Amphibian Cover Board Monthly Check - July 2012

Red-backed Salamander with six newly hatched salamanders.
Photo by Erin Caruso 

Today’s monthly check of the amphibian cover board experiment grid revealed forty-six individual salamanders. The amphibians that Nicole Morin and I came across were mostly Red-backed Salamanders, although we did see five Red Eft, one Northern Two-lined Salamander, and one Wood Frog. Twenty-two Red-backed Salamanders were under the softwood cover boards and eighteen were discovered under the hardwood. Two of Red-backed Salamanders under the softwood were found coiled around their young. This was an exciting event to come across because this strengthens our theory that the cover boards provide a favorable habitat for salamander reproduction. In addition, their population growth signifies a healthy forest environment. When it comes to reproduction, Red-backed Salamanders are unique because they lay their eggs on land, while most other amphibians and salamanders such as the Blue-spotted Salamander attach their eggs to underwater twigs or vegetation. These underwater eggs hatch and go through an aquatic larva stage. In contrast, the Red-backed Salamander young go through the larva stage while still in the egg, and when they hatch, look like miniature adults. Since the month of August is usually when most salamanders emerge from their eggs, it will be interesting to return to the cover board experiment grid at the end of next month and see if we can find a higher abundance of baby salamanders.

Lead phase Red-backed Salamander with egg cluster.
Photo by Erin Caruso

The Effects of Dry Weather & Salamanders

Red-backed Salamander

Yesterday’s amphibian cover board check yielded a relatively small encounter rate of salamanders. A total of 23 Red-backed Salamanders were seen at fifteen cover board grids. Only one Red Eft was spotted as well as one White-footed Mouse. The low encounter rate could be due to the recent dry weather we have been having across the state. Although I checked the cover boards after yesterday morning’s heavy rain shower, the forest floor still seemed to be dry and what was once moving streams and filled vernal pools were now reduced to only mud. Moisture is necessary for the survival of many salamanders, especially the Red-backed Salamander which is born without lungs forcing it to breathe through its skin. Therefore the exchange of oxygen and waste gases through the skin demands a moist environment. The drought in Texas can be used as an example of how a long period of dry weather can diminish salamander populations. The already endangered Texas Blind Salamander population has dwindled due to the drought and was captured by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to bring to a hatchery for a chance at preservation. As the summer progresses we hope to find a greater amount and diversity of amphibians underneath our cover boards. Whether or not this can be achieved can depend greatly on the amount of precipitation we receive.

A dry stream near Duck Pond.

PRESS RELEASE Emerald Ash Borer Found in Prospect and Naugatuck, Connecticut

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 20, 2012

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dr. Louis A. Magnarelli, Ph.D., Director
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street (zip 06511)
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504
Phone: (203) 974-8440  

Dr. Kirby C. Stafford III, Ph.D., Vice-Director,
Chief Scientist/State Entomologist
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street (zip 06511)
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504
Phone: (203) 974-8485 

Emerald Ash Borer Found in Prospect and Naugatuck, Connecticut

New Haven, CT – The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was detected in Prospect, CT on July 16, 2012 by staff members at CAES. The identification has been confirmed by federal regulatory officials in the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS-PPQ). This is the first record of this pest in Connecticut, which is added to 15 other states where infestations have been detected. A new probable site of infestation is located in the Naugatuck State Forest. The beetle identification is unconfirmed. The emerald ash borer is responsible for the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees from the mid-west to New York State and south to Tennessee. Ash makes up about 4% to 15% of Connecticut’s forests and is a common urban tree.  

“The detection of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in Prospect and probably in Naugatuck reaffirms that statewide surveys for this pest were necessary,” said Louis A. Magnarelli, director of CAES. “We expected to find the beetle in areas of Connecticut across from infestations in Dutchess County, New York; however, the EAB has great flight potential and can travel in infested wood moved by people. This pest attacks all species of ash trees. Our immediate goals are to determine how extensive the Connecticut infestation is, notify residents in the Prospect and Naugatuck area, and implement strategies to slow the spread of the insect.”  


The insect specimens were recovered in Prospect from a ground-nesting, native wasp (Cerceris
fumipennis), which hunts beetles in the family Buprestidae, including the emerald ash borer. The
developing wasp larvae feed on the beetles provided by the adult wasp. The wasp provides a highly
efficient and effective “bio-surveillance” survey tool and does not sting people or pets. This work was supported by the US Forest Service. In addition, 541 purple prism detection traps, containing a special chemical lure, have been set across the state in all eight counties by The University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System via an agreement with the USDA APHIS PPQ. Three additional EAB have been captured in a trap located in Prospect, while other beetles were captured in a trap in Naugatuck.  

“This is a disturbing discovery and one that has the potential for great environmental harm in the state,” said DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty. “Connecticut has more than 22 million ash trees. The presence of EAB here could have a devastating effect on the beauty of our forests, state and local parks and neighborhoods, as well as the state’s wood product industries. Now that EAB has been detected here, it is more important than ever to limit its spread. It is imperative that residents and visitors throughout the state not move firewood. The movement of firewood that contains the presence of EAB is the quickest way to rapidly spread the insect. We will continue to work closely with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and other state and local agencies to do everything in our power to minimize the presence of EAB in Connecticut.”  

The EAB is a small and destructive beetle, metallic green in color, and approximately 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide. Adults emerge from the bark of infested trees leaving a small “D”-shaped exit hole roughly 1/8 inch in diameter. This insect is native to Asia and was first discovered in the Detroit, MI and Windsor, Ontario regions of North America in 2002. It has since spread through the movement of firewood, solid-wood packing materials, infested ash trees, and by natural flight dispersal.  

It is unknown how the EAB entered Prospect or Naugatuck. Movement of infested firewood is a high risk activity that can spread the beetle over long distances. Prior to the pest’s discovery in Prospect, the closest known infestation to Connecticut is in eastern New York near the Hudson River.  

The emerald ash borer is a regulated plant pest under federal (7 CFR 301.53) and state (CT Gen. Statute Sec. 22-84-5d, e, and f) regulations. For more information about the EAB, please visit the following website: www.emeraldashborer.info.  

There will be a press conference at 1:15 PM at the Prospect Town Hall, 36 Center Street.
Representatives of CAES will be attending the press conference. Materials will be on display. Officials of USDA APHIS-PPQ, DEEP, and the CT Department of Agriculture are expected to be present as well.  

###

Cerceris Wasp Bio-Surveillance of EAB -- 2012 Season Update




We collected our 50th beetle at Morris Town Beach today!  We have met our seasonal goal for each of our 4 colonies.  If you want to continue to collect beetles, please do so when it is a good time for you.  Every beetle that we collect tells a little something about the big picture of the EAB invasion!  The wasps will be active until late-July, at least.  Please keep in mind that Erin will be transporting the beetles to Claire in New Haven on August 1.  Therefore, if you have beetles in your possession, please get them (& datasheets) to us ASAP so they don’t miss the bus.

 Another successful season and no Emerald Ash Borer!

Cerceris Wasp Bio-Surveillance for Emerald Ash Borer -- 2012 Season Update


Although catching Cerceris Wasps can be challenging,
finding a Buprestid Beetle in the net is a great reward! 

We need your help!  The more people we have at each of the Cerceris colonies, the more beetles we catch!  That’s the secret to our success, so far.  Our goal is to collect 50 beetles at each colony so that we can assess the diversity of species now.  When Emerald Ash Borer colonizes the property, not only will we lose the ash trees but we will also see changes in the beetle population, too!  More importantly though, this project is really fun!  We need your help but don’t miss out on the fun.  


We finished Litchfield P.S. Plumb Hill Ball Field today with a total of 50 beetles, exactly!  On Tuesday there were 4 of us and we caught 25 beetles in two hours.  We finished this site in just a few days because we collected 50% of the goal in one day!


St. Anthony’s cemetery has 38 beetles so far, which means one more day’s worth of work will finish it off.  We’ve had one person at this colony by themselves for 3 days.  Those individuals caught 10 – 13 beetles each day.  We've almost finished with this colony!  Can you help us finish this colony tomorrow?  

Wamogo’s colony just woke up around Monday, but we have 13 beetles collected so far.  Three people caught 13 beetles in one day!  The pitcher’s mound is the place to be at Wamogo with over 20 nests.  Then there are the other nests in the rest of the diamond!  This site could be finished quickly with just a little bit of your help!

Morris Town Beach also woke up on Monday but we have not made it to that location yet, therefore no beetles have been collected at that site.  This colony is closest to some of our best ash stands on the property; therefore it is vital that this site not get put to the last colony for the season.  We can’t miss the big push.  We need you here!  

Please be part of this project.  As you can see if you want to part of the fun, you will need to be part of it before we finish the season without you.  

Contact me to let me know when and where you want to catch wasps and collect beetles.




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Amphibian Cover Boards Yield Blue-spotted x Jefferson Salamanders

Blue-spotted x Jefferson hybrid Salamanders were encountered today while checking amphibian cover board grids. A total of fifteen grids yielded 2 Blue-spotted x Jefferson hybrids Salamanders, 11 Red-backed Salamanders, and 12 Red-spotted Newts (eft stage). The Blue-spotted hybrid Salamander is always an exciting amphibian to come across due to its endangered species status in Connecticut. The cover boards are used as a method to monitor their population at White Memorial.
Blue-spotted x Jefferson hybrid Salamander
Seven newly constructed cover board grids were checked today for the first time. Only three of the grids had salamanders underneath them, indicating that the grids without any salamanders were either not placed in appropriate amphibian habitat or the boards have not been there long enough to attract any salamanders. The recent hot weather also seemed to dry out the leaf litter under many cover boards, which is not favorable conditions for the moisture-loving salamanders. As the summer progresses I will be interested to see what other kinds of amphibians we find under cover boards and if the Blue-spotted x Jefferson hybrid Salamanders will become more prevalent.  

Red-spotted Newt
Red-backed Salamander