Trimorus in the troposphere

This week features two images of Trimorus, a genus of platygastroid wasps that parasitize the eggs of ground beetles (Carabidae). These two species are closely related and belong to a cosmopolitan lineage that may someday be treated as a separate genus.

The specimen with the black background was collected in the National Arboretum, Washington, D.C. for a project that required fresh specimens for dissection. The other was collected on a sticky trap suspended from a weather balloon above the Sahel region of Mali in a project studying mosquito migration.

The mosquito program is funded by the National Institute of Health, and the researchers conducting this study are now collaborating with taxonomists at the USDA and Smithsonian to understand how other groups of insects may be using wind currents for transport to favorable environments.

As meteorology and entomology join forces, we will undoubtedly gain a better understanding of how species travel around the globe and how closely related species came to live so far apart. When next you feel the wind, perhaps take a moment to contemplate insects on the move above you.

Washington Trimorus photographed by Smithsonian intern Coline Bodenreider

Full resolution image: http://specimage.osu.edu/getImageInfo.html?image_id=89036

Malian Trimorus photographed by Smithsonian volunteer Deb Meislin
Full resolution image: http://specimage.osu.edu/getImageInfo.html?image_id=93053