2000 INVERTEBRATES IN CAPTIVITY CONFERENCE

Paper Abstracts

BUTTERFLY BONANZA
Moderator: Zack Lemann, Audubon Institute

The South Carolina Butterfly Project
Joe Culin, Department of Entomology, Clemson University
This project has worked with elementary and middle schools from across SC to design, implement, and maintain butterfly gardens on their properties specifically for use as outdoor classrooms. Gardens have been used for science, math, language arts, geography, and visual arts. Of the nearly 100 schools that have participated in the project (50 schools / year) nearly 60 schools have continued with project activities. Some project teachers have had their students conducting butterfly census counts in their gardens and submitting the data to the project's web site (http://butterfly.clemson.edu).

The Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network: An Ongoing Volunteer-based Butterfly Census from Natural Areas in Illinois
Doug Taron, Chicago Academy of Science
Since 1987, the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network has allowed citizen scientists to participate in monitoring butterfly populations on managed natural areas in Illinois. Butterflies were monitored by Pollard type transects. The Network protocol involves running a minimum of 4 such transects between 15 June and 31 July. The program has grown from 7 sites in 1987 to 42 sites in 1999. Anova analysis of abundance data from sites monitored for at least seven seasons reveals that current management practices are compatible with maintaining or augmenting populations of the remnant-reliant species most in need of protection.

Does Pupal Orientation Affect the Hatching Success of Butterfly Farm Bred Swallowtails (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)?
Rich Kelson, Butterfly Habitat at Six Flags Marine World
At our butterfly house, we import swallowtail (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) pupae from butterfly farms. In nature, these pupae are oriented head up. If they are attached down, will hatching success (butterfly able to fly or not) be different?
Hatching success was recorded for ~ 1450 pupae oriented either up or down. Other factors examined were pupal orientation vs. likelihood of diapause, hatching success vs. company/farm exporting the pupae, hatching success vs. individual shipment of pupae. No effect of pupal orientation on other factors was detected (x2, a) 10). However, factors of company and shipment did affect hatching success (x2, a) .025).

Lepidoptera as Research Tools for Conservation and Biomonitoring; the Potential
Role for Universities
J. Mark Scriber, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University
Butterflies are of particular importance in conservation and biodiversity monitoring as indicators of potentially serious ecosystem disturbances such as pesticide contamination, forest defoliation, habitat destruction and global warming. The spraying of microbial pesticides across millions of acres (e.g. to control gypsy moth outbreaks) has been shown to kill non-target Lepidoptera for 30-40 days post-spray (not just 2-3 days as the public was told). Recently it has been shown that transgenic Btk corn pollen kills monarch (and other) butterflies. Our research with butterflies at Michigan State University addresses these threats and global warming impacts. In addition, research and training programs for Butterfly House Management and Insect Zookeeping have begun. We hope to call upon many at this meeting to help us sometime in the future.

The Effect of an Excimer Laser on Morpho menelaus
Rachel Rosenberg, Hilton Head High School
This paper investigates whether an Excimer laser will produce easily visible, nondestructive alterations to the wing of a Morpho menelaus butterfly. The experimentation is the first step toward a better method of "tagging" live butterflies to study their migration habits, using barcodes on the wing and scanning the butterfly while still in flight. Testing was performed at Pennsylvania State University using an Excimer laser to "paint" the scales on the butterfly’s wing. Using both optical and scanning electron microscopes, it was apparent that the layers of scales were altered so that the strips of chitin on the wing were twisted and deformed, producing a successful change in the wing color.

WATER, WEBS AND WORMS
Moderator: Arthur Evans, National Museum of Natural History

The Things We Do For Love!
Helen Tozer, Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences
An overview of the Steinhart Aquarium’s marine invertebrate collection from touch-tank to coral reef. After 75 years there isn’t much that the Grand Ol' Dame hasn’t seen or tried!
The Steinhart Aquarium has one of the most biodiverse aquatic animal collections in the country. Marine invertebrates are a large and colorful portion of the collection. This paper will touch on many of the display and husbandry techniques employed at the Steinhart, that allow us to show our invertebrates off to their best advantage.

Bigger Is Better: Painted River Prawn, Macrobrachium carcinus, Husbandry and Display
Randy C. Morgan, Cincinnati Zoo Insectarium
The painted river prawn is one of the World’s largest shrimp; the massive males may reach 26 inches long, including their outstretched claws, though females are only half as big. This giant freshwater prawn is endemic to coastal regions of the southern Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America. This paper summarizes M. carcinus natural history, and Cincinnati Zoo’s field collection, husbandry and display efforts. Captive breeding trials and conservation plans are also discussed.

Spectral Properties of the Web Surface in Relation to the Stabilimentum, of the Argiope, A. aurantia
Alexandra A. Rose, Home-Schooled Student
For the past three years I have studied various aspects of the spider, Argiope, A. aurantia, with a specific interest in the functional theories of the stabilimentum. My research began as observational and progressed to quantitative data of the silk tension in the webs. The data collected from the last paper has led me to the overall question, " What do insects, specifically the spiders’ prey (and predators) detect upon approaching the Argiope web with a conspicuous stabilimentum?
In October of l993, under the direction of Dr. Michael Jeffords, I shot video and still photographs using a UV light source, in the field and indoors, to examine the spectral properties of the entire web surface in relation to the stabilimentum, as detected by the approaching predator/prey to the web in question. This research is scheduled to be continued in the field in the spring of 2000.

Earthworms: Alien Invaders Beneath Our Feet!
Robert J. Wolff, Butterfly Kingdom
The textbook image of earthworms being wonderfully beneficial organisms needs reevaluation when we look at the impact that the mostly exotic North American fauna has. Earthworms can completely alter soil types and thus alter tremendously the normal flora and fauna of an area. In certain habitats they may be the major cause of species loss. Their biology and interaction with other invertebrates will be presented.

WELCOME TO HIGH SOCIETY
Moderator: Gina Phillips, Utah’s Hogle Zoo

Antics: Merging Science and Art
Janet K. Bardwell and Steven J. Prchal, Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute
Antics is a collaboration of museum specialists, artists and craftspeople who developed an art exhibition focused on live ant colonies. The exhibition included mixed media art, photography, performance art and audience interaction activities. Blurring the boundary of the natural history museum and the art gallery engaged a diverse audience and challenged the definitions and restrictions of each institution. This presentation will introduce the project, discuss the viewer’s experience, the dialogue between art, science and the community and an overview of the ant exhibits and logistics. Other collaborators included Chip Hedgcock, Registered Biological Photographer, Michael Mayer of Mayer Graphics and Philip Joachim, master welder.

A Modular, Sustainable 8-Frame Observation Beehive
Evan A. Sugden, Entomo-Logic
This observation hive, unlike most, adequately incorporates both aesthetic and practical design elements. The central feature is a removable module that contains the core of the hive. The remaining shell functions as a "docking station". This facilitates biannual rotation of the entire colony with bees that have been treated in a standard hive for parasitic mites and other pests. The module is taken to the field for service, obviating opening the hive at the viewpoint. Other unique features include four gated entries, allowing channeling of hive activity, and a tamper and sting proof ventilation chamber.

Living with Africanized Bees
Barbara Terkanian, Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Nearly 100% of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in southern Arizona are Africanized. Because Africanized honeybees defend their hives more aggressively than the European strains, they are a greater threat to human safety. Africanized bees create two problems for an open-air facility like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. First, visitors and staff should have reasonable protection from Africanized honeybees while on the grounds. Second, the importance of native bees and honeybees as pollinators should not be dismissed. Solutions consist of preventing honeybees from starting hives on the grounds, and generating balanced educational messages about the biology of native bees and honeybees.

NEW EXHIBITS
Moderator: Joel Hamilton, Providence, RI

The Pavilion of Wings, A Turn Key Butterfly Exhibit
Arthur V. Evans, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
The Pavilion of Wings is designed as a temporary butterfly enclosure and is the result of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s teaming up with a corporate partner, HomeBase. Built by the Minnesota-based company Spineless Wonders, the Pavilion features a railroad tie foundation anchored with reinforced steel bars and bolted to a steel frame. The frame is wrapped in a skin of fire retardant shade cloth designed to protect the plants from the summer sun and insure that the butterflies and moths stay inside. The trials and tribulations of the Pavilion’s first year are presented.

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory: Not Just Butterflies!
Thomas Hecker, North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
The nation’s newest glass butterfly house complex opened to public in April 1999 as part of the Museum’s 8 million dollar Bioquest expansion. It contains a 5,000 square foot glass tropical conservatory for exotic butterflies, a 2,000 square foot native butterfly seasonal screen enclosure, a 1,700 square foot insectarium, gift shop, restaurant, and educational classroom. This paper will introduce you to the Magic Wings facility and explain how the Museum has taken a botanical angle to designing a butterfly conservatory.

Butterfly Pavilion: From Dream to Reality (Short)
Marriah J. Schwallier, Butterfly Pavilion
Learn about our exciting new facility, Butterfly Pavilion, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The presentation will highlight the trials and triumphs involved in opening a butterfly house and arthropod zoo. A brief overview of our facility and educational programs will also be presented.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE UPDATE
Moderator: Michael Weissmann, Kallima Consultants, Inc.
USDA Non-Indigenous Arthropod Permitting and Containment Guidelines, and Discussion
Wayne Wehling, USDA Entomologist

REACHING OUT
Moderator: Barbara Terkanian, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Research on Butterfly Behavior: Cooperation Between Museums and Universities
Provides a New Hands-on Learning Experience
Tomalie Vess, Museum of Life and Science and Duke University
MUSES (Museums and Universities for Science Enrichment of Students) is a cooperative effort between the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science and Duke University’s Department of Zoology. This program brings together scientists, high school students, and museum professionals to develop instructional materials. The graduate student is charged with training youth how to conduct research. The information gathered during this research is designed to provide practical information to the Butterfly House staff and educational material that the students can pass on to school groups, volunteers and Museum staff.

Insect Safari – "I get paid to do this?!"
Don Ehlen, Insect Safari
This program will start with a brief history of how I came to develop an independent teaching business using arthropods. I will share some of the rather unusual tactics and philosophies that have guided this process, and describe what is actually said and done in the programs. Some amusing slides will help to tell the story.

MSU Entomology Department Presents: The True Story of a Bug’s Life – Outreach on a Shoestring Budget
Jennifer Donovan, Michigan State University
Over the last several years Michigan State University’s Entomology department has had great success with its outreach program, the Bug House. The past year has seen changes and expansion in the Department of Entomology’s involvement in outreach programs, both on campus and in the local communities. This paper is an update of the activities in the Bug House, new outreach initiatives that have been implemented in the last year and the changes, both proposed and actual, at the Butterfly House. What we did, how we did it and what are our future plans will be discussed.

Arthropods as a Tool in Educating Children in Pubic Health Concerns
Alexandra Porshnikoff, James P. O’Brien, & Chindi A. Peavey, San Mateo County Mosquito Abatement District
This paper reports on educational programs conducted by the San Mateo County
Mosquito Abatement District in California. Objectives of the program are to bring about public awareness of the District and its activities. The program uses live and preserved arthropod specimens as tools to educate the public in topics such as insect ecology, evolution, biology and reproduction as they relate to public health concerns. The program is directed at elementary and middle-school aged children.

2,000 Kids, 200 Bugs, 20 Exhausted Entomologists and 2 Days; "Museum Days" at Oregon State University (Short)
William Heyborne, Oregon State University
Inundated with requests from the public to see living and preserved insects from the collections at Oregon State University, students and faculty responded by creating "Museum Days". The public, particularly public school classes, is now invited to the University Conference Center for two days each term, to view interactive displays designed by the entomology department, and chat with staff entomologists. Success of the program has enticed other departments on campus to participate. This talk will describe our efforts, and how careful juggling of classes in and out of various display areas, allows us to accommodate upwards of 1000 students per day, resulting in phenomenal educational outreach.

Desert Discovery: Educational Outreach at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park (Short)
Paul Hyder, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park
The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park has provided educational programs covering a diversity of topics to audiences in southern New Mexico and west Texas since 1992. We now reach approximately 3,000 students annually. Since 1995, 60% of our requested programs have been on invertebrates. Due to this interest in invertebrates we have incorporated some aspect of invertebrate biology/ecology into many of our other programs. This paper will focus on the use of invertebrates by the CDNP.

Chihuahuan Desert Walkingsticks: Support for Environmental Education (Short)
Andrine Morrison, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park
At least three species of walkingstick occur in the Chihuahuan desert region of southern New Mexico. The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park uses these insects to support components of our educational programs dealing with biodiversity, niche partitioning, chemical ecology and other topics. One species, the Creosote Walkingstick (Diaphomera velii), has been the focus of a program to assess the requirements of captive desert sticks. As of this year, we have successfully raised two generations of creosote sticks.

SWEEP-NETTINGS
Moderator: Tom Mason, Metro Toronto Zoo

Safer Ways to Control Insects in the Greenhouse
Andrea Schepmann, Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati Park Board
Ten years ago the Krohn Conservatory staff made a choice to no longer use pesticides in our greenhouse. Our horticultural staff has had to learn how to identify pests, find alternate measures for control, and reach a point of understanding the acceptable/tolerable levels of insects verses the levels requiring intervention. We have worked to educate our public and bring about a greater understanding of our environment.

The Golden Sun Moth: a Collaborative Approach to Invertebrate Conservation
Cheryl O’Dwyer, University of Melbourne
The Golden Sun Moth is one of the few invertebrate species listed as endangered and protected under state legislation. It was once widespread throughout southeastern Australia, however populations declined due to the loss of native grassland habitats. Collaborative research with Universities, Zoos, CSIRO and state government agencies in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have served to bring this species back from the brink. The success of this program highlights that a collaborative approach to invertebrate conservation and research are vital if we are to succeed.

Trouble in Paradise: Red Imported Fire Ant Control in the Tropical Butterfly House
Kristina Williams, Pacific Science Center
Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House opened to great acclaim in December 1998. Tropical plants flourished, jewel like butterflies graced the bright flowers, and bright light in December combined to form a tropical paradise. But trouble was brewing underground in the form RIFAs brought in with plants from Florida. Not only were they a danger to staff and visitors, but if released could become a serious pest. We developed a successful IPM eradication program, coordinating efforts of the USDA and WSDA, local pest control, and PSC staff from Associate Directors to the lowly entomologist and even PR.

Going Native; Utilizing Local Species in Your Exhibit
Eric Eaton, Chase Studios
In the search for ever more exotic and spectacular species to display in arthropod zoos, we sometimes forget to look in our own backyards. The advantages to using native and local species are many. The public will often bring them to you, reducing the need to spend time and money to secure specimens, and there is no need to jump through bureaucratic hoops to make it "legal". Furthermore, it helps the local visitors to recognize insects, spiders, and other arthropods they encounter routinely, and help them better appreciate the roles these organisms play in their yards, gardens, and homes. Biodiversity begins at home, and what better place to begin than your insect zoo?!

Natural History and Captive Husbandry of Dermestid Beetles (Short)
Patrick Schlemmer, San Francisco Insect Zoo
Dermestid beetles have several interesting stories to tell. In their natural environment, they are important agents in the recycling of dead animal material. In museums, they are valuable tools for the preparation of vertebrate specimens. In our homes, they may be significant pests of carpets, clothing, and stored food. Anyone who has assembled a pinned insect collection has encountered these creatures, or has taken deliberate steps not to. In Insect Zoos, dermestids can be fascinating, easy to care for, and extremely popular exhibits. This paper will offer a brief look at the natural history and captive husbandry of these amazing animals.

Beetle Pet Shops of Japan
Deborah Thirkhill, The Phoenix Zoo
Keeping and rearing beetles has become a popular hobby and has created a small industry in Japan. Nearly every Japanese pet shop and department store carries a line of beetle care products. This paper will take a look at beetle care products available in Japan as well as the species of beetles kept, husbandry practices and Japanese Coleopteran cultural attitudes.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Butterfly Kingdom: Taking Flight
Robert J. Wolff, Butterfly Kingdom

Introducing Our New Facility! The NC State Museum of Natural Sciences
Dan Dombrowski and Bill Reynolds, The NC State Museum of Natural Sciences

Antics: Creativity in Ant Husbandry and Exhibition
Steve Prchal, Janet Bardwell and Chip Hedgcock, Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute; Philip Joachim; and Michael Mayer, Mayer Graphics

Mason Bees (Osmia lignaria) in a High School Biology Curriculum
Evan A. Sugden, Entomo-Logic