McCorquodale, D. B.

Contact Information

david_mccorquodale@cbu.ca
Office:  A-116-F Lab: A-109
902-563-1260

Department of Biology, Cape Breton University
1250 Grand Lake Rd., Sydney, NS B1P 6L2

Biography

David McCorquodale joined the faculty at Cape Breton University in 1990 after completing his graduate work at University of Alberta and Australian National University and then postgraduate training at the University of Calgary.  Initially his interests focused on the evolution of social behaviour in wasps and bees.  To take advantage of research opportunities on Cape Breton Island his focus is now on the beetle fauna of Cape Breton and changes in bird populations on the island.  Besides his research and teaching – which focuses on environmental biology, entomology, natural history and evolution – he serves on the Forestry Advisory Committee for NewPage, Port Hawkesbury, Scientific Committee of the Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods), the Nova Scotia Species at Risk Working Group, actively participates in the Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas, assesses the impact of wind energy projects on bird populations and contributes to the monthly Bird Hour on CBC Cape Breton radio. 

Research Interests

Faunistics of insects, especially beetles (Coleoptera) of eastern Canada
Changes in bird populations of Cape Breton Island
The influence of pasture management on insect diversity
The influence of forest management on insect diversity

Representative Papers/Presentations

Refereed:

McCorquodale, D.B., Brown, J.M. and Marshall, S.A. A decline in the number of long-horned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) species in Ontario in the 20th century? Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario, 138: 107-135. pdf

Majka, C.G., Anderson, R.S., and McCorquodale, D.B. 2007. The weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada, II: new records from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and regional zoogeography. The Canadian Entomologist, 139: 397–442.pdf

Majka, C.G., McCorquodale, D.B. and Smith, M.E. 2007. The Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of Prince Edward Island: new records and further lessons.  The Canadian Entomologist. 139: 258-268. pdf

Majka, C.G., Aikens, K.R., MacDonald, A.A.M., Townsend, S.M. and McCorquodale, D.B. Hyperaspis brunnescens Dobzhansky (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) newly recorded in Canada from Scatarie Island, Nova Scotia. Entomological News 118: 402-406. pdf.

Majka, C. and McCorquodale, D.B. 2006. Revisions to the Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) fauna of the Maritime Provinces of Canada.  Zootaxa 1154: 49-68. pdf

Bouman, O.T., Vaninetti, N., Williams, G.E.M. and McCorquodale, D.B. 2005 [2004]. Ecological and Historical Evidence of Anthropogenic Forest Transformations in Eastern Cape Breton Island. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 19: 49-76. pdf

McCorquodale, D.B., Musgrave, B.L., Atkins, S. Majka, C. and Anderson, R.S.  2004. New Records of Native and Introduced Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for Nova Scotia from Cape Breton Island. Coleopterists Bulletin. 59: 27-34. pdf

McCorquodale, D.B. and Bondrup-Nielsen, S.  2004. Do we know beetles? Lessons from new records of Cerambycidae in Nova Scotia. Proceedings of the Nova Scotia Institute of Science. 42: 209-233. pdf

McCorquodale, D.B., Banks, D.B., Kerr, M.I., Knapton, R.W. and Harris, D.L. 2004. Nesting seabirds on the Bird Islands, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Proceedings of the Nova Scotia Institute of Science. 42: 241-252.

McCorquodale, D.B. and Knapton, R.W. 2003. Changes in numbers of wintering American Black Ducks and Mallards in urban Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Northeastern Naturalist 10:297-304. pdf

McCorquodale, D.B. 2002 [2001]. New records and notes on previously reported species of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) for Ontario and Canada. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Ontario 132: 3-13.

McCorquodale, D.B. 2000. Notiophilus novemstriatus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), a new ground beetle for Canada from a most unlikely location. Coleopterist’s Bulletin 54: 339-340. pdf

Cormier, C.M., T. Forbes, T. Jones, R. D. Morrison and D.B. McCorquodale.  2000. Alien invasion: The status of non-native lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in industrial Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. Northeastern Naturalist 7: 241-247.

McCorquodale, D.B. 1998. Adventive lady beetles in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada. Entomological News 109: 15-21. pdf

McCorquodale, D.B., Beresford, R.G., Francis, J.M., Thomson, C.E. and Bartlett, C.M. 1998.  Prevalence of Sphaerularia bombi Dufour (Nematoda: Tylenchida: Sphaerulariidae) in bumble bee queens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.  The Canadian Entomologist. 130:  877-882.

Stapleton, C., McCorquodale, D.B., Sneddon, C., Williams, M. and Bridgland, J.  1998. The Distribution and Potential for Invasiveness of Some Non-Native Vascular Plants in Northern Cape Breton. Technical Reports in Ecosystem Science.  Parks Canada Technical Reports in Ecosystem Science 015: 1-67.

McCorquodale, D.B. and Owen, R.E. 1997. Relatedness among progeny of a nest in the leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Canadian Entomologist 129: 211-219 pdf

McCorquodale, D.B. and Owen, R.E. 1994. Laying sequence, diploid males and nest usurpation in the leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of Insect Behavior 7: 731-738. pdf

Owen, R.E. and McCorquodale, D.B. 1994. Quantitative variation and heritability of post-diapause development time and body size in Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).  Annals of the Entomological Society of America 87: 922-927. pdf

Owen, R.E., Mydynski, L.J., Packer, L. and McCorquodale, D.B. 1992. Allozyme variation in bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Biochemical Genetics 30: 443-453. pdf

McCorquodale, D. B. 1990. Oocyte development in the primitively social wasp, Cerceris antipodes (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Ethology, Ecology and Evolution 2: 345-361.

McCorquodale, D. B.  1989. Nest defence in single and multi-female nests of Cerceris antipodes (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae).  Journal of Insect Behavior 2: 267-276. pdf

McCorquodale, D. B.  1989. Nest sharing, nest switching, longevity and overlap of generations in Cerceris antipodes (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae).  Insectes Sociaux 36: 42-50. pdf

McCorquodale, D. B.  1989. Soil softness, nest initiation and nest sharing in the wasp Cerceris antipodes Smith (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Ecological Entomology 14: 191-196.

McCorquodale, D. B., C. E. Thomson and Elder, V.  1989. Nest and prey of Williamsita bivittata (Turner) (Hymenoptera; Sphecidae; Crabroninae). Australian Entomological Magazine 16: 5-8.

McCorquodale, D. B. and C. E. Thomson. 1989. The prey of some Australian sphecid wasps. Australian Entomological Magazine 16: 93-97.

McCorquodale, D. B. 1988. Relatedness among nestmates in a primitively social wasp, Cerceris antipodes (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 23: 401-406.pdf

McCorquodale, D. B. and Naumann, I. D. 1988. A new Australian species of communal ground nesting wasp, in the genus Spilomena Shuckard (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Pemphredoninae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 27: 221-231. pdf

McCorquodale, D. B. and Thomson, C.E. 1988. A nest shared by the solitary wasps Cerceris antipodes Smith and C. australis Saussure (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 27: 9-10. pdf

McCorquodale, D.B. 1988. Prey carriage on the sting by Sericophorus relucens (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Larrinae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society 96: 121-122.

McCorquodale, D. B. 1986. Digger wasp (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) provisioning flights as a defence against a nest parasite, Senotainia trilineata (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology 64: 1620-1627.

Other Publications:
McCorquodale, D.B. 2005. Bird issues for an environmental assessment of a wind energy project at Lingan, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Report for Dillon Consulting, Halifax. 38 pp.

McCorquodale, D.B. 2005. Bird issues for an environmental assessment of wind energy projects at Glace Bay and Port Caledonia, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Report for Dillon Consulting, Halifax. 36 pp.

Knapton, R.W. and McCorquodale, D.B. 2002. Survey of Species at Risk for Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site and Greater Ecosystem:  Birds Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) and Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus).  Parks Canada Internal Report.

Knapton, R.W. and McCorquodale, D.B. 2002. Empidonax Flycatcher at Schooner Pond in December 2001. Nova Scotia Birds 44: 6.

McCorquodale, D.B. 2002. Assessment of Potential Impact on Bird Populations of a Wind Energy Facility near Donkin, Cape Breton Island.  Report for Renewable Energy Systems -North America, Austin, Texas.  32 pp.

McCorquodale, D.B. 2002. Birds on the campus of Periyar Maniammai College of Technology for Women, Vallam, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, 29 October to 16 November 2001.  Report to PROBE, PMCTW.  7 pp.

McCorquodale, D.B. and Knapton, R.W. 2001.  A King Rail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Birders Journal 10: 164-166.

Knapton, R.W. and McCorquodale, D.B. 2001. Seasonal Checklist of the Birds of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.  UCCB Special Publication. 21pp.

McCorquodale, D.B., Harris, D.L. and Novak, M. 2001. Birds of the Irish Cove Ecological Monitoring Site, 1996-2001. Report to Biodiversity Research Associates.  6pp.

Community Service

Member Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods) Scientific Committee, 2001 to present. 

CBC Radio Information Morning:  Bird Hour, with Dave Harris, NS Department of Natural Resources, a phone-in on the birds Cape Bretoners are seeing, their identification, biology, conservation and folklore, monthly since 1992.

Member Nova Scotia Species at Risk Working Group, February 2003-present.

Member Arthropod Species Specialist Subcommittee of Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), 2008-present.

Member of the public advisory committee on sustainable forestry for NewPage, Port Hawkesbury, 2000-present.

Participate in monitoring programs designed to document changes in the populations of Cape Breton birds, Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas Verification Working Group (2006-2010), Breeding Bird Surveys annually (coordinated by Dan Busby, Canadian Wildlife Service, 1992 to 2004), several Christmas Bird Counts annually (coordinated by Nova Scotia Bird Society and Bird Studies Canada, 1990-present), and Cape Breton Breeding Owl Survey (coordinated by Susann Myers, 2000-present).

Canadian International Development Agency missions to Lusaka, Zambia, 2004 (workshops on environmental health) and to Periyar Maniammai Technical College for Women, Tamil Nadu, India, 2001 (presentation at International Workshop on Energy and Environment, ecological footprint analyses and environmental training). CIDA projects organized by Dr. E. MacLellan, CBU.

Organize speakers for monthly meetings of the Cape Breton Naturalists Society, 2002-present.

Participant in writing the Ecological Integrity Statement for Cape Breton Highlands National Park, co-ordinated by James Bridgland, Park Ecologist.