March 23, 2024

Creating a list of bees endemic to the Southeastern US???

I’ve googled and I can’t seem to find an answer, but I’m curious if anyone has a list of bees endemic to the Southeastern US?
I guess I’m going to start a list:
Caupolicana electa
Colletes ultravalidus
Habropoda laboriosa
Svastra aegis

I’ll edit and add, but that’s what my wine brain can come up with on a Friday night. Feel free to comment with resources or other Southeastern exclusive bees.

Posted on March 23, 2024 12:47 AM by misspt misspt | 1 observation | 1 comment | Leave a comment

January 8, 2024

Mississippi Odonata

For those looking for another checklist challenge in 2024:

A list of 156 species of Mississippi dragonflies and damselflies (one has not been documented, but has been found all around the borders of the state). The link is the current 125 documented species in MS on iNaturalist.

CALOPTERYGIDAE - BROAD-WINGED DAMSELS

Calopteryx dimidiata (Sparkling Jewelwing)

Calopteryx maculata (Ebony Jewelwing)

Hetaerina americana (American Rubyspot)

Hetaerina titia (Smoky Rubyspot)

LESTIDAE - SPREADWINGS

Lestes australis (Southern Spreadwing)

Lestes forficula (Rainpool Spreadwing)

Lestes inaequalis (Elegant Spreadwing)

Lestes rectangularis (Slender Spreadwing)

Lestes vigilax (Swamp Spreadwing)

COENAGRIONIDAE - POND DAMSELS

Amphiagrion saucium (Eastern Red Damsel)

Argia apicalis (Blue-fronted Dancer)

Argia bipunctulata (Seepage Dancer)

Argia fumipennis (Variable Dancer)

Argia moesta (Powdered Dancer)

Argia plana (Springwater Dancer)

Argia sedula (Blue-ringed Dancer)

Argia tibialis (Blue-tipped Dancer)

Argia translata (Dusky Dancer)

Chromagrion conditum (Aurora Damsel)

Enallagma aspersum (Azure Bluet)

Enallagma basidens (Double-striped Bluet)

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)

Enallagma concisum (Cherry Bluet)

Enallagma daeckii (Attenuated Bluet)

Enallagma davisi (Sandhill Bluet)

Enallagma divagans (Turquoise Bluet)

Enallagma doubledayi (Atlantic Bluet)

Enallagma dubium (Burgundy Bluet)

Enallagma durum (Big Bluet)

Enallagma exsulans (Stream Bluet)

Enallagma geminatum (Skimming Bluet)

Enallagma pallidum (Pale Bluet)

Enallagma pollutum (Florida Bluet)

Enallagma signatum (Orange Bluet)

Enallagma traviatum (Slender Bluet)

Enallagma vesperum (Vesper Bluet)

Enallagma weewa (Blackwater Bluet)

Ischnura hastata (Citrine Forktail)

Ischnura kellicotti (Lilypad Forktail)

Ischnura posita (Fragile Forktail)

Ischnura prognata (Furtive Forktail)

Ischnura ramburii (Rambur’s Forktail)

Ischnura verticalis (Eastern Forktail) does not seem to be any MS records

Nehalennia gracilis (Sphagnum Sprite)

Nehalennia integricollis (Southern Sprite)

Telebasis byersi (Duckweed Firetail)

PETALURIDAE - PETALTAILS

Tachopteryx thoreyi (Gray Petaltail)

AESHNIDAE - DARNERS

Aeshna umbrosa (Shadow Darner)

Anax junius (Common Green Darner)

Anax longipes (Comet Darner)

Basiaeschna janata (Springtime Darner)

Boyeria vinosa (Fawn Darner)

Coryphaeschna ingens (Regal Darner)

Epiaeschna heros (Swamp Darner)

Gomphaeschna antilope (Taper-tailed Darner)

Gomphaeschna furcillata (Harlequin Darner)

Nasiaeschna pentacantha (Cyrano Darner)

GOMPHIDAE - CLUBTAILS

Aphylla angustifolia (Broad-striped Forceptail)

Aphylla williamsoni (Two-striped Forceptail)

Arigomphus lentulus (Stillwater Clubtail)

Arigomphus maxwelli (Bayou Clubtail)

Arigomphus submedianus (Jade Clubtail)

Arigomphus villosipes (Unicorn Clubtail)

Dromogomphus armatus (Southeastern Spinyleg)

Dromogomphus spinosus (Black-shouldered Spinyleg)

Dromogomphus spoliatus (Flag-tailed Spinyleg)

Erpetogomphus designatus (Eastern Ringtail)

Gomphurus dilatatus (Blackwater Clubtail)

Gomphurus hybridus (Cocoa Clubtail)

Gomphurus modestus (Gulf Coast Clubtail)

Gomphurus vastus (Cobra Clubtail)

Hagenius brevistylus (Dragonhunter)

Hylogomphus apomyius (Banner Clubtail)

Hylogomphus geminatus (Two-striped Clubtail)

Ophiogomphus australis (Southern Snaketail)

Phanogomphus australis (Clearlake Clubtail)

Phanogomphus exilis (Lancet Clubtail)

Phanogomphus hodgesi (Hodges’ Clubtail)

Phanogomphus lividus (Ashy Clubtail)

Progomphus obscurus (Common Sanddragon)

Stylogomphus albistylus (Eastern Least Clubtail)

Stylurus laurae (Laura’s Clubtail)

Stylurus plagiatus (Russet-tipped Clubtail)

Stylurus potulentus (Yellow-sided Clubtail)

Stylurus townesi (Townes’ Clubtail)

CORDULEGASTRIDAE - SPIKETAILS

Cordulegaster bilineata (Brown Spiketail)

Cordulegaster erronea (Tiger Spiketail)

Cordulegaster maculata (Twin-spotted Spiketail)

Cordulegaster obliqua (Arrowhead Spiketail)

MACROMIIDAE - CRUISERS

Didymops transversa (Stream Cruiser)

Macromia alleghaniensis (Allegheny River Cruiser)

Macromia illinoiensis (Swift River Cruiser)

Macromia taeniolata (Royal River Cruiser)

CORDULIIDAE - EMERALDS

Epitheca costalis (Slender Baskettail)

Epitheca cynosura (Common Baskettail)

Epitheca princeps (Prince Baskettail)

Epitheca spinosa (Robust Baskettail)

Helocordulia selysii (Selys’ Sundragon)

Neurocordulia alabamensis (Alabama Shadowdragon)

Neurocordulia molesta (Smoky Shadowdragon)

Neurocordulia virginiensis (Cinnamon Shadowdragon)

Neurocordulia yamaskanensis (Stygian Shadowdragon)

Somatochlora filosa (Fine-lined Emerald)

Somatochlora georgiana (Coppery Emerald)

Somatochlora linearis (Mocha Emerald)

Somatochlora provocans (Treetop Emerald)

Somatochlora tenebrosa (Clamp-tipped Emerald)

LIBELLULIDAE - SKIMMERS

Brachymesia gravida (Four-spotted Pennant)

Celithemis amanda (Amanda’s Pennant)

Celithemis bertha (Red-veined Pennant)

Celithemis elisa (Calico Pennant)

Celithemis eponina (Halloween Pennant)

Celithemis fasciata (Banded Pennant)

Celithemis ornata (Ornate Pennant)

Celithemis verna (Double-ringed Pennant)

Dythemis velox (Swift Setwing)

Erythemis simplicicollis (Eastern Pondhawk)

Erythrodiplax berenice (Seaside Dragonlet)

Erythrodiplax minuscula (Little Blue Dragonlet)

Erythrodiplax umbrata (Band-winged Dragonlet)

Ladona deplanata (Blue Corporal)

Libellula auripennis (Golden-winged Skimmer)

Libellula axilena (Bar-winged Skimmer)

Libellula cyanea (Spangled Skimmer)

Libellula flavida (Yellow-sided Skimmer)

Libellula incesta (Slaty Skimmer)

Libellula luctuosa (Widow Skimmer)

Libellula needhami (Needham’s Skimmer)

Libellula pulchella (Twelve-spotted Skimmer)

Libellula semifasciata (Painted Skimmer)

Libellula vibrans (Great Blue Skimmer)

Macrodiplax balteata (Marl Pennant)

Miathyria marcella (Hyacinth Glider)

Nannothemis bella (Elfin Skimmer)

Orthemis ferruginea (Roseate Skimmer)

Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)

Pantala flavescens (Wandering Glider)

Pantala hymenaea (Spot-winged Glider)

Perithemis tenera (Least Amberwing)

Plathemis lydia (Common Whitetail)

Sympetrum ambiguum (Blue-faced Meadowhawk)

Sympetrum corruptum (Variegated Meadowhawk)

Sympetrum vicinum (Autumn Meadowhawk)

Tramea carolina (Carolina Saddlebags)

Tramea lacerata (Black Saddlebags)

Tramea onusta (Red Saddlebags)

Primary resource-Steve and Mary Jane Krotzer

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=37&taxon_id=47792&view=species

Posted on January 8, 2024 10:14 PM by misspt misspt | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 7, 2024

2024 Bat Survey/Culvert Blitz

I am going to try to journal more here as I've been chased away from FB by those wanting to beat me over the head with their "superior knowledge". Have you ever had your joy of learning about nature stolen by someone who absolutely has superior knowledge on a subject, but likes to beat you with it instead of stoking your fire to learn more? You know, the passive aggressive corrections, the act of turning the subject away from the simplest explanation and usable vocubulary to highly specific vernacular and niche subjects to exclude the person with the least knowledge, or how about trying to undermine someone while they are trying to teach community science? That's where I am at with the Mississippi Naturalists group on FB. I have a lot of ideas to try educate those five thousand Mississippians on their natural surroundings, but I have those that like to derail and argue to the nth degree and I am just over it. So I shall try to journal more here.
The surveys went well yesterday with fewer overall vertebrate diversity due to cooler temps, and we were still unable to access the final two culverts- one likely is dammed on private property by beavers, the other needs MDOT to remove vegetation, but we were able to access one that was inaccessible the previous two years and it had over 30 bats in it, which is a lot for our culverts! We are using new disinfecting protocols as WNS makes it's presence known further south, for those concerned about our proposed endangered PESU-Tricolored bats. Despite the sometimes daunting physical effort of getting into these culverts we were able to document three different species of bats, several mammals including beaver, a very large paper wasp nest, Cliff Swallow nests, a few moths and 3 spiders. There is an interesting pinguicula at one of the culverts I am hoping to go back and catch in bloom later this year and maybe look for cool dragonflies in these areas too.

Posted on January 7, 2024 10:25 PM by misspt misspt | 34 observations | 2 comments | Leave a comment

November 18, 2023

MSU bee collecting 2023

I can't post this to regular social media because I just don't have the energy to deal with people these days. But I completed just over 500 observations of just bees and wasps including their pollinator plants this year just in South Mississippi (this excludes flies and Lepidoptera). I collected 264 specimens (which includes about a dozen flies). I am sure I missed several species that I can't bring to the top of my brain right now, but I am pleased with the diversity I did find even if the Bees and Apoid Wasps of Mississippi project only lists me at 65 species total since so many can only be identified to genus without a microscope.

Hopefully, I can find time to dig into finding an affordable microscope and sit down and learn more about anatomy and identification beyond gestalt that helped me with collecting this year. I would definitely like to know more about the many Melissodes that entertained be with their hairy white and yellow faces, the ghostly Synhalonia that I am staring at right now, and the unidentified Colletes that had me singing "Mr. Cellophane" one too many times. This year I targeted specific flora, and I might do the same next year as I missed some blooms due to a very late frost. I also need to look more into galls and their visitors/inhabitants. I also need to see if I can dig deep in this next middle of June and bat baby season to find time for collection as I missed most of June this year raising about 25 little Lasiurus species abandoned by straight line winds, overwhelmed moms and crazy birds. Anway, I just wanted to stick a little tally somewhere as journal moment about this weird little project, thanks for reading this far. If you helped with IDs thank you and if you are pissed off by my collecting and pinning, keep it to yourself. All of these specimens are headed to Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Entomological Museum.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/misspt?captive=&created_on=&d1=&d2=&day=&filter_spam=false&filters_open=true&geoprivacy=&hrank=&identifications=any&list_id=&lrank=&month=&nelat=&nelng=&not_in_place=&order=desc&order_by=observations.id&page=1&place_id=&q=&quality_grade=any&rank=&reviewed=&search_on=&site=&swlat=&swlng=&taxon_geoprivacy=&taxon_id=630955&taxon_ids%5B%5D=&taxon_name=Bees&tdate=&user_id=705762&utf8=%E2%9C%93&view=map&viewer=705762&year=2023

Posted on November 18, 2023 02:01 AM by misspt misspt | 1 observation | 2 comments | Leave a comment

Archives