Melissa Sanchez Herrera and I are organizing a Sys-EB Section symposium for the 2019 EntSoc meeting in St. Louis, MO.
The symposium is entitled:
Bugs in Technicolor: How Color Research Advocates for Entomology
The reflection and emission of light from insect surfaces has both fascinated and inspired entomologists and the general public for centuries. The goal for our symposium is to provide a setting in which to discuss color research and its use in public outreach initiatives that aim to inspire insect curiosity and advocate for entomology. We have talks that will be given by entomologists from different continents / countries working on diverse, ingenuitive projects that incorporate insect coloration components including production, structures, perception and selection.
In addition to these talks, we intend to have an electronic exhibit of images, illustrations, and videos that fulfill these criteria and we are thus seeking submissions for this endeavor.
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If you are interested in including an image please fill out the form below and upload your image / video!
Take the quiz and see if you can tell the difference
Antennae: Very short and with arista.
Eyes: Close-set and large.
Wings: Only two wings .
This is a Tawny-tailed Bee #Fly (Villa fulviana) from Mt. Rainier in Washington state.
Antennae: Very short and with arista.
Eyes: Close-set and large.
Wings: Only two wings .
Halteres: Modified hind wings.
This is an Eastern Calligrapher #Hoverfly (Toxomerus geminatus) from #Acadia National Park in Maine. Hoverflies are beneficial insects, as they are important pollinators.
Antennae: Very short and with an arista.
Eyes: Close-set and large.
Mouthparts: No mandibles.
Wings: Only two wings.
This is a #Hoverfly (Mallota posticata) from Ole Bull State Park in Pennsylvania. Hoverflies are beneficial insects, as they are important pollinators.
Antennae: Quite long and elbowed.
Eyes: Average in size, not close together
Mouthparts: Mandibles & proboscis.
Pollen Basket: For transporting pollen.
This is a Brown-belted #bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) from Rangeley, Maine. The pollen basket (area on rear legs for transporting pollen back to their nests) is the easy way to ID this one. Not all bee species have these (and in the species that do - it is only the females that have them) but there are no NON-bees that have them. SO, if you see a pollen basket - you've got a bee
Elytra: Wing coverings; modified
forewings that protect the hindwings.
Antennae: Very long, >half the body length.
Eyes: Small, notched by antennae.
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This is a #beetle ( a Locust Borer Longhorn Beetle (Megacyllene robiniae) from South County, New Jersey. Beetles are actually responsible for pollinating the largest percentage of flower species, but people rarely consider them to be pollinators.
Antennae: Rather short, not a bee.
Proboscis: Does have a proboscis, but no mandibles.
Wings: only two wings.
Eyes: Large.
Mystax: The wee beard above this roberfly's mouthparts.
Halteres: Modified hindwings, they look like little knobs.
This is another #robberfly (Laphria spp - I believe L. posticata). These flies are excellent bumblebee #mimics. The mystax is the key character for IDing this as a robber fly and those halteres tell us this is a fly.
Antennae: Very short, with an arista.
Eyes: Very large eyes that make up most of the head
Wings: only two wings.
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This is another #hoverfly - a Broad-banded Hornet Fly (Spilomyia alcimus) from Ole Bull StatePark in Pennsylvania. This #fly is clearly a #wasp #mimic - it looks a lot like a Yellow Jacket at first glance. Amazing!
So, how did you do?
Feel free to revisit the informational page If you need to refresh yourself on how to differentiate between bees and flies.