The first tiphiid wasp (Aculeata: Euaculeata: Vespoidea: Tiphiiformes) in Cretaceous amber is described and figured. Thanatotiphia nyx, new genus and species, is represented by a male entombed in mid-Cretaceous (latest Albian) amber from Myanmar. Thanatotiphia possesses remarkable apomorphies in wing venation, lacks key traits of modern subfamilies, and is thus classified in a new subfamily, Thanatotiphiinae. The fossil is further shown to be nested well within the family, indicating that major lineages of Tiphiidae diverged by the mid-Cretaceous. The new taxon is compared with modern tiphiid subfamilies and the sparse fossil history of the family briefly overviewed.

Despite the abundance of hesperornithiform fossils from the Western Interior of North America, particularly the Niobrara Chalk of Kansas, few specimens are known of Parahesperornis, a toothed, foot-propelled diving bird somewhat smaller than Hesperornis. Numerous specimens of three species of Hesperornis as well as those of Baptornis advenus are known from the Smoky Hill Chalk of western Kansas, but only two specimens of Parahesperornis have been collected to date. This paper presents a new specimen of Parahesperornis and a detailed description of the tarsometatarsus of this genus. Minor differences in morphology of the isolated tarsometatarsus presented here prevent its inclusion in Parahesperornis alexi, however these differences are not sufficient to warrant the designation of a new taxon at this time.

An electrical resistivity (ER) survey was conducted in a cemetery located on private ground in Lincoln County, Kansas. The purpose was to ascertain ER signatures of known, side-by-side graves as well as that of one suspect grave in the cemetery. No modern grave stone markers are present in the cemetery; only rectangular ‘Outlines’ made of local, cobble-size Dakota Sandstone lying on the surface of the ground express the graves. No historical records or documented grave maps exist; only word-of-mouth information is available. The ER measurements ranged from 10-ohm-meters to 200 ohm-meters. The ER anomaly map and selected 2D-depth ER cross sections show higher ER anomaly values and similar grave shape-anomaly patterns over the two closely-spaced known graves. Lower ER values with no anomalous patterns are observed over the suspect grave position. Electrical resistivity is useful for targeting the location of the known graves at the Lincoln County site but was not as exact for the suspect grave. Physical excavation of the cemetery would provide a more conclusive investigation.

Geodiscelis thaumaskelos Packer, new species, is described from Mendoza Province, Argentina. The species is unique among all known Xeromelissinae in having only one metatibial spur in both sexes and the almost glabrous second sternum in females, which in other Xeromelissinae bears a scopa that is usually better developed than that on the hind leg. The males are unique among all bees in the enormously expanded metabasitarsus that is deeply concave on the outer surface and which bears a complex pattern of hair brushes. Like the other two species of the genus, G. thaumaskelos forages on Boraginaceae.

Kite aerial photography (KAP) is a means to acquire large-scale, highly detailed imagery for various environmental applications. Previous color-infrared KAP was developed for film-based cameras, but is now effectively obsolete. The authors have built a KAP rig and field tested a digital color-infrared camera, the Tetracam ADC, which produces results that are generally comparable with color-infrared film photography. Field testing was conducted at the Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve of The Nature Conservancy in central Kansas. The resulting images are high-contrast photographs that depict emergent vegetation in bright red-pink colors and show water bodies nearly black, as would be expected in color-infrared imagery. Color-visible digital cameras produce better apparent spatial resolution, whereas the Tetracam ADC camera provides an extended spectral range into the near-infrared. For detailed environmental field investigations involving kite aerial photography, a combination of color-visible and color-infrared cameras is recommended for improved results overall.

A second species of dasyleptid bristletail (Archaeognatha: Dasyleptidae) is described and figured from the Lower Permian Wellington Formation of Kansas. Dasyleptus artinskianus Engel, new species, is distinguished from other dasyleptids and a key to the species of the genus is provided.

The extinct polyneopterous family Lemmatophoridae Sellards, 1909 includes eight species found in the Wellington Formation of Kansas. Tasch and Zimmerman (1962) had previously reported the presence of Lemmatophora typa Sellards, 1909, Artinska clara Sellards, 1909, and Lisca minuta Sellards, 1909, from the Oklahoma Wellington Formation. One specimen each of the species Artinska ovata (Sellards, 1909) and Paraprisca fragilis (Sellards, 1909) have been found in the Wellington Formation deposits of Noble County Oklahoma, bringing to five the number of known species of lemmatophorids common to the Oklahoma and Kansas Permian deposits.

The distribution of transformer plant species, defined as harmful species that substantially modify ecosystems, was generally localized in Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas (TPNP). Surveys for transformer species were conducted along line transects (n=301) in September 2006. Nine of 16 transformer plant species (81.8%) revealed significant positive associations with riparian forests or with cultivated land. These preferences are likely confounded in that the soils most suitable for cultivation lie in the vicinity of riparian forests. In contrast, a single transformer species revealed a significant positive association with roads. Agricultural areas and riparian forests appear to be more highly invaded than annually burned and grazed prairie in TPNP. Consequently, targeting early detection efforts in or near agricultural areas and riparian forests rather than the more extensive prairie will likely yield higher detection rates of transformer species.

This paper is based on laboratory observations of the millipede Pseudopolydesmus pinetorum and gives general information about its natural history with a focus on reproduction and growth. In general, eggs were laid in the spring and adults died in the summer. A given female laid eggs several times before death in batches of about 70–300, which were enclosed in igloo-like chambers constructed of fecal material. The fecal material was formed into flat shingles within the everted rectum and used to build the chamber walls. Chambers had no ventilation openings, but were topped with a chimney-like structure of uncertain function and finally covered with additional fecal material and a layer of debris. Hatchlings exited their chamber in about 10 to 20 days, depending on temperature, and began to feed. They moved about as a flock (first instars only) and if another flock was present, the flocks united. Molting occurred in molting chambers; earlier instars usually made theirs in the soil, but later instars often made igloo-like chambers on the surface that were comparable to egg chambers. Later instars spent about 10 days in the chamber. Most juveniles overwintered in their sixth or seventh stadium and new adults emerged and mated in the spring. Adults of uncertain age collected in October did not lay eggs until late January. If they were prodded, the first few instars produced a drop of secretion, assumed to be defensive, from their anuses and a pair of lateral paranotal pores; these instars tended to hunker down and hold their positions, but later instars simply fled.

Ascorbate (vitamin C) concentrations and osmolalities (solute concentrations) were measured across orange and apple juice varieties available at a local grocer. Ascorbate concentrations ranged from 0.00 to 0.55 mg mL^-1 in apple juice and from 0.22 to 0.54 mg mL^-1 in orange juice. Mean ascorbate concentrations were significantly higher in orange juices compared to apple juices. In contrast, the mean osmolality of apple juices was significantly greater than in orange juices. Osmolality ranged from 339 to 696 mOsm kg^-1 in apple juice and from 482 to 612 mOsm kg^-1 in orange juice. In all but one case, ascorbate concentrations and osmolalities agreed with label information.

Fundulus kansae Garman (northern plains killifish; Fundulidae) was described in 1895 and “Kansas” was designated as the type locality. Based on the information available, a more specific locality is suggested: Big Creek near Ellis, Kansas. However, the continued presence of F. kansae in this region is uncertain. In several areas of western Kansas, including Big Creek, the distribution of F. kansae has been reduced since the late 1880s and its relative abundance has declined since the 1970s. These declines resulted primarily from habitat loss through dewatering of streams, although introduced predators, parasites, and fragmented streams also represent threats to the species. In other areas of western Kansas, especially in the upper Arkansas River basin, F. kansae has increased in relative abundance. However, these are probably short-term increases linked to declines in water quality, to which F. kansae is more tolerant than most other species of native fish. Thus, generally declining trends in distribution and relative abundance for Kansas populations of F. kansae suggest that the species is in need of conservation and warrants monitoring and additional study.

We describe the first occurrence of the Late Cretaceous pycnodont fish referred to Anomoeodus cf. A. barberi Hussakof, from the Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Chalk in western Logan County, Kansas. The specimen is an incomplete right prearticular tooth plate that was surface collected from the upper Smoky Hill Chalk (lower Campanian), and represents the second and the youngest occurrence of Anomoeodus from Kansas. The addition of this taxon to the fauna of the Smoky Hill Chalk increases the total number of pycnodont taxa to four, bony fish taxa to 56, and total fish taxa to 72.

A new genus and species of the extinct Paleozoic insect order Diaphanopterodea (Palaeodictyopterida) is described and figured from the Early Permian (Artinskian) Wellington Formation of Noble County, Oklahoma. Anomalohymen dochmus, new genus and species, is most similar to Biarmohymen bardense Zalessky from the Early Permian (Kungurian) of Tshekarda in Russia. The two genera share the proximal coalescence of M and CuA along with a generally reduced venation. Rather than erect another monogeneric family, we here include Anomalohymen in the Biarmohymenidae, emending the diagnosis of the family, providing a key to the constituent genera, and extending the biogeographic and temporal range of the lineage.

Currently there are no published accounts of the specific diets of mink (Mustela vison) in Nebraska. Herein, we present findings of an historic data set on the winter diets of mink in Nebraska. Gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of mink were collected by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission during the 1946–1947 fur trapping season. The contents of the GI tracts were identified as specifically as possible and percentage of occurrence and percentage of total volume was calculated for each prey item. Mammals and bony fish were the most encountered items. Among mammals, rabbits and muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) were the most frequently consumed species. The presence of rabbits as a major food source is interesting given that most published reports suggest that rabbits are only opportunistically preyed upon by mink. Other commonly consumed taxa include crayfish and frogs. Our report is consistent with other published accounts in that mink prey on a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate taxa.

Zipf's Law states that there is a relation between size and rank of discrete phenomena. This relationship has been noted in other areas, but only recently has been used to describe geological events; in this example, the occurrence of earthquakes in Kansas. Forty earthquakes recorded in Kansas were used to test and evaluate the law as a description model. It was determined that Zipf's Law can describe the size and rank distribution of earthquakes, including those with magnitudes not yet recorded, but it cannot predict when they will occur.