Abachrysa eureka

Biology Little is known about the biology of A. eureka. However, based on our experiences and MacLeod’s notes, we can provide some new information. Egg stage. Five field-collected females laid 57 eggs, 49 (86 %) of which hatched. The eggs were laid between September 19 and October 14, 2015 and hatched in 10 to 14 days (under laboratory conditions). Larval development. MacLeod’s rearing started with a female specimen that Joseph Sheldon collected on Boot Key, FL (July 25, 1968) and sent to him at the University of Illinois. The specimen laid nine eggs en route by July 30; two were used for chromosome preparations, and four hatched on August 8 and 9. Three additional eggs were laid during the first week of August. MacLeod’s notes do not indicate a hatching date for either the three remaining eggs that were laid before arrival or the three that were laid after arrival. Presumably, they did not hatch. MacLeod recorded rearing notes for four Abachrysa larvae held in shell vials (25 ° C, L: D 14: 10, 80 % relative humidity); all instars fed on the larvae and pupae of the ants that he provided (species not specified), but none ac- cepted aphids, disabled termites, or ether-killed Drosophila. He recorded the following developmental times for the various stages — L 1: 15 days (n = 2); L 2: 8 and 11 days (n = 2); L 3: 28 days (n = 1), mature L 3 within cocoon: 10 days (n = 1); pupa within cocoon: 15 days (n = 1, a male that emerged on October 23). One second instar and one third instar were preserved. Unfortunately, the specimens are missing; however, MacLeod made an excellent drawing and took photos of the third instar. FIGURE 12. Abachrysa eureka (Banks), third instar, head and thorax, lateral. A 1, A 2, first and second abdominal segments; T 1 – T 3, first to third thoracic segments; T 1 - LT, T 2 - LT, T 3 - LT, prothoracic, mesothoracic, and metathoracic lateral tubercles. Drawing: E. G. MacLeod. Larval behavior. MacLeod’s notes do not mention that the larvae engaged in “ loading behavior ”, i. e., the series of movements that debris-carrying chrysopid larvae typically exhibit in order to apply debris to their dorsa. Adult behavior. MacLeod indicated that adults emit a defensive odor similar to that of many species of green lacewings; he referred to it as a “ moderate ”, “ usual ” odor (see Blum et al. 1973). Also, his notes include a photo of a pinned adult A. eureka that he examined at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. This specimen carries a worker ant (Pheidole sp.) firmly attached to a metathoracic leg (Fig. 13), perhaps indicative of an ant association. FIGURE 13. Ant worker (Pheidole sp.) attached by its mandibles to the metatibia of a female A. eureka specimen in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ). Photo: E. G. MacLeod. Seasonal emergence. Based on collection records from numerous museums, Catanach (2007) concluded that A. eureka has two peaks of adult emergence, one in the spring and another in the fall. The second emergence appears to be smaller in the southeastern states than in Texas, where it can be substantial.