Category Archives: Exotics

Alaska freshwater crustacean news: crayfish reproducing in Alaska and a new obscure, interstitial, subterranean arthropod from Alaska

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Signal crayfish breeding in the Buskin River drainage, Kodiak Island

It appears that the signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, is now established in Alaska.  See the articles below.

Invasive Species Breeding in Buskin River
http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6769&Itemid=2

Another Crawdaddy Found in Buskin
http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6580&Itemid=2

A new species of bathynellid from Alaska

Camacho, A.I., R.L. Newell, Z. Crete, B.A. Dorda, A.Casado., and I. Rey. 2015. Northernmost discovery of Bathynellacea (Syncarida: Bathynellidae) with description of a new species of Pacificabathynella from Alaska (USA). Journal of Natural History. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2015.1083621

From the abstract:

A new species of the genus Pacificabathynella Schminke and Noodt, 1988 is described from groundwaters of Alaska (USA). This is the first record of Bathynellacea Chappuis, 1915 from the far north of America.

These were from the Kwethluk River (60.34520N, 161.089146W) on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.

 

Alder (Alnus incana tenuifolia) mortality agent complex effects on riparian zone habitat

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Distribution of alder dieback mapped during 2011 Aerial Detection Survey.

Distribution of alder dieback mapped during 2011 Aerial Detection Survey.

The report including this chapter was published in May 2015.

Citation:
Kruse J.J., L. Winton, N. Lisuzzo, G. Adams, K. Zogas, and S. Swenson. 2015. Alder (Alnus incana tenuifolia) mortality agent complex effects on riparian zone habitat. pp. 187-195 in Potter, K. M. and B.L. Conkling, eds. Forest health monitoring: national status, trends, and analysis 2013. General Technical Report SRS-207. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Asheville North Carolina. http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/48361

Entomology presentations from the 2013 Alaska Invasive Species Conference

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Two entomology talks were given at this year’s Alaska Invasive Species Conference in Fairbanks, Alaska on November 5-7.  I learned from reading through both of the presentations, which are now available via the links below.

Alaskan Arthropods: Documenting a Growing Fauna
Derek Sikes, University of Alaska Museum and Matt Bowser, US Fish & Wildlife Service

The Green Alder Sawfly
Elizabeth Graham, USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection

Refuge Notebook: Black widows take terminal trips to Alaska

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The article, as part of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge‘s weekly Refuge Notebook series, appeared in the Peninsula Clarion and the Refuge’s website.

Peninsula Clarion version
http://peninsulaclarion.com/outdoors/2013-10-24/refuge-notebook-black-widows-take-terminal-trips-to-alaska

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge version
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Kenai/community/2013_article/10252013.html

DSCN3534_KNWR-Ento-8993

Black widow (Latrodectus sp.) specimen KNWR:Ento:8993 in the collection of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

It appears that black widows travel to Alaska quite frequently.

In addition to the Alaska black widow records mentioned in the article, Joey Slowik wrote me that several people brought him black widows obtained from the Fairbanks area while he lived there, which I think would have been in the 2000s.

Today, Bruce King, retired fisheries biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, wrote to me that he has an adult black widow specimen found in grapes from the Soldotna Fred Meyer last November.

Related media reports
Juneau Empire, August 12, 2002: Black widow spider hitches a ride to Juneau
Peninsula Clarion, May 3, 2005: Lawn chair spins scary tale
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, April 19, 2013: Alaska girl finds wandering spider in banana bunch

Specimen records
Anchorage, November 16, 2008 (UAM:Ento:94908)
Kenai, September 27, 2013 (KNWR:Ento:8993)