Thank you, though I think I ought also thank everyone else since as I mentioned recently, these types of threads are a little self-indulgent. You are right about this one being a visual smorgasbord!
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I could not agree more! So here is one of mine, Pseudomalus sp., presumably, though the ID is tentative.
After Chrysididae, my second favourite wasp-taxon is Chalcidoidea:
This is Torymus sp.
I found it on a basil plant in the botanical gardens of my uni. A person working there has seen me take the photo, which has lead to him telling me some interesting facts about the basil cultivars there.
One of the most surprising wasps I found was this one (Abia sp.):
Due to its plumpness, I thought it was a bee at first. Though the lack of waist, puts this in Symphyta.
Finally, one of my favourite wasps, for no particular reason: Macrophyia alboannulata
It was my 2nd wasp-observation on iNat, and my first real encounter with a wasp which was not just black and yellow and I just like it somehow.
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Where do you even begin when it comes to wasps?
iNaturalist has exposed me to and pushed me to find so many species I would’ve never otherwise known existed.
The first Velvet Ant I ever saw I mistook for an actual ant. It was through this app that I realized they were really wasps. I was subsequently able to find several in the genus Dasymutilla like this one.
It was also through iNat that I first heard about gall wasps, which I have come to love, although I still don’t understand how or why they exist at all. Truly one of the more bizarre animals I’ve seen. I am in love with this Pink Bow-Tie Gall Wasp I found last year.
And there is so much variation besides, from the large and absolutely stunning wasps of the genus Pepsis
To the small and very odd looking Conura whose legs I will never get over
To the absolutely tiny, like this (tentatively) Megastigmus
They have quickly become one of my favorite animal groups.
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I was rather pleased with this one. Turned out to be a state record.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/83344646
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Awesome - congrats!
-
Gold-marked thread-waisted wasp (Eremnophila aureonotata)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186886225 -
Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp (Sphecius speciosus)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/235143158 -
Water-walking wasp (Euodynerus crypticus) - an uncommon record for the state of virginia
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/246380264
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Family Braconidae:
Zombrus bicolor (중국고치벌) / Found on a handrail along a walking path.
Subfamily Rogadinae (Mummy Wasps) / This subfamily gets its name from the behavior of their larvae, which turn their lepidopteran larva host into “a mummified husk” by the time they’re ready to pupate.
Dinocampus coccinellae (Ladybird Parasitoid Wasp · 무당벌레기생고치벌) / The larvae of this species eat the tissues of their ladybird beetle host as they develop. When they’re ready to pupate they exit the host beetle and it stands guard over the wasp’s cocoon. You can kind of see where this larva emerged from the back of the beetle. Some ladybird beetle species have a reported 25% survival rate after being used as a host by the wasp.
Family Ichneumonidae
Gelis sp. / Another group of wingless wasps separate from velvet ants, one species in this genus is a hyperparasite of Dinocampus coccinellae. They also release alarm pheromones similar to those used by ants. Not sure which species this one is and I initially thought it was an ant when I snapped this picture.
Unknown genus / I’m always amazed at how long Ichneumonidae ovipositors can get.
Diplazon laetatorius (Common Hover Fly Parasitoid Wasp · 등에살이뭉툭맵시벌) / I haven’t observed one of these in five years but I’ve always enjoyed the banded pattern they have on their rear legs.
Family Stephanidae (crown wasps):
The family is noted to be the most basal group of hymenopterans in the suborder Apocrita. They are the only living group left over from the early diversification of Apocrita. In general, the family is considered rare, with close to 95% of the species known to have been described from single specimens. (Wikipedia)
Family Evaniidae (ensign wasps):
Evania appendigaster (Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp · 벌레살이호리벌) / This species is a parasitoid that specializes in laying their eggs within cockroach egg cases. The family gets its name from their habit of holding their gaster ("bulbous posterior portion ") upright like an ensign (naval flag). I’ve only ever encountered this one individual, which was found on the outside wall of a mart (마트).
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Family Chalcididae (chalcid wasps):
Subfamily Haltichellinae / Chalcid wasps are often rather small so it’s a challenge for me to get a good photo when I even notice them in the first place. This one stands out to me due to its thick femurs.
Family Eulophidae:
Eulophidae (좀벌과) larvae on a caterpillar. These wasps inject venom into their lepidopteran host when they lay their eggs to prevent the caterpillar from growing, as shedding its outer cuticle would result in the larvae coming off as well.
Eulophidae (좀벌과) pupa in a cocoon under their caterpillar host. Some species create communal cocoons.
Family Eupelmidae:
Anastatus species / I thought this might be a wingless species at first but it does have wings that are tucked tight against its body. Some species in this family parasitize the eggs of spiders while members of the subfamily Eupilminae have developed an “explosive jump”.
Family Leucospidae:
Leucospis species (밑들이벌속) / Another wasp with pronounced hind femurs. They specialize in parasitizing other wasps and solitary bees. This one was found in a stag beetle nesting habitat set up by the city.
Family Perilampidae:
Perilampus species / Some species in this family are hyperparasites where the female lays eggs on the surface of the host; when the larvae hatch they burrow into the host and seek out the larvae of other parisitic wasps or tachinid flies, which they then attack.
Superfamily Cynipoidea:
Unknown family / I was extremely excited to have this wasp hang out on my hand for a bit, posing for a few photos before flying away. I wish that happened more often with the tiny-sized wasps I encounter.
Family Diplolepididae:
Diplolepis japnoica (참나무혹벌) / Larvae from this genus forms galls on various Rosa species. The peach and yellow colored galls kind of remind me of spiky beach balls – or scoops of strawberry-banana yogurt.
Family Trigonalidae:
Taeniogonalos fasciata (등빨간갈고리벌)
What little is known about the biology of these insects indicates a remarkably improbable life history: in nearly all known species, females lay thousands of minute eggs, “clamping” them to the edges of, or injecting them inside leaves. The egg must then be consumed by a caterpillar. Once inside the caterpillar, the trigonalid egg either hatches and attacks any other parasitoid larvae (including its siblings) in the caterpillar, or it waits until the caterpillar is killed and fed to a vespid larva, which it then attacks. If the caterpillar is neither attacked by another parasitoid nor fed to a vespid, the trigonalid larva fails to develop. (Wikipedia).
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One of the rabbit holes I’ve gone down this morning led me to this amazing blog post about a Mummy Wasp. I thought this would be a good place to share it.
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That’s really interesting! I had no idea that there was a wasp like that out there.
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