Wasp project help request...
Anyone interested in helping a scientist with Ichneumonid wasp research this spring and summer? Brandon Claridge is a graduate student at USU and makes the following request:
For anyone interested in making a significant research contribution, I'm looking for help sampling ichneumoninae biodiversity, particularly in the western US. It's not hyperbole to say that no matter where you are you will collect an undescribed species. Ichneumoninae is the largest ichneumonid subfamily, yet it is very poorly known in the Nearctic and there are potentially hundreds of undescribed species. The vast majority of species in the western US are undescribed. There are even some undescribed species in the northeastern US, where a decent bit of taxonomic effort has been spent by Gerd Heinrich. If you are interested, send me a message for more details. The easiest way to collect ichneumonines is with a Malaise (flight intercept) trap which I would be happy to provide. Specimens caught using other methods (rearing, sweeping, aerial net, etc.) would be much appreciated as well.
Also, I'm looking for people to trade any by-catch Diptera, Chalcidoidea, etc. for ichneumonids!
Here's a link to all the Ichneumonid observations at Sagehen.
