The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)
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Introduction of Southern White River Crayfish (Procambarus zonangulus) to New Brunswick
Southern White River Crayfish (Procambarus zonangulus), an aquatic, potentially invasive species, is documented from New Brunswick for the first time. It was found in a small, privately owned, lake in the Saint John River system that was apparently stocked for recreational purposes with non-native fish and the crayfish. Procambarus zonangulus has successfully overwintered at the site for at least a year and, more likely, for several years. This is the third species of non-native crayfish recorded in New Brunswick, joining Spiny-cheeked Crayfish (Faxonius limosus) and Virile Crayfish (Faxonius virilis). This is also the first persisting introduction for the genus Procambarus in Canada of which we are aware
"Waterfowl of Eastern North America. Second Edition" by Chris G. Earley, 2020. [book review]
"Brave New Arctic: The Untold Story of the Melting North" by Mark C. Serreze, 2018. [book review]
The first documented migration of a potter wasp, Ancistrocerus adiabatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)
Eumenine wasps are not known to be migratory and have never been proposed as migrants, let alone documented as such. We document a large-scale migration of a common eumenine, Ancistrocerus adiabatus, during which 44 000–68 000 wasps moved through a known migration corridor in southwestern Ontario, Canada, in less than an hour. Evidence for migration of another eumenine, Pachodynerus erynnis, six species of flower flies (Diptera, Syrphidae), and two dragonflies (Odonata) is also provided. We hope that this note encourages naturalists to focus their attention on insects at known migration concentration sites to learn more about this grossly understudied aspect of animal behaviour
Use of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) seeds by GPS-collared Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) in Banff National Park, Alberta
Seeds of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) are a major food for Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) in the Yellowstone ecosystem. In Canada, Grizzly Bears are known to eat Whitebark Pine seeds, but little additional information, such as the extent of such use and habitat characteristics of feeding sites, is available. Because Grizzly Bears almost always obtain Whitebark Pine seeds by excavating cones from persistent caching sites (middens) made by Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), it is possible to infer Whitebark Pine feeding when bears are located near excavated middens in Whitebark Pine stands. During 2013–2018, I conducted a retrospective study in Banff National Park using data from 23 Grizzly Bears equipped by Parks Canada staff with global positioning system (GPS) collars. My objectives were to use GPS fixes to determine the percentage of these bears that had been located in close proximity to excavated middens containing Whitebark Pine seeds and to describe the habitat at these excavated middens. I linked 15 bears (65%) to excavated middens and, by inference, consumption of Whitebark Pine seeds. Excavated middens occurred on high-elevation (mean 2103 ± 101 [SD] m), steep (mean 26° ± 8°) slopes facing mostly (96%) north through west (0–270°). Use of Whitebark Pine seeds by at least 65% of the 23 studied Grizzly Bears suggests that conservation of Whitebark Pine in Banff National Park would concomitantly benefit the at-risk population of Grizzly Bears
Further occurrences of melanism in a northern, peripheral, population of Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Although melanism is understood to occur commonly among some felids, it is reported to be most frequent among cat species that occur in humid, tropical, and densely vegetated habitats. Previously, a single record of a melanistic Bobcat (Lynx rufus) from eastern Canada (New Brunswick) appeared to be a northern outlier, with all other reports of melanism in this species restricted to the warm, humid, climate of southern peninsular Florida. Here, I document a further five occurrences of melanism in Bobcat from New Brunswick and review evidence that a mutation in an agouti-signalling protein gene may be responsible for melanism in New Brunswick Bobcats