Inside VMNH Research 2006

Inside NATUR AL HIS TORY RESE ARCH Virginia Museum of

1 OCEAN FLOOR EXPLORED

4 BRYOZOANS IN BRAZIL

7 DESERT WHALES

N umber 1 • 2006

From the Director of Research and Collections The earth is an unpredictable body in a state of constant flux. In recent years the violence and power of hurricanes, tsunamis and tornadoes have left an indelible mark on our minds. Simply put the natural world is an awesome place. What sets humankind apart is our inquiring mind, and one of our most basic questions is, “What makes the world work”? Certainly a very simple question, but one that has no simple answer and, if we are ever to really understand our home, it requires to be broken down into an infinite number of associated questions. Each scientist at the Virginia Museum of Natural History works on a subset of these questions, and strives to learn more and share their new found knowledge with others.

Questions regarding the natural history of Virginia are at the forefront of their minds, but the natural world knows no political boundaries, and to come to grips with the whole picture scientists must often travel further a-field. For instance, over the past year Dr. Dooley has begun a collaboration with Peruvian paleontologists on localities yielding fossils of 14 million year old whales in Ica Province. It turns out that, although the Peruvian fossil whale populations show distinct differences from similar aged fossils in Virginia, there is one exception in the form of a new form of sperm whale. Dr. Dooley hopes that with continued field work he will learn more about this connection between Virginia and Peru.

As our global transportation systems become more sophisticated we are breaking down the natural barriers to the dispersion of many organisms. Consequently the invasion of marine habitats by alien species is becoming a huge problem. Marine animals can be dispersed far and wide when ships dump ballast water containing their larvae thousands of miles from the original source, and encrusting organisms hitch rides on the hulls of ships. Without the knowledge of distribution patterns in other parts of the world and their recent fossil records it is not possible to accurately monitor the progress of these potential invasive species. Marine taxonomists, such as Dr. Winston, are taking part in rapid assessment surveys to determine the spread and persistence of

exotic species which may wreak economic and environmental havoc in the marine ecosystems they invade. Dr. Winston’s research on bryozoans (moss animals) took her to São Sebastião, Brazil to help undertake an inventory of the species in that part of the world. Some of the bryozoans that have invaded Brazil from Asia have also made it into the Caribbean and Florida, and it may just be a matter of time before they show up in the Chesapeake Bay. Visitors from across the ocean cause headaches today, but an unwelcome visitor from outer space caused more than a few headaches 35 million years ago. During the late Eocene Epoch a massive bolide struck what is now the eastern part of Virginia.

Its signature in the form of the Chesapeake Bay is Dr. Lauck Ward is now collaborating with geologists from DEQ and the USGS, among others, to examine new drill cores taken from within the impact site. From a detailed study of their content these scientists hope to gain a better understanding of what shaped our coastline and its effect on present day wells and the Coastal Plain aquifer system.

Whether it’s sequencing DNA from Fox squirrel hair on the Delmarva peninsula, collecting insects in pit fall traps in Mount Rogers Recreation area or studying a 220 million year old reptile from a borehole drilled in Siberia, the curators at VMNH are constantly learning more about the place we call home.

Dr. Nicholas Fraser, VMNH Director of Research and Collections

From the Executive Director Since it’s founding in 1984, the Virginia Museum of Natural History has developed a strong reputation for significant research and important collections, which now number more than 22 million items.

Over the past year, the Museum received more than $75,000 in grants and contracts to support research, collections and education. Research at VMNH with its eight research scientists focuses on studies of Invertebrate Paleontology, Vertebrate Paleontology, Recent Invertebrates, Archaeology, Marine Science and Earth Science.

While the Museum’s primary geographic strengths are in Virginia and the Southeastern United States, the collections and research programs span the globe including China, Peru, Brazil, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Russia, and Tanzania.

Soon the Virginia Museum of Natural History will have a great building with world-class exhibits that will showcase this research. It is the tireless dedication of those who deeply care about the Museum’s mission—including supporters such as you, a strong board and staff that have allowed our institution to achieve so much in such a short period of time. I thank each of you for your support and encourage you to visit our new museum at 21 Starling Avenue in Martinsville when we open in September 2006.

Timothy J. Gette, VMNH Executive Director

Inside

Virginia Museum of

NATUR AL HIS TORY RESE ARCH

N umber 1 • 2006

Published by the Virginia Museum of Natural History Marketing Department, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, VA 24112, for VMNH members, scholars, educators, libraries, journalists and supporters. To be added to the mailing list or for more information, call (276) 666-8600.

Production Staff Ryan L. Barber, Editor Melody Cartwright, Art Director Tim Cox, Graphic Designer, Timothy-David Design Executive Staff Timothy J. Gette, Executive Director Gloria W. Niblett, Director of Administration and Services Dr. Nicholas C. Fraser, Director of Research and Collections Dr. Dennis A. Casey, Director of Education and Public Programs Ryan L. Barber, Director of Marketing and External Affairs Nancy Bell Dethlefsen, Director of Development Research and Collections Board Committee Dr. Anne C. Lund, Chair Briggs W. Andrews Elizabeth C. Cole Dr. Oliver S. Flint, Jr. Professor Ervin L. Jordan, Jr. Dr. J. James Murray, Jr. Lisa L. Wu Scientific Advisory Board Dr. William Shear, Chair Dr. John Holsinger Dr. Michael Kosztarab Dr. Duncan Porter Dr. Janet Reid Dr. Mary Schweitzer Dr. E-an Zen Research and Collections Staff Dr. James S. Beard, Curator of Earth Sciences Dr. Alton C. Dooley, Jr., Assistant Curator of Paleontology Dr. Nicholas C. Fraser, Director of Research and Collections, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Dr. Richard L. Hoffman, Curator of Recent Invertebrates Dr. Nancy D. Moncrief, Curator of Mammalogy Dr. Elizabeth A. Moore, Curator of Archaeology and Collections Lauck W. Ward, Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology Judith E. Winston, Curator of Marine Biology Haley E. Cartmell, Research Assistant, Biology Jill K. Harris, Registrar Susan C. Kirby, Lab Assistant, Earth Sciences Stephanie K. Mace, Research Assistant, Recent Invertebrates

Geology

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

By Dr. James Beard, VMNH Curator of Earth Sciences

O

n March 3rd, 2005, the drill ship JOIDES Resolution docked in the Azores Islands. Aboard were the 30 scientists (including yours truly) from 9 countries that made up the scientific party of IODP expedition 305. We were returning from an eight week expedition to an area of the Atlantic Ocean 900 miles to the southwest and brought with us nearly a mile of solid rock core. The rocks were

drilled from the Atlantis Massif, a 16,000 foot high undersea mountain located near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and they were unlike anything else that had ever been found in the 37-year history of deep ocean drilling.

The core samples consist almost entirely of an igneous rock called gabbro. Gabbro forms when basalt magma, instead of erupting at the surface as lava, crystallizes slowly deep within the Earth. Although this was

not the first deep ocean drilling expedition to find gabbro, the type of gabbro we found was unique. To understand how, you need to know a little about how gabbro and basalt magma form.

Deep under the mid-ocean ridges, hot mantle from deep within the Earth rises slowly (inches per year) towards the surface.

As the mantle rises, it begins to melt. The liquid rock formed in this way is called a (continued)

Bottom: The author and friend aboard the Joides Resolution at the drill site. The ocean in this area in approximately 5000 feet deep.

INSIDE VMNH RESEA R C H • 2 0 0 6

Top: Suspendisse tincidunt dui id nisi.

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“In essence we drilled into a still cooling magma chamber....

Preliminary results are already changing our understanding of how & when metamorphism occurs in the deep ocean crust.”

Top: The drill site is located on the MidAtlantic Ridge about 900 miles southwest of the Azores Islands. The ridge is the place where new ocean crust is formed as rock from deep within the Earth rises and melts.

primary basalt magma. This primary magma is almost never seen at the surface because, as it rises towards the surface, various things happen that change its chemistry. It can begin to crystallize, it can become trapped in magma chambers and mix with other batches of magma or it can interact with the surrounding rocks. Even after it crystallizes, the magma, now a gabbro, is subject to shearing along faults and metamorphism by hot fluids percolating through the crust.

I N S I D E V M N H R E S E ARCH • 2006

All of the gabbros found in previous ocean drilling expeditions were strongly affected by these processes.

Most of our gabbros, however, were fresh and unaltered and represent the most pristine and most primitive sample of deep crust ever found in the oceans. These gabbros will allow scientists to go a long way towards understanding the chemistry and composition of the elusive primary basalt.

The exp 304-305 gabbros were exciting in another way. They were still hot (about 200C, the temperature of a medium oven) when they were drilled. In essence we drilled into a still cooling magma chamber. We were actually able to capture the cooling process and some of the metamorphism

that accompanied cooling as it occurred, something that has never happened before.

Preliminary results are already changing our understanding of how and when metamorphism occurs in the deep ocean crust.

Most of the exciting science that will come out of the expedition 305 gabbros is just beginning. But beyond the science, IODP presents a wonderful opportunity for international cooperation. I’m looking forward to collaborating with scientists from Japan, England, and France as we work together towards solving some of the mysteries of the deep ocean crust. •

Top left: Magnified view (50x) of the gabbro drilled by expedition 305 taken in polarized light. The mineral olivine (magnesium silicate) shows bright colors as a result of interference – similar to the bright rings of color seen in a thin sheen of oil atop water. Top right: Magnified view (100x) metamorphosed gabbro taken in reflected light. The bright spots are iron pyrite and similar minerals.

Bottom right: Suspendisse tincidunt dui id nisi. Nunc sollicitudin nisi eu.

Base of operations: The drill tower aboard Joides Resolution after a spring rainstorm.

Marine Biology

Life Beyond the Beach

By Dr. Judith Winston, VMNH Curator of Marine Biology

F

rom mid-January to mid-February 18, 2005, VMNH marine biologist, Dr. Judith Winston worked with Brazilian colleagues at CEBIMar, the University of São Paulo’s marine station in São Sebastião, Brazil. She was invited there to assist USP scientists in collecting and identifying bryozoans for a field guide to the marine life of the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The field guide is part of the BIOTA Project, a FASEP (a Brazilian science foundation) supported survey of the marine fauna of the state, and all expenses for the trip were paid by USP. This was her second visit to work on the project; her first visit was in November 2002.

Earlier taxonomic studies on marine bryozoans of Brazil were carried out by Ernst and Eveline Marcus, two German scientists who immigrated to Brazil in the mid-1930s. Ernst became Professor of Zoology at the new University of São Paulo. He and his wife, a trained biological illustrator, studied marine and freshwater invertebrates there from the 1930s to the 1950s and published many scientific papers on them. Their work was excellent and is still much in use in Brazil and elsewhere, but because the taxonomy of bryozoans has changed some since that time and because new collections and photographs of live animals were wanted for the guidebook, Dr. Winston was asked to help update their bryozoan work.

During the sampling phase of the BIOTA project, from 2001-2005, more than 130 species of bryozoans were collected. Ninety-six of the species reported previously from the state of São Paulo were found again. Photographs and preliminary studies of morphology indicate that there

I N S I D E V M N H R E S E ARCH • 2006

Top: Brazilian marine biology graduate student Gustavo Muniz Dias collects a bryozoan colony from his experimental fouling panels so that it can be included in the guidebook to local marine bryozoans on which Dr. Judith Winston is working in cooperation with Alvaro Migotto, Director of the Centro de Biologia Marinha of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Dr. Judith Winston)

are new species to be described as well.

Detailed morphologic study using SEM will be needed for the description of the new species. During her two visits, Dr. Winston and Dr. Alvaro Migotto, Director of the marine station, photographed living colonies of most of the species, and Dr. Winston made the necessary measurements of zooid dimensions for the descriptions. Once all the descriptions are complete they will be translated into Portuguese for the guidebook volume to be published by the University of São Paulo Press.

Photographs and preliminary studies of morphology indicate that there are new species to be described as well.

Top: Microphotograph of a colony of Bicellariella, a bryozoan found in the BIOTA survey of the marine fauna of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Long spines on the funnel-shaped individual zooids protect them from damage by predators or water movement. (Photo by Dr. Alvaro Esteves Migotto) For Dr. Winston the most exciting part of working in Brazil was the discovery of a new fauna of minute species of bryozoans and other encrusting animals which live attached to single grains of sand or shell. She and Dr. Migotto have published a paper on these animals and their unusual way of life. Most encrusting invertebrates need much larger surfaces, such as entire shells or rocks to settle on, so this discovery of an interstitial refuge may be important in understanding their distributions.

Long days and nights were spent collecting and working in the lab, but Dr. Winston also enjoyed seeing a little of the local area. The small town of São Sebastião

“...this discovery of an interstitial refuge may be important in understanding their distributions.”

Right: A blue colony of Lichenopora, a cyclostome bryozoan, is nestled next to an empty barnacle shell (upper right) and has grown over a pink calcareous alga. (Photo

by Dr. Alvaro Esteves Migotto)

(continued) INSIDE VMNH RESEA R C H • 2 0 0 6

was founded in colonial days and has many beautiful old buildings. It is a now a seaside resort, with seafood restaurants lining the waterfront and crowds of summer tourists, especially during the week of Carnival which ends the summer season in Brazil. Dr. Winston enjoyed dancing in the streets with the students from the marine lab during the Carnival parade and seeing the floats and costumes of the parade participants. “It wasn’t much like the giant Rio Parade I saw

on TV,” she noted, “this parade was homemade and small town style--- but lots of fun for kids and grownups alike.”

Educational outreach was an important part of the project, too. Dr. Winston helped graduate students at the marine lab with identification of bryozoans found in their thesis projects. She is working with Brazilian graduate student, Laís Vieira Ramalho, on the species description writing and with another graduate student, Leandro Manzoni, on the translation of the descriptions.

During her visit she posted a weblog on the VMNH website every few days describing the project’s progress for students and other virtual visitors to our site. •

Top: Close-up of a living colony of Membranipora tenella. The young of this bryozoan species preferentially settle on floating objects, such as driftwood and sea beans (the drifting seeds of tropical vines and trees).

These chief habitat of Membranipora tenella is floating plastic trash. The increasing accumulation of plastic debris in the oceans may be helping this species increase its distribution and abundance. (Photo by Dr. Alvaro Esteves Migotto)

Bottom: View of the town of São Sebastião, Brazil. The long pier in the background is part of a large commercial port for oil tankers. The mountainous island of Ihlabela, a favorite Brazilian tourist destination, is visible beyond a narrow channel. The marine station is located on the far side of the town. (Photo by Dr. Judith Winston)

I N S I D E V M N H R E S E ARCH • 2006

Vertebrate Paleontology

Desert Whales

By Dr. Alton Dooley, VMNH Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology

P

eru’s Atacama desert is one of the driest places on Earth – some areas have not had any rain since people started keeping records. The region is covered with very fine, dusty sand, piled in places into giant sand dunes. Occasionally wind-sculpted hills poke up through the sand. Walking across the Atacama, you don’t see lizards, flies, or even cactuses – it’s far too dry.

These desolate hills, 1,000 feet above sea level and more than 20 miles from the ocean, seem a strange place to find fossil whales. Yet the Peruvian desert has some of the richest deposits of marine fossils anywhere. Sediments deposited in deep water over the last 40 million years have been elevated thousands of feet due to rapid rates of uplift along the Peruvian coast.

In 2001, I received an email from Peruvian paleontologist Mario Urbina, which included a photograph of a fossil whale.

The photo was of a 10-million-year-old sperm whale, one of the rarest types of fossil whales--only about a dozen skulls have ever been found. The Peruvian skull had a very unusual mix of advanced and primitive characteristics, including large upper teeth

that are very rare in such advanced sperm whales. Mario knew the sperm whale would pique my interest, but he didn’t know just how excited I would be.

Six years earlier, a VMNH team had excavated a sperm whale at the Carmel Church Quarry in Caroline County, the first fossil sperm whale skull ever found in Virginia. It was immediately apparent that the Carmel Church specimen was a new species, from its mix of advanced and primitive features, including large upper teeth.

Even from a photograph, it was clear that the Peruvian and Virginian sperm whales were probably close relatives. This was the first time that closely related sperm whale species had been found in two different places, much less different ocean basins. After seeing the pictures, I knew I was going to have to go to Peru to better understand Virginia’s whales.

Getting to the Peruvian fossil deposits is not easy. Arriving in the national capital of Lima at midnight after a long flight from the US, there’s a 4-5 hour drive south along the Pan American highway.

Then, it’s necessary to leave the road

Above: Sperm whale skull from Carmel Church, Virginia.

Bottom: Sperm whale skull from Cerro la Bruja, Peru. in a 4-wheel drive and head across the desert, with a local guide--it’s easy to get lost in this desert, with no roads, no vegetation, and few landmarks. Once on site, though, the fossils are well worth the wait.

In spite of the richness of these deposits, they have not been extensively studied or excavated. While many Peruvian toothed whales and some seals were described by French paleontologist Christian de Muizon in the 1980s, most of the whales there are almost completely unknown.

The toothed whales are unusual in their own right. A group of small dolphins called pontoporiids are particularly common. The only living pontoporiid, Pontoporia, lives off the Atlantic coast of Brazil and Argentina.

But the Peruvian deposits have a great vari(continued)

INSIDE VMNH RESEA R C H • 2 0 0 6

Top: Fossil baleen whale at Cerro la Bruja, Peru.

Insert: Closeup of the fossilized baleen plates.

ety of specialized pontoporiids. Interestingly, many of them seem to parallel other groups of dolphins found in Virginia and Maryland during the same time period.

One of the strangest Peruvian whales is Odobenocetops. This small whale has a skull with many of the same adaptations as a walrus, even including large tusks (Odobenocetops means “walrus head”). Apparently, like walruses, it fed on shellfish that lived on the seafloor.

Some of the most spectacular skeletons are the baleen whales, relatives of the modern blue and humpback whales. These giant whales are named for their feeding apparatus. Baleen is a soft tissue that hangs from the roof of the mouth, and is used to filter shrimp and small fish from the water.

The Atacama is littered with the skeletons of huge baleen whales, up to 50 feet long. Often, these are complete skeletons, including all the tail vertebrae, and all the small bones in the flippers. Most of these whales were preserved lying on their backs-when the whale dies, decomposition gases cause it to roll onto its back before it finally sinks. The completeness of the skeletons indicates that the whales died in fairly deep water, that was free of most large scavengers.

I N S I D E V M N H R E S E ARCH • 2006

Since it is not bone, baleen does not usually fossilize, and there have only been a few reports of fossilized baleen plates. However, many of the baleen whales in Peru have preserved baleen plates--the only place in the world this has been observed.

So how can the Peruvian fossils help us understand Virginia’s natural history? Peru in many ways is almost the exact opposite of Virginia--it’s located in a different hemisphere, in a different ocean basin, and the sedimentary rocks formed in deep water

rather than in shallow water. The contrast in the marine life between the two places is informative. Knowing what wasn’t living in Virginia tells us something about Virginia’s past environments.

Already there have been some surprising observations made about the two faunas.

Most modern baleen whales are found in all oceans, so the baleen whales living of the coast of Virginia today are largely the same species living today off the Peruvian coast.

Yet in the fossil deposits, there is so far not a single baleen whale species that has been found in both Peru and Virginia. Likewise, early observations suggest that both the dolphins and the sea turtles are different between the two locations.

This pattern doesn’t hold for some of the other animals. Most of the sharks found in Virginia are also found in Peru. And of course, there is the pair of intriguing sperm whale skulls that first pointed to a connection between Peru and Virginia. What was happening in the ancient oceans to cause such an unusual distribution of animals, so different from what we see today? Continued excavation and study of the fossils in both Virginia and Peru may eventually reveal the answer. •

Left: Side view of the skull of Odobenocetops. The front of the skull is to the right.

Books and Publications VMNH Senior Fellows

Special Publications: Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Southeastern Fox Squirrels, Sciurus niger.

N. Moncrief, J. W. Edwards, and P. A. Tappe., eds. Pp. 1-84. 1993.

Amphibians and Reptiles of Assateague and Chincoteague Islands. J. C. Mitchell and J. M. Anderson. Pp. 1-120. 1994.

Scale Insects of Northeastern North America: Identification, Biology, and Distribution.

Michael Kosztarab. Pp. 1-650. 1996.

Developing Staff Resources for Managing Collections. P. S. Cato (ed.). Pp. 1-71.

1996.

The Biology of Tiger Beetles and a Guide to the Species of the South Atlantic States.

C. B. Knisley and T. D. Schultz. Pp. 1-210.

1997.

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of Tree Squirrels. Pp 1-310. 1998

Systematics of the freshwater amphipod genus Crangonyx (Crangonyctidae) in North America. J. Zhang and J. R. Holsinger. Pp. 1-274. 2003.

Re-description and revision of Smitt’s “Floridan Bryozoa” in the Collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. J. E. Winston. Pp.1-160. 2005.

A New Species of Squalodon (Mammalia, Cetacea) From The Middle Miocene Of Virginia.. A. C. Dooley, Jr. Pp. 1-17. 2005.

Guidebooks: Early to Middle Carnian (Triassic) Flora and Fauna of the Richmond and Taylorsville Basins, Virginia and Maryland, U.S.A. B. Cornet and P. E. Olsen. Pp. 1-83. 1990.

Geologic Evolution of the Eastern United States. A. Schultz and E. Compton-Gooding, eds. Pp. 1-304. 1991.

Proceedings of the Appalachian Biogeography Symposium. R. P. Eckerlin, ed. Pp. 1-258. 1999.

Stratford Hall Plantation and Westmoreland State Park: Physical and Cultural Geology, and Paleontology. L. B. Rohr, M. E. Lewis, and L. W. Ward. Pp. 1-93. 2002.

Checklist of the Millipeds of North and Middle America. R. L. Hoffman. Pp. 1-564.

1999.

Insects of Virginia 14. Seed bugs of Virginia Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Lygaeidae). R. L. Hoffman Pp. i-vi, 1-111. 1996.

Identification of Waterfowl Breastbones and Avian Osteology (Sterna) of North American Anseriformes. D. W. Oates, E. D. Boyd, and J. S.Ramaekers. Pp. 1-51. 2003.

Books listed may be ordered online at www. vmnh.net or by calling 276-666-8600 (leave message if voice mail comes on). Other options include fax: 276-632-6487 or email: books@ vmnh.net.

A Classification and Checklist of the Genus Psudanophthalmus Jeannel (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae). T. C. Barr, Jr. Pp. 1-52. 2004.

A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America. C. V. Covell, Jr. Pp. 1-496. 2005.

Memoirs: Evolution of Environments and Hominidae in the African Western Rift Valley. N. T. Boaz, ed. Pp. 1-356. 1990.

Molluscan Biostratigraphy of the Miocene, Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain of North America. L. W. Ward. Pp. 1-159. 2001.

Molluscan Assemblages of the Chowan River Formation, Part A. L. W. Ward and N. L. Gilinsky. Pp. 1-40. 1993.

The Megaflora from the Quantico Locality (Upper Albian), Lower Cretaceous Potomac Group of Virginia. G. R. Upchurch, P. R. Crone, and A. N. Drinnan. Pp. 1-57. 1994.

A Synopsis of the North American Centipedes of the Order Scolopendromorpha (Chilopoda). R. M. Shelley. Pp. 1-108. 2002.

Virginia Museum of Natural History Attention: Publications Order 1001 Douglas Avenue Martinsville, VA 24112

Dr. Mitchell Byrd College of William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia Dr. Oliver S. Flint, Jr. Smithsonian Institution Washington DC

Dr. William J. Hargis, Jr. Virginia Institute of Marine Science Gloucester Point, Virginia

Dr. Boris C. Kondratieff Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Ms. Marilyn R. London Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History University of Maryland Bethesda, Maryland Dr. Jerry N. McDonald Granville, Ohio

Dr. C. E. Ray Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC

Dr. Frank K. McKinney Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina

Dr. William A. Shear Hampden Sydney College Hampden Sydney, Virginia

Dr. Joseph C. Mitchell University of Richmond Richmond, Virginia

Dr. E-An Zen University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Associates

Dr. Karen Mudar National Park Service Washington, DC

VMNH Research Associates Dr. Laurie Anderson Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dr. Miranda J. Armour-Chelu Howard University Washington, DC Dr. Michael B. Barber U. S. Forest Service--Jefferson and Washington Forests Salem, Virginia Dr. Gretchen K. Benedix Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia Dr. Raymond L. Bernor Howard University Washington, DC Dr. C. Clifford Boyd, Jr. Radford University Radford, Virginia Dr. Donna Boyd Radford University Radford, Virginia Dr. R. P. Stephen Davis, Jr. Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina Dr. Raymond D. Dueser Utah State University Logan, Utah Dr. Ralph P. Eckerlin Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, Virginia Dr. Arthur V. Evans Richmond Virginia Dr. Steven J. Hageman Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina Mr. William S. Henika Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia Dr. Richard Highton Professor Emeritus University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Dr. John R. Holsinger Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia

Dr. Paul E. Olsen Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory Palisades, New York Dr. John F. Pagels Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia Dr. Charles R. Parker USGS Biological Resources Division-Great Smoky Field Station Gatlinburg, Tennessee Dr. John H. Porter University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Dr. Janet Reid Virginia Museum of Natural History Martinsville, Virginia Dr. Steven M. Roble Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Natural Heritage Richmond, Virginia Dr. Edwin S. Robinson Emeritus Professor Department of Geological Sciences Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia Dr. A. Krishna Sinha Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia Dr. Hans-Dieter Sues Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Washington, DC Dr. Richard P. Tollo George Washington University Washington, DC Dr. Robert J. Tracy Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg Virginia Dr. Christopher Tudge American University Washington, DC Dr. William David Webster University of North Carolina--Wilmington Wilmington, North Carolina

Affiliated Researchers

Dr. Patricia H. Kelley Ms. Carole L. Nash University of North Carolina--Wilmington James Madison University Wilmington, North Carolina Harrisonburg, Virginia

New to Collections

Written in Stone

At

first glance, the artifacts in this tray may look pretty much the same. A closer look, however, reveals differences in the rock material that they are made out of, differences in the form, or shape, of the artifacts, and differences in their size.

fieldwork. When the archaeology program was discontinued, VMI, like many universities, found itself in the position of having collections to care for that it no longer needed to support teaching or research. VMNH acquired a large amount of prehistoric material from throughout the United States, including some large collections from Virginia.

This collection of artifacts will be used for a variety of learning experiences for VMNH visitors. When we move to the new facility on Starling Avenue, VMNH Archaeology Curator Dr. Elizabeth Moore will be working with members of the Archaeological Society of Virginia to put together a synoptic collection of stone tools that will be available in the archaeology lab. This synoptic collection will contain at least one of every artifact type found in the collection from Virginia and can be used by avocational and professional visitors to help them identify artifacts. Although there are a number of published guide books that people can use to identify artifacts, having a collection of identified artifacts to look at and handle can be even more valuable.

From Ancient Egypt to Virginia The stone tools in this tray, referred to by archaeologists as “projectile points,” are a very small part of a significant collection transferred to the Virginia Museum of Natural History from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

For some time VMI had an active archaeology program that included both course work and

Virginia Museum of Natural History

1001 Douglas Avenue Martinsville, Virginia 24112

Inside

Virginia Museum of

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S

carab beetles are among the bestknown insects, revered by the ancient Egyptians and still modeled in jewelry; everyone knows “June bugs” and Japanese beetles. About 15,000 species have been described so far, and roughly a tenth of that number occur in the United States. Despite

the relatively large size and abundance of scarabs, we still have a long way to go in registering the Virginia contingent.

Some 230 species have been recorded from the Commonwealth, and additions are being made regularly, the latest being a spectacular species named Phanaeus igneus.

For years it was thought to range between North Carolina and Louisiana, but in July of 2003, sixteen specimens were captured at a study site along the Chowan River just southeast of Franklin, Virginia. Dr. Steven Roble, a zoologist with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, had been surveying the insect fauna there for several years without encountering this beetle, suggesting a short period of midsummer adult activity. When his 2003 collections were processed and identified at the museum in 2006, Phanaeus igneus was found to be new not only to our collections, but to the known fauna of Virginia as well, albeit occurring north of the state line by just a few miles.

Will it be found elsewhere in our southeast?

The name igneus (“firey”) was bestowed to denote the metallic red color of the forebody in some (not all) males.

Some males and apparently all females are uniformly dull black.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAI D Martinsville, VA Permit No. 456