Hi Helene A quick glance suggests this is a microgastrine braconid - a parasitic wasp. If you only have the one, regard it as an accidental visitor. If you keep finding them, they might be parasitizing a pest species in the collections, but might equally well be the result of a mass emergence outside the museum. However the lack of feet on the visible legs suggests that the specimen is maybe very dry and fragile - perhaps an rather old specimen that died some years ago. Best wishes Tony
Dr A.G.Irwin 47 The Avenues Norwich Norfolk NR2 3PH England mobile: +44(0)7880707834 phone: +44(0)1603 453524 On Tue, 29 Mar 2022 at 18:07, 'Helene Delaunay' via MuseumPests < pestlist@googlegroups.com> wrote: > Hello, > > > > I wonder if someone could help with the identification of this insect, > found at the back of a painting on goat hide in a museum in Nairobi, Kenya. > > The three photos are of the same insect under different angles. > > Would anyone know whether it is an endemic pest, and what it feeds on, or > just a non-pest insect? > > > > > > What puzzles me is that live flying insects of a similar size were spotted > in one of the showcases of the museum in a nearby room. I tried to catch > one of these but failed! (there was no insect trap) > > The showcase contains only inorganic materials, apart from a few > unaffected amber beads. > > The insects have left webbing on the barkcloth lining the back of the > showcase which is used as a background for the display. Debris were also > spotted on a glass shelf (see photos 001 & 004). > > There is no obvious grazing on the barkcloth, but “loose webbing” is > present behind a display label (photo 005). Is it possible that the insects > are not feeding of the barkcloth, but just hatching on it? > > > > It seems weird that they would settle in a display case containing > inorganic objects, when there are many other display cases nearby, with the > same barkcloth background, containing objects made of organic / plant > material. > > I’m trying to gage how likely it is that the infestation could spread to > collection objects made of other plant materials and would be grateful if > anyone could shed some light on this. > > > > Many thanks, > > Helene > > > > *Helene Delaunay* | Organics Conservator > > Conservation, Collection Care > > The British Museum, Great Russell Street > > London WC1B 3DG > hdelau...@britishmuseum.org | +44 (0) 20 7323 8252 > > > Please note: I work 3 days / week, Monday to Wednesday. > *Email status: OFFICIAL* > > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MuseumPests" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/AM6PR02MB41822A9B2DC2F1659F820B2FA01E9%40AM6PR02MB4182.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/AM6PR02MB41822A9B2DC2F1659F820B2FA01E9%40AM6PR02MB4182.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAFWqZKMT5dBnbkv5jPTWOU2VBYbvpme5%3DVAyCDxCOKPx8jB3DA%40mail.gmail.com.
