[NatureNS] Insect ID Ideas?

From: Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:17:06 -0300
References: <CAD2SNSD-n+PzxkR-QnO1Kcvf1uJkETATA5gRT9-FB6cBow6UpQ@mail.gmail.com>
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

Index of Subjects

--Apple-Mail-16-781861075
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset=US-ASCII;
	format=flowed;
	delsp=yes
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit


On 28-Jul-11, at 11:31 PM, Burkhard Plache wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I met three insects in the previous week, and have only a limited idea
> what they are:
>
> (1) most likely a wasp, but I have not seen such an orange one before.

This appears to be a member of the Ichnemonidae (ichnemon wasps) which  
have two recurrent veins on the forewing and the second submarginal  
cell small or lacking, two characters that distinguish them from the  
closely related Braconidae. In your photos you can clearly see the  
very small second submarginal cell. There are an enormous number  
(2,000+) of ichnemon wasps in Canada

> (2) obviously a (carpenter?) ant.

Correct.

> But what was it doing in our living room? A female in search for a  
> home?
> Are the scars at the thorax where wings were attached?
> (3) No idea where to place this one. Saw it on a lake shore
> mid-morning, full sun.

This is also an Ichnemon wasp in the subfamily Ophioninae, most  
probably in the genus Ophion or alternatively in the genus  
Enicospilus. There are a number of species which are all orange in  
colour and have strongly laterally compressed abdomens. They are  
endoparasites of Lepidoptera caterpillars, and the adults are  
crepuscular or nocturnally active (night wasps is what they are  
sometimes called, given their attraction to lights at night). There is  
some good information on them on Bugguide:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/43468

> Photos at http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/31301732/1/UnknownInsects?h=a9694b
>
> Burkhard

Cheers!

Chris


Christopher Majka  <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> | Halifax, Nova Scotia,  
Canada

* Research Associate: Nova Scotia Museum | http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm
* Review Editor: The Coleopterists Bulletin | http://www.coleopsoc.org/
* Subject Editor: ZooKeys | http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index
* Review Editor: Zootaxa | http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/taxa/Coleoptera.html
* Associate Editor: Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society | http://www.acadianes.org/journal.html
* Editor: Atlantic Canada Coleoptera | http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/PDF/index.html
* Editor: Bugguide, Coleoptera http://bugguide.net

Whenever I hear of the capture of rare beetles, I feel like an old war- 
horse at the sound of a trumpet. - Charles Darwin


--Apple-Mail-16-781861075
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><div>On 28-Jul-11, at =
11:31 PM, Burkhard Plache wrote:</div><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><div>Hello,<br><br>I met three insects in the previous =
week, and have only a limited idea<br>what they are:<br><br>(1) most =
likely a wasp, but I have not seen such an orange one =
before.<br></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>This appears to be a =
member of the Ichnemonidae (ichnemon wasps) which have two recurrent =
veins on the forewing and the second submarginal cell small or lacking, =
two characters that distinguish them from the closely related =
Braconidae. In your photos you can clearly see the very =
small&nbsp;second submarginal cell. There are an enormous number =
(2,000+) of&nbsp;ichnemon wasps in Canada</div><br><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><div>(2) obviously a (carpenter?) =
ant.<br></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Correct.</div><br><blockquo=
te type=3D"cite"><div>But what was it doing in our living room? A female =
in search for a home?<br>Are the scars at the thorax where wings were =
attached?<br>(3) No idea where to place this one. Saw it on a lake =
shore<br>mid-morning, full =
sun.<br></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>This is also an Ichnemon =
wasp in the subfamily Ophioninae, most probably in the genus =
<i>Ophion</i> or alternatively in the genus <i>Enicospilus</i>. There =
are a number of species which are all orange in colour and have strongly =
laterally compressed abdomens. They are endoparasites of Lepidoptera =
caterpillars, and the adults are crepuscular or nocturnally active =
(night wasps is what they are sometimes called, given their attraction =
to lights at night). There is some good information on them on =
Bugguide:</div><div><br></div><div><a =
href=3D"http://bugguide.net/node/view/43468">http://bugguide.net/node/view=
/43468</a></div><br><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div>Photos at <a =
href=3D"http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/31301732/1/UnknownInsects?h=3Da9694=
b">http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/31301732/1/UnknownInsects?h=3Da9694b</a>=
<br><br>Burkhard<br></div></blockquote></div><br><div>Cheers!</div><div><b=
r></div><div>Chris</div><br><br><div apple-content-edited=3D"true"> =
<span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; =
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; =
line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; =
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: =
0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: =
auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div =
style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: =
'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; =
font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; =
orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; =
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: =
auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div =
style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: =
'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; =
font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; =
orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; =
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: =
auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div =
style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: =
'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; =
font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; =
orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; =
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: =
auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div =
style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: =
'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; =
font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; =
orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; =
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: =
auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div =
style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; =
"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span"=
 size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; =
">Christopher Majka &nbsp;&lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</a>&gt; =
|&nbsp;Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada</span></font></div><div><font =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"font-size: 12px; "><br></span></font></div><div><font =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"font-size: 12px; ">* Research Associate: Nova Scotia Museum =
|&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm">http://museum.gov.n=
s.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm</a></span></font></div><div><font =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"font-size: 12px; ">* Review Editor: The Coleopterists Bulletin =
|&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"http://www.coleopsoc.org/">http://www.coleopsoc.org/</a></span></f=
ont></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; ">* Subject Editor: =
ZooKeys |&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index">http://p=
ensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index</a></span></font></div><d=
iv><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; ">* Review Editor: =
Zootaxa |&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/taxa/Coleoptera.html">http://www.ma=
press.com/zootaxa/taxa/Coleoptera.html</a></span></font></div><div><font =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"font-size: 12px; ">* Associate Editor: Journal of the Acadian =
Entomological Society |&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"http://www.acadianes.org/journal.html">http://www.acadianes.org/jo=
urnal.html</a></span></font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; =
">* Editor: Atlantic Canada Coleoptera |&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/PDF/index.html">http://w=
ww.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/PDF/index.html</a></span></font></div><d=
iv><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; ">* Editor: =
Bugguide, Coleoptera&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"http://bugguide.net">http://bugguide.net</a></span></font></div><d=
iv><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"3"><span =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; =
"><br></span></font></div><div><i><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; =
">Whenever I hear of the capture of rare&nbsp;beetles, I feel like an =
old war-horse at the sound of a trumpet.</span></font></i><span =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space"><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; =
">&nbsp;</span></font></span><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
size=3D"3"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 12px; =
">- =
Charles&nbsp;Darwin</span></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div=
></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span> =
</div><br></body></html>=

--Apple-Mail-16-781861075--

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects