Overview
Distribution
National Distribution
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) Widespread from Connecticut across southern pennsylvania and southern Ontario to Minnesota south to Kansas and northern Georgia (Sheldon, 2001). It seems to be absent from the coastal plain.
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Ecology
Habitat
Comments: Apparently ordinary deciduous woods with either permanent or temporary streams.
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Migration
Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
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Population Biology
Number of Occurrences
Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.
Estimated Number of Occurrences: Unknown
Comments: Several dozen now known. Thousands of potential habitats.
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Global Abundance
10,000 to >1,000,000 individuals
Comments: Apparently seldom common, but this is speculative.
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Barcode data: Merope tuber
There is 1 barcode sequence available from BOLD and GenBank. Below is the sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species. See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen. Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.
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Download FASTA File
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Statistics of barcoding coverage: Merope tuber
Public Records: 1
Species: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1
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Conservation
Conservation Status
National NatureServe Conservation Status
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked
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NatureServe Conservation Status
Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure
Reasons: This species is very widespread and occurs in rather ordinary habitats. It is now certain that it is difficult to impossible to collect by most methods and that it has bee widely overlooked. It is clearly not now globally imperiled. While it is probably secure and possibly even a common insect, there is still some doubt as to its status and it might be marginally globally rare (i.e. G3). The best evidence would suggest apparently secure (G4) but there is obvious uncertainty.
Other Considerations: Although this species does occasionally show up at blacklights, flight intercept traps such as malaise traps seem to be the most reliable technique. This is not an easy species to collect even where it occurs. As Sheldon (2001) and earlier versions of this documentation suggest there is almost no doubt the apparent rarity of this insect is more an artificat of this than a reflection of real status.
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Threats
Degree of Threat: U : Unknown (short-term trend unknown)
Comments: Nothing known of biology. No obvious large scale threats.
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Management
Global Protection: Unknown whether any occurrences are appropriately protected and managed
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Wikipedia
Merope tuber
The earwigfly (sometimes called the "forcepfly"[1]), Merope tuber, is the only species in the genus Merope, and the only member of the family Meropeidae in North America. It occurs throughout the east from Ontario to Georgia, and west to Kansas. Recently the insect has also been found in Florida.[2] This insect's most distinguishing feature is the segmented cerci on the male abdomen. The function of these is not known, but they may be used during courtship.[citation needed] Much is unknown about the adults, which are secretive, sometimes found under logs or in malaise traps near streams. The insect is characterized by long wings with many veins and the no ocelli. There is a region of interlocking sclerites that holds the jugum and scutellum on the middle thoracic segment together. This may be used to keep the wings together when pushing up through dirt. A similar apparatus is found in cicadas and ground dwelling beetles, so it may be that the winged adults dig in soil. The flat appearance of the insect suggests that the insect dwells close to the ground in fissures and other small ground openings,[3] as does the lack of ocelli.
References
- ^ R. H. Arnett. 2000. American insects: a handbook of the insects of America north of Mexico. p. 834
- ^ J. C. Dunford, P. W. Kovarik, L. A. Somma, D. Serrano (2009-07). "First state records for Merope tuber (Mecoptera: Meropeidae)in Florida and biogeographical implication". http://www.fcla.edu/FlaEnt/fe90p581.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ J.C. Dunford, D. Serrano, and L.A. Somma (2006). Earwigflies in the Great Smokies. http://www.fsca-dpi.org/SEBiolEarwigfly.pdf.
- Hlavac, T.F. (1974). "Merope tuber (Mecoptera): A wing-body interlocking mechanism". Psyche 81: 303. doi:10.1155/1974/45917.
- Wills, Allan (2007). "Earwig Flies? Ancient and Mysterious Insects". Western Wildlife 12 (1): 5.
- Robin McLeod (2005-11-06). "Species Merope tuber - Forcepfly". http://bugguide.net/node/view/36596. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
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