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20 May, 2004
News and Updates
- 2004 Los Angeles Spider Survey updated
- New web pages of Photos & Information on Common Insects of
L.A. are ready
06 March, 2003
Updates
- Six PDF files were added to the section of List of published
papers (including some PDF files) about phorids by Dr. Brian V.
Brown (see details...).
Brown, B.V. 1994. Revision and new species of the Apocephalus
(Mesophora) truncaticercus-infragroup (Diptera: Phoridae).
Contributions in Science. No. 449, 7 pp.
Brown, B.V. 1996. Preliminary analysis of a host shift: revision
of the Neotropical species of Apocephalus, subgenus Mesophora
(Diptera: Phoridae). Contributions in Science. No. 462,
36 pp.
Brown, B.V. 1997. Revision of the Apocephalus attophilus-group
of ant-decapitating flies (Diptera: Phoridae). Contributions
in Science. No. 468, 60 pp.
Brown, B.V. 2000. Revision of the "Apocephalus miricauda-group"
of ant-parasitizing flies (Diptera: Phoridae). Contributions
in Science. No. 482, 62 pp.
Brown, B. V. 2002. Revision of the Apocephalus pergandei-group
of ant-decapitating flies (Diptera: Phoridae). Contributions
in Science. No. 496, 58 pp.
Brown, B.V. and D.H. Feener, Jr. 1995. Efficiency of two mass
sampling methods for sampling phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae)
in a tropical biodiversity survey. Contributions in Science.
No. 459, 10 pp.
07 January, 2003
- Events
and Travel
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The first Los Angeles Spider Survey continues
its work (see more details...).
Our two experts, Dr. Vygandas Relys & Janet Kempf, are identifying
and classifying the approximately 1500 specimens that have been
collected. Most of the collections were made by the public, responding
to our request for specimens. We are still seeking spider specimens
for our project, especially those species that become mature in
the fall. See our web site for details about how to participate.
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A new website design for the Entomology Section
is developed.
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Type database is ready
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Web pages of phorid flies are updated, and more
pictures and information added.
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In August, 2002, Mr. Weiping Xie joined the Entomology
Section as the new Collections Manager, from the University of
Toronto, Canada
Donations
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We were
privileged to receive, early in 2002, the donation of
the collection of psychodid flies amassed by the late
Dr. Laurence Quate. This collection consists of about
22,000 specimens, as well as associated literature and
field notes. Psychodid flies are commonly known as "moth
flies" because of their hairy appearance and their
habit of folding their wings over their bodies, like tiny
moths. They are often seen around sinks or drains because
the larvae of some species live in the organic films that
develop within drainpipes. There are a few thousand species
of these flies known to science, but there are many more
that remain to be discovered; for instance, in a partly
finished manuscript that has now been submitted for publication
(with Brian Brown as co-author), Quate described another
84 species from South and Central America. Specialists
wishing to borrow material from the Quate collection should
contact us.
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Mr. Peter
Johnson donated a very rare butterfly (family: Riodinidae,
Necyria zaneta - female) which he collected in
north western Ecuador in July, 2002. Very few specimens
are known in museum collections.
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Visitors
to the Section
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Recent
visitors to the Entomology Section include Dr. Adrian
Pont, from England, who worked with the LACM collection
of muscid flies. This group, which includes the house
fly, consists of about 4,000 described species worldwide,
but this is probably only about one-half of the true diversity.
Dr. Pont discovered in our material the first west coast
specimens of Coenosia attenuata, a predatory, European
species that has been used to try to control pest insects
in greenhouses, but that has escaped into the wild. This
species is common in the backyard of Associate Curator
Brian Brown!
See update history...
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