[Pollinator] Pollination Homicide

[Peter Bernhardt]

I turn 70 on 21/10* and received the best birthday present ever this morning. The famous, Australian, wildlife, photographer, Rudie Kuiter, sent me this photo. Pollination turns fatal. This miner bee (Lasioglossum lanarium) was visiting the blue flowers of the great sun orchid (Thelymitra aristata) when she was caught by what I think is one of the green lynx spiders. Wendy can this spider be identified   if you could please share this photo with your friend who identifies spiders. Trevor, don't you have a paper on a spider hunting pollinators on one of the Caladenia species?

Note that the bee made a previous visit to one of the orchid's flowers before it died based on what she's carrying. You can see the orchid's pollinarium attached to the dorsal side of her abdomen. That is typical of pollination in most sun orchids with blue flowers. The column hood of the flower (not quite visible in this photo but upper left to spider's white abdomen) mimics a tuft of pollen-rich anthers, and the bee curls her abdomen around the hood to "shake out the pollen." When she unhooks her abdomen, it hits the viscidium on the rostellum lobe of the stigma. The bee yanks out the pollinarium and flies away with it attached to her butt. Note that one of the pollen sacs has started to rupture and is leaking pollen fragments. You can see the entire pollinarium in this photo (viscidium, caudicle stalk and the two pollen sacs).

Rudie gave me permission to share this photo. He took it at Crib Point, a reserve in Victoria where he introduced me to several species of the autumn-flowering (early April) midge orchids (Corunastylis).  This is a reminder that Rudie's fourth edition of "Orchid Pollinators of Victoria" remains available.

Peter
*And yes, for Americans this is the same day they are supposed to sentence Steve Bannon.
________________________________
From: Rudie Kuiter <rudiekuiter at optusnet.com.au>
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2022 2:53 AM
To: Peter Bernhardt <peter.bernhardt at slu.edu>
Subject: [External] unlucky pollinator, but lucky spider

Hi Peter,
Got this today at Crib Point. Ambushing flower spider on Thelymitra aristata and captured prey Lasioglossum lanarium.
Rudie

Rudie Kuiter
rudiekuiter at optusnet.com.au<mailto:rudiekuiter at optusnet.com.au>
Aquatic Photographics
PO Box 124
Seaford VIC 3198
Australia
042 8418452
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