Insect Identification - Science topic

Excellent! Dr den Heyer is fantastic. I think you're seeing the empodial hairs, which can be blunt. The long setae are back on the segment whereas these arise from the tip of the tarsus.

what about the Lepidoptere Phyllonorycter platani?

Thank you for your contributions.

Greeting everyone!

I have also a problem with identification of female Gomphus from Georgia(Caucasus). At first glance, it looks like Gomphus schneiderii, but closer examination revealed certain differences in vulval scale stucture - accordfng "Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe: 2nd edition" by Dijkstra and Asmus Schröter, 2020 the tips of vulval scale are pointy while the tips of my specimen are rounded. (picture attached).

Could it be intraspecific variation?

Thanks you in advance!

It depends on students' major, but ... How about concentrating on agricultural pests, those which will be controlled by pesticides anyway? They must cover enough diversity of insects for education purpose.

It is most likely a species of the family Yponomeutidae, perhaps of the genus Yponomeuta. Knowing the name of the host plant should be easy to ascertain the name of the specie.

Hello Nervah; Perhaps part of the problem is that you have some undescribed species in your collections. It's exciting to consider that possibility. I have repeatedly had that happen in my study of ants of Southern California. Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers

Yes, is Tropinota squalida

Hello Thinley; Here is a reference that contains keys and illustrations to the families of Hymenoptera of the World.

Goulet, H and JT Huber 1993. Hymenoptera of the world: an identification guide to families. Research Branch Agriculture Canada Publ. 1894/E. 668 pp. Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers

it's a bugs. But please take a photo with good lighting of the insect.

These pictures are not clear enough to make Identification.

Hello,

Below you can find a paper regarding to the study of insect fauna associated with tea gardens in India:

You may get help from the authors (e.g. Bulganin Mitra: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bulganin_Mitra/projects) of this publication and you may also refer to the references of this article.

Good luck, Elaheh

Just to make sure you found this updated key for Anopheles:

No. I am into Food Biotechnology/Fermentation

Pericyma cruegeri

Hello Rakesh:

Without the information of the host plant and locality it is not possible to identify up to species level, but by the morphological characteristics of the adult in the photo and by the behavior as a leafminer, this individual belongs to the Lyonetiidae family. The moths of the Lyonetiidae family are recognized by the tufts of scales on the head and by the fringes of hairs on the edge of the wings. Probably it belongs to Bedellia somnulentella, of cosmopolitan distribution and placed now in the family Bedelliidae but a better photograph is needed to confirm the identification.

Regards,

Luis Miguel Constantino

For identification to orders, the best book is: Borror, Donald J., Dwight Moore DeLong, and Charles A. Triplehorn. An Introduction to the Study of Insects. Philadelphia: Saunders College Pub ( 7th edition)

@ Dewanand Makhan ,

This is indeed very welcome! Thank you very much!

Amael

\

Following

Following

Obviously it's from Sphictyrtus sp. May be the species is Sphictyrtus chryseis. But for being confirmed there's need more salient diagnostic features.

I confirme

3, 4 & 5 Coleoptera Tenebrionidae

I'am sure that

2 isn't a Dytiscidae and 4 isn't a Carabidae

20

Dear Dr Shafagat Mahmudova thank you for sharing valuable information. It is quite useful and covers many technology aspects in agriculture. Quite interesting to read.

-Sapna.

These are  very clear photos, try this link it may help even you can see the references.

This is a female wasp from the genus Pison [Crabronidae, Trypoxylini]. Unfortunately, the proposed angles do not allow to determine it to the species. 

It is necessary to see its head from the front, as well as the propodeum from above.

Dear Kapila,

The identification of the specimen is quite difficult due to the quality of the pictures. Did you sampled it in coastal zones?

I suggest you to use the MosKeyTool which is a new free key used for mosquitoe identification

I attach you a file about how to install it

Best regards

Carlos

Felipe Gil-T, exactly identified the butterfly!!!!

thank u louis Miguel Constantino

but what is the correct name for the species given in first Picture?

The Helicoverpa egg chorion, as well as the chorion of many other moths and butterflies, has a characteristic microsculture useful for a first identification of the macrotaxon. Taking plant samples with eggs from okra fields, putting them in a sufficiently damp environment and waiting for egg hatching can be the safest method to know what it is. Regards,

Rinaldo Nicoli

Thank you André:

At least the species  P. iridescens agrees with the original description of Enderlein 1901. Zoologische Jahrbücher (Abteilung Systematik) 14:544

Best regards,

Luis Miguel

The appropriate name for the "terminal cerci" of this beetle larva as well as other larvae of the same family and other beetle families is "urogomphi". Urogomphi are a pair of rigid or mobile, uni- or multiarticulate, variously shaped dorsal formations which can be found in the ninth abdominal segment of holometabolic larvae, and particularly in larvae of beetles (Coleoptera). We can find them in larvae of the following beetle families (but not necessarily in all species of each family): Carabidae, Dytiscidae, Sylphidae, Staphylinidae, Hydraenidae, Histeridae, Elateridae, Drilidae, Cleridae, Ostomatidae, Dermestidae, Nitidulidae, Cucujidae, Cryptophagidae, Colydiidae, Latridiidae, Endomychidae, Erotylidae, Mycetophagidae, Anthicidae, Tenebrionidae, and others. I confirm my hypothesis: the larva in the picture belongs to ground beetles (Carabidae). 

Regards,

Rinaldo Nicoli

Thanks 

Stink bug (Pentatomidae) eggs? In internet you can find photos of eggs of pentatomids rather similar (genus? species?). Cordially,

Rinaldo

I cannot say it for absolutely sure from this photo, but I think this is

Epinotia crenana (HÜBNER, [1817]); Tortricidae, Olethreutinae

Best,

Rudolf Ritt

Dear Serge,

You can find here some Cryptophagidae keys https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxtaWtlc2luc2VjdGtleXN8Z3g6NjU5MWZjZTU2ODRmNmY3Mg

Hi,

I think that you have specimens belong to Telenomus (Scelionidae, Platygastroidea), possibly T. polymorphus Costa Lima, 1943, but I  am not sure because is difficult to identify the species level using only the pictures.

Best regards,  Ovidiu 

Thank you for answers! I hope I'll find everything what I need.

Best regards,

R. Witkowski

The insect is an adult chironomid (Diptera Nematocera Chironomidae). The family Chironomidae is very large and homogeneous, so it is not easy or not possible to recognize genera and species by a simple photograph. The antennal shape indicates that the specimen is a male. In this family, the larvae develop into water. As regards the impact on humans, chironomids, though resembling mosquitoes, are not blood-feeding insects and do not bite. Allergic phenomena (by contact, by inhalation) for humans have been reported in case of very abundant presence of adults (scams of many individuals emerging at the same time) in wetlands (brackish coastal areas, lakes, etc.). Regards,

Rinaldo Nicoli

Khandaker:

You would find this link useful:

Best

Syed

If the insect in the first photo is a larva of a casebearer moth, not only the family Psychidae can be taken into account, but also other families of Lepidoptera, e.g.  Tineidae and Oecophoridae. The most typical cases of larval psychids are quite different from the one in the photograph. Tineids and oecophorids are generally small moths, so their larval cases can be only 5 mm in size even for a mature larva. Regards,

Rinaldo Nicoli

Hi Bogdan,

You see, proper mounting is critical for identifying tiny insects. I prefer to mount parasitoids by myself. However it would save a lot of time for me if you could provide dry mounted insects.

I can offer a compromise, will you mount only some insects from every series for brief identification and leave the rest of the series in alcohol in order to I could mount them personally if it is necessary.

Best regards,

Alexander

As always, an indication of the size (length) of the specimen would be helpful. The insect in the photo (on the basis of the shape of head and abdomen, antennae, ecc.) reminds a juvenile stage, maybe the first instar, of a dragonfly (Odonata Anisoptera). I believe that this is the right identification. Regards,

Rinaldo Nicoli

Dear Jatishwor:

Yes, It is Loepa katinka. The type locality of Loepa katinka is Assam, a state in northeastern India. Located south of the eastern Himalayas.  Your specimen is  from the Naga Hills  a district  of the Assam Province in northeastern India too.

According to Nässig & Treadaway (1988: 175)  the accepted type species of Loepa, Saturnia katinka Westwood, appeared to be based on a misidentification, and later (Nässig & Treadaway 1998: 389) noted that the accepted authorship of the genus, as Moore, 1860 in Horsfield & Moore, “1858–1859“, was incorrect. Nässig & Treadaway (1998) corrected the latter to Moore, 1859 but reserved resolving the apparent type species misidentification until a thorough literature study had been conducted and, if necessary, the case had been prepared for submission to the ICZN. 

Dear Maarten van Helden

You may contact the researcher on the same project, they will help you and send the working identification key Pls. find the attached files

Hoping this will be helpful

Regards

Prof. Houda Kawas

Hi Abdul, for larvae:

Anopheles are the easiest to identify. They don't have a siphon and stay paralell to the water surface.

Aedes and Culex are very similar, however. But looking at the siphon you'll notice that the ones from Culex are longer and have a lighter color; their body is also "hairy" compared to Aedes. Using a microscope, look at the morphology of the combs, they are very different.

For adults:

Now Aedes mosquitoes are the easiest to identify. They are black and have white patches.

Culex and Anopheles are yellow-ish, but you can identify them by observing their resting position. Anopheles mosquitoes have a ~45 degree angle, while Culex stay parallel to the surface. Microscopically, look for antena morphology.

To identify instars, just look at the size and the color of the larvae. First instar larvae are very small, with light gray color, while 4th instar larvae are very dark, and you can see their hair very clearly. Microscopically, look at the saddle, it gets bigger and darker with the instar, covering the anal segment almost entirely. 

After some time working with them you'll differentiate all the instars easily, it's just a matter of practice. :)

Thank you everyone for the inputs. I will definitely do the needful. Thank you once again.

It's definitely Hyphydrus, but it is not possible to determine the species. H. signatus does not occur in Algeria and North Africa.

For Indonesian Tetrigidae, please contact Josef Tumbrinck, number 1 specialist on this region

Hi Ian, 

 this is a very interesting article devoted to optomotor response of coffee berry borer

Best wishes, Ivan

Dear Viktor, thank you for answering my question. No, I found it at highland stream (400-500 m asl). The 3rd segment antenna is not annulated so it's definitely not Diamesinae. This specimen has been cleared using KOH and has been mounted too. The mandible has long apical tooth and 3 clumped inner teeth and broad seta subdentalis. What really caught my attention was the vmp has a circular shape without striae. 

HI Jenneke, do you still have the samples? There are a few Phytomyptera species reported for South America, Rasmussen et al. (2001) reports Phytomyptera sp. as parasitoid of Eurysacca in Peru. It probably is an undescribed species.

Best.

Juan Manuel

Hi ,

Have a look for the keys identification linked below for this family may help you to get ID?

Good luck 

Ali 

It is not a beetle, it seems to be an orthopteran. As a simple hypothesis, I suggest the tribe Callimenellini belonging to the family Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera Ensifera). Otherwise, another Ensifera. The photo shows only some features of the insect, other photos (e.g. in lateral vision) could be very useful, as well as knowledge of its length and the region where it was collected. Regards,

Rinaldo Nicoli

For identification, you need several sample, especially male sample.

Dear Rahim, 

I invite you to our team, together we can be more useful. 

We are working on tribe of Chilocorini, i finished works Morphology its and paper it is almost complete and now I  are doing works molecular.

Isaac:

Kindly see this link:

Best

Syed