BANISTERIA

A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA

'•’tW YORK ’Ol mimiCAL GARDEN

ISSN 1066-07 1 2

1996

Number 7

BAN ISTERIA

A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA

ISSN 1066-0712

Published by the Virginia Natural History Society

Tie Virginia Natural History Society' OVNHS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the dissemination of scientific information on all aspects of natural history in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Membership in VNHS includes a subscription to Banisteria. Annual dues are $15.00 (i>er calendar year); library subscriptions to Banisteria are $30.00. Subscribers/members outside the United States should add $3.00 for additional

postage.

Checks should be made payable to the Virginia Natural History Society. Membership dues and inquiries should be directed to the Secretary-Treasurer; correspondence regarding Banisteria to one of the co-editors. Banisteria is a peer-reviewed journal.

Editorial staff: Banisteria Co-editors

Joseph C. Mitchell, Department of Biology and School of Continuing Studies Llniversity of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia 23173

Richard L. Hoffman, Virginia Museum of Natural History,

Martinsville, Virginia 24112

Associate Editors Botany

Thomas F. Wieboldt, Department of Biology,

Virginia Polytechnic Institute <Sc State University,

Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

Parasitology

Ralph P. Eckerlin, Natural Sciences Division,

Northern Virginia Community College,

Annandale, Virginia 22003

Entomology

Alfred G. Wheeler, Jr., Bureau of Plant Industry,

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110

Production Consultant Carl W. Hoffman

1 103 Tyler Avenue, Radford, Virginia 24141

Banisteria No. 6 was published on 15 IDecember 1995.

Cover: Magnolia vngimana Linnaeus. Original drawing by John Banister, sent to Bishop D. H. Compton in 1689; figure 90 in folio in Sir Hans Sloane’s MS 4002 in the British Museum. Tiis and other Banister drawings were provided by Joseph and Nesta Ewan.

BAN ISTERIA

A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THU NATURAL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA

Number 7, 1996

Table of Contents

Recently Discovered Populations of Small Whorled Pogonia (Isotria medeoloulcs) in Virginia Nancy7 E. Van Alstine, William H. Moorhead III, Allen Belden, Jr., Thomas J. Rawinski, and J. Christopher Ludwig . 3

Historical Records of the Trumpeter Swan in Virginia

David W. Johnston . 9

The Odonata erf Fort A. P. Hill and Vicinity, Caroline County, Virginia

Steven M. Roble and Christopher S. Hobson . 1 1

Natural History Notes on the Amphibians of a Recently Extirpated Suburban Wetland in Central Virginia

Joseph C. Mitchell . 41

Occurrence of die Costate RiversnaiL, Oxytrema catenaria (Say), in Virginia (Gastropoda: Pleuroceridae)

Richard L. Hoffman . 49

Injury of a Northern W atersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) in a Mountain Stream During Severe Flooding

Joseph C. Mitchell and Christopher Todd W. Georgel . . . 51

Hydrobiomorpha casta (Say) in Virginia (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)

Warren E. Steiner, Jr . 53

Shorter Contributions

Leaf-carrying with the 1 ail in the Virginia Opossum, Didelphis vnginiana

John F. Pagels . 55

Another Case of Albinism in a Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsolete) from Virginia

Joseph C. Mitchell and Gary M. Williamson . : . 56

Miscellanea

Book Review

Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains - C. Michael Stinson . 57

Reports . 58

Announcements . 59

Instructions for Contributors . 60

VNHS Officers

President: C. Barry Knisley, Department of Biology’, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia 23005

Vice-President: Thomas ). Rawinski, Division of Natural Heritage, 1500 E. Main Street, Suite 312, Richmond, Virginia 23219

Secretary' -Treasurer: Anne C. Lund, Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia 23943

Councilor: Richard J. Neves, Department of Fisheries <Sc Wildlife, Virginia Polytechnic Institute <St Stare University', Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0321

Councilor: Norman], Fashing, Department of Biology', College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185

Banisiena , Number 7, 1996

** 1996 by the Virginia Natural Histors' Society

Recently Discovered Populations of Small Whorled Pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) in Virginia

Nancy E. Van Alstine, William H. Moorhead Ill, Allen Belden, Jr., Thomas J. Rawinski, and J. Christopher Ludwig

Virginia Department- of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage 1500 E. Main Street, Suite 312 Richmond, Virginia 23219

Small whorled pogonia ( Isotria medeoloides ) is a rare and elusive orchid federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and state listed as endangered under the Virginia Endangered Plant and Insect Act. This orchid, extant in 15 states in the eastern and midwestern U.S. and one Canadian province (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1994), occurs in relatively common types of second- and third-growth forest habitats (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992). In 1990, the ten extant colontes in Virginia were known only from the Coastal Plain (Ware, 1991). Two single-stem occurrences of small whorled pogonia had been documented in the Piedmont, in Buckingham and Appomattox Counties. These occurrences, however, have not been seen since their discoveries in 1968 and 1979, respectively, despite attempts to relocate them (Harvill, 1969; G. Rouse, pers. comm.; C.E. Stevens, pers. comm.). During rare plant inventories conducted from 1990-1994, we documented seven new populations of Isotria medeoloides. Two of these populations are located on the Coastal Plain, four are on the eastern Piedmont, and one is documented for the first time from Virginia’s Cumberland Plateau.

In this paper, we describe these new Isotria medeoloides populations and discuss their conservation status. Infor¬ mation for each population appears in Table 1. Voucher photographs taken at two of the sites have been deposited at the College of William and Mary Herbarium (Photo Vouchers NVA #001 and 002 for Population 4; WHM #1526 for Population 7). Due to the rare and vulnerable status of this species, we did not collect specimens and are providing only watershed information instead of more specific locality data.

In Table 2 we have compared habitat characteristics at the seven new sites with habitat characteristics previously

documented for the species in Virginia (Ware, 1991). The majority of the new sites, including the Cumberland Plateau site, share most of these habitat characteristics.

Hie discovery of Isotria medeoloides in the Cumberland Plateau of Virginia sparked questions about how the habitat compares floristically with that of other populations, particularly those in Virginia and the southern Appalachians. Population 7 is closer geo¬ graphically to the North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), and Tennessee (TN) populations than to the other Virginia (VA) populations. In addition, the population occurs in a mountain physiographic province, as do the NC, SC, GA, and TN populations. A total of 32 species were recorded in a vegetation plot sampled at Population 7 (Table 3). We compared this list with lists generated for sites in VA, NC, SC, GA, and TN, as well as range wide data (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage field survey reports; Gaddy, 1985; Mehrhoff, 1980; Rawinski, 1986; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992; Ware, 1987; N. Murdock, pers. comm.; M. Pyne, pers. comm.; A Shea, pers. comm.; C. Wentworth, pers. comm.). A rigorous floristic comparison was not attempted here because complete floristic plot data were not available for many of the sites. However, the following observations can be made from the available data. Two species occurring at the Cumberland Plateau site (Population 7), Acer rubrum and Medeola virgin larui, are frequent associates of Isotria medeoloides throughout its range. No Pinus species occur at the Population 7 site, similar to the TN and other VA sites where Pinus species are either lacking or represent a minor component of the canopy. Pinus strobus, however, is an important canopy species in most of the NC, SC, and GA sites,

4

BAN'ISTERIA

NO 7. 1QQ6

Table 1. Location and status of recendy discovered Isotria medeoloides populations in Virginia.

Population Huabar	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Province	Coastal Plain	Coaata 1 Plain	Pladaont	Piadnont	Pladmont	Pladmont	Cuabarland Plataau
County	Carolina	Carol Ina	Pr Inca Wllllaa	Stafford	Prtnca Wllllaa	Pr Inca Wllllaa	La*
Drain? Paaln	Catt l*t Craak	Portob*?o Craak	Quantico Craak	Chopawaaalc Craak	Cadar Pun	Powalla Craak	Porth Pork Powall Plvar
Dlacovary Data	10/27/90	t/2/94	4/6/91	6/13/91	7/11/91	7/6/93	6/22/94
Huobar of Statsa'	4	10	33	23	4	19	6
Muttbar In rlowar/Pruit	0/2	0/3	2/7	1/0	0/0	0/0	0/3
Photo Vouchar	Ko	Ho	Ho	Ya*	Ho	Ho	Yaa
Ownarahlp	Publ lc	Pr Ivata	Public	Public	Public	Pr ivata -f	Public

1 Number of stems seen in the year of discovery.

and in many of the sites in northern states. The mom tane species Rhododendron maximum, Quercus prinus, and Viola hastata occur at the Population 7 site and other southern Appalachian sites, but do not occur at the other Virginia Isotria medeoloides sites.

Of importance for the conservation of small whorled pogonia is the fact that five of the seven new populations occur on federal birds where they are afforded protection under the Endangered Species Act, as amended. Managers of these federally-owned sites are actively monitoring the popubtions and funding searches for new popubtions on their respective managed areas. In addition, one of the private bndowners has agreed to designate a protection area which will be pbced in a conservation easement. We encourage further surveys for Isotria medeolouies in the abundant, unsurveyed habitat that exists in Virginia, and we hope that the information provided here will contribute to future discoveries of this

elusive orchid.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank T. Stamps (Marine Corps Combat Envelopment Command, Quantico, VA) and L Nutt and F.C. Huber, Jr. (George Washington 6c Jefferson National Forests, Roanoke, VA) for their help in locating additional stems in the year of discovery. N. Murdock (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Asheville, NC), R. Roecker (Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, Columbia, SC), A. Shea and M. Pyne (Tennessee Natural Heritage Program, Nashville, TN), and C. Wentworth (Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forest, Bbirsville, GA) provided data from the small whorled pogonia habitats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, respectively. The survey work that led to the discovery of the new Isotria medeoloides popubtions was

VANALST1NE Lrl Al. SMAU WHORl IP PvX'-ONlA

5

Table 2. Comparison of the habitat cliaraacrtstics of the seven rejxirted Isotria mctleoloida imputations with some characteristics previously observed for other Virginia populations. (Modified from a table prepared for Belden <Sr Van Alstine, 1992).

POPULATIONS

(PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	(CP)	(CP)	(Pd)	(Pd)	(Pd)	(Pd)	(CuP)
Habitat Characteristica
Level to moderate slope inclination	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Northern to eastern aspect	No* 1	Yes	Yea	Yes	No2 3 *	Partly5 6	Yes
% Herbaceous ground cover low to non-existent	Yes1	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Acidic sandy loam soil	ND	ND	Yes5	Yes*	Yes5	?7 8	Yes'
Nearby canopy opening	ND	No	Yea	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Presence of	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Partly	Yes	Yes

dead wood

(includes standing dead and/or wood litter on ground)

CP = Coastal Plain; Pd = Piedmont; CuP = Cumberland Plateau ND = No data collected for this characteristic.

1 Southern aspect

2 Level floodplain

3 Northeastern aspect for most of population, but four stems on lower slo[>e with slight western aspect.

i Although herbaceous ground cover was sparse, low ericaceous shrubs were more prominent than in the other six sites.

5 Based on soil survey for Prince William County (Elder, 1989).

6 Based on soil ssurvey for Stafford County (Isgrig <Sc Strobel, 1974).

7 Population 3 is located near 3 soil map units on the Prince William Co. soil survey map (Elder, 1989), and the exact soil map unit where the Isotria meiLeoloides grows was not determined. All of the soil map units consist of acidic loams and one is an acidic sandy loam.

8 Based on field analysis.

BANISTER I A

NO 7, 1996

Table 3. Vascular plant taxa* associated with Isotria medeoloidcs at Population 7, Lee County, VA. Nomenclature follows Kartesz (1994).

Tree stratum ( >6 m tall): Herb stratum (il m tall):

Acer rubrum Quercua prinua Quercua rubra Quercua velutlna

Shrub stratum (woody plants 1-6 m tall) :

Acer rubrum Betula lenta CaBtanea dentata Cornua florid a Fagua grandlfolla Magnolia fraaerl Myaaa aylvatlca Oxydendrum arboreum Rhododendron cumberlandenae Rhododendron maximum Saaaafraa albldum Vacclnlum corymbosum

Acer rubrum Amel&nchler arborea Amphlcarpaea bracteata A ureolarla flava Chlmaphlla maculata Dlchanthellum commutatum Oalax urceolata Centlana decora Kalmla latlfolla Magnolia cf. acuminata Maianthemum racemosum Medeola vlrglnlana Myaaa aylvatlca Polyatlchum acroatlcholdea Rhododendron cumberlandenae SaaBafraa albldum cf. Scutellaria sp.

Smllax rotundlfolla Vacclnlum pallidum Vacclnlum atamlneum Viola haatata

*The taxa were recorded on 22 June 1994 from a circular plot of 11.28m radius centered near the middle of the Isotria medeoloides population. The plot included all known Isotria stems.

funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia, EPS. Department of Defense, Tire Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service, and a private landowner.

County, Virginia. USDA Soil Conservation Service and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA. 245 pp.

LITERATURE CITED

Belden, A_, Jr. <Sc N.E. Van Alstine. 1992. Newly dis- covered populations of Isotria medeoloides (small whorled pogonia) in Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science 43: 235.

Elder, J. IL, Jr. 1989. Soil Survey of Pri nee William

Gaddy, L.L. 1985. Tire status of Isotria medeoloides in South Carolina. Unpublished report. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Columbia, SC. 17 pp.

Harvill, A.M., Jr. 1969. Isotria medeoloides on the Piedmont of Virginia. Rlrodora 71: 303-304.

VAN ALSTINE ET AL SMALL WHORLED POGONIA

7

Isgrig, D.&A. Sfrobcl, Jr. 1974. Soil Surv'ey of Stafford and King George Counties, Virginia. USDA Soil Conservation Service and Virginia Polytechnic Instimte and Stare University, Blacksburg, VA. 124 pp.

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Second Edition. Volume 1 - Checklist. Biota of North American Program of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Timber Press, Portland, OR. 622 pp.

Meluhoff, L.A. Ill. 1980. The reproductive biology of the genus lsotria (Orchidaceae) and the ecology of Isotna medeoloidts. M.S. Thesis, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. 65 pp.

Rawinski, T. 1986. Element stewardship abstract for Isotna mcdeoloides' small whorled pogonia. Unpublished report. Eastern Heritage Task Force, The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA. 16 pp.

UTS. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1992. Small Whorled

Pogonia (lsotria viedeoloules) Recovery Plan, First Revision. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Newton Comer, MA. 75

pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1994. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; final rule to reclassify the plant Isotna medooloides (small whorled pogonia) from endangered to threatened. Federal Register 59(193): 50852-50857.

Ware, D.M.E. 1987. Quantitative analysis of vegetation, canopy cover, and decaying matter in the habitat of lsotria medeoloides and lsotria nerticillata in Virginia. Unpublished report SWP-DWT3. Virginia Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Protection and Pesticide Regulation, Richmond. 41 pp.

Ware, D.M.E. 1991. Small whorled pogonia ( lsotria medeoloides). Pp. 95-97 In K. Tenvilliger (coordinator), Virginia's Endangered Species. McDonald and Wood- ward Publishing Co., Blacksburg, VA.

Figure 1. Known Virginia localities for lsotria medeoloides

8

Historical Records of the Trumpeter Swan in Virginia

David W. Johnston

5219 Concordia Street Fairfax, Virginia 22032

The earliesr accounts of bird life in colonial Virginia often contained references to swans (or "swannes"). Mention of these birds in the 17th century as being found in present-day Virginia can be found in the writings of Thomas Studley (1607), Joint Smith (1608), William Stradiey (1610), Thomas Glover (1676), Joint Banister (circa 1680 fide Ewan 6c Ewan 1970), and others. These writers, however, did not specifically identify the type of swan mentioned.

Writing about the birds in "Carolina" in 1709, John Lawson listed the species seen by him between 1700 and 1708. He wrote about swans: "we have two sorts; the one we call Trompeters; because of a sort of trompeting Noise they nrake...The [other] sort of Swans call'd Hoopers are the least." In the 1950s, W. L McAree made incisive studies of early North American bird records induding dtose from North Carolina and Virginia (1955, 1956a, b). Among these early Virginia accounts was a letter by Rev. John Clayton in 1688 to the Royal Society of London. As "a parson with a sdentific mind" (Berkeley <Sc Berkeley 1965) and "the best bird observer who had reached the American colonies" (Steams 1970), Clayton spent two years in Virginia (1684-1686), dtiefby in the environs of Jamestown. His letter contained a section "Of the Birds" whidt listed the birds seen by him in Virginia. McAree (1955, p.58), in his review of the Clayton letters, identified the "modem equivalents" of Clayton's "Wild Swans" as: Two spedes, the whistling swan (Cygnus columbianus ) and die trumpeter swan (Cypiws buccinator), then occurred in Virginia." (underline added)

The book entided "William Byrd's Natural History of Virginia or The Newly Discovered Eden" contains references to swans. It was first published in German in 1737, then

edited and translated from the Gentian version by Ridimond C. Beatty <Sc William J. Mulloy (1940). These editors insisted (p. xxviii) that "This volume contains die most detailed account in existence of die natural history of colonial Virginia." In the book on p. 69 appears the following translated passages: "Two species of swans are found. One is called the trumpeter [swan], since it utters a sound like a trumpet. This is die largest sort. [It] comes diere in winter in great flocks, and ordinarily stays several months in the fresh rivers.... The other s[iecies of swans are called hoopers, and are smaller."

P. G. Adams (1957) and other critics of diis book compared "Byrd's Natural History of Virginia" with accounts in Lawson's "New Voyage to Carolina" (1709). The striking similarity in die language between die two accounts convinced Adams (1957, 1962) that the author of "Byrd's Natural History" had plagiarized Lawson. The current opinion is, despite die insistence of Beatty <Sc Mulloy,* that Samuel Jenner, and not William Byrd, was the principal if not sole audior of "William Byrd's Natural History of Virginia," and that most of the natural history accounts (including swans) were taken and reworded from Lawson's book. Thus, references to swans in "Byrd's Namral History" pertained to North Carolina and not Virginia.

Another early account of swans in Virginia appears in Joseph Martin's gazetteer of Virginia (1835). In the section on "Alexandria" (pp. 483-484) is the following narrative: "The Swan is not found nearer than about 30 miles below Washington; at the moudi of Occoquan, on the right bank of the river is his highest feeding ground.... Here, and for some 30 or 40 miles below, this noble bird is seen floating near die

JOHNSTON TRUMPim-R SWAN

9

shores, in flocks of some two or three hundred, white as the driven snow, and from rime to time, emitting fine sonorous and occasionally melodious songs, so loud that they may be heard on a still evening two or three miles; there are two kinds, so called from their respective notes-the one the trumpeter, and the other the slooper [hooper = whistling = tundra]; the trumpeter is the largest-and when at full size, will measure five to six feet from bill to the point of die toe, and from seven to eight feet from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other, when stretched and expanded. They are sagacious and waiy, and dejiend more on the sight than on the sense of smelL On a neck nearly three feet in length, they are enabled to elevate their head so as to see and distinguish with a quick and penetrating eye objects at a great distance, and by means of this same length of neck diey feed in slack tides, by immersing, as is dieir habit, nearly all of die lxxly-and throwing only their feet and tails out, in three or four feet water, and on the flatty shores diey frequent, generally beyond gun-shot;. ..the swan remain here die whole winter, only shifting their ground in severe weather from the frozen to the open part of the river, and dropping down into the salts where it is rarely frozen. They get into good condition soon after amval in autumn, and remain fat until toward spring- when a few weeks before their departure about the first of March, they gradually become diinner in flesh...."

The moudi of the Occoquan River, Oocoquan Bay, and Martin's "right bank of the river" soudi of Occoquan belong to Virginia. Therefore, some of die Trumpeter Swans mentioned by Martin were indeed in Virginia waters.

Other published reports of the Trumpeter Swan in Virginia have been less specific as to dates and places but provide additional information about the bird in the state.

(1) W illiam Homaday (1913) wrote (p. 20): "since that rime [1900] Dr. Leonard C. Sanford procured two living birds from a bird dealer who obtained them on die coast of Virginia." Discounting that record, Murray (1952, p. 32) noted: "(The record in W illiam T. Homaday's Vanishing Wild Life, p. 20 of Two Trumpeter Swans, Cygnus buccinator Richardson, procured on the coast of Virginia by Dr. L C. Sanford is an error. Dr. Frank M. Chapman checked the record for us and learned that die birds really came from Montana.)"

(2) The A.O.U. Check-list of 1957 (p. 60) contains the following statement for the Trumpeter Swan: "Formerly.. .on the Atlantic sealxiard to North Carolina."

(3) In die only thorough, scientific study of die Trumpeter Swan, Winston Banko (1960, p. 20 ) remarked that "enough acceptable records are available from die states of ...Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina in the Atlantic flyway to demonstrate that the trumpeter still apjieared as a migrant or winter resident in those states during die last half of the I9di

cenniry." A map on p. 26 shows the "former wintering range" to include southern New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, all of the Chesajx'ake Bay and moutlis of major Virginia rivers.

(4) A map in Palmer's "Handlxxik of North American Birds" (1976, p. 61) is not substantially different from Banko's map. Palmer shows the "southern limits of former wintering" range of the I nimjxter Swan as extending as far south as North Carolina and Virginia.

(5) Frank Bellrose in his book on "Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America" (1976, p. 90) wTote that the Tnunjieter Swan "... wintered on Chesajieake Bay and Currituck Sound (North Carolina], the lower Mississippi River valley...." His map on page 89, also similar to diat of Banko, shows die "probable former wintering area" to include coastal sections of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, as well as virtually all of die Chesajx'ake Bay.

The evidence presented here, especially the first-hand observations of John Clayton and Joseph Martin's account, is sufficient to affirm the historical occurrence of the Tnimjieter Sw'an in Virginia. Its disappearance as a winter visitor in die mid-Atlantic states over the last 100-150 years is lamentable; over-hunting lias lieen suggested as a major cause. Perhaps diis portion of die former winter range will be occupied again when and if breeding populations are re-established in mid- western or eastern North America.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to Winston Banko, Harold Burgess, Harry Lumsden, William J. L Sladen, and Roger B. Clapp for their comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.

LITERATURE CITED

Adams, P. G. 1957. The real audior of William Byrd's Natural History of Virginia. American Literature 28:211-220.

Adams, P. G. 1962. Travelers and Travel Liars 1660-1800. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

American Ornithologists' Union. 1957. Check-list of North American Birds. 5th ed. American Ornithologists' Union, Lord Baltimore Press, Bakimore, MD. 691 pp.

Banko, Winston E. 1960. The Trumpeter Swan. Its History, Habits, and Population in die United States. Bureau of Sport Fisheries <$c Wildlife, Washington, EXE. North American Fauna 63. 214 pp.

10

RANISTERIA

NO 7, 1996

Bellrose, Frank C. 1976. EYicks, Geese and Swans of Norrh America. Srackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA 543 pp.

Berkeley, Edmund, &. Dorothy S. Berkeley, eds. 1965. The Reverend John Clayton. A Parson with a Scientific Mind. I Iniversity Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

Clayton, John. 1693. A Letter from Mr. John Clayton, Rector of Crofton at Wakefield in Yorkshire to the Royal Society, gi\ing a farther Account of the Soil of Virginia, and Planting of Tobacco there, with the Draining of Swamps, <Scc. As likewise a Description of the several Species of Birds observed there by himself, with several Curious Remarks on the Heads of Fowl, more particularly their Ears, compared with those of the Mole, <Scc. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London XVII (206): 917-998.

Ewan, Joseph, <Sc Nesta Ewan. 1970. John Banister and His Natural History of Virginia 1673-1692. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL. 485 pp.

Glover, Thomas. 1676. .An Account of Virginia, its Scituation, Temperature, Productions, Inhabitants and their manner of planting and ordering, Tobacco, (Set. Philo¬ sophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London XI (126) June 20, 1676:623-636.

Homaday, William T. 1913. Our Vanishing Wild Life, its Extermination and Preservation. New York Zoological Scx'iety, New York, NY. 41 1 pp.

Lawson, John. 1709. A New Voyage to Carolina: Containing Tire Exact [Ascription and Natural History of That Country, Together with the Present State thereof. .And a Journal Of a Thousand Miles, Travel'd thro' Several Nations of Indians. Giving a particular Account of their Customs, Manners, &x. London.

McAtee, W. L. 1955. North American bird records in the "Philosophical Transactions," 1665-1800. Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History 3(l):56-60.

McAtee, W. L. 1956a. 4 Tie birds in Lawson's "New Voyage to Carolina," 1709-Last installment. Chat 20(2):23-28.

McAtee, W. L. 1956b. Birds of the "Nemgefundenes Eden, 1737." Raven 28(1, 2): 15.

Martin, Joseph. 1835. A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Published by Joseph Martin, Charlottesville, VA.

Murray, Joseph James. 1952. A check-list of the birds of Virginia. Virginia Society of Ornithology.

Palmer, Ralph S. 1976. Handbook of North American Birds. Vol. 2. Waterfowl (first part). Yale University Press, New Haven and London. 521 pp.

Smith, John. 1608. A True Relation of such (Occurrences and .Accidents of noare as hath hapned in Virginia since the first Planting of that Co llony.... London. 88 pp.

Steams, Raymond P. 1970. Science in the British Colonies of America. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL.

Strachey, William. 1610. lire historie of travaile into Virginia Britannia; expressing the cosmographie and comodities of the country, fogither with the manners and customes of people. Gathered and observed as well by those who went first thither as collected by William Strachey. London. 203 pp.

Studley, Thomas. 1907. Tire Proceedings of the English Colony in Virginia [in 1607]. P. 130 In Lyon G. Tyler (ed.), Narratives of Early Virginia. Barnes & Noble, New York, NY.

11

The Odonata of Fort A. P. Hill and Vicinity, Caroline County, Virginia

Steven M. Roble and Christopher S. Hohson

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage 1500 E. Main Street, Suite 312, Richmond, VA 23219

The Odonata fauna of Virginia is fairly diverse with more than 180 sjtecies currently known. The most recent summaries of this fauna are those of Carle (1979, 1982, 1991) for Anisoptera (dragonflies) and Roble (1994b) for Zygoptera (damselflies). The extensive listing of all known dragonfly records from Virginia that is provided by Carle (1982) reveals that numerous counties in the state (e.g., .Amelia, Amherst, Caroline, King and Queen, King George) have been virtually unsampled for Odonata.

In the fall of 1991, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Division of Natural Heritage (DCR'DNH) was contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense (Department of the Army) to conduct a survey for rare animals, plants, and significant natural communities on the Fort A. P. Hill Military Reservation in Caroline County, Virginia. Subsequently, DCR'DNH was contracted in 1994 by the state's Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department to conduct a similar survey of the Polecat Creek watershed in Caroline County as part of a grant funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study the effects of increased development on the watershed during the next decade.

.Although no attempt was made to conduct a comprehensive survey of the fauna or flora of Fort A. P. Hill, initial surveys of the base by DCR-DNH (hereafter shortened to DNH) biologists revealed the presence of numerous naturally acidic wetlands, and a large and widespread population of the carpenter frog ( Rana virgatipes Cope), a rare to uncommon species (Pague, 1991) in Virginia. These and subsequent surveys also documented the presence of numerous rare plants (Fleming <Sc Van Alstine, 1994), as well as other uncommon amphibians and reptiles, including the lesser siren (Siren intermedia LeConte), greater siren (S. lacertina Linnaeus) and rainbow snake ( Farancia erytrogramma [Beauvois]), at or near the northern limits of their

geographic ranges (Roble <Sc Hobson, 1994; Roble, 1995).

Tire fortuitous discovery on 17 June 1993 of NannotJremis bella (Uhler), a dragonfly that had not been seen in Virginia in more than a century (Roble <Sc Stevenson, 1994), prompted us to sample the Odonata of the base more intensively. The senior author maintained records of all species that were observed or collected on subsequent surveys that he conducted alone or with the junior author. The latter maintained partial species lists for the few surveys that lie conducted alone. Our collective records form the primary data source for this paper. We have supplemented the Fort A. P. Hill records with data collected during the Polecat Creek surveys, as well as very limited surveys of three ponds located elsewhere in Caroline County.

Carle’s (1982) exhaustive survey of Virginia dragonfly specimens confirmed the presence of only two species (Aeshna umbrosa Walker and Gomphus exilis Selys) from Caroline County, whereas several of the damselfly species discussed below were previously reported from this county by Roble (1994b), largely on the basis of records obtained at Fort A. P. Hill.

STUDY AREAS AND METHODS

Caroline County encompasses 342,695 acres in eastern Virginia approximately midway between Richmond and Washington, D.C. The Fall Zone separating the Coastal Plain and Piedmont physiographic provinces lies in the western portion of the county. All but three of our sampling sites fall within the Coastal Plain. Two sites are in the Fall Zone and a third spans the PiedmontTall Zone transition area.

Fort A. P. Hill Military Reservation occupies the northeastern portion of Caroline County and covers 75,944 acres, or about 22% of the county (Fleming <Sc Van .Alstine, 1994). Less than 100 acres at the east end of

12

BAN'ISTERIA

NO 7, 1996

Figure 1. Location of Odonata sampling sites on Fort A. P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia.

ROBLE & HOBSON ODONATA OF FORT A P. HILL

13

the base lie in adjacent Essex County, but none of our surveys were conducted in these areas. Route 301 bisects rbe base into north and south portions. Prior to the establishment of the base in 1942, the land was primarily- used for agricultural and forestry purposes. Currently, more than 80% of the base is forested. Elevations on Fort A. P. Hill range from 20 to 250 feet (6 - 76 m), with a number of moderately deep ravines occurring in the northeastern portion of the base.

Tire majority of the wetlands that were surveyed for Odonata on Fort A_ P. Hill consisted of acidic beaver ponds. We made virtually no effort to survey any of the man-made ponds or reservoirs on the base. We also sampled numerous forested and some open seepage habitats, as well as several small streams. Most of the streams on the base have been impounded by beavers at numerous locations or are of low gradient, and thus do not support many lotic species. Mill Creek and its primary tributary (Peumansend Creek) are the major lotic habitats on the base. These are sand-bottomed streams ranging from 2-5 m in width. Hie Rappahannock River occurs within a few kilometers of the base to the east and forms the northeastern boundary of Caroline County. The Mattaponi River lies several kilometers west of the base boundary.

Hie locations of sampling sites where Odonata were documented on Fort A. P. Hill are identified in Figure 1. Site numbers 1-50 that appear in the annotated species accounts later in this paper refer to the locations plotted on this map. The habitats associated with the various collecting sites are as follows: ponds (sites 2-13, 15-20, 22- 25, 27-31, and 36-37), streams (sites 14, 16, 38, 42, 44, 47H8, and 50), seepage areas (sites 15, 22, 26, 33-35, 39, 41, 43, 45-46, and 49), man-made lakes (1 and 32), swamps (44), and roads (21, 34, 40-41, and 43-44). Seven of the sites were placed in two or more of the above categories. Our access to the sites varied considerably depending on military training schedules and safety concerns related to the potential presence of unexploded ordnance in some areas on the southern portion of the base. While several sites were visited on multiple occasions, many were surveyed only once. Unfortunately, several of the finest wetlands on the base could not be thoroughly sampled for Odonata because they were in areas with very limited access.

Virtually all of our records of Odonata from Fort A. P. Hill are based on observations or collections of adults.

Many of these records were obtained incidental to our larger objective of surveying the base for rare animals. Sampling for Odonata larvae was limited to surveys of forest seepage habitats, including the headwaters of small streams. Voucher specimens were obtained for most species. Species documented only by sight records are identified as such in the annotated accounts. Specimens are deposited primarily in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.); additional specimens have been or will be deposited in the Virginia Museum of Natural History (Martinsville) and the Horida State Collection of Arthropods (Gainesville).

Odonata surveys by DNH zoologists at Fort A. P. Hill spanned the period from 10 September 1992 to 17 July 1995. A dozen adult specimens collected by Philip H. Stevenson on the former date constitute the extent of Odonata sampling during that year. He also collected about 15 adult and larval sjiecimens in the spring and early summer months of 1993. We initiated a more intensive survey of the Odonata fauna of the base beginning in July 1993 and extending through November of that year. Hie senior author continued this survey on a more limited basis in 1994 and 1995, adding 20 species to the confirmed list in the process.

Polecat Creek is a tributary of the Mattaponi River and is located approximately 15-20 km southwest of Fort A. P. Hill. Stevens Mill Run is a primary tributary of Polecat Creek. Both of these streams originate in the Piedmont and terminate in the Coastal Plain. Aquatic habitats vary considerably widrin the Polecat Creek drainage and provide for a diversity of Odonata species. In the Fall Zone region of the watershed and areas further west, benthic substrates in Polecat Creek and its tributaries are of mixed composition. Areas of cobble and boulder substrates are interspersed with gravel beds, clay banks, and pockets of sand. East of the Fall Zone, substrates become more uniform, consisting of sand bars and mucky sand, with only scattered rocks. The floodplain east of the Fall Zone is typically much broader, providing habitat for species typically found in low gradient streams and floodplain pools. While beaver impoundments are common within the watershed, there are extended stretches of lotic habitats with numerous riffles, runs and deeper pooled sections. Funderburg (1974) described the swamp habitat present near the U.S. Route 301 crossing of Polecat Creek, approximately 1 km upstream from its

14

BANISTER1A

NO 7. 1996

mouth.

Surveys for Odonata in rhe Polecat Creek watershed were conducted between 18 May and 4 October 1994 by tbe junior author in conjunction with more comprehensive surveys for rare animals. In addition to sampling Polecat Creek near several bridge crossing sires, adult Odonata that were encountered during continuous stream surveys for mussels were noted. Several lenric habitats in the watershed were also sampled. Tire senior author collected two gomphid larvae in Stevens Mill Run on 16 March 1995, which constitute our only Odonata records for this stream. The following sites and their corresponding numbers appear in the annotated species accounts:

51. Stevens Mill Run at County Route 601, ca. 1 km NE of Golansville (Piedmont/Fall Zone)

52. Polecat Creek upstream (west) of U.S. Route 1 (Fall Zone)

53. Polecat Creek at County Route 652, ca. 2 km SE of Golansville (Fall Zone)

54. Polecat Creek at County Route 601, 0.3 km SE of Penola

55. Polecat Creek at powerline crossing, just downstream of U.S. Route 301

56. Sphagnous seepage area in powerline right-of-way ca. 0.8 km SE of Coleman's Millpond (= Mill Run at County Route 656).

57. Beaver ponds and sphagnous seepage area along Polecat Creek at powerline right-of-way upstream from County Route 601 crossing.

Three additional ponds in Caroline County were surveyed only very briefly by the senior author, but each was inhabited by at least one uncommon or state-rare species of Odonata, and they are thus worthy of inclusion in this report. Further sampling of these sites is desirable.

58. Beaver pond near headwaters of Downers Branch, ca. 1 .5 km NW of Paige

59. Pond along County Route 654, ca. 1.3 km SW of Peatross

60. Pond along County Route 656, ca. 2.5 km SE of Peatross

Adult specimens collected during our surveys were identified using the following references: Carle (1982),

Caq>enter (1991), Dunkle (1989, 1990), Johnson 6c Westfall (1970), Needham <Sc Heywood (1929), Needham & Westfall (1955), Walker (1953, 1958), and Walker & Corbet (1975). Tire few larvae that we collected were identified using the keys of Huggins <Sc Brigham (1982) and Needham 6c Westfall (1955). We also examined the damselfly collection of the National Museum of Natural History (USNM) for any records from Caroline County.

RESULTS

We documented 77 species of Odonata (25 damselflies and 52 dragonflies) on Fort A. P. Hill. Seven of these species were not vouchered and one of our sight identifications is tentative. Both of the species reported from Caroline County by Carle (1982) are present on the base. Of the 76 confirmed species, 12 (15.8%) are monitored by the Division of Natural Heritage as state- rare species (Roble, 1996). This is proportionately much less than the fraction of the state’s Odonata fauna (46.2%; 39.9% excluding the Gomphidae) that is currently monitored by DNH. We also documented another 20 species on Fort A. P. Hill that are uncommon or locally distributed in Virginia, and are included on tbe Natural Heritage "Watch List" (Roble, in prep.). The documented Odonata fauna of Fort A. P. Hill represents 42.3% of the state’s fauna (excluding accidentals). The large families Coenagrionidae and Libellulidae are fairly well repre¬ sented on the base, whereas the Gomphidae are not (Table 1). The geographic location of the base (i.e., Coastal Plain) and its lack of suitable lotic habitats are largely responsible for the depauperate gomphid fauna. A total of 24 species was recorded in the Polecat Creek watershed, including four (one state-rare and one watch list species) that were not found at Fort A. P. Hill. Two other species are represented in the USNM collection, resulting in a total of 82 species confirmed for the county.

The extreme dates on which adult Odonata were observed during our surveys were 18 April and 22 November. The seasonal distribution of all species is presented in Table 2, which follows the format of Shiffer 6c White (1995). No data are available for 13 of the 32 quarters included in this table (these quarters are underlined). Right date records that equal or exceed those listed in Carle (1982) and Roble (1994b) for Virginia dragonflies and damselflies, respectively, are denoted by an asterisk in the last column of the table.

ROBLF. & HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A P HILL

15

I able 1. Sjxxies diversity of Odonara on Fort A.P. Hill as compared to the Odonara fauna of Virginia.

FAMILY	FORT A.P. HILL	VIRGINIA	PERCEN
Calopterygidae	2	7	28.6
Lest id ae	5	10	50.0
Coenagrionidae	18	37	48.6
Total Zygoptera	25	54	46.3
Petaluridae	1	1	100.0
Aeshnidae	8	16	50.0
Gomphidae	6	39“	15.4
Cordulegastridae	4	5	80.0
Corduliidae	8	24	33.3
Macromiinae	2	5	40.0
Cordulunae	6	19	31.6
Libellulidae	25	43b	58.1
Total Anisoptera	52	128	40.6
Total Odonata	77	182	42.3

‘Excludes one reported but unconfirmed species ^Excludes two accidental s^recies

Some of the early and late dates reported by Roble (1994b) are based on our observations in Caroline County. It should be noted that Carle’s (1982) survey of available specimens to determine Virginia flight dates for dragonflies was far more exhaustive than Roble’s (1994b) survey of damselflies. Consequently, asterisked early or late dates for damselflies in Table 2 should only be regarded as the extreme published dates for Virginia.

An annotated list of the Odonata species recorded from Caroline County follows. Tire format is similar to that used by Cross (1955), except that we do not report the total number of specimens obtained for most species. Scientific names and authors follow Garrison (1991) with the exceptions discussed by Donnelly &c Tennessen (1994), Roble (1994b), and Tennessen (1994). As noted previously, site numbers 1-50 are on Fort A. P. Hill and refer to locations plotted in Figure 1. The locations of sites 5 1430 were defined above. Collection or observation records that extend the Virginia flight season of a species

beyond the dates reported by Carle (1982) and Roble (1994b) are indicated by an asterisk or discussed in the text. We have included previously unpublished distrib¬ utional records (particularly county records) for selected uncommon or state-rare species based on DNH surveys during the past six years.

ANNOTATED LIST OF ODONATA RECORDED FROM CAROLINE COUNTY

Zygoptera

CALOPTE RYG I D.AE

Calopteryx dnnidiata Burmeister

Sites 38, 42, and 54. 18 May - 28 July. This species was moderately common along a 100 m section of Mill Creek at site 42, where 15-20 adults were observed by SMR on 8 July 1994. A single male was seen by CSH along Polecat Creek at site 54 on 18 May 1994. This record was the basis for the early flight date listed in Roble (1994b). DNF1 zoologist Dirk J. Stevenson subsequently captured C. dimidiata on 7 May 1995 in Greensville County. In addition to our records, the USNM has specimens collected on 18 June 1980 at County Route 630 (= Beverly Run crossing), 1 mi (= 1.6 km) W of Central Point in the extreme southeastern corner of Caroline County.

Calopter yx maculata (Beauvo is)

Sites 3, 7, 15, 29-30, 38, 41-44, 50, 52, and 54. 18 May - 16 August. Common along small streams on Fort A. P. Hill, including sluggish seepage headwaters as well as faster flowing streams such as Mill Creek. Found at all sites where the previous species occurred, but in greater abundance (e.g., five times as many C. maculata as C. dimidiata were observed at site 42). This species was also common along Polecat Creek. Our earliest record precedes the early flight date listed for Virginia in Roble (1994b) by three days, but C. maculata was later found on 7 May 1995 in Greensville County with C. dimidiata (D. J. Stevenson, pers. comm.).

16

BANISTERIA

NO 7, 1996

LESTIDAE

Lestes congener Hagen

Documenred only by an adult male that was collected by CSI 1 at site 22 on 4 October 1 993.

Lestes disjunctus australis Walker

Sites 10, 11, 22, and 36. 25 April - 4 October. This sixties is apparently less widespread on Fort A. P. Hill than might be expected. Numerous fenerals were observed by SMR at site 11 on 1 June 1994.

Lestes inaequalis Walsh

Sites 3, 4, 10, 23, 44, 54, and 59. 16 June - 1

September. Uncommon at a few acidic beaver ponds. Maximum count was four adults observed at site 10. Our late date exceeds that reported in Roble (1994b) by one week, but a female was subsequently captured by Dirk J. Stevenson on 13 September 1995 along the Blackwater River straddling the Isle of Wight-Southampton county line. This record and two males that Dirk collected in Greensville County are additions to the county records listed for L inaequalis in Roble (1994b).

Lestes rectangularis Say

Our only records for Fort A. P. Hill are of an adult male that was collected by Philip H. Stevenson at site 17 on 10 September 1992, and an adult female collected by CSH at site 3 on 17 August 1993. This species was also found by CSH at several small ponds along Polecat Creek (sites 55 and 57) on 11 August 1994. Presumably, L. rectangularis is much more common in Caroline County than our few records suggest, because it is the most common and widespread member of the genus in Virginia (Roble, 1994b).

Lestes mgilax Hagen

Recorded at 19 sites on Fort A. P. Hill; also sites 54, 59, and 60. 24 June - 4 October. This species inhabits numerous acidic beaver ponds on the base, but is otherwise uncommon in Virginia (Roble, 1994b).

Highest counts were 150+ adults at site 30 and 50+ adults at sires 8, 29, 59, and 60. Dunkle (1990) reported that this sjx^cies prefers acidic habitats.

COEN AG R 1 ON I DAF

Argia apicahs (Say)

Several individuals of this species were observed by CSH along Polecat Creek at site 54 on 17 June 1994, but no collections were made.

Argia bipunctulata (Hagen)

Sites 22, 26, 35, and 56. 8 July - 4 October. All of our sites are oixm seepage habitats, which is typical of this locally distributed species (Dunkle, 1990). About 20 adults were observed at sites 35 and 56. This species is apparently most abundant at site 26 (probably hundreds of adults), which was barely explored due to the high potential for unexploded ordnance. As noted by Roble (1994b), 4 October is a rather late flight date for this species (two males collected at site 22). Recent surveys by DNH botanist J. Christopher Ludwig have added Greensville and Lee counties to the records listed for A. bipunctulatain Roble (1994b).

Argia fumipennis violacea (Hagen)

Sites 4, 11, 1718, 27, 2900, 32, 37-38, and 52-54. 31 May - 4 October. Common along streams and near outlets of beaver ponds.

Argia moesta (Hagen)

The USNM collection includes a male captured on 12 June 1978 at the County Route 730 (= Route 738?) bridge crossing of the North Anna River at the southern boundary of the county. The label associated with this specimen apparently is in error because we cannot locate a Route 730 bridge crossing on a map of the county and suspect that the route number is actually 738. We did not find this species during our surveys.

Argia tibialis (Rambur)

Sites 30, 38, 42, 44, and 54. 18 May* - 28 July.

ROBLE &. HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A.P. HILL

17

Found along streams and near outlets of beaver ponds (site 30). .Adults seen by CSH along Polecat Creek (site 54) on 18 May extend the earliest date reported for this species in Virginia (Donnelly, 1961; Roble, 1994b) by 12 days.

Chromagrion condition (Hagen)

Sites 20 and 31. 25 April - 29 April. This early species is probably more common than our records indicate. At least 17 mated pairs were observed by SMR at site 31 on 25 April 1994.

Enallagma aspersum (Hagen)

Documented only by an adult male that was collected by CSH at site 3 on 17 August 1993.

Enallagma civile (Hagen)

Found only at site 28 on 27 September 1993, where it was very common (50+ adults).

Enallagma daeckii (Calvert)

Sites 3, 18, 26, 30, 31, and 44. 31 May - 28 July. Numerous tenerals and a few mature adults were found by SMR at sites 3 and 18 on 31 May 1994. Highest count was 250+ adults at site 30 on 8 July 1994.

Enallagma divagans Selys

A male was collected by CSH from emergent veg¬ etation along Polecat Creek at site 54 on 17 June 1994.

Enallagma dubium Root

Sites 4, 8, 18, 28, and 37. 24 June - 27 September. This species is probably more common than our records indicate. It is inconspicuous and appears to be active primarily in mid to late afternoon. All of our observations were made at acidic beaver ponds (see also Roble, 1994b). Two mating pairs were among 11 adults observed by SMR at site 4 on 13 September 1993. Only 1-5 adults were seen at the other sites, including several that were captured during rainy or cool conditions on 27 September 1993.

Gloyd (195 1) reported that E. dubium was common at a swampy pond near the Dismal Swamp in the City of Suffolk (formerly Nansemond County). This is the only other published record for this species in Virginia. Matta (1978) did not find E. dubium in southeastern Virginia.

Enallagmo exsulans (Hagen)

Tire USNM has five specimens (including one pair) that were taken with the Argia moesta specimen discussed above. We did not observe this species during our surveys, although it may occur along portions of Mill Creek and Polecat Creek.

Enallagma geminatum Kellicott

Sites 2, 4, and 5. 18 August -13 September. Tins

species was found primarily on lily pads. At least ten adults were seen at sites 4 and 5, whereas only a single male was found at site 1.

Enallagma signatum (Hagen)

Sites 3-4, 7-8, 18, 30, and 37. 31 May - 27 September. This species is probably more common than our records indicate. Tire majority of our sightings were made in late afternoon when this species is most active. Fewer than ten individuals were observed at each site.

Enallagma traviatum Selys

Documented only by an adult male that was collected by SMR at site 18 on 24 June 1994. This -specimen is assignable to the nominate subspecies (Roble, 1994b). Donnelly’s (1973) range map does not show any records of this species from Virginia, but Roble (1994b) provided several records.

Enallagma vesperum Calvert

Sites 3, 8, and 18. 31 May - 12 August (teneral male collected on latter date). This crepuscular species is probably more common than our records indicate. Only a few individuals were observed by SMR at each site. Most were found on lily pads.

18

BAN1STER1A

NO. 7, 1996

Ischnura hastata (Say)

Recorded at 16 sires on Fort A. P. Hill as well as sites 58 and 60. 25 April - 4 October. This species inhabits numerous ponds on the base, although adults are some¬ times clustered in discrete areas around a particular pond.

Ischnura kcllicotti Williamson

Sites 3, 8, 18, 20, and 59. 31 May - 12 August. This species was found on lily pads, often in the company of the similarly marked Enallagma geminatum. At least ten individuals were observed by SMR at all sites except site 3 during surveys of only a small fraction of the lily pads present at each site.

Ischnura posita (Hagen)

Recorded at 25 sites on Fort A. P. Hill as well as seven of the 10 off-base sites. 18 April - 4 October. This is the most common and widespread damselfly species on Fort A. P. Hill, and elsewhere in the county.

Ischnura ramburii (Selys)

Sites 18, 27-29, 36-37, and 54. 25 April - 27

September. Only a few individuals were observed at each site.

Nehalennia integricollis Calvert

Sites 3-4, 11, 26, and 30. 1 June - 13 September. Only single individuals were found at sites 3, 4, and 11 (two dates at latter). At least 200 adults were observed by SMR at site 30 on 8 July 1994, making it the largest population known in the state (Roble, 1994b). A large population may also inhabit site 26, but this area was barely explored because of' safety concerns. The only other documented sites for N. intcgricollis in Virginia are from Augusta County and the City of Suffolk (Gloyd, 1951; Roble, 1994b).

Telebasis byersi Westfall

lire population discovered by SMR on 17 July 1995 at site 44 is the northernmost known locality within the range of this species and one of only two documented

sites in Virginia (Roble <St Stevenson, 1996). Eleven adults were seen during a very brief survey (<15 min), suggesting that a thriving population inhabits this area.

Anisoptera

PETALURIDAE

Tachopteryx thnrcyi (Hagen)

Sites 15, 18, 30, and 49. 27 May - 28 July. All records of this large, primitive dragonfly were obtained by SMR. One female was collected and two others were photographed. Only one or two individuals were recorded at each site, including a tandem pair that was observed very briefly at 1845 h on 8 July 1994 (site 15). The pair quickly flew away and landed in the forest canopy, where they reportedly mate (Dunkle, 1981). One adult female at site 18 repeatedly chased patrolling males of Ubellula bdia when they flew near her perch on the trunk of a tall snag beside the pond’s edge. She made no effort to pursue several males of L deplanata that landed nearby. One adult landed briefly on the shoulder of SMR at site 30. Dunkle (1981) reported similar “tame” behavior in a Rorida population. No larvae or exuviae were found despite numerous surveys of forested seepage areas.

Carle (1982) recorded this species from 13 Virginia counties. In an earlier paper (Carle, 1979) on the rare dragonflies of Virginia, he indicated that only seven extant populations of this species were known in the state and classified T. thoreyi as a "locally distributed species." Recent surveys by DNH zoologists have resulted' in the discovery of several previously unknown populations of this species at widely scattered sites in Virginia. We have also been informed of other newly discovered populations in the state (M. Stinson, pers. cornm.).

AESHN1DAE

Aesfina umbrosa Walker

Two males were observed by SMR on 17 July 1995 while patrolling over a short section of Mill Creek at site 44. Carle (1982) previously reported this species from Caroline County; a female was collected at an unknown locality within the county on 20 October 1973.

ROBLE & HOBSON ODONATA OF FORT A P HILL

19

Anax jutuus (Drury)

Recorded at 18 sires on Fort A. P. Hill; also site 59. 25 April - 27 September. This species is common and widespread on the base.

Anax longipes Hagen

Sites 28 and 30. 8 July - 28 July*. This large,

unmistakable species is reported solely on the basis of sight records obtained by SMR. Three to five males were observed at site 30 on 28 July 1993; one male and one female were seen there on 8 July 1994. A single male was also observed at site 28 on the latter date. Carle (1982) repotted A. longipes from three widely scattered counties (Augusta, Charles City, and Lee) in Virginia, his latest date being 17 July. In an earlier paper (Carle, 1979), he included this primarily austral species in his list of the state's rare dragonflies on the basis of only two known extant populations. DNH zoologist Dirk J. Stevenson (pers. comm.) observed nvo A. longipes on 30 May 1995 at a man-made sandpit pond on the Fort Story Military Reservation in the City of Virginia Beach.

Basiaeschna janata (Say)

Sites 4, 14, 16, and 47. 28 April - 29 April. This early species is probably more common than our records indicate. At least five adults were observed by SMR at sites 14 and 47.

Boyeria vinosa (Say)

Sites 27 , 42, 53 (adults and larvae), and 54. 7 July - 4 October. This species is probably more common than our records indicate.

Epiaeschna heros (Fabricius) •

Sites 14, 52, and 54. 29 April -12 August. This

species is reported solely on the basis of sight records. Only one or two individuals were seen at each site. Our early date equals that listed in Carle (1982) for Virginia, although the species has been seen as early as 9 April (1995) in Greensville County (D. J. Stevenson, pers. comm.).

Gomphaesclma furcillata (Say)

Sites 4, 14, 16, and possibly 20. All records of this species at Fort A. P. Flill were obtained on 29 April during the Spring 1995 field trip of the Virginia Herpetological Society. A male was netted at site 4 by Michael D. Killian and a female was captured by Dirk J. Stevenson along the road bordering site 16. Several adults were also observed by SMR at sites 14 and 16; one possible sighting was made at site 20. Carle (1982) recorded this species from eight counties and cities in Virginia. However, he listed only one known extant population in the state in his paper (Carle, 1979) on rare dragonflies. Recent surveys by DNH zoologists have confirmed approximately ten additional populations in eastern Virginia.

Nasiaeschna pentacantha (Rambur)

Documented only by an adult female that was collected by SMR at site 3 on 31 May 1994. Carle (1982) recorded this species from three counties and cities in southeastern Virginia, his earliest flight date being 1 June.

GOMPHID.AE

Angov\pkus villosipes (Selys)

Sites 18 and 23. 31 May - 17 June. Only a few adults were recorded at each site. One exuvia was also collected at site 18. Carle (1982) recorded this species from only six counties in Virginia, but indicated that it was more common. We are aware of two other copnty records based on recent DNH surveys. Former DNH zoologist Kurt A. Buhlmann collected a male A. villosipes on 22 May 1991 in King George County. Another male was captured by CSH on 15 May 1994 in New Kent County. The latter record precedes the earliest Virginia flight date listed in Carle (1982) by eight days.

Gomphus exilis Selys

Sites 28, 31, and 34. 25 April - 28 April. This early species is probably more widespread on Fort A. P. Hill than our records indicate. One adult female was moderately infested with water mites. Carle (1982)

20

BAN1STERIA

NO 7, 1996

previously reported this species from Caroline County; a male was collected on 10 June 1978 at the U.S. Route 1 crossing of the North Anna River.

Gornpkus lividus Selys

Sites 4, 14, 16, 47, and 48. 29 April - 9 May. This early species is probably more widespread on Fort A. P. Hill than our records indicate.

Hagenuis brevistylus Selys

Sites 42 and 52. ITree or four adult males were observed by SMR on 7 July 1994 while patrolling a 100 m section of Mill Creek at site 42; one voucher was collected. A male was also netted and released by CSH at sire 52 on 12 August 1994.

Progomphus obscurus (Rambur)

Sites 30, 38, 42, and 51 (larvae). 7 July - 28 July. Only a few adults were recorded at the first three sites; two larvae were collected at the latter site.

Stylurussp).

A male gomphid that was believed to be 5. laurae (Williamson) was observed by SMR through binoculars on 17 July 1995 while perched on a leaf of the lowermost branch of an oak tree at site 41. Tire specimen evaded a subsequent capture attempt. Carle (1982) reported S. laurae from six counties in Virginia; the nearest records to Fort Ac P. Hill are from Henrico and Ixmisa counties. Tire DNH reference collection contains a male of this species collected by Christopher Al Pague and Richard L. Hoffman on 15 September 1991 in Lunenburg County, which constitutes a new county record.

CORDULEGASTRIDAE

C ordulegaster bilineata (Carle)

This species was common on 25 April 1994 along the road and in several seepage ravines at site 34. At least 10 males were observed by SMR on this date, although none were seen in this same area one week earlier. This species

is probably more widespread on Fort Ac P. Hill. Cordulegaster erronea Hagen

1 his species was documented only by larval collections made at sites 33, 45, and 49. Carle (1982) recorded this species from eight counties in Virginia, primarily in the Blue Ridge region. No additional Virginia county records appear in his (Carle, 1989) comprehensive range map for this species. Carle (1979) listed C. erronea as "possibly endangered" in Virginia because only two extant populations were known in the state. In addition to our records from Caroline County, we have collected larvae in York County, which extends the state range of this species considerably further south into the Coastal Plain region. Recent collections obtained in southwestern Virginia primarily by Frank L. Carle (pers. comm.), as well as by DNH zoologists, reveal that this species is rather common, but locally distributed, in that portion of the state.

Cordulegaster maculata Selys

Two specimens were collected and several other adults were observed by SMR on 28-29 April 1995 along a small, sand-bottomed stream (Catlett Creek) at site 16. This species is probably more widespread on Fort A.. P. HilL

Cordulegaster obliqua (Say)

This species was documented only by the collection of two larvae at site 46. Carle (1982) reported this species from eight counties and cities in Virginia, and listed the flight period as 21 May to 10 July. In his -earlier paper (Carle, 1979) on the rare dragonflies of Virginia, he indicated that eight extant populations of C. obliqua were known in the state and classified it as a "locally distributed species." We are aware of four other recent records for this species in Virginia (Fairfax, Greensville, Washington, and Wise counties) based on surveys by DNH biologists. All but the former are new county records.

CORDULI1DAE (MACROMIINAE)

Didymops transversa (Say)

Sires 28, 31, 34, 36, 47 (and a nearby pond not

ROBLE & HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A P HILL

21

marked on map), and 48. 18 April - 9 May. Only a few adults were recorded at each site. This early species is probably more common and widespread than our records indicate.

M acromia illinoiemis georgina (Selys)

Adult males were collected at the following locations: along Campbell Road approximately midway between sites 19 and 20 (n =1), site 40 (n = 2), and site 54 (teneral male collected on 17 June). Sight records of M acromia adults that are presumably assignable to this species were made at sites 20 and 41-44. Collectively, our specimen and observational records span the period from 17 June to 17 July. Suitable breeding habitat for this species on Fort A. P. Hill appears to be limited to free-flowing sections of Mill Creek. Some of the individuals seen on the base may have been strays from the nearby Mattaponi or Rappahannock rivers.

Donnelly <Sc Tennessen (1994) recently synonymized Macromia georgina and M. illinoiensis. Their study included seven specimens from four counties in northeastern Virginia (Piedmont region), as well as additional material from six counties in western Virginia. .All of the samples from northeastern Virginia were scored as intergrades. These authors did not examine material from the Coastal Plain region of Virginia and assumed that only georgina occurs there (based on their range map). Carle (1982) reported both forms (as species) from Charlotte, Craig, Dxiisa and Nelson counties in Virginia, including one syntopic site (Twittys Creek) in the former county. Orr (1996) stated that the population at his study site in eastern Maryland was comprised of intergrades. Speci¬ mens from sites in eastern Virginia, including those collected at Fort A. P. Hill, should be evaluated further to determine their taxonomic status.

CORDUTIIDAE (CORDULIINAE)

Epi theca cy no sura (Say)

Sites 4, 18, 20, 28-29, 31, 34, 36, 39, 42, 47, and 59. 18 April - 31 May. This early species is undoubtedly much more common and widespread than our records indicate. One adult male was heavily infested with water mites.

Epitheca spinosa (Hagen)

Sites 29 and 59. 18 April - 25 April. Three males and two females were collected by SMR at site 29 on 18 April 1994; no adults were observed at this site one week later. A single male E. spinosa was collected by SMR among numerous E. cynosura males on 25 April 1994 over the road bordering site 59. Tennessen (1994) recently described the larva of E. spinosa and reported that the larval habitat is swamps, as opposed to boggy lakes for E. canis, which is known in Virginia only from one site in Highland County (Carle, 1982). Both of the sites where E. spinosa was found in Caroline County are exemplary, boggy ponds. No swamp habitat is present near either site, suggesting that these ponds provide suitable breeding habitat for E. spinosa.

This early spring species was recommended for state threatened status (not formally designated as such to date) by Carle (1991) because it was known only from two sites in southeastern Virginia (City of Suffolk and Southampton County). Carle (1979) had earlier classified it as a "locally distributed species." Three collection sites are listed by Carle (1982), who stated that E. spinosa is probably more common in the state, being undercollected because of its early flight season. The historical Virginia locality (1951 record; specimen deposited in the Illinois Natural History Survey collection) is also in Southampton County, at the old U.S. Route 58 crossing of a cypress swamp, approximately 16 mi (26 km) E of Emporia (R. L. Hoffman, pers. comm.). The senior author recently discovered three previously unidentified males of E. spinosa in the USNM collection. All were collected on 12 April 1989 by W. E. Steiner along the Blackwater River 6 km S of Zuni (Isle of W ight County).

The only Virginia record plotted in Tennessen’s (1994) recent range map for E. spinosa is from the City of Suffolk. Apparently, he was not aware of earlier maps (Carle, 1982, 1989, 1991) showing either one or two other records in the state. With a total of six documented sites, Virginia currently ranks third behind North Carolina (13 county records plotted in Tennessen, 1994) and New Jersey (four recent and five historical sites fide Barber, 1995 and May, 1995) in terms of the number of known localities per state for this infrequently collected species.

22

BAN1STERIA

NO. 7. 1996

Helocordulia selysii (Hagen)

Two adult males were collected by SMR on 29 April 1995 at site 16. Other species found along this small, sand-bottomed stream were Basiaeschna janata, Cordule- gaster maculata, and Gomphus lividus. Carle (1982) recorded this species from seven counties in eastern Virginia. He (1979) classified H. selysii as a "locally distributed species" and reported that only four extant populations were known in the state. Former DNH zoologist C. A. Pague collected a male of this species in Powhatan County on 24 April 1990, which constitutes a new county record.

Somatochlora filosa (Hagen)

One male was collected by CSH on 1 September 1994 along Polecat Creek at site 54. Gloyd (1951), Matta (1978), and Carle (1982) reported this species only from the cities of Chesapeake and Suffolk, and Southampton County, all in extreme southeastern Virginia. The Polecat Creek site is the northernmost documented locality for S. filosa in the state. Recent collections by DNH zoologist D. J. Stevenson are from the City of Virginia Beach and along the Blackwater River on the Isle of Wight-South- ampton county line. Tire species ranges north to New Jersey.

Somatochlora linearis (Hagen)

This species is reported solely on the basis of sight records. Two or three adult males were observed by SMR on 13 September 1993 while patrolling at site 13. One of these males was studied with binoculars while briefly perched.

Somatochlora provocans Calvert

Sites 40 and 41. 7 July - 17 July*. All of the records obtained by SMR were of adults feeding over dirt roads; two males and two females were collected and several others were observed. No breeding sites were documented, lennessen (1975) identified the larval habitat of this species as sphagnous seepage streams, which are a rather common habitat on Fort A. P. Hill. Carle (1979) classified S. ( nm’ocans as "rare" in Virginia and reported that only one site was known in the state. Carle

(1982) indicated that the only Virginia record for this species was based on a male that he collected on 22 June 1975 in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, City of Suffolk. He remarked that this is one of the most difficult dragonflies to collect because it typically flies at heights of 5-15 m. Accordingly, Paulson & Dunkle (1995) have proposed the common name of “Treetop Emerald” for this species.

Somatochlora tenebrosa (Say)

Site 40; possibly also 11, 29, and 57. 7 July (- 27 September?)- Two females were collected by SMR on 7 July 1994 while feeding along a dirt road (site 40) in the company of S. provocans and M acromia illinoiensis georgina. Sight records of Somatochlora adults that may refer to this species were made at sites 11, 29, and 57 (ovipositing female seen by CSH on 1 1 August 1994).

L1BELLUL1DAE

Celithemis elisa (Hagen)

Sites 1 1 and 18. 1 June - 13 September*. Only a few individuals were noted at each site, including a male collected at site 11 on the latter date. Carle (1982) reported that the known Virginia flight period for this species extended through 24 August.

Celithemis eponina (Drury)

Sites 4, 18, and 29. 8 July - 27 September*. Only a few individuals were noted at each site. Our latest record (three adults seen at site 29) extends the Virginia flight period for this species six days beyond the date reported by Carle (1982).

Celithemis fasciata Kirby

Sites 3-5, 18, 23-24, 30-31, and 42. 16 June - 13 September*. Maximum count of 50+ adults at site 30 on 8 July 1994; fewer than five adults were observed at six of the eight sites. An adult male C. fasciata was photographed at site 18 while being eaten by a female Erythemis simplicicollis . Carle (1982) reported this species from 11 counties and cities in Virginia, his latest record being 6 August.

ROBLE &. HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A.P HILL

23

Celithemis martha Williamson

Sites 4-5, 18, 27-30, and 60. 8 July* - 27 September*. Maximum counts of 50+ adults at site 30 on 8 July 1994 and 30+ adults at site 27 on 27 September 1993. One male was collected from a spider web. Carle (1979) classified C. martha as a "locally distributed species" in Virginia, with only one known site in the state. This site was a pond in Fairfax County in northern Virginia, where he collected two males on 19 September 1978 (Carle, 1982). This record exceeded the latest flight date (7 September) listed for this species by Needham <Sc Westfall (1955). Although our records significantly extend the known Virginia flight period, Barber (1994) has recently documented C. martha in New Jersey as late as 29 September. We observed 40-50 adults at three sires on 27 September 1993, suggesting that this species probably flies into October on Fort A. P. Hill.

Carle (1982) stated that the Fairfax County record was the southernmost known locality for C. martha. Concurrently, Huggins <Sc Brigham (1982) included it in their list of species known from the Carolinas. However, White et al. (1980) did not mention C. martha in their compilation of South Carolina records, and there are no documented records of this species from North Carolina (R. D. Cuyler, pers. comm.). Therefore, because the record in Huggins <Sc Brigham (1982) is not substantiated (D. G. Huggins, pers. comm.) and apparently erroneous, we conclude that a male collected on 12 August 1993 by SMR at the Route 656 Peatross pond (site 60) represents the southernmost documented locality for C. martha. This record extends the range of this species approximately 125 km S from the Fairfax County site. Other than the records discussed above, we are aware of only one other site for C. martha in Virginia. On 27 July 1995, SMR discovered a small, isolated population of this species in the Shenandoah Valley region of Augusta County at a site that harbors numerous Coastal Plain disjuncts among its flora and fauna. This is apparently the most inland population known of this northeastern Coastal Plain species. The site is approximately 150 km W of the Peatross pond. Both of these sites are located slightly below 38° N latitude.

Celithemis vem a Pritchard

Sites 11, 28, 30, and 31. 1 June - 28 July. Maximum

count of 80+ adults at site 30 on 8 July 1994; at least 20 adults were also observed at this site (and site 31) on 28 July of the preceding year. The population at site 30 is the largest known in Virginia. One adult female was heavily infested with water mites.

Carle (1979) included this primarily austral species in his list of the state's rare dragonflies on the basis of only one known population. Carle (1982) reported two sites (both were recent) for C. vema in Virginia, both in the Piedmont region (Charlotte and Cumberland Counties). Our records from Fort A. P. Hill are the first for this species from the Coastal Plain region of the state. We have also collected C. vema in Augusta and Lee counties in western Virginia, bringing to five the total number of counties with confirmed records.

Carle (1982) indicated that this species is undercollected due to its early flight season, which he listed as 23 May - 18 June for Virginia. Our late date exceeds that (26 July) listed for C. verna by Needham <Sc Westfall (1955). However, Tennessen et al. (1995) and Orr (1996) recently reported that this species has been found as late as 1 August in Alabama and 18 August in Maryland, respectively. Specimens of C. vema have also been collected by SMR as late as 18 August at the Augusta County, Virginia site.

Erythemis simplicicollis (Say)

Recorded at 22 sites on Fort Al. P. Hill; also sites 58-60. 1 June - 27 September. This species is very common and widespread on the base.

Erythrodiplax minuscula (Rambur)

Sites 4, 8, 11, and 29. 12 August - 27 September*. Maximum count of 5-10 adults at site 4; only one adult male was found at sites 8 and 1 1. Our latest record (three males collected at site 29) extends the Virginia flight period for this species two days beyond the date reported by Carle (1982). He listed six county and city records for E. minuscula in Virginia, including adjacent Essex County. Our records from Fort A P. Hill are the northernmost documented sites for this species in the state.

Donnelly (1961) reported that E. minuscula was last documented in die Washington, D.C. area in 1916. Orr (1995a, b, 1996) did not record this species at his study sites in eastern Maryland. Recent surveys by DNH

24

BANISTERIA

NO. 7, 1996

zoologists have shown that E. minuscula is fairly common in southeastern Virginia. One of us (SMR) has also collected this species at two sites in the western part of the state (Augusta and Grayson counties).

Libellula auripennis Burmeisfer

Sites 4, 7, 11, 18, 30, 31, and 58. 1 June - 18 August*. Maximum counts of 10+ adults at sites 30 and 31. Carle (1982) reported this species from six counties and cities in eastern Virginia and stated that it is not common in the state. Our records extend the Virginia flight period for L auripennis eight days beyond his latest date. Recent surveys by DNH biologists have documented this species at approximately six sites in Augusta, Sussex, and York counties, and the City of Virginia Beach.

Libellula axilena Westwood

Sites 3-4, 6-7, 18, 29-30, and 59. 8 July - 17 August. Only one or two adults were observed at five of the eight sites; maximum count of 5-10 adults at site 6. Carle (1979) included this primarily austral species in his list of the state's rare dragonflies because only three extant populations were known to him at that time. Carle (1982) listed records from 10 counties and cities in Virginia. Observations by DNH zoologists during the past four years indicate that this species is fairly widespread in the state, and is occasionally abundant.

Libellula cyanea Fabricius

Sites 7, 10-11, 18, 29-31, 41-42, and 59. 31 May - 16 August. This species is common and fairly widespread on Fort A. P. Hill.

Libellula deplanata Rambur

Sites 1, 3H, 11, 14, 18, 20, 28-29, 31, 36, 39, 48, and 59. 18 April - 1 June. This early species is undoubtedly more widespread on the base than our records indicate. It was abundant at several ponds. Several dead adults were found entangled in spider webs.

Sites 10-11, 18, 29-31, 35, and 59-60. 1 June - 27 September*. Maximum count of 10+ adults at site 35. A female was observed by SMR on 12 August 1993 while ovipositing in a shallow ditch bordering site 59. A male hovered near the female for several minutes until she apparently completed oviposirion. Ibis contrasts with Carle's (1982) statement that males of this species differ from other species of Libellula in this regard, and only watch their ovipositing mates from a perch or dart toward intruders.

Carle (1979) classified L flavida as a "locally distributed species" in Virginia, with only two known extant populations in the state. Carle (1982) reported this species from 10 counties and cities in Virginia, his latest date being 7 August. We are aware of three other recent records for L flavida in Virginia (Craig, Greensville, and Prince George counties) based on surveys by DNH biologists. All are new county records.

Libellula incesta Hagen

Recorded at 26 sites on Fort A. P. Hill; also five of the 10 off-base sites. 24 June - 4 October. This is one of the most common dragonflies on the base, and in the county.

Libellula luctuosa Burmeister

Sites 4, 17-18, 27-28, 30-31, 40, and 48- 9 May* - 27 September. Our early record precedes the earliest Virginia flight date listed in Carle (1982) by one day. This species is common and fairly widespread on Fort A. P. Hill.

Libellula lydia Drury1

Sites 2, 10-1 1, 18, 28-29, 31, 38, 44, and 48; also six of the 10 off-base sites. 25 April - 27 September. This species is common and widespread on Fort A. P. Hill, and elsewhere in Caroline County.

Libellula pulchella Drury

This species was observed by CSH along Polecat Creek at site 52 on 12 August 1994, but no collections were made.

Libellula flavida Rambur

ROBLE & HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A P. HILL

25

Libellula semifasciata Burmeister

Sites 4, 11, 16, 20, 26, and 29-30. 29 April - 8 July.

1 his species is most common in the spring.

Libellula vibrans Fabricius

Sites 3-4, 6, 9-10, 41, 44, 52, and 55. 17 July - 18 August. Single individuals were seen at most sites. This species is probably more common than our records indicate.

Nannothemis bella (Uhler)

Sites 18 and 30. 31 May* - 28 July*. Roble <Sc

Stevenson (1994) re[>orted that the discovery of this species at Fort A. P. Hill consfimted the first records of N. bellei in Virginia since 1890. New data obtained by SMR at these two sites since that paper appeared are: site 18 - observed 4 males on 31 May 1994 and 7 adults (5 males,

2 females) on 24 June 1994; site 30 - observed 50+ adults on 8 July 1994. Carle (1979) classified N. bella as a "locally distributed species" in Virginia, with no known extant populations in the state at that time.

Pachydiplax longipennis (Burmeister)

Recorded at 28 sites on Fort A. P. Hill; also six of the 10 off-base sites. 29 April - 4 October*. This is one of the most common dragonflies on the base. Our latest records (several adults observed on 4 October) extend the Virginia flight period for this species six days beyond the date reported by Carle (1982). On 11 August 1994, CSH observed a fishing spider ( Dolomedes sp.) capture an ovipositing female P. longipennis at site 55. On a subsequent visit, he observed another fishing spider carrying a dead P. longipennis

Pantala flavescens (Fabricius)

Sites 21 and 32. 8 July - 4 October. This species is reported solely on the basis of sight records. It was common in the parking lot and adjacent lawn area of the range control office (site 21) at Fort A. P. Hill.

Perithemis tenera (Say)

Sites 3-4, 17-18, 28, and 30-31. 24 June - 27

September. This small species is probably more common on Fort A. P. Hill than our records indicate.

Sympetrum ambiguum (Rambur)

SMR found 20-25 adults at site 11 on 13 September 1993, the only time that this southern species was detected on the base. Carle (1982) recorded S. ambigwum from only nine counties and cities in Virginia. Recent surveys by DNH zoologists indicate that this species is rather widespread in the Coastal Plain region of the state (nine new county records). We also have records from backwater pools along the Nottoway River straddling the Brunswick-Dinwiddie county line in the southern Piedmont.

Sympetrum vicinum (Hagen)

Recorded at 17 sites on Fort A. P. Hill; also site 60. 24 June - 22 November. This species is common and widespread on the base. Our late date (two males observed and a third collected by SMR) equals that reported for Virginia by Carle (1982).

Tramea Carolina (Linnaeus)

Sites 4, 7-8, 11, 18, 20, 23, 27-28, and 30-31. 28 April - 27 September. This species is common and widespread on Fort A. P. Hill.

Tramea lacerata Hagen

This species is reported on the basis of a single sight record. An adult was observed briefly by SMR at site 4 on 13 September 1993.

DISCUSSION

Most of our surveys at Fort A. P. Hill were conducted in late summer and early fall. Rather limited sampling in late spring and early summer resulted in our failure to detect common, early-flying species at more sites than are reported herein. We may have entirely missed a few early species because of inadequate sampling during this period. Although our surveys spanned portions of four years, the overall effort directed toward Odonata was

26

BANISTERIA

NO. 7, 1996

roughly equivalent to a moderately intensive single year survey.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the northeastern portion of the base was not adequately surveyed. Also, because many of our faunal surveys of Fort A. P. Hill were not specifically directed at Odonata, it is very probable that some species were not detected. We estimate that another 10-15 species of Odonata could have been documented on the base with a more intensive survey. Furthermore, we believe that Fort A. P. Hill, primarily because of the presence of numerous oligotrophic, naturally acidic ponds (an uncommon habitat in Virginia), supports one of the most diverse and unique lentic Odonata faunas in Virginia. Additional acidic ponds that occur on privately owned lands in Caroline County may harbor similarly diverse lentic faunas.

Orr (1996) recorded an impressive total of 105 species of Odonata during a six-year study at and near the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in eastern Maryland. This site straddles the Piedmont-Coastal Plain physiographic border and contains more significant lotic habitats (e.g., Patuxent River) than are present at Fort A P. Hill. Consequently, he found a number of species that would not be expected at our study site. Cross (1955) recorded 58 dragonfly species (reported as 48) on the Savannah River Plant (= Savannah River Site) in South Carolina during a three-year survey. This site includes the Savannah River as well as five major stream systems; consequently, a significant percent of the total species that he documented were lotic forms. The Odonata fauna of Fort A P. Hill contains a larger proportion of lentic species by comparison.

Table 3 summarizes the species recorded at the six ponds on Fort A P. Hill with the greatest diversity of Odonata. Athough we did not attempt to document breeding by every species listed in a particular column, we believe it is likely that most, if not all, of the lentic species bred at those ponds where they were recorded. Furthermore, as noted in the table, we visited each of these ponds only 2-6 times, and undoubtedly missed other species that inhabited these areas. Tire subtotals at the bottom of the table separate pond-breeding from stream- and seepage-breeding species. This analysis reveals that four of the ponds support a minimum of 25 s}>ecies. Three of these ponds (sites 18, 29, and 30) were ranked by DNH ecologists as being among the most exemplary natural communities on Fort A. P. Hill on the basis of

their floristic diversity and composition (Fleming <Sc Van Astine, 1994).

Two of these same poirds (Bettys Bottom and Lonesome Gulch East) supixrrted the largest jrercentage of uncommon and state-rare sjrecies of Odonata (Table 3), which ranks them among the most significant Odonata breeding habitats known in Virginia. Both ponds are fed by numerous seepages, which may provide larval habitat for Tachopte ryx thoreyi (adults were found at both ponds). Athough the greatest number of species was documented at the latter pond, we believe the former site is actually more significant for at least three reasons. First, because both of our visits to Bettys Bottom Pond were made in July (versus six visits in different seasons to Lonesome Gulch East) and were limited to two hours each, it is very probable that numerous (possibly 10 or more) early- and late-flying species were entirely missed during these surveys. Also, this pond supports breeding populations of five state-rare species of Odonata (versus three at Lonesome Gulch East), which clearly ranks it as an important site. Finally, Bettys Bottom Pond supports the largest known populations in Virginia of the following uncommon and state-rare species: Celithemis martha, C. vema, Enallagma daecku, Lestes vigiLax, Nannothemis bella, and Nehalennia integricollis. The Anax longipes population at this pond may also rank among the largest in the state. Further sampling of one of the Peatross ponds (site 59) may reveal that it is also one of the most significant breeding sites for Odonata in Virginia.

Carle (1979, 1991) published information on

dragonfly species that he believed to be rare or endangered in Virginia. Of the 54 currently recognized species included in his 1979 list that are actually confirmed from Virginia, we documented 13 (24%) in Caroline County. However, we only found one of the 15 species (i.e., Epitheca spinosa) treated in his 1991 paper. Only 4-5 other species discussed in that paper are remotely possible in this county.

The 82 species documented in Caroline County represents 45 percent of the total Odonata fauna of Virginia (approximately 182 breeding species). Ai even greater proportion of the state's lentic fauna is represented by our samples. Few studies are available from other sites, counties or areas of Virginia that allow for comparison. Donnelly (1961) recorded a total of 114 species (112 are currently recognized) from the Washington, D. C. area, which included adjacent counties in Maryland and

ROBLE & HOBSON- ODONATA OF FORT A P. HILL

27

Virginia. Many of these species inhabit the Potomac River. Matta (1978) recorded a total of 61 species ( Tramea onusta was a misidentification fide Carle, 1982) from three counties and six cities in southeastern Virginia. After excluding four of Marta’s (1978) secies because they are primarily associated with coastal marshes, we found all but four of the 56 remaining species that he reported. All of these species, namely Amphiagrion sanctum (Burmeister), Gomphaeschna antilope (Hagen), Epitheca princeps Hagen, and Pantala hymenaea (Say), are likely to inhabit Caroline County and may occur on Fort A. P. Hill.

Roback 6c Westfall’s (1967) study of lotic Odonata included records from the North Anna River in eastern Virginia. Their sampling stations ranged from the State Route 208 bridge (which now spans the Lake Anna Reservoir) to the river’s mouth (confluence with the South Anna River). Although these authors identified this area as falling only within Louisa and Spotsylvania counties (they are on opposite sides of the river), the lower half of this reach actually forms the Caroline-Hanover county line. Of the 14 species re{>orted with certainty by Roback 6c Westfall (1967) from the North Anna River, eleven are reported herein front Caroline County and another (Stylurus laurae ) was possibly seen at Fort A. P. Hill. The two remaining species, Argta sedula Hagen and Dromogomphus spinosus Selys, probably occur in Caroline County and may inhabit Fort A. P. Hill.

Voshell 6c Simmons (1978) subsequently studied the Odonata fauna of the North Anna River for two years prior to and three years following impoundment. During the pre-impoundment portion of the study, they found four of the same species collected by Roback 6c Westfall (1967). Two other species ( Leuconhtma frigida Hagen and Nehalennia sp.) reported by Voshell 6c Simmons (1978) from the river are not usually associated with lotic habitats. The former is known elsewhere in Virginia only from one male collected by. Frank L. Carle on 18 June 1978 in a boreal wetland in Highland County (Carle, 1982). This site is a more typical habitat for L. frigida. The three species of Nehalennia that occur in Virginia (Roble, 1994b) are typically found in lentic habitats, particularly boggy {Kinds (Walker, 1953; Dunkle, 1990; Carpenter, 1991; Orr, 1996). Voshell 6c Simmons (1978) also reported an unidentified species of Neurocordulia from the North Anna River. Based on the records in Carle (1982), this was most likely N. obsoleta

(Say). Members of this genus are crepuscular and easily missed if larval collections are not made. It is probable that N. obsoleta occurs in Caroline County, and it may inhabit Mill Creek on Fort A. P. Hill. Enallagma basulens Calvert, a species that colonized the impoundment (= Lake Anna) within two years of its formation, was nor documented by us in Caroline County, but it undoubtedly occurs there.

Several of the species found by Orr (1996) at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in eastern Maryland may occur in Caroline County (possibly on Fort A. P. Hill) despite our failure to document them. Species included in this group that have not been discussed previously are Stenogomphicrus rogersi (Gloyd), Nehalennia gracilis Morse, and Stylurus plagiatus (Selys). The nearest records of S. rogersi to our study area are from neighboring Essex and Spotsylvania counties (Carle, 1982; Donnelly, 1994). This species inhabits small, spring-fed muddy streams. Carle (1982) reported S. plagiatus from eight counties and cities in Virginia, the nearest record being in adjacent King William County. Orr (1996) also found Aeshna mutata Hagen at one pond on his study site, which is the only known Maryland locality. This lentic species is rare throughout its range in the eastern United States (Beatty 6c Beatty, 1969; Carle, 1989). It is known in Virginia only from Alleghany, Augusta, Craig, and Highland counties in the western part of the state (Carle, 1982, 1991; Hoffman, 1987). It is remotely possible that A. mutata inhabits Bettys Bottom Pond (site 30) on Fort A. P. Hill, but we were unable to gain access to this site during the late spring and early summer flight season of this species. In addition to Orr’s (1996) records, several recent reports of A. mutata from Cape Cod, Massachusetts (Carpenter, 1991; Nilcula 6c Sones, 1994) indicate that this species is not restricted to inland locations.

Orr (1995b) recorded 49 species of Odonata (reported as 48) along Nanjemoy and Beaverdam creeks in eastern Maryland (Charles County), including both species of Helocorduha. We found only H. selysii on Fort A. P. Hill, but H. uhleri (Selys) is also possible elsewhere in the county. Carle (1982) reported the latter species from 17 counties in Virginia, the nearest sites being in Hanover and Louisa counties. Other lotic species that may occur in Caroline County (possibly along Mill Creek on Fort A. P. Hill) include Gomphus apomyius Donnelly, Hetaeuna titia (Drury), and Somatochlora georgiana Walker. These

28

BANISTERIA

NO. 7, 1996

species are rare to uncommon in Virginia (Carle, 1991; Roble, 1994b); they were not found by Orr (1995b).

Stevenson et al. (1995) re{)orted tbe uncommon damselfly Ischnura prognata (Hagen) from widely scattered sites in eastern Virginia, primarily in tbe southeastern corner of the state. However, one of their records was from a seepage swamp in Fairfax County in northeastern Virginia. This species may occur on Fort A. P. Hill, particularly in the swampy habitats near site 44, which we did not survey thoroughly. Localized populations of the damselfly Telebasis . byersi and the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea (Schneider), were found in this area (Roble, 1994a; Rohle <Sc Stevenson, 1996; also see species account for T. byersi above).

Comprehensive data on the number of Odonata species documented from each county and county-sized city in Virginia are currently lacking. However, we analyzed the records in Carle (1982) to determine the number of dragonfly species known from each county or city in the state as of that date. Our total of 53 species for Caroline County exceeds the totals for all other counties, only slightly surpassing Highland (52), Fairfax (51), and Montgomery (50) counties. Each of these three counties has been collected rather extensively. No other county or city had more than 40 species listed in Carle (1982).

Comparative data are available for a number of areas in the northeastern United States. Beatty <Sc Beatty (1971) stated that the Odonata fauna of Pennsylvania was perhaps the best known of any state at the time of their report (many additional records have also been obtained during the past quarter century [C. N. Shiffer, pers. comm.]). However, only four counties had more than 80 species recorded, with one exceeding 100 species. The latter (Centre County with 107 species as of 1971) contains Ten Acre Pond, a well-known Odonata collecting site where 74 species have been documented during numerous surveys spanning the past four decades (Shiffer & White, 1995). Donnelly (1992) reported that approximately 100 species of Odonata were known from three counties in New York; no other county total exceeded 80 species. The southernmost two counties in New Jersey have been surveyed intensively for Odonata in recent years. Barber (1994) found 103 species in Cumberland County, and 90 species are known from neighboring Cape May County (Soltesz, 1991; additional sj>ecies provided by K. Soltesz, pers. comm.). A total of 97 si>ecies was recorded on Cape Cod (Barnstable County),

Massachusetts during extensive surveys by Gibbs <Sr Gibbs (1954) and Carj>enter (1991). Tire recent study of Orr (1996), which documented 105 species at several nearby sites between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. in eastern Maryland, was discussed previously.

1 able 4 summarizes the degree of similarity between the Odonata fauna of Caroline County and those reported for other selected areas in the eastern United States. Orr’s (1996) study area in eastern Maryland has the most similar fauna (highest percent similarity). His surveys yielded all but four of the species known from Caroline County (i.e., Calopteryx dimidiata, Enallagma dubium, Erythrodiplax minuscula, and Telebasis byersi ). Of the Virginia sites included in this table, the fauna of Highland County is the least similar to that of Caroline County Glased on Anisoptera only). lliis is not surprising given the fact that the former includes many boreal (northern) and montane species, whereas the latter has a preponderance of austral (southern) and Coastal Plain species.

The composition of the Odonata fauna of Caroline County is varied, and includes some species with boreal and austral affinities, as well as numerous wide-ranging eastern North American species, several transcontinental species, and one nearly cosmopolitan species ( Pantala flavescens). The overall trend is decidedly biased toward austral rather than boreal species. Species (n = 34, or 41.5% of the county fauna) that are broadly distributed in the eastern United States (the ranges of some extend into southern Canada) include: Argia apicalis, A. fumipennis, A. tibialis, Basiaeschna janata, Boyeria vinosa, C alopteryx macula ta, Cell therms elisa, C- eponina, Cordulegaster macula to, C. obliqua, Didymops transversa, Enallagma ' dwagans, E. exsidans, E. gemination, E. signatum, E. vesperum, Epitheca cynosura, Gomphaeschna furcillata, Gomphus lividus, Hagenius brevistylus, Ischnura posita, Lestes inaequalis, L rectangularis, L vigilax, Libelltila cyanea, L. luctuosa, L semifasciata, M acromia illinoiensis, Nasiaeschna pentacantha, Perithemis tenera, Somatochlora linearis, S. tenebrosa, Sympetrum vicinum, and Tramea Carolina. Species (n = 9, or 11.0%) that have essentially transcontintental distributions (includes “American” species of Beatty <Sc Beatty, 1971) include Anax junius, Argia moesta, Enallagnui civile, Erythemis simplicicollis, Ischnura hastata, Pachydiplax longipennis, Libellula lydia, L. pulchellaf ind Tramea lacerata

The remaining species have predominantly northern

ROBLE & HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A P. HILL

29

or predominantly southern distributions. Tire following species (n = 8, or 9.8%) fall into the former group: A eshna umbrosa, Arigomplvis villas ipes, Celithemis martha (northeastern), Ckromagrion condition, Enallagma aspersum, Gomphus exilis, Lestes congener, and Nannothemis be 11a. Beatty & Beatty: (1971) classified A. umbrosa and L congener as TranscontmentahNorthern species. Many more of the species documented in Caroline County have predominantly austral distributions. These species (n = 29, or 35.4%) are Aiuu longipes, Argia bipunctulata, C alopteryx dimidiata, Celithemis fasciata, C. verna, Cordulegaster bilineata, C- erronea, Enallagma daeckii, E. dubium, E. traviatum, Epiaeschna heros, Epitheca spinosa, Erythrodiplax minuscula, Helocordulia selysii, Ischnura kellicotti, I. ramburii, Elbe Hula auripennis, L. axilena, L. deplanata, L. flavida, L. incesta, L. vi brans, Nehalennia integricollis, Progomplvts obscurus, Somatochlora filosa, 5. provocans, Sympetrum ambiguum, Tachopteryx thoreyi, and Telebasis byersi. Lestes disjunctus australis also has a predominantly southern distribution, the nominate subspecies being the more northern form. Our surveys have established new range limits for two of the above species, including one northern species (Celithemis martha ) and one southern species (Tele b asis Iryersi).

Interest in the need to preserve global biodiversity has increased significantly in the past decade, with particular concern expressed for tropical habitats (Wilson, 1992). One of the key challenges associated with conducting biological surveys in the tropics is the need to estimate total species richness from short-term, intensive sampling. Coddington et al. (1991) and Colwell Sc Coddington (1994) discuss a variety of methods that can be employed to estimate total species richness from available data. One of these techniques involves the preparation of "species accumulation curves," in which the cumulative number of species recorded from a site or area is plotted as a function of the sampling effort. Such curves are generally steep during the early phases of sampling when many species are documented quickly, but then gradually level off as fewer additional species are found with more sampling effort. Theoretically, a point is reached when no amount of additional sampling results in the documentation of more species, because the entire species assemblage has, in fact, already been documented. Louton et al. (1996) prepared a species accumulation curve for the Odonata fauna of a site (primarily tropical lowland forest) in Peru,

using the number of specimens collected per day as their measure of collecting effort. This is the only species accumulation curve for Odonata that we have seen in the literature. Their graph shows a steady increase in the documented number of new members of the local fauna through about day 40, then begins to level off gradually during the remaining 26 sampling days.

We subjected our records from Fort A. P. Hill to a similar analysis in an attempt to determine if our earlier prediction of 10-15 additional species was reasonable. This estimate was based on our knowledge of the distribution and habitat requirements of potential but undocumented species (some were discussed above), and the fact that undescribed taxa were highly unlikely to be present on the base (an unsafe assumption in tropical habitats). The data used to prepare our graph (Figure 2) differ from those of Louton et al. (1996) in the following important respects: (1) because our data are a composite of specimen and sight records, and the total number of individuals observed or collected was not recorded for every' species (particularly common ones), we used the number of species (not individuals) recorded per survey site on a given day as our measure of sampling effort; (2) the x-axis of our graph represents the number of discrete surveys (we often visited several sites per day) that we conducted, as opposed to the number of collecting days in Louton et al. (1996); and (3) data from the few surveys conducted prior to July 1993 were pooled on a daily basis, because few specimens were collected and information on sight records was fragmentary or lacking. We only included records of adult Odonata in our analysis, thereby eliminating two species of Cordulegaster that were documented by larval collections. We lumped all -surveys conducted on 1 November 1993 because adult Odonata were not seen on the base that day (survey number 33). We readily acknowledge that a number of factors, including search time (we did not use time-constrained searches), time of day, weather, and partial rather than complete access to a few sites (due to safety concerns), are partly responsible for variable survey results.

The graph in Figure 2 follows the predicted curve illustrated in Colwell <Sr Coddington (1994) through survey 34, which was the last survey of 1993. This portion of the graph clearly shows that we had thoroughly sampled the late summer and fall Odonata fauna of Fort A-P. Hill. Surveys by SMR during 1994 (numbers 35-58; latest survey on 8 July) and 1995 (numbers 59-70; latest

30

BANISTERIA

NO. 7, 1996

survey on 17 July) primarily added spring and early summer species of Odonata that were missed in 1993 due to inadequate sampling prior to July of that year. Com sidering only damselflies, 19 of the 25 species (76%) that were documented on Fort A. P. Hill were found during the first 20 surveys. Only four additional species were re- corded during the next 20 surveys, and the last two species were found during the final 30 surveys (including Telebasis byersi on the last survey). Tire graph reveals that half of the documented Odonata fauna of the base was found during the first seven surveys (=10% of total surveys). Tire trajectory of the curve appears to support our earlier prediction that 1045 additional species of Odonata are likely to inhabit Fort A. P. Hill, and that a figure approaching Orr’s (1996) total of 105 species is remote.

As noted in the opening paragraph of this paper, the Odonata faunas of many counties in Virginia are poorly known. A review of the records in Carle (1982) reveals that only one of the most common dragonflies in the state (i.e., Ubellula lydia) has been recorded from at least half of the counties and large cities of Virginia. Tire fortuitous opportunities that allowed us to sample the fauna of selected portions of Caroline County at a moderately intensive level, have revealed that the Odonata fauna of this area of the state is very’ rich in lentic species, and includes numerous state-rare, uncommon, or locally distributed species. New range limits were also established for two species in the process. We encourage other naturalists to investigate the local fauna of their area because much remains to be learned about the distribution and biology of Odonata in the Commonwealth.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A preliminary version of this paper based on data collected through 1993 was. presented at the first meeting of the Virginia Natural History Society held in conjunction with the Virginia Academy of Science.

Our surveys at Fort A P. Hill and Polecat Creek were funded by contracts between the U.S. Department of Defense (Department of the .Army) and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage (DCR-DNH), and the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department (CB1A.D) and DCR-DNH, respectively. Rinding for the Fort A. P. Hill surveys was spawned by a cooperative agreement signed in December

of 1988 between the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and lire Namre Conservancy, which was designed to maintain biological diversity on DOD installations nationwide. Funding for the Polecat Creek contract was provided by the Virginia Coastal Resources Management Program at the Department of Environmental Quality through Grant #NA57OZ0561 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflea the views of NOAA or any of its subagencies, the Department of Defense (Department of the Army), or the LFS. government.

We thank the various training area schedulers, range control officers and escorts, and natural resource personnel at Fort A. P. Hill for facilitating our surveys on the base and ensuring our safety in the process. We thank Jean N. 1 ingler of CBLAD for logistical support associated with the Polecat Creek surveys, and the various private landowners in the watershed who granted access to their properties.

DCR'DNH botanists and ecologists who directed us to significant wetlands on Fort A. P. Hill were Gary P. Reming, J. Christopher Ludwig, and Nancy E. Van Alstine. Tire field efforts of DCR-DNH zoologists Philip H. Stevenson and Dirk J. Stevenson are greatly appreciated. Dirk generously permitted us to include several of his unpublished records of Odonata from other sites in Virginia in this paper. He also provided helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Other current or former DCR-DNH biologists who contributed one or more records are Kurt A. Buhlmannr Kennedy IT. Clark, J. Christopher Ludwig, and Christopher A. Pague. Kurt also identified several of the Cordulegaster nymphs, one of which he deposited in the University of Georgia Entomological Collection. Kenneth J. Tennessen verified our identification of Epitheca spinosa.

The senior author would like to thank Dr. Oliver S. Hint, Jr. and Ms. Nancy E. Adams of the National Museum of Natural History for the many courtesies they extended to him during visits to examine the Odonata collection in their care. He also expresses thanks to Robert D. Barber, Jerry A. Louton, and Richard L. Orr for providing copies of unpublished manuscripts or reports. Finally, the senior author would like to thank his family for graciously allowing him to devote numerous

ROBLE & HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A P HILL

31

evening and weekend hours toward the tasks of compiling records, analyzing data, and preparing the manuscript.

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Dunkle, S. W. 1990. Damselflies of Florida, Bermuda

32

BANISTERIA

NO 7. 1996

and the Bahamas. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, Florida. 148 pp.

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ROBLF. <5* HOBSON ODONATA OF FORT A P HILL

33

treefrog). Catesbeiana 14: 40.

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*

Roble, S. M. 1995. Geographic distribution: Siren intermedia intermedia (Easrern lesser siren). Herj>etological Review 26: 150-151.

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15-16.

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New' records of the damselfly Ischnura prognata in Virginia. Banisteria 6: 26-27.

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Tennessen, K. J. 1994. Description of the nymph of Epitheca ( Tetragoneuria ) spinosa (Hagen) (Odonata: Corduliidae). Bulletin of American Odonatology 2: 15- 19.

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Voshell, J. R., Jr., 6c G. M. Simmons, Jr. 1978. Tire Odonata of a new reservoir in the southeastern United States. Odonatologica 7: 67-76.

Walker, E. M. 1953. The Odonata of Canada and Alaska. Volume One. University of Toronto Press, Toronto. 292 pp.

Walker, E. M. 1958. The Odonata of Canada and Alaska. Volume Two. University of Toronto Press, Toronto. 318 pp.

Walker, E. M., 6c P. S. Corbet. 1975. The Odonata of Canada and Alaska. Volume Three. University of Toronto Press, Toronto. 308 pp.

White, T. R., K. J. Tennessen, R. C. Fox, 6c P. H. Carlson. 1980. The aquatic insects of South Carolina. Part I: Anisoptera (Odonata). South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 632: 1-153.

Wilson, E. O. 1992. The Diversity of Life. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 424 pp.

Cumulative Number of Species Species Per Survey

34

BANISTER1A

NO 7. 1996

o

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Figure 2. Species accumulation curve for Odonata at Fort A. P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia.

Table 2. Seasonal distribution of Odonata at Fort A. P. Hill and vicinity, Caroline County, Virgini

ROBLE 6l HOBSON: ODONATA OF FORT A P HILL

35

Early and Late Flight Dates

* = Extreme date for Virginia*3

18 May -28 July

1 8 May - 1 6 August

4 October

25 April - 4 October

16 June - 1 September

1 1 August - 1 0 September

24 June - 4 October

17 June

8 July - 4 October*

3 1 May - 4 October*

18 May* - 28 July

25 April* - 29 April

17 August

27 September

31 May* - 28 July

17 June

24 June* - 27 September*

1 8 August - 1 3 September

3 1 May - 27 September*

24 June

31 May - 12 August*

25 April - 4 October

31 May* - 12 August

1 8 April - 4 October

25 April* - 27 September

1 June* - 1 3 September

17 July*

Nov. .

cn

<N|

• — i

Oct.

col

oH

X

Sept.

O'

col

<N

X

XX X

X X

X

X X

X

X X

X

X X

August

ol

co

<N

XX

XXX

XX

X

XXX

X

XXX

XX

XXX

XX

X

jo

a * — >

o

co

<N|

X X

X XX

X

X X

XX X

X X

X XX

X

X X

XX X

X

X X

June

O

co

<N|

X

XX

X

X X

X

X X

May

1234

X

XX

X

X X

X '

April

1234

X

XX

X

Month

Species Quarter*

Calopteryx dimidiata

C. maculata

Lestes congener

L. disjunctus australis

L. inaequalis

L. rectangularis

L. vigilax

Argia apicalis

A. bipunctulata

A.fumlpennis violacea

A. tibialis

Chromagrion conditum

Enallagma aspersum

E. civile

E. daeckii

E. divagans

E. dubium

E. geminatum

E. signatum

E. tr avia turn

E. vesperum

Ischnura hastata /. kellicotti /. posita /. ramburii

Nehalennia integricollis

Telebasis byersi

Table 2 (continued).

36

BAN1STERIA

SO 7. 1066

Table 2 (continued).

ROBLE 6t HOBSON ODONA1A OF FORI A F HILL

37

Early and Late Flight Dates

* = Extreme date for Virginiab

1 June - 13 September*

8 July - 27 September*

16 June - 13 September*

8 July* - 27 September*

1 June - 28 July

1 June - 27 September

12 August - 27 September*

1 June - 18 August*

8 July - 1 7 August

31 May - 16 August

18 April - 1 June

1 June - 27 September*

24 June - 4 October

9 May* - 27 September

25 April - 27 September

12 August

29 April - 8 July

17 July - 18 August

31 May* -28 July*

29 April - 4 October*

8 July - 4 October

24 June - 27 September

13 September

24 June - 22 November*

28 April - 27 September

13 September

Nov.

''H

<N|

’—A

X

Oct.

oU

<N(

X

X X

X

Sept.

CD*

CN

*

X

X X

X

X X

X

X X

X

X X

X

August

<s

XX

XXX

XX

X X

X

XX

X

XXX

XX

XXX

X

XX

3

*— i

CD

CNl

XX X

X X

X

XX X

X X

XX X

X X

XX X

X X

XX X

X X

XX X

June

CO

rH

X X

X

X X

XX X

X

XX

X X

X

XX X

X

XX X

XX

XX X

X

May

1234

X

XXX

X

X X

X

-

April

1234

X

XX

X

Month

Species Quarter*

Celithemis elisa

C. eponina

C. fasciata

C. mart ha

C. vema

Erythemis simplicicollis Erythrodiplax mirtuscula

Libellula auripennis

L axilena

L. cyanea

L deplanata

L Jlavida

L Incesta

L luctuosa

L. lydia

L pulchella

L. semifasciata

L. vibrans

Nannothemts bella

Pachydiplax longipennis

Pantala flavescens

Perithemis tenera

Sympetrum ambiguum

S. vicinum

Tramea Carolina

T. lacerata

Quarters of the month: 1st to 8th (1), 9th to 15th (2), 16th to 23rd (3), and 24th to the end of the month (4); no data for underlined quarters. Exceeds or equals early or late date reported by Carle (1982) or Roble (1 994b); see species accounts for more details.

38

BANISTERLA

NO. 7, 1996

TABLE 3. Species recorded at the six ponds on Fort A. P. Hill which contained the highest documented species diversity of Odonata. Collection or sight records at a given pond do not necessarily confirm breeding at that site.

POND NAME AND MAI5 LOCATION

	Bcttys	Hickory	Jordan		Lonesome	Smoots
SPECIES RECORDED	Bottom	Fork	Crossing	Lodge	Gulch East	North
	(30)	(31)	(4)	01)	(18)	(29)
ZYGOPEERA
Calopteryx macutata	X	-	-	-	-	X
Lestes disjunctus australis	-	-	-	X	-	-
Lestes inaequatis	-	-	X	-	X	-
Lestes vigilax	X	-	X	-	X	X
Argia fumipennis violacea	X	-	X	X	X	X
Argia tibialis	X	-	-	-	-	-
Chromagrion conditum	-	X	“	-	-	-
Enallagma daeckii	X	X	-	X	X	X
Enallagma dubium	-	-	X	-	X	-
Enallagma geminatum	-	-	X	-	-	-
Enallagma signatum	X	-	X	-	X	-
Enallagma traviatum	-	m	•	-	X	-
Enallagma vesperum	-	-	-	-	X	-
Ischnura hastata	X	X	X	X	X	X
hchnura kelUcotti	-	-	-	-	X	_
Ischnura posita	X	X	X	X	X	X
Ischnura ramburii	-	-	-	-	X	X
Nehalennia integricollis	X	-	X	X	-	-
ANISOPTERA						,
Tachopteryx thoreyi	X	-	-	-	X	-
Anax junius	X	X	X	X	X	X
Anax longipes	X	«■	-	-	-	m
Basiaeschna janata	-	-	X	-	-	-
Gomphaeschna furcillata	-	-	X	-	-	-
Arigomphus villosipes	-	m	«■	-	X	•
Gomphus exilis	-	X	X	-	-	m
Gomphus iMdus	-	m	X	-	-	m
Progomphus obscurus	X	-	-	-	-	m
Didymops transversa	m	X	-		-	m
Epitheca cynosure	-	X	X	-	X	X
Epi theca spinosa	-	-	-	-	-	X
Somatochlora sp. ( tenebrosal )	-	-	-	X	-	X
Celithemis elisa	•	-	-	X	X	•
Celithemis eponina	-	-	X	-	X	X
Celithemis fasciata	X	X	X	-	X	X
Celithemis martha	X	-	X	-	X	X
Celithemis vema	X	X	•	X	•	m
Erythemis simplicicollis	X	X	X	X	X	X
Erythrodiplax minuscula	-	-	X	X	-	X

ROBLE& HOBSON ODONATA OF FORT A P. HILL

39

TABLE 3 (continued).

Bettys

SPECIES RECORDED Bottom

(30)

Li be llula auriperwis x

Ubellula axilena x

Libellula cyanea x

Libellula deplanata

Libellula flavida x

Libellula incesta x

Libellula luctuosa x

Libellula lydia

Libellula semifasciata x

Nannothemis bella x

Pachydiplax longipennis x

Perithemis tenera x

Sympetrum ambiguum

Sympetrum vicinum x

Tramea Carolina x

Tramea lacerata

Number of surveys* 2

Total species (54) 29

Pond species (47) 25

Stream or seepage species (7) 4

Common species (30) 1 8

Watchlist species (16) 6

State-rare species (7) 5

Percent watchlist + state-rare species 3 8

POND NAME AND MAP LOCATION

Hickory	Jordan		Lonesome	Smoots
Fork	Crossing	Lodge	Gulch East	North
(31)	(4)	(11)	(18)	(29)
X	X	X	X	X
-	X	-	X	X
X	-	X	X	X
X	X	X	X	X
X	-	X	X	X
X	X	X	X	X
X	X	-	X	-
X	-	X	X	X
-	X	X	-	X
-	-	-	X	-
X	X	X	X	X
X	X	-	X	-
-	-	X	-	-
X	X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X	-
-	X	-	-	-
2	4	3	6	4
22	31	23	34	26
21	29	23	33	25
1	2	0	1	1
16	21	16	20	r s
5	7	5	11	6
1	3	2	3	2
27	32	30	41	31

‘Excludes 1 November 1 993 surveys when no adult Odonata woe observed on the base.

Table 4. Comparison of the Odonata fauna of Caroline County, Virginia, with other areas in the eastern United States.

40

BAN1STERIA

NO. 7.

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1996

41

Natural History Notes on the Amphibians of a Recently Extirpated Suburban Wetland in Central Virginia

Joseph C. Mitchell

Department of Biology and School of Continuing Studies University of Richmond Richmond, Virginia 23173

The decline of amphibian populations has been documented throughout various parts of the world (Phillips, 1990, 1994; Wake, 1991; Livermore, 1992; Blaustein, 1994; Pechmann <Sc Wilbur, 1994) and has been linked to several causes. Habitat loss is often listed as the most serious cause (e.g., Bragg, 1960; Hoffman, 1992; Blaustein 6*. Wake, 1995). Others include a virus (Anderson, 1995), a fungus (Blaustein et ah, 1994b), increased ultraviolet radiation (Blaustein, 1994a; Kiesecker <Se Blaustein, 1995), acid precipitation (Bradford et ah, 1992), and introduced species (Hayes <Sc Jennings, 1986; Bradford, 1989; Richards et ah, 1993). Amphibian populations of eastern North America apparently have not been declining at the same rates as those elsewhere. Available information from long-term studies in protected habitats (Pechmann et ah, 1991; Hairston <Sc Wiley, 1993) reveal no apparent negative or positive trends. Aside from the possibility of acid precipitation (Freda <Sc Dunson, 1985; Wyman, 1988), habitat loss remains the single most important cause of population decline and local population extirpation in the East.

Few baseline inventories of amphibian communities in Virginia have been published. Mitchell (1986) evaluated the phenology of an anuran community in a freshwater wetland bordering the Chesterfield County Airport in 1979 and 1980. Bogert (1952) and Organ (1961) studied the relative abundance of salamanders in southwestern Virginia. Species composition of amphibian communities for specific sites are included in, for example, the species lists in Ehjnn (1915), Richmond & Goin (1938),

Hutchison (1956), Rageot (1964), Hill <5c Pierson (1986), Eckerlin (1991), Pague & Mitchell (1991), and Sattler (1995). Such species lists allow later evaluations of the impact of changes in land use and environmental perturbations. My objective in this paper is to record species occurrences and natural history observations on the amphibians inhabiting a wetland site in central Virginia that has been destroyed recently by suburban development.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study site was a small (about 15x25 m) woodland vernal pool <0.5 m deep located 3.7 km NNW Midlothian (at U.S. Rt. 60) immediately west of Co. Rt. 714 (Winterfield Road) in the Salisbury development district of Chesterfield County. The area was characterized by broad, shallow depressions which required ditching to lower the water table. Sweet gum ( Liquidambar styraciflua), red maple (Acer rubrum), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica ), willow oak ( Quercus phellos), and white oak - post oak hybrids (Quercus alba x stellata ) characterized the forest cover. Tire ground around the pool and pool substrate were covered with a layer of decomposing leaves. A grassy area (approximately 15 m in wide) in a telephone line right-of- way separated the margin of the woods from the paved road (Rt. 714). The vernal pool was located just beyond the tree line and drained by a shallow ditch that led into the grassy area. Several homes had been built in the area recently and ditches had been dug along the margins of all area roads. Water remained in the pool until mid-June in

42

BAN1STERIA

NO 7. 1996

1980. It did not refill until the following fall and winter due to a prolonged drought (Mitchell, 1986). Ambient and water tern jieratu res were similar on the days the pool u'as sampled and ranged from 6° C to 1 1° C January through March, 1418" C April-May, and 21-23° C in early June.

I made nocturnal visits to this site nine times between 14 January and 23 June 1980. The site was visited again on 24 November 1984, 12 October 1995, and 20 March 1996. .All species that were observed visually or heard vocalizing were recorded and various aspects of their natural history were noted. Larval samples were obtained

Table 1. Chronological, stage-based development of Pseudacris crucifer tadpoles in the Salisbury wetland, Chesterfield
County, Virginia, in 1980. N total sample for each date.	is sample size, Stage	is the Gosner srage (Gosner,	1960), and % Sample is the percent of
Dare	N	Staee	% Sample
3 May	49	25	56.3
	27	26	31.0
	5	27	5.7
	1	29	1.1
	i	30	2.3
	3	34	3.6
17 May	139	25	50.2
	65	26	23.5
	21	27	7.6
	5	28	1.8
	7	29	2.5
	7	30	2.5
	4	31	1.4
	4	32	1.4
	6	33	2.2
	5	34	1.8
	10	35	3.6
	2	36	0.7
	1	40	0.4
	1	41	0.4
6 June	2	25	2.2
	3	27	3.3
	3	30	3.3
	4	32	4.4
	11	33	12.1
	3	35	25.3
	19	36	20.9
	21	37	23.1
	3	40	3.3
	2	41	7 7

MITCHELL: WETLAND AMPHIBIANS

43

Table 2. Chronological, stage-based	development of Rana clamitans tadpoles in	the Salisbury wetland, Chesterfield
County, Virginia, in 1980. Refer to	Table 1 for abbreviations.
Date	N	Staee	% Sample
14 January	345	25	88.5
	45	26	11.5
23 February	276	25	94.8
	15	26	5.2
25 March	16	25	43.2
	20	26	54.1
	1	27	2.7
7 April	13	26	56.5
	10	27	43.5
22 April	3	28	50.0
	2	29	33.3
	1	31	16.7
3 May	2	25	22.3
	4	34	44.4
	3	37	33.3
17 May	2	36	33.3
	2	38	33.3
	1	40	16.7
	1	41	16.7

with a dipnet and preserved in the field in 10% formaldehyde for later analysis. These samples were sorted in the laboratory to species. Anuran tadpoles were staged with the developmental staging sequence proposed by Gosner (1960). Snout-vent lengths of all salamander larvae were measured to the nearest millimeter.

RESULTS

A total of nine species of amphibians (6 anurans, 3 salamanders) was documented at the Salisbury site during this study. The following reptiles were also recorded: northern copperhead (A gkistrodon contortrix mokasen ) collected in the dry pool bed on 23 June, and two eastern

box turtles ( Tenapene Carolina Carolina), one collected alive on 17 May and a shell found on 6 June 1980. Except as noted below, all dates refer to 1980.

Anurans

Hyla chrysoscelis - Two to three males were heard calling from trees on 6 June.

Pseudacris brhnleyi - Males called at this site on 23 February, 25 March, and 7 April. They were found in syntopy with P. triseriata in an adjacent wetland dominated by sphagnum moss and Smilax sp. on 23 February. A chorus of 25-35 males called from wet woods lacking grass cover

44

BAN1STERIA

NO 7, 1996

on 25 March. A sample of four tadpoles of this species, all in Gosner stage 26, was collected on 22 April.

PseuAacris crucifer - Males were heard calling from 23 February through 3 May. Larval growth was well underway when the first tadpoles were collected on 3 May (Table 1). Metamorphs were found on 17 May and 6 June. The wide range of developmental stages represented on these dates reflects the prolonged breeding period and numerous cohorts typical of this anuran.

Pseudacris tmeriata - Males were heard calling on 23 February and 25 March. This species occurred in micro- syntopy (<1 m apart) with P. brnnleyi in a sphagnum area approximately 0.5 km SE of the primary study site off Rt. 714. Both species were calling from the water's surface and while sitting on sphagnum. No tadpoles of this species were collected. One male was heard calling nearby on 20 March 1996.

Rana catesbeiana - One juvenile and one adult were observed in the vernal pool on 22 April and six juveniles were observed there on 6 June.

Rana clamitans - One to three adults were observed in the woodland vernal pool on 7 April, 3 May, and 17 May. Large samples of tadpoles were collected on 14 January and 23 February (Table 2). Despite the fact that very large numbers remained alive in the pool after these collections, dramatically smaller numbers were observed on and subsequent to 25 March. Larval growth occurred primarily between late February and mid-May; two individuals close to metamorphosis (stages 40 and 41) were collected on 17 May (Table 2). The few

developmental stages represented in the samples compared to those in the P. crucifer samples (Table 1) indicate a relatively short breeding period and few cohorts.

Salamanders

Ambystoma maculatum - T hree adults (2 females, 1 male) were collected on 23 February in the flooded grassy area. No courtship or mating behavior was observed. Egg masses containing embryos apparently at hatching stage were observed on 25 March. Two larvae collected on 17 May measured 17 and 18 mm SVL. Five larvae collected on 6 June averaged 25.4il.l mm SVL (OR= 24-27 mm).

Ambystorrui opacum - Larvae of this species from the fall 1979 breeding period were present when the first collection was made on 14 January. Larval growth occurred between this date and 22 April, when three metamorphs were collected (Table 3). The average growth rate for the 97 day period from 14 January to 22 April was 0.29 mm/day. However, the growth rate was slower in the 14 January - 25 March period (0.13 mm/day) than in the warmer period of 25 March - 22 April (0.68 mm/day).

On 24 November 1984, I found one adult female (65 mm SVL) with a partial clutch of eggs in the dried, vernal pool area. On the same date approximately 100 m north of the pool in the same patch of woods, 1 found eight more females (mean SVL = 66.2+2.9 mm, range = 61.9- 71.1) with 62-209 (mean = 1 12.9M-5.1) eggs under moist logs. On 12 October 1995, I found an adult female with 188 eggs iti a nest located in the former vernal pool under a 4-5 cm diameter branch in deep soil; No other salamanders were found under objects in the area.

Table 3. Chronological growth in snout-vent length of Ambystoma opacum larvae in the Salisbury wetland, Chesterfield County, Virginia, in 1980. All measurements are in millimeters.

Date	N	Mean+SD	Ranee
14 January	2	14.0	13-15
23 February	31	16.6+1.3	13-19
25 March	20	22.9±2.0	18-26
7 April	10	28.1+2.1	25-32
22 April	3	42.0±3.0	39-44

MITCHELL: WETLAND AMPHIBIANS

45

Table 4. Comparison of male calling periods and riming of metamorphosis for selected anurans at two sites in Chester¬ field County, Virginia in 1980. Tire Chesterfield County Airport data are from Mitchell (1986) and those from the Salisbury site are from this study. Numbers are month/day and a dashed line indicates unavailable information.

Calling period Metamorphosis

Soecies	Airport	Salisbury	Airport	Salisbury
P. brimleyi	2/22-4/22	2/23-4/7	4/17	—
P .crucifer	2/22-4/22	2/23-5/3	4/17	5/17-6/6
P. triseriata	2/22-4/22	2/23-3/25	—	—
R. clamitans	4/22-6/6	—	7/14	5/17

Notophthalmus viridescens - Adults were collected on 23 February, 25 March, and 7 April. Tire female collected on 25 March was gravid. No larvae of this species were observed.

DISCUSSION

Available comparative data for the frogs in this study are from Mitchell (1986), who studied an anuran community for two years (19794980) in a wet field at the Chesterfield County Airport, 21 km SE of the Salisbury study site. Tire late spring and summer period of 1980 was relatively dry compared to the same period in 1979. This resulted in substantial differences in breeding phenology and larval survivorship between the two years in spring and su m me r-b reed i ng frogs (Mitchell, 1986). The early-breeding anurans experienced similar hydroperiods between years. Tire breeding phenology of these species at the Salisbury site mirrored that at the Chesterfield Airport (Table 4). Metamorphic P. crucifer were found 4-6 weeks later in the Salisbury site compared to the airport site. Neither of the two summer-breeding anurans, Rana catesbeiana and R. clamitans, were heard calling at the Salisbury site in 1980, whereas both called from late April to June at the Chesterfield County Airport site that year. Metamorphic larvae of R. c lamitans were collected on 17 May at the Salisbury site but only on 14 July at the airport site. Such differences in timing between an open flooded field and a woodland vernal pool under canopy cover suggest that local physical environments influence variation in phenological events in anurans occupying the same geographic area.

There are no published studies on the timing of larval development and metamorphosis in ambystomatid sala¬ manders in central Virginia. Ambystoma maculatum adults breed from February through March in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of the state, depending on patterns of rainfall and temperature (personal observations). The dates of larval occurrence for both species of Ambystoma and the timing of metamorphosis in A. opacum reported here are consistent with observations from western Powhatan and central Goochland counties (J. C. Mitchell and C. Hatcher, unpublished).

In October 1995, the vernal pool and forested area were undergoing rapid changes. The telephone line right- of-way between the road and the section of woods containing the vernal pool had been compacted and was covered in short, partly mowed grass. Tire ditch between the road and the pool in this area had been almost entirely filled and planted with introduced lawn grasses. The area around the western margin of the vernal -pool in the forest had been bulldozed for suburban roads and houses. At the end of the bulldozed area adjacent to the western side of the pool a large, square, concrete storm drain had been constructed. Property boundary stakes were located throughout the area and two of these were within the vernal p>ool area. Thus, the vernal px>ol I studied in 1980 apparently remained a viable breeding habitat for amphibians until 1995. Only a shallow vestige of the vernal p>ool remained on 20 March 1996 (Figure 1) despite heavy rains and snowfall in February and March; no amphibians were present. The recent construction of roads, storm drain systems, and homes in the area will prevent this site from retaining water from winter and

46

BANISTERLA

NO. 7, 1996

spring rains in the future, thus eliminating this woodland vernal pool and associated terrestrial habitats for amphibians.

Loss of aquatic, terrestrial, and arboreal habitats from construction of urban and suburban areas is the primary cause of population decline for amphibians and reptiles in growing metro jiolitari areas such as the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico around Richmond, Virginia. Construction of suburban housing developments continues at a fast pace in this area (personal observation). The loss of small forested wetlands, like this vernal pool, will continue as long as there are no incentives to preserve these important amphibian breeding habitats. Destruction of amphibian habitat in this area is representative of a trend that has been accelerating for over a cenniry. Bragg (1960) observed the loss of breeding habitats around Norman, Oklahoma due to the expansion of urban and suburban development following World War II. Minton (1968) and Klemens (1993) reported similar losses in Indiana and New England, respectively.

Documentation of the flora and fauna of an area

Irefore it is destroyed for urban, suburban, industrial, or transportation purposes should be made at every opportunity. Such examples, when published, may strengthen the concern about the loss of wetland habitat, suj)[x>rt continued efforts to more effectively educate landowners as to the value of these habitats, and provide support for regulatory' actions (e.g., Roble, 1989) to protect sensitive and biologically rich environments exemplified by vernal pools.

ACKNOWLEDGM ENTS

I thank Wendy H. Mitchell for field assistance and continued encouragement. Chris Pague assisted with field work in 1984. Joanne Lapetina staged the tadpoles and measured the larval salamanders. John W. Hayden identified two of the trees. Steven M. Roble provided thoughtful comments on the manuscript.

LITERATURE CITED

Anderson, I. 1995. Is a virus wiping out frogs? New

Figure 1. The vestigial woodland vernal pool at Salisbury, Chesterfield County, Virginia on 20 March 1996. Note the concrete drainage system at the margin of the former pool.

MITCHELL WETLAND AMPHIBIANS

47

Scientist 7 January 1995:7.

Blaustein, A. R. 1994. Chicken little or Nero's fiddle? A jx*rsj>ective on declining amphibian populations. Heqjetologica 50:85-97.

Blaustein, A R., P. H. Hoffman, D. G. Hokit, J. M. Kiesecker, C. Walls, 6c J. B. Hays. 1994a. UV repair and resistance to solar UV-B in amphibian eggs: a link to population declines? Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 91:1791-1795.

Blaustein, A R., D. G. Hokit, 6c R. K. O'Hara. 1994b. Pathogenic fungus contributes to amphibian losses in the Pacific Northwest. Biological Conservation 67:251-254.

Blaustein, A. R., 6c D. B. Wake. 1995. The puzzle of declining amphibian populations. Scientific American

272:52-57.

Bogert, C. M. 1952. Relative abundance, habitats, and normal thermal levels of some Virginian salamanders. Ecology 33:16-30.

Bradford, D. F. 1989. Allopatric distribution of native frogs and introduced fishes in high Sierra Nevada lakes of California: implication of the negative effect of fish introductions. Copeia 1989:775-778.

Bradford, D. F., C. Swanson, 6c M. S. Gordon. 1992. Effects of low pH and aluminum on two declining species of amphibians in the Sierra Nevada, California. Journal of Herpetology 26:369-377.

Bragg, A N. 1960. Population fluctuation in the amphibian fauna of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, during the past twenty-five years. Southwestern Naturalist 5:165-169.

Dunn, E. R. 1915. List of amphibians and reptiles observed in the summers of 1912, 1913, and 1914 in Nelson County, Virginia. Copeia (18): 5-7.

Eckerlin, R. P. 1991. The herpetofauna of George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Virginia. Catesbeiana 11:11-17.

Freda, J., 6c W. A Dunson. 1985. Tire effect of acid precipitation on amphibian breeding in temporary ponds in Pennsylvania. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Eastern Energy and Land Use Team, Biological Report 80(40.22). 85 pp.

Gosner, K. L. 1960. A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. Herpetologica 16.182-190.

Hairston, N. G., Sr., 6c R. H. Wiley. 1993. No decline in salamander (Amphibia: Caudata) populations: a twenty- year study in the southern Appalachians. Brimleyana 18:59-64.

Hayes, M. P., 6c M. R. Jennings. 1986. Decline of ranid frog species in western North Anerica: are bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana ) responsible? Journal of Herpetology 20:490- 509.

Heyer, W. R., M. A Donnelly, R. W. McDiarmid, L. C. Flayek, 6c M. S. Foster (eds.). 1994. Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity, Standard Methods for Amphibians. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 364 pp.

Hill, J. M., 6c T. A Pierson. 1986. The herpetofauna of Caledon State Park, Virginia. Catesbeiana 6:11-17.

Hoffman, R. L. 1992. Anuran population declines in western Virginia. Catesbeiana 12:34-35.

Hutchison, V. H. 1956. An annotated _ list -of the amphibians and reptiles of Giles County, Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science 7:80-86.

Kiesecker, J. M., 6c A R. Blaustein. 1995. Synergism between UV-B radiation and a pathogen magnifies amphibian embryo mortality in nature. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 92: 1 1049-1 1052.

Klemens, M. W. 1993. Amphibians and Reptiles of Connecticut and Adjacent Regions. State Geological and Natural History Survey, Connecticut Bulletin No. 112. Hartford, CT. 318 pp.

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Livermore, B. 1992. Amphibian alarm: just where have all the frogs gone? Smithsonian, October 1992:1 13-1 20.

Minton, S. A., Jr. 1968. The fate of amphibians and reptiles in a suburban area. Journal of Heqietology 2:1 13' 116.

Mitchell, J. C. 1986. Life history patterns in a central Virginia anuran community. Virginia Journal of Science

37:262,271.

Organ, J. A. 1961. Studies of the local distribution, life history, and population dynamics of the salamander genus Dennognatkus Ecological Monographs 31:189-220.

Pague, C. A., <Sc J. C. Mitchell. 1991. The amphibians and reptiles of Back Bay, Virginia. Pp. 159-166 In H.G. Marshall <Sc M.D. Norman (eds.), Proceedings of the Back Bay Ecological Symposium. Old Dominion University, Norfolk.

Pechmann, J. H. KL, D. E. Scott, R. D. Semlitsch, J. P. Caldwell, L. J. Vitt, <Sc J. W. Gibbons. 1991. Declining amphibian populations: the problem of separating human impacts from natural fluctuations. Science 253:892-895.

Pechmann, J. H. K., <Sc H. M. Wilbur. 1994. Putting declining amphibian populations in perspective: natural fluctuations and human impacts. Heq>etologica 50:65-84.

gone? BioScience 40:422-424.

Phillips, K. 1994. Tracking the vanishing frogs. St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY. 244 pp.

Rageot, R. H. de. 1964. Herpetofauna of Surry County, Virginia. Virginia fderpetological Society Bulletin (40):3-6.

Richards, S. J., K. R. McDonald, <Sc R. A. Alford. 1993. Declines in populations of Australia’s endemic tropical rainforest frogs. Pacific Conservation Biology 1:66-77.

Richmond, N. D., <Sc C. J. Goin. 1938. Notes on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from New Kent County, Virginia. Annals of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History 27:301-310.

Roble, S. M. 1989. Life in fleeting waters. Massachusetts Wildlife (Spring):22-29.

Sattler, P. 1995. Amphibians and reptiles from Candler Mountain, Campbell County, Virginia. Catesbeiana 15:35-44.

Wake, D. B. 1991. Declining amphibian populations. Science 253:860.

Wyman, R. L 1988. Soil acidity and moisture and the distribution of amphibians in five forests of southcentral New York. Copeia 1988:394-399.

Phillips, K. 1990. Where have all the frogs and toads

Banisteria, Number 7, 1996

€> 1996 by the Virginia Natural History Society

40

Occurrence of the Costate Riversnail, Oxytrema catenaria (Say), in Virginia (Gastropoda: Pleuroceridae)

Richard L. Hoffman

Virginia Museum of Natural History Martinsville, Virginia 24112

As currently interpreted (e.g., by Burch, 1989), Cbcytrema catenana Say, 1822)1 is a complex of five subspecies ranging from Rorida to Virginia, with the nominate race confined to eastern South Carolina.

Occurring in Piedmont streams across both Carolmas and into eastern Virginia is the northern element of the group, 0. catenaria dislocata (Reeve, 1861), a taxon the relationship of which to the nominate "subspecies" requires reexamination. The most recent synopsis of this group was published just over 50 years ago (Goodrich, 1942). Whether the two names refer to species, subspecies, or innominate phenotypic variation remains to be settled by modem systematic studies, including comparative protein and/or DNA analyses.

The status of this form as a member of the Virginia fauna rests solely upon the record by Goodrich (op.cit) for "Greenville Co." without further attribution. Inquiry into possible sources finally located the cited material at the Carnegie Museum, with the data

"Accn. 7894 Goniobasis dislocata, Ortmann Aug 22, 1926, Fontaine Creek, Rockbridge School, Greenville Co VA"

Ortmann's locality on Fontaine Creek is at the present crossing of Va. Rte 639, ca. 5 miles (8 km) southwest of the center of Emporia. He must have come into Emporia by rail, and hired a wagon for transport to rural sites such as Rockbridge School and Slagle's Mill (where he obtained unionids). The school building no longer exists.

1 The rationale advanced by Morrison (1954: 359) for use of the generic name Oxytrema of Rafinesque is far more convincing to me than those justifying adoption of the much yDunger name Elimia H. & A. Adams.

O. catenana is in fact widespread and often abundant in many streams of "Southside Virginia" as collections in recent years have shown, and as is attested by die map that accompanies this note.

Material (all in VMNH and collected by the author except as noted): Brunswick Co.: Meherrin River at Va. 670 bridge, 2 October 1988; Nottoway River at Va. 609 bridge, 1 October 1988, with Mudalia. Campbell Co.: Falling River at Va. 643 bridge, ca 2 miles (3.5 km) northeast of Naruna, 10 April 1988; Falling River at confluence with Hat Creek, Va. 605, ca 2 miles (3.5 km) north of Brookneal, 10 April 1988. Dinwiddie Co.: Stony Creek at Va. 646 bridge, ca 4 mi (6.4 km) west Dinwiddie C.H., 4 August 1991, with Mudalia. Greensville Co.: Nottoway River at Va. 619 bridge, 5 mi. (8 km) NW of Jarratt, 6 October 1989, with Mudalia and Oxytrema vhginica. Lunenburg Co.: South Meherrin River at Va. 634 bridge, ca 4 miles (6.3 km) south of Rehoboth, 9 May 1988. Mecklenburg Co.: "Bhiestone River" RBluestone Creek], north of Clarksville (site probably inundated by Buggs Island Lake), J. P. E. Morrison (USNM). Pittsylvania Co.: Banister River at Va. 640 bridge, south of Mount Airy, 2 April 1988, with Mudalia sp. Southampton Co.: Nottoway River at Va. 653 bridge, 3 mi west of Sebrell, date Sussex Co.: Nottoway River at Va. 626 bridge, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Sussex C. H., 17 June 1988, with Mudalia and Oxytrema

virginica.

It has been possible to delimit the northern extent of the species' range with considerable confidence. It appears to stop somewhat short of the James River drainage basin, in south' flowing streams of the Roanoke and Chowan river systems. In many places, it co-exists with a local form of Mudalia, in those cases showing a somewhat greater tendency to occur on

50

BAN1STERIA

NO. 7, 1996

the sandy stream Ixh than on rocks, which the imidalia seems to prefer. Only rarely has catenaria been found in company with other species of Qxytrema , as indicated in the preceding list of specimens examined. Its only incursion into the Coastal Plain seems to be along the relatively pristine Nottoway River. Downstream from Franklin, Virginia, the Nottoway becomes lenric and deep, and does not appear propitious for the s{>ecies. Recent examination of the Meherrin River at several sites below Emporia have not produced catenaria despite apparently suitable habitat.

Systematic searches to locate the sixties further north, toward the headwaters of Falling River in Campbell County and Cub Creek in Charlotte, have been routinely negative, as have extended surveys in the Appomattox drainage. Nor has field work in the same drainages by staff of rbe Division of Natural Fleritage been more successful.

Hie relatively large populations at [x-riplieral localities suggest that the species was expanding its Tange at the time of Eurojtean colonization, after which fragmentation was effected by human impacts (e.g., intensive cultivation of tobacco in Soutltside Virginia). Curiously, catenaria occurs farthest upstream and west in the Roanoke drainage (Banister River), likewise far upstream but not so far west in the Meherrin, and apparently not much beyond the Fall Line in the Nottoway where nonetheless it is abundant. Assuming a northward spread through Piedmont drainages, the system to be occupied first and longest in Virginia would have been the

Roanoke, followed by Meherrin and Nottoway in that order. Possibly catenaria has just not had enough rime to occupy Piedmont reaches of the Nottoway, for its absence from which there is no obvious a priori reason.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks are extended to Tanya Kausch and Richard I. Johnson, Museum of Comparative Zoology; George M. Davis, Academy of Natural Sciences; Richard V. Lamb, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan; and Robert L. Davidson and Charles Stunn, Carnegie Museum, for searching collections under their care for the elusive Greensville County material. Dr. Robert T. Dillon, College of Charleston, kindly reviewed an early draft of this note.

REFERENCES

Burch, John B. 1989. North American Freshwater Snails. Malacological Publications, Hamburg, Michigan, p. 1-365.

Goodrich, Calvin. 1942. The Pleuroceridae of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 456: lh.

Morrison, J. P. E., 1954. The relationships of the Old and New World melanians. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 103: 357-394.

Figure 1 . Central and eastern Virginia, showing known localities for Chcytrema catenaria (Say). The east-west dashed line follows the divide between the James River basin and the Chowan-Roanoke basins to the south. Nortlvsouth dotted line to the right side is the approximate course of the "Fall Line". Major rivers are identified along the bottom margin.

Banistena, Number 7, 1996

«? 1996 by the Virginia Natural History Society

51

Injury of a Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) in a Mountain Stream During Severe Hooding

Joseph C. Mitchell1 and Christopher Todd W. Georgel2

'Department of Biology and School of Continuing Studies University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173

2 11953 West Briarpatch Dr., Midlothian, VA 23113

Flooding in mountain streams is a common event. The force of water moving rapidly through stream courses can cause substantial movement of rocks and soil and, as a result of severe rainstorms, the complete alteration of the physical structure of the channel. Tire flora and fauna inhabiting montane streams are also affected. Populations of aquatic invertebrates and fish experience downstream drift, varying levels of mortality, and local extinctions (Anderson 6c Lehmkuhl, 1968; Hoopes, 1974, 1975; Ross 6c Baker, 1983; Matdrews, 1986; Tarter, 1990). Species occupying montane streams have probably adapted to periodic flood events in a variety of ways, including, for instance, finding shelter or being able to quickly repopulate decimated areas. Little is known of the effects of flooding on amphibians and reptiles in stream ecosystems, and nothing has been published on this subject on reptiles in Virginia (Mitchell, 1994).

On 27-28 June 1995, severe flooding occurred in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia resulting in major structural changes in several mountain streams and rivers and substantial damage to fisheries resources and roads, farms, and homes downstream (Anonymous, 1995; Brandt, 1996). The Staunton and Moormans rivers on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains were severely impacted, as were streams, such as Paine Run, on the western slope. As much as 80 cm of rain fell on the Rapidan River at Ruckersville in Madison County (Anonymous, 1995). Many tons of rocks were displaced and rearranged throughout the impacted channels of

these streams, and canopy trees were completely removed in many areas (JCM and CTWG, personal observations). Before the flood, Paine Run was characterized by an abundance of loose, small rocks, bank edge with no associated rock cover, scattered large boulders, and patches of rubble and gravel (Mitchell, 1996). After the flood, the stream contained all of these habitats but the number of rocks 0. 1-1.0 m in size increased substantially throughout channel. Watermarks on trees and adjacent slopes indicated that the flood level in Paine Run was approximately 2-3 m above normal non-flood levels.

On 5 July 1995, we found an adult, female northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) in Paine Run, Shenandoah National Park, 8.2 km SSE Grottoes, Augusta County, Virginia that appeared to be lethargic and disoriented. The snake was lying on the northern bank 30 cm from the water's edge and did not try to escape. She measured 792 mm snout-vent length, 108 mm tail length (with tail tip missing), and weighed 225 g. Her body temperature was 24.0° C, ambient temperature was 25.0° C, and water and soil temperature were 16.0° C, indicating that she had been basking. Because she did not exhibit the expected rapid escape behavior and the fact that her body appeared to have been "beaten up" (wrinkled skin, roughened scales, weak and limp body, blind in the left eye), her behavior and condition suggested to us that she may have been injured in the recent flood. We collected the specimen for laboratory evaluation; it will be donated to the Shenandoah National

52

BANISTER1A

NO 7, 1996

Park vertebrate collection.

Close examination of X-radiographs of this specimen revealed that two ribs on the right side attached to vertebrae 29 and 30 (counting from the posterior margin of the skull) located near the heart had been fractured. All other ribs and the skull were intact. There were no puncture wounds in the vicinity of the fractures. Internal inspection ol internal organs revealed no obvious trauma. Radiographs and necropsy also revealed that she was not gravid nor had prey in her stomach.

Causes of the abnormal behavior, roughened appearance, and fractured ribs of this snake cannot be ascertained with certainty. The fact that we also found an intact, dead, adult northern spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyridcus pcrrphyridcus) under an overhanging bank and a dead crayfish in the same area supports our hypothesis that this snake was injured by shifting rocks during the flood. On the other hand, we also found several uninjured salamanders ( Eurycea cirrigera, Desmognathus mondcola, G. porphyridcus ) and a juvenile hJerodia sipedon (290 mm SVL). The female N. sipedon could have simply been an old adult in this population and may have been stressed in several ways, e.g., recent escape from a predator, hunger, or the flood. The lack of puncture wounds or other evidence of an encounter with a predator, however, supports our interpretation that the injury was caused by the flood.

Mortality and injuries of snakes inhabiting mountain streams during severe flooding are undoubtedly more widespread than we have been able to ascertain. However, the presence of uninjured snakes and salamanders before and after such events suggests these animals possess behaviors or have escape routes to avoid being killed or injured by periodic floods. Other observations of amphibians and reptiles following severe flooding should be reported and collections and evaluations of dead and injured specimens after such natural events should be made whenever possible.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Tracy Tubeville, of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, for providing the X-radiographs of this specimen. Tonnie Maniero, Tom Blount, and Jim Atkinson facilitated our research in Shenandoah National Park. Thomas K. Pauley reviewed the manuscript. Field

observations were made while supported by a grant to JCM from the Legacy Resource Management Program of the TJ.S. Department of Defense.

LITERATURE CITED

Anderson, N. H., and D. M. Lehmkuhl. 1968. Catastrophic drift of insects in a woodland stream. Ecology 49: 198-206.

Anonymous. 1995. The big drench. Virginia Climate Advisory 19: 12-1 3.

Hoopes, R. 1974. Hooding as a result of Hurricane Agnes and its effect on a macrobenthic community in an infertile headwater stream in central Pennsylvania.

Limnology and Oceanography 19:853-857.

Hoopes, R. 1975. Hooding as a result of Hurricane Agnes and its effect on a native brook trout population in an infertile headwater stream in central Pennsylvania.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 104:96-99.

Brandt, T. 1996. Hood. Virginia Wildlife 57(l):4-7.

Matthews, W. J. 1986. Fish faunal structure in an Ozark stream: stability, persistence and a catastrophic flood. Copeia 1986:388-397.

Mitchell, J. C. 1994. The Reptiles of Virginia. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 352 pp.

Mitchell, J. C. 1996. Amphibian decline .in the mid- Atlantic region: monitoring and management of a sensitive resource. Unpublished report to the Legacy Resource Management Program, U.S. Department of Defense, Arlington, VA. 85 pp.

Ross, S. T., and J. A. Baker. 1983. The response of fishes to periodic spring floods in a southeastern stream. American Midland Naturalist 109: 1-14.

Tarter, D. C. 1990. Recolonization of benthic populations following catastrophic flood in two West Virginia streams. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 62: 111-131.

BanistencL, Number 7, 1996 C 1996 by the Virginia Natural Histoiy Society

53

Hydrobiomorpha casta (Say) in Virginia (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)

Warren E. Steiner, Jr.

Department of Entomology, NHB-165 Smithsonian Institution .Washington, DC 20560

The first known Virginia records of a species of water scavenger beetle are reported here. Hydrobiomorpha casta (Say) was not listed in the recent review of Virginia's Hydrophilidae (Matta, 1974). This insect is known from North and South Carolina (Brigham, 1982), other southeastern states, Cuba, and Mexico to Panama (Bachmann, 1988; Mouchamps, 1959; Spangler, 1973; Jasper <Sc Vogtsberger, 1996). It is the only species of Hydrobiomorpha (known in earlier literature as Neohydrophilus) that occurs in North America. Its discovery in Virginia adds another genus to the known fauna of the state.

NEW RECORDS AND COMMENTS

The following specimens (in the collections of U.S. National Museum of Natural History and Virginia Museum of Natural History) from three localities in southeastern Virginia represent the known northern limits of this tropical species. Two are labeled "Va. Princess Anne Co., 3 Mi S. Creeds, u. v. It. 21-VHM971, M. Druckenbrod"; one is labeled "Oceana, Va. Beach, Va., June 5, 1974, ColL WAA. Sewage area"; five are labeled "VIRGINIA Prs. Anne Co., Sandbridge Beach, 22-23 August 1987, W. E. Steiner, J. M. Hill & J. M. Swearingen". A number of southern animals and plants reach their northern limits in this part of Virginia (personal observations).

Interestingly, two of the above collections were taken at black light during the same time of year. The series from Sandbridge Beach was, according to field notes on 22

August 1987, collected at a black light and sheet hung at the back dune edges of the beach strand, facing inland to a marsh behind a dense shrub zone. Temperature at dark was about 24°C and sky was cloudy, with occasional wind gusts.

All specimens from both samples taken at light were teneral, indicating that they probably came from a breeding site nearby, and also that (in Virginia) fully grown larvae of H. casta likely occur in mid-summer. The larva of this species was described (Spangler, 1973) using a third-instar specimen taken in Alabama in early July. In eastern Texas, a larva was taken in late August (Jasper <Sc Vogtsberger, 1996).

Exemplified here is the value of using black light to complement other collecting methods used in insect surveys. In spite of intensive net-sampling in the state's tidewater area (Matta, 1974), this relatively large beetle had not been detected. While the presence of a species at black light is not informative in identifying the habitat of origin, it results in detection of "rare" species not easily found by other methods. This can alert the specialist to the occurrence of a particular habitat (or host species) in the area, or indicate a need for more sampling in selected habitat types. The recent use of submerged bottle traps has been proven successful in taking series of H. casta (Jasper &. Vogtsberger, 1996) and beetles also came to lights at the same sites.

In Florida, Young (1954) infrequently found H. casta in a variety of lentic habitats "in the flatwoods" and "never found it in large numbers". Texas specimens were col¬ lected from a pond and brackish marshes described in

54

BAN1STER1A

NO 7. 1996

detail by Jasper & Vogtsberger (1996). All known localities for the species in the southern U.S A. are in low coastal areas. In the NMNH material, the greatest number of collection records are from Florida. The largest series, taken since Young's (1954) work, are labeled as being taken at light or blacklight. All specimens reported from Mississippi were also taken at lights (Testa & Lago, 1994).

CHARACTERS AND IDENTIFICATION

Using the key to hydrophilid genera of Virginia (Matta, 1974), Hydrobiomorpha keys to Hy drachma (couplet 6). North American members of these two genera are very similar in size and appearance, with the body being only slightly more flattened and narrow in the former, as illustrated by White, et al. (1984) and Testa 6c Lago 1994). The following couplet should be inserted so as to separate these taxa:

6a. Anterior margin of clypeus broadly emarginate, with pale band of membrane broadly exposed along base

of labrum . Hydrobiomorpha Blackburn

Anterior margin of clypeus truncate, with pale band of membrane very narrow and inconspicuous along base of labrum . Hydrochara Berthold

In addition to the shape of the clypeus (figured by Brigham, 1982 and White, et al., 1984), the male genitalia of Hydrobiomorpha casta are unusually ornate and distinctive (see Bachmann, 1988). There are also generic differences in the antennal club, prostemal process and pattern of punctures and pores on the labrum (Leech 6c Chandler, 1956; Testa 6c Lago, 1994). Hansen (1991) has most recently characterized the genera on a worldwide basis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank James M. Hill and Jil M. Swearingen for assistance in fieldwork, and Jean and Keith Northup for the invitation to their beach house where I was able to collect specimens. Richard L Hoffman and Michael Kosztarab, Virginia Museum of Natural History, graciously allowed me to examine collections in their care. PaulJ. Spangler provided information on literature and a review of an early draft of this study.

LITERATURE CITED

Bachmann, A. O. 1988. Las especies Americanas de Hydrobiomorpha (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae). Opera Lilloana 36: 1-63.

Brigham, W. U. 1982. Aquatic Coleoptera. Pp. 10.1- 10.136 in: Brigham, A. R., W. U. Brigham 6c A. Gnilka, eds. Aquatic insects and oligochaetes of North and South Carolina. Midwest .Aquatic Enterprises, Mahomet, Illinois.

Hansen, M. 1991. The Hydrophiloid Beetles. Phyto¬ geny, classification and a revision of the genera (Coleoptera, Hydrophiloidea). Biologiske Skrifter, Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab 40:1-368.

Jasper, S. K. 6c R. C. Vogtsberger. 1996. First Texas records of five genera of aquatic beetles (Coleoptera: Noteridae, Dytiscidae, Hydrophilidae) with habitat notes. Entomological News 107(l):49-60.

Leech, H. B. 6c H. P. Chandler. 1956. Aquatic Coleoptera. Pp. 293-371 in Usinger, R. L., ed. Aquatic Insects of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Matta, J. F. 1974. The Insects of Virginia. No. 8. Aquatic Hydrophilidae of Virginia (Coleoptera: Poly- phaga). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Uni¬ versity, Research Division Bulletin 94:1-44.

Mouchamps, R. 1959. Remarques concernant les genres Hydrobiomorpha Blackburn et Neohydrophilus Orchymont (Coleopteres Hydrophilides). Bulletin et Annales de la Societe Royale d'Entomologie de Belgique 95(1 1-12):295- 335.

Spangler, P. J. 1973. A desription of the larva of Hydro¬ biomorpha casta (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae). Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 63(4): 160-164.

Testa, S. 6c P. K. Lago. 1994. The aquatic Hydrophilidae (Coleoptera) of Mississippi. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station Technical Bulletin 193:1- 71.

SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS

55

White, D. S., W. U. Brigham <Sc J. T. Doyen. 1984. Aquatic Coleoptera. Pp. 361-437 in Merritt, R. W. <Sc K. W. Cummins, eds. An Introduction to the .Aquatic Insects of North America. Second Edition. Kendall-

Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa.

Young, F. N. 1954. The water beetles of Florida University of Florida Biological Series 5(1): 1-238.

Shorter Contributions

LEAF-CARRYING WITH THE TAIL IN THE VIRGINIA OPOSSUM, D1DELPHIS VIRGINIANA. - The Virginia opossum, Didelphis vugimami, is well known for its long, scantily haired, prehensile tail used for grasping in climbing activities and, for example, the grasping of the tail of the mother by young. Although leaf carrying with the tail had been reported in captive animals (Pray, 1921; Layne, 1951; Hopkins, 1977) and in a wild setting (Smith, 1941), I was unaware of such use until I made the observation described herein. The phenomenon seems to be little known among biologists.

At 0700 h on 4 July 1992, while looking out the window into my wooded back yard in suburban Chesterfield County, Virginia, I saw what appeared to be a severely injured Virginia opossum. It was unusual to see an opossum active in daylight and I assumed its behavior to be the result of an injury. Only 10 to 12 m away and moving among a few low shrubs and past tree trunks, the opossum appeared to have a rough-shaped mass under its tail that looked like protruding viscera. The opossum walked irregularly, frequently stopping, and with its back hunched would reach back with its head under the belly between its legs and appeared to be grabbing at the mass under its tail.

I then realized that the mass grew larger each time the opossum reached back. It was placing leaves under its belly with its mouth and then grasping them with its tail. The opossum ambled out of sight relatively rapidly when the bulk of material (in lateral view) was equal to what I estimated to be about one third the size of its body; much larger than the mass depicted in the accurate sketch by Pray (1921). From close-range observations, Smith (1941)

and Layne (1951) noted that the o{>ossum used its hindlegs to help pass the material and settle it in the tail loop. I did not see this. The opossum I observed appeared to be an adult, but leaf carrying with the tail is not restricted to adults. Smith (1941) observed a "slightly more than half grown" individual, Layne (1951) a "young male opossum," and Hopkins (1977) reported on young "estimated to be 88 to 97 days old" that "weighed about 121 fr¬ it had rained more than 1.5 cm in the 24 hr preceding my observation and, although partly sunny at 0700 h, the leaves on the ground were wet. It is likely that the opossum was collecting leaves to construct a nest or add to a pre-existing one. Opossums construct nests in a variety of situations including arboreal sites. Since they are known to build nests of coarse leaf material, it is possible that carrying leaves and similar items is a common use of the prehensile tail but one that we rarely get to observe because they normally are nocturnal. McManus (1974) summarized that leaf carrying with the tail "...frees the limbs for locomotion," but it likely has other functions as well. Nesting material is carried in the mouth by most mammals and leaf carrying by the tail by the Virginia opossum also frees the mouth for opportunistic feeding. Layne (1951) and Hopkins (1977) observed that captives sometimes paused to feed or drink while clutching the nesting materials in their tails.

Literature Cited

Hopkins, D. 1977. Nest-building behavior in the immature Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana. Mammalia 41:361-362.

Layne, J. N. 1951. The use of the tail by an opossum. Journal of Mammalogy 32:464-465.

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NO. 7, 1996

McManus, J. J. 1974. Didelphis virgmiana. Mammal Species 40: 1-6.

Pray, L. 1921. Opossum carries leaves with its tail. Journal of Mammalogy 2:109-110.

Smith, L. 1941. An observation on the nest-building behavior of the opossum. Journal of Mammalogy 22:201- 202.

John F. Pagels Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia 23284

ANOTHER CASE OF ALBINISM IN A BLACK RAT SNAKE ( ELAPHE OBSOLETA OBSOLETA ) FROM VIRGINIA — Albinism has been reported occasionally for several species of snakes from Virginia locations. These include the eastern worm snake (Carphophis amoenus amoenus) from the Gty of Arlington, eastern milk snake ( Lampropelds triangulum triangulum ) from Montgomery County, northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon ) from New Kent County, and three black rat snakes (Elaphe obsolete obsolete) from three widely separated locadons (Mitchell, 1994b). Mitchell (1994a) described a xanthic N. sipedon from Giles County. Albinistic or partially albinistic black rat snakes have been reported from Rockingham County (Carroll, 1950), Westmoreland County (Hensley, 1959), and Washington County (D. Qgle, personal communication). The latter snake was a juvenile that retained the blotched pattern but had no black pigment.

On 14 August 1992, the second author discovered an albino E. o. obsoleta (VMNH 7 103) in a highly urbanized area on Meadow Forest Road, north of die confluence of Drum

Point Creek and the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River, City of Chesapeake, Virginia. The snake was a juvenile female (375 mm snout-vent length, 67 mm tail lengdi) and had been killed by vehicular traffic. Background body color bodi dorsally and ventrally, as well as the head, neck, and rail were pinkish white. Body blotches were visible but were very light tan in color. The eyes were pink in life. This albinistic specimen is the first to be reported from southeastern Virginia and die fourdi known from the Commonwealth.

Literature Cited

Carroll, R- P. 1950. Amphibia and repriles. Pp. 195-211 In James River Project Committee (compilers), The James River Basin, Past, Present, and Future. Virginia Academy of Science, Richmond, VA.

Hensley, M. 1959. Albinism in North .American amphibians and reptiles. Publication of the Museum of Michigan State University, Biological Series 1:133-159.

Mitchell, J. C. 1994a. An unusually colored northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon ) from Giles County, Virginia. Banisteria 4:32-33.

Mitchell, J. C. 1994b. The Reptiles of Virginia. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 352 pp.

Joseph C. Mitchell

Department of Biology and School of Continuing Studies University of Richmond Richmond, Virginia 23173

and

Gary M. Williamson

Department of Conservation and Recreation

Kiptopeke State Park

3540 Kiptopeke Drive

Cape Charles, Virginia 23310

57

Miscellanea

Book Review

Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains, by Marcus B. Simpson, Jr. 1992. Tire Universry of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill NC. xviii + 354 pages. $14.95 paperback, $29.95 cloth. Available from Tire University of North Carolina Press, P.O.Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288. For orders only, phone 1-S00-848-6224.

This book is a birdfinding guide for the Blue Ridge Parkway and environs. It provides directions to many good spots for birding along the Parkway and in nearby areas, includes 26 maps of the locations covered, and suggests the best time of year to visit each site. A typical entry gives the location of a site either in terms of its location on the Parkway or by telling how to reach it from the Parkway or another major road. This is accompanied by suggestions for where to walk while visiting the site and what birds are likely to be seen there. Twenty-two black- and-white illustrations by H. Douglas Pratt depict birds which occur along the Parkway. The birds are often shown in a recognizable Blue Ridge setting; a perched Peregrine Falcon with Looking Glass Rock in the background is an example. Although the book's main focus is the Parkway, chapter five covers other areas ranging from the northern end of the Blue Ridge in Pennsylvania south to northern Georgia. Since the northern 215 miles of the Parkway are in Virginia, much of the information included in this book applies to birds and places to study them within this state.

With its maps, directions, and species lists, this book could provide inspiration for many birding trips along the Parkway. Both public and private lands are covered, but accessible public property’ is emphasized. This is good since access to private areas can change with the moods of owners, and such changes in access commonly contribute to making birdfinding guides obsolete. This book may remain useful for a longer time than a typical birdfinding guide thanks to its emphasis on public lands. Although the layout of the book is attractive, the paperback edition might not be durable in the field, and it will not stay open

at a given page without being restrained in some way. The cloth edition might be more durable, but is more than twice the cost. Many birdfinding guides, such as the series currently produced by the American Birding Association, are bound with a plastic comb or metal spiral binding which allows them to lie flat when opened. Providing such a binding for at least one edition of this book would have made it easier to use.

This book does not attempt to serve as an identification guide. This is certainly not needed, given that several good field guides covering birds of the Blue Ridge area are available. Like many birdfinding guides, this one does give details on the seasonal occurrence and abundance of birds in the form of an annotated checklist. This information is useful, but it is not as carefully presented as it could have been. Simpson's checklist, found in chapter six, has some inconsistencies which render it only partly successful. Like many similar lists, this one uses terms of relative abundance such as "uncommon," "rare," and "erratic" in ways that are not as clearly defined as they could be. When reading some of the entries for uncommon or rare species, it is not always clear why a given term was chosen, as the following examples illustrate.

The term "accidental" is used to describe many species listed, but it is unclear why it is applied to some and not others. For example, the Western Kingbird* and Scissor- tailed Flycatcher are listed on page 294 as rare transients, not accidentals, which might imply to some readers that they are rare but regular in occurrence in the Blue Ridge. Simpson defines accidentals on page 277 as "Species whose occurrence is outside their normal range." This description would seem to fit both of the flycatchers men¬ tioned. Both species appear fairly often as accidentals in the eastern states, but they are not so regular that the Blue Ridge should be considered a part of their "normal range." By contrast, Wilson's Phalaropes and Baird's Sandpipers are also called rare transients. These shore-birds are certainly rare in the high-elevation wooded areas common in the Blue Ridge, but given their migration habits they can reasonably be expected to show up on occasion in

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BANISTER1A

NO. 7, 1996

nearby areas of appropriate habitat, and they do.

For truly accidental species, listing the number of records and their date is helpful, but this is not done consistently in the text. For example, the Painted Bunting is called accidental in the Virginia Blue Ridge (page 309) but no exact number of records for the species is given. Four records from locales in or near the Blue Ridge, with dates, are listed in Virginia's Birdlife: An Annotated Checklist, which Simpson cites in his references (albeit with the title given incorrectly). For other accidental species an exact number of records is included, e.g., one record for Eared Grebe and three for American White Pelican, and dates are given for each. But with these two species, the exact date is listed for the grebe while only the months are given for the pelican. It isn't clear why such inconsistencies are found in the checklist.

A few other details in the book are