Next week we're heading up into the dessert on a quest to find the elusive orange and black Megalohelcon ichneumonoides... a really big wasp. This isn't strictly related to my PhD, but it can be fun to do some side projects along the way. Going on a field trip requires a fair bit of organisation, which is what Mustard and I have been up to the last couple of days!
Mustard checking out the wasps we hope to find
The specimens of Megalohelcon ichneumonoides in the University collection (picture above and below) are from 1991... so they're too old to get much usable DNA out of. DNA degrades over time, so to be able to use the DNA for reconstructing evolutionary relationships a long way back into the past, we'll need some fresh specimens preserved in ethanol.
To find out how we extract the DNA, head over to our citizen science project blog!
To find out how we extract the DNA, head over to our citizen science project blog!
These wasps are really rare, but we're heading up to Marree, South Australia, to look in the same locations these original specimens came from 25 years ago. Hopefully they are still there! Heading out on a remote trip requires some special gear, including a satellite phone and GPS as we won't have any mobile phone reception.
Stay tuned to hear about our adventures next week!
Stay tuned to hear about our adventures next week!
 Mustard checking that the satellite phone and GPS are in tip-top shape before we leave. |  Got the maps! |
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