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Published: 2016-07-20 06:54:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 2716; Favourites: 85; Downloads: 0
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Description
and a parasite waspQuote from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassidinβ¦
The Cassidinae (tortoise and leaf-mining beetles) are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. It includes both the former subfamily "Hispinae" (leaf-mining beetles), as well as the former more narrowly defined subfamily Cassidinae (familiar as tortoise beetles) which are now split into several tribes that include the tribe Cassidini, and in all include over 125 genera. The traditional separation of the two groups was based essentially on the habitats of the larvae and the general shapes of the adults. The name Cassidinae for the merged subfamily is considered to have priority.[1]
Most members of the tribe Hispini are elongated beetles with parallel margins, with antennae bases close together on their small heads. They often have punctate elytra and pronotum, sometimes with spines both on and along the edges. The former grouping of Cassidinae (sometimes called tortoise beetles) included the tribes Aspidimorphini, Basiprionotini, Cassidini, Delocranini, Dorynotini, Eugenysini, Goniocheniini, Hemisphaerotini, Imatidiini, Ischyrosonychini, Mesomphaliini, Notosacanthini, Omocerini and the Spilophorini. The "cassidines" have a rounded outline with the edges of the pronotum and elytra spreading out to cover the legs and head. Cassidines are often colourful and metallic, with the ability to change the colour (and lost in specimens) which is present in the living tissue below the translucent cuticle. The subfamily has the mouthparts reduced into a cavity in the head capsule, the legs have four segmented tarsi. Although these shields are thought to provide defense, no evidence exists for such a role.[2] The Hispini have larvae that are leaf miners, while the "cassidines" feed on the plant surfaces, sometimes covering their bodies with faecal shields. Some Cassidini show maternal care of larvae.[3]
The subfamily names Cassidinae and Hispinae are both founded by Gyllenhal in the same 1813 book, but following the Principle of the First Reviser, Chen in this case,[4] priority is given to the name Cassidinae.[1]
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Comments: 14
Super526 [2016-09-04 22:27:15 +0000 UTC]
looks like the ant is also getting in on that action! XD
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Edelslav [2016-07-20 13:47:31 +0000 UTC]
The science is great, but when I saw this picture I had something more like Barry White in mind. Ohhh...yeaaaaaahhhh...
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Sunjinjo [2016-07-20 10:58:05 +0000 UTC]
Oh man the little wasp. So sneaky. I assume she's followed the pheromones and is now ready for the arrival of eggs...
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melvynyeo In reply to Sunjinjo [2016-07-22 04:44:38 +0000 UTC]
Yeah... heres a photo of a freshly emerge wasp from a dead tortoise beetle pupa
c2.staticflickr.com/2/1563/252β¦
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Sunjinjo In reply to melvynyeo [2016-07-23 21:35:13 +0000 UTC]
What a find, with the wasp still on it. You have the perfect combination of luck and great eyes
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GanymedeSkies In reply to Sunjinjo [2016-07-20 22:11:24 +0000 UTC]
My god how did you notice that.
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Sunjinjo In reply to GanymedeSkies [2016-07-21 08:22:33 +0000 UTC]
The comment above me mentioned the wasp, and I'm an entomologist who's worked with parasitoid wasps before
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GanymedeSkies In reply to Sunjinjo [2016-07-21 08:23:08 +0000 UTC]
Oooh. So you have to have good eyes.
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Sunjinjo In reply to GanymedeSkies [2016-07-21 08:29:02 +0000 UTC]
Yeah, they're tiny. Some of them are no bigger than grains of sand! Here's one on a freaking butterfly egg: www.ciidae.com/wp-content/uploβ¦
Luckily I worked with bigger ones, visible to the naked eye, but still really easy to lose in behavioural experiments.
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GanymedeSkies In reply to Sunjinjo [2016-07-21 08:29:44 +0000 UTC]
Oh wow that is small.
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Deoxtri [2016-07-20 09:31:29 +0000 UTC]
Oh no! Protect the children! Where's the maturity warning? Aaaah!
Jokes aside it's a great photo, wonder what that little wasp was trying to do xP
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melvynyeo In reply to Deoxtri [2016-07-22 04:43:34 +0000 UTC]
They are parasite wasp... heres a photo of a freshly emerge wasp from a dead tortoise beetle pupa
c2.staticflickr.com/2/1563/252β¦
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