For 24 hours on July 31-August 1, 2009, the Yale Peabody Museum joined forces with Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo for a “BioBlitz” of Stratford, Connecticut.

The August 2009 BioBlitz was co-sponsered by Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History and Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo from July 31 to August 1. Scientists from these institutions and several others including Connecticut Audubon Society, National Marine Fisheries Service, Connecticut Valley Mycological Society helped survey the Town of Stratford. 

The August 2009 BioBlitz yielded some unusual findings. While sweeping vegetation with nets at Stratford Point, students from the Peabody’s Entomology Division team collected a two-inch long antlion that resembles a small dragonfly. Raymond Pupedis, senior collections manager in Entomology, subsequently identified the curious antlion as Brachynemurus abdominalis, which may be common, but is rarely encountered in the state and thus little is known of its life history. Another unusual finding was a strange form of a species of marine gammaridean amphipod, or Gammarus mucronatus. This was also found at Stratford Point. The specimen was interesting because it is an unusual phenotype; it is a “non-mucronate form” and lacks the sharp points that characterize the species.

In total 977 species were found including mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, plants and fungi. The 2009 BioBlitz represents the “Summer Season” survey of Stratford. BioBlitz in previous years represent Spring and Winter.

Download the lists of species observed in the Summer 2009 Stratford BioBlitz:

Click here for the free Adobe Reader® needed to open these PDF files.

Feb 2009 BioBlitz Results
May 2008 BioBlitz Results
May 2007 BioBlitz Results

Some of the activities and volunteers at the Summer 2009 Stratford BioBlitz.

For information on the next Yale Peabody Museum BioBlitz contact:

Gregory Watkins-Colwell
Division of Vertebrate Zoology
203.432.3791
gregory.watkins-colwell@yale.edu

Related BioBlitz Links

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
http://www.beardsleyzoo.org/

Center for Conservation and Biodiversity
& Connecticut State Museum of Natural History
University of Connecticut
http://web.uconn.edu/mnh/bioblitz/

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/blitz.html
with links to other BioBlitz sites

Town of Stratford
http://www.townofstratford.com