Mark Ward
The Ringed
Boghaunter (Williamsonia lintneri
Hagen
) in
Maine
: What we now know and why we don’t
know more!
Mark Ward and Phillip deMaynadier
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Abstract:
The Ringed Boghaunter, Williamsonia
lintneri, was first discovered in
Maine
in 1995. Since that time the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
(MDIFW) has conducted annual surveys to assess the distribution and status of
the species in the state. The biology of W.
lintneri has presented several challenges for surveyors because of its early
and brief flight period (April 27-June 11 in Maine), its tendency to spend most
of its brief adult life stage in forested uplands, and the difficulty of
definitively distinguishing its exuviae from those of the ebony boghaunter (Williamsonia
fletcheri) – a species with considerably more general distribution and
habitat preferences in Maine. Nevertheless, surveys to date have improved our
understanding of the habitat requirements and distribution of W.
lintneri in Maine and resulted in: 1) the development of a habitat potential
index to score wetland suitability, 2) the development of an evidence-based
categorization of wetland breeding certainty, and 3) the identification of
several previously unknown populations. The results of this work will be
summarized and a wetland-specific conservation model will be proposed as a
management tool for the conservation of W. lintneri breeding habitats.
Biography: Mark
Ward is an ecological consultant who has conducted ringed boghaunter survey work
for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for the past three
years. He received a master’s degree in 1998 from the Field Naturalist Program
at the
University
of
Vermont
. Mark has conducted a variety of conservation related projects with a number of
plant and animal taxa. Most recently he has served as a consulting ecologist for
the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Maine Natural Areas
Program, and the New Hampshire Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Mark resides
in
Portland
,
ME.
Phillip deMaynadier is a biologist
in the Endangered and Threatened Species Group of the Maine Department of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife whose primary responsibilities include amphibians,
reptiles, Odonata, Lepidoptera, vernal pools and forest biodiversity.
Contact Info:
Mark Ward,
45 North Street
,
Portland
,
ME
04101
. Email: maward99@earthlink.net
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