The Blow Flies of Eastern Canada

 Entomology, Insects, Publication  3 Responses »
Jan 112011
 

The Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification has just published it’s 11th edition and features the blow flies (Calliphoridae) of eastern Canada. This new paper includes richly illustrated keys to the adults of all genera found in eastern North America and the species found in eastern Canada (excluding the cluster flies (Polleniinae), and the rare, mollusk-parasitizing Melanomyinae). Additionally, two species are newly recorded in Canada (or eastern Canada), and Stephen Marshall has populated the paper with his world-class photographs.

Lucilia sericata Calliphoridae Blow Fly Common Green Bottle Fly

Lucilia sericata, the common green bottle fly

The Calliphoridae are important for a number of reasons, and unlike many insects, correct identifications can quite literally be a life or death choice. These flies are a keystone in forensic entomology, and knowing which species colonize a victim’s body, and when, can mean the difference between catching a killer and convicting the wrong person. The importance of Ontario Calliphoridae is perfectly illustrated in the case of Steven Truscott. Sentenced to death by hanging at the age of 14 for the murder of Lynne Harper in rural Ontario, Truscott’s sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1959. Truscott served his 25 year sentence behind bars, and lived with the stigma of a being a convicted murderer for nearly 50 years. It wasn’t until an appeal before the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2006 that entomological evidence collected at the time of the murder was analysed and presented by Dr. Sherah VanLaerhoven of the University of Windsor. This entomological evidence, largely composed of blow fly maggots, helped to overturn Truscott’s conviction, and led to his acquittal. Sure, forensic entomology wasn’t even on the radar in 1959 (although the coroner at the time had the presence of mind to collect and catalog maggots from on and around the body), but forensic entomologists today are called to hundreds of crime scenes every year to help develop a timeline of events to be used in criminal prosecution.

The majority of people using this paper will not be making these life or death decisions, but being able to identify the species you find on your backyard flowers (because blow flies are also major pollinators) is equally important. Plus, if you choose to play CSI on that dead squirrel under the deck, now you can!

More than meets the eye

 Biology, Cool Science, Entomology  10 Responses »
Jan 052011
 

Back in August, while at the International Congress of Dipterology in Costa Rica, I reported on a new species identification technique using some pretty sophisticated technology (i.e. a black piece of paper). The study was published today in PNAS (open access), so I thought I’d revisit it in more detail as our cool science of the week!

Shevtsova et al., Fig. G, 2011

Fig. G from Shevtsova et al., 2011

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Busy British Bees

 Cool Science, Entomology, Insects  7 Responses »
Dec 232010
 

Ever wish you didn’t need those pesky references, formal writing style, or time consuming computer graphics when going to publish your work? A new study published in Biology Letters demonstrates that as long as your science is well done, nothing else matters. The project I’m referring to was done by a group of 8-10 year old elementary school children under the guidance of an ophthalmology professor at University College London (Dr. Beau Lotto), and studied the ability of bumblebees to utilize colour and spatial information while foraging. There have been papers published in the past by student researchers, but what makes this paper special is that the students not only helped with the experiments, but dictated the actual paper itself over a Coke at the local pub and hand drew the figures!

Figure 1 from Blackawton Bees (Blackawton P.S. et al)

Figure 1 from Blackawton Bees (Blackawton P.S. et al)

There are absolutely no references within the paper as it was argued that the comprehension level of the background material was beyond that of the research group, and ultimately irrelevant to their experimental design and conclusions. Likewise, the writing itself is refreshingly simple and full of truths that many researchers (or at least many grad students I know) can’t put into their papers. My favourite quote (discussing the need to train the bees prior to experimentation):

We did this so that they would learn not to go just to the colours, but had to learn the pattern. Otherwise they might fail the test, and it would be a disaster.

It apparently took Lotto 18 months to find a journal willing to accept it for review given its unorthodox style, with the likes of Nature, Science and pLOS One turning it down before the Royal Linnean Society agreed to run with it. Biology Letters included several independent commentaries on the paper vouching for the novelty of the study. The research itself is a nice little example of citizen science, and worth a read all on its own, but the style in which it was presented is a huge paradigm shift for the scientific community. While I wouldn’t want this sort of publication to become commonplace, it does illustrate that just because someone doesn’t have the resources of an extensive library or 8 years of postgraduate work (heck, even a high school diploma) behind them, doesn’t mean they have nothing to contribute to our understanding of the natural world. The kids say it best:

Science is cool and fun because you get to do stuff that no one has ever done before.

Reference:

Blackawton, P. S., S. Airzee, A. Allen, S. Baker, A. Berrow, C. Blair, M. Churchill, J. Coles, R. F. J. Cumming, L. Fraquelli, C. Hackford, A. Hinton Mellor, M. Hutchcroft, B. Ireland, D. Jewsbury, A. Littlejohns, G. M. Littlejohns, M. Lotto, J. McKeown, A. O’Toole, H. Richards, L. Robbins-Davey, S. Roblyn, H. Rodwell-Lynn, D. Schenck, J. Springer, A. Wishy, T. Rodwell-Lynn, D. Strudwick and R. B. Lotto “Blackawton bees.” Biology Letters.

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/12/18/rsbl.2010.1056.abstract

Thanks to Danielle Fife for passing along the story!

Diptera’s Most Wanted

 Cool Science, Entomology, Insects  9 Responses »
Dec 082010
 

If you ask any Dipterist which fly species they daydream about collecting, most will likely respond with a dazed smile and choose Mormotomyia hirsuta (family Mormotomyiidae). This little beast has only been collected twice (once in 1934 and once in 1948) and is believed to live within a single 1 metre wide crevasse on a hilltop in Kenya. This enigmatic fly has been searched for on several occasions since, but each excursion has been unsuccessful.

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They Came from Over Seas – Guest Blog

 Biology, Entomology, Guest Blog, Publication  2 Responses »
Nov 052010
 
I’d like to welcome Adam Brunke to Biodiversity in Focus as a special guest blogger today. Adam is a graduate student at the University of Guelph, and studies the diversity and agroecology of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) in Ontario.

North America’s insect fauna is changing rapidly. Many of us, however, are completely unaware of this: flies still land on our food, mosquitoes continue to feed on us and carpenter ants show up every year in our kitchens looking for something to eat. The truth is, something strange is happening to the insect communities in our backyards. So many foreign invaders have become established on this continent that it’s becoming a challenge in some places to find native species. In my experience this is especially apparent for beetles: firstly because there are so many exotic species here now; secondly because this is the group that I specialize in. If you casually surveyed your neighborhood for beetles, and sent the sample 100 years into the past to a taxonomist working in North America, they would probably complement you on your excellent reference collection of European Coleoptera!

Xantholinus elegans by Dave Cheung Staphylinidae Insect Beetle

Photo by Dave K.B. Cheung

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Weevil-Doers Prepare!

 Blogosphere, Entomology, Tongue in Cheek  4 Responses »
Sep 212010
 

Green Weevil on green leaf in Costa Rica

For those looking for a little beetle love eight days a week, An Inordinate Fondness #8 was posted up at Arthropoda yesterday. Most magazine’s may feature paperback writers, but AIF is a monthly “magazine” of blog posts from here, there and everywhere around the insect blogging community, all focusing on beetles, whether through photography, paper reviews, or field observations. I’ve been following AIF for a few months now, and with a little help from my friends and fellow bloggers, it’s always a fun read. I don’t want to spoil the part, but this month’s edition features a recent Bug of the Day post by yours truly in addition to a whole lot of info on all sorts of beetles! So I hope you’ll come together and check out AIF today! The End.

P.S. There are BioPoints available in this post, if you can figure out the hidden signals! You’ll get 5 points for each correct answer!



ESO 2010 is fast approaching!

 Entomology, General Information, Student Info  7 Responses »
Sep 032010
 

One of my favourite yearly entomological events is coming up soon, and I wanted to spread the word to all those who may be interested in attending. The Entomological Society of Ontario Annual General Meeting is being held October 15-17 in Grand Bend, Ontario, and it promises to be another great meeting.

ESO 2010 Logo

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Looking for an Entomology Graduate Degree?

 Entomology, Graduate Opportunity, Life as a Grad Student  No Responses »
Aug 302010
 

I thought I’d pass along a few entomology graduate positions that have been posted for universities in Ontario:

Pollination Ecology of Dacus carota (Umbelliferae) – M.Sc. – Dr. Fiona F. Hunter, Brock University, St. Catherines

Dr. Fiona F. Hunter has funding available to support one MSc graduate student for 2 years (effective immediately) to study the pollination ecology of Daucus carota. This includes both edible carrot and its wild relative, Queen Anne’s Lace. Daucus carota is characterized by having a dark central floret. Darwin, himself, speculated that the dark central floret may now be functionless and possibly represents a trait that has persisted long after its original function has been lost. Other researchers have postulated that the dark central floret serves to attract pollinators to the flower. This MSc opportunity will be aimed at determining what insects are common visitors to edible carrot and to Queen Anne’s Lace, how these insects affect seed set, and whether the dark central floret is adaptive or not. The student who undertakes this project will have a strong background in ecology and evolution, entomology and biostatistics.
If you are interested in this MSc opportunity, please send a covering letter, cv, unofficial transcript and a statement of interest to: Dr. Fiona F. Hunter, Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1 or email the documents to fhunter@brocku.ca

Speciation and Mating Systems in the Arctic Butterflies (genus Oeneis) Ph.D. – Dr. Gard W. Otis, University of Guelph

Macoun’s Arctic (Oeneis macounii) and other butterfly species in the genus Oeneis are reported to have biennial life cycles, with individuals requiring two years to develop from egg to adult. Preliminary evidence indicates that this 2‐year life cycle is obligatory in O. macounii. This presents the possibility that even‐year populations are reproductively isolated from odd‐year populations. The central question is: has allochrony caused by their two year life cycle resulted in genetic and morphological divergence between even‐ and odd‐year populations? This question will be explored through laboratory sequencing and computer analyses of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA regions as well as landmark‐based morphometric analyses. In addition, field studies will lead to a better understanding of adult ecology, dispersal, and male‐male competition in one or more lekking species.
Applicant must have a strong interest and background in ecology and evolution as well as excellent writing abilities. Experience with entomology, DNA amplification and sequencing, animal behaviour and/or biostatistics will be strengthen your application. You must meet the minimum conditions of NSERC Scholars (i.e. citizen or permanent resident of Canada; minimum 80% average in your last two years of study). Completion of an MSc degree is preferred, but students with an honours BSc degree and very strong academic record will be considered.
If you are interested in this PhD opportunity, please e‐mail or mail a covering letter, cv/resume, unofficial transcript and a statement of interest to: Dr. Gard W. Otis, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, gotis@uoguelph.ca

Please contact the advising professor if you want more information. Good luck!
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