Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science articles from September 2003

Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science archives from September 2003

The earwigs of Kansas, with a key to genera north of Mexico (Insecta: Dermaptera).
September 22, 2003... The earwigs occurring in Kansas are summarized, figured, and a key to aid their identification is provided. The biology and general evolution of the order is briefly overviewed and the higher classification of Dermaptera summarized, with the...

A new Eocene-Oligocene snakefly from Florissant, Colorado (Raphidioptera: Raphidiidae).
September 22, 2003... A new species of raphidiid snakefly (Raphidioptera: Raphidiomorpha) is described and figured from the Eocene-Oligocene Florissant Formation of Colorado. Raphidia funerata, new species, is most similar to R. mortua Rohwer but can be...

Breeding season avifauna of prairie dog colonies and non-colonized areas in shortgrass prairie.
September 22, 2003... Avian assemblages of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies were compared to those present at two types of non-colonized grassland, during the breeding season, in southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado. Relative...

First records of plesiosaur remains in the lower Smoky Hill Chalk Member (Upper Coniacian) of the Niobrara Formation in western Kansas.
September 22, 2003... Although plesiosaurs are known to occur in the Upper Cretaceous Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Formation, their remains are uncommon, rarely complete and unequally distributed in the unit. There are only three reasonably complete...

Population characteristics and evidence of natural reproduction of blue catfish in Milford Reservoir, Kansas.
September 22, 2003... We examined trends in abundance, size and age structure, and growth rates of blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, in Milford Reservoir, Kansas. Trends in abundance and size structure were assessed using fall gill net data collected during...

Evaluation of farmed playa wetlands as avian habitat using survey data and two rapid assessment techniques.
September 22, 2003... Playa wetlands contribute to the biological diversity of the southern Great Plains, yet many are modified by current farming practices. We surveyed 12 farmed playa wetlands from 1998-99 to (1) document seasonal avian use of these habitats and...

Effects of sericea lespedeza residues on selected tallgrass prairie grasses.
September 22, 2003... Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata [Dumont] G. Don) has shown allelopathic properties in tame pastures but no studies have been done on its allelochemical effects on grasses in eastern Kansas rangelands where it is currently invading. Big...

Ptychodus mammillaris (Elasmobranchii) and Enchodus cf. E. shumardi (Teleostei) from the Fort Hays Limestone Member of the Niobrara Chalk (Upper Cretaceous) in Ellis County, Kansas.
September 22, 2003... Vertebrate fossils are rare components of the Fort Hays Limestone Member (uppermost Turonian--Lower Coniacian) of the Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk. Herein, two fish taxa are described that are new to the unit: Ptychodus mammillaris Agassiz...

Edward Drinker Cope, Professor Paleozoic and Buffalo Land.(Book Review)
September 22, 2003... William E. Webb's 1872 book Buffalo Land, written for the Kansas Pacific Railroad, was a typical railroad advertising publication with one exception. Webb's fictional story of a group of Kansas adventurers included a paleontologist probably...

Changes in land use in eastern Kansas, 1984-2000.
September 22, 2003... Populations of ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchieus), northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), cottontails (Sylvilagus sp.), greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuehus cupido), and black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), have been...

Haying effects on a restored prairie plant community in northeastern Kansas.
September 22, 2003... A six-year-old restored prairie plant community at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) was monitored for changes in species number and plant cover. It was hypothesized that haying would successfully establish a prairie plant community, and...

"All that glisters" ... precious metals or the lack thereof in Kansas.
September 22, 2003... "Hope springs eternal in the human breast." So observed the poet Alexander Pope in 1733. He probably was not thinking of mankind's eternal quest for wealth as typified by lust for gold. That lust is behind a century-old quest for the yellow...

Applications of kite aerial photography: golf course management.
September 22, 2003... INTRODUCTION The techniques of taking aerial photographs from kites were introduced by the authors in the Transactions (Aber, Sobieski et al. 1999) and in other journals during the past few years (Aber and Aber 2001). The basic method...

Occurrence of the mystery snail Cipangopaludina chinensis (Gastropoda:Viviparidae) in the Walnut River basin, Kansas.
September 22, 2003... This freshwater prosobranch snail was introduced into western North America in the 1890's and sold in Asian markets. It has since been reported from lentic and lotic habitats from San Francisco, CA to Seattle, WA. In the early 1900's the...

Kansas Academy of Science officers and council.
September 22, 2003... The leadership of the Kansas Academy of Science consists of elected officers and council members at large. These voting members of the executive council appoint additional individuals to fill various service positions. For a complete list of...

Kansas Academy of Science Annual Meeting 2003: student awards.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... College student oral and poster presentations were judged at the academy's annual meeting at Pittsburg State University, April, 2002. The following students received awards. Some of the award-winning students posed for a photograph, which...