This post’s featured specimen earned its place in this series by leaving me clueless as to what exactly I was looking at. The Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 specimen exhibits interconnected seed- and paddle-like growths attached to or protruding from the specimen’s mouth and feet.
The structures do not appear to be a fungal growth, nor do they resemble any common honey bee parasites.
If you have an idea of what is growing on this specimen, help a curious entomologist out, and leave an answer in the comments.
Andy Deans says
Milkweed pollinia