3.12 Insects
wingless and usually have more than six legs (e.g., spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes, and sowbugs) (see GS 106-65).
Te United States has the greatest diver- sity of freshwater insects in the orders Ephemeroptera (mayfies), Plecoptera (stonefies), and Trichoptera (caddisfies), which are commonly referred to as EPTs (Abell et al. 2000; Silk and Ciruna 2006 ). A review of occurrence data recorded in the NCNHP database indicates there are well over 2,000 species of Lepidoptera (butterfies, moths)— the best-studied order of insects in North Carolina—known to occur in the state
Monarch butterfy (Randy Robertson) https://www.fickr.com/photos/ randysonofrobert/1436168760/ Used under license CC BY 2.0
(LeGrand et al. 2014 ). Equally large, if not larger, numbers can be expected for several other insect orders. Beetles (order Coleoptera) in particular are believed to outnumber all other taxonomic groups in terms of the number of species. Te ecological signifcance of insects is great. Tey play a key role in ecological processes such as primary consumption, decomposition, and pollination. Te majority of our plant species included on the state or federal endangered and threatened lists are dependent on insects for pollination. In some cases, specifc species of insect pollinators may do most of the work and their loss may contribute to the endangerment of the plant. Te Rough-leaf Loosestrife ( Lysimachia asperulifolia) may be one such example in North Carolina (Franklin 2001) . Te current low levels of seed set may indicate that a major, specialized pollinator has been lost. Insects are a primary food source for many vertebrate species groups. Game species that are largely or partly dependent on insects for food include Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Rufed Grouse, and even Black Bear (Landers et al. 1979) . Endangered species that rely primarily on insects include the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Virginia Big-eared Bat, Gray Bat, and Indiana Bat. Insects can also present considerable pest management challenges, especially introduced exotics such as the Gypsy Moth and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Hanula and Franzred 1995) . Conversely, the use of insects as biological controls may ofer the best chance of com- bating these exotics. Te NCWRC does not have jurisdiction over most of these taxa, and there is a scarcity of biologists focused on these groups. Knowledge levels and data availability for insects, terrestrial gastropods, and arachnids are among the lowest of any animal group in the
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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