Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service announced recently a new species of wasp has been found in Maine.
Hillary Morin Peterson of Brunswick discovered a new species of pteromalidae wasp while conducting her thesis work in collaboration with the Maine Forest Service. The new discovery is detailed in a recently published paper.
Morin named the wasp after the motto of her home state of Maine, “Ormocerus dirigoius Morin & Gates.” Born and raised in Maine, Morin graduated from the University of Maine. In addition to supporting her thesis work, the Maine Forest Service also supported her continued research at the Smithsonian. She is a graduate student in the Department of Entomology at Penn State University.
Ormocerus dirigoius is about 2.7 mm long (the size of a grain of rice). The tiny non-stinging wasps actually have nothing to do with winter moth but were swept up as by-catch. They are in a genus believed to be either parasitoids of gall inducing cynipid wasps or inqulines (that kill the gall inducers by outcompeting them for the gall tissue that they eat).
Galls are growths or deformities on leaves, twigs, buds, flowers, bark, stems and even acorns and roots. Little is known about the biology of O. dirigoius, although it may be associated with galls on red oak trees. The specimens were all collected in oak dominated forest stands, and four specimens were collected from beatings of oak trees.
Morin’s senior honors thesis was on research into the relationship between predatory and parasitoid Hymenoptera (wasps) and the invasive winter moth species (Operophtera brumata) inside and outside of the infestation area in Harpswell. In order to learn more about identifying wasps, Morin attended the Hymenoptera Blitz at Acadia National Park in 2015, with financial support from the Maine Entomological Society. Morin continued identifying the Hymenoptera after she graduated and was able to secure an internship, where she met and collaborated with Dr. Michael Gates at the Smithsonian to further her work.
For more information, contact Hillary Morin Peterson, 207-841-0581 or Charlene Donahue, Maine Forest Service, 207-287-3244.
