Going into the Bioblitz, I had pretty modest goals. I wanted to photograph every arthropod I possibly could, with a primary focus on phytophagous insects. I hoped to find a few psyllids, in addition to some leafhoppers, planthoppers, and scales, and I wanted to photograph every grasshopper I saw, regardless of whether I thought it looked like a grasshopper I shot previously. By the end of the 2-day event I had shot about 900 photos of just over 130 unique animal species... not bad!
Over half of the species I observed were new to me. Here's a summary of my favorite finds:
On our drive up to the top of the mountain ridge, I noticed the prevalence of Manzanitas in the habitat and I began investigating them as soon as we got out of the van. In California, five species of psyllid in the genus Neophyllura are found on Manzanita, most of these endemic to the state. While I found Manzanita Leaf Gall Aphids and a probably-native armored scale on many of the plants, unfortunately I couldn't find any signs of psyllids, at least at the higher elevations.
Some hours later though, either Cedric or myself found what I thought was another kind of scale insect, without realizing at the time that it was actually a parasitized psyllid nymph. It wouldn't be for another hour that I finally found an adult psyllid, posed as a rather convincing axil mimic on the stem of the plant. While I was expecting to find the common widespread Manzanita psyllid Neophyllura arctostaphyli, I was instead greeted by the much rarer endemic Neophyllura bicolor. Several nymphs were also present on the plant. Coincidentally, directly adjacent was a California Flannelbush which hosted another psyllid species, the endemic Diclidophlebia fremontiae.
One last thought about that parasitized nymph: it's interesting to note that no parasitoid has been recorded from any of the manzanita-feeding Neophyllura. The identity of this wasp may be worthy of future study.
My favorite find of the whole trip, though? I would have to say that that title goes to this little guy:
This tiny 2mm leafhopper that Cedric found has not yet been identified, but I do believe that it may be something quite special. We found them in considerable numbers on Tehachapi Buckwheat, Eriogonum callistum, a rare and endangered plant that's known only from the southern Tehachapi Mountains in California. It remains to be seen if this leafhopper is specific to this type of buckwheat (in which case it may possibly be undescribed) or if it is oligophagous on other species of buckwheat as well. A very interesting find, regardless.
On Fremontodendron californicum, but no indication that that was the host; probably one of the many native species associated with oaks, which were adjacent; probably a species never before photographed, I'll try to key it out later
Same species as Cedric's, and on the same host (Eriogonum callistum):
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4106494
Many adults and nymph exuvia on plant
Many adults on Joshua Tree leaves. Very skittish! Generic ID solid, specific ID tentative based on host, would like to review the literature
on Quercus
from Quercus. wish it wasnt so dirty
The darkish wings originally threw me for a loop, but it is certainly this species; it seems the wings darken later in the season, but not so dark as in N. arctostaphyli; the bicolored appearance is still apparent
on flannelbush, several
gall on Ericameria nauseosa
Comments
LOVED this journal entry -- keep up the awesome observations!
Great post Chris! Can't wait to do this again.
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