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Exploring the Southern Hemisphere:

Exploring the Southern Hemisphere: Plant Bug Planetary Biodiversity Inventory Field Work in Australia and South Africa presented by Randall T. Schuh Curator and Chair Division of Invertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History, New York. Planetary Biodiversity Inventories.

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Exploring the Southern Hemisphere:

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  1. Exploring the Southern Hemisphere: Plant Bug Planetary Biodiversity Inventory Field Work in Australia and South Africa presented by Randall T. Schuh Curator and Chair Division of Invertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History, New York

  2. Planetary Biodiversity Inventories Funding: US National Science Foundation, 2003 Criteria: Worldwide and monophyletic taxa Duration: 5 years Projects: Eumycetozoa (slime molds): 1000 species Solanum (Solanaceae): 1500 species Miridae (Heteroptera): 5000 species Siluriformes (cat fishes): 2500 species http://research.amnh.org/pbi

  3. PBI Participants

  4. Heteroptera: True Bugs • 7 infraorders • 85 families • 40,000 species described

  5. Miridae: Plant Bugs • Infraorder: • Cimicomorpha • 1,350 valid genera • 10,200 valid species • mostly phytophagous • high host specificity • many myrmecomorphic • some aposematic

  6. PBI Target Taxa: Orthotylinae and Phylinae • Status as of 2003 • 8 recognized tribes • 485 described genera • 3900 described species • ~ 1400 published hosts • ~ 90 new genera • ~ 1200 new species in collections

  7. Exemplar Orthotylinae and Phylinae

  8. Field Work Fundamentals • Application of taxon focused techniques • Maximize discovery of new taxa • Extend geographic coverage • Maximize host/biological information • Maximize specimen quality • Maximize specimen numbers

  9. Collecting Equipment

  10. Host Specificity in the Orthotylinae and Phylinae

  11. Host Collecting

  12. Processing host vouchers, Sept. 2004, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town Vouchers ready for drying

  13. Herbarium Quality Host Specimens

  14. Species Accumulation in the Orthotylinae and Phylinae Palearctic Nearctic Neotropical Ethiopian Oriental Australian

  15. North American Orthotylinae and Phylinae • 550 described species • 25 % of known world fauna • >200,000 specimens in collections • flora of ~ 9000 seed plant species • ~ 500 published hosts

  16. Major North American Host Groups • Asteraceae (Ambrosia, Artemisia, etc.) • Chenopodiaceae (Atriplex, Sarcobatus, etc.) • Fabaceae (Acacia, Prosopis, Psorothamnus, etc.) • Fagaceae (Quercus) • Pinaceae (Pinus, Abies, etc.) • Rhamnaceae (Ceanothus, Rhamnus, Zizyphus) • Rosaceae (Cercocarpus, Purshia, Rosa, etc.) • Salicaceae (Populus, Salix)

  17. SOUTH AFRICAN FIELD WORK Western Cape as a PBI target area: Namaqualand–Little Karoo–Fynbos • Extreme plant diversity and endemism • Unique biotic affinities • Limited prior sampling • Few publications and described taxa • Unstudied by classical & modern authors • No local specialists

  18. South African Orthotylinae and Phylinae: 1961, 1974 1961 – Carvalho, South African Animal Life 12 described species0 documented hosts 250 specimens studied 1974 – Schuh,Published Dissertation 100 described species: + 850% 50 documented hosts 2000 specimens studied: + 800%

  19. South Africa: 2003, 2004 Localities >120 localities

  20. South African Orthotylinae and Phylinae, 2005 • > 250 species: + 250% • > 350 documented hosts: + 700% • > 20,000 specimens: + 1000%

  21. South African Museum and Table Mountain, Cape Town

  22. Bed and Breakfast, Vanrhynsdorp

  23. Tradouw Pass, East of Cape Town

  24. Look East, South of Clanwilliam

  25. Vanrhyns Pass, East of Vanrhynsdorp

  26. Looking west from Vanrhyns Pass Summit

  27. Northern Namaqualand, SE of Kamieskroon

  28. Collecting near Kamieskroon, northern Namaqualand

  29. Far Northern Cape, toward Lekkersing: Tom Henry

  30. Far Northern Cape, toward Lekkersing: Denise Wyniger

  31. Cupressaceae: Widdringtonia sp. Widdringtoniola sp.

  32. Solanaceae: Lycium sp. Karoocapsus sp.

  33. Geraniaceae: Pelargonium cucullatum undescribed

  34. Aizoaceae: Lampranthus sp. Eminoculus sp.

  35. Fabaceae: Lebeckia sericeaPseudosthenarus sp.

  36. Asteraceae: Leysera sp. undescribed

  37. AUSTRALIAN FIELD WORK Australia as a PBI target area • High plant diversity and endemicity, especially in west and southwest • Limited sampling • Few publications and described taxa • No local specialists historically

  38. Australian Miridae, 1994 • 180 described species • (~ 75 Orthotylinae and Phylinae) • 1.8% of known world fauna • ~ 500 species in collections • 25,000 specimens in collections • Flora of ~ 18,000 seed plant species • 35 published host records

  39. Australia: 1995--2002 Localities >400 localities

  40. Australian Miridae: 2002 • 210 described species: + 15% • (90 Orthotylinae and Phylinae) • > 1,500 spp. in collections: + 300% • > 100,000 specimens: + 400% • (80% Orthotylinae and Phylinae) • 1,400 documented hosts: + 4000%

  41. Long Distances, Few People

  42. Camping in the Bush, Southwestern Australia

  43. Heath lands, near Esperance, Western Australia

  44. Eucalypus forest, Margaret River, Western Australia

  45. Open Acacia woodland, South Australia

  46. Casuarina Woodland, Central Australia

  47. Casuarina Fruits

  48. Acacia with Loranthaceous Parasites, South Australia

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