Vol. 105, No. 3, May & June, 1994 149 A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE NITIDULIDAE (COLEOPTERA) IN SHAWNEE STATE FOREST, OHIO G. Keeney 2 , M. S. Ellis 3 , D. Richmond 3 , R. N. Williams 3 ABSTRACT: Various collecting techniques were utilized to discover nitidulid diver-sity in a forest in Scioto Co., Ohio, near the Ohio River. During two collecting periods, 20 species were identified. Four specimens of Colopterus, however, were not determined beyond genus, thus a minimum of 21 species were collected. Six of these species were pre-viously recorded from Scioto County, and 14 of the 20 species identified are new county records based on The Ohio State University collection of identified Nitidulidae. The five most abundant species in descending order were: Stelidota geminala, Stelidota octomacula-ta, Glischrochilus obtusus, Epuraea helvola, and Epuraea peltoides. All of the Stelidota octomaculata and Epuraea helvola, and all but five of the Stelidota geminata were caught in ground traps during late season. All of the Glischrochilus obtusus and all but one of the Epuraea peltoides were collected in aerial traps in early season. In an effort to further our knowledge of the richness and abundance of Nitidulidae in Ohio, a survey was conducted from June 2 to 6 (early season) and from 27 August to 10 September (late season) at Shawnee State Forest in Scioto Co., Ohio in 1991. This site was chosen due to its south-central location within the state and its unglaciated topography. The forest encompasses more than 60,000 acres with several species of oaks, hickories, and shortleaf pines constituting the bulk of the diverse overstory vegetation. Sassafras, ash, elm, walnut, maple, and many other hardwoods are also present. Both surveys (early and late season) were located approximately 16 km southwest of Portsmouth, Ohio in the southcentral part of the forest. MATERIALS AND METHODS Early Season (2-6 June) In the early season we utilized traps (Figure 1) made from plastic 4 / milk jugs which were modified by cutting openings in the upper half to allow insects to enter (R. Androw, pers. comm.). Approximately 0.5 / of bait solution was placed in each jug of four traps. The bait was composed of 0.5 kg of brown sugar, 4 / of water, and a small amount of soil to pro-1 Received January 3, 1994; Accepted January 29, 1994 2 Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus. Ohio 4321)1 3 Department of Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development C'cnicr. 1 he Ohio State University. Wooster. Ohio 44691 ENT. NEWS 105(3): 149-158, May & June. 1994
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