Daniel Whitmore
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dwhitmore79.bsky.social
Daniel Whitmore
@dwhitmore79.bsky.social
76 followers 65 following 2 posts
Diptera Curator at Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart | Editor-in-Chief of @integsyst.bsky.social
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Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
nature.com
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species

go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
go.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
rosariolebronentomology.com
A Peacock Fly (Callopistromyia sp.) showing off the beautiful display on those wings! They strut around waving their wings and doing a little wiggle, an amazing behavior right in your own backyard.

#Invert #Diptera #bugsky 🌿 #entomology
Macrophotograph of a Peacock Fly (Callopistromyia sp) resting on a slightly weathered metal beam. The fly holds its patterned wings upright in an elaborate, fan-like display, appearing almost butterfly-like. Each wing is intricately marked with shades of dark brown, black, white, and subtle hints of iridescent blue, creating a mosaic-like camouflage pattern. The fly’s body is robust and heavily speckled in shades of brown, black, and cream. Bright, vivid orange-red eyes stand out distinctly on its head, along with delicate antennae and fine bristles visible along its legs and thorax. The textured metal beam beneath it has faint scratches and rust streaks, providing contrast that highlights the detail and coloration of the insect.
July 20, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
jencross.bsky.social
This is an interesting interaction for entomology folks. Found some ants that looked like they were aphid farming, but they were walking around with abdomens up, which seemed weird. Well, there was a phorid fly lurking around.
Mammoth, AZ
An ant on the stem of a plant. It is coppery colored with a dark brown abdomen and the abdomen is pointed up. An ant on the stem of a plant amid a bunch of aphid. A small phorid fly can be seen near the stem of the plant above the ant. A close-up of the phorid fly showing a grayish color, hooked abdomen, and large eyes. The stem of the plant with aphids on it can be seen in the upper right.
July 9, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
integsyst.bsky.social
Volume 8 (1) of @integsyst.bsky.social was published on 30 June 2025. It includes the descriptions of 7 new genera and 31 new species of insects. The articles are Open Access and available for download at @bioone.bsky.social:

tinyurl.com/yeytj2bh
July 7, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
coleomaniac.bsky.social
0.8mm tiny Aphelinidae wasp (Centrodora sp.?) I found in some hay last autumn

Single shot using Mitutoyo MPlan APO10X on a tube lens with variable aperture on a mirrorless aps-c camera.
#hymenoptera #Aphelinidae #insects #insect #macrophotography #macrophoto #ultramacro #parasitoid #parasitoidwasp
Side view of a tiny translucent white, slightly orange wasp with bright yellow eyes that have a dark purple spot where you are looking straight down the ommatidia. She sits on a blade of grass where, at this magnification individual plant cells are just about visible and some blurry white spots in the foreground, which are the stomata. The wasp is licking up some sugar water which I put there so she is occupied and won't fly away. The background is a blur of shades of petrol.
February 24, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
corsiaq.bsky.social
Old friend just laid off by USDA, 1 mos short of his probationary period as senior researcher. Brilliant person who left a tenured faculty position several yrs ago to join USDA. Bright early-career researchers also being laid off. USDA is terminating a generation of highly-qualified scientists.
February 17, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
wizentrop.bsky.social
Whip spider (Paraphrynus laevifrons) covered with chloropid fly puparia. The parasitoid fly attacks the eggs carried by the female. When done, the maggots climb on the "childless" mom's back and pupate. She protects them during this period thanks to her motherly instincts.
February 6, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Daniel Whitmore
integsyst.bsky.social
We're new on @bsky.app!

You can explore our latest issue in this thread. It includes a new genus of tarantulas, a new genus of tachinid ("bristle") flies and several new invertebrate species. The articles are Open Access and available for download at @bioone.bsky.social:

tinyurl.com/yh22fb6s
February 5, 2025 at 3:56 PM