[Taxacom] Mystery photo

Mon Oct 29 22:07:16 CDT 2012

Could be! But wait, I'm not sure what you mean, Ken, by "big white patch on the back of the thorax (like that on the mystery photo)" ... the white lump in the photo is interpreted to be the pollinium of an orchid flower, which the insect has picked up (possibly not from the flower it is now on) ...

Stephen

________________________________
From: Ken Kinman <kinman at hotmail.com>
To: mallik.malipatil at dpi.vic.gov.au 
Cc: "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>; taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu 
Sent: Tuesday, 30 October 2012 3:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Mystery photo

Hi Mallik,            I couldn't agree more.  The mystery photo is almost certainly a margarodid species.  I found a photo identified as a male margarodid online which is almost a perfect match (except for some of the color).  General body form, moderately long setae on antennae, length and coloration of wings, and even a big white patch on the back of the thorax (like that on the mystery photo)!    The only thing seems to be a little too much red coloration, especially on the abdomen.  Unfortunately, the photo doesn't identify it to genus, but I'd bet they are in the same genus.  Anyway, below is a weblink to the photo of the male margarodid.    
              -------------------Cheers,                                          Ken Kinman

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zosterops/6913938109/

To: kinman at hotmail.com
CC: d.quicke at imperial.ac.uk; taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu; taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu; whitmore.daniel at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Mystery photo
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:00:26 +1100
From: Mallik.Malipatil at dpi.vic.gov.au

Hi All

I tend to think this photo is of a male
of one of the NZ native margarodid species,  e.g.  Coelostomidiarather than Icerya -  [ According to my reading Icerya
males have infuscate wings]. 
Morales (1991 Fauna of New Zealand)
included six species in this genus (male body size ranging 2.4 - 5.0 mm),
and species such as C. zealandica, known as great giant scale ,
has male 3.7 - 4.5 mm long. I'm not sure what's the size of the insect
in the photo. 

Cheers

***************************************************************
Dr M. Malipatil 
Principal Research Scientist (Biosystematics)
Bioprotection, Biosciences Research Division
Department of Primary Industries Knoxfield Centre
PB 15, Ferntree Gully Delivery Centre Vic 3156
AUSTRALIA
Phone  61 3 9210 9338 ; Fax  61 3 9800 3521
Mobile 0417359514
Email : mallik.malipatil at dpi.vic.gov.au
***************************************************************
Editor (Heteroptera), Zootaxa 

From:      
Ken Kinman <kinman at hotmail.com>
To:      
<whitmore.daniel at gmail.com>,
<d.quicke at imperial.ac.uk>, 
Cc:      
"taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu"
<taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Date:      
29/10/2012 01:12 PM
Subject:    
  Re: [Taxacom]
Mystery photo
Sent by:    
  taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu

Dear All, 
      Well, one thing which is disputed whether the wasp
is actually that long.  Another thing is that the wasp's antennae
appear to have moderatedly long setae.  Do any braconids have setae
that long on the antennae?  Anyway, I still tend to lean toward Icerya
or a relative.            

  --------------------Ken
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 22:45:15 +0100
> From: whitmore.daniel at gmail.com
> To: d.quicke at imperial.ac.uk
> CC: TAXACOM at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Mystery photo
> 
> I agree with braconid wasp.
> 
> On 26 October 2012 20:21, Quicke, Donald L J <d.quicke at imperial.ac.uk>wrote:
> 
> > i still think it is a braconid wasp, about 5-10 mm long
> >
> > ________________________________________
> > From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [
> > taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] on behalf of Doug Yanega
[
> > dyanega at ucr.edu]
> > Sent: 26 October 2012 18:10
> > To: TAXACOM at MAILMAN.NHM.KU.EDU
> > Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Mystery photo
> >
> > I find it hard to accept that the insect in the photo is only
2 mm
> > long, especially given that the orchid pollinium would therefore
be
> > less than 1/3rd of a millimeter. That seems unreasonably tiny.
If 2
> > mm is a genuine figure, then I could go with the ID of a male
scale
> > insect, but it does otherwise look like a small lepidopteran.
Not
> > sure that there are Arctiids that small in New Zealand, so I'd
be
> > inclined to think a tiny Zygaenid. On top of which, male scales
have
> > no mouthparts, so it's not like they could possibly be feeding
in the
> > flowers. What could possibly entice them into repeated floral
visits
> > that could effect pollination?
> >
> > Peace,
> > --
> >
> > Doug Yanega        Dept. of Entomology  
      Entomology Research Museum
> > Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314      
skype: dyanega
> > phone: (951) 827-4315 (standard disclaimer: opinions are mine,
not UCR's)
> >              http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html
> >    "There are some enterprises in which a careful
disorderliness
> >          is the true method" -
Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > Taxacom Mailing List
> > Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> > http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
> >
> > The Taxacom archive going back to 1992 may be searched with either
of
> > these methods:
> >
> > (1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org/
> >
> > (2) a Google search specified as:  site:
> > mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom  your search terms
here
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > Taxacom Mailing List
> > Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> > http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
> >
> > The Taxacom archive going back to 1992 may be searched with either
of
> > these methods:
> >
> > (1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org/
> >
> > (2) a Google search specified as:  site:
> > mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom  your search terms
here
> >
> _______________________________________________
> 
> Taxacom Mailing List
> Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
> 
> The Taxacom archive going back to 1992 may be searched with either
of these methods:
> 
> (1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org/
> 
> (2) a Google search specified as:  site:mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom
your search terms here

_______________________________________________

Taxacom Mailing List
Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom

The Taxacom archive going back to 1992 may be searched with either of these
methods:

(1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org/

(2) a Google search specified as:  site:mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom
your search terms here

Notice:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is 
personal, confidential,
legally privileged and/or copyright. No part of it 
should be reproduced, adapted or communicated without the prior written consent 
of the copyright owner. 

It is the responsibility of the recipient to check for and remove 
viruses.

If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender by return 
email, delete it from your system and destroy any copies. You are not authorised 
to use, communicate or rely on the information contained in this email.

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

_______________________________________________

Taxacom Mailing List
Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom

The Taxacom archive going back to 1992 may be searched with either of these methods:

(1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org/

(2) a Google search specified as:  site:mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom  your search terms here