Trissolcus japonicus

This week brings a photograph of Trissolcus japonicus emerging from an egg of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). As you may know, this invasive species of stink bug is an economically injurious pest on a wide variety of plants and an unwanted invader of human homes. This stink bug has been established on the east coast of the United States for a decade. It is now spreading on the west coast of the US and in Europe where it threatens apples, olives, figs, grapes, and many more delicious fruits and vegetables.

Like the brown marmorated stink bug, T. japonicus, is native to east Asia. It is under study as a biological control agent because it coevolved with the stink bug and it efficiently kills its eggs. Trissolcus japonicus was recently discovered to have become established in the United States on its own (http://jhr.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=4661), almost certainly by hitching a ride in a transport vessel.

Humans so far have been unable to control the stink bug, and it coming years we will see how well T. japonicus succeeds.

This image was produced by Smithsonian intern Annika Salzberg, and the full resolution version may be found here: http://specimage.osu.edu/getImageInfo.html?image_id=86082.

It is a life-like image, but in fact is staged. This female specimen was unable to fully emerge from the egg and died in the position you see here. The eggs were subsequently glued to a leaf for the photograph.

Macroteleia elongata

Macroteleia is a genus that parasitizes grasshopper eggs. Like the eggs from which they emerge, species of Macroteleia are typically elongate creatures, sometimes extremely so, and the genus can often be recognized by eye alone. This species, Macroteleia elongata, was collected in New Hampshire during the summer of 2015 by nature enthusiasts and photographed by a very capable Smithsonian intern, Anthony Cuminale.

The full resolution image (see link below) is an excellent candidate for large format printing.

http://specimage.osu.edu/getImageInfo.html?image_id=91868

Thoron metallicus

This week brings Thoron metallicus, a tenacious parasitoid wasp that parasitizes the eggs of aquatic bugs known as water scorpions (Hemiptera: Nepidae). Water scorpions lay their eggs on aquatic vegetation, but even submerged eggs are not safe from Thoron.

Numerous genera in Platygastroidea are known to parasitize the eggs of aquatic insects and to reach their hosts they are able to use their wings to swim. The following video illustrates two genera, collected in Borneo, that are swimming in the yellow pan traps used to collect these insects:
https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=SCMu8AouuE4.

This photograph was produced by Pei Luo during a Smithsonian internship.

Comforted by Dermestids

This week brings us an insect that was of concern to a local insect enthusiast. These larvae appeared underneath his bed, causing him to worry that they were bedbugs. Fortunately for him this is not the case. They are larvae of our old friends- the dermestid beetles! They were feeding on feathers from his comforter. Now he can take comfort in sleeping without fear of insects feeding on his blood.

The blowfly (Calliphoridae) makes the world a cleaner place. Do you?

Hello,

This week brings us an unsung hero- the blowfly (Calliphoridae). Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with the presence of fly maggots on carcasses, and some of you may find these maggots to be disgusting. Surely their consumption of rotting flesh takes place in an environment that does not have a pleasant smell, but these creatures are performing a great service for us. Without insects to rapidly consume carcasses, their stench of decay would last much longer and would produce immense amounts of bacteria. So, when you see a blowfly or a maggot, please thank them in your mind for helping to keep the world a cleaner place and think about how you might follow their example.

Trissolcus euschisti with egg mass

This week brings us a photograph with lots of action. The pale round objects are the eggs of stink bugs, and from one has emerged a male parasitic wasp (Trissolcus euschisti). As is typical for this genus, the males emerge first and fight for access to the females to mate with them as soon as they emerge. The males can often be seen "drumming" on the eggs as the females begins to emerge. Here the male eagerly awaits the emergence of a female who has just begun to chew her way out.

Dermestids are our friend and our foe.

Hello,

This week brings us an attractive looking insect that is both helpful and hurtful- a dermestid beetle! Beetles in this family (Dermestidae) typically feed on dry, dead things, although they also will eat freshly dead things when possible. This particular species, the varied carpet beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) feeds on skin and hair and thus can be destructive to museum specimens. This specimen was found eating its way through the collection of a local bird wing collector!

Other species of dermestid beetles (Dermestes americanus) are of great use to museums because they perform the odoriferous and unenviable task of cleaning decaying flesh from skeletons.