aussietrev Master of Disguise
June 27, 2010
Hi guys,
I have to date been unable to get an ID for this spider which appears to be an Oxypid but is unlike any other. It has a raised ‘crown’ with the eyes set in and unlike other oxypids which like to hang around green foliage it prefers to hide on dead sticks where it camouflages very well. One shot is of its egg sac with the spider sitting close by, if you look carefully. The others shows the raised crown and eye pattern. If anyone has an ID I’d be happy to hear about it.
PS. Can’t believe photography teachers went on a holiday without a camera, have to give you a D- on that one.
aussietrev
Queensland. Australia
Unknown Spider
Hi Trevor,
We will post your photos and hope one of our readers can provide some answers. We agree that this might be a Lynx Spider in the family Oxyopidae. I made a choice to not take a camera so I could better relax after a very difficult semester.
Unknown Spider
Mating red Meadowhawks
June 26, 2010
Hi there, hoping you might be able to help me get a positive ID on these Meadowhawks. Pics taken in early October 2006 on a boardwalk railing in a wetlands park. I’m thinking the series of pics really belongs in a sort of Kama Sutra book for Dragonflies… or perhaps at least one in your Bug Love section! But seriously, they are so beautiful I wanted to share them, and I like to properly label my photos so ID help is appreciated. I have another super crisp shot of a single one just sunning on the rail,showing great detail of the fascinating complexity going on where the wings hook onto the body, but you only have room for 3 pics here. If you are interested in the other, let me know, I’ll send it on.
Cheers, Dee
Totem Lake, Kirkland, Washington State
Mating Meadowhawks
Hi Dee,
We agree that these mating Dragonflies are Meadowhawks in the genus Sympetrum, but Dragonfly identification often challenges our abilities. The Red Veined Meadowhawk, Sympetrum madidum, does range in your area, but alas, the BugGuide information page provides no information. The wing patches on your dragonflies, both male and female, are red, and the patches on the photos of the Red-Veined Meadowhawks on BugGuide all have black patches. We favor the Cardinal Meadowhawk, Sympetrum illotum, but again BugGuide does not include information. Seems we are not alone in our difficulty ascertaining the correct identification of Dragonflies. BugGuide also has a page devoted to red adult Meadowhawks, but it has no information except a link to a forum page. On the Forum Page, Cliff provides the following comment: “Sympetrum identification I have seen a number of photos of Sympetrum (Odonata: Libellulidae) in the ID Request section, such as this one: which have been identified as S. rubicundulum or S. internum by people referencing the guide pages for those species. I checked out the guide pages, and found a number of images of these species, apparently identified by photograph alone. I am not an expert, but the literature I have found and people I have talked to indicate that these and several other species (S. janae, most S. obtrusum) are not identifiable without close examination of genital appendages under a microscope. Perhaps we could have some sort of a disclaimer on the guide pages (maybe there is one I missed?) explaining the difficulty of Sympetrum identification, or include a “Sympetrum rubicundulum complex” or “Kalosympetrum sp.” page for specimens that cannot be assigned to species reliably. … …..Cliff“. So Dee, we may not be able to provide a conclusive species identification.
Mating Meadowhawks
June 27, 2010
Upon my return from visiting mom in Ohio, I learned that neighbor Sandy who fed the fish noticed that all the 3 week old fry being raised by Lefty and Digitalis had vanished. Though I don’t know for certain, I saw that there were new eggs. Perhaps the three week old fry went from being children that needed to be defended to a cannibalistic hoard trying to eat the new eggs. I suspect the fry became a meal for the parents in the interest of defending their new brood. The eggs hatched about Thursday, June 24, and the parents have moved them several times. I ran the filter for a few days and changed some water, but I shut the filter off again since a favorite place to place the brood is on the filter intake tube.
Black/yellow beetle w/ long antennae
June 26, 2010
Found this one running around on the ground and on a tree in the woods in central MO, very active (couldn’t get a good shot because he wouldn’t stop moving!).
I’ve trawled bugguide.net and can’t seem to get any closer than “Cottonwood Borer” or “Longhorn Beetle”, neither of which seem like a match. Can you help?
Love this site, I’m going to add a link to my blog (“Mycologista”).
Mycologista
Boone County, Missouri
Six Banded Longhorn
Dear Mycologista,
Thanks for the compliment. You had classified this beautiful beetle into the correct family Cerambycidae, but that is a large family to sort through even on a site as comprehensive as BugGuide. Your beetle is a Six Banded Longhorn, Dryobius sexnotatus, and according to BugGuide, it is: “Uncommon and listed as rare and endangered on several websites.“
No way! Cool (well, not cool that it is endangered, but cool that I got to see one)!
larva eats snail
June 25, 2010
On 22 June morning I went to shoot macro.
I made these interesting images of larvae feeding on a snail.
It looks like a grave-digger of the larva or grub of Firefly, but I’m not sure.
Please help to identify the larvae!
Dean Petkov
Bulgaria, Burgas
Possibly Silphid Larva Feeding upon Snail
Hello Dean,
We believe you are probably correct, though we would not rule out the larva of one of our favorite immigrant beetles in Los Angeles, a Rove Beetle known as a Devil’s Coach Horse, Ocypus olens. Alas, the structure of antennae is not visible in your visually compellingly symmetrical photograph, a study in simplicity and circular composition, and the structure of antennae are frequently used to key out specimens into their taxonomic families, genera and even species. The Devil’s Coach Horse is a magnificent beetle that we believe feeds upon snails. A photo on Flickr identified as the larva of Ocypus olens does not look like your predator, so we would favor the Firefly hypothesis. Perhaps we will get some assistance on this identification.
On a more personal level, my paternal grandfather came from Bulgaria, but his name (hence my name) was changed at Ellis Island.
Probably Silphid Larva feeding upon a Snail
Update
Mardikavana provided us with a comment indicating that this is not a Coach Horse Larva nor a Firefly Larva, and that it might be a Silphid Larva. It has been our understanding that Silphid Beetles are not predators, but scavengers that feed upon carrion.
butterfly
June 25, 2010
This pair of butterflies were found today on my backporch screen. I can’t identify them nor have I ever seen them before. They appear to be mating and they really haven’t moved in hours. Can you idetify them?
thefootballref
canfield, ohio
Mating Prometheus Moths
Dear thefootballref,
What a wonderful image of mating Prometheus Moths. They exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, with the male being darker and smaller, and with a different wing shape. BugGuide has an excellent profile of this Giant Silk Moth which is also called the Spicebush Silkmoth.
Giant Swallowtail
June 25, 2010
Hi Daniel, This beautiful butterfly was shot about three weeks ago. I was driving down a country road, when I saw it I had to stop and back up a few feet to shoot from the car window. I thought it was an “Eastern Tiger Swallowtail” but it has been bothering me because the marking were different I thought it might be a mutant. Then tonight I followed a link you had to “Butterflies and Moths of North America” lo and behold their it was just as big as life. (Wonderful site also) I was impress with the beauty of this one and with your help,permission and tolerance I would like to share it with everyone. Thank you and have a wonderful day.
Richard
North Middle Tennessee
Giant Swallowtail
Hi again Richard,
We will never forget the first time we saw a Giant Swallowtail in Los Angeles in the first years of the new millennium. around the time they became more plentiful in Southern California. They frequently visit our lantana beginning in July. We have read in numerous places that this is the largest North American butterfly. the LA Times did a nice story in 2007.
Giant Swallowtail
Potter Wasp Nest
June 25, 2010
Here are two photos of potter wasp nests, seen on the branch of a Parkinsonia microphylla (Palo Verde) tree (gray backdrop) and Acacia brandegeana, in the Sonoran desert near Mulegé, Baja California Sur.
D. Valov
Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Potter Wasp Nest on Palo Verde
Dear D. Valov,
Thank you for your excellent documentation. It is nice to see the type of plants the Potter Wasp chooses as a foundation to its nursery.
Potter Wasp Nest on Acacia
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