I found Mymarommatidae!

Roderick [Rod] Sprague IV · Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:06 pm

To a non-entomologist, this would seem terribly pedantic, but recently I found two exciting specimens while working on pitfall samples from north Idaho. In two separate samples I found female Mymarommatidae. These are minute roughly 0.3 mm hymenopterans (the order wasps, ants and bees are found in) that are not closely related to any other living families. Three genera have been described from the fossil record but there are only ten described species in one of the genera for the living Mymarommatidae. They are felt to be living fossils. The only other hymenoptera this small are known insect egg parasites that actually have all of their life cycle but for their adult stage inside the egg of other insect. The hosts of the Mymarommatidae are not known, but they have been reared from bracket fungi or found associated with weevils in moss in New Zealand, not that that really tells us much.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:14 am

That sounds exciting! Good for you!

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:33 am

Congratulations, Rod! Do you get a chance to name them?

dwest · Post by **dwest** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:20 am

Very, very neat! Wow! Did you use any kind of attractant? How about photos?

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:26 am

congrats!!!

so where's the pics and sound clips?

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:32 am

Denny wrote:congrats!!!

so where's the pics and sound clips?

female Mymarommatidae aren't noted for their dainty conversational style. Sound clips might violate Board family-friendly standards.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:43 am

hurrump....different culture....we need to be more tolerant of different cultures!

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:16 am

Yep, Yudaho.

djm

Roderick [Rod] Sprague IV · Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:26 pm

Actually, that picture is a male. They were just pitfall samples. I pitfall is just a container buried up to its rim in the soil that collects whatever falls in. These had alcohol as a preservative in them and left out in the field for 24 hours.

MagicSailor · Post by **MagicSailor** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 9:10 pm

Roderick [Rod] Sprague IV wrote:These had alcohol as a preservative in them and left out in the field for 24 hours.

So at least they died happy...

Owen

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:11 am

See - that explains why people think dinosaurs are extinct. They just aren't prepared to spare enough alcohol for a large-sized pitfall.

dwest · Post by **dwest** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 6:06 am

Innocent Bystander wrote:See - that explains why people think dinosaurs are extinct. They just aren't prepared to spare enough alcohol for a large-sized pitfall.

That's why I use Nano-Sherman live traps, sure I have to carry a microscope into the field just to set them, but I can even catch small nemotodes.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:25 pm

Here's one in Cretaceous amber, with a closeup of its wings:

Do these li'l critters fly with such a curious construction?

dwest · Post by **dwest** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:43 pm

I read that there can be some dramatic morphological plasticity amongst a number of the Chalcidoidea based on host species and even location of the egg within the host, is Mymarommatidae one of them?

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:55 pm

Nano wrote:one in Cretaceous amber

What was the last thing on his mind before he hit the dinosaur?

djm