Two entomology talks were given at this year’s Alaska Invasive Species Conference in Fairbanks, Alaska on November 5-7. I learned from reading through both of the presentations, which are now available via the links below.
Alaskan Arthropods: Documenting a Growing Fauna
Derek Sikes, University of Alaska Museum and Matt Bowser, US Fish & Wildlife Service
The Green Alder Sawfly
Elizabeth Graham, USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection
The article appeared in the fall 2013 issue of the American Entomologist. The Entomological Society of America graciously granted us permission to post a copy of the article on our website, available at the URI below.
http://akentsoc.org/doc/Furniss_MM_2013.pdf
Citation:
Furniss, M. M. 2013. Northernmost occurrence of bark beetles and their hosts in the Nearctic. Am. Entomol. 59: 144–149.
This Leaf Roller Pest Note, available via the link below, was posted on the IPM-L list on August 20.
Last week, the U.S. Forest Service, Alaska Region posted a news release on this season’s defoliation events (URI below).
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r10/news-events/?cid=STELPRDB5433150
The article focuses on the green alder sawfly (Monsoma pulveratum) in southeast Alaska.
http://www.adn.com/2013/08/12/3020348/invasive-sawfly-identified-in.html
I cannot read the article due to the website’s subscription requirement, but for those who have a subscription, I think the URI below should work.
Bill Pyle, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, sent photos and specimens from a large defoliation event on deciduous trees and shrubs on western Kodiak Island.
Defoliated hillside, Uyak Bay, Harvester Island vicinity, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kodiak Island, Alaska. Photo taken on 6.July.2013 by Stacy Studebaker (USFWS).
Geometrid caterpillar, Uyak Bay, Harvester Island vicinity, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kodiak Island, Alaska. Photo taken on July 9, 2013 by Stacy Studebaker (USFWS).
Defoliated hill side, Uyak Bay, Harvester Island vicinity, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kodiak Island, Alaska. Photo taken on July 8, 2013 by Stacy Studebaker (USFWS).
He wrote, “this event apparently encompasses tens of thousands of acres of mixed deciduous forest and woodland of north and east aspect mountain slopes between sea level and treeline limit (~1,800′ elevation span) of western Kodiak Island. Primary tree species affected include Sitka alder, Kenai birch, and black cottonwood.
[The photos] generally characterize the visual aspect of the infestation adjacent to south shore of mid Zachar Bay. Similarly extensive infestations have been observed on north and east slopes of other bays and headlands of western Kodiak Island.”
A few records for specimens collected are available at the URI below.
Robert Woolsey of Sitka’s KCAW reported on green alder sawfly in the area. The report is available at the URI below.
http://www.kcaw.org/2013/07/12/invasive-alert-alder-eating-sawfly-discovered-in-sitka/
KDLG (Dillingham) reported that Paul Liedberg will be running beetle traps in Dillingham this season to monitor for exotic insects.
Article:
http://kdlg.org/post/dillingham-volunteer-monitors-invasive-beetles
Audio:
http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kdlg/audio/2013/05/051313%20web%20Beetle%20Traps%20package.mp3
In this article appearing online in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry, long-term temperature and precipitation data were shown to be important ecological drivers in determining the distribution of aspen leaf minor (Phyllocnistis populiella Chambers) and the aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) host in the state of Alaska.
The abstract is available via the URI below.