Collecting & Training in California, USA May 2004

The fieldtrip to California represented an intensive effort in field training for host recognition and documentation. Trainees included postdocs Christiane Weirauch and Denise Wyniger & PhD candidate Dimitri Forero. Collecting & Training in California, USA May 2004

PBI Participants also included (rear left to right) Senior Scientist Michael Schwartz, PI Randall (Toby) Schuh & Co-PI Gerry Cassis.

Co-PI Gerry demonstrates techniques for collecting on dense woody shrubs in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A focal area for the California trip because it is diverse but poorly sampled.

Michael & Gerry collecting in an oak woodland typical of foothill vegetation surrounding the central valley of California.

Denise demonstrates the use of an aspirator for picking up plant bugs once they have been beaten from the vegetation.

Michael, Toby & Gerry discussing the identity of plant bugs collected at a site containing a mixture of pines and oaks.

Team members discuss host plant documentation in the field.

Gerry checking labeling of individual killing tubes during the preparation of field notes.

Christiane, Dimitri and Denise discussing their catch.

Toby preparing photo documentation of host plants which will become part of the PBI website image archive.

Denise uses plant shears to acquire herbarium quality host plant vouchers.

Michael and Toby packing host plant materials before movement to the next collecting site. The approach of using heavy polyethylene bags, of the type shown here, prevents desiccation and maintains specimen quality.

One vegetation type rich in host plants was found at mid elevations in Mariposa County in the north central Sierra Nevada Mountains. This location included species of Adenostoma, Arctostaphylos, Quercus & Pinus, all of which harbor multiple PBI target organisms.

In drier foothill habitats team members collected multiple species of Orthotylinae and Phylinae on Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, green rabbit brush.

The western Mojave Desert near Palmdale offered a rich selection of plant bug hosts including Larrea (creosote), Prunus, Salazaria, and Ephedra.

Most members of the Orthotylinae and Phylinae occur on their hosts during the stage of active flowering as is the case for this Haplopappus sp.

Fremontodendron californicum, one of a few members of the family Sterculeaceae in North America, serves as the host of Tuxedo drakei and several other PBI target organisms.

Salvia dorrii shown here, was clearly documented as the host of Plagiognathus salviae.

Salazaria mexicana serves as the host plant for Larinocerus balius an unusual phyline plant bug with greatly enlarged antennae ornamented with black scales.

Species of Cercocarpus, in the rose family, serve as hosts of numerous species of Miridae in western North America.

This member of the widely distributed Solanaceous genus Lycium was documented as the host of an undescribed genus and species of Phylinae occurring only in the western Mojave Desert.

Evenings were devoted to processing the daily catch. Specimens from individual hosts were placed in between layers of cellucotton placed in small white jewelry boxes.

Senior investigators Michael & Toby selected specimens to be borrowed from the California Academy of Sciences.

Co-PI Gerry examined collections at the University of California at Berkeley. • The PBI team borrowed more than 8000 specimens, which augment our knowledge of the diverse California fauna.

Trip Results: • ~15,000 plant bugs collected • new species were discovered • ~170 host plants documented

Collecting & Training in California, USA May 2004