Naming the menagerie: creativity, culture and consequences in the formation of scientific names.

The coining of scientific names for newly described species is one of the most creative acts in science. We briefly review the history of species naming, with an emphasis on constraints and freedoms in the choice of new names and how they came to be. We then consider patterns in etymologies and linguistic origins of scientific names across clades and through time. Use of 'non-classical' languages (those other than Latin and Greek) in naming species has increased, as has the use of eponymous names (despite recent controversy around the practice). Finally, we consider ways in which creativity in naming has consequences for the conduct and outcome of scientific work. For example, sale of naming rights has funded research and conservation, while naming species after celebrities has increased media attention to the science of species discovery. Other consequences of naming are more surprising, including a strong effect of species-name etymology on the kinds of scientific studies conducted for plant-feeding arthropods. Scientific naming is a clear example of how science and scientists are socially situated, and how culturally influenced decisions such as what to name a new species can affect both public perception of science and the conduct of science itself.

Can species naming drive scientific attention? A perspective from plant-feeding arthropods.

How do researchers choose their study species? Some choices are based on ecological or economic importance, some on ease of study, some on tradition-but could the name of a species influence researcher decisions? We asked whether phytophagous arthropod species named after their host plants were more likely to be assayed for host-associated genetic differentiation (or 'HAD'; the evolution of cryptic, genetically isolated host specialists within an apparently more generalist lineage). We chose 30 arthropod species (from a Google Scholar search) for which a HAD hypothesis has been tested. We traced the etymologies of species names in the 30 corresponding genera, and asked whether HAD tests were more frequent among species whose etymologies were based on host-plant names (e.g. Eurosta solidaginis, which attacks Solidago) versus those with other etymologies (e.g. Eurosta fenestrata, from Latin fenestra, 'window'). Species with host-derived etymologies were more likely to feature in studies of HAD than those with other etymologies. We speculate that the etymology of a scientific name can draw a researcher's attention to aspects of life-history and thus influence the direction of our scientific gaze.

Diptera pollinators.

Mlynarek introduces the important ecological and agricultural role of flies as pollinators.

Metabarcoding prey DNA from fecal samples of adult dragonflies shows no predicted sex differences, and substantial inter-individual variation, in diets.

Sexes often differ in foraging and diet, which is associated with sex differences in size, trophic morphology, use of habitats, and/or life history tactics. Herein, strikingly similar diets were found for adult sexes of a dragonfly (Leucorrhinia intacta), based on comparing 141 dietary taxa identified from the metabarcoding of mitochondrial DNA archived in feces. Arthropods in > 5% of samples included five species of dipterans, two hemipterans, two spider species and one parasitic mite. The mite was not traditional prey as its presence was likely due to DNA contamination of samples arising through parasitism or possibly via accidental consumption during grooming, and therefore the mite was excluded from diet characterizations. Common prey species were found with statistically indistinguishable frequencies in male and female diets, with one exception of an aphid more often found in male diets, although this pattern was not robust to corrections for multiple statistical tests. While rare prey species were often found in diets of only one sex, instances of this were more frequent in the more oft-sampled females, suggesting sampling artefact. Sexes did not differ in the mean prey species richness in their diets. Overall, sexes showed statistically indistinguishable diets both on a prey species-by-species basis and in terms of multivariate characterizations of diet composition, derived from presence-absence data of prey species analyzed via PERMANOVA and accumulation curves. Males and females may have similar diets by being both opportunistic and generalist predators of arthropods, using the same foraging habitats and having similar sizes and flight agilities. Notably, similarities in diet between sexes occur alongside large interindividual differences in diet, within sexes. Researchers intending on explaining adaptive sex differences in diet should consider characteristics of species whose sexes show similar diets.

Oviposition, Feeding Preferences and Distribution of Delia Species (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Eastern Canadian Onions.

Delia antiqua, Delia platura and Delia florilega are three root maggot species commonly considered pests in Eastern Canadian onions. The onion maggot, D. antiqua, is considered the primary root maggot pest in onion but it remains unclear whether the other two species are also causing damage. In order to develop updated management strategies for root maggot, we tested adult oviposition and feeding preference by Delia larvae on four growth stages of onion using bioassays and we determined the Delia species composition across the four major onion growing regions in eastern Canada. Delia species oviposit readily on onion at the 5-7 true leaf growth stage but damage on onions is not statistically different between Delia species in our zero-inflated models. The four eastern Canadian onion growing regions have different proportions of Delia species. Southern Ontario and Quebec were the only two regions where Delia antiqua was collected. The highest average numbers of Delia spp. were caught in Quebec and Nova Scotia. Our study shows that timing is important in implementation of management strategies for root maggot in Eastern Canadian onions.

Revision of Nearctic Paramyia Williston (Diptera: Milichiidae).

The taxonomy of genus Paramyia Williston is revised for the Nearctic region north of Mexico, including the description (morphological and molecular) and illustration of 10 new species and re-description of Paramyia nitens. Morphological keys to the species of males and females are provided. The following new species are described: Paramyia anguliloba sp. n., P. brevikeraia sp. n., P. incrassatoloba sp. n., P. nigritarsi sp. n., P. lustrum sp. n., P. lutea sp. n., P. pseudonitens sp. n., P. silvestris sp. n., P. rectiloba sp. n., P. wheeleri sp. n.. Paramyia hungarica is also discussed in relation to the Nearctic species.

Revision of the New World genus Enderleiniella Becker, 1912 (Diptera, Chloropidae).

The genus Enderleiniella Becker, 1912 is revised. The genus is distinguished on the basis of a somewhat flattened head with the inner vertical setae located anteromedially to the outer vertical setae, three lightly incised lines on the scutum, trapezoidal or rectangular scutellum with marginal setae borne on tubercles, reduced alula and anal angle of the wing, and the structure of the male genitalia. The genus contains eleven species in the northern Neotropical and southern Nearctic Regions: E. caerulea sp. nov. (type locality: Blue Creek, Belize); E. cryptica sp. nov. (type locality: 24 km W Piedras Blancas, Costa Rica); E. flavida sp. nov. (type locality: Emerald Pool, Dominica); E. longiventris (Enderlein, 1911) (type species; type locality: Costa Rica); E. maculata sp. nov. (type locality: Xilitla, San Luis Potosi, Mexico); E. marshalli sp. nov. (type locality: Guanacaste, Costa Rica); E. maya sp. nov. (type locality: Las Escobas, Guatemala); E. punctata sp. nov. (type locality: Potrerillo, Bolivia); E. tripunctata (Becker, 1916) (type locality: San Mateo, Costa Rica); E. tumescens sp. nov. (type locality: San Esteban, Venezuela); and E. wheeleri sp. nov. (type locality: Turrialba, Costa Rica).

Saproxylic Diptera assemblages in a temperate deciduous forest: implications for community assembly.

Saproxylic insects, those associated directly or indirectly with decaying wood for all or part of their life cycle, compose a large proportion of forest organisms. Flies (Diptera) are often the most abundant and species-rich group of insects in forest microhabitats, yet most work to date on saproxylic insect diversity and ecology has focused on beetles (Coleoptera). We compared saproxylic Diptera assemblages reared from two tree species (sugar maple and American beech) at two stages of decay (early/young and advanced/old) for a total of 20 logs in an eastern Canadian Nearctic old-growth forest. We found that communities are distinct within both species type and decay stage of wood. Early decay stage wood is more variable in community composition than later decay stage; however, as the age of the decaying wood increases, the abundance of Diptera increases significantly. Most indicator species are discernible in later decay stage and wood type. We venture to suggest that stochastic and deterministic processes may play a role in driving Diptera communities in temperate deciduous forests. To retain the highest saproxylic Diptera diversity in a forest, a variety of decaying wood types at different stages of decomposition is necessary.

Phylogeny and revised classification of the tribe Elachipterini (Diptera: Chloropidae).

The phylogenetic relationships of the chloropid tribe Elachipterini were analysed. Sixty-eight exemplar species and seven outgroup species were included in a cladistic analysis based on 76 morphological characters of adult specimens in order to test existing, non-phylogenetic, classifications of the tribe. Nine genera are recognized in the Elachipterini: Allomedeia Mlynarek Wheeler, Alombus Becker, Anatrichus Loew, Ceratobarys Coquillett, Disciphus Becker, Elachiptera Macquart, Goniaspis Duda, Melanochaeta Bezzi and Sepsidoscinis Hendel. Myrmecosepsis Kertesz is synonymised with Anatrichus, and Togeciphus Nishijima and Cyrtomomyia Becker are synonymised with Elachiptera. Ceratobarys is removed from synonymy with Elachiptera and all Neotropical species and two Nearctic species previously assigned to Elachiptera are transferred to Ceratobarys. Melanochaeta is a valid genus; the type species Melanochaeta capreolus clusters with other species of Melanochaeta and not Oscinella. New combinations include Anatrichus hystrix (Kertesz, 1914) (Myrmecosepsis); Anatrichus taprobane (Andersson, 1977) (Myrmecosepsis), Ceratobarys attenuata (Adams, 1908) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys cultrata (Wheeler Forrest, 2002) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys flavida (Williston, 1896) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys melinifrons (Mlynarek Wheeler, 2008) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys fucosa (Mlynarek Wheeler, 2008) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys queposana (Mlynarek Wheeler, 2008) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys rubida (Becker, 1912) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys sacculicornis (Enderlein, 1911) (Elachiptera); Ceratobarys willistoni (Sabrosky, 1948)  (Elachiptera), Elachiptera ensifer (Sabrosky, 1951) (Cyrtomomyia); Elachiptera ericius (Kanmiya, 1983) (Togeciphus); Elachiptera katoi (Nishijima, 1955) (Togeciphus); Elachiptera maculinervis (Becker, 1910) (Cyrtomomyia); Elachiptera punctulata (Becker, 1912) (Cyrtomomyia); Elachiptera subelongata (Kanmiya, 1983) (Disciphus); Elachiptera truncatus (Liu Yang, 2012) (Togeciphus); Elachiptera tuberculata (Adams, 1905) (Cyrtomomyia) and all the species that were placed in Lasiochaeta are returned to Melanochaeta. A key to genera of the tribe Elachipterini is provided and diagnoses are provided for all genera. The tribe is divided into two geographically distinct clades: the Anatrichus clade includes the Old World tropical genera Allomedeia, Alombus, Anatrichus, Disciphus and Sepsidoscinis; the Elachiptera clade includes the primarily Neotropical genera Goniaspis and Ceratobarys and the widespread, but primarily Holarctic, genera Elachiptera and Melanochaeta.

Chloropid flies (Diptera, Chloropidae) associated with pitcher plants in North America.

We review the taxonomy and ecology of Chloropidae (Diptera) associated with pitcher plants (Sarraceniaceae) in North America. Tricimba wheeleri Mlynarek sp.n. is described from the pitchers of Sarracenia alata Alph.Wood and S. leucophylla Raf. in the southeastern United States (Alabama, Mississippi). Aphanotrigonum darlingtoniae (Jones) associated with Darlingtonia californica Torr. in northern California is redescribed, including the first description of male genitalic characters. A lectotype is designated for A. darlingtoniae. Published records of other species of Tricimba Lioy in pitcher plants in North America are considered accidental or facultative occurrences; published records of Aphanotrigonum Duda as pitcher plant associates in eastern North America are probably errors in identification.

Testing the enemy release hypothesis in a native insect species with an expanding range.

The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) predicts that the spread of (invasive) species will be facilitated by release from their enemies as they occupy new areas. However, the ERH is rarely tested on native (non-invasive, long established) species with expanding or shifting ranges. I tested the ERH for a native damselfly (Enallagma clausum) whose range has recently expanded in western Canada, with respect to its water mite and gregarine parasites. Parasitism levels (prevalence and intensity) were also compared between E. clausum and a closely related species, Enallagma boreale, which has long been established in the study region and whose range is not shifting. A total of 1,150 damselflies were collected at three 'old' sites for E. clausum in Saskatchewan, and three 'new' sites in Alberta. A little more than a quarter of the damselflies collected were parasitized with, on average, 18 water mite individuals, and 20% were parasitized by, on average, 10 gregarine individuals. I assessed whether the differences between levels of infection (prevalence and intensity) were due to site type or host species. The ERH was not supported: Enallagma clausum has higher or the same levels of parasitism in new sites than old sites. However, E. boreale seems to be benefitting from the recent range expansion of a native, closely related species through ecological release from its parasites because the parasites may be choosing to infest the novel, potentially naïve, host instead of the well-established host.

Differential water mite parasitism, phenoloxidase activity, and resistance to mites are unrelated across pairs of related damselfly species.

Related host species often demonstrate differences in prevalence and/or intensity of infection by particular parasite species, as well as different levels of resistance to those parasites. The mechanisms underlying this interspecific variation in parasitism and resistance expression are not well understood. Surprisingly, few researchers have assessed relations between actual levels of parasitism and resistance to parasites seen in nature across multiple host species. The main goal of this study was to determine whether interspecific variation in resistance against ectoparasitic larval water mites either was predictive of interspecific variation in parasitism for ten closely related species of damselflies (grouped into five "species pairs"), or was predicted by interspecific variation in a commonly used measure of innate immunity (total Phenoloxidase or potential PO activity). Two of five species pairs had interspecific differences in proportions of individuals resisting larval Arrenurus water mites, only one of five species pairs had species differences in prevalence of larval Arrenurus water mites, and another two of five species pairs showed species differences in mean PO activity. Within the two species pairs where species differed in proportion of individuals resisting mites the species with the higher proportion did not have correspondingly higher PO activity levels. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals resisting mites mirrored prevalence of parasitism in only one species pair. There was no interspecific variation in median intensity of mite infestation within any species pair. We conclude that a species' relative ability to resist particular parasites does not explain interspecific variation in parasitism within species pairs and that neither resistance nor parasitism is reflected by interspecific variation in total PO or potential PO activity.

Relative geographic range of sibling species of host damselflies does not reliably predict differential parasitism by water mites.

BACKGROUND: One of the main challenges in evolutionary parasitology is to determine the factors that explain variation among host species in parasitism. In this study, we addressed whether host phylogeny or ecology was important in determining host species use by water mites. Parasitism (prevalence and intensity) by Arrenurus water mites was examined in relation to geographic distribution of host damselflies from sibling species pairs. In addition, the likelihood of putative mite species parasitizing both species of a host species pair was explored. RESULTS: A total of 1162 damselflies were examined for water mites across four sites in Southeastern Ontario. These damselflies represent ten species (five closely related host species pairs) in the Coenagrionidae. Only two of the five species pairs showed near significant or significant differences in prevalence of infection by mites. In one of those species comparisons, it was the less widespread host that had higher water mite prevalence and in the other species comparison, the less widespread host species had lower water mite prevalence. Only one of the five pairs showed a significant difference in intensity of infection; intensity was higher in the species with a smaller geographic distribution. Based on the COI barcode, there were nine water mite clades (OTU) infecting these ten host species. Three Arrenurus OTUs may be host monospecific, four OTUs were specific to a given host species pair, and two OTUs infected at least three host species. Host species in each species pairs tend to share at least one of the Arrenurus OTU. No striking differences in mite species diversity were found among species in any species pair. Finally, the Arrenurus examined in this study appear to be ecological specialists, restricted to a particular type of habitat, parasitizing few to many of the host species present in that site or habitat. CONCLUSIONS: Although differences in levels of parasitism by water mites exist for some closely related hosts species, no such differences were found between other related host species. Differences in geographic range of related host species does not reliably explain differential levels of parasitism by water mites.

Seasonality of gregarine parasitism in the damselfly, Nehalennia irene: understanding unimodal patterns.

We studied parasitism by gut protozoans (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinidae) in the damselfly, Nehalennia irene (Hagen) (Odonata: Coenagrionidae). We tested whether there was any seasonal pattern, as has been found for other parasites of damselflies and which has implications for selection on emergence and breeding. Using aggregate data from 12 date-by-site comparisons involving five sites, we found that both prevalence and intensity of gregarine parasitism were seasonally unimodal. Parasitism first increased and then declined seasonally after peaking mid-season. This damselfly species has shown seasonal increases in density followed by declines at several sites including a site sampled in this study. Therefore, similar seasonal changes in a directly transmitted parasite were expected and are now confirmed. Other factors that might account for seasonal changes in parasitism by gregarines are either unlikely or can be discounted including sampling of older damselflies mid-season but not late in the season, or sex biases in parasitism and overrepresentation of the more parasitized sex mid-season.