Paul WhitingtonBatch 6

Perginae larvae batch 4

Paul WhitingtonBatch 6
Perginae larvae batch 4

Workbook

This is the fourth collection of Perginae larvae which I am aiming to rear through to adult stage.

My goal is to obtain female Perga dorsalis adults for COI barcoding in order to determine whether Perga dorsalis and Perga affinis individuals identified morphologically have different barcodes.

Collection of larvae at home, October 9th

A large cluster (at least 20) of larvae was found in an upper branch of a juvenile eucalypt (probably E. globoidea), just behind the biolytix irrigation area. They were around 5cm long and a distinctive grey colour.

They were collected as an intact clump on their day-roost branch and transferred to a metal cage with dead leaf litter in the bottom.

11th - 31st October

The larvae showed a regular pattern of activity over this time period, clustering together in one or two quiescent clumps by around 9am, then dispersing in the afternoon to feed overnight. They appeared to feed actively.

Care was taken when adding fresh vegetation to leave the larvae on their existing branch(es) and to retain a proportion of the former branches in the cage. The logic is to keep chemical cues on the branches which the larvae may be using to maintain contact with each other.

On morning of 31st October, the top layer of ground medium/debris was removed and a full bag of peat moss and some vermiculite added.

1st November

6:30am - 3 loose clusters present on vegetation in same sites as on the previous day

8:40am - all larvae have buried themselves in the medium in the bottom of the cage. The larvae were moved to a terrarium along with the medium they were clustered on.

9:30am - the larvae had aggregated on the surface as a coherent mass and were tapping each other vigorously. 23 individuals counted. second photo

12:00pm - the larvae had clustered into a motionless clump in a corner of the tank. About half were visible on the surface, the others were presumably beneath them, perhaps starting to dig down?

2nd November

6:20am - a clump of larvae present in the same corner of the tank, with about 10 visible in the top layer.

8:30am - the entire clump (counted more than 20) had moved to the front of the tank on the surface but then subsequently moved to the back corner.

10:15am - the larvae were clustered but still active, moving to different corners of the tank

11:52am - the clump of larvae formed a tight rosette, with the central larvae digging into the soil - photo

12:00pm - only 8 larvae visible on the surface

12:25pm - now just 3 visible on surface

12:50pm - now just 1 on surface, another half buried

1:17pm - just the same single larva present on surface. It contined to move around the tank on the surface, tapping in an agitated fashion.

1:50pm - we buried the larva in peat moss at the site where the clump had disappeared. Within minutes it had dug itself out and was continuing to wander around the tank.

2:30pm - the lost larva was removed and placed in 90% ethanol for a voucher specimen.

17th February

10:05am First adult seen in tank, in back corner, crawling around, having emerged sometime after 7:00am. Collection number #PW100.

Images of living insect

Images of anaesthetised insect

Featured
- orange antennae, longer than distance between insertions - black head, dorsal yellow patch on vertex - orange pronotum - shining black mesoscutum - smooth, hairless, yellow scutellum with small hind lobes - dorsum of abdomen shining greenish blac
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- orange antennae, longer than distance between insertions
- black head, dorsal yellow patch on vertex
- orange pronotum
- shining black mesoscutum
- smooth, hairless, yellow scutellum with small hind lobes
- dorsum of abdomen shining greenish black
- forewings pale brown hyaline
- hind femora dark orange, apex black on dorso-medial side
- hind tarsus shorter than hind tibia

female, #PW100
- genae black with orange dorsal patch, pilose - clypeus and labrum orange - mandibles black and chestnut with tips black - pronotum dark yellow, pilose dorsally - mesepisternum black with large central pale yellow patch, moderately heavily punctate
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- genae black with orange dorsal patch, pilose
- clypeus and labrum orange
- mandibles black and chestnut with tips black
- pronotum dark yellow, pilose dorsally
- mesepisternum black with large central pale yellow patch, moderately heavily punctate
- mesepimeron black
- metepimeron white
- metepisternum black
- mesosternum shiny black, unpunctured
- lateral folds of terga, venter shiny green black, unpunctured
- abdomen with green-black iridescence
- sawsheath orange with pale yellow hairs, with considerable space between each hair, tips of hairs spoon-shaped
- saw (lance and lancet) dark orange
- coxa black basally, pale yellow apically
- all femora dark orange
- all tibiae orange

female, #PW100
- antennal flagellum orange, scape black and orange, pedicel orange - inner orbits, genae black, strongly punctated - mesosternum, lateral folds of terga and venter shining black - sawsheath orange with pale yellow hairs - all coxae yellow with pale
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- antennal flagellum orange, scape black and orange, pedicel orange
- inner orbits, genae black, strongly punctated
- mesosternum, lateral folds of terga and venter shining black
- sawsheath orange with pale yellow hairs
- all coxae yellow with paler medial sides
- all femora orange with hind femora dark orange
- all tibiae and tarsi orange

female, #PW100
P2170028-2-Edit-Pano.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
body length 22mm
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

body length 22mm

female, #PW100
- hind ocelli closer together so that POL (distance between posterior ocell) is less than OOL (distance between ocellus and eye) - postocellar region is longer than its breadth in front, POL only about half as long as distance between hind ocellus a
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- hind ocelli closer together so that POL (distance between posterior ocell) is less than OOL (distance between ocellus and eye)
- postocellar region is longer than its breadth in front, POL only about half as long as distance between hind ocellus and hind margin of head

female, #PW100
P2170010-3.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
- abdomen with green-black iridescence - hairs of sawsheath well spaced apart, tips of hairs spooned - saw-bench relatively short and broad - hind basitarsus about as long as next three tarsal segments together
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- abdomen with green-black iridescence
- hairs of sawsheath well spaced apart, tips of hairs spooned
- saw-bench relatively short and broad
- hind basitarsus about as long as next three tarsal segments together

female, #PW100
lower genae with dense, short hairs
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

lower genae with dense, short hairs

female, #PW100

Images of pinned insect

Featured
- wings yellowish-brown infuscate - vertex without small glabrous area at meson (=midline?)
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- wings yellowish-brown infuscate
- vertex without small glabrous area at meson (=midline?)

female, #PW100
P3260009-2.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
- hind basitarsus about as long as the three following tarsal segments together - next to last tarsal segment clearly longer than broad - mesepimeron with a distinct pale patch - abdomen with green-black iridescence
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- hind basitarsus about as long as the three following tarsal segments together
- next to last tarsal segment clearly longer than broad
- mesepimeron with a distinct pale patch
- abdomen with green-black iridescence

female, #PW100
- coxae black in part
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- coxae black in part

female, #PW100
P3260042.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
flagellum much longer than front margin of clypeus
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

flagellum much longer than front margin of clypeus

female, #PW100
- vertex without small glabrous area at meson (=midline?) - lower genae with dense, short hairs
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- vertex without small glabrous area at meson (=midline?)
- lower genae with dense, short hairs

female, #PW100
- lower gena with dense, short hairs
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- lower gena with dense, short hairs

female, #PW100
- hind ocelli closer together so that POL (distance between posterior ocell) is less than OOL (distance between ocellus and eye) - postocellar region is longer than its breadth in front, POL only about half as long as distance between hind ocellus a
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- hind ocelli closer together so that POL (distance between posterior ocell) is less than OOL (distance between ocellus and eye)
- postocellar region is longer than its breadth in front, POL only about half as long as distance between hind ocellus and hind margin of head
- lower genae with dense, short hairs

female, #PW100
P3260041.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
P3260040.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
P3260039.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
P3260050-Edit.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
P3260009-Edit.jpg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
- flattened “saw-bench” relatively short and broad, with seven or eight obvious longitudinal striae - hairs of ovipositor valves with a considerable margin between each hair, tips of hairs spooned - extreme apices of valves diverging when viewed fro
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

- flattened “saw-bench” relatively short and broad, with seven or eight obvious longitudinal striae
- hairs of ovipositor valves with a considerable margin between each hair, tips of hairs spooned
- extreme apices of valves diverging when viewed from beneath

female, #PW100

Sawsheath imaged at high magnification - shows sheath hair morphology described for Perga dorsalis (Benson, 1939; Riek, 1961)

Featured
P2180001-2-Edit.jpeg
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
female, #PW100
hairs of sawsheath well spaced apart, tips of hairs spooned
female, #PW100
female, #PW100

hairs of sawsheath well spaced apart, tips of hairs spooned

female, #PW100
sawsheath in #PW043 Perga affinis ‍ ( iNaturalist observation , Chris Seager) - hairs on sawsheath are more closely spaced than in P. dorsalis and lack their spoon shape
female, #PW042
female, #PW042

sawsheath in #PW043 Perga affinis‍ (iNaturalist observation, Chris Seager)
- hairs on sawsheath are more closely spaced than in P. dorsalis and lack their spoon shape

female, #PW042

video of #PW100 after removal from rearing tank - producing a loud distress? call

Hind leg removed from this specimen, mailed to Erinn Fagan-Jeffries on 16/3/26 for DNA barcoding.

References:

Benson, R.B. 1939. “A revision of the Australian sawflies of the genus Perga Leach, sens. lat. (Hymenoptera, Symphyta)”. The Australian Zoologist 9: 324-357. “ Biodiversity Heritage Library link.

Riek, E. F. 1961. “The distribution and inter-relationships of Perga affinis Kirby and Perga dorsalis Leach (Hymenoptera, Symphyta)”. Proc. Linnean Soc. NSW 86, 237-240. Biodiversity Heritage Library link.

This is a workbook page … a part of our website where we record the observations and references used in making species identifications. The notes will not necessarily be complete. They are a record for our own use, but we are happy to share this information with others.