CALIFORNIA INSECT SURVEY

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1008438
• Project Start Date: Nov 18, 2015
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2020
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671

Performing Department
Entomology and Nematology

Non Technical Summary
Insect species vastly outnumber all other groups animals and they are among the most diverse and important groups in terrestrial communities, including agroecosystems. California is considered to be one of the world's biodiversity hotspots (IUCN 1992), yet there is no census of California insects. An estimated 26,000-100,000 species of insects are thought to be in California, with 6% of these new to science. Add to this issue, the estimate that roughly 200 exotic insects reach the state each year. When a previously unrecognized species is encountered we are often unable to determine whether it is native or whether it is a potential pest because of this lack of information. This project aims to assemble information on insects in California and make it available via electronic media, publications and searchable, Internet accessible databases. In addition, diagnostic support will be provided to the public, agency personnel and agrobusiness.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

100%

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	3110	1060	80%
136	0850	1060	20%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife; 136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity;

Subject Of Investigation
0850 - Wildlife habitats; 3110 - Insects;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);

Keywords

inventory

taxonomy

systematics

indentification tools

diagnostics

Goals / Objectives
1. To discover and document the diversity of the terrestrial and fresh water insect fauna of California, including geographic and seasonal distributions, ecological associations and biological relationships where possible.2. To develop and maintain research collections in the Bohart Museum of Entomology, which document the species composition of the California fauna, and provide the basis for systematic studies and biogeographical and faunal analyses.3. To make the resulting data available in published form and in Internet accessible databases, through cooperative efforts with systematists within and outside of California.4. Combine all inventory databases into a single, Internet accessible database, which can be searched by locality or taxon.5. Encourage publication in the California Insect Survey Bulletin.6. To provide diagnostic help

Project Methods
1. Rearing larval stages to obtain data on host plants and parasites.2. Preparing, identifying, and maintaining research collections in the Bohart Museum of Entomology.3. Developing cooperative relationships with systematists worldwide by providing specimens and data that form the basis of scientific research.4. Preserving and archiving specimens for DNA sequencing.5. Developing searchable Internet accessible databases of taxonomic, geographical and biological data and catalogs of the described species of California.6. Publishing information on identification, distribution and biology of insect taxa as each is studied by specialists, as in the CIS Bulletin series.

Progress 11/18/15 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes the public, scientific community and governmental and non-governmental agencies Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This study will be the only work of its kind and will facilitate the study of insects in California, which is hyperdiverse entomologically compared to other parts of the U.S.A How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To date the results of this work have been disseminated through teaching programs both here at UC Davis and local community colleges. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I'm continuing work on a textbook on the insects of California.This major study will be completed within a few months.

Publications

• Type: Books Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Keys to the Insects of California. Self printed handbook for classroom use at this stage

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The manuscript is being used in training courses where students must learn how to identify California insects. Several graduate students are also testing the identification tools. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Hopefully a final manuscript will be ready for publication next year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I began work on a textbook on the insects of California. This will be a complete synopsis and identification tool for the California insect families.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kimsey, L. S., R. B. Kimsey and S. Gaimari. 2018. Novel biology for the heleomyzid Tephrochlamys rufiventris (Meigen, 1830). Proceedings of the Washington Entomological Society. 120(3): 543-548. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.120.3.543

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Much of this biodiversity work was done in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies to facilitate improvements to their land management and with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to facilitate their work on pest detection. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?These projects have provided extensive field and laboratory training for undergraduate and graduate students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project reports have been provided to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two more publications, one on human impacts on the insect fauna of the Algodones Dunes and one on the bees of the Dunes should be finished in the coming year as they've taken longer to complete than anticipated. In addition, a survey of the Monvero Dunes of Fresno Co. should be completed as well.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Several more papers on the biodiversity of the Algodones Dunes as well as a survey of the Monvero Dunes in Fresno Co. are underway.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kimsey, L. S., R. B. Kimsey and S. Gaimari. 2018. Novel biology for the heleomyzid Tephrochlamys rufiventris (Meigen, 1830). Proceedings of the Washington Entomological Society. 120(3): 543-548. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.120.3.543

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Much of this biodiversity work was done for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies to facilitate improvements to their land management. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two more publications, one on human impacts on the insect fauna of the dunes and one on the bees of the Algodones Dunes should be finished in the coming year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The first of several papers on the biodiversity of the Algodones Dunes was published. A survey of the Monvero Dunes in Fresno Co. is underway.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Kimsey, L. S., T. J. Zavortink, R. B. Kimsey and S. L. Heydon. 2017. Insect biodiversity of the Algodones Dunes of California. Biodiversity Data Journal 5: e21715, doi: 10.3897/BDJ.5.e21715.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Seltman, K. C. et al. (30 authors). 2017. LepNet: The Lepidoptera of North America network. Zootaxa 4247(1):73-77.

Progress 11/18/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is threefold: governmental agencies, the scientific community and the general public. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The biotic surveys were done in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture Plant, Plant Pest Diagnostics Center. We had 17 student trainees involved including 14 undergraduate students and three graduate students in these projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of these studies have been submitted as reports to the U. S. Bureau of Land Management and California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife. Updates and current activities have also been published in the Bohart Museum Society newsletter. A paper on the bees of the Algodones Dunes is being prepared as well as one on the biodiversity of the dunes. Finally, I am writing a new edition of the Mosquitoes of California in collaboration with the previous edition's surviving author, Robert Washino. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Complete and publish papers on the biodiversity of the Algodones Dunes and the bees and their host plants of the Algodones Dunes; as well as continue work on the mosquitoes of California.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Long-term surveys of several regions in California are continuing, including the Algodones Dunes (Imperial Co.) and a new survey of the insects of the Monvero Dunes in Fresno Co.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Borowiec, M. and L. S. Kimsey. 2015. The first host record for the wasp subfamily Brachycistidinae. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 117(1):62-64.