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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1h

Vascular Streak Dieback (VSD; sorry about typo above) started around 2018 I think, in the southeast US. I haven't seen any mention of it causing seedpod streaks. Given the name it seemed worth looking into. apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...

Vascular Streak Dieback: A Novel Threat to Redbud and Other Woody Ornamental Production in the United States | Plant Disease

Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.) is a popular and high-value woody ornamental plant native to the Eastern and South Central United States. In recent years, redbud production in the Southeastern U...

apsjournals.apsnet.org

Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 13h

There's a smattering of concern over bulk seeds having too many bruchids but that's probably just for people who just sell seeds online. My guess about the Pest Alert is that authors' view the streaking as ugly. I'm not convinced it's caused by the bruchid but certainly possible.

Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 19h

Ventral view of the female Heterospilus as she climbed the wall of a glass vial. That's her on the left. #macrophotography

Amber wasp with yellow legs and long antennae.

Three black-capped glass vials filled with very tiny wasps.

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 20h

These authors assert they are feeding galleries. I think the pods on my trees have them but I'm not positive, and will certainly check next year. One thing of possible relevance is the spread of Vascular Streak Dieback (VSC), which I gather is newish. nfsl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/...

First page of a two-page article on the redbud seed beetle. First paragraph reads: "The redbud seed beetle (RSB) is a native insect that
feeds on the seeds of eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis
as a larva. This beetle has been observed throughout a
significant portion of the redbud range. Larval feeding creates black streaks on seedpods. Round
exit holes appear in mature seedpods when adult beetles
emerge. This damage is highly variable but can affect a
majority of C. canadensis seedpods when RSB populations
are high."

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 23h

In another exciting installment of "Tiny Wasps That Emerge from Redbud Seedpods" here are a male and female that I think are in the genus Heterospilus (Doryctinae). Two species in the genus are known parasitoids of redbud bruchids but I'm not sure how to tell them apart. #wasps #insects #braconidae

Dark-bodied wasp with long antennae, yellow legs, and an amber head.

Amber-bodied wasp with long antennae, yellow legs, and an ovipositor that extends as far as the wings.

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, fab. I will!

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

SADIE 𓅐 @cicadie.bsky.social · 9d

Would you believe this spindly guy is an assassin bug? I picked him up initially thinking he was a phasmid…then I got a closer look at the face and saw the rostrum, and the raptorial forelimbs started to make sense! He's a member of emesinae, a reduviid subfamily I didn't know about before!
#bugsky

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

CarolinaPhoenix🏳️‍⚧️💜 @carolinaphoenix.net · Aug 30

Yesterday morning I noticed a slime mold growing in one of my aquariums. So of course I set up a timelapse camera!

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Coleen Murphy @ctmurphy1.bsky.social · 1d

Begging scientists (and media posts about science) to stop using ChatGPT-generated images

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Ben Miller @extinctmonsters.bsky.social · 1d

The Peale mastodon at the National Portrait Gallery in 2021.

It’s the 1st mounted fossil skeleton displayed in the US (1805), and 2nd worldwide. Its original viewers didn’t know about evolution. Even extinction was a new concept. More fossils interpreted as history and art, please! #FossilFriday

Mastodon skeleton with long tusks on a gravel bed between two white columns in an art gallery. Seen from the front.

Same from driver side rear view. Red curtain entrance to exhibit is visible from
This angle

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Brendan O'Loughlin @brendanoloughlin.bsky.social · 1d

Anyone want to describe a new moth species with me lol?

I just discovered that a super common holartic species are two different species between North America and Europe, but I don't have any experience with Lepidoptera taxonomy

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

Printing presses kept their letters in cases.

Capital letters went in the upper case.
Smaller letters went in the lower case.

This is why we say ‘UPPER CASE’ and ‘lower case.’

Ok, but what did we call them before the invention of the printing press?

MAJUSCULE and minuscule.

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

Here's an action shot of a female ovipositing into a redbud seedpod. I might open up the pod so I can monitor what is going on with that particular seed. www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Genus Eurytoma

Eurytoma from Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA on September 28, 2025 at 12:33 PM by Colin Purrington. Ovipositing into a *Cercis canadensis* seed pod. Parasitoid of *Gibbobruchus mimus* or perhaps a ...

www.inaturalist.org

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

I haven't, and thanks! Was going by wasps mentioned in Kingsolver's 2004 'Handbook of the Bruchidae of the United States and Canada': "Eupelmus cyaniceps; Heterospilus bruchi, H. prosopidis; Horismenus sp.; Stenocorse bruchivora." I think I've found the first two, plus an unmentioned pteromalid.

Family Pteromalidae

Pteromalidae from Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA on September 28, 2025 at 01:43 PM by Colin Purrington

www.inaturalist.org

Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

And here's the female. #wasps #chalcidoidea #inaturalist www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Genus Eurytoma

Eurytoma from Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA on October 4, 2025 at 11:17 AM by Colin Purrington. Emerged from redbud pods.

www.inaturalist.org

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

If you have thoughts on identification I'm always grateful for help. Here's the male. #wasps #chalcidoidea #inaturalist www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Genus Eurytoma

Eurytoma from Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA on October 4, 2025 at 11:11 AM by Colin Purrington. Emerged from redbud pods.

www.inaturalist.org

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

Hmm. And I see there is also the clover-seed version, Bruchophagus gibbus. I can't find good pics of B. roddi, do you have? The proximal 1/3 of the antennal scape is gold on my females (barely present in males) and I'm wondering whether that might be useful.

Clover Seed Chalcidoid Wasp (Bruchophagus gibbus)

Clover Seed Chalcidoid Wasp from Sainte-Marie, Montreal, QC H2K, Canada on July 31, 2025 at 04:00 PM by Andrew Sonea. Good numbers of these on red clovers. Slightly skittish except this individual th...

www.inaturalist.org

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

There's also the pistachio-seed wasp, Eurytoma plotnikovi. Would be fun to find them. Time for another visit to Trader Joe's. www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Eurytoma plotnikovi

Eurytoma plotnikovi from Αττική, Ελλάδα on June 24, 2020 at 12:45 PM by Σάββας Ζαφειρίου (Savvas Zafeiriou)

www.inaturalist.org

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

That's an excellent idea and BugGuide does say Eurytoma has phytophagous members. E.g., the almond seed wasp (Eurytoma amygdali). I'll see whether my stash of redbud pods might have evidence of what they are up to. www.forestpests.eu/pest/eurytom...

Eurytoma amygdali

www.forestpests.eu

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

I seem to be on the "posts creepy" moderation list. #biology #insects #spiders #nature bsky.app/profile/did:...

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Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 1d

Male and female chalcids that emerged from redbud seedpods. Both are in the genus Eurytoma and are possibly the same species but further identification is beyond my skill set. I can't find any mention of them being recorded as parasitoids of redbud bruchids. 🌿 #wasps #hymenoptera #insects #bruchidae

Two photographs of black wasps that look roughly the same except that top one has hairy antennae with large gaps in between the segments, while the bottom one has more beadlike antennae. The lower one also has an ovipositor. Their legs are partly orange and their head and thorax have pits and short white hairs.

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 1d

Such a needed paper! This focuses on the EU, but I've had to talk many teachers out of exotic stick insects, which are regulated species here in the US as potential pests. (and we have one escaped stick species that has established itself!) #education

Dr Manu Saunders @manusaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Rearing insects in class is an excellent science education tool, but using non-native insects can lead to ethical and environmental issues. Native insects should be prioritised! Great paper exploring this overlooked issue #RESInsectConsDiv 🌏🧪
resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Native insect species should be selected for classroom rearings

Rearing insects in the school classroom can build positive attitudes towards insects among schoolchildren, which is becoming increasingly important as insect populations decline. Identified frequent...

resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 1d

A mini Welsh dragon? Not quite, just a small Anystid mite in Wales, briefly interrupted while it was hunting a springtail.

#Anystidae #Invert #bugsky🌿

A high-resolution macrophotograph of a vivid red Anystid mite walking across a pale green leaf. The mite's glossy, rounded body and long legs are sharply in focus, showing delicate white setae (hairs) on its limbs and body. The surface of the leaf is finely textured, almost velvety, and a slightly blurred green stem or vein runs diagonally across the upper part of the image. The contrast between the mite’s bright red coloring and the soft green background creates a striking visual. The photo captures the mite mid-motion, its legs splayed out naturally as it moves. This species is a fast-moving predatory mite, often seen darting across vegetation. The image is taken in natural light, highlighting fine details.

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 2d

with the official IUCN listing for the slender-billed curlew now being Extinct here is the rather sad piece I wrote about what went into this decision

I tried to include everything we know about their behaviour and biology, which is tragically little 🪶🧪
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A picture of two slender-billed curlews in the Natural History Museum's collections.

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Reposted by Colin Purrington

Nicole 🪲 @fossilforager.bsky.social · 2d

Whale Fall pin 🦀🐋🦑

A photo of a large gold-plated enamel pin photographed on top of a lichen-covered rock. The enamel pin features a whale skeleton covered with various deep sea creatures, such as octopuses, hagfish, a giant isopod, a crab, and chimaeras.

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