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Acroneuria Pictet, 1841 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) is a genus of stoneflies which presently includes 18 summer emerging Nearctic species. Diagnosis of species relies primarily on male aedeagal setal patterns, details of the ovum chorion, and larval dorsal maculations. Several species are morphologically cryptic in one or more life stages. In 2010, an apparently rare species, A. kosztarabi Kondratieff & Kirchner, 1993, was petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. A status survey conducted in 2016–2017 produced new specimen collections from near the type locality and surrounding areas. Examination of new material and the holotype of A. kirchneri Stark & Kondratieff, 2004 demonstrates that it is a junior subjective synonym of A. kosztarabi. All life stages of A. kosztarabi are redescribed using color photographs and scanning electron microscope photomicrographs. Supporting data include maximum likelihood and pairwise genetic distance analyses based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I fragment data. Acroneuria kosztarabi, previously known only from the type locality, is now reported from six states in the southeastern United States ranging from central North Carolina to western Tennessee and north to northern Virginia and northern Ohio.

a Classical biological control programs introduce primary parasitoids into new geographic regions, often exposing them to existing populations of hyperparasitoids. Hyperparasitoids are frequently implicated in the failure of parasitoid biological control agents to establish and provide control of insect pests. The outcome of competition among two or more parasitoid species may be altered if the parasitoids are differentially attacked by the same hyperparasitoids. A reliable assessment of the hyperparasitoid community is needed to understand how top-down trophic interactions influence the effectiveness of introduced parasitoids. We examined the diversity of hyperparasitoids attacking Cotesia glomerata in Colorado (USA), where the congener C. rubecula is absent. We compared this diversity with the hyperparasitoid community of C. glomerata and C. rubecula from Maryland (USA) where both wasps co-occur and use the imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae) as their main host. Field collected C. glomerata broods were analyzed to examine the relationship between brood sizes and the adult sex ratio and the likelihood of attack by different hyperparasitoid species. A total of nine hyperparasitoid species were found in Colorado, of which four species also occurred in Maryland. While larger C. glomerata broods experienced increased odds of hyperparasitism, C. glomerata developing in larger broods had higher per capita survivorship than those developing in smaller broods. The proportion of adult male C. glomerata in a brood increased with brood size in both non-hyperparasitized and hyperparasitized broods, suggesting that female C. glomerata were not preferentially hyperparasitized. Hyperparasitoids inflicted greater mortality on C. rubecula than on C. glomerata. This differential hyperparasitism may enable the coexistence of C. glomerata with its congener C. rubecula, which usually outcompetes and displaces C. glomerata.

Frameworks exclusively considering functional diversity are gaining popularity, as they complement and extend the information provided by taxonomic diversity metrics, particularly in response to disturbance. Taxonomic diversity should be included in functional diversity frameworks to uncover the functional mechanisms causing species loss following disturbance events. We present and test a predictive framework that considers temporal functional and taxonomic diversity responses along disturbance gradients. Our proposed framework allows us to test different multidimensional metrics of taxonomic diversity that can be directly compared to calculated multidimensional functional diversity metrics. It builds on existing functional diversity-disturbance frameworks both by using a gradient approach and by jointly considering taxonomic and functional diversity. We used previously unpublished stream insect community data collected prior to, and for the two years following, an extreme flood event that occurred in 2013. Using 14 northern Colorado mountain streams, we tested our framework and determined that taxonomic diversity metrics calculated using multidimensional methods resulted in concordance between taxonomic and functional diversity responses. By considering functional and taxonomic diversity together and using a gradient approach, we were able to identify some of the mechanisms driving species losses following this extreme disturbance event.

Soyedina parkeri sp. nov. (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) is described from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. This species was recognized as new over 15 years ago by the junior authors but had yet to be formally described until now. Soyedina parkeri sp. nov. appears closely-related only to S. sheldoni Grubbs & Baumann, 2019 due to shared characteristics of the scle­rotized inner member of the epiproct. Soyedina parkeri sp. nov. can be readily separated from all other nine species of eastern Nearctic Soyedina by the broadly rounded apical portion of the outer paraproct lobe.Key words: Plecoptera, Nemouridae, Soyedina, new species, Nearctic, North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The natural hydrologic processes that create and maintain the diversity of aquatic and riparian habitats along the World's streams and rivers have been profoundly altered by humans. Diversion of surface water to support production agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions has degraded ecosystems but also created potential habitat along and in canals specifically designed to transport water. The prevalence of canals and the immense amount of water used for agriculture have created these new artificial stream systems. This study demonstrates the potential for irrigation canals to support riparian and aquatic communities similar to natural streams in urban/residential and agricultural landscapes. We examined the hydrological and ecological characteristics of streams and irrigation canals in urban and agricultural landscapes in northeastern Colorado, typical of regions dominated by irrigation-supported agriculture. Flow patterns in canals depended on their size and had a range of patterns with potential ecological consequences such as rapidly rising and falling water stage, intermittent dry periods, and delayed peak and base flows compared to natural streams. Despite these hydrologic differences, the taxonomic and functional composition of riparian plant and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities indicated that ecological similarities exist between streams and canals, but are dependent, in part, on their landscape setting with stronger similarities in agricultural areas. We also tested the influence of characterizing taxa by functional groups using physiology, ecology and life history traits to explore attributes of habitats including woody canopy structure and water quality. We used a Habitat Quality Index (HQI) that combined physical and biological measures into a single index. Streams scored higher on average within agriculture and urban/residential settings compared to canals; however, one third of urban canals scored above the average of agricultural streams. This multidisciplinary study shows that irrigation canals can be valuable riparian and aquatic habitat, especially in regions with severely degraded streams.

We report 28 species of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) from Colorado (CO). We include the soft ticks (Argasidae) Argas (Argas) cooleyi Kohls and Hoogstraal, Argas (Persicargas) radiatus Railliet, Carios (Alectorobius) concanensis (Cooley and Kohls), Carios (Alectorobius) kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls), Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) hermsi Wheeler et al., Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) parkeri Cooley, Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) turicata (Dugès), Otobius (Otobius) lagophilus Cooley and Kohls, and Otobius (Otobius) megnini (Dugès). We include the metastriate hard ticks (Ixodidae) Dermacentor (Americentor) albipictus (Packard), Dermacentor (Dermacentor) andersoni Stiles, Dermacentor (Dermacentor) parumapertus Neumann, Dermacentor (Dermacentor) variabilis (Say), Haemaphysalis (Aboimisalis) chordeilis (Packard), Haemaphysalis (Gonixodes) leporispalustris (Packard), and Rhipicephalus (Rhipicephalus) sanguineus Latreille. Prostriate hard ticks include Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) angustus Neumann, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) baergi Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Trichotoixodes) brunneus Koch, Ixodes (Scaphixodes) howelli Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) kingi Bishopp, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) marmotae Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) ochotonae Gregson, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) sculptus Neumann, Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) soricis Gregson, Ixodes (Ixodes) spinipalpis Hadwen and Nuttall, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) texanus Banks, and Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) woodi Bishopp. Argas radiatus and Ixodes brunneus represent new state records. Review of collection reports revealed that inclusion of Ixodes (Multidentatus) auritulus (Neumann), Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) cookei Packard, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) marxi Banks, and Ixodes (Ixodes) pacificus Cooley and Kohls is dubious or unconfirmed and, conversely, that C. concanensis and H. chordeilis have distributions that include CO. We list an additional five species occasionally detected and 13 exotic species intercepted in CO. Tick-host associations, geographical distributions, and medical/veterinary importance are included.

1. Livestock grazing and non-native plant species affect rangeland habitats globally. These factors may have important effects on ecosystem services including pollination, yet, interactions between pollinators, grazing, and invasive plants are poorly understood. To address this, we tested the hypothesis that cattle grazing and site colonization by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) impact bee foraging and nesting habitats and the biodiversity of wild bee communities in a shortgrass prairie system. 2. Bee nesting habitats (litter and wood cover) were marginally improved in non-grazed sites, though foraging habitat (floral cover and richness) did not differ among grazed, non-grazed, or cheatgrass colonized sites. However, floral cover was a good predictor of bee abundance and functional dispersion. 3. Mean bee abundance, richness, α-diversity and functional diversity were significantly lower in cattle-grazed habitats than in cheatgrass-colonized or non-grazed habitats. Differences in bee diversity among habitats were pronounced early in the growing season (May) but by late-season (August) these differences eroded. Fourth-corner analysis revealed that sites with high floral cover tended to support large, social, polylectic bees; sites with high grass cover tended to support oligolectic solitary bees. Both cattle-grazed and cheatgrass-colonized sites were associated with lower abundances of above-ground nesting bees but higher abundance of below-ground nesters. 4. Synthesis and applications. Cheatgrass-invaded sites do not appear to be associated with reduced bee biodiversity or abundance, but cattle grazing was negatively associated with bee abundances and altered species composition. Although floral cover is an important predictor of bee assemblages, this was not impacted by grazing and our suggests that cattle likely impact bee communities through effects other than those mediated by forbs, including soil disturbance or nest destruction. Efforts aimed at pollinator conservation in prairie habitats should focus on managing cattle impacts early in the growing season to benefit sensitive bee species.

A fundamental gap in climate change vulnerability research is an understanding of the relative thermal sensitivity of ectotherms. Aquatic insects are vital to stream ecosystem function and biodiversity but insufficiently studied with respect to their thermal physiology. With global temperatures rising at an unprecedented rate, it is imperative that we know how aquatic insects respond to increasing temperature and whether these responses vary among taxa, latitudes, and elevations. We evaluated the thermal sensitivity of standard metabolic rate in stream-dwelling baetid mayflies and perlid stoneflies across a ~2,000 m elevation gradient in the temperate Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA, and the tropical Andes in Napo, Ecuador. We used temperature-controlled water baths and microrespirometry to estimate changes in oxygen consumption. Tropical mayflies generally exhibited greater thermal sensitivity in metabolism compared to temperate mayflies; tropical mayfly metabolic rates increased more rapidly with temperature and the insects more frequently exhibited behavioral signs of thermal stress. By contrast, temperate and tropical stoneflies did not clearly differ. Varied responses to temperature among baetid mayflies and perlid stoneflies may reflect differences in evolutionary history or ecological roles as herbivores and predators, respectively. Our results show that there is physiological variation across elevations and species and that low-elevation tropical mayflies may be especially imperiled by climate warming. Given such variation among species, broad generalizations about the vulnerability of tropical ectotherms should be made more cautiously.

Livestock grazing and non-native plant species affect rangeland habitats globally. These factors may have important effects on ecosystem services including pollination, yet, interactions between pollinators, grazing, and invasive plants are poorly understood. To address this, we tested the hypothesis that cattle grazing and site colonization by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) impact bee foraging and nesting habitats, and the biodiversity of wild bee communities, in a shortgrass prairie system. Bee nesting habitats (litter and wood cover) were marginally improved in non-grazed sites with low cheatgrass cover, though foraging habitat (floral cover and richness, bare soil) did not differ among cattle-grazed sites or non-grazed sites with low or high cheatgrass cover. However, floral cover was a good predictor of bee abundance and functional dispersion. Mean bee abundance, richness, diversity and functional diversity were significantly lower in cattle-grazed habitats than in non-grazed habitats. Differences in bee diversity among habitats were pronounced early in the growing season (May) but by late-season (August) these differences eroded as Melissodes spp. and Bombus spp. became more abundant at study sites. Fourth-corner analysis revealed that sites with high floral cover tended to support large, social, polylectic bees; sites with high grass cover tended to support oligolectic solitary bees. Both cattle-grazed sites and sites with high cheatgrass cover were associated with lower abundances of above-ground nesting bees but higher abundance of below-ground nesters than non-grazed sites with low cheatgrass cover. We conclude that high cheatgrass cover is not associated with reduced bee biodiversity or abundance, but cattle grazing was negatively associated with bee abundances and altered species composition. Although floral cover is an important predictor of bee assemblages, this was not impacted by cattle grazing and our study suggests that cattle likely impact bee communities through effects other than those mediated by forbs, including soil disturbance or nest destruction. Efforts aimed at pollinator conservation in prairie habitats should focus on managing cattle impacts early in the growing season to benefit sensitive bee species.

Species richness is greatest in the tropics, and much of this diversity is concentrated in mountains. Janzen proposed that reduced seasonal temperature variation selects for narrower thermal tolerances and limited dispersal along tropical elevation gradients [Janzen DH (1967) Am Nat 101:233–249]. These locally adapted traits should, in turn, promote reproductive isolation and higher speciation rates in tropical mountains compared with temperate ones. Here, we show that tropical and temperate montane stream insects have diverged in thermal tolerance and dispersal capacity, two key traits that are drivers of isolation in montane populations. Tropical species in each of three insect clades have markedly narrower thermal tolerances and lower dispersal than temperate species, resulting in significantly greater population divergence, higher cryptic diversity, higher tropical speciation rates, and greater accumulation of species over time. Our study also indicates that tropical montane species, with narrower thermal tolerance and reduced dispersal ability, will be especially vulnerable to rapid climate change.

Mayfly larvae and imagos were collected at approximately 50 localities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSU). Included in this material, three species of Labiobaetis Novikova & Kluge, 1987 are recorded, two of them being new to science. Labiobaetispotamoticus Gattolliat & Al Dhafer, sp. n. is described from both larvae and adults, whereas Labiobaetisalahmadii Gattolliat & Al Dhafer, sp. n. is only known from the larval stage. The two species are compared morphologically with Palearctic and Afrotropical species of Labiobaetis. A third species, Labiobaetisglaucus (Agnew, 1961) is reported for the first time from the Arabian Peninsula. The species was originally described from South Africa and subsequently reported from the east and northeast of Africa. A molecular reconstruction including 18 Afrotropical and Palearctic species of Labiobaetis was performed using 658 bp of the mitochondrial gene CO1. The reconstruction highly supported the validity of the two new species and confirmed the occurrence of L.glaucus in KSU.

Summary Janzen's extension of the climate variability hypothesis posits that increased seasonal variation at high latitudes should result in greater temperature overlap across elevations, and favor wider thermal breadths in temperate organisms compared to their tropical counterparts. We tested these predictions by measuring stream temperatures and thermal breadths (i.e. the difference between the critical thermal maximum and minimum) of 62 aquatic insect species from temperate (Colorado, USA) and tropical (Papallacta, Ecuador) streams spanning an elevation gradient of ca. 2000m. Temperate streams exhibited greater seasonal temperature variation and overlap across elevations than tropical streams, and as predicted, temperate aquatic insects exhibited broader thermal breadths than tropical insects. However, elevation had contrasting effects on patterns of thermal breadth. In temperate species, thermal breadth decreased with increasing elevation because CTMAX declined with elevation while CTMIN was similar across elevations. In tropical insects, by contrast, CTMAX declined less sharply than CTMIN with elevation, causing thermal breadth to increase with elevation. These macrophysiological patterns are consistent with the narrower elevation ranges found in other tropical organisms, and they extend Janzen's climate variability hypothesis to freshwater streams. Furthermore, because lowland tropical aquatic insects have the narrowest thermal breadths of any region, they may be particularly vulnerable to short-term extreme changes in stream temperature. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Montane environments around the globe are biodiversity ‘hotspots’ and important reservoirs of genetic diversity. Montane species are also typically more vulnerable to environmental change than their low-elevation counterparts due to restricted ranges and dispersal limitations. Here we focus on two abundant congeneric mayflies (Baetis bicaudatus and B. tricaudatus) from montane streams over an elevation gradient spanning 1400 m. Using single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes, we measured population diversity and vulnerability in these two species by: (i) describing genetic diversity and population structure across elevation gradients to identify mechanisms underlying diversification; (ii) performing spatially explicit landscape analyses to identify environmental drivers of differentiation; and (iii) identifying outlier loci hypothesized to underlie adaptive divergence. Differences in the extent of population structure in these species were evident depending upon their position along the elevation gradient. Heterozygosity, effective population sizes and gene flow all declined with increasing elevation, resulting in substantial population structure in the higher elevation species (B. bicaudatus). At lower elevations, populations of both species are more genetically similar, indicating ongoing gene flow. Isolation by distance was detected at lower elevations only, whereas landscape barriers better predicted genetic distance at higher elevations. At higher elevations, dispersal was restricted due to landscape effects, resulting in greater population isolation. Our results demonstrate differentiation over small spatial scales along an elevation gradient, and highlight the importance of preserving genetic diversity in more isolated high-elevation populations.

The adult male of Allokermes galliformis (Riley, 1881) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Kermesidae) is described for the first time in Colorado, United States of America. This scale insect species recently emerged as a significant pest of red oaks in Colorado through its causative role in drippy blight disease. A description and illustration of the adult male characterize its key external morphological characteristics.

Two new species of Anacroneuria are described. Anacroneuria bandido sp. n. is described from Coclé and Veraguas provinces of central Panama, and A. tuberculata sp. n. is proposed to provide a new name for a species previously identified from Costa Rica as A. magnirufa Jewett, 1958. New locality records are presented for eight species previously reported from Panama. The female of one species from Bocas del Toro province is described under an informal designation. There are now 26 recognized species of Plecoptera known from Panama.

Coprophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) play an important ecological role in the management of grazing and cycling of nutrients within different ecosystems. Seasonal abundance, species richness, and alpha diversity of the dung beetles were investigated in Rawdhat Khorim Nature Preserve in the central Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Adult beetles were trapped using UV light traps biweekly from November 2011 to October 2012 (for a total of 24 nocturnal trap samples). A total of 2,982 dung beetles were caught, representing 22 species in nine genera belonging to the subfamilies of Aphodiinae and Scarabaeinae. The total catch was dominated (58%) by Aphodius pruinosus Reitter and Aphodius wollastoni iranicus Balthasar, with the Aphodiinae constituting 94% of the total beetle richness. Most of the dung beetle species were dwellers (20 species). Aphodius luridus (F.) and Granulopsammodius plicatulus (Fairmaire) are new records for KSA. Abundance, richness, and alpha diversity of dung beetles peaked during spring. Alpha diversity increased with higher average air temperatures. Dung beetle abundance was positively correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index. Two clusters of species phenology were apparent, a summer-active group and those not active during the summer months. Our findings may enhance the understanding of dung beetle ecology in the rawdhat network within hyper-arid ecosystems of Arabian Peninsula and sustainable management of dung beetles for nutrient reincorporation through the consumption and storage of dung in the soil.

The Napo Basin in Ecuador is an important drainage of the Amazon Basin, the most biodiverse ecosystem for freshwater species. At the same time, this basin has conspicuous information gaps on its biodiversity patterns and human threats. Here, we estimated the diversity distribution patterns of freshwater vertebrates and invertebrates in the Napo Basin, as a tool for present and future management and conservation efforts. Also, we assessed the spatial congruence of the diversity patterns observed between aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. For this, we compiled occurrence records for 481 freshwater vertebrate species (amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish), and 54 invertebrate families obtained across an altitudinal gradient of the basin (200–4500 m). Using these occurrence records and environmental variables, we modeled the distribution of each vertebrate species and invertebrate family. Then, we stacked these distributions to build species richness maps for vertebrates, and a family richness m...

An agricultural field in southeastern Colorado grown under drip irrigation in 2014 allowed for observations related to the life history of immature stages of the asilid Diogmites angustipennis Loew. A survey of holes in the soil surface made during recent pupal eclosion provided an estimate that approximately 6,670 D. angustipennis/hectare had recently emerged at the site. The field had been in furrow irrigated field corn the previous three seasons indicating that larval stages of this species can develop sizable populations within cultivated fields. Larval prey were not observed, but the most abundant potential prey in this site would have been immature stages of diabroticine beetles.

More than a century of dam construction and water development in the western United States has led to extensive ecological alteration of rivers. Growing interest in improving river function is compelling practitioners to consider ecological restoration when managing dams and water extraction. We developed an Ecological Response Model (ERM) for the Cache la Poudre River, northern Colorado, USA, to illuminate effects of current and possible future water management and climate change. We used empirical data and modeled interactions among multiple ecosystem components to capture system-wide insights not possible with the unintegrated models commonly used in environmental assessments. The ERM results showed additional flow regime modification would further alter the structure and function of Poudre River aquatic and riparian ecosystems due to multiple and interacting stressors. Model predictions illustrated that specific peak flow magnitudes in spring and early summer are critical for substrate mobilization, dynamic channel morphology, and overbank flows, with strong subsequent effects on instream and riparian biota that varied seasonally and spatially, allowing exploration of nuanced management scenarios. Instream biological indicators benefitted from higher and more stable base flows and high peak flows, but stable base flows with low peak flows were only half as effective to increase indicators. Improving base flows while reducing peak flows, as currently proposed for the Cache la Poudre River, would further reduce ecosystem function. Modeling showed that even presently depleted annual flow volumes can achieve substantially different ecological outcomes in designed flow scenarios, while still supporting social demands. Model predictions demonstrated that implementing designed flows in a natural pattern, with attention to base and peak flows, may be needed to preserve or improve ecosystem function of the Poudre River. Improved regulatory policies would include preservation of ecosystem-level, flow-related processes and adaptive management when water development projects are considered.

This contribution describes seven new species of fossil stoneflies from Cretaceous Burmese amber, all of which are dedicated to present and past members of the Rolling Stones. Two species—Petroperla mickjaggerigen. nov. sp. nov. andLapisperla keithrichardsigen. nov. sp. nov.—are placed in a new family Petroperlidae within the stemline of Systellognatha. The first Cretaceous larval specimen of Acroneuriinae,Electroneuria ronwoodigen. nov. sp. nov., is also described along with another four new species that are placed within the Acroneuriinae genusLargusoperlaChen et al., 2018:Largusoperla charliewattsisp. nov.,Largusoperla brianjonesisp. nov.,Largusoperla micktaylorisp. nov., andLargusoperla billwymanisp. nov. Additional specimens of Acroneuriinae are described without formal assignment to new species due to insufficient preservation. Implications for stonefly phylogeny and palaeobiogeography are discussed.

In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of Perlesta teaysia. The complete mitochondrial genome was 16,023 bp in length, including 37 typical genes and a control region. The overall nuc...

Currently, a total of 267 stonefly species are known for Canada. The biodiversity hotspot of Canadian stoneflies is British Columbia with at least 138 species, nearly 52% of all species known from Canada. Four families, the Perlodidae, Capniidae, Chloroperlidae, and Nemouridae, contain nearly 75% of all species known to occur in Canada. The family with the fewest species represented in Canada is the Peltoperlidae. The stonefly fauna of Canada consists of two major faunal assemblages, west and east. The western clade consists of those species inhabiting Manitoba, all provinces to the west, and the three territories. The eastern clade consists of species from Ontario eastward. The two clades share only 29 species (10.9% of the Canadian total), suggesting a separate origin for each clade. The available taxonomic literature for the stoneflies of Canada is reviewed.

SUMMARY 1. Relatively high b-diversity among aquatic insect communities inhabiting high-elevation streams is most commonly presumed to result from increased dispersal limitation between isolated mountaintop ‘islands’. However, these elevational patterns of b-diversity have been predominately drawn from observed changes in community composition along single-thread channels, where the downstream increase in habitat size and hydrologic connectivity provides potential alternative explanations. 2. In this study, we applied an alternative conceptual ‘tributary model’ to ask whether patterns of aquatic insect b-diversity in similar-sized, hydrologically disconnected streams showed a similar elevational gradient in diversity patterns as previously reported for conceptual ‘mainstem model’ studies. Aquatic insects were sampled from 24 low-order, montane streams that are tributaries to larger rivers in three adjacent catchments spanning c. 2000–3500 m in elevation. We used relative abundance data to quantify two types of b-diversity: (i) community turnover-b, or the change in local diversity among adjacent streams along the elevational gradient within each catchment, and (ii) community variation-b, or the change in local diversity among all streams within three elevation zones combined across catchments. 3. Our results provided evidence of no relationship between b-diversity and elevation in aquatic insect communities in small montane streams. Community turnover-b was found to be consistently high among sites within catchments and displayed no significant trend across the elevational gradient for any catchment. Community variation-b showed a nonlinear response to elevation, with sites in the high-elevation and low-elevation zones having similarly high community variation-b compared to sites in the mid-elevation zone. 4. Our ‘tributary model’ results provide the first evidence that b-diversity among small, isolated streams can have similar turnover rates across broad elevational gradients. Our results also show similar patterns of b-diversity among low- and high-elevation tributaries, suggesting that dispersal limitation is not restricted to high-elevation streams.

The 1967 treatment of the Mosquitoes of Colorado by Harmston and Lawson and subsequent publications have recorded 46 culicid species from Colorado. As part of a study to create an updated synopsis of the mosquitoes of Colorado, adult trapping at numerous localities was conducted in Colorado during the summers of 2013 and 2014. This review also included an examination of mosquito specimens in various relevant museum collections. Aedes (Ochlerotatus) niphadopsis and Ae. (Och.) spencerii spencerii were collected during the 2013 and 2014 field seasons. Records for Ae. (Och.) canadensis canadensis, Ae. (Stegomyia) aegypti, and Uranotaenia (Pseudoficalbia) anhydor syntheta were obtained from examination of museum specimens. These species constitute new state records for Colorado, with 51 species now known from the state.

Verdone, Chris J., Kondratieff, Boris C., DeWalt, R. Edward, South, Eric J. (2017): Studies On The Stoneflies Of Georgia With The Description Of A New Species Of Soyedina Ricker, New State Records And An Annotated Checklist. Illiesia 13 (3): 30-49, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4761063, {"references":["Banks N. 1914. New neuropteroid insects, native and exotic. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1:608-632.","Baumann, R.W. 1974. What is Alloperla imbecilla (Say)? Designation of a neotype, and a new Alloperla from eastern North America (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 87:257- 264.","Baumann, R.W. & S.A. Grubbs. 1996. Two new species of Soyedina (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from the Appalachian Mountains. Entomological News, 107(4):220-224. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2700498","Beaty, S.R. 2015. 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Ohio USA stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera): species richness estimation, distribution of functional niche traits, drainage affiliations, and relationships to other states. ZooKeys, 178, p.1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PM C3317619/pdf/ZooKeys-178-001.pdf","Frison, T.H. 1935. The stoneflies, or Plecoptera of Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin, 20:281-467. http://www.nativefishlab.net/library /textpdf/18843.pdf","Frison, T.H. 1942. Studies of North American Plecoptera with special reference to the fauna of Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin, 21:78-99.","Fullington, K.E. & K.W. Stewart. 1980. Nymphs of the stonefly genus Taeniopteryx (Plecoptera: Taeniopterygidae) of North America. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 53:237-259.","Grubbs, S.A. 2006. Allocapnia sano, a new species of snowfly (Plecoptera: Capniidae) from Alabama, USA, plus six new state records. Zootaxa, 1197(1):39-43. https://www.researchgate.net/ profile/Scott_Grubbs/publication/228919016","Grubbs, S.A. 2011. A review of stonefly (Insecta; Plecoptera) taxonomic research in Alabama, with new state records and an updated checklist. Illiesia, 7(2):24-30. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/ papers/Illiesia07-02.pdf","Grubbs, S.A. 2012. An amended redescription of the male of Perlesta etnieri (Plecoptera: Perlidae) plus new Perlesta state records. Illiesia, 8(9):111-113. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/papers/Illiesia08-09.pdf","Grubbs, S.A. 2015. Leuctra schusteri, a new stonefly species (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) of the L. tenuis (Pictet) group from the southeastern USA. Illiesia, 11(12):147-166. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/papers/Illiesia11-12.pdf","Grubbs, S.A. & A.L. Sheldon. 2008. Allocapnia muskogee and A. menawa, new species of snowflies (Plecoptera: Capniidae) from the Talladega National Forest region of eastern Alabama, USA, plus four new state records. Illiesia, 4(11):99-109. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org /papers/Illiesia04-11.pdf","Grubbs, S.A. & R.E. DeWalt. 2008. Taxonomic and distributional notes on Perlesta teaysia, P. golconda, and P. shawnee (Plecoptera: Perlidae). Illiesia, 4(14):143-149. Illiesia, 4(14):143-149. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/papers/Illiesia04-14.pdf","Grubbs S.A. & R.E. DeWalt. 2012. Perlesta ephelida, a new Nearctic stonefly species (Plecoptera, Perlidae). ZooKeys 194: 1-15. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.194.2972","Grubbs, S.A., B.C. Kondratieff, B.P. Stark & R.E. DeWalt. 2013. A review of the Nearctic genus Zealeuctra Ricker (Plecoptera, Leuctridae), with the description of a new species from the Cumberland Plateau region of eastern North America. ZooKeys, 344:17-47. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.344.5912","Grubbs, S.A., M. Pessino & R.E. DeWalt. 2012. Michigan Plecoptera (stoneflies): distribution patterns and an updated species list. Illiesia, 8(18):162-173. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/papers/ Illiesia08-18.pdf","Grubbs, S.A., R.W. Baumann, R.E. DeWalt & T. Tweddale. 2014. A review of the Nearctic genus Prostoia (Ricker) (Plecoptera, Nemouridae), with the description of a new species and a surprising range extension for P. hallasi Kondratieff & Kirchner. ZooKeys, 401:11-30. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.401.7299","Harper, P.P. & H.B.N. Hynes. 1971. The Leuctridae of eastern Canada (Insecta; Plecoptera). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 49(6):915-920. http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.11 39/z71-136","Harrison, A.B. & B.P. Stark. 2010. Two new species of stoneflies in the Leuctra ferruginea group (Plecoptera: Leuctridae), with notes on the Leuctra species known for Mississippi and Alabama, U.S.A. Illiesia, 6(03):16-33. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/papers/Illiesia06-03.pdf","James, A.M. 1972. The stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Alabama. Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. 169 pp.","Kondratieff, B.C. & C.H. Nelson. 1995. A review of the genus Remenus Ricker (Plecoptera: Perlodidae), with the description of two new species. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 97(3): 596-602.","Kondratieff, B.C. & R.F. Kirchner. 1987. Additions, taxonomic corrections, and faunal affinities of the stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Virginia, USA. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 89:24-30. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16262424","Kondratieff, B.C. & R.F. Kirchner. 2002. Perlesta etnieri (Plecoptera: Perlidae), a new species of stonefly from Tennessee. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 104:51-55. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16173598","Kondratieff, B.C., C.J. Verdone & S. Roble. 2017. New records of stoneflies (Plecoptera) from Virginia, U.S.A. Perla, 35:22-27. http://plecoptera.speciesfile.org/HomePage/Plec optera/LitArchive/PerlaNo35_2017.pdf","Kondratieff, B.C., R.F. Kirchner & D.R. Lenat. 1995. A review of stonefly records (Plecoptera: Hexapoda) of North Carolina and South Carolina. Brimleyana, (23):25-40. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26763 1352_A_Review_of_Stonefly_Records_Plecopter a_Hexapoda_of_North_Carolina_and_South_C arolina","Lenat, D.R., R.E. Zuellig B.C. Kondratieff & S.R. Beaty. 2009. Distribution of Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) in North Carolina, with new state records for three species. Illiesia, 5(15):164-168. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/papers/Illiesia05- 15.pdf","Lund, H.O. 1954. Perry Wilbur Fattig 1881-1953. Journal of Economic Entomology, 47(2):352. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/47.2.352","Myers, L.W. & B.C. Kondratieff. 2009. Descriptions of the nymphs of eastern North Americans of Cultus (Plecoptera: Perlodidae). New York Entomological Society, 115(2):109-114.","Needham, J.G. & L.W. Smith. 1916. The stoneflies of the genus Peltoperla. The Canadian Entomologist, 48(3):80-88.","Needham, J.G. & P.W. Claassen. 1925. Monograph of the Plecoptera or stoneflies of America, north of Mexico. Entomological Society of America, Thomas Say Foundation, 2:1-397.","Nelson, C.H. 1982. Notes on the life histories of Strophopteryx limata (Frison) and Oemopteryx contorta (Needham and Claassen) (Plecoptera: Taeniopterygidae) in Tennessee. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science, 57:9-15.","Nelson, C.H. & J.F. Hanson. 1971. Contribution to the anatomy and phylogeny of the family Pteronarcyidae (Plecoptera). Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 97(1):123-200.","Newman, E. 1838. Entomological notes. The Magazine of Natural History, 5:168-181, 372- 402, 483-500.","Newman, E. 1839. On the synonymy of the Perlites, together with brief characters of the old, and of a few new species. The Magazine of Natural History, 3:32-37, 84-90.","Parker, C.R., O.S. Flint Jr., L.M. Jacobus, B.C. Kondratieff, W.P. McCafferty & J.C. Morse. 2007. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Megaloptera, and Trichoptera of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Southeastern Naturalist, 6(sp2):159-174. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4541006.pdf","Ricker, W.E. 1938. Notes on specimens of American Plecoptera in European collections. Transactions of the Royal Canadian Institute, 22(1):129-156.","Ricker, W.E. 1949. The North American species of Paragnetina (Plecoptera, Perlidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 42(3):279-288. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/42.3.279","Ricker, W.E. 1952. Systematic studies of Plecoptera. Indiana University Publications Science Series, 18:1-200. http://www.nativefishlab.net/library/ textpdf/16861.pdf","Ricker, W.E. & H.H. Ross. 1968. North American species of Taeniopteryx (Plecoptera, Insecta). Journal of the Fisheries Board of Canada, 25(7): 1423-1439.","Ross, H.H. & W.E. Ricker. 1971. The classification, evolution, and dispersal of the winter stonefly genus Allocapnia. Illinois Biological Monographs 45. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois. 166 pp. http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream /handle/2142/27332/classificationev45ross.pdf","Stark, B.P. 1986. The Nearctic species of Agnetina (Plecoptera: Perlidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 59:437-445. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25084804.pdf","Stark, B.P. 1989. Perlesta placida (Hagen), an eastern Nearctic species complex (Plecoptera: Perlidae). Insect Systematics & Evolution, 20(3):263-286.","Stark, B.P. 1990. Neoperla clymene revisited: systematics of the Nearctic species complexes (Plecoptera: Perlidae). Pp. 299-310. In: Mayflies and stoneflies life histories and biology: proceedings of the 5th International Ephemeroptera Conference and the 9th International Plecoptera Conference. Campbell, I.C. (Ed.) (Vol. 44). Kluwer Academic Publishers, 366 pp. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007% 2F978-94-009-2397-3.pdf","Stark, B.P. 2004. Perlidae (The Stones) Pp. 61-148. In: Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of eastern North America, Volume II, Chloroperlidae, Perlidae, and Perlodidae (Perlodinae). B.P. Stark, B.J. Armitage (Eds.) Bulletin of the Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, Ohio. 192 pp.","Stark, B.P., A.B. Harrison & K.C. Nye. 2016. Records of an uncommon stonefly, Nemocapnia carolina Banks (Plecoptera: Capniidae), in South Carolina and nearby states. Illiesia, 12(02):10-14. http://illiesia.speciesfile.org/papers/Illiesia12-02.pdf","Stark, B.P. & A.R. Gaufin. 1976. The Nearctic species of Acroneuria (Plecoptera: Perlidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 49(2):221-253. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25082817.pdf","Stark, B.P. & D.H. Ray. 1983. A revision of the genus Helopicus (Plecoptera: Perlodidae). Freshwater Invertebrate Biology, 2(1):16-27.","Stark, B.P. & J.W. Kyzar. 2001. 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The ecological and evolutionary consequences of extreme events are poorly understood. Here, we tested predictions about species persistence and population genomic change in aquatic insects in 14 Colorado mountain streams across a hydrological disturbance gradient caused by a one in 500-year rainfall event. Taxa persistence ranged from 39 to 77% across sites and declined with increasing disturbance in relation to species' resistance and resilience traits. For taxa with mobile larvae and terrestrial adult stages present at the time of the flood, average persistence was 84% compared to 25% for immobile taxa that lacked terrestrial adults. For two of six species analysed, genomic diversity (allelic richness) declined after the event. For one species it greatly expanded, suggesting resilience via re-colonisation from upstream populations. Thus, while resistance and resilience traits can explain species persistence to extreme disturbance, population genomic change varies among species, challenging generalisations about evolutionary responses to extreme events at landscape scales.

The disjunct, extant distribution of stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera) can be explained either (mainly) by vicariance resulting from the splitting of the super-continent Pangaea, or (mainly) by multiple extinctions. The assignment of Sinosharaperla zhaoi, from the Early Cretaceous of north-eastern China, to a suborder currently inhabiting the southern hemisphere, Antarctoperlaria, supported the proposed ‘extinction’ scenario. However, our investigation of this species demonstrates that it actually belongs to the Systellognatha, a widespread group of extant stoneflies.

In order to accommodate a newly discovered fossil specimen related to a subset of extant needle stoneflies (Leuctridae sensu Zwick, 2000), we provide a comparative analysis of the wing venation of these insects, and of their close relatives, primarily based on extant material. A number of character states potentially supporting monophyletic taxa are identified, and are used to erect taxon names under the cladotypic nomenclatural procedure. We introduce a new standard definition in which the mention of the antonym of the defining character state is applied. The proposed taxa, and taxa inclusiveness, are as follows: Nemouromorpha > Capniida/Leuctrida/‘Nemouridae s.l.’, and Leuctrida > Exeleuctrida > Mioleuctrida & Eleuctrida > Collaleuctrida. This scheme allowed us to tentatively accommodate several fossil species described earlier and the new specimen, left undetermined at the genus and species levels, but assigned to Collaleuctrida. To optimize retrieval of hierarchical information, we introduce the use of ‘nec’ (Latin for ‘but not’) into the taxonomic address to indicate exclusion from a taxon. For example, Mioleuctrida nec Collaleuctrida †yehae indicates that †yehae can be assigned to Mioleuctrida but can also be conclusively excluded from Collaleuctrida. Based on the investigated case, it is finally argued that the cladotypic nomenclatural procedure is optimal regarding name use and numbers, and allows adequate treatment of homoplasy.

Elevation gradients allow scientists to observe changes in fauna over a range of abiotic conditions. A variety of trends in aquatic insect diversity patterns across elevation have been reported. However, many of these studies are confounded because they include streams at lower elevations, which are often larger in size and more polluted than their higher-elevation counterparts. Moreover, such studies always relied solely on morphological delineation of taxa, thereby potentially overlooking cryptic diversity. We reduced these limitations by sampling only minimally impacted wadeable streams across an elevation gradient and by combining morphological taxonomy with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) barcoding to identify taxa. We collected numerically abundant Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) from single streams at ∼200-m elevation intervals across >1000-m transects in 3 watersheds draining the eastern slope of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Based on morphology alone, we identified 49 numeric...

The aquatic macroinvertebrates of Sand Creek, a first order Front Range Colorado stream, were surveyed from March–September 2012 with an additional winter adult collecting trip on 2 March 2013 using both qualitative and quantitative techniques, emphasizing EPT (Ephemeroptera/Plecoptera/Trichoptera) taxa. One hundred and thirty macroinvertebrate taxa were identified from both qualitative samples and quantitative benthic samples. Of these, 53 mayfly/stonefly/caddisfly species were collected from Sand Creek, a remarkable number for such a small Front Range stream. The macroinvertebrate community of Sand Creek is dominated by collector-gatherers (50–76%), collector-filterers (9–33%) and shredders (3–24%), with the other feeding guilds comprising low overall percentages of the community. The collector-gatherer taxa were primarily mayfly taxa, chironomid midges, stratiomyid flies, the elmid genus Optioservus, and oligochaete worms; collector-filterers were primarily net spinning hydropsychid caddisflie...

The widespread eastern North American mydas fly, Mydas clavatus (Drury, 1773) is reported for the first time from eastern Colorado. Including M. clavatus, six species of Mydidae are now known from Colorado. these also include M. luteipennis Loew, 1866, M. xanthopterus Loew, 1866, Nemomydas solitarius (Johnson, 1926), N. venosus (Loew, 1866), and Phyllomydas phyllocerus Bigot, 1880.

Terrestrial insects associated with shrubs at Pawnee National Grassland in northeastern Colorado and Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado were identified to family or genus with some taxa to species. Six species of grassland shrubs were sampled using a funnel-bucket method each month from June-September 2014 and 2015. Insect diversity and abundance differed between the grasslands. Chrysomelidae, Cicadellidae, Cleridae, Formicidae, Meloidae, and Miridae were abundant at Pawnee National Grassland, primarily from four-winged saltbush (Atriplex canescens) (Pursh.) Nutt). Acrididae, Aphididae, Chrysomelidae, Cleridae, Coccinellidae, Formicidae, Lygaeidae, Miridae, and Reduviidae collected from sandsage (Artemisia filifolia Torr.), four-winged saltbush, rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa (Pallas ex. Pursh), greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus (Hook) Torr.), skunkbush (Rhus trilobata Nutt.), and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma (Engelm.) were abundant at Comanche National Grassland.

The stonefly genus Zealeuctra (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) is endemic to the central and eastern Nearctic regions and is presently comprised of 10 species. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine and redescribe two important diagnostic features typically used to identify and define the adult male stage: the large, anteriorly-recurved epiproct and the medial cleft of the ninth abdominal tergite. SEM was also employed to depict the posteromedial portion of female 7th sternum. A new species, Z. ukayodi sp. n., is described from the Cumberland Plateau region of northeastern Alabama and Tennessee. The new species appears superficially similar to Z. talladega Grubbs, but is easily differentiated by characteristics of the male medial cleft. An updated taxonomic key to the males of Zealeuctra is provided.

DNA barcoding was intended as a means to provide species-level identifications through associating DNA sequences from unknown specimens to those from curated reference specimens. Although barcodes were not designed for phylogenetics, they can be beneficial to the completion of the Tree of Life. The barcode database for Trichoptera is relatively comprehensive, with data from every family, approximately two-thirds of the genera, and one-third of the described species. Most Trichoptera, as with most of life's species, have never been subjected to any formal phylogenetic analysis. Here, we present a phylogeny with over 16 000 unique haplotypes as a working hypothesis that can be updated as our estimates improve. We suggest a strategy of implementing constrained tree searches, which allow larger datasets to dictate the backbone phylogeny, while the barcode data fill out the tips of the tree. We also discuss how this phylogeny could be used to focus taxonomic attention on ambiguous species boundaries and hidden biodiversity. We suggest that systematists continue to differentiate between ‘Barcode Index Numbers’ (BINs) and ‘species’ that have been formally described. Each has utility, but they are not synonyms. We highlight examples of integrative taxonomy, using both barcodes and morphology for species description. This article is part of the themed issue ‘From DNA barcodes to biomes’.

This study was conducted as a part of a comprehensive baseline survey of insect biodiversity of Rawdhat Khorim National Park (RKNP), Central Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). During this study a total of 262 Coleoptera species belong to 182 genera in 35 families were identified, of which 247 are named at a species level. Fifteen species (6.0%) are apparently endemic to KSA. Thirty-eight species are new to the known beetle fauna of KSA, including 25 species reported from the Arabian Peninsula for the first time. The families Tenebrionidae (45 species), Scarabaeidae (34 species), and Carabidae (27 species) were the most species rich families. About 37% of the beetle abundance was represented by species of Scarabaeidae, especially Aphodius ictericus ghardimaouensis Balthasar. Karumia inaequalis Pic (Dascillidae) was also an abundant species. Approximately 43.5% of beetle species collected during this study are considered very rare taxa in RKNP. The RKNP beetle fauna shows more affinity to Sahro-Arabian (36.4%), Afrotropical-Sahro-Arabian (17.4%) and Palaearctic-Sahro-Arabian (10.5%). Twenty-three species (9.3%) are considered cosmopolitan or subcosmopolitan. The data on month of collection, method of collection, and abundance status within RKNP, together with the distribution within KSA and the general distribution (zoogeography) of each species are presented.

The fossil record of Plecoptera (stoneflies) is considered relatively complete, with stem-groups of each of the three major lineages, viz. Antarctoperlaria, Euholognatha and Systellognatha (and some of their families) represented in the Mesozoic. However, the family Pteronarcyidae (the salmonflies; including two genera, Pteronarcys and Pteronarcella) has no fossil record to date, and the family has been suggested to have diverged recently. In this paper, we report on a set of specimens belonging to a new fossil species of stonefly, discovered from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou locality (China). Our comparative analysis of wing venation and body characters demonstrates that the new species belongs to the Pteronarcyidae, and is more closely related to Pteronarcys than to Pteronarcella. However, it differs from all known species of the former genus. It is therefore assigned to a new genus and named Pteroliriope sinitshenkovae gen. et sp. nov. under the traditional nomenclatural procedure. The cladotypic nomenclatural procedure is also employed, with the resulting combination Pteroliriope nec Pteronarcys sinitshenkovae sp. nov. The first discovery of a fossil member of the Pteronarcyidae demonstrates that the corresponding lineage is not a very recent offshoot but was already present ca. 165 million years ago. This discovery concurs with the view that divergence of most stonefly families took place very early, probably in the Triassic, or even in the Permian. This contribution demonstrates the need for (re-)investigations of the systematics of fossil stoneflies to refine divergence date estimates for Plecoptera lineages.

James Needham and Cornelius Betten in 1901 published one the first studies of aquatic insects in North America providing life history information for a number of taxa, and descriptions of 10 new species and two new genera from the Adirondacks in New York. However, since this early publication, relatively little taxonomic research and field surveys have been conducted targeting aquatic insects in the Adirondack Park. The diverse array of aquatic habitats present in New York harbors numerous aquatic insect taxa. Research funded by the NYSDEC State Wildlife Grants and the NYS Biodiversity Research Institute on Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera biodiversity in eastern New York have resulted in the first ever comprehensive assessment of aquatic insects in the region. Distributional records were obtained from primary literature, institutional collections and field surveys. During our four-year study of the Park more than 25,000 specimens from 465 locations were examined. We report 509 species o...

We evaluated the effects of soil amendments on earthworm communities in organic annual forage and perennial pasture systems in northern Colorado. In the annual forage study (1) an annual warm season grass teff ( Eragrostis tef ) and (2) bare fallow were main plot treatments and received one of three soil amendments: (1) composted dairy manure (CDM), (2) raw dairy manure (RDM), and (3) no amendment as control. For the perennial pasture study, CDM was topdressed onto a grass mixture consisting of orchardgrass, smooth and meadow bromegrass at rates ranging from 0 to 44.8 Mg ha −1 . At both sites, earthworm and soil samples were collected in July 2009. The earthworms identified from both systems were composed of endogeic species Aporrectodea rosea (Savigny), A. tuberculata (Eisen), and A. turgida (Eisen), the first being found only in the perennial pasture. In the annual forage study, earthworm total abundance did not differ between teff and bare fallow treatments. However, within bare fallow treatment, earthworm total abundance was significantly affected by soil amendment, with CDM averaging approximately 1.4 and 5.4 times greater earthworm total abundance than RDM and the control, respectively. Earthworm total abundance was found to be positively correlated with soil Cu ( R = 0.51, P = 0.03) and K ( R = 0.58, P = 0.01). In the perennial pasture, earthworm total abundance tended to increase with an increase in the CDM rate to 33.6 Mg ha −1 . However, no further increase was observed when the CDM rate was increased to 44.8 Mg ha −1 . At this site, earthworm total abundance was negatively correlated with EC ( R = −0.37, P = 0.02). Our results suggest that high quality (low C/N ratio) dairy manure is important for maintaining a high earthworm population. Larger CDM application rates appear to discourage earthworm populations probably due to salinity stress. Further study is necessary to elucidate the exact effects of manure quality and quantity on earthworm populations in annual forages and perennial pastures.