ID Help! Nicaraguan Hymenoptera

Posted by Kolby
January 28, 2009

I need help identifying the insects I photographed in Nicaragua. If you recognize any of the ants, bees or wasps below, please leave a comment below with the photo reference number (i.e. “Ant01″) and the scientific name. I’d very much appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you.

Ants

Ant01

Ant02



Ant03


Ant04

Camponotus ____________?

Ant05


Bees & Wasps

Wasp01

Bee01 – Tetragonisca angustula

Bee02 – Dasymutilla pulchra

Related posts:

hymenoptera

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  • Hey Kolby. Nice pics. As far as I can tell, your ants are:

    1: Camponotus rectangularis
    2: Acromyrmex octospinosus
    3: Pachycondyla villosa
    4: Camponotus sp. (this complex of spp. is a taxonomic mess)
    5&6: Ectatomma ruidum

    Hope this helps,

    Alex
  • Thanks, Alex! It does!
  • George Waldren
    The velvet ant is in the genus Dasymutilla.

    It may possibly be D. pulchra, but I would leave it at genus.
  • Hi George. Thanks for your help. After comparing online photos with the other photos of this specimen that I took, I'm confident you're right about Dasymutilla pulchra. Thanks!
  • Bee01 is Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille) [sensu lato]
  • Ant 5 is an Ectatomma species, perhaps tuberculatum. 6 cant etll based on head shot unless it is the same ant.
  • Hi Boris! Thanks for the note. Isn't bugguide a great resource for entomology lovers?

    My next upload will be the beetles I photographed in Nicaragua. Maybe you can help? I'll send you an e-mail when they're posted.

    I wish I had better pics of that velvet ant. I couldn't get a good shot of the polka-dotted wasp before it scurried into the brush.
  • Boris Büche
    . . . and bee 02 is a velvet ant (Mutillidae).
  • Boris Büche
    Hi Kolby,
    great pics! I noticed them via your post to bugguide (which is for NORTH-American bugs only, b.t.w.).
    Can´t help you much - my speciality is beetles / true bugs - just tell you here that your wasp 01 is a fly (Conopidae).

    cheers, Boris
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