Allnex property insect study

ertebrate Insect urvey of AU

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andplain in Wallingfor:ex DSA Inc. Report: ovember 30, 2017 , 1

Tanner A. Matson Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut 06269 785-285-2338 tanner.matson@uconn.edu

ry: This report highlights major findings from an insect survey conducted on Allnex UAlnc. property (~25 acres) in Wallingford, CT, 2017. As one of Connecticut's last remaining !lq>lains, this property is home to several regionally rare species that inhabit dry season

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~i~e state-listed insects were taken during the survey: Euxoa violaris (Special ~C1emd~laformosa generosa (Special Concern), Schinia spinosae (Special Concern), taxon, r.:;scnpta (Special Concern), and Thaumatopsis edonis (Threatened). Another rare ~ r:ocnemisfimbriaris, was recently delisted in 2015. All state-listed tax.a were .._oftheseoe Allnex sandplain and not the adiacent critical habitat of dry acidic foreSt The and oth ~ 路 路1ar ~ofth路 er noteworthy insects is discussed in the body of the report. A simi 8'rdsaun~:r,rty_was performed by Dr. David Wagner et al. in 2000. This pa~t effort '1it; has ch~stanc~l opportunity to compare how this land and its associated msect nged In the past 17 years.

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·s transforrn1n t Identical ccessional growth , Salldpl . Photos taken 17 years apart illustrate how su a,n A. 8 • 2017 . · • 'Allnex sand plain, 2000. C-D, Allnex sandp 1ain,

Figure 2. Allnex sand~l~il_i· The san~plain occupies ~e open area north ofToelles Road, between S . .

Cemetery west to the vtclillty of the dirt road (dotted lme ). t. Casmurs th

pling Schedule: Sampling started on May 4 and continued until October W11 • Bee bowls

and light traps were set roughly every three weeks. Pitfall traps were permanently placed in the Idduring the entirety of the survey and serviced every three weeks. Light traps were set more uently in the latter part of the season as most state-listed taxa fly during this period. Although l.epidoptera numbers are extremely reduced by the end of September, an October survey was sary to sample for a few seasonally late flyers.

';ertebrate Sampling: Three different sampling techniques were used: (1) pitfall traps witb fences; (2) bee bowls; and (3) light traps.

1. Pitta C r g ground dwelling . II traps with drift fences. Pitfall traps are useful ior samp ~n t- ps tnverteb . . d t My pitfall trap se u . rates, especially ground beetles, spiders, an an~h the lip of the cup was ~nststed of IO cm diameter plastic cups buried in the s01l such t at then poured into evel with the ground surface. About 50 ml of propylene glyco1was l ced between each each cup. To increase catch a Im long sheet metal drift fence wasp :t rainwater from cup; to e h . ' d tal plate to preve ente . ac side of the drift fence was attache a me nng. Two arrays were put in place at Allnex. c:ned 2 n__ · bowls half 11 · ~ bowls Th' hite blue) plastic Ofthe With · is technique employs colorful (yellow, w ' d the bright color • Water a d ttracte to 5white, 15 "-d' n a small amount of detergent. Bees are a b wls 5 yellow, ..,,, 1antete b . d Fifteen r owls which are placed on the groun ·

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· · . T o museums ere isited on ions: the Peabod Museum, Uoi\'el:Si ew Ha en en; and the · · · of Connecticut Insect Collection Cl). ouchers for man of the rare ha e been deposited at the · of Connecticut.

Figure 3. Insect sampling traps. A Pitfall . . fences· B B ho 1 ' trap with drift : ' ee w s; C, Leroy Koehn 15 W(18" bulb) blacklight bucket trap.

. ey Results: Lepidoptera -- Five rare species ha e been identified: Euxoa violaris, Schinia 5ae ~ympistis perscripta, Eucoptocnemi fimbriaris and Thaumatopsis edonis. Three of species are listed as pecial Concern species b the state. Thaumatopsis edonis is liSted as uata1[f'fl.,fll'I and Eucoptocnemis fimbriari was onl re ently de listed in 2015 •All are grassland or ~ species. It should he noted that a few indi iduals of Thaumatopsis edoni~ and ~uxna ~ collected in the dry acidic forest· as both are denizens of the sandplam,_therr ~the dry acidic forest does not reflect their known habitat association. Ah,l of

recovered during the survey is supplied in Appendix 1.

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. . the State's list, this insect ltill unr~- - rnbnans (Family octuiclae): Recentl dropped from l nds ea....:_.~n and . · Ofdry season grass a ' .~yt1....__ a good grassland indicator. It 1s a species taken from the ~ Whe 1· F" · dividuals were re ittle blue stem grows in abundance. ive m

oleoptera -- n tat -listed species was found on the Allnex sandplain.

Cicindelaformo a enero . . a (Big . Sand Tiger Beetle) (Family Carabidae) is a state1.1sted species of pecial one rn. It 1s a denizen of open sand areas, dunes, and blow outs. It was not common on th Alln x prop rty, as only one individual was taken.

Alist of th beetles recovered during the survey is supplied in Appendix 2. Beetles of interest were sent to Dr. William Krinsky (Yale Peabody Museum) for expert identification.

Regionally common b t1 s, not sp cializ d to sandy habitats and without state-listed status were not sent to Dr. Krin ky for id ntification, e.g. Phyllophaga spp. (June Beetle species). As uch Appendix 2 i not xhau tive but rath r a li t of th less common Coleoptera that warranted further experti e.

Hymenoptera - Bee diver ity and abundance w r v r low and can most likely be _attributed to the lack 0f fl d No state-listed taxa oral nectarie at the ite and it neighb ring urban 1an scape. .

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Were found A 1¡ . l'ed in Appendix 1 1st of the bee rec vered during the ur ey 1s supp •