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Post by annainok on Jun 21, 2011 7:40:19 GMT -8
I am wondering if anyone would be able to give me an id on this wasp:  Thank you so much. |
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Post by bandrow on Jun 22, 2011 10:30:41 GMT -8
Greetings,
In no way am I any expert on Hymenoptera, but Google the family Tiphiidae, or go to bugguide.net and search it and I think you should find something close...
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by annainok on Jun 22, 2011 12:35:34 GMT -8
Greetings, In no way am I any expert on Hymenoptera, but Google the family Tiphiidae, or go to bugguide.net and search it and I think you should find something close... Cheers! Bandrow Thank you! I'm usually keen on Leps and Oods, but I've been noticing these a lot on some of my lep host plants! |
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Post by entoman on Jun 23, 2011 10:17:24 GMT -8
Random question: I've seen these insects fairly frequently myself and I believe your identification to be correct. However, according to Wikipedia, the source of all wisdom and knowledge (LOL), these insects are supposed to be solitary. I myself commonly see aggregations of these insects that may number up to twenty individuals on the same plant. Am I misinterpreting what Wikipedia means by "solitary", or is Wikipedia incorrect in its information?
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Post by bandrow on Jun 25, 2011 8:24:50 GMT -8
Hi Entoman,
In reference to wasps and bees, "solitary" means that the females build their own individual nests to house their larvae, not in hives as in honeybees, paper wasps, bumblebees, yellowjackets, etc. Some species do form aggregations of individual burrows, like in some of the andrenid bees and sphecid wasps. The big cicada killer females dig solitary burrows, but often many can be found close together in a general area of suitable habitat. So a species can be a "solitary" wasp as far as nesting, but be found in big numbers together as adults at nectar sources.
I was in southern Georgia earlier this month and saw literally hundreds of tiphiid wasps nectaring on the blooms of gopher apple. I collected a series for the museum where I work, and I think there are at least three different species just from one flower patch.
This thread motivated me to check out Wikipedia myself, to see what the life history of these wasps are, as I only vaguely knew they were some kind of parasitoid. I learned they are parasitic on beetle larvae, in particular scarabs. One of my research interests is melolonthine scarabs, in particular Phyllophaga and Serica - both with soil-inhabiting larvae - so these wasps and I are in direct competition for my beetles!!
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by entoman on Jun 26, 2011 12:35:14 GMT -8
I understand, and by that definition of solitary Wikipedia is correct. However it seems to me that the aggregations I see are a bit more purposeful than mere happenstatial gatherings at common food sources or suitable habitats. I will generally see these "clusters" (for lack of a better term coming to mind) on a single branch of a tree or weed where they simply just sit. I presume that this behavior is intended to ward off predators as insects such as these would obviously be less vulnerable in a group. Anyway, to make a lengthy explanation short (which I have already failed to do I think), I questioned the "solitary"-ness of the insects because I had observed what I considered to be intentional aggregation, which by the vernacular use of the word, would mean that they are not solitary. It seems however that I had the wrong intended use of the word in mind. Thank you for explaining this.
Just thought I'd throw out another observation I've made of these insects: they seem to turn up in pool filters quite frequently, more so than other hymenopterans. At a pool near where I live you can frequently find upwards of fifteen individuals in a filter. And it seems that it takes quite a bit of time for them to drown. I once pulled a handful out from a pool, thinking they were dead, and intending to put them in my collection. I left them on my dresser for a little while following this and within an hour a few of them revived and "escaped" (I found them again later) and the others were beginning to twitch. At that point I quickly got them into a freezer.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting...
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Post by bandrow on Jun 26, 2011 19:46:10 GMT -8
Hi Entoman,
Your observations of the tiphiids "clustering" is interesting - I'm not sure what they'd be doing, but your explanation sounds good to me. I think the word commonly used for insects that reproduce singly but gather as adults is "gregarious".
I think you may be the first person I've heard mention pool filters as a collecting method! But I learned years ago that they can be excellent sources of great specimens. I always check the filters of pools when I travel and some amazing stuff can show up. In the occasional case of a MV security light being near the pool, the results can be superb. And no one seems to complain about the filters being cleaned for free!
Cheers!
Bandrow
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