Identification of Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants)

Novoki-Begichevo village, Serpukhov district, Moscow region


56. 21.07.2016



57. 24.07.2016



58. 24.07.2016

8 mm. Punctuation of the forehead is double, large dots among which are smaller. Pronotum with yellow spots, dotted laterally more dense. Mid-spine in short, rather thick straight reddish hairs. Posteriorly protuberant in the middle, relatively sloping. Yellow bandages only on 2 and 3 tergites. The first tergite is located at points no larger than the mid-spine. Thighs are black to the middle. The hind legs are darker than the lower legs. The wing cups are rusty red. I believe that this is Stenodynerus punctifrons female

8 mm. Punctuation of the forehead is double, large dots among which are smaller. Pronotum with yellow spots, dotted laterally more dense. Mid-spine in short, rather thick straight reddish hairs. Posteriorly protuberant in the middle, relatively sloping. Yellow bandages only on 2 and 3 tergites. The first tergite is located at points no larger than the mid-spine. Thighs are black to the middle. The hind legs are darker than the lower legs. The wing cups are rusty red. I believe that this is Stenodynerus punctifrons female

I have one similar one from the Irkutsk region, probably S. punctifrons, but I would like to compare it with a reliably defined material, since the signs of "more or less" (pubescence of the back, length of the first tergite) are somehow not very clear when there is no alternative species at hand (I mean S. pullus, so like S. orenburgensis, I have a lot and this is not it). Although on that is it doesn't look like it at all.

Polistes sp. - m - (?chinensis). Khabarovsk 22. IX. 1967 leg E. Berlov
Body length 13 mm, wingspan 23 mm.

This post was edited by Lafa - 26.11.2016 09: 03

Pictures:

Polistes_sp._Habarovsk_22.9.1967.jpg — (54.09к)


Polistes_sp_Habarovsk_22.9.1967.jpg — (39.86к)


Polistes_sp_Habarovsk_22.9.1967.jpg — (42.72к)

Yes.

Ilya, how do you distinguish it from P. gallicus, except by area?

I didn't see any keys like this, and I didn't see any examples of hinensis, but from what I noticed in the photos, the males have a completely different shape of the platypus: the gallicus has a rounded shape at the end, while the hinensis seems to have a slightly cut shape. In female hinensis, the cheeks are yellow and, in general, the entire muzzle of the face is more like a dominula.

I see, thank you. I also noticed the trim, but I thought maybe there was something else like that...

I see, thank you. I also noticed the trim, but I thought maybe there was something else like that...

In the majority of P. gallicus, the transverse yellow band of the pronotum roller is rounded at the lower corners; in females, the cheeks are usually black; in males, the apical segment is 3 times longer than its maximum thickness, and the platypus is flat-convex in the middle between smoothed lateral rollers that are not connected along the anterior edge.
In all P. chinensis that we have seen, the yellow transverse band of the pronotum roller is never expanded at the lower corners; in females, the cheeks are yellow; in males, the apical segment is no more than 2.5 times longer than its maximum thickness, and the platypus is evenly concave in the middle between the clear lateral rollers connected along the anterior edge.

Krasnoyarsk Territory, coast of vdhrn. Merike's traps. 7 mm. The flagellum of the mustache is completely light from below. Punctuation of the crown is rare, does not have wrinkles like unicolor. I think it's Mimumessa littoralis female.

Oh, what kind of diodontus I came across is incomprehensible. Quite large 6 mm. All black, only the hind legs and legs have a dark brown tint. Lateral teeth of the platypus are widely spaced. The forehead is densely dotted, the back of the head is more sparsely dotted. The sides of the pronotum are angular. Srednespinka in very rare spots, shiny. The scutellum is shiny with a few weak points. points. The intermediate segment is roughly cellular and wrinkled. The sides of the middle breast are coarse-celled and wrinkled. Back and bottom wrinkles are more regular. It is similar to tristis, but my particular tristis has a high-point mid-back punctuation, a thicker puntkirovka and scutellum. And also the legs and legs are brown.

in males, the apical segment is no more than 2.5 times longer than its maximum thickness

A source

This one will have a little more, on the right mustache with a screen ruler I set 2,6(1), although, of course, the resolution of this image does not contribute to the measurement accuracy. But here in the Lafa photo, it really looks much shorter and thicker than the gallicus, almost like the dominula, but I thought I was imagining it because of the angle.

This post was edited by ENO - 27.11.2016 01: 07

TimK, please give me another link to the research that proves that ants can count. I was stupid enough not to write it down right away. I searched everything, lost two hours - I can't find it!

Penzuit, and where and how did you search for 2 hours? I just stupidly rounded off the phrase "ants can count" and got the name of the researcher at the first link. Obviously, the next step is to Google them (adding the word "entomologist" to cut off the namesakes). But I'm too lazy. Somewhere I had one article, but here even two hours of searching is not enough, it is easier to find it again on the Internet and download it. There are very big questions about this research. From the point of view of logic and statistics, the conclusion is unambiguous and indisputable (I thought about it for a long time and recalculated it), but it still looks somehow supernatural. It would be nice if there were those who would like to conduct an independent experiment.

Novoki-Begichevo village, Serpukhov district, Moscow region
56. 21.07.2016

Most likely Arge berberidis, but to make sure, you need to see its id

Polistes sp.- female to be identified.
Crimea Simferopol 25. XI. 1972 leg. E. Berlov,
body length 16 mm.

This post was edited by Lafa - 27.11.2016 16: 21

Pictures:

Polistes_sp._f__16_mm_Simferopol_25.XI.1972.jpg — (57.37к)


Polistes_sp._f_Simferopol_liso2_25.XI.1972.jpg — (44.39к)


Polisres__f__16_mm_Simferopol_25.XI.1972.jpg — (58.77к)

Polistes sp.- female to be identified.
Crimea Simferopol 25. XI. 1972 leg. E. Berlov,
body length 16 mm.

Female Polistes nimpha (Christ, 1791)

Penzuit, and where and how did you search for 2 hours? I just stupidly rounded off the phrase "ants can count" and got the name of the researcher at the first link. Obviously, the next step is to Google them (adding the word "entomologist" to cut off the namesakes). But I'm too lazy. Somewhere I had one article, but here even two hours of searching is not enough, it is easier to find it again on the Internet and download it. There are very big questions about this research. From the point of view of logic and statistics, the conclusion is unambiguous and indisputable (I thought about it for a long time and recalculated it), but it still looks somehow supernatural. It would be nice if there were people willing to conduct an independent experiment.

I also searched like this, but not the articles I read before came out. Or even that article, but in a very abbreviated form. That one was very large and detailed, but here they come out small and focused on a wide range of readers.
What looks supernatural - so it's a common thing in the animal and plant world! There's something supernatural at every turn - but it's not for this topic!

Polistes ?snelleni - body length 14 mm.
Highway near Blagoveshchensk
16. VII. 1997 leg. E. Berlov
head in front

This post was edited by Lafa - 29.11.2016 17: 08

Pictures:

Polistes_snelleni_Blagovestshensk_16.7.1997.jpg — (47.21к)

Polistes ?snelleni
Highway near Blagoveshchensk
16. VII. 1997 leg. E. Berlov
head in front

Yes, female Polistes snelleni de Saussure, 1862

I also searched like this, but not the articles I read before came out. Or even that article, but in a very abbreviated form. That one was very large and detailed, but here they come out small and focused on a wide range of readers.

I've read about sliders that can measure distances in steps. The original seems to be here:
http://jeb.biologists.org/content/210/2/198
(Matthias Wittlinger, Rüdiger Wehner, Harald Wolf. The Ant Odometer: Stepping on Stilts and Stumps)
I've read about Novosibirsk scientists, but I haven't seen the original article.

There are no questions about the sliders, everything is quite realistic there. A person can also measure the distance approximately in steps, without resorting to arithmetic and thinking in general. But ants that can not just count the branches of the "tree", but also somehow communicate this number to other ants look very suspicious. Crows, monkeys, and dolphins - even they can't do that. Moreover, not every peasant in pre-revolutionary times was capable of this.

Alexander, will you have any suggestions on my answers?

Alexander, will you have any suggestions on my answers?

I'm sorry, but there are reports at the end of the year, and I'm running out of time.
If necessary, I'll try to do something.

I'm sorry, but there are reports at the end of the year, and I'm running out of time.
If necessary, I'll try to do something.

According to the latter, this is most likely tristis, and what was previously determined was exactly Diodontus medium

Polistes? snelleni
2 and 3. Buryatia 5 km Yu Selendums dol.Selengi
7. VI. 2001 leg. E. Berlov
head in front and top view.
1 and 4. Irkutsk region, Nizhneudinsky district, river bank.Uda
near the Ukovsky waterfall 6. VII. 1999 leg. E. Berlov
general view and face.

This post was edited by Lafa - 29.11.2016 17: 10

Pictures:

Polistes_snelleni_15mm_Irk_UkVodopad_6.VII.1999.jpg — (58.95к)


Polistes_snelleni_15mm_Bur_Selenduma_7.VI.2001.jpg — (27.79к)


Polistes_snelleni_15mm_Bur_Selenduma7.VI.2001.jpg — (65.46к)


Polistes_snelleni_15mm_Irk_UkVodopad_6.VII.1999.jpg — (33.42к)

For comparison purposes.
Polistes snelleni-female-det. A. Antropov.
Highway near Blagoveshchensk
16. VII. 1997 leg. E. Berlov

This post was edited by Lafa - 29.11.2016 17: 10

Pictures:

Polistes_snelleni_Blagovestshensk_16.7.1997.jpg — (47.21к)


Polistes_snelleni_14mm_Blagoveschensk16.VII.1997.jpg — (67.83к)

Polistes? snelleni
2 and 3. Buryatia 5 km Yu Selendums dol.Selengi
7. VI. 2001 leg. E. Berlov
head in front and top view.
1 and 4. Irkutsk region, Nizhneudinsky district, river bank.Uda
near the Ukovsky waterfall 6. VII. 1999 leg. E. Berlov
general view and face.

This is also Polistes snellen i, although a little darker. There are only two species of the Polistella subgenus in Russia. Females of the second type, P olistes diakonovi, are well distinguished by the pattern on the platypus and abdomen.

7-8 mm. The platypus is slightly arched forward with three not sharp teeth. Mandibles with two teeth on top. The forehead above the antennae is shagreen, with moderate punctuation, the crown is slightly shiny, the punctuation is less frequent. Midspine densely punctured, slightly glistening, with longitudinal ribs at the base. The sides of the chest are shiny and rather heavily dotted. There is no pre-orthodox bump. The scutellum, posterior scutellum, and median field of the intermediate segment are dotted and slightly glistening. Vertical part of the prom.slaboblestyaschie segments without dots. The whole body is black, except for two spots on the pronotum. The pygidial field is triangular in large dense dots.
Alternatively Crossocerus emarginatus female

Crossocerus quadrimaculatus can have a completely black abdomen? The platypus is typical for this species. There is also a denticle at the bottom of the head. However, the structure of the mandibles confuses, there are no denticles. The top of the head is covered with thick, well-defined dots.

There are no questions about the sliders, everything is quite realistic there. A person can also measure the distance approximately in steps, without resorting to arithmetic and thinking in general. But ants that can not just count the branches of the "tree", but also somehow communicate this number to other ants look very suspicious. Crows, monkeys, and dolphins - even they can't do that. Moreover, not every peasant in pre-revolutionary times was capable of this.

Personally, I don't think ants count anything. They simply store the spatial coordinates of the end point - along the X, Y, and Z axes. And they pass these coordinates to each other. Similarly, as birds from birth know the coordinates of the point where they need to fly for the winter. Perhaps the ants remember the coordinates of several points - these are the places of kinks and branches. Of course, this is my hypothesis - perhaps it is wrong, I will not argue.

Crossocerus quadrimaculatus can have a completely black abdomen? The platypus is typical for this species. There is also a denticle at the bottom of the head. However, the structure of the mandibles confuses, there are no denticles. The top of the head is covered with thick, well-defined dots.

Where did the wood come from? (c)
I mean, where is the material collected? If to Siberia and the Far East, it is a close species from the same subgenus Hoplocrabro-Crossocerus pseudopalmarius (Gussakovskij, 1932)

Where did the wood come from? (c)
I mean, where is the material collected? If to Siberia and the Far East, it is a similar species from the same subgenus Hoplocrabro-Crossocerus pseudopalmarius (Gussakovskij, 1932)

All in the same Krasnoyarsk Territory. Novoselovsky district, Novoselovo settlement, bank of the Krasnoyarsk vdhrn. On flowers.
With regard to pseudopalmarius, it is confusing - a clearer and thicker dotted head, a body without a light pattern. 194, 17 for the determinant. Parietal areas as I understand it are elevations with a sparse dotted line between the compound eyes and ocelli? They are available. And Marshakov indicated that the abdomen is USUALLY with yellow spots.
And the distribution area of this species is somehow a little confusing.

Of my modest number previously identified as C. guadrimaculatus in 10 specimens. only 2 with dots on 2-3 tergite, the rest (and all of them are smaller) with a black belly, yellow spots on the pronotum are developed to varying degrees, in small ones it is mostly black. The dotted line of the head is the same for all instances.

This post was edited by akulich-sibiria - 11/30/2016 11: 28

All in the same Krasnoyarsk Territory. Novoselovsky district, Novoselovo settlement, bank of the Krasnoyarsk vdhrn. On flowers.
With regard to pseudopalmarius, it is confusing - a clearer and thicker dotted head, a body without a light pattern. 194, 17 for the determinant. Parietal areas as I understand it are elevations with a sparse dotted line between the compound eyes and ocelli? They are available. And Marshakov indicated that the abdomen is USUALLY with yellow spots.
And the distribution area of this species is somehow a little confusing.

Of my modest number previously identified as C. guadrimaculatus in 10 specimens. only 2 with dots on 2-3 tergite, the rest (and all of them are smaller) with a black belly, yellow spots on the pronotum are developed to varying degrees, in small ones it is mostly black. The dotted line of the head is the same for all instances.

I have not been able to find any mention of yellow spots on the abdomen in C. pseudopalmarius anywhere, either in Gussakovsky or Marshakov. As for the other signs, they are quite strongly "walking", which gives some researchers a reason to talk about the conspecificity of these species. But today they are still considered independent.
Finally, about the areas. I am quite critical of some conclusions in this area, as I have repeatedly discovered, for example, Far Eastern boreal species in European Russia. In my opinion, today the level of knowledge of many species on the territory of Russia is clearly insufficient.

I have not been able to find any mention of yellow spots on the abdomen in C. pseudopalmarius anywhere, either in Gussakovsky or Marshakov. As for the other signs, they are quite strongly "walking", which gives some researchers a reason to talk about the conspecificity of these species. But today they are still considered independent.
Finally, about the areas. I am quite critical of some conclusions in this area, as I have repeatedly discovered, for example, Far Eastern boreal species in European Russia. In my opinion, today the level of knowledge of many species on the territory of Russia is clearly insufficient.

I meant that for C. guadrimaculatus Marshakov indicated that there are usually spots on the 2nd and 3rd tergites.... That is, it may not be. I have one male in which these spots are very small with indistinct edges
And yet you are of the opinion that this is C. pseudopalmarius ?
Well then I have 8 instances of S. pseudopalmarius from different points along the edge

  
And yet you are of the opinion that this is C. pseudopalmarius ?
Well then I have 8 instances of C. pseudopalmarius with different points along the edge

Well yes with. pseudopalmarius, for now at least.

Well, yes, S. pseudopalmarius, at least for now.

I also showed this specimen to Nemkov, who said that the female quadrimaculatus has melanistic forms with a completely black belly.

Here is another male and female Polistes sp.
Photographed 5 minutes apart.
The nest was on a black currant bush
in the ROC. Irkutsk, August 8, 2010.
Photo by O. Berlov



This post was edited by Lafa - 11/30/2016 17: 24

Here is another male and female Polistes sp.
Photographed 5 minutes apart.
The nest was on a black currant bush
in the ROC. Irkutsk, August 8, 2010.
Photo by O. Berlov

The upper male is Polistes riparius Sk. Yamane et S. Yamane, 1987.
The female probably does too, but the image "lacks" the middle and hind legs (there should be b. m. developed black spots).

I also showed this specimen to Nemkov, who said that the female quadrimaculatus has melanistic forms with a completely black belly.

I agree, there are also some melanists. However, the body size of C. quadrimaculatus is, on average, larger than that of C. pseudopalmarius. The first ones seem to be more massive.