Invertebrates: Review of Status in Pennsylvania

Study of invertebrate animals, especially insects, in Pennsylvania has a long history dating from before Linnaeus (1750s) and includes some of the earliest publications on the North American fauna. During the 1800s, most native species of invertebrates in Pennsylvania were named, but basic information on the biology of only a few species was published. The fauna of adjacent states (especially New York and New Jersey) was well studied, and by the early 1900s the northeastern United States had become the most thoroughly studied region for invertebrates in the New World. By the 1950s, a few of the dominant groups of invertebrates had been monographed in publications specifically addressing the fauna of Pennsylvania (e.g., Ortmann [1919] for freshwater mussels; Tietz [1952] and Forbes [1954] for Lepidoptera). Many other Pennsylvania invertebrates were included in revisionary treatments of specific families or genera but such information has not been summarized or reviewed in a meaningful or useful manner for management or conservation purposes.