Samber mammoth wasp (Megascolia azurea)

Samber mammoth wasp (Megascolia azurea) is an animal species in Scoliidae, an arboreal insect, one of the largest wasps with several subspecies, sexual dimorphism for size, strong wings to fly swiftly from one plant to another, frequently visiting bushes and low plants in forest and agricultural land.

M. azurea in males has a length of 26 mm and a black head. The female has a length of 34-37 mm and a yellowish red head. Hair all over the body. The head is round, slightly flattened and the mouth is pointed. Big, black eyes. The antenna is thick and black.

The stomach is cylindrical and elongated, has joints and a pointed end. The first and second sections are black with black hair. The third sections and so on are red with red hair.

The legs are black with hair and thorns. A pair of black wings with a blue sheen and several veins. Samber mammoth wasp flew rapidly from flower to flower over bushes or low trees in forest and vegetable crops on agricultural fields.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Infraorder: Aculeata
Superfamily: Vespoidea
Family: Scoliidae
Subfamily: Scoliinae
Genus: Megascolia
Species: Megascolia azurea
Subspecies: Megascolia azurea azurea. Megascolia azurea Christiana, Megascolia azurea siamensis, Megascolia azurea cochinensis, Megascolia azurea hindostana

Elephant bell gourd (Trichosanthes tricuspidata)

Elephant bell gourd ( Trichosanthes tricuspidata ) is a plant species in the Cucurbitaceae, stems grow elongated to propagate or climb, many branches, cylindrical in shape and green in color. T. cochinchinensis has stem tips or branches that twist to attach themselves to a support or other plant. It grows to climb to cover a support, usually on another plant, up to several meters and creeps along the ground to reach another support. Arrow-shaped leaves, split base, sharp apex and two wings at an acute angle, have many veins ending at a sharp edge, green and have a long petiole. Single flower is white. The fruit is round to oval, ends with a tail, young green and turns red with maturity, thin skin, thick flesh and reddish yellow, has a short stalk and hangs. The seeds are in the middle of the fruit. Seeds are white, oval and flat. Black coated seeds. Elephant bell gourd grows wild in primary and secondary forests, agricultural land, roadsides, watersheds, especially on slopes, damp a

Matthias Asmuss pitcairnia (Pitcairnia asmussii) from Venezuela similar to Pitcairnia xanthocalyx Mart. 1848

NEWS - Matthias Asmuss pitcairnia ( Pitcairnia asmussii Gouda spec. nov.) discovered by Matthias Asmuss from Caracas, Venezuela, and cultivated at the Utrecht Botanical Gardens is similar to Pitcairnia xanthocalyx Martius (1848), but with shorter flower stalks with larger sepals and petals, and dimorphic, non-petiolate leaves. Pitcairnia L’Heritier (1788) is a mostly terrestrial genus widespread from Mexico to Argentina with a total of 217 species and about 52 species known from Venezuela. In 2015 Matthias Asmuss from Caracas collected a new Pitcairnia from Aragua, Venezuela. The specimen is kept in the VEN herbarium, but due to the chaotic period in the country, it may have been lost, only the photo remains. At Utrecht Botanic Gardens, Eric Gouda obtained a young specimen from the collection in November 2018 and it flowered in May (2024). This living specimen is next to the type specimen used for the description. Pitcairnia asmussii is an acaulescent or short caulescent plant, flow

Multi-branch wild rye (Elymus multiramosus) from China has similarities with Elymus nutans Griseb

NEWS - Multi-branch wild rye ( Elymus multiramosus Y.C. Zhang, sp. nov.) reported from Delingha City, west of Qinghai Province, China, which has similarities with Elymus nutans Griseb. However, it can be easily distinguished from other species by its compound spikes characterized by elongated rhachilla at the base of the main axis, producing 3–6 mini-thorn-like branches. Elymus L. is the most extensive genus in Triticeae, characterized by polyploid and mostly short-lived perennial grasses including about 172 species from the Arctic to subtropical regions, adapting to diverse environments such as grasslands, semi-deserts and mountains. Elymus provides important annual forage in temperate regions and especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In October 2020, in Delingha City, west of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, plants with compound spikes were found in a dry and rocky alpine grassland area. Elymus multiramosus is a herb with culms are usually erect, sometimes slightly decumbent at base,

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