Python Found Living in Apartment Ceiling

In Massachusetts, a python was found living in two men's apartment ceiling. The python was the apartment's previous renter's pet who he lost about a month before he moved out. Click here to see the video.

892 Miles of Critical Habitat for Two Fish Species

Yesterday, U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposed 892 miles of critical habitat for two southwestern fish, the spikedace and loach minnow. These two fish have been eliminated from more than 80 percent of their historic ranges in New Mexico and Arizona. U.S. Fish and Wildlife also proposed that these two fish be moved from threatened to endangered species due to population declines, continued habitat destruction and the spread of invasive species. Click here to read more.

USDA Funds Invasive Species Research

Secretary Ann Wright, the Deputy Under Secretary for USDA's Marketing and Regulatory Program, visited New Roots Community Farm in San Diego yesterday. The farm is a project of International Rescue Committee (IRC) that highlights USDA's grant funding for invasive species research in California. USDA awarded California Department of Food and Agriculture, $152,250 in Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funds in September. Part of these grant funds will go to the Invasive Species Advisory Committee in California. This committee is partnering with the California Farm Bureau to target invasive species throughout the state. Click here to read more.

Experts Fear New Jellyfish Species

A new jellyfish species found off the coast of Israel this summer is symptomatic to the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Experts fear the new species, Marivagia stellata, will upset the ecological balance in the Mediterranean. The species has a translucent blue color and is patterned with red streaks, stars and dots. Measuring only six inches in diamter, the jellyfish does not sting humans. Click here to read more and view a picture of the new species.

The Center Teaches EDDMapS Training Workshop for Six Rivers CISMA

Karan Rawlins, Invasive Species Coordinator at the University of Georgia's Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, taught an EDDMapS training workshop for Six Rivers CISMA in Florida last week. The workshop took place at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL. Nineteen people attended the workshop. The workshop included a field trip in which attendees located invasive species in their area, mapped the invader using a GPS device, and learned to upload the information into EDDMapS (www.eddmaps.org). For more information on EDDMapS training workshops, contact Karan Rawlins at 229-386-3298 or krawlins@uga.edu.

Grants Available for Prairie Research for 2011

Prairie Biotic Research (PBR) is an all-volunteer,  Wisconsin nonprofit established in 2000 to foster basic biotic research in prairies and savannas across the U.S. They have awarded 100 grants to researchers in 24 states. Applications must be mailed and received before January 7, 2011 by PBR.  You can visit their website to learn more, download an application form and instructions, and review the researcher agreement. Click here to learn more.

Screening Aid to Pests

Authors: Amanda J. Redford, Terrence Walters, Amanda Hodges, Forrest W. Howard, and Matthew Trice

CPHST is pleased to announce the release of its newest identification tool: A Resource for Pests and Diseases of Cultivated Palms: Screening Aid to Pests,developed through collaboration among USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST, University of Florida, and the Southern Plant Diagnostic Network. Screening Aid to Pests(SAP) the first of six tools being developed to support the screening and detection of pests and diseases of cultivated palms in the U.S. and Caribbean, is aimed primarily at the novice entomologist.

SAP was designed to help users determine which type of arthropod palm pest they have found and features illustrated fact sheets with descriptions of each pest as well as two interactive keys. There is an adult key that helps the user with identifying the order of the pest, and then offers the ability to identify to a lower rank, such as family, genus, or species, as well as a key to select larval species. In the keys themselves, common language terms are used to help support use of the keys by inexperienced individuals. However, in order to maximize their value and validity, some specialized entomological terminology appears in the fact sheets. A glossary with links from the fact sheets, as well as an an illustrated primer to insect anatomy, assist the user in understanding such terms.

SAP is available on the Internet at: http://itp.lucidcentral.org/id/palms/SAP/