Journal archives for August 2019

August 7, 2019

Keller BioBlitz Sept 28th 5pm-9:30pm

Keller BioBlitz Sept 28th 5pm-9:30pm


This is a PUBLIC EVENT OPEN TO EVERYONE, so feel free to invite anyone that would be interested in hanging out with some really great naturalists and iNaturalist's very best!


Last year I had the first ever Birthday BioBlitz and it was such a hit, I'm going to do it again! Join me for some iNatting at one of my favorite parks, Overton Ridge Park in Keller, TX.

We'll have a daylight BioBlitz from 5pm to 7pm to document all the living things we can find, followed by some blacklighting until 9:30pm to see the night time insects, too! (Come and go as you like.)

So, invite your friends, bring your bug spray, cameras, your blacklight setups, your family, and your hiking boots! Rain or shine!

Here's a little about the location:
Overton Ridge Park (located at 821 Weybridge Lane, Keller, TX 76248) is an 8 acre neighborhood park that has been expanded by 11 acres to include an adjacent natural area. The developed part has a playground, basketball court, covered pavillion, outdoor grill, a water fountain, and 2 no-mow fields. (Note: NO bathrooms.) The exciting part is the expansion! It's the old wooded homesite of local sportscaster Dale Hansen. The house has been removed, but some of the old buildings remain (horse barn, grotto pool, tennis court). The majority of the site is covered in oak and hickory trees with a nice footpath up the hill to an overlook where the house used to be and an unmowed horse pasture. (Unfortunately no surface water, just a dried up drainage ditch.) The city has scheduled development for 2020, and we will share the results (as we did last year) with the city so they will hopefully keep it as native as possible. If you are interested in bringing your mothing stuff, be advised that there are no electric hookups except one in the pavillion near security lights. There is no formal parking area yet, so parking is in a cul-de-sac area and along the neighborhood streets.

Here is a link to the observations that have been made out there so far:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/overton-ridge-park-keller

Here is a map to the park:
https://goo.gl/maps/sJqdWZuHUoJ2

If you want to share the event on Facebook, here's a link for that:
https://www.facebook.com/events/799716123763716/

And absolutely no gifts... your presence is my present! The more the merrier!!!

Posted on August 7, 2019 10:28 PM by kimberlietx kimberlietx | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Fall BioBlitz Announced! Sept 28th 5pm-9:30pm

Keller BioBlitz Sept 28th 5pm-9:30pm


This is a PUBLIC EVENT OPEN TO EVERYONE, so feel free to invite anyone that would be interested in hanging out with some really great naturalists and iNaturalist's very best!


Last year I had the first ever Birthday BioBlitz and it was such a hit, I'm going to do it again! Join me for some iNatting at one of my favorite parks, Overton Ridge Park in Keller, TX.

We'll have a daylight BioBlitz from 5pm to 7pm to document all the living things we can find, followed by some blacklighting until 9:30pm to see the night time insects, too! (Come and go as you like.)

So, invite your friends, bring your bug spray, cameras, your blacklight setups, your family, and your hiking boots! Rain or shine!

Here's a little about the location:
Overton Ridge Park (located at 821 Weybridge Lane, Keller, TX 76248) is an 8 acre neighborhood park that has been expanded by 11 acres to include an adjacent natural area. The developed part has a playground, basketball court, covered pavillion, outdoor grill, a water fountain, and 2 no-mow fields. (Note: NO bathrooms.) The exciting part is the expansion! It's the old wooded homesite of local sportscaster Dale Hansen. The house has been removed, but some of the old buildings remain (horse barn, grotto pool, tennis court). The majority of the site is covered in oak and hickory trees with a nice footpath up the hill to an overlook where the house used to be and an unmowed horse pasture. (Unfortunately no surface water, just a dried up drainage ditch.) The city has scheduled development for 2020, and we will share the results (as we did last year) with the city so they will hopefully keep it as native as possible. If you are interested in bringing your mothing stuff, be advised that there are no electric hookups except one in the pavillion near security lights. There is no formal parking area yet, so parking is in a cul-de-sac area and along the neighborhood streets.

Here is a link to the observations that have been made out there so far:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/overton-ridge-park-keller

Here is a map to the park:
https://goo.gl/maps/sJqdWZuHUoJ2

If you want to share the event on Facebook, here's a link for that:
~Link Pending~

And absolutely no gifts... your presence is my present! The more the merrier!!!

Posted on August 7, 2019 10:31 PM by kimberlietx kimberlietx | 0 comments | Leave a comment

August 10, 2019

Hymetta spp (Erythroneurini) Leafhoppers

I've been curious about some Hymetta spp leafhoppers and decided to dig into the species key since BugGuide doesn't have anything specifically listed. They do reference the Dmitriev 3I Interactive Keys and Taxonomic Databases, but I was able to find a paper with more details. (Cited at the bottom of this post.) To simplify things, I just pulled out what I thought was important info.

To summarize, the key to species is strictly limited to genitalia characters. Wing patterns are so similar between the species, that it sometimes comes down to the density of red spots, as in H. balteata and H. anthisma.

Genus Hymetta
(Extract of physical description)
Dorsum yellow or white, with reddish or brown color pattern; vertex, pronotum, and mesonotum pale, apex of scutellum black; forewing with characteristic numerous irregular red or brownish dots, with or without brown crossband; without dark spot at costal margin; apical cell II without distal spot; inner apical cell without brown spot.

H. kansasensis: Length 3.2–3.5 mm. Coloration as described for genus. Distribution: Central and southeastern USA. (Not showing TX)
H. balteata: Length 3.1–3.4 mm. Coloration variable, either as described for genus or paler overall. Distribution: Central and eastern USA (Incl TX)
H. anthisma: Length 3.3–3.6 mm. Coloration typical for genus, wings usually densely covered with red dots. Distribution: Central and eastern USA. (Incl TX)
H. trifasciata: Length 3–3.4 mm. Coloration as described for genus. Distribution: Central and eastern USA. (Incl TX)
H. arizoniana: Length 3.3–3.7 mm. Coloration typical for genus. Distribution: Arizona.

Source:
Review of the New World Erythroneurini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) I. Genera Erythroneura, Erasmoneura, Rossmoneura, and Hymetta
Dmitriev, Dmitry A.; Dietrich, Christopher H.
2007
https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/26473/Bulletin38%282%29.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

I also reviewed Fairbairn 1928 which lists physical characters in the species key, but I assume to revision found them to be unreliable.
Fairbairn, Vera M. "The Genus Hymetta (Homoptera, Cicadellidae)." Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 1, no. 4 (1928): 84-92. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25081244.

Posted on August 10, 2019 03:31 AM by kimberlietx kimberlietx | 1 observation | 0 comments | Leave a comment