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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-113--761118642 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi folks, This looks to me like Polistes fuscatus - a wasp - and not a wasp mimic at all. Photos are available at: http://www.cirrusimage.com/Bees_wasp_Polistes_fuscatus.htm Cheers, Chris On 10-Sep-06, at 8:36 PM, Stephen Shaw wrote: > Angus, Jean, others, > Very nice pictures Angus, but when the mimic is very good how do > you know which > is the mimic and which the model? As devil's advocate on this, it > doesn't look > like the usual syrphid fly mimics I've seen here (going by the > antennae) so > presumably it would have to be a stratiomyid (Stratiomyidae, > soldier flies, the > other group with many wasp mimics): this does fit with the club- > like antennae, > but which also perhaps could be hymenopteran, of a mud-dauber > maybe. To me, > the extreme waist and extremely pointy back end look more wasp- > like, features > that strats don't usually copy well (less of a waist and a rounded > abdominal > tip). There's enough motion blur due to take-off that you can't > see how many > wings there are (looks like there could be two pairs but impossible > to be > sure), and likewise can't see whether there are halteres or not. > So from the > one picture alone, to me it could be either a wasp or or a mimetic > fly. Did > you get a good look at it while it was stationary to resolve this, > or did you > get other pictures that you could put up? > > The other one on the flower appears to a biggish tachinid, also a > great picture. > Steve > Choc Lake, Halifax. > ***************************** > > > Quoting Angus MacLean <angusmcl@ns.sympatico.ca>: >> Usually the secret to good photos is recognizing the moment & >> reacting to it. Other times luck plays a big role. Such was the >> case with these two pics. >> >> This one catches the subject ready to lift off. One can almost >> feel the tension as it gets ready. (If your monitor is capable, >> click the "original size"). >> >> http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=238045972&size=m >> >> This one is in the same vein but has an aesthetic quality to it. >> (Again click "original" for a larger pic). >> >> http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=238045953&size=m >> >> Angus >> >> > > -- > Stephen R. Shaw Ph.D. > Dept of Psychology & Neuroscience > Dalhousie University > 1355 Oxford Street > Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4J1 > e-mail: srshaw@dal.ca > phone: 1-902-494-2047 > fax: 1-902-494-6585 _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 (902) 424-6435 Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. --Apple-Mail-113--761118642 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi folks,<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">This looks to me like <I>Polistes = fuscatus</I> - a wasp - and not a wasp mimic at all. Photos are = available at:</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><A = href=3D"http://www.cirrusimage.com/Bees_wasp_Polistes_fuscatus.htm">http:/= /www.cirrusimage.com/Bees_wasp_Polistes_fuscatus.htm</A></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Cheers,</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Chris</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV= >On 10-Sep-06, at 8:36 PM, Stephen Shaw wrote:</DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Angus, Jean, others,</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Very = nice pictures Angus, but when the mimic is very good how do you know = which</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">is the mimic and which the = model?<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>As devil's = advocate on this, it doesn't look</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">like the = usual syrphid fly mimics I've seen here (going by the antennae) = so</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">presumably it would have to be a stratiomyid = (Stratiomyidae, soldier flies, the</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">other group = with many wasp mimics): this does fit with the club-like = antennae,</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">but which also perhaps could be = hymenopteran, of a mud-dauber maybe.<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>To me,</DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">the extreme waist and extremely pointy back end look = more wasp-like, features</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">that strats = don't usually copy well (less of a waist and a rounded = abdominal</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">tip).<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>There's enough motion blur = due to take-off that you can't see how many</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">wings = there are (looks like there could be two pairs but impossible to = be</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">sure), and likewise can't see whether there are = halteres or not.<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>So from = the</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">one picture alone, to me it = could be either a wasp or or a mimetic fly.<SPAN = class=3D"A