2016 April 22 morning

Annie Pang sends a photograph of a green lacewing  from Gorge Park, April 20.

Green lacewing (Neu.:  Chrysopidae)   Annie Pang

      Scott Gilmore writes:  There are lots of things flying in the late afternoon in Upper Lantzville over the last few days. Some of the good stuff includes

1  A new beetle family for me Heteroceridae, the Variegated Mud-loving beetles.

2. Cryptarcha ampla.

3. A wasp from the genus Atanycolus was found flying in our house. Thanks to Ross Hill for the identification.

Variegated mud-loving beetle (Col.: Heteroceridae)

Scott Gilmore

 Cryptarcha ampla (Col.: Nitidulidae)  Scott Gilmore

Atanycolus sp. (Hym.: Braconidae)  Scott Gilmore

   Jeremy Tatum comments:  I hope viewers appreciate just how small the insects are that Scott is managing to photograph!   Another thing to appreciate is that braconids are constantly in motion.  Many braconids are parasitoids of moth caterpillars, so I see them fairly often, though I think this one is a beetle-grub parasitoid.

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  15 to 20 of these were crawling over the stucco of our home near Kemp Lake on the evening of April 20 .   Scott Gilmore writes: This is Agriotes lineatus, a European introduction that is very common in gardens and around homes here on the island. The species is identifiable from the variable width and colour of the striae (lines) on the eltyra.

Agriotes lineatus (Col.: Elateridae)  Rosemary Jorna