sciences. Kent State Univer-
identification of O. xena. We are indebted sity. Kent. OH 44242-0001. U.S.A. (e-mail:
to the United States Army and the help of [email protected]).
PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
100(3). 1998. pp. 595-597
Note
First records of the Nymphomyiidae (Diptera) in Nepal
The Nymphomyiidae are one ofthe most but adults of some species can survive sev-
specialized and distinctive families of ne- eral days in the laboratory (Courtney 1994).
matocerous Diptera. These flies usually col- The phylogenetic position of the Nym-
onize cool, pristine, headwater streams phomyiidae is among the more controver-
where all life stages may frequent current- sial issues in dipterology. The family was
exposed habitats (0.5-1.0 m/s). Larvae are considered by many workers to be the most
collector-gatherers or grazers, feeding on primitive group ofDiptera (e.g. Rohdendorf
the thin films of algae, bacteria and other 1974. The Historical Development of Dip-
organic matter (= periphyton) on current- tera. [translated from Russian]. Hocking,
exposed rocks. Adults possess wings at Oldroyd and Ball (editors). University of
emergence, but few details of flight behav- Alberta Press, Edmonton. 360pp.; Ide 1965,
ior exist. Data for several species suggest Cutten and Kevan 1970, Hackman and
that adults mate soon after emergence, Viiisanen 1982. Annales Zoologici Fennici
crawl beneath the water in copula, and the 19: 209-219; Griffiths 1990. Quaestiones
female attaches eggs to the coupled bodies Entomologicae 26: 1 17-130). Other studies
(Courtney 1994. Smithsonian Contributions (Courtney 1994) suggest that nympho-
to Zoology 550: 1-41). Adults of at least myiids are related to the Culicomorpha.
some species die in copula. In fact. A', walk- Most recent analyses (e.g. Wood and Bor-
eri (Ide) was for several years known only kent 1989. pp. 1333-1370. In McAlpine
from "apterous" (i.e. dealate) adults, most and Wood (coordinators). Manual ofNearc-
as copulating pairs (e.g. Ide 1965. The Ca- tic Diptera, Volume 3. Research Branch,
nadian Entomologist 97: 496-507; Cutten Agriculture Canada Monograph 32; Court-
and Kevan 1970. Canadian Journal of Zo- ney 1990. Canadian Journal ofZoology 68:
ology 48: 1-24; Mingo and Gibbs 1976. 556-578; Courtney, 1991. Systemafic En-
Entomological News 87: 184-185). It is tomology 16: 137-172; Oosterbroek and
now assumed that the wingless condition is Courtney 1995. Zoological Journal of the
related to oviposition behavior. The vestig- Linnean Society 115: 267-31 support the
1 )
ial mouthparts and poorly developed diges- hypothesis that nymphomyiids belong to
tive tract suggest an ephemeral adult life. the infraorder Blephariceromorpha, as sis-