IDENTIFICATION OF CHRYSOPIDAE IN CANADA, WITH BIONOMIC NOTES (NEUROPTERA)

Abstract

AbstractChrysopidae in Canada comprise 24 species in 9 genera and 2 subfamilies. Additional southern species are mentioned, 1 as a new combination, and other nomenclatorial changes are reviewed in relation to the Canadian fauna. Generic diagnosis of males employs sternum VIII + IX, the arcessus, gonapsis, pseudopenis, and tignum. Generic diagnosis of females is based on the dorsal furrow, ectoprocts, spermatheca, subgenitale, and a non-genitalic trait, the innermost gradate crossvein in the wings. The ecological implications and inherent difficulties in taxonomy are discussed for coloration in Chrysopidae, to develop a practical key to differentiate 26 species using color and other non-genitalic traits. A checklist summarizes maps of the geographic distribution in Canada and notes species in Alaska, based on specimens examined. Patterns of distribution for the Canadian chrysopid fauna are either Holarctic for 1 species or indigenously Nearctic, with eastern, western, or boreal foci. Disjunctions are apparent for species with a more southern, transcontinental distribution, which enter Canada primarily in Ontario and British Columbia. Life-history and bionomic notes are limited to 6 species in Canada, for which synonymies and figures are based on specimens examined. Most data originate from studies performed in Ontario. There are 5 species of parasites from 2 chrysopids. Hosts include 11 species of insects and mites, with 2 cases of hyperpredation. Three insecticides account for the more recent scarcity of chrysopids in the Niagara region. Conclusions relate the following: variable color in the 1 Holarctic species to post-glacial mingling in the northwest; gaps in temporal and spatial distribution to extinctions in progress; and renewed interest in Chrysopidae to earlier research on this group in Canada.