Long Point Bioblitz: Rare Species

Hi, all, additional observations continue to trickle in, and a few identifications are still improving. Our iNaturalist totals currently stand at 607 observations and 296 species.

A number of "first Vineyard iNat observations" figure among our species total. Examples include a wasp in the Tachysphex terminatus species complex:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/226207329

Promising shots of a possible pupa of the wasp Meteorus pulchricornis:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/226452590

And a scarab beetle in the genus Aphonus:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/226207341

It's hard to assess the significance of these since wasps and beetles have not been studied much on the Vineyard; these species are all probably uncommon, or they'd have been found previously, but they may not be truly rare.

But moths have been well studied here over many years, and Molly Jacobson's observation (from a blacklight sheet) of Argyresthia apicimaculella apparently represents the first Massachusetts (not just Martha's Vineyard) record of this moth in more than 80 years! This is a significant find by any measure.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/227461157

Bioblitzes like this one combine recreation with real science: our collective efforts turned up a huge diversity of species, including some important finds, highlighting the ecological important of Long Point.

Posted on July 8, 2024 12:06 PM by mpelikan