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Title: New state record for Cephaloscymnus Zimmermanni Zimmermanni Crotch (Coleptera: Coccinellidae) in Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Author
item Hesler, Louis

Submitted to: The Coleopterists Bulletin
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/14/2014
Publication Date: 3/20/2014
Citation: Hesler, L.S. 2014. New state record for Cephaloscymnus Zimmermanni Zimmermanni Crotch (Coleptera: Coccinellidae) in Massachusetts, U.S.A. The Coleopterists Bulletin 68(1):156-157.

Interpretive Summary: Cephaloscymnus is a group of lady beetles that contains six species, with four distributed in both the U.S.A. and Mexico and two species known only from Mexico. Cephaloscymnus zimmermanni is a species that contains two subspecies known as Cephaloscymnus zimmermanni zimmermanni, which is found in the eastern U.S.A., and Cephaloscymnus zimmermanni australis, which occurs in the southwestern U.S.A. This paper reports on a new record for C. zimmermanni zimmermanni from the Leominster State Forest, Worcester County, Massachusetts, collected on 24 July 2012. The specimen from Massachusetts was roughly 300 km from the nearest recorded collection site for C. zimmermanni zimmermanni in Montclair, New Jersey, and thus represents the northernmost record of this subspecies. Additional sampling is recommended for C. zimmermanni zimmermanni to determine the extent of its geographic distribution and to determine what it preys upon. Moreover, the incidental collection of the Massachusetts specimen from a trap used to monitor for Asian longhorned beetles shows that trap bycatch may yield specimens of interest besides the target species and should provide impetus for wider sharing of bycatch with other scientists.

Technical Abstract: Cephaloscymnus is a genus of lady beetle that contains six species, with four distributed in both the U.S.A. and Mexico and two species known only from Mexico. Cephaloscymnus zimmermanni consists of two subspecies: Cephaloscymnus zimmermanni zimmermanni, which is distributed in the eastern U.S.A., and Cephaloscymnus zimmermanni australis, which occurs in the southwestern U.S.A. This paper reports on a new record for C. zimmermanni zimmermanni from the Leominster State Forest, Worcester County, Massachusetts, collected on 24 July 2012. The specimen from Massachusetts was roughly 300 km from the nearest recorded collection site for C. zimmermanni zimmermanni in Montclair, New Jersey, and thus represents the northernmost record of this subspecies. Additional sampling is recommended for C. zimmermanni zimmermanni to further delineate its geographic distribution and to determine its prey. Moreover, incidental collection of the Massachusetts specimen from an Asian longhorned beetle trap further demonstrates that trap bycatch may yield specimens of interest beyond the focal species and should provide impetus for wider sharing of bycatch with other scientists.