Vol. 89, Nos. 7 & 8, September & October 1978 157 SURVEY OF HEMIPTERA COLLECTED ON COMMON MILKWEED, ASCLEPIASSYRIACA, AT ONE SITE IN OHIO.^ 2 2 3 Patrick J. Dailey , Robert C. Graves , Jon L. Herring ABSTRACT: Hemiptera frequenting 337 plants of common milkweed, /Isc/epws s^ncca were surveyed by daily collecting for a period of 90 consecutive days. Forty-six species are listed, some of which are probably new Ohio records. Five species were considered to be significantly abundant (more than 50 individuals collected): Lygaeus kalmii, Lygus lineolaris, Plagiognathus politus, Adelphocoris lineolatus, and Cosmopepla bi-maculata. Only L. kalmii (1,173 individuals collected) and Oncopeltus fasciatus, which was relatively scarce, are host specific. The common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca L. (Asclepiadaceae), is a her-baceous perennial which is widely distributed in eastern United States, and is frequent along roads and in fields. It occurs in large stands or as solitary plants. A. syriaca is unusual in that it can reproduce vegetatively and as a result is a highly successful colonist (Wilbur, 1976). The pinkish flowers are borne on large umbels, and the numerous, wind-borne seeds develop in large pods. Certain species of milkweed -specific Hemiptera such as Lygaeus kalmii and Oncopeltus fasciatus are readily maintained in the laboratory and have been extensively studied (e.g., Caldwell 1974, Dingle 1968, Feir 1974, Kelton 1975, Ralph 1977, Rothschild 1973). The only major previous attempt to survey milkweed insects in the United States was that of Weiss and Dickerson (1921). These authors Usted 8 species of Hemiptera collected from A. syriaca in scattered locaHties in New Jersey, with no attempt at daily collecting, and no information on numbers of in-dividuals present. The present study lists 45 species of Hemiptera from a single site in BowHng Green, Ohio with numerical data obtained by daily collecting during a 90-day period (Table 1). The daily abundance of 4 com-mon species is shown in Figure 1 . Accepted for publication: May 24, 1978 Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, c/o U.S. National Museum, Washington, D.C. 20560 ENT. NEWS, 89: 7 & 8: 157 -162, September & October 1978
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