ICHNEWS Editor: David B. Wahl American Entomological Institute 3005 SW 56th Ave. Gainesville, Fl 32608; USA Alternate Editors: Paul M. Marsh Michael J . Sharkey Systematic Entomology laboratory/USDA Biological Resources Division/CLBRR Smithsonian Institution NHB 165 Agriculture Canada Washington, DC 20 560; USA Ottawa, Ontario K 1A OC6; CANADA Number 13 November 1992 EDITORIAL APOLOGIA A newsletter such as ICHNEWS rises or Sarazin; CLBRR; Agriculture Canada; & COMMENTS falls upon the interest of the communi­ Ottawa, Ontario K1A OC6; CANADA. ty. It is up to ~ to determine the Telephone: (613) 996-1665; FAX: by David Wahl contents and quality of ICHNEWS. (613) 995-1823. Points of view, comments, technical Well, this issue is somewhat over­ matters, reviews, and reports are all due . by about 2 years. The fault welcome. As Paul Marsh discussed in • lies entirely with me. A number of his Editorial in the last issue, research Taxonomy and Biology of factors, i ncluding the death of Henry articles are discouraged; ICHNEWS is Parasitic Hymenoptera; Townes and increased duties at the not a primary publication source. 28 March-4 April 1993 AEI, led to a steady postponment. The editor for the next issue is University of Sheffield Perhaps one of the most important Mike Sharkey and all items of interest delaying factors was the daunting should be sent to him. Since all the The fourth of this series of training prospect of typing up the literature editors use WordPerfect, it will be courses, similar to those given by Agri­ citations that have been a standard greatly appreciated if lengthy submis­ culture Canada and the USDA/ Univer­ feature of this (and other) newsletters. sions are sent on a diskette in that sity of Maryland, i s being offered next The editors of ICHNEWS, however, format. year at Sheffield, England. Run jointly extensively d iscussed this service and by the University of Sheffield and the have decided, beginning w ith this issue, Natural History Museum, it aims to give to drop it (a selected survey of sub­ ••• a broad overview of parasitic Hymenop­ scribers supported this move). It ANNOUNCEMENTS tera and provide instruction in their appears to us that citing all the litera­ identification. The fee is £550 (fully ture simply benefits too few people for CLBRR/Canacoll Foundation Workshop inclusive). For further information, all the work involved. ICHNEWS on Hymenoptera Identification, please contact Dr. Donald Ouicke, should be as a forum of communication 18-26 Oct. 1993 Department of Animal and Plant Scienc­ among the ichneumonoid research Ottawa, Canada es, P.O. Box 601, University of Shef­ community: trips, activities, requests, field, Sheffield S10 2UO, UK. Tele­ etc. The Centre for Land and Biological phone: (0742) 76855, ext. 4628; FAX: On that subject. I should note that Resources Research and the Canacoll (0742) 760159. last year's questionnaire was sent out Foundation will sponsor an 8 day work­ to about 225 people. I explicitly noted shop on Hymenoptera identification to that those who did not respond would the family level. This is the fourth such • be dropped from the mailing list. Dis­ course. Each participant will receive Hy-men appointingly, there was only a 40% the textbook Hymenoptera 21 ~ response to the mailing, and this in­ ~ written by six CLBRR taxon­ Hy-men, an Italian newsletter about cludes those who signed only their omists and colleagues from five other Hymenoptera and Italian Hymenopter­ names on the returned questionnaire. institutions. The course fee is $400 ists started in March 1991 . Guido Allowing for known active workers, the (Canadian). For further information, Pagliano and Pier Luigi Scaramozzino mailing list has been trimmed to 150. contact the course coordinator: Michael are the editors. They would •like to lchnews 13, November 1992 2 "anterior to" and adding receive all the materials that you be­ Anterad means "to" or "of" is simply redun­ lieve helpful! for the persuance of our ••• another the leg" is the project (announcements of congresses POINTS OF VIEW dant. So, "anterad or meetings, new books about Hyme­ correct usage. sees this mistake to ad­ noptera ...) as well as other news that Specimen processing One we could publish in Hy-men." The nauseum! (Joke) editors may be contacted c/o Museo by Robert Wharton Regionale di Scienze Naturali; Vial Gio­ Texas A & M University • litti 36 - 10123; Torino; ITALY. College Station, Texas T ergite or tergum In ICHNEWS 12 (pp. 6-7), Sharkey • suggests that chloroform is better than by Michael J. Sharkey International Entomology amyl acetate for taking ichneumonids Resource Guide out of alcohol. This has not been our These two words are used in many experience, and we prefer the amyl systematic works as though they are The third edition of this guide is avail­ acetate. Choloroform may be more synonymous. This, however, is not the able for $7.95 (foreign orders, add toxic. In either case, specimens taken case. The following definitions are $2.95 for airmail) from: Young Ento­ through freshly prepared solutions tend from the new edition of Torre-Bueno's mologists Society; 1915 Peggy Place; to be much more pliable than speci­ Glossary of Entomology. Lansing, Ml 4891 0-2553; USA. This · mens taken through older solutions. ~: a dorsal sclerite or part of resource guide includes over 550 busi­ We have noted several problems a segment, especially when such con­ nesses and organizations offering col­ associated with samples stored in alco­ sists of a single sclerite. lecting equipment and supplies, insect hol. Some samples, when dried, are Tergum: the upper or dorsal sur­ traps, insect pins, collection storage coated with a fine, wax-like substance. face of any body segment of an insect, equipment, microscopes and laboratory This occurs both when samples are whether consisting of one or than one equipment, gifts and "novelty items", taken through a critical point drier or sclerite. such as consultants, tours and vacations for amyl acetate. Samples which are air­ One often sees references two". insect collecting, illustrators and pho­ dried directly from 95% ethanol seem "tergite one longer than tergite terga are tographers, living and preserved arthro­ to be more heavily coated. A number This is correct only if these If there pods, etc. It also includes a worldwide of people have offered suggestions as composed of one tergite each. is usual, listing of insect zoos, butterfly houses, to what causes this, but does anyone are lateral and medial terga as 1§!.Wml (terga). To sim­ and entomological organizations. really know? Similarly, what makes one must use alcohol go cloudy and form a precipi­ ply matters, one could use tergum tate when alcohols from two different (terga) in all instances since these • sources are added together? [Editor: terms are applicable when there is one "Center for Parasitic Hymenoptera" And does a dog have the Buddha-na­ or more than one sclerite composing ture 7) We seem to be able to produce the tergum. by David Wahl this result under a variety of circum­ stances using only ethanol but never • The American Entomological Insti­ consistently enough to identify the tute frequently receives mail that in­ source of the problem. Contra Sharkey cludes "Center for Parasitic Hymenop­ tera" as part of the mailing address; by David Wahl this is also sometimes combined with • the the address of the University of Florida. Anterad, posteriad, laterad, A better source for examining The "Center for Parasitic Hymenoptera" mesad, etc. ~ vs. WiW!D. question is Snod­ (p. was the name for the proposed Univer­ grass (1935). He defines ~ plate of the sity of Florida research center to be By Michael J. Sharkey 7 1 ) as a "major segmental of a principal formed about the Townes Hymenoptera Agriculture Canada dorsum ... [s)ubdivision collection (Gupta, V.K. 1983. Contrib Ottawa, Ontario segmental plate or the component American Ent. lnst. 20: 1-1 4). No sclerites of a major area of sclerotiza­ sternites, agreement was ever reached between It is often difficult to decide which tion, then, becomes tergites, the Townes and the University of Flori­ preposition to use in conjunction with and pleurites. respectively, since the da, and consequently no such organiza­ adjectives such as anterad, posteriad, suffix :fa has a fractional significance." 250) that "[i)n tion exists. The Townes collection is etc. Does one use anterad of of the He further states (p. larval now part of the American Entomologi­ leg, for example, or anterad 1Q the leg 7 many insects, particularly the of the cal Institute, which is an independent The answer is simple: these words do forms, the dorsal sclerotization up into groups research organization without ties to not take a preposition. abdomen may be broken In single cases the University of Florida or any agency Ad is Latin for "to" and the prepo­ of segmental tergites. in each segment a of the State of Florida. sition is already built into the word. we may distinguish lchnews 13, November 1992 3 median tergite . and one or more Canadian National Collection was col­ menopterous parasites of lodgepole laterotergites . " Adult ichneumon­ lected by Bill. pineneedle miners. Can. Ent. 92: ids, as well as many apocritans, cer­ In 1986, after 38 years of service, 140-147. tainly display this phenomenon, and it Bill Mason retired. However, he still 10. Mason, W.A.M. 1960. A new may be assumed that separate latero­ came to work daily, maintained a busy species of Microtonus (Hymenoptera: tergites (epipleura ~Townes) are schedule and published regularly, even Braconidae). Can. Ent. 192: 436-437. part of the family's ground plan. If one after a heart attack and by-pass sur­ 11. Mason, W.A.M. 1961. New lch­ uses the term "laterotergite", then "ter­ gery.