Photo 1:
Q1a) Is this Dicyrtomina ornata or Dicyrtomina saundersi?
Answer: Dicyrtomina ornata.
Q1b) Explain your reasoning - what features lead you to your conclusion?
- Very short fourth antennal segment so this is Dicyrtomina.
- Strong dorsal (in addition to lateral) abdominal pigmentation - the line along the back (c.f. Dicyrtomina saundersi below).
- Dark blob of pigment rather than multi-barred cross on rear of apdomen. This is not reliable on its own - specimens of Dicyrtomina ornata and Dicyrtomina saundersi grade into each other.
- Gradual but no sharp colour change along the length of the antennae.
- Dorsal colour of the 6th abdominal segment (the dorsal anal valve) is dark (difficult to see clearly in this photo but it's there).
- The identification is not based on a single feature but on the most probable outcome of the combination of all of them.
Photo 2:
Q2a) Is this Dicyrtomina ornata or Dicyrtomina saundersi?
Answer: Dicyrtomina saundersi.
Q2b) Explain your reasoning - what features lead you to your conclusion?
- Very short fourth antennal segment so this is Dicyrtomina.
- Multi-barred cross pattern on rear of abdomen. This is not reliable on its own - specimens of Dicyrtomina ornata and Dicyrtomina saundersi grade into each other.
- Sharp colour change (yellow band) at ant2 / ant3.
- Dorsal colour of the 6th abdominal segment (the dorsal anal valve) is (predominantly) pale (c.f. Dicyrtomina ornata above).
- The identification is not based on a single feature but on the most probable outcome of the combination of all of them.
Photo 3:
Q3a) Is this Dicyrtomina ornata or Dicyrtomina saundersi?
Answer: Dicyrtomina saundersi.
Q3b) Explain your reasoning - what features lead you to your conclusion?
- Very short fourth antennal segment so this is Dicyrtomina.
- Multi-barred cross pattern on rear of abdomen. This is not reliable on its own - specimens of Dicyrtomina ornata and Dicyrtomina saundersi grade into each other.
- Sharp colour change (yellow band) at ant2 / ant3.
- Dorsal colour of the 6th abdominal segment (the dorsal anal valve) is pale (c.f. Dicyrtomina ornata above).
- This is a juvenile specimen, these tend to be paler than adult Dicyrtomina saundersi (above).
- The identification is not based on a single feature but on the most probable outcome of the combination of all of them.
