the elytra have a "mother of pearl" shine

Here in Perth, the introduced Portuguese Millipede Ommatoiulus moreleti is an increasing nuisance because of the way it swarms, and lacking any natural predators in Australia the population is exploding. Below is a few of them in a garage I sprayed. Male Ommatoiulus have two alternating forms of…

I first became aware of the technology known as focus stacking in 2002 or so, when a new company called Syncroscopy came to our museum at Harvard to demonstrate its new software “Auto-Montage…

la nature en peinture, entre terre et toiles, souterrain et aérien, végétal et animal..

Earlier last week whilst my fiancée and I were romping through the desert, we came across this little gal: If you're anything like me, you let out a joyous squeal of giddy laughter when you laid eyes upon this creature. But be warned! Though the thistledown velvet ant is incredibly adorable, their cuteness is equally matched by a painful stinger. Female Dasymutilla Gloriosa a.k.a. "Thistledown Velvet Ant." Photographed by Alex Wilde © 2005. Contrary to the name, thistledown velvet ants are actually wasps. They are solitary creatures randomly dispersed throughout the arid and semiarid climates of the Southwestern United States and Mexico. As you can tell, thistledown ants have peculiar white hairs known as setae. The setae serve an impressive purpose by mimicking the hairs found on creosote seeds. This renders the thistledown ant almost entirely camouflaged amongst the varying desert debris. Creosote seeds. Photographed by Florian Boyd © 2007. Female thistledown ants spend most of their time seeking out the burrows and nests of other insects. They lay one or two eggs inside each one of these neighboring cocoons, particularly those of the sand wasp. The thistledown larvae then act as external parasites and feed off of the sand wasp larvae until adulthood. However, invading other insects' homes can be dangerous work which is why they are equipped with a hard, almost impenetrable exoskeleton and a debilitating stinger. Don't worry too much though because they aren't poisonous and they'll only really effect other insects and small animals. A closeup of a female thistledown stinger. Photographed by Alex Wilde © 2005. But like all wasps, males trade in their stinging abilities for wings. The males are mostly nocturnal and live out their lives seeking food and mates. But because they don’t have a stinger, they are easy catches for other nocturnal flying species such as bats and owls. To avoid detection from predators, male and female thistledown ants alike are skilled in burrowing themselves underground. On the off chance that they are caught, they let out an alarming call which sounds like a high-pitched squeak and can be distracting to predators. Adults are primarily vegetarians and drink the nectar of various species of cactus flowers, aiding in pollination. However, it is necessary for velvet ant larvae to feed off the larvae of other insects. This means that velvet ant survival is wholly dependant on the survival and reproduction of other insects. Though they are not currently an endangered species, they are quite elusive so population densities are hard to determine and they are always fascinating to come across! http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=IS0292 http://www.myrmecos.net/insects/DasyGlor1.html http://www.myrmecos.net/insects/DasyGlor3.html http://farm1.static.flickr.com/192/475719143_c5c0f92a82.jpg http://bugguide.net/node/view/159/ http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg344.html http://www.thegreenacresranch.com/Pages/wildlifecreatures.html http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/inverts/dasymutilla.html Bees, Wasps, and Ants: The Indispensable Role of Hymenoptera in Gardens by Eric Grissell Pages 162-165 http://books.google.com/books?id=TO2t6OpG304C&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=thistledown+velvet+ant+limited+by&source=bl&ots=ybkyjC2Scv&sig=I1kzG-QNqZHkwNMEd-Rr9yjFboY&hl=en&ei=RdKfTPiTE4P7lwe0zdTsAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=thistledown%20velvet%20ant&f=false http://www.desertusa.com/mag01/feb/papr/ant.html http://staffwww.fullcoll.edu/lvincent/Vinc11-99Velv.htm

Some folks know them as “fireflies”, others call them “lightning bugs”. Several years ago, I started a one-man crusade to come up with a better common name for these biolumi…

Thanks artour_a for the ID. This pseudophyllinae has a trick up its skirt. When startled or threatened it will open its wings to reveal bright, vibrant colours which indicate aposematism or potential toxicity to would be predators. Furthermore, large eyespots on either wing mimic avian eyes which would give most predators pause. Finally, the wings stay open long enough for the perceived threat to accustom itself, at which point the katydid will promptly close its wings, returning to full camouflage mode, leaving the predator still searching for the bright colours which are now folded out of view. Found during a day hike at the Kurupukari crossing, Guyana. Yesterday the tire flew off my minibus, I cut the head off a pit viper and I was banned from a commercial flight by associating with a narco-trafficker. Today I am bushwhacking through the jungle in the remote trail-less backwaters of Guyana, waist deep in water and praying to make it through the rest of the day alive. What will tomorrow bring? God only knows. The adventure starts here- pbertner.wordpress.com/.

I buy almost as much as I sell on Etsy.com. I love finding unique handmade items, especially when they involve insects. I’d like to share with you some of my favorite insect-themed shops/item…

these photos are mine ask / about / archive

ciao a tutti...!!

Mingming Cicada (Oncotympana maculaticollis) We are all familiar with the sound and sight of these summer serenaders (or at least their shed skins), but by this time the cicada nymphs have already...

The aesthetic of me not being there Adam Fuss, Untitled, From the series 'My Ghost', 2000