The Arctiinae species Pseudocharis minima (Lesser Wasp Moth) is considered imperiled according to Florida Natural Areas Inventory but little had been published on its life history. We describe the life history of the Lesser Wasp Moth descriptively and quantitatively while providing images of eggs, larval instars, pupae, and adults. We describe a variance in the number of larval instars from 6 to 8. We also report the first field observations of Lesser Wasp Moths utilizing Crossopetalum rhcoma (Maidenberry) for egg laying and larval consumption. The mean life-cycle duration is ∼61 days and can provide about 6 generations in a single year. We anticipate that our research will aid in the management of native pine rockland habitats for the Lesser Wasp Moth as well as laying the groundwork for conservation efforts in the event of possible further population declines.

Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat) was once common across the eastern United States, but in recent years, populations have declined drastically across the species' range, mainly because of mortality caused by white-nose syndrome. The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has not been detected in Florida, and therefore the state may represent an important stronghold for the Tricolored Bat. We counted Tricolored Bats in Florida caves in January and February from 2014 to 2022 to better determine population size and document trends in abundance before the potential arrival of white-nose syndrome. We modeled trends in counts over time on the entire count dataset and on subsets based on karst region and cave size. In addition, we fit mixed-effects Poisson regression models to understand the influence of cave characteristics and investigator disturbance on Tricolored Bat counts. Models of statewide bat counts exhibited a strongly decreasing trend (mean = -17% per year) with a 67% decrease overall across the study period. Warmer temperatures on the day of survey were associated with lower counts, and longer caves were associated with higher counts. We did not find an impact of investigator disturbance on bat counts. Although ambient temperatures influenced observed numbers, we cannot exclude the possibility that these long-term declines are the result of undetected or indirect losses from white-nose syndrome. It is unknown if Tricolored Bats roosting in other locations that are not routinely monitored (e.g., trees) are experiencing similar declines; thus, incorporating other monitoring methods would improve the understanding of Tricolored Bat population trends.

Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) is a federally listed or state threatened species throughout its range due to significant declines in its populations, largely due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Many Gopher Tortoises reside on private lands in human-impacted and urbanized areas, yet the value of these populations to the conservation of the species is unclear. We conducted a radio-telemetry study on a population of Gopher Tortoises in a residential neighborhood in Cape Coral, FL, to determine if they could be benefitting from their location within an urban environment (i.e., whether or not they are “urbanophiles”). Some findings suggested that these tortoises could exist in an urban environment. There were no confirmed mortalities among the 10 tortoises in the year-long study, though 1 male dispersed from the area and later disappeared after 6 months. The mean annual home ranges (100% MCP) were 1.19 ha (min–max: 0.39–2.71 ha) for females (n = 5) and 1.13 ha (min–max: 0.51–1.72 ha) for males (n = 4), which are comparable to home-range sizes in natural habitats. However, other findings suggested that this urban landscape limited the animals. Gopher Tortoises rarely crossed roads (5% of all movements) and avoided lots with houses and associated human structures, in favor of undeveloped lots. Efforts to sustain these animals in urban environments can start implementing management strategies that integrate greenspaces within urban landscapes as an additional approach to protect this threatened species. This study suggests that adult Gopher Tortoises are adaptable and tolerant to high levles of urbanization and human disturbance, yet the degree to which tortoises can persist over time in these landscapes needs further exploration.

Our recent fieldwork to collect lichens in northern Alabama, with an emphasis on the terminus of the southern Appalachian Mountains, illuminated previously undocumented lichen species in this region of exceptional biodiversity. Numerous new and significant records are presented, including species disjunct both from more northerly latitudes as well as subtropical southerly latitudes: Dibaeis sorediata, Lobaria pulmonaria, Ricasolia quercizans, and the extremely rare Rinodina chrysomeleana. Despite exceptional and noteworthy lichen biodiversity, there exist only 2 large blocks of relatively high quality, undisturbed land in the northern half of the state: Bankhead National Forest and Skyline Wildlife Management Area. This situation, in combination with discovery of exceptional lichen biodiversity, calls for urgency in conservation measures and land protection throughout northern Alabama.

Stored food and developing brood are attractive to parasitic arthropod invaders that exploit the industry of solitary hymenopterans. In this study, we collected and identified arthropod invaders of artificial nest sites designed for and used by solitary bees and wasps (Hymenoptera: Apoidea and Vespoidea). We collected parasitic arthropods emerging from the nests weekly for 3 years. We plotted annual nesting and emergence data for each species that invaded >10 bee/wasp nests and present the yearly/seasonal nesting trends for each parasite species. In total, arthropod invaders emerged from 265 or 15% of the viable bee- or wasp-constructed nests (n = 1765). Of the 265 parasitized nests, 6 (2.3%) were parasitized by mites, 14 (5.2%) were parasitized by bees, 20 (7.5%) were parasitized by beetles, 86 (32.5%) were parasitized by flies, and 139 (52.4%) were parasitized by wasps. These results provide a baseline for future comparisons of the parasitism rates of nests made by tunnel-nesting, solitary bees and wasps in north central Florida.

We inventoried the robber fly (Family Asilidae) fauna of 2 distinct Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) habitat types (mesic pine flatwoods, xeric sandhills) on a large, fire-managed landscape (Fort Stewart) located in the Coastal Plain of southeastern Georgia. We conducted aerial-net and sweep-net surveys at 30 sites on 111 dates from October 2020 to November 2022. We also sampled hardwood and mixed pine–hardwood communities. We collected a total of 380 robber flies comprising 25 genera and 62 species. We recorded 47 species from Longleaf Pine habitats, with 42 species collected from xeric Longleaf Pine sandhills and 20 species from mesic Longleaf Pine flatwoods. Thirty-two species were found in hardwood habitats. Machimus polyphemi, a poorly known obligate commensal of Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) burrows, was found at 5 sites. Two species that we documented from xeric Longleaf Pine sandhills, Machimus blantoni and Efferia slossonae, represent the first state records for Georgia. An Echthodopa cf. formosa population found in mesic pine flatwoods represents a significant range extension. Also, we report Stichopogon abdominalis from Georgia for the first time.

Species invasions can alter ecosystems, decimate populations of native species, facilitate the spread of infectious diseases, and threaten industries like fisheries and agriculture. Significant resources and financial investments are often directed towards invasive species management (ISM) to prevent future introductions, to remove smaller populations, and to contain expanding populations. While prevention is the most important goal of ISM, focus may shift to removal (eradication) when prevention fails. Eradication attempts are costly and have not been inclusive of all invasive populations. These efforts are inherently difficult because they require an abundance of resources, must be executed before the population expands, can be disrupted by public opposition, and often require years of monitoring to confirm success. Regardless, even failed eradication attempts provide important lessons to potentially improve future eradication efforts. This review of 20 case studies in Florida assesses successful and failed eradication attempts to identify common factors that contributed to each outcome. More than half of the detailed failed eradication attempts either lacked communication from or were outright disrupted by stakeholders. Most successful eradications targeted fish or small mammals and removed <200 individuals. Nearly half of the successful eradications occurred on islands or within isolated bodies of water. Despite the abundance of invasive herpetofauna in Florida, there has yet to be a documented successful eradication effort targeting these species. While many barriers exist to publishing eradication outcomes, future eradication efforts should prioritize documentation to provide guidance to similar efforts. Future research should address the role of media coverage and outreach efforts regarding eradication success, especially efforts targeting charismatic species.

Ecosystem engineers modify instream habitat to the benefit or detriment of other species. Nocomis leptocephalus (Bluehead Chub) is a widespread minnow (Actinopterygii: Leuciscidae) native to small- to medium-sized streams in the Atlantic slope of the southeastern United States. By constructing large gravel-mound nests in pools for spawning, Bluehead Chubs are common ecosystem engineers that transport and concentrate gravel to form unique structures on the benthoscape. These nests are occupied by a diversity of benthic taxa and can persist up to 6 months before being destroyed by winter floods. In this study, we surveyed benthic assemblages occurring on chub nests and a similar volume of paired ambient substrate, and identified individuals to the genus or family level. Mixed-effects models indicated that overall counts, taxa richness, and Shannon diversity of benthic assemblages were similar between nests and ambient substrate. However, canonical correspondence analysis revealed differences in taxonomic composition between nests and ambient substrate. Several riffle-associated taxa occurred uniquely in chub nests, while many other taxa were found only in paired samples. Understanding the temporal and spatial scales at which the chub nest –insect interaction is relevant will be important for identifying the role of ecosystem engineering by chubs for structuring benthic assemblages.

Herein we report on the collection of 9 Ameiurus brunneus (Snail Bullhead) individuals from 2 major stream systems in the middle Tallapoosa River in Chambers and Randolph counties, AL. These specimens represent the first catalogued records of Snail Bullhead from the Tallapoosa River and constitute a range extension for this species. These records cohere with previous evidence suggesting that reciprocal stream captures took place between the Chattahoochee and Middle Tallapoosa watersheds.

The distribution of mussels is known from most major water bodies in the United States. Even so, the distribution of mussels in tributary systems of these water bodies is not well documented, especially in Arkansas. Moreover, there has never been a watershed-wide mussel survey in the Moro Creek watershed. During a recent study of fishes in this watershed, we observed 5 mussel species at 12 sites: Lampsilis hydiana (Louisiana Fatmucket), Sagittunio subrostratus (Pondmussel), Pyganodon grandis (Giant Floater), Toxolasma texasiense (Texas Lilliput), and Uniomerus declivis (Tapered Pondhorn). We observed a total of 34 live individuals and 8 fresh-dead specimens. The most abundant species documented was the Tapered Pondhorn, with18 (13 alive and 5 fresh-dead) individuals at 5 sites. The least abundant species was Giant Floater, with 1 individual at 1 site. There was evidence of recent recruitment in 2 species, Tapered Pondhorn (median total length [TL] = 71 mm; min–max = 28–99 mm), and Texas Lilliput (median TL = 21 mm; min–max = 13–40 mm). Future studies that target tributaries of the Ouachita, Red, and St. Francis drainages of Arkansas are likely to yield new distributional records for these species as well as others.