an undescribed species of wasp

Last fall I posted a little photo essay on our project to inventory all the Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) in the yard. We've kept it up this year, and our addition of several species of goldenrods and mountain mint have drawn in the pollinators like crazy. 

I mentioned that we've already had a new state record (the grass-carrying wasp Isodontia elegans). Last year, Kingfisher took a picture of one of the potter wasps that we couldn't identify. There are many species of these black-and-yellow wasps that in the field look a lot alike except for the number and configuration of their markings.

We posted the photo to BugGuide and it was determined by the University of Guelph's Matthias Buck to be a female of an apparently widespread but rare undescribed species in the genus Euodynerus (called "species F"). The other day I was doing the rounds, and photographed an unfamiliar wasp. When I sat down to identify the pictures, I realized it was another female of "F".

Dr. Buck will eventually be describing and naming this species, and I offered to collect a couple so that he has additional material to work with. I haven't had too much spare time to look.  Still, when I saw a male wasp with a pattern that seemed similar to the female (like many wasps, they are sexually dimorphic), I thought it might be a candidate for "F". I caught it and put it in the fridge, then took some photos.

Sure, enough, Dr. Buck says this is a male. Finding new records in your own backyard is pretty cool. Finding new species is even cooler! I'm glad that my casual project getting to know the pollinators right around the house has turned into a way to contribute to science. Get out there and look!

Comments

[Seabrooke]

How neat! Interesting that it's a UoG professor - they're my alma mater, and I know they've got a good contingent of insect and pollinator researchers associated with the agricultural college.

It's always exciting to find or be involved in new discoveries. Just a couple days ago I heard back from a blogger in BC that the cattail caterpillar moths she'd investigated as a result of reading about them on my blog turned out to probably be a new record for BC. Even though it wasn't my record, I still felt I had a hand in it. :)

[Nuthatch]

Seabrooke -- because so many experts monitor BugGuide, submitting photos to the site is a good way to find out if you've added to a range expansion. Oddly enough, although employed as an ornithologist, I've had more insect papers than bird papers published!

[Aydin]

2 questions:

1. How do you tell a male wasp from a female?

2. How does Google Reader know real name, which is not anywhere on this page?

[Nuthatch]

I just knew someone would ask how to tell male and female wasps apart. I'm not sure there are general rules other than this one: only females can sting. Not a good field mark, although I guess if you are familiar enough with abdominal structure then you can sort of tell by shape of the tip if there is a stinger on board or not (on males its generally more rounded).

I think in most Hymenoptera, males are smaller than females (they are with species F), and males also often have paler faces, such as more white or yellow (ditto). Males also have one more segment on their antennae than females in many (all?) species. I'm still learning my way around Hymenoptera. I'm much better at Odonata, even though I don't write about them here much!

As for my name, the feed picks it up from a field I filled out in Typepad; I used my first name because I have multiple blogs in this account and on one I use my real name. I suppose I'm not as secretive as I used to be here, since I don't say shit, damn, and fuck as much as I expected to.

[Hawkeye]

I believe "vinegar" might be appropriate for your blog, but not mine ;)

[Nuthatch]

Sourpuss.

[Note to confused readers: Inside joke between Hawkeye and I regarding a beer he had one summer's eve.]

[Susannah]

Congratulations, Julie!

I forget, far too often, about submitting photos to BugGuide. Thanks for the reminder!