5 A flower wasp at Tennent, ACT
Identification history
| Aeolothynnus sp. (genus) | 20 Nov 2021 | Amata | ||
| Thynninae (subfamily) | 10 Oct 2021 | David |
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2 comments
MatthewFrawley
wrote:
28 Nov 2021
Is anyone with expertise able to provide more info on the relationship between this wasp and this orchid? From the little reading I've done, there is an attraction for the male wasp to odours that mimic pheromones released by female wasps to attract the males for mating purposes. Seems like a very specific relationship between plant and insect here, well captured by the images in this sighting.
MattM
wrote:
1 Dec 2021
That about sums it up. The labellum calli vaguely resemble a female wasp which the male tries to mate with. Probably has a higher success rate with males that might not yet have encountered a female. The labellum calli might also stimulate the male wasp so it is less likely to leave, but I am not entirely sure. The benefit of using sexual deception is that the plant doesn't have to waste resources on producing a sugary nectar. Additionally, when the pollinator species visits the plants, there is a high pollination success rate as the wasps position themselves effectively to remove and deposit the pollinia (a sack of pollen) at the right location on the flowers.
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Nearby sightings
Location information
- Coordinates 148.908283-35.521557
- Maps Namadgi National Park
- Places Tennent, ACT
Sighting information
- 4 - 15 Abundance
- 10 Oct 2021 09:24 AM Recorded on
- David Recorded by
Additional information
- Chiloglottis orchid. A couple of flowering plants found in the vicinity. Pollen visible on the backs of several of the wasps. Associated plant
- 12mm to 25mm Animal size
Species information
- Aeolothynnus sp. (genus) Scientific name
- A flower wasp Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-Invasive
- Up to 681.1m Recorded at altitude
- Machine learning
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Confirmed by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
