[Pollinator] Fwd: Flies in the orchids

[Peter Bernhardt]

You will find the attached of some interest.  The photos are very good.

Peter
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: growlove at cox.net <growlove at cox.net>
Date: Tue, May 10, 2016 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: Flies in the orchids
To: Peter Bernhardt <bernhap2 at slu.edu>


Dear Dr, Bernhardt,

I changed computers, and I do not readily have available the PDF article
with the photos placed. This PDF has the photos at the end, which I think
is good enough. I would be happy to send you a few copies of the magazine
with the article in it as well as a subscription starting in summer to the
magazine on me if you send me the preferred address to receive it.

Thank you for all the references and for your fine article and the amazing
fly photo.

You are a good friend and mentor.

Fondly,
Carol




*-------Original Message-------*

*From:* Peter Bernhardt <bernhap2 at slu.edu>
*Date:* 5/9/2016 6:26:40 PM
*To:* carol siegel <growlove at cox.net>
*Cc:* IRENE PALMER <i.a.palmer at talk21.com>
*Subject:* Flies in the orchids


Dear Carol:

I went to the library of the Missouri Botanical Garden this afternoon and
found your article on fly-pollination in "Orchid Digest."  Would you mind
sending me an e-copy?  A number of colleagues could use it and Dr Retha
Edens-Meier will be pleased that someone is citing our most reason book.

However, now I feel very guilty that I did not give you a more complete
story.  Part of the reason is that we were working on fly-pollination
during a sabbatical in eastern Australia from Jan. - April 2016.  In fact,
I returned to America April 21 and our pollinators were less than 2 mms in
length..

I should have referred you to studies on middle orchids (Corunastylis) that
begin in the 1940's.  The problem is that the taxonomy has been tangled for
years and you find the references under their old name of Prasophyllum but
then it turns into Genoplesium before it becomes Corunastylis.  We were
studying the pollination of 5 species in New South Wales.  The dominant
pollinators are members of the family Chloropidae and may represent only
one genus at the present time.  Dr Dan Bickel at the Australian Museum must
identify the 300 flies we caught on the flowers.  In the earliest papers
from the mid-20th century the flies are often misidentified as
drosophilids.

An article I wrote for the Australian Orchid Foundation is attached and
will be published in a week, or so.  I've also included a photo of one of
our flies photographed at the Australian Museum by Dr John Martin.  This
fly (most seem to be females) visited a flower of C. fimbriata.  See how
the drying stipe bends down so the pollinia is held over the head of the
fly but does not touch the head.  Go to Youtube and put the words
Corunastylis fimbriata and Corunastylis ruppii in their Search box.  Look
at the two videos we made showing differences in labellum movement.  If you
use a search at Youtube for Australian pollination a video of Dr Bickel and
the chloropids should turn up.

To keep up with the weird pollination world of orchids in Australia I have
a book to recommended.  I met author/photographer Rudie Kuiter when I went
to Melbourne in April.  He's Dutch by birth and did some work for David
Attenborough at some point as Rudie is really known for his photographer of
fish and coral.  See the following link to the third edition...

https://www.andrewisles.com/all-stock/publication/orchid-pollinators-of-victoria-2

This is the one you want but DON"T buy it from an Australian distributor.
By it directly from Rudie Kuiter <rudiekuiter at optusnet.com.au> and it's OK
to mention me.

Peter
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