Little Creatures That Rule the Earth

Mutillidae

2011-05-10T18:26:00.001-07:00

It has been almost a year since my last post it would seem, but I have made a lot of progress on the insect collection, believe it or not - I actually went to Virginia and got a lot of very nice butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and cicadas - enough to actually make a couple insect display boxes - not just collections. As it is summer again and I may have more time to collect, among my medical student duties, and my fellow insect-collector is now living with me and not in San Diego anymore, it seemed time to introduce one of my more recent specimens...

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Vespidoidea; Mutillidae; Dasymutilla (aureola?)

Common Name: Velvet Ant, Cow Killer

The name 'Cow Killer' is an obvious misnomer - while these velvet "ants" (they are actually wasps) can inflict a rather painful sting, they do not kill cattle. When I collected this specimen in the East Bay Area (Sonoma County), I didn't have a collection jar and so I tried to keep it in my sock while I brought it back to the car, and it did manage to sting me even through the sock. Didn't get a welt but it did hurt. Anyhow, these wasps are active during the summer in dry, open habitats. The females are seen crawling on the grounds, often mistaken for large furry ants, and the winged males (which do not sting) fertilize eggs lain by the females. Dasymutilla is a very big genus, with species' colors including red, orange, yellow and white. There is another species of Dasymutilla which looks similar and lives nearby (Dasymutilla coccineohirta) but according to online experts, Dasymutilla aureola's head is wider than the thorax, contrasted to Dasymutilla coccineohirta which has a smaller head. Also, the specimen above probably lost a lot of its hairs in my sock, so it is not the best example of it's species. Hopefully I will be able to look for more insects in the near future and find another one of these fuzzy little guys.

Here are my 'mounted collection' insects - half of the butterflies and moths I caught in Virginia, the Cicadas/Damselflies were caught in Virginia, and all the rest were in California.

Papillonidae

2010-04-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

This specimen is the largest, best preserved butterfly I have managed to pin - they are difficult to preserve well because at each step along the way, catching-killing-pinning, there are endless ways to lose scales. Papilionidae is a family containing the subfamilies Parnassiinae and Papilioninae. Papilioninae is characterized by having one or more tail-like prolongations on the rear side of the hind wing (hence the name - swallow tails). Also, the radius in the fore wing is five branched. They tend to be black and yellow, some with striped patterns (zebra swallowtails) and some have red and blue markings as well. This subfamily is generally regarded as being one of the largest and most beautifully colored North American butterflies. The males and females tend to have different colorations, and this subfamily contains the largest butterflies in the world (the giant birdwings of Asia and Australia may reach wingspreads of 255 mm).

Lepidoptera; Papilionoidea; Papilionidae; Papilioninae; Papilio cresphontes
Common Name: Giant Swallowtail, Orangedog

The larvae are smooth-bodied, often have eye spots, and have an eversible scent gland or osmeterium - when the larva is disturbed, it emits a disagreeable odor. The larva forms a chrysalis, and it overwinters in that form, emerging as an adult in the spring. The above species, Papilio cresphontes, is a large, dark-colored butterfly whose larvae feed on citrus in the South and on prickly ash in the North. This specimen was found in San Diego, and is a female - the males have bolder reds and blues on the underside of the hind wings, with a black border. You can see from my hand that the butterfly is pretty large - roughly 4 inches across from wingtip to wingtip.

New Spider!

2010-03-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

I guess posting that Persephone was gone gave me good luck in finding a new spider - I came across a little crab spider in my backyard - it looks kinda like a Northern Crab Spider (Misumenops asperatus) but that's just a cursory field guide estimate. It is still the same family, Thomisidae, and it has pinkish colorations on a white background. It's a bit smaller than the other one, but it might be a very young crab spider, so hopefully I will be able to see it change as it grows. Anyway, here are the pictures - the name is Rosie. I don't know if it is male or female - it seems the biggest determinant is size, with females being larger, so if it grows a bit more that should suggest it is a female.

I'll post some pictures of her feeding eventually - just letting her get used to her new habitat for now. Her first meal of the day was a little fly, once she's done I have another one ready for her.

*Edit - and here they are!

RIP Persephone...

2010-03-10T01:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been avoiding admitting the obvious for a bit now, but it looks like Persephone is no more.

Not a day or two after my last post about her, when she was so happy and getting colorful, I went to San Diego for the weekend. Sometime while I was away, my cat got up on my bookshelf where Persephone was, knocked over the jar, and either Persephone escaped to some nether region of the house or was ... well, eaten. I had been hoping she would reappear, but it appears that she is long gone.

In the meantime, I am keeping my eye out for another crab spider, or possibly a green lynx spider - they're easier to manage since they don't spin webs. So if I need to clean out the jar then it's easier. At any rate, hopefully I'll find a new spider pet soon.

Persephone - a little over a month

2010-01-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

I have had Persephone for a little over a month now - she is still thriving. She's quite feisty too - she managed to survive a cat knocking the jar over - luckily she took cover under a nearby shoe so I was able to find her rather quickly. Her favorite food is still honeybees, but since it's been so rainy and cold lately, the bees hadn't been out and I had to catch her the occasional fly, which she would drain in about 10 minutes. The other day the bees were back so I caught her one and, once again, she worked on it for a few hours. I even saw her rotating it around to try to get every last drop out. She has also developed some maroon side spots, and her front half seems to have a more greenish hue to it - hopefully she will continue to become more colorful!

During the bee-less month

After feeding

Crab Spider Day 2

2009-12-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

Persephone did not seem too fond of the fly, so I gave her a honeybee today, which she quite readily snapped up and has been devouring for over 16 hours. I took some photos, in which you can see how much her abdomen has engorged, indicating how hungry she was before she came under my care. Other than that, no notable changes. It is winter here in California, so despite insect forays I have not come up with many interesting specimens.

Also, here is some information from my field guide about Goldenrod Crab Spiders - Females tend to be yellowish-white with crimson streaks on each side of the abdomen, and a reddish-brown stain between the eyes. The female's legs tend to be pale, they inhabit meadows, fields, and gardens on daisies, goldenrod, and other white or yellow flowers. They are found throughout North America and Canada. They prey on flower-visiting insects, hence why she didn't like the fly very much. They administer a bite that injects fast-acting venom, and they can capture insects much larger than themselves. The females protect an egg sac for a time, but the female usually dies before the spiders hatch (usually 3 weeks after being laid).

Experiment in Spider Rearing

2009-12-24T23:55:00.000-08:00

Well, my friend found a crab spider in her car, and I had been considering taking on a spider as a pet, so I decided this one would be as good as any. Plus, it being a crab spider, it does not spin webs and instead sits on flowers waiting for a passing insect, so it's a lot less messy. I have it set up on a stalk of rosemary, and it has already captured its first meal - it seemed quite happy about it. The first name that came to mind was Percival (Percy for short) - I have no clue why, but that name has stuck.

Araneae; Araneomorphae; Entelegynes; Thomisidae; Misumena vatia (female)
Common Name: Goldenrod Flower Spider

As for its actual name, it is a crab spider (family Thomisidae) of the genus Misumena based on the bugguide explanation.

Misumena is distinguished from Misumenoides and Misumenops (two other common flower crab spiders) by having eight readily visible eyes, all approximately the same size, and the lateral eyes situated on tubercles. I just checked under the scope, and Percy was good and sat there looking straight up at the lens, so I got a good look.

Misumenoides often has a prominent ridge separating the rows of eyes into four posterior and four anterior, but most characteristic is the "mustache" or lateral tubercle/prominance just above the chelicerae (the pair of appendages to which the fangs are attached).

Misumenops has the lateral pair on tubercles like Misumena, but the posterior lateral eyes are slightly larger than the medial pair.

Crab spiders are capable of changing their color to match their surroundings, and include morphs such as white, greenish, yellow, with varying degrees of brown and black. I wonder if Percy will change colors now that it is on purple rosemary flowers, and green leaves rather than the whitish interior of a Prius. I would love to find a green lynx spider, I think they are simply gorgeous, but alas I doubt I will find one again soon. I spotted one once in San Diego - with any luck I'll run into one again and be able to keep it as a pet for a bit. Today marks the first day of taking care of Percy - we shall see how long it lives.

*Edit: It appears that Percy is a FEMALE Goldenrod Crab Spider, so I am going to change the name from Percy to Persephone. Special thanks to a bugguide user for identification. Seems like there is a good chance she'll change color. My field guide with pictures (the same one that initially misled me on the caddisfly) suggested that it was a Goldenrod Crab Spider, but I was not feeling very confident in the guide, and did not want to base my ID on a general picture alone.*

Limnephilidae

2009-12-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the first caddisfly, order Trichoptera, which I have managed to identify, only the second one I've collected. General consensus is that it is a northern caddisfly of family Limnephilidae. Their characteristics include ocelli, head and wings with silky hairs, tan forewings with long silver stripes. Like other caddisflies, they construct cylindrical tubes, sometimes called "log cabin cases," with long, dead leaf pieces and twig fragments. Caddisflies also use small pebbles, dirt, and man-made items - some rear caddisflies so they will make unique jewelery, while others imitate them to make fly fishing lures (caddisflies are apparently very delicious to fish, as are mayflies, dragonflies, etc.).

Trichoptera; Limnephilidae; Psychoglypha sp.
Common Name: Northern Caddisfly

It belongs to the genus Psychoglypha. It was found in North Lake Tahoe, Carnelian Bay, on a patch of snow at night. Per a source from bugguide, caddisfly adults can be found during the winter, and may be called "Snow Sedges" by northwestern fishermen. It is thought they emerge in the fall and overwinter as adults before laying eggs in the spring, often surviving through subzero temperatures.

Staphylinidae

2009-12-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Staphylinidae are rove beetles, which are slender, elongate beetles with very short elytra. The elytra give the insect almost a four-body-segment look, and resemble pincer-less earwigs. The hinds wings are well developed and at rest are folded under the short elytra. They are active insects that run or fly rapidly. They often raise the tip of the abdomen like a scorpion if they feel threatened and their mandibles are large enough that they can inflict a bite if handled. The largest reach 25mm in length, and most are black or brown. It is one of the two largest families of beetles - there are 4,153 species in North America. I would key it to genus, but the closest I can get is tribe - my volume of beetles unfortunately does not cover polyphaga...perhaps I will get the next volume for Christmas...

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Staphylinoidea; Staphylinidae; Staphylininae; Staphylini; Ocypus sp.
Common Name: Large Rove Beetles

They were found at night, I only collected one. The other two I happened across during a night survey. The first one I ever found was by the beach, a lot of rove beetles can be found close to the shore. At any rate, there it is. Also, in one of the pictures, you can pretty clearly see the large mandibles. Three species of the genus include O. olens, O. nitens, and O. aeneocephalus, and the range of O. olens matches the location in which this specimen was found - so O. olens is the most likely candidate.

Stenopelmatidae Part 2

2009-12-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

After my disappointment that I couldn't find a live specimen for my first Stenopelmatidae post, I found one in my pool, extremely distended but perfectly preserved, and thought it a good opportunity to show off some insect anatomy. Below, I have an unlabeled photo and a labeled photo of the "face" of one of the Stenopelmatus species.

Stenopelmatus sp.

In case any of the labels are too hard to read, here they are listed, generally from top to bottom: Frons, Pedicel, Scape, Anterior Tentorial Pit, Frontoclypeal Suture, Clypeus, Abductor Tendon, Mandible, Labrum, Stripes, Postmentum, Prementum, Lacinia, Paraglossa, Hypopharynx, Galea, Maxillary Palp, Labial Palp. Now for a few other lovely pictures - In the ventral view, you can see the soft, unsclerotized endoskeleton that connects the sclerotized shield-like segments. This is necessary for insects, because if their whole exoskeleton were fused and sclerotized they would be unable to move.

Ephemeroptera

2009-11-29T23:53:00.000-08:00

For now, this page shall be only order, until I am able to fully key this mayfly - I fear that it had a final molt to go, since it only had one pair of wings visible and does not seem to fit into the families with absent hind wings so as a result, may be difficult to key. It also had fine hairs on the wing margins, indicative of subimagos. At any rate, here is some information about the order Ephemeroptera - Mayflies - and a few lovely pictures.

Mayflies are small-medium, elongate, soft-bodied insects with two or three thread-like tails. They are common near ponds and streams. They have membranous wings with dense venation and the front pair of wings is usually large and triangular while the hind wings are small or absent. They live most of their life as an aquatic nymph, with leaflike or plumose gills along the side of the abdomen. Most feed on algae and detritus, contrasted with the highly carnivorous dragonfly nymphs. They rise to the surface of the water, molt into a subimago, land in a safe location and wait for their final molt to the adult form. The subimagos have a pair of wings, but the margin has hairs, as do the caudal filaments (see below). The nymphs may take a year or two to develop, but the adults live only a couple days at most.

Rhaphidophoridae

2009-11-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

After investigating the families of camel crickets a little further after that survey, I decided it was not so difficult to identify that it was worthy of an entry. Insects of the family Raphidophoridae are in the order Orthoptera (Crickets, Grasshoppers, Katydids), and are commonly called camel or cave crickets. They differ from other families of Orthoptera in that do not usually have wings, are hump-backed in appearance, and often live in caves, hollow trees, or other dark moist places. They have very long antennae, and most species belong to the genus Ceuthophilus.

Orthoptera; Ensifera; Rhaphidophoridae, Pristoceuthophilus sp.
Common Name: Camel Cricket

Information about this genus is rather sparse, with data from Washington, Oregon, and California. Other species include names such as P. arizonae, P. pacificus, and P. californiana, so they are somewhat widespread on the western coast of the US. This genus is relatively easy to distinguish from others, as the males have an obvious "crook" in their hind tibiae and a pronounced hind femoral tooth, both visible in one of the pictures above. The top image contains a female, and the bottom two images are of the same male. Also note the large spike coming from the apex of the female's abdomen - that is the ovipositor, with which she deposits her fertilized eggs.

Forficulidae

2009-11-01T17:07:00.001-08:00

I think I'm starting to get lazy - when I realize I happen to have a picture of an insect which I have already identified and haven't yet done an entry about, I just pick that one to write about instead of getting out the scope and keying one of the ones I have on my pinning board. For this entry, I have chosen Forficula auricularia, or the European Earwig. Earwigs are very interesting insects, which most everyone has come across at one time or another, and in the US that type is almost always the European Earwig. Earwigs make up the order Dermaptera, and consist of slender, elongate, somwhat flattened insects that have forceps-like cerci (apical extensions from the abdomen). Adults may be winged or wingless, most have short, leathery, veinless wings that do not reach very far down the abdomen. They are hemimetabolous, meaning the immature earwigs look like miniature adults, though they have fewer antennal segments. They also have male abdomen characteristics (10 segments) and female cerci characteristics (straight forceps, not curved). The forceps are the easiest way to determine gender in mature earwigs.

Dermaptera; Forficulidae; Forficula auricularia
Common Name: European Earwig

Earwigs are generaly nocturnal and hide during the day in cracks, crevices, under bark, in flowers, in debris, etc. They mostly feed on dead and decaying vegetable matter, but some feed on living plants and a few are predaceous - both of the earwigs pictured above are male, based on the forceps, and the lower male is feasting on a small insect. Earwigs, like the Orthopterans and Mantids, are capable of emitting a foul-smelling fluid, which some are able to squirt for a distance of 1 cm. Earwigs do not bite, but are capable of pinching with their forceps when handled; it does not often break the skin. Unlike their name, they do not enter people's ears. Earwigs overwinter as adults, and the females exhibit maternal behavior - they guard their eggs until they hatch, and even then they look after the nymphs until they are ready to take care of themselves.

The family Forficulidae includes European and Spine-tailed Earwigs. The European earwig is the most common - it is a brownish-black insect 15-20 mm long and is distributed across North America. It can cause significant damage to crops and ornamental plants.

Random Night Survey

2009-10-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

I came across a sleeping Jerusalem Cricket earlier and somehow it didn't occur to me to take a picture, since I have that one posed and drying on the pinning board. Since they're nocturnal I thought I might look around outside and see if I came across any - as there are three at the bottom of our pool right now. I ended up running into different insects plus arthropods, gastropods, and salamanders. Below are the pictures - with quick general identifications.

Formicidae (Ants), Xystodesmidae (Millipede Family), Coleoptera (I have three specimens, will devote a later entry to more specific identification), Machilidae (Bristletails)

Machilidae, Xystodesmidae

Raphidophoridae (Camel Crickets), Pulmonata (Slugs, Snails)

Coleoptera, Forficula auricularia (European Earwig)

Carabidae?(Ground Beetle), Pulmonata, Anisolabididae (Ring-Legged Earwigs, male based on asymmetric pincers)

Pulmonata, Diplopoda (Millipedes, Class)

Forficula auricularia, Ensatina eschscholtzii (Monterey Ensatina)

Batrachoseps attenuatus (California Slender Salamander)

Pulmonata eggs, Araneae (Spider) eggs, Pulmonata

Agelenidae (Funnel-Web Spiders), Lumbricina (Earthworm)

Eventually I'll get around to keying the three Coleopterans, but at this point I still am rather busy with medical school. I should make it a habit to do night surveys - they're a lot of fun. Thanks to Phil for the salamander IDs - it pays to have a friend who knows herps and amphibians.

Stenopelmatidae

2009-10-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the hiatus - I have been trapped by medical school obligations and it's hard to find a spare thought for other concerns. I will upload a picture as soon as the specimen is done drying (probably a week from now), but since it was an easy identification, I thought I would make a preview post. A common, large insect in California is the Jerusalem Cricket, family Stenopelmatidae. There are only two genera within the family: Ammopelmatus, which is critically endangered and only found in California in the Kelso Dunes of the Mojave Desert and coastal Point Conception, and Stenopelmatus, which is widespread. The insects are approximately 1.5-2 inches in length, with an awkward gait. They are wingless, have long antennae on a large head, and a black-banded abdomen.

Orthoptera; Ensifera; Stenopelmatidae; Stenopelmatus
Common Name: Jerusalem Cricket, Potato Bug

This family is unique in Orthoptera, for lacking wings, overdeveloped hind femurs, and auditory organs. They communicate with one another by producing vibrations on the ground with their abdomen, in place of rubbing their wings together as do most true crickets. Jerusalem crickets feed on decaying plant matter and some small insects, and are capable of burrowing into soft ground. They also emit a pungent smell, particularly upon death. The scent is similar to that produced by mantises and other insects. They are mostly nocturnal, so they are often encountered when gardening, lifting up logs and rocks, or when cleaning out pool filters.

Theraphosidae

2009-09-08T00:09:00.000-07:00

My family annually goes to see the Bay Area Blonde Tarantulas making their way across the Mt. Diablo in Contra Costa County, CA. You can usually see at least three crossing the road on your way up the mountain. Two times previously we collected and mounted specimens, totaling two - not for academic collection per se, but more for display purposes. Anyway, this year we decided we'd take one of the males to a spot we knew had female burrows and see if we could help him get lucky. As luck would have it, we found an unmated female's burrow and placed him in optimal position to enter. He was taking his sweet time, so we left before he dared to signal her or enter the burrow, but fingers crossed! In the first picture below, you can see two of the female's legs in the burrow if you look closely.

Arachnida; Araneae; Mygalomorphae; Theraphosidae; Aphonopelma smithi
Common Name: Bay Area Blonde Tarantula

Tarantulas such as these are mostly nocturnal, and hide in burrows until a tasty meal comes within pouncing distance. They do not possess significant venom, as their size is more than enough to aid in catching prey, so their bites are more equivalent to bee stings. They are fragile, awkward spiders, and rarely venture far from their burrows. When the males reach maturity, which may be by their 7th year, they venture out of their burrows and begin walking across the land, hoping to come across the burrow of a female. When they find an open burrow, they enter and the male transfers his sperm pouch from his forelimb to the female. Once she accepts the packet, she may eat the male, though it is not uncommon for the male to escape. Once they leave their burrow in search of a female, they live only a few weeks. After the female has mated with the male, she spins a cover over her den, to prevent other male spiders from entering to mate. When we were searching for "available" females, we were looking for dens that did not have that web covering - surprisingly, most of the dens were covered, and after about 6 dens we found one that was open. There are more photos available in my Picasa album, but they are rather large, so I only put up a few.

Cerambycidae

2009-09-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have already done two entries on Cerambycidae, but felt like making an entry about a particular beetle appearing all around the house lately. It looks slightly atypical for a cerambycid because the antennae are not as distinctly long as others of the family, and their bodies are not as slender. These beetles are in the subfamily Aseminae, which some place in the subfamily Spondylidinae. The next time I find a live specimen I will take a picture. Also, the creases on the thorax are from inadvertently crushing it while collecting.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Chrysomeloidea; Cerambycidae; Aseminae
Common Name: In the family of Longhorned beetles

These longhorned beetles of family Aseminae are most commonly found in coniferous forests, and the larvae feed on conifer trees. The adults are primarily nocturnal, and feed on their host plants. There is little noticeable difference between males and females, and the adults hide under bark during the day or when resting.

Mantidae (part 2)

2009-08-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Student Doctor Inna, I now have the female counterpart of the European Mantis. I thought I would post the photos in comparison, as well as provide more information about this species. The female is more drab colored, a golden brown/olive green almost - most likely for better camouflage. Also, she is about twice the size of the male mantis. I waited a day before preparing her for pinning, and the jar became coated with a slick pungent liquid - possibly pheromones. This is the first non-Lepidopteran I am pinning using the spreading board, so hopefully she will come out looking fantastic!

Mantodea; Mantidae; Mantis religiosa (female)
Common Name: European Mantis

M. religiosa originated in southern Europe, hence the common name. It was accidentally introduced to North America on nursery stock. They are now found across the United States, and are most easily identified by a dark spot on the inner side of their fore coxae. The female's spot is entirely black, but the male's has a white spot with a black outline. M. religiosa is the state insect of Connecticut. It is also good to note that when in Europe, it is simply called a praying mantis, in the same way that Brazil nuts in Brazil are simply called nuts.

Noctuidae

2009-08-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Even though I have never posted about Noctuidae, I have several specimens - and this is the newest. Turns out it is a rather distinct, easily identifiable specimen - its copper-pink-orange hind wings are diagnostic of one or two Copper Underwing species. There is some disagreement. Many sources identify a second Copper Underwing as A. berbera. A. berbera and A. pyramidoides are very similar in appearance, but A. pyramidoides is found primarily on the east coasts of the US whereas A. berbera is common on the west coast. Also, A. berbera has a more uniform color on the hindwing, while A. pyramidoides has a dark margin. and a pale center The subfamily Amphipyrinae is not extremely diverse, containing only one genus Amphipyra, and four or five species: A. berbera (?), A. brunneoatra, A. glabella, A. pyramidoides, and A. tragoponiginis. It used to be a larger subfamily, but the other genera were transferred to Hadeninae and Noctuinae. The genus Amphipyra feeds on leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs, including Sycamore Maple, Oak, and Willow. It is most commonly seen at night from July-September.

Lepidoptera; Noctuoidea; Noctuidae; Amphipyrinae; Amphipyra berbera / Amphipyra pyramidoides
Common Name: Svensson's Copper Underwing

The family Noctuidae, or Owlet Moths, are medium-sized, bulky moths with mottled brown-gray colorations. They are common across the US and are the largest family of Lepidoptera, with at least 4,200 genera. The adults feed on nectar and sugary compounds, flying mostly at night. The larvae inhabit a variety of environments. Some, the "cutworms" inhabit soil and feed on plant roots, proving to be pests. Others are unusual in their ability to feed on plants containing normally toxic chemicals, like Solanaceae, the family of flowering plants that includes nightshade, tomatoes, and tobacco.

Mantidae

2009-08-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

Finally I have a member of the order Mantodea! There are only two North American families: Mantidae, which contains the majority of the species, and Mantoididae with one species, Mantoidea maya - a small mantid (15-17mm long) with a square-like pronotum; it is only found in southern Florida in the United States. Needless to say, this specimen, found in California and exceeding 40mm, is a member of Mantidae. Also, there are only 16 species within Mantidae, in North America, so identification to the species level was rather simple. Based on its size, color, location, the time of year, and the distinct black and white circular marking on the inside of its frontal femur, it is Mantis religiosa. I also suspect it is a male because it seemed to be carrying a spermatophore, a protein/carbohydrate rich gift that some crickets, katydids, mantids, and other insects present to a female as a nuptial gift. Unfortunately for male mantids, females do not stop at the spermatophore...

Mantodea; Mantidae; Mantinae; Melieae; Mantis religiosa
Common Name: European Mantis (male)

Mantids are large, elongate, rather slow-moving insects that have distinct, modified front legs. Their fore femurs are raptorial, modified so as to facilitate hunting. The head is very mobile, and they prey on any insects they can catch. The larger species have even been known to stake out hummingbird feeders to catch the small birds when they come to feed. Mantids overwinter in the egg stage and the eggs are deposited in an egg case on twigs or grass stems; it may contain over 200 eggs. If confined, the nymphs will consume one another unless there is ample food. The female also consumes the male after or during mating. Mantids have been used as biological pest control, but it is not recommended because mantids do not discriminate between useful and harmful insects. They have also been known to stake out beehives and consume bees going to and from the hive.

Vespidae

2009-08-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to do much collecting, what with medical school starting and all, so I'll pull one out of the old collection box. On campus, there are a seemingly endless number of paper wasps of some kind, so I shall do an entry about the family of which they are a member. Paper wasps, in this case Polistes dominula, are members of Vespidae, which includes paper wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, mason wasps, and potter wasps. These insects are very common and well-known, most being black and yellow. The social vespids, such as the paper wasp, build a nest out of a papery material that results from the chewed up wood and foliage of the insect. They feed the larvae on insects and other carrion that is scavanged.

Hymenoptera; Vespoidea; Vespidae; Polistinae; Polistes dominula
Common Name: European Paper Wasp

The subfamily Polistinae contains eusocial vespids including paper wasps. The three genera are Polistes, Mischocyttaris, and Brachygastra. Some literature describes two other genera: Polybia and Ropalidiini. One method of identifying the European Paper Wasp is by its largely orange antennae, distinct among Vespidae. Also, to differentiate it from the familiar yellow jackets (genus Vespula) by its longer legs which hang noticeably when it flies.

Elateridae part 2

2009-07-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

I already did an entry about the family Elateridae, but I received a very recognizable click beetle from Kit's mom in Virginia. It is the species Alaus oculatus, or the Eyed Click Beetle. Unlike the tiny brown click-beetles we find here on the west coast, which are barely 1/2 inch long, the Eyed Click Beetle is 25-45mm long, and is decorated by white specks and eye spots: large black circles outlined in white. It is commonly found in deciduous forests and woodlands. It can be found most of the year, but most commonly in the spring and summer. The larvae are predatory, feeding on the larvae of other insects, particularly boring beetles like Cerambycids. The adults may feed on nectar and plant juices, are winged, and are attracted to lights.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Elateroidea; Elateridae; Agrypninae; Alaus oculatus
Common Names: (Eastern) Eyed Click Beetle, Eyed Elater

I always liked click beetles as a kid - they were harmless, flicked their bodies interestingly...I had never imagined they could get as large as this. It truly is a remarkable insect. The one pictured above is approximately 40mm long, and is actually the largest species of click beetle. Most elaterids are mottled-gray/brown/black and reach lengths of 12-30mm.

Sesiidae

2009-07-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

I received a clearwing sphinx moth from Kit's mom in Virginia and felt like doing a post about a similar-looking family of moths - the clearwing sesiid moth. The first moth pictured below is of the family sphingidae, of which I have already done an entry. The second moth is of the family sesiidae. Both moths are similar in that they have areas of their wings which are devoid of scales. The way one differentiates a sesiid moth from other moths with clear spots on their wings is that in sesiids, the front wings are long and narrow, at least four times as wide, and they appear wasp-like (mimics).

Lepidoptera; Bombycoidea; Sphingidae; Macroglossinae; Dilophonotini; Hemaris thysbe
Common Name: Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

Lepidoptera; Sesiidae; Sesiinae; Synanthedonini; Synanthedon resplendens (?)
Common Name: Clearwing Sycamore Borer

As for the family itself, sesiidae have a wing-coupling mechanism similar to Hymenoptera, with extra hooks along the wing margins to keep the wings together. Many species are brightly colored, and virtually all are diurnal. The two sexes are usually different colors, and the larvae bore into the roots, stems, canes, or trunks of plants or trees. Some serious pests are the peach tree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa, and the squash vine borer, Melittia cucurbitae. Sesiid sex pheromones have been synthesized to help capture males of sesiid pests, and they are capable of attracting almost all male sesiids. They often mimic wasps and bees, and their tail is described as lobster-like. The sesiid above lost a fair few scales in the pinning, so it is not in its prime condition.

Insect Festival

2009-07-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the insect festival at Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, CA. The collections were amazing - some of the displays had great colors and variety of insects! There were also a few large live insects, spiders, and other arthropods. I thought I overheard the woman talking about this giant stick insect say that they were becoming an invasive species here, but somehow I doubt it...I can't find any information about it online at any rate.

The spider-like creature is a sun spider, or Solpugid. The beetle collections mostly contain Cerambycidae and Scarabaeidae. The millipede isn't an insect, but I still think they're neat. The blue wasp is a member of Sphecidae, thread-waisted wasps. Blue wasps are among my favorite of Hymenoptera - they just look so cool. Anyway, hopefully one day I will be able to display a collection nearly as impressive.

Formicidae

2009-07-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

The following are ants of the genus Camponotus: Carpenter ants. Some distinguishing characteristics include the smooth profile of the thorax towards the abdomen, lack of the metapleural gland orifice, antennae arising above the dorsal edge of the clypeus, and the absence of guard setae. One is a soldier ant, which is larger than worker ants, and the other is a winged alate, or reproductive individual. The soldiers are responsible for defense of the nest and the colony's territory. When mating season arrives, the male and female winged alates take to the air to mate. After mating, the male ant dies while the female ant discards her wings and burrows to found a new colony.

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Vespoidea; Formicidae; Formicinae; Camponotus
Common Name: Carpenter Ant

A useful key to the genera of Formicinae can be found here. The family containing ants is named "Formicidae" from the Latin name for ant (Formica). Methanoic acid is most commonly found in ant venom/stings, giving the acid the common name "Formic Acid." Ant societies are fascinating, and I highly recommend checking out books written or videos narrated by Edward O. Wilson, the leading expert on Formicidae. Here is one to get you started. Tip from gardening societies: To eliminate an ant colony in an environmentally friendly way, pour boiling water into the nest.

Cerambycidae (Unusual Elytra)

2009-07-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

The typical Cerambycid is a beetle with long antennae, slightly enlarged femurs, and long elytra. In the case of this Cerambycid, the elytra have been reduced to nub-like coverings on the thorax, with the wings almost completely exposed. I have another entry about a Cerambycid of the subfamily Lepturinae, or flower longhorns. The common characteristic they share is the general trend of the elytra narrowing near the end of the abdomen, creating a shouldered look. When I first saw these insects, I almost mistook them for wasps, since they did not have easily visible elytra. There were quite a few darting among the flowers in Carmel.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Chrysomeloidea; Cerambycidae; Lepturinae; Necydalini; Necydalis laevicollis
Common Name: Flower Longhorn (Lepturinae)

The tribe Necydalini comprises of longhorn beetles with very short elytra that expose the abdomen and long flat wings with three veins in the post-cubital region. There is some debate whether they belong in Lepturinae or Molorchinae; however, it is generally agreed that the larvae, wing venation, and adult mouthparts most resemble those in the subfamily Lepturinae.

Geometridae

2009-07-13T19:52:00.001-07:00

Here is one of the specimens from Monterey, or more specifically Carmel. I keyed it out to Geometridae, and based on species images it is probably Scopula junctaria, but I submitted it for a second opinion since "looks like" identifications are hardly accurate. The superfamily Geometroidea contains the family Sematuridae, Uraniidae, and Geometridae. They all have bare probosces, and the larvae of Geometridae are long and slender. The larvae are commonly called "inchworms" or "measuringworms." The family Geometridae is the second largest among Lepidoptera, with 1,400 species in North America. They are mostly nocturnal and are genearlly small, delicate, and slender-bodied. The wings are broad with fine, wavy colorations. The males and females are usually different colors. They feed on nectar and the larvae feed on deciduous trees.

Lepidoptera; Geometroidea; Geometridae; Sterrhinae; Scopulini; Scopula junctaria
Common Name: Simple Wave Geometrid Moth

There are 38 species within the genus Scopula, 24 in the US, and they can be found across the country, coast to coast. A Geometrid moth of the subfamily Ennominae was one of the first studied examples of industrial melanism. In Great Britain, where heavy industry covers tree trunks with soot, the light-colored individuals of the moth have been replaced by dark variants which are otherwise rare. This example of natural selection was described in my first science classes - predators will easily find a light colored moth against a sooty tree, and have trouble finding darker morphs.

Cicadidae

2009-07-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to receive a few insect specimens from Kit's mom in Virginia - one of which is difficult to find on the west coast of the US: a cicada. Now, my text puts cicadas in a family in the order Hemiptera, but they used to be placed in their own order, Homoptera. Since my text does not key beyond the family (and in rare cases subfamilies for very diverse families), I had to look online to get a more accurate identification. Simply based on its size (body length ~37mm) it is a member of the genus Tibicen. The most famous cicadas, those that emerge after 13 or 17 year cycles, have bodies 19-33mm long, averaging 25mm - significantly smaller than the cicada pictured below.

Hemiptera; Auchenorrhyncha; Cicadoidea; Cicadidae; Cicadinae; Tibicen sp.
Common Name: Dog-Day Cicada, Harvestfly

Cicadas are usually recognized by their characteristic shape, large size, and three ocelli. This group contains some of the largest Hemiptera in the United states, particularly the genus Tibicen. There are 157 species in the US. The suborder Auchenorrhyncha are active insects, being good fliers or jumpers. They have short antennae and three-segmented tarsi. All produce sound, but Cicadidae is the only family to produce sounds audible to humans. The males of each species have a characteristic song and also produce different "protest" sounds when disturbed and "courtship" songs when a male is approaching a female. The specimen above is a male, and the sound organs (tympanum) are right beneath the large flaps (operculums) below the third pair of legs.

Tibicen species is the largest, and appear late in the summer around July and August. They are generally black insects with greenish markings. They are called "annual" cicadas because they are usually seen each year, but the actual life cycle may be up to 3 years long. Like periodical cicadas, the larvae are laid in the ground where they feed on tree roots, and then emerge to mate. To get a better idea of the kinds of cicadas that there are in the US, check out this page.

Sarcophagidae

2009-07-09T18:00:00.001-07:00

I've been sharing a lot of Diptera lately it seems - but don't worry, I have some Hymenoptera and Coleoptera on the pinning board, and a couple new ones from Kit's mom in Virginia. I don't like this family very much - essentially really large hairy black flies with white and black stripes on the thorax. One distinguishing characteristic is that on the edge of the thorax there is a line of four bristles, with the pattern short-long-short-long. They are also identifiable by the red eyes, red "tail light" and 3 white/gray stripes on the thorax. Other specimens have 2-3 bristles, no bristles, or a different pattern. Unfortunately the bristle pattern is a bit too small for my camera to capture. This fly was found by a stream in Nicene Marks redwood forest in Santa Cruz.

Diptera; Calyptratae; Oestroidea; Sarcophagidae; Sarcophaginae; Sarcophaga
Common Name: Flesh Fly

Flesh flies get their name Sarcophagidae from the greek, "Sarco" meaning "flesh," and "Phage" meaning "eater." They were so named because the larvae are commonly laid in decaying animals and are sometimes so numerous that they fill the animal beneath the skin. However, some species are able to lay their eggs in flesh wounds of living animals. Flesh flies can be found on almost every continent. They are closely related to blow flies (Calliphoridae), which are the metallic blue, green, gold flies one commonly sees with decaying matter also. There is one blow fly which looks similar to the flesh fly in that it also has a few gray stripes on its thorax, but it is generally not as large, does not have the characteristic bristles or red "tail light", and its abdomen has a slightly metallic characteristic.

Rhagionidae

2009-06-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first of the Pacific Grove/Big Sur/Santa Cruz/Muir Woods batch - a Snipe Fly, family Rhagionidae. These flies are medium-sized and have large legs with three-padded tarsi, as opposed to most flies which have two-padded tarsi and a middle claw. Most snipe flies are brownish, gray, or black with spots of white, yellow, or green. They may have bare bodies or short hairs. They are common in woods, especially moist places (such as Muir Woods), and the larvae feed on small insects. A few snipe flies are biting pests.

Diptera; Orthorrhapha; Tabanomorpha; Rhagionidae; Rhagio
Snipe Fly

Back from Monterey

2009-06-18T23:27:00.001-07:00

Well, there will be no official collection entries until I return to San Diego where my pinning and identifying equipment is, but here are some teaser live photos of insects and other animals spotted during the trip to Santa Cruz and Monterey. Those pictured below include a moth, a stone fly, two ants (I am 99% certain that that second ant is a winged reproductive individual, not a wasp), a beetle (fairly certain), and two bees, in addition to a banana slug and a salamander/newt - I'll wait for Phil to respond with an identification since he is the amphibian expert. Also, contrary to the popular myth, the underside of a banana slug does NOT numb the tongue. I very thoroughly tested this. The two bees are not common bumble bees or honey bees, so I look forward to keying them.

It ended up being quite a productive trip, since we found a caddisfly and a stonefly, both new ORDERS, not just new families. The stonefly, of family Plecoptera, is one of the older insect orders. They start their lives as aquatic nymphs, as do dragonflies. I will elaborate more on this order once I key the specimen to family - it will probably be one of my first entries after this hiatus!

Sphecidae

2009-06-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, the weather in San Diego has been pretty chilly and foggy lately, precluding any insect hunts. Since it has been some time since I posted, due to a lack of new material, I am pulling a few more favorites out of the boxes. Today, the spotlight is on members of family Sphecidae, one of the first few of the order Hymenoptera that I caught. The current families Sphecidae, Crabronidae, and Ampulicidae were once all grouped in the family Sphecidae, but have been separated. The family Sphecidae now contains "thread-waisted wasps," so named for their long slender petiole (first abdominal segment in Hymenoptera). Most are 25mm or more long.

Hymenoptera; Apoidea; Sphecidae (all-black wasp)

Hymenoptera; Apoidea; Sphecidae; Sceliphron caementarium (black and yellow wasp)
Common Name: Black and Yellow Mud Dauber

The Black and Yellow Mud Dauber is a very common member. Mud daubers construct nests of mud and provision them with spiders. The nests usually contain many cells, each about as long as the wasp, placed side by side. They are commonly found on ceilings or walls of old buildings. The two most common mud daubers are S. caementarium and C. californium, the latter being metallic blue.

Blattidae

2009-05-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

The family Blattidae contains cockroaches with spines on the posterior ventral side of their middle and hind femurs and reach lengths over 18 mm. Also, the females have a longitudinally divided genital plate, and the males have slender, symmetrical styli. Within this family, there is one species called the Oriental Cockroach, which is the only one in the family where the adult has wings which do not completely cover the abdomen. It is a common pest in the United States, and this specimen was found by the beach.

Blattodea; Blattidae; Blatta orientalis
Common Name: Oriental Cockroach

They reach lengths of approximately 25 mm and the females are nearly wingless. They are also known as waterbugs, since they prefer dark moist places. They also prefer humid places, so San Diego is perfect for them. They are easily differentiated from German and American cockroaches by their shorter wings. They are larger than German cockroaches, and slightly smaller than American cockroaches. American cockroaches also have the ability to fly.

Hornworms

2009-05-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

The cocoon below contains the larvae of a hornworm, most likely the Five Spotted Hawkmoth, and is a major pest of Tomato crops particularly. No way to know what it is exactly until it hatches. The larvae can be about two inches long, and almost a centimeter wide. Usually it is green with small white or yellow stripes along the side, but there are varying colors. For some pictures of the larvae, check here. Once the larvae have had their fill of the plant, they burrow into the ground and form a cocoon. Recently, my dad found one buried in the loose dirt near his tomato plants.

Lepidoptera; Bombycoidea; Sphingidae; Sphinginae; Sphingini; Manduca
Common Name: Tomato Hornworm/Five-Spotted Sphinx Moth (?)

I will update once it hatches - until then, it shall remain mostly a mystery. I can be certain it is of the genus Manduca at least, considering the cocoon type and its location. The cocoon is about two inches long, and the loop on one end contains the developing proboscis of the moth. When disturbed, it wriggles its pointed end.

Myrmeleontidae

2009-05-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

The order Neuroptera is less well-known than the beetles, butterflies and moths, plant bugs, and flies. It contains soft-bodied insects with four membranous wings that have many crossveins and extra branches of the longitudinal veins. The name comes from the Greek word "neuron," meaning sinew, and "ptera" meaning wings. Hence, they are also known as the nerve-wing or net-wing order. The most common Neuropteran is the lacewing (suborder Planipennia, family Chrysopidae), which eats aphids and is usually a pretty green with delicate translucent wings. A previous entry described snakeflies (order Neuroptera, suborder Raphidioptera). I now bring you the antlion.

Neuroptera; Planipennia; Myrmeleontoidea; Myrmeleontidae; Dendroleon obsoletus
Common Name: Spotted Winged Antlion

The antlion begins its life as a rather scary looking larvae that digs a cone-like pit in the ground and waits for ants to fall into its waiting jaws. The larvae are also called "Doodlebugs" and have sicklelike jaws. Eventually, it pupates into a four-winged adult. The above-pictured antlion was found in Virginia, and is most common on the east coast of the United States. Antlions are the largest family of the order Neuroptera, and other species are common throughout the country. They differ from damselflies in that they are softer-bodied, have relatively long, clubbed antennae (which fell off on the above-pictured specimen), and very different wing venation. They are rather feeble fliers, and are attracted to lights. There are 13 genera containing 92 species.

Theridiidae

2009-05-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

I went out for a random night foray and saw a lovely black widow sitting in a corner. I tried to find food for her, but unfortunately beetles tend to fall through their very haphazard webs. The males are smaller and do not have the red hourglass shape on the abdomen. They court the female by bringing a dead insect as a nuptial gift, but of course run the risk of being eaten themselves. I have always liked black widows, since they are beautiful spiders, somewhat dangerous, and very cool hunters. I had the pleasure of capturing one and I threw a crane fly (tipulidae) into the jar with it. The crane fly was flying very fast and erratically, and the black widow was sitting at the bottom, a sticky thread between her front pair of legs, and in a split-second she lunged at the crane fly and caught it with the string. It was really remarkable - they have such amazing reflexes. Here are the lovely pictures.

Arachnida; Araneae; Araneomorphae; Entelegynes; Theridiidae; Latrodectus hesperus
Common Name: Western Black Widow

The family Theridiidae contains cobweb spiders, which spin webs that are three-dimensional or mesh sheets, instead of a traditional orb web. Usually these spiders have eight eyes, rarely six. The genus Latrodectus, which contains black widows, is widespread in the US. The venom is a neurotoxin, and symptoms of envenomation include swelling of the lymph nodes, profuse sweating, rigidity of the abdominal muscles, facial contortions, and hypertension. Antivenin is readily available, and no deaths have been linked to black widows since the 1940s. For more information on the biology of black widow venom, see my medical blog.

Cerambycidae

2009-05-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

These shots are of a beetle, family Cerambycidae, and most likely tribe Lepturini - without a key it is difficult to pinpoint the genus-species, since within the groups there is variable coloring. At any rate, it enjoys hanging out in flowers. The elytra are broadest at the base and narrowed near the apex. The larvae bore into the pith of flowers. The adults are often colored with yellow and black bands or stripes, but also orange, blue, green, red, and other bright colors. They are excellent fliers, and sometimes the last segment of the abdomen is exposed. Despite their larvae consuming flowers, the adults are probably important pollinators.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Chrysomeloidea; Cerambycidae; Lepturinae; Lepturini

Common Name: Flower Longhorn Beetle

Updated Insect Collection

2009-05-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

I recently labeled and placed in the appropriate boxes approximately 40 insects, so my collection is looking a lot more respectable now. Here are the big four: Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera, along with Hemiptera and Orthoptera because they look cool. The next entry will feature an antlion, a specimen sent by Kit's mother in Virginia - they are extremely interesting, so don't miss it! After that I am considering featuring more Cerambycidae and a notable garden pest, but I can't give everything away.

Why are Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera labeled "The Big Four" insect orders? Well, the quick answer: they contain the largest proportion of insects, and have the greatest diversity. Coleoptera, or "beetles", make up 1/5 of all known animal species, and 40% of all known insects. Lepidoptera contains 180,000 known species. Hymenoptera has just over 100,000 known species worldwide, while Diptera is the fourth most diverse, with 100,000 known species. All four are also holometabolous, meaning they have one sudden change from larval to adult stage, instead of the hemimetabolous insects which gradually molt until they reach their adult form. Holometabolous insects are thought to have an advantage because their adult and larval forms are so distinct - the larvae usually live in different habitats and have different feeding habits from the adults, so there is no competition for food or space. Also, all four are pterygotes, meaning they can fly and thus disperse and exploit a greater variety of habitats and ecological niches, contributing to their diversification. Since I also enjoy spreading insects, and the diversity among Hemipterans, here are two other favorites:

Phorid Flies

2009-05-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

This entry isn't part of the typical "collection" posts, but I wanted to address a certain topic. I greatly dislike when the media oversensationalizes something which is already interesting on its own. Case in point: Phorid flies as parasites of ants. It is a very fascinating parasitoid, and the title used for the article is "Parasitic flies turn ants into zombies." In a way it is technically true, but it gives a very hokey description of a neat process. Also, it is misleading in its topic, suggesting in the article that the maggots "control ant populations and the ant's movements," almost in a science fiction-y horror way. Thankfully, one of the scientists sets the record straight by saying, "I wouldn’t use the word 'control’ to describe what is happening. There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly. This wandering stage goes on for about two weeks."

I learned about this parasitoid in my Insect Ecology course, and what happens is a Phorid fly attacks an ant, and lays an egg in the thorax. The larvae hatches and moves up into the ant's head, eventually consuming the brain and decapitating the ant (it dies and its head falls off). While it is being consumed, sure, the ant wanders around aimlessly, but that is really no surprise - insects can wander around for a while without heads or all their limbs, or with crushed body parts. The head capsule serves as protection for the larvae as it develops and eventually it emerges as an adult fly. Adding a sci-fi/horror/fiction aspect to it diminishes the true awesomeness of real-life nature.

Information about family Phoridae, aka Hump-Backed Flies:

These small flies are recognized by the humpbacked appearance, special veination of the wings, and laterally flattened hind femora. They also run in a very erratic fashion. The adults are common in habitats like decaying vegetation, and the larvae live in a variety of places: decaying animal or vegetable matter, fungi, or they are internal parasites of other insects. Some even live in the nests of ants or termites, and have reduced or absent wings.

Arctiidae part 2

2009-05-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

A second moth has emerged, which this time was able to fully pump its wings and looks much better. I suspect it is a male, because the female had non-feathery antennae and was laying eggs - more elaborate antennae is necessary for males to find females, as females release pheromones to attract mates. Also, the abdomen and hind wings are less pink, but that may simply be due to the lack of hemolymph in the female. Here are the pictures, which are much nicer compared to the other specimen.

Lepidoptera; Noctuoidea; Arctiidae; Arctiinae; Arctiini; Gramma nevadensis
Common Name: Nevada Tiger Moth

I am more confident in the identification now that the wings are more inflated and the color and markings are more accurate.

Cantharidae

2009-05-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

I found this beetle flying around some purple thistle on my recent trip back to Northern California. He is a pretty common specimen, a soldier beetle (family Cantharidae). Soldier beetles are elongate, soft-bodied beetles that reach up to 15 mm in length, and are similar to lightning bugs, but their head protrudes beyond the pronotum (shield-like structure on the thorax) and they do not have light-producing organs. Usually the adults are found on flowers, and the larvae are predaceous on other insects.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Elateroidea; Cantharidae; Pacificanthia consors

Common Name: Brown Leatherwing Beetle

Here is another picture of a cantharid beetle, but it is Cultellunguis perpallens sanctaeclarae thanks to the good people at bugguide.net - it appears they have some soldier beetle experts there, to get it down to subspecies.

Reduviidae

2009-05-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

This specimen is a member of the family Reduviidae, which includes assassin bugs, ambush bugs, and thread-legged bugs. They are predaceous bugs, and are fairly common. They are often blackish or brownish, but some are brightly colored. They have an elongate head, which is restricted behind the eyes. An important keying characteristic is that they have a three-segmented beak which fits into a groove in their chest (prosternum). The abdomen is also wide, and extends beyond the lateral wing margin.

Hemiptera; Heteroptera; Reduviidae; Rhynocoris ventralis
Common Name: Assassin Bug

Because they are powerful predators they can inflict painful bites if disturbed, but if they are preying on humans, their bites may be painless from the chemical they release as they feed. Within this family there is also the genus Triatoma, which are assassin bugs that feed on human blood. They are commonly known as "kissing bugs," or "Mexican bed bugs." In South America and Mexico, members of Triatoma are a vector for the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which is responsible for Chagas disease. For more information, see my medschool blog. Kissing bugs can look similar to the above pictured Rhynocoris ventralis, but kissing bugs have a longer, narrower "nose," hence the name "cone noses" for Triatoma.

Acrididae

2009-05-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

A recent grasshopper I have pinned is in the genus Schistocera, or bird grasshoppers. They are called bird grasshoppers because they are very large - this specimen is approximately three inches long, with a five inch wingspan. This species is common in Southern California, and were caught in Los Angeles County.

Orthoptera; Acrididae; Cyrtacanthacridinae; Schistocera nitens
Common Name: Gray Bird Grasshopper

The subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae contains 12 species, and Schistocera is the only genus within the subfamiliy. Most of them are large and strong fliers. The name Schistocera comes from the Greek skhistos (σχιστος)- "split or divided" + kerkos (κερκος)- "tail". This genus includes the locust famous for swarming in Egypt, Schistocera gregaria. There was once a swarming locust of similar agricultural significance in North America, the Rocky Mountain Locust (Melanoplus spretus), but it was wiped out - possibly by farmers destroying its larval/egg/pupa stage by plowing the land. It is thought to have swarmed in the largest numbers known among animals: one swarm containing an estimated 12.5 trillion insects. In 1874, entomologists sighted a swarm that covered 198,000 square miles - greater than the area of California. At any rate, they are extinct since ~1905 and specimens can be found in glaciers, for the time being. However, that species was a member of the subfamily Melanoplinae, spur-throated grasshoppers, while the bird grasshoppers are in the subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae, miagratory bird locusts.

Arctiidae

2009-05-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted pictures of woolly black/orange caterpillars. A few weeks ago they stopped eating so I left them be to see if they were preparing to pupate, and when I returned from the cruise, two of them had pupated. Now, a total of four have pupated, one has hatched, and the other two caterpillars simply had not eaten enough to proceed to metamorphosis and died. I was correct in my estimation that they are from family Arctiidae, however the genus was incorrect - I was linking them incorrectly to a much larger larvae. At any rate, here are the pictures. On top we have the pupa, then various angles, and bottommost we can see all the eggs she has been laying. I do not know when she hatched, so she may have hatched a long time ago and due to not mating is now unloading all her unfertilized eggs. Her wings also do not look fully pumped with hemolymph, so it is hard to key as her wings may look different if they were fully inflated. As such, I have only identified her to genus, not species. I will further identify once I have another moth hatched.

Lepidoptera; Noctuoidea; Arctiidae; Arctiinae; Arctiini; Grammia
Common Name: Tiger Moth

There is some speculation that the genus Grammia is named so from the latin "grammus", which means marked, or in reference to the the Grammus mountain range. Both could refer to the markings on the wings, which are rather triangular. The family Arctiidae contains tiger moths, footmen moths, and wasp moths. The subfamily Arctiinae contains tiger moths, which are very common. These moths are primarily nocturnal, and their larvae are the "woollybear" variety. Cocoons are largely made from the body hairs of the larvae. The tiger moths of Grammia have black front wings with red or yellow stripes and the hind wings are usually pinkish with black spots.

Raphidiidae

2009-05-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

This is a specimen of the (sub)order Raphidioptera, family Raphidiidae. There is some debate as to whether snake flies should be separated into their own order or remain a suborder. There are 17 species of the genus Agulla and 2 of Alena, which are distributed through western North America from Texas and California up to Alberta, Canada. They are distinguishable most easily from the other family in Raphidioptera by having an ocellus, while the family Inocellidae does not have ocelli. Ocelli are light-sensitive pseudo-eyes commonly found on insect foreheads which help them detect movement. Another difference between Inocellidae and Raphidiidae is that inocellids are larger than raphidiids, and may have longer, thicker antennae.

(Neuroptera); Raphidioptera; Raphiidae; Agulla
Common Name: Snake Fly

This snake fly was found in La Verne, CA. Snake flies are able to raise their heads above their bodies in a snake-like, earning them their name. The adults are predaceous, but only catch small, weak prey. The female has a long ovipositor and lays her eggs in clusters in crevicies in bark, and hte larvae are usually under bark. Larvae are also predaceous, feeding on aphids and caterpillars. Here are some live pictures taken on May 6 of a second specimen found in Contra Costa County, CA.

Curculionidae

2009-05-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

The pictures below show a beetle from the family Curculionidae, which includes snout beetles and true weevils. They are found almost everywhere, and there are more than 3,000 species in North America. Their distinguishing characteristics include a well developed snout, and antennae arising from the middle of the snout. These insects feed on living and dead plants, and many are serious pets, particularly the larvae which feed on the roots and internal tissues of plants. The adults may bore into fruits, nuts, and other parts as well.

Because the family is so big, my textbook has information on the subfamilies. The subfamily Entiminae contains the broad-nosed weevils, so named because the sout is generally short and broad. This subfamily is flightless, as the elytra are fused together and the hind wings are vestigial. They are serious agricultural pests in the southern states, and tend to live in arid habitats like the southwestern United States.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Curculionoidea; Curculionidae; Entiminae; Eustylini; Diaprepes abbreviatus
Common Name: Diaprepes Root Weevil

This species is originally from the Caribbean, but was found in Florida in 1964 in a nursery near Apopka. It is thought that the weevil arrived on an ornamental plant shipment from Puerto Rico. Since its introduction, it has spread all over Florida and is a serious threat to the citrus and ornamental plant industry. It has begun to spread to Texas and California, where it has been spotted in Orange County in 2005 and San Diego County in 2006. These specimens were caught in Fall of 2008 in La Jolla of San Diego County.

Zopheridae

2009-05-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Until recently, these beetles were members of the family Tenebrionidae. Now, they are classified as Zopheridae, Ironclad Beetles, which includes approximately 30 species in the United States. They are extremely difficult to pin because they have a very hard, thick exoskeleton, hence their name. The antennae are short and stout, and nearly all in North America are found in the western states.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Tenebrionoidea; Zopheridae; Zopherinae; Nosoderma diabolicum
Common Name: Diabolical Ironclad Beetle

This species ranges in length from 15mm-25mm, and color can vary from pale brown to dark gray. It is commonly found on oak and cottonwood plants, consuming fungus-ridden wood. When disturbed, they tuck in their legs and fall to the ground, playing dead.

Elateridae

2009-04-30T19:21:00.001-07:00

This entry is devoted to the familiar click beetle, family Elateridae. Their clicking ability is derived from having a flexible junction between the prothorax and the mesothorax, which in beetles is normally fused, and there is a prosternal spine that fits into a groove on the mesosternum. The diagram below compares the ventral arrangement of a click beetle (A) with that of a metallic wood-boring beetle (B), which is of the family Buprestidae, featured in an earlier entry.

sp: prosternal spine; stn1: prosternum; stn2: mesosternum;

The shape of click beetles is very unique - the body is elongate, usually parallel-sided, and rounded at each end. The posterior corners of the pronotum are prolonged backward into sharp points or spines. Most of these beetles are 12mm-30mm in length, and one common species is a mottled-gray click beetle with two black eye spots. Most click beetles are black or brown. The larvae of click beetles generally live in rotting logs, and are slender, hard-bodied, and shiny - also called "wireworms." The adults are phytophagous, and so eat plant materials.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Elateroidea; Elateridae;
Common Name: Click Beetle

Tachinidae

2009-04-30T13:16:00.001-07:00

This family is part of the superfamily Calyptratae, or Calyptrate Muscoid Flies, which include common house flies, bot flies, blow files, flesh flies, etc. the family Tachinidae is the second largest of the order Diptera, with about 1,350 known North American species. Some ways of distinguishing Tachinids from other similar flies is that their aristae (the hair extension from the third segment of the antennae) is not hairy, they have a large lobe under their last dorsal thoracic segment, and have bristles in two small regions under the wing joint. Tachinid flies are fairly common, and come in a variety of colors.

Diptera; Calyptratae; Oestroidea; Tachinidae

In general, Tachinids are large, bristly flies and tend to be parasitoids, specifically larvae of other insects such as those in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. They parasitize the host either by laying an egg directly on the host, after which the egg hatches and the larvae enters and feeds on the host, or they lay eggs on plant and the egg is ingested by the host or the egg hatches and attaches to a host on its own. The host is nearly always killed, thus Tachinids are parasitoids, not parasites (which usually leave the host alive). The parasitoid can affect the host's behavior as well, causing it to feed on differently or extending its pupal life span to allow the parasitoid to grow and feed for longer. Many Tachinids can appear wasplike or beelike as well, the following are two examples.

Bostrichidae

2009-04-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

This specimen is a stout beetle of the family Bostrichidae. Bostrichidae has many common names, including "Branch and Twig Borers and Powderpost Beetles," "False Powderpost Beetles," and "Horned Powderpost Beetles." This family contains elongate, somewhat cylindrical beetles with bent-down heads, except for the subfamily Lyctinae. The adults bore into wood to deposit eggs, and the larvae remains in the wood for up to a year before it emerges as an adult. The subfamily Psoinae occurs primarily in the West, and includes the specimen below. They tend to reach lengths of 14-28mm, and are brown or black. Also, the Psoinae family differs from other Bostrichids by having a less bent head and large, strong mandibles.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Bostrichoidea; Bostrichidae; Polycaoninae/Psoinae; Polycaon stoutii
Common Name: Black Polycaon

This species occurs mostly on the West Coast, and was probably named after Polycaon of Greek mythology, son of Lelex, king of Laconia, and the Naiad nymph Cleochareia. Polycaon supposedly went, with his wife Messene's aid and encouragement, to conquer a territory and then named it after his wife (Messenia).

Apidae

2009-04-29T22:19:00.001-07:00

The next specimen is a bumble bee, member of Apidae (Cuckoo, Carpenter, Bumble, and Honey Bees). Bumble bee species are differentiated by their yellow-black pattern. This specimen is a California Bumble Bee, based on its yellow thorax up to the wing joint and the single yellow band on the abdomen. When in the killing jar, this specimen extended all of its body parts, including its mouth parts and stinger. I generally avoid capturing bumble bees, as they are somewhat threatened, but I made an exception with this one. This bumble bee is very common on the west coast, hence the name.

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Apoidea; Apidae; Apinae; Bombini; Bombus (Thoracobombus); Bombus californicus
Common Name: California Bumble Bee

Now to elaborate on Apinae and Bombus. Bumble bees can be orange, white, or yellow on black and most are over 20mm long. They are important pollinators of clover because they have such a long tongue. Most bumble bees nest in the ground, and only the fertilized queens overwinter. Some species of Bombus are actually parasites of other bumble bees and they are sometimes placed another genus, Psithyrus. The females of Psithyrus lay their eggs in other bumble bee nests for the larvae to be raised by that colony, often times by killing the host queen and releasing pheromones to "enslave" the previous queen's brood of workers.

Andrenidae

2009-04-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

To the best of my identification abilities, this is a female mining bee of the family Andrenidae. These are small-medium sized bees that nest in ground burrows. Generally these bees are solitary, but they may also nest close together. There are approximately 1,200 species of adrenids in North America in three subfamilies (Andreninae, Oxaeninae, and Panurginae). The genus Andrena contains most of the bees of Andreninae, and are common spring time bees. I wish I could identify the species, but the hairs make it difficult to see the body structure.

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Apoidea; Andrenidae; Andreninae; Andrena
Common Name: Mining Bee

Lygaeidae

2009-04-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

This insect is actually so common that it is the representative image in Borror and DeLong's text above the excerpt on the family Lygaeidae. This insect is the small milkweed bug, which is common in the United States and Canada. These insects are hemimetabolous, as are all Hemipterans, so they have incomplete stages of development. Their nymphs are commonly red. As the name would suggest, milkweed bugs feed on the milkweed plant and its seeds. Milkweed gains its name from the milky white sap produced when injured or pruned. The insects are brightly colored because, like Monarch butterflies, they feed on milkweed and so the bad tasting chemicals in milkweed are concentrated in their bodies. Rather than being a pest, these insects are important for regulating the population of milkweed, which is too toxic for other organisms to consume. There are a couple other species in this genus. One, Lygaeus turcicus, can be distinguished from Lygaeus kalmii by the "t" shaped red lines on the head, and extra red coloration on the back. Lygaeus turcicus also seems to lack the white spots and border at the wing apices.

Hemiptera; Heteroptera; Lygaeidae; Lygaeinae; Lygaeus kalmii
Common Name: Small Milkweed Bug

The family Lygaeidae is known to contain "seed bugs". The family used to contain many more subfamilies, but now only containes Lygaeinae, Orsillinae, and Ischnorthynchinae. Seed bugs feed almost exclusively on seeds, but may also feed on the plant tissue. There are about 75 species from this family in North America.

Araneidae

2009-04-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

I do not usually post images if spiders, as they are not insects, but one of my favorite spiders in a resident of Hawaii. It is not a native species, but rather originated in India and Sri Lanka. It was introduced to Hawaii in 1985. Their populations are controlled by the Red-Vented Bulbul, a bird also from India, which is its only natural predator. The birds themselves are also an invasive species around the world, and in Hawaii they prey on many insects. The bird is not deterred by the Monarch butterfly's toxin, and so a white variety of the Monarch has developed, which is able to evade predation better than the orange morph.

Arachnida; Araneae; Araneomorphae; Araneoidea; Araneidae; Gasteracantha mammosa
Common Name: Asian Spinybacked Spider

Cerambycidae

2009-04-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

Another insect seen while in Hawaii was this long-horn beetle, member of family Cerambycidae. Cerambycidae is a very large family, about 900 species occurring in North America. Long-horns are elongate and cylindrical, with long antennae; many beetles are brightly colored, and may reach lengths of 6 cm. Most adult cerambycids feed on flowers, and the larvae are very destructive, boring into freshly cut logs or weakened/dying trees and shrubs. There are eight subfamilies, and Cerambycinae is the family in which belongs the Hawaiian species below. This particular species is an invasive species in Hawaii and recently in Israel. Its origin appears to be the islands of the South Pacific, and it is found in Madagascar as well.

Coleoptera; Cerambycidae; Cerambycinae; Xystrocerini; Xystrocera globosa
Common Name: Two-lined Albizia Long-horn, Monkeypod Roundheaded Borer

Chelisochidae

2009-04-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

While in Hawaii, I took pictures of whatever insects I happened across. As it turns out, I came across a black earwig, family Chelisochidae, of which there is only one species. It is most common on islands in the Pacific. The passage from Borror and DeLong indicates that they may be found in California. Earwigs are members of the order Dermaptera, and are found all over the world. They can pinch with their rear pincers if disturbed, and feed on small insects such as caterpillars. I would have collected this as a specimen, as it is one of the families we need, but I did not know at the time whether it was a native species to Hawaii. Unfortunately, many native insects in Hawaii are threatened by invasive species. Regardless, I will be keeping my eye out for any in California - down in San Diego is probably one of the more likely places they will be as it is closest to tropical, and this species prefers moist climates.

Dermaptera; Chelisochidae; Chelisoches morio
Common Name: Black Earwig

The word Dermaptera comes from the short leathery wings, "derma" referring to skin and "ptera" to wings. There are approximately five families of Dermaptera, depending on which taxonomic guide one uses. The most common one seen in California is the European Earwig, family Forficulidae. Earwig females lay a dozen or so eggs, and some remain by the eggs until they hatch.

Nymphalidae

2009-04-12T02:15:00.000-07:00

I felt I should rearrange the data about Mourning Cloaks into the entry which actually features a picture of the butterfly. Once I return from the cruise, I will upload pictures of the adult Mourning Cloak.

*Update: I have returned, today is 25 April, and the chrysalis was formed on 6 April. That means that the chrysalis is 18 days old. It would appear that the estimate I found online was rather off, either that or my butterfly is taking its time. Here is a photo of the chrysalis, much developed. If you look closely, the abdomen segment has stretched, and the wing segment shows a lighter band around the edge, which corresponds to the yellow band on the edge of the Mourning Cloak's wing. From what I can tell, the butterfly is alive and well, and about to burst from its cocoon. I am glad I am here to see it!*

*Second Update - it has been 23 days now, and I extracted the butterfly from its dry chrysalis. The butterfly is completely intact, not dried out, but is unable to complete metamorphosis - possibly because it does not have enough energy/chemical reserves to emerge from its dormant state. Here are the photos of the extracted butterfly.

Mourning Cloak butterflies are members of Nymphalidae, or Brush-Footed Butterflies. There are about 210 species in North America, and they earned their name because the front legs are reduced and lack claws. Only the middle and hind legs are used in walking. The chrysalids are also suspended by the cremaster, a spinelike or hooked process at the posterior end of the pupa which is used for attachment.

Lepidoptera; Papilionoidea; Nymphalidae; Nymphalinae; Nymphalis antiopa
Common Name (Adult): Mourning Cloak

The Mourning Cloak derives its name from greek - Nymphalis means "of or pertaining to a fountain" and Antiopa was the name of the wife of Lycus, king of Thebes. A little history on Antiopa - she was the daughter of Nycteus and was violated by Epaphus. As a result, her husband cast her away and remarried Dirce. Dirce suspected her husband was cheating on her with his ex-wife, so she commanded that Antiopa be confined. At the time, she was pregnant, but she managed to escape and gave birth on Mount Cithaeron. Her twin children were raised by shepherds, and eventually learned of their heritage and avenged Antiopa by binding Dirce to an untamed bull. I have no clue how this pertains to the butterfly, perhaps the hardship of overwintering?

Apparently Mourning Cloaks are one of the earliest emerging butterflies of the spring season, and like other early season butterflies, they have dark colors. Darker colors increase heat absorption from the sun, aiding them in these cooler days before summer. Mourning Cloaks are also one of the longest lived butterflies, surviving for 8-11 months and overwintering. Of course, an individual Mourning Cloak probably doesn't live that long due to environmental hazards and predation. Mourning Cloak larvae also tend to aggregate together, as their spines are more repellent to predators in large numbers. However, when they have finished growing, they go off on their own to find a safe place to form a chrysalis.

Buprestidae

2009-04-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

The following insect is a member of the family Buprestidae of Coleoptera. Buprestids are metallic wood-boring beetles, and are usually less than 20 mm in length. They vary in color, including metallic green, copper, blue, or black, especially on their underside. The adults are attracted to dead or dying trees, while others live on foliage. There are approximately 762 species of Buprestids in North America. The larvae are serious pests and do damage to trees by boring into the bark. Most Buprestids fly to evade enemies, or they fold up their legs and play dead.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Buprestoidea; Buprestidae; Polycrestinae; Acmaeodera hepburnii
Common Name: Yellow-Marked Bupestrid, Spotted Flower Bupestrid

This species is mostly found in California, but may be found outside of California. It is approximately 12 mm long, and covered thickly in setae. It was found on a flower near a creek in San Diego, CA. Here is the pinned specimen, with slightly better definition on the color.

Metamorphosis

2009-04-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like I was right about that Mourning Cloak larvae being on the brink of forming a chrysalis - yesterday he spun an anchor on a grass stem and started hanging upside down. Gradually throughout the day he seemed to become fatter near the anchor and the pseudo-feet (the little nubs a caterpillar uses to move the part of its body beneath its little real feet) became hollow. By morning it had shuffled off its old exoskeleton, revealing a gray, spiky chrysalis.

Now, according to internet resources, the butterfly should emerge in 10-15 days, depending on temperature (warmer = faster development). However, I leave on a cruise this Sunday, so it will certainly emerge while I am away on the cruise and I do not return for 12 days. To remedy this, I have an insect home which was supplied by a "Raise Your Own Praying Mantis" kit. It has net-sides and clear plastic sides. I never did raise the mantises because apparently it is very intensive, such as raising your own fruit flies to feed to the mantises, and over 200 mantises hatch from your provided egg case. I will place the chrysalis inside the enclosure, and instruct Kit on how to feed it.

Here is an easy-to-make butterfly feeding station:
Requires: 1 sponge, sugar, water, fruit (juicy preferred), saucer or plate.
1. Mix warm water and sugar - 2 teaspoons per 8 oz of water - then set aside to cool
2. Slice fruit to expose juicy segments, set on saucer or plate
3. Cut sponge to an appropriate size and soak up the sugar water with it so that it is still dripping and set on the saucer next to the fruit
4. Place in an area accessible to butterflies and wait
5. Extra step: decorate the saucer with colors that appeal to butterflies, such as pink, red, purple, or yellow. Bee colors, for those who are interested, tend to be whites and blues.

In my case, I (well, Kit) will be placing the saucer directly into the enclosure and that will be the butterfly's food until I return. The fruit will need to be changed every so often, and the sponge re-moistened. Here is the completed butterfly home.

One Day's Foray

2009-04-05T09:58:00.001-07:00

Well, went to a slightly different location to hunt than usual - same stream/canyon network, just a different part of it. I took a lot of live shots, and have at least 6 insects that are on the pinning board right now. One is definitely a new family for the collection, not too sure about the rest. The following are live shots of specimens I did not collect for one reason or another - usually because I already have pictures or a member of that family.

The above Hemipteran is a member of family Coreidae, or Leaffooted Bugs. This one was found on cacti, as were the other specimens I caught that are currently in the collection. It is highly likely it is Narnia snowi, a Leaffooted bug that feeds on Prickly Pear Cacti. The blue damselfly is likely the male version of the species that was common in the area, with the more drab colored female pictured below. They have been keyed to Coenagrionidae, but without a more detailed key it is difficult to distinguish them from other common blue damselflies.

The above show a ladybug larvae. I was hoping for better resolution thanks to natural lighting compared to the picture I posted before.

Finally, here is a larvae I chose to capture - I don't think I have the heart to pin him right after he hatches (mainly because I just have this one, whereas with the other caterpillars I have six, so if they all metamorphose I won't feel too bad keeping one). This caterpillar is the larvae of the Mourning Cloak, a common butterfly in Southern California. It was actually the first butterfly I had any experience with, when one formed a chrysalis on the gate at my house when I was about 5 years old. I will take plenty of pictures, since this specimen seems sufficiently large that he will form a chrysalis soon.

Lepidoptera; Papilionoidea; Nymphalidae; Nymphalinae; Nymphalis antiopa
Common Name (Larvae): Spiny Elm Caterpillar

Riodinidae

2009-04-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a recently caught specimen, a medium-small butterfly of the family Riodinidae, or Metalmarks. There is some debate whether the group Riodinidae is a subfamily of Lycaenidae, or a separate family under Papilionoidea. Lycaenidae consists of small, delicate, often brightly colored butterflies. The body is slender, the antennae are usually ringed with white, and the eyes are surrounded by scales. The larvae are flat and sluglike, many secrete honeydew, and some live in ant nests where ants can feed upon the honeydew they secrete. If we take the interpretation that Riodinidae is a subfamily of Lycaenidae, there are two other subfamilies - Miletinae and Lycaeninae.

Lepidoptera; Papilionoidea; (Lycaenidae; Riodininae) Riodinidae; Apodemia virgulti
Common Name: Behr's Metalmark

*I find the eye spots on this specimen to be particularly fantastic - it has the white of the eye, the pupil, iris, etc. I accentuated the eye spots on the lower right image*

More detail on the family/subfamily Riodinidae: Metalmarks are small, dark-colored butterflies that differ from the other Lycaenidae subfamilies in that the costal vein of the hind wing is thickened and they have a short humeral vein in the hind wing. Most are tropical or western. The larvae tend to feed on ragwort and thistle. This particular species has been found almost exclusively in California. This species' larvae also tend to feed on buckwheat.

Here are the final pinned versions of the above butterfly, the crane fly, and the sphinx moth.

*Corrected from Mormon Metalmark - according to bugguide: "this species differs from others in the mormo complex by the brick-red, or reddish-orange areas on the dorsal surface of both FW and HW, and generally darker appearance." Also, this specimen was found early spring, while a similar subspecies of Mormon Metalmarks is found in late summer or early fall.*

Sphingidae

2009-03-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

I caught this sphinx moth, also known as a hummingbird moth, outside one of the places I work. They are extremely common and can be seen from morning to night, hovering and drinking nectar from flowers with a long proboscis. They truly resemble hummingbirds in size and style of feeding, with rapidly beating wings. I have included a picture of the specimen while pinned, in addition to the crane fly from the other day.

Lepidoptera; Bombycoidea; Sphingidae; Macroglossinae; Macroglossini; Hyles lineata
Common Name: White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Sphinx moths usually have rather large bodies, narrow wings, and in the case of the above species, extremely long proboscises. The larvae are usually green hornworms, which are major agricultural pests. One species' larvae is a common agricultural pest, the tomato hornworm. Others feed on tobacco and other plants. However, the larvae are also often attacked by parasites like braconid wasps.

Tipulidae

2009-03-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

This specimen is a member of the family Tipulidae, and has become very abundant this time of year in San Diego. They are often mistaken as "giant mosquitoes" or are labeled "mosquito eaters". There are over a thousand species from this family in North America.

Diptera; Tipulomorpha; Tipulidae
Common Name: Crane Fly

It is difficult to narrow down the genus without a key specific for Tipulidae. This family contains flies with long thin abdomens, long narrow wings, and extremely long legs. They are often found dancing around artificial lights or across grassy fields. The females have pointed abdomens, while the males have rounded abdomens. Crane fly larvae bear the common name "leatherjackets" and consume roots and plant material, while the adults may consume nectar. They have a very ephemeral adult phase - the main objective is to mate. They do not bite or sting, and are easily captured.

Tenebrionidae

2009-03-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

I already posted a specimen from Tenebrionidae, however this is a very common species of Tenebrionidae, and I felt compelled to share. Unlike the other specimen I posted, this species has no hair-like extensions on the elytra (top abdominal shell). Most of the members of Tenebrionidae are absent of hair (setae). Members of Tenebrionidae are also known as Darkling Beetles, and their pupa are various meal worms.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Tenebrionoidea; Tenebrionidae; Opatrinae; Eleodes dentipes
Common Name: Darkling Beetle, "Stink Bug" (misnomer)

These insects are commonly mistaken as "Stink Bugs" when they are neither bugs (order Hemiptera, compared to order Coleoptera), nor is that their official common name. An example of a stink bug can be seen here. True stink bugs come in colors ranging from green, to brown, to black and red. The insect pictured above is most likely associated with stink bugs because if disturbed it raises its pointed abdomen into the air as if to spray a chemical, and when crushed they smell very unpleasant. I am not positive on my identification of the species, but the genus is definitely Eleodes. They can be differentiated from Carabidae, another common family of ground beetles, by having a body raised off the ground and small jaws.

Coenagrionidae

2009-03-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

By sheer coincidence, the latest insect I have captured is also a member of Odonata, but a different family. I already have three representatives of Coenagrionidae in my collection, so I only took live photos of this one then let her fly away. Coenagrionidae are damselflies, which go by the common family name of "Pond Damsels" or "Narrow Winged Damselflies." This is a very large family, and they range in length from 20mm to 50mm. They mostly occur along streams and still bodies of water. They hold their wings together over the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold their wings flat, perpendicular to their body orientation. Coloration can vary, including blue, purple, red, orange, yellow, black and green, in different combinations.

Odonata; Zygoptera; Coenagrionidae; Ischnura denticollis
Common Name: Black-fronted Forktail

Black-fronted forktails are very common in Southern California. The one pictured above is a female, and thorax is gray with purple eyes, and a single blue band at the tip of the abdomen. Males have a blue thorax and eyes. This specimen was caught in downtown San Diego.

Odonata - Anatomical Discussion

2009-03-24T14:20:00.001-07:00

Per request, I have taken some detailed photos of two of my dragonfly specimens, both members of the family Libellulidae. The name of the order is actually based on their strong, chewing, toothed mandibles - "odonto" is Greek for "teeth". The diagrams are taken from Borror and Delong's Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th Edition.

The relevant abbreviations from above - 1st diagram: lg, ligula or median lobe; mn, mentum; p, palp or lateral lobe; plg, palpiger or squama; 2nd diagram: fr, frons; pclp, postclypeus; aclp, anteclypeus; lbr, labrum; md, mandible; mx, maxilla; lbm, labium; e, compound eye;

I should add that the characteristic which distinguishes Odonata from other insect orders is the location of the copulatory organs, which are located on the anteior end of the abdomen on males, on the underside between the second and third segments. Due to the location, when dragonflies mate their bodies form a circle, known as the "wheel position".

Libellulidae

2009-03-22T23:11:00.000-07:00

This specimen was caught on a wall on campus at UCSD. It is a member of the family Libellulidae, and I searched for the genus-species, but it is such a large family that it would be difficult to identify without a key. The family Libellulidae is one of the largest dragonfly families, and is mostly found in the New World. The wingspan is approximately four inches, body length 2.5-3 inches.

Odonata; Anisoptera; Libellulidae;

The life cycle of dragonflies begins in ponds, where nymphs spend up to four years developing to the point where they are ready to metamorphose. They are significant pond predators, growing large enough to eat small fish. When they metamorphose, they emerge with wings and feed and search for mates. They are formidable aerial predators as well, with extremely good vision and speedy flight. Be careful when handling, as they may bite.

Scarabaeidae (Part 2)

2009-03-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the other representative of the scarab family that I have collected - two specimens, one wings spread, the other wings closed. They were both found around twilight, are not known to bite, and are approximately 1cm to 1.5cm long, and 7 mm wide.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Scarabaeoidea; Scarabaeidae; Dynastinae; Cyclocephalini; Cyclocephala lurida
Common Name: Southern Masked Chafer

Masked Chafers are beetles native to North America, and an agricultural pest across the country, though is most common in the southern states. They tend to be a dull yellow-orange color, with a dark head. Their distinguishing characteristics as a genus include a rounded clypeus (frontal mouth plate) and a relatively large fifth foot segment, or tarsomere. The species attack the roots of plants, particularly turfgrasses. The larvae are large white grubs, about 8 mm long, and gradually darken to a reddish color before they pupate into adult beetles.

Scarabaeidae

2009-03-14T00:19:00.000-07:00

Since finals are right around the corner (next week) I have been rather busy and unable to go collect insects. Also, the weather has been pretty cold, so not much insect activity has been going on - even my captive caterpillars are less active and show less appetite. All the same, I feel it necessary to update periodically. One of my favorite insects is the green fruit beetle, a large common scarab beetle in San Diego county.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Scarabaeoidea; Scarabaeidae; Cetoniidae; Gymnetini; Cotinis mutabilis
Common Name: Green Fruit Beetle; Fig Beetle;

People call them "fig beetles" as well, since they are found eating figs and there are a lot of fig trees down here. There is a particularly huge one down at Balboa park and if you go there during the summer, you will inevitably see a few crushed green scarab beetles or they'll be flying awkwardly around the trees. They do not bite but their legs have very sharp claws. This specimen is a bit larger than average, about 1 and 1/4 inches long, 3/4 inches wide, and 1/2 inch high. Their larvae are about 1 inch long, white, and wrinkly in appearance. I was considering including a second scarabaeoid beetle in this entry, but it will have to wait - too tired to look up the likely species. Hopefully I will go collecting next week! I may also have a special feature on Grunions, as the Grunion runs are upon us here in San Diego!

Dipteran and Chilopoda (Centipede)

2009-03-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

I went on an excursion today to try to find new insects. The usual trail was open again, so we went and I collected insects and more caterpillar feed. I decided to get some leafy ground weeds since grass is hardly nutritious and these caterpillars seem to crave variety in their diet. Most of the wild ones were smaller than my six, so I must be doing something right.

As for the non-insect specimen collected today, here are lovely pictures:

Arthropoda; Chilopoda; Scolopendromorpha; Scolopendridae; Scolopendra polymorpha
Common Name: Common Desert Centipede

This species comes in a variety of colors, hence the species name polymorpha. Its color range includes orange, yellow, blue, red, and various light-dark combinations. They tend to take cover under rocks and consume small insects, particularly crickets. It can reach a length of up to 5 inches and is common in the southwest United States.

By the by, I am going to need a new camera, specifically for macro photographs. I love the macro on my current camera, but for creatures smaller than 10 mm it just does not do them justice.

Coccinellidae

2009-02-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

I had been wanting to do a mini-life cycle entry about holometabolous insects, particularly lady bugs, because I have in my possession a few lady bug specimens and one of their pupa. Today I captured a live lady bug larvae, which I photographed and then released into the garden. To preface, holometabolous insects include the major orders of insects, such as Diptera (flies), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants), and Coleoptera (beetles). Holometabolous means that they undergo a complete transformation from a larval form to an adult form, with no intermediate forms. So, a caterpillar stays a caterpillar for a while, forms a cocoon, and emerges with wings and different body structures. Often the larvae and the adults have different diets and habitats, allowing the insect to exploit various environments. This is in contrast to hemimetabolous insects, which go through several progressive molts, gradually assuming the adult form. This can be seen in Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, crickets).

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Cucujoidea; Coccinellidae; Coccinella septempunctata
Common Name: Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Cucujoidea; Coccinellidae; Harmonia axyridis
Common Name: Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

The first image is the larvae of the lady beetle. Approximately 6 mm long, they have the same diet as the adult - aphids and other small leaf-sucking insects. The larvae of different lady beetle species mostly vary in their black and orange coloration. Eventually they form a pupa, and emerge as an adult lady beetle. The first image is the seven-spotted lady beetle, which usually is a brighter orange than a dull red, but I suspect freezing affected a change in the color. The second image is the multicolored Asian lady beetle, which was artificially introduced into North America for the purpose of controlling aphids (1916). It was introduced several more times, and is the variety often purchased from gardening stores. This insect is one of the first, and most successful (while remaining beneficial), introduced biological control agents. What marks the success of an introduced species is whether its numbers remain at a reasonable level, the insect does not harm beneficial native species, and remains specific for the pest it was originally introduced with the purpose of controlling. In some places they can be a nuisance simply because they are in large numbers, but they do not carry disease or damage property. The adults are capable of biting if handled, but do not break the skin, and release an strong smelling orange fluid to deter predators.

Pieridae

2009-02-24T12:59:00.001-08:00

I have not had the chance to collect more insects, and I am somewhat sick right now so more new insects will not be for a while - however, I feel I must bring attention to the California state butterfly. Most people would assume it is one of the more commonly known butterflies, such as a Monarch, a Swallowtail, or a Painted Lady. Many states have the Monarch as their state butterfly, but California chose the Southern or California dogface butterfly. It is so named because on the males' fore wings, the silhouette resembles a dog, like a poodle or terrier. The larvae feed on false indigo.

Lepidoptera; Pieridae; Coliadinae; Coliadini; Zerene eurydice
Common name: California Dogface Butterfly

It is an interesting choice for a state butterfly, especially considering most people have never seen one. The females are very different looking, with the dorsal view of their wings being entirely yellow with a single dark eye spot on each fore wing.

In other news, it seems all the caterpillars have now molted their definite second time, and they are approximately 30 days old. Again, my estimates are on the small side because I did not catch them immediately after hatching. I need to collect more grass for them today - they're eating a lot faster and caterpillars are pretty picky eaters, as in they refuse to eat old food.

Apidae

2009-02-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

I went to Coyote Hills preserve with the family today, and caught a large bumble bee - however, since I already have a bumble bee specimen, and bumble bees are becoming threatened species, I decided to let him go. Before I released him, I took a few nice photographs and was able to identify him based on these photographs.

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Apoidea; Apidae; Apinae; Bombini; Bombus vosnesenskii
Common Name: Yellow-faced Bumble Bee

This specimen is approximately 1.5 inches long, with two yellow stripes and a yellow face. Not much is known about bumble bees. They form colonies with usually 50 members, not as organized or specialized as honey bee or ant colonies. Because the founder female has to make or choose a burrow, it is not very large or she settles in a vacant burrow made by a ground animal. The area in which this specimen was caught was covered with ground squirrel burrows, so it is likely that one of those burrows contains the nest. In the first picture above, the bee is cleaning its face (cute, I think). Their populations are threatened by habitat destruction, diseases from commercially raised bumble bee populations, and invasive social insects such as the Pennsylvania Yellow Jacket, which is able to forage more nectar and compete for space.

I also snapped a photograph of this fly, which looks like a Tachinid fly, but could easily be a different family, as many similar looking flies are members of different families.

Acrididae

2009-02-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple grasshoppers common in California. An unfortunate side effect of preserving grasshoppers is that they tend to discolor and become more orange than they were when first caught. For newly collected insects, I will try to photograph them while they are still alive, to preserve their color. The same goes for Katydids, who become a duller green after they are collected.

Orthoptera; Caelifera; Acrididae; Oedipodinae; Trimerotropis pallidipennis
Common Name: Pallid-Winged Grasshopper

These grasshoppers are of the family Acrididae, or Short-Horned Grasshoppers, which includes the swarming locust variety. They are a distinct family for having relatively short antennae and tympana (or sound organ) on the side of the first abdominal segment. They are extremely common in California, and tend to have a mottled, variable color - some are extremely dark, others extremely light. These two specimens are approximately 1.5 to 2 inches long, found in San Diego. The subfamily, Oedipodinae, refers to "band-winged grasshoppers," based on the color bands on the wings. The distinguishing characteristic for the genus, Trimerotropis, is that the front wings have dark markings, and the ridge on the posterior half of the thorax is faint or absent.

Tettigoniidae

2009-02-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

The following are two species of Katydid - the medium-sized one I thought was an instar of the larger one, but apparently they are different species. Each is about 3 inches long, wingspan about 4 or 5 inches. The largest and smallest specimens were caught in the San Diego area, and the medium specimen was caught in La Verne.

Orthoptera; Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae; Microcentrum rhombifolium
Common Name: Greater Angle-Wing Katydid

Orthoptera; Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae; Scudderia mexicana
Common Name: Mexican Bush Katydid

Orthoptera; Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae;
Unknown nymph - possibly Scudderia mexicana, Microcentrum retinerve (Lesser Angle-Wing Katydid), or Microcentrum rhombifolium.

Katydids communicate through song, and the subfamily Phaneropterinae is commonly called "False Katydids." They can vary in color from brown, to pink, to green, and often mimic leaves. The Greater Angle-Wing Katydid is differentiated from the Lesser Angle-Wing Katydid by a small tooth on the dorsal, frontal edge of the thorax - that part of the Lesser Angle-Wing Katydid is smooth. The Greater Angle-Wing Katydid is common in Southern California. They eat plant material and develop through several molts called instars, the final instar being winged. As a mating ritual, the male brings the female a nuptial meal, a spermatophylax, which is a gelatinous blob of carbohydrates, protein, and water. The male mates with the female while she is consuming the spermatophylax. As a result, the larger the meal, the longer it takes the female to consume it, and the longer time the male has to inseminate her, thereby producing more offspring.

As for the Mexican Bush Katydid, it is a member of the Scudderia genus, or Bush Katydids. Bush Katydids do not fly often, but glide from bush to bush and their forewing is noticeably shorter than the hind wing, with an elongate, narrow appearance relative to other genera. The species are mostly differentiated through male genitalia, and I did not key this specimen to species - I merely suspect it is Scudderia mexicana. The nymph may be a member of Scudderia because its femur is smooth, compared to Microcentrum which has spines on the femur.

Tenebrionidae

2009-02-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

This specimen was collected in La Verne, CA of Los Angeles County. I was hoping it was a new family for the collection, but it ended up being part of Tenebrionidae, of which I already have one specimen - coincidentally, also of genus Eleodes. Most members of Tenebrionidae do not have hairs, but this specimen and one other of genus Eleodes appear to be covered in setae. This specimen is approximately 15 mm long, and 5 mm wide.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Tenebrionoidea; Tenebrionidae; Opatrinae; Eleodes osculans
Common Name: Woolly Darkling Beetle

This specimen is a member of Tenebrionidae, or Darkling beetles. Mealworms are a common larvae for Darkling beetles. Characteristic keying features include 5-5-4 tarsomere configuration and 11-segmented non-clubbed antennae. These insects have sealed elytra and so are incapable of flight, eat decaying and live plant flesh, are not known to bite, and may emit pungent odors. Many have an awkward gait and some lift their pointed abdomen in the air when threatened. This is an extremely common insect family and genus in California.

Second Molt

2009-02-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it appears that the caterpillars are doing all right - it is now at least 22 days since they hatched, and we have a second confirmed molt, which is at least their third molt. Two of the caterpillars appear to be bigger than the other four. I really wish I knew exactly when they hatched, but I guess this is just the estimate I have to go with. The recently pinned insects are still on the pinning board - I will probably remove and key the beetle tomorrow, but the grasshopper and katydid will have to wait until they are completely set in place. Wouldn't like their legs to droop. Without further ado, here is the second confirmed molt.

New Additions!

2009-02-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

It appears the caterpillar trail is closed due to the recent storms, but it should be open again soon. I sneaked onto the trail to get some food for the catas, so they seem happier now. I saw some catas out there while I was collecting food, so I guess they survived the torrents of rain. While I was up in Pomona for my interview at Western U, Kit's sister Taylore gave us a lot of insects - mainly Coleoptera (beetles) and Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets). One of them may be a family I do not yet have, and I will include cool pictures eventually!

In the meantime, here is another insect from my collection:

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Vespoidea; Pompilidae;

Wasps of the family Pompilidae are known as "Spider Wasps", meaning they attack spiders, paralyze them, and lay their eggs on the spider. The larvae consume the spider while it is still alive and eventually emerge from the burrow their mother created for them. I like this one particularly for its pretty metallic blue color - uncommon among the spider wasps. It was caught at Elkhorn Slough.

Another Caterpillar Update

2009-02-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

I am updating again because the caterpillars appear to be reaching their next molt - very interesting. I attempted to go out and find more insects today, but the canyon I usually go to was closed, so I only had time to grab more caterpillar food and return home. Without further ado...

The first image is simply of the caterpillar in the act of eating - you can see the mandibles and the proto-legs. I'm having trouble accessing the place with all the food they like - the place is closed and there is no nearby parking! Poor catas... I have to collect food from other places and I don't think they like much of what I've brought them.

Caterpillar Update!

2009-02-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Well, the six caterpillars are happily munching on mint, basil, and grass. The grass I grabbed from their natural habitat, and the basil and mint from the aerogarden. It appears that they like both of those herbs, which are in the same family. I am not sure whether that is a coincidence, or whether these caterpillars prefer that family of plant. I am trying to track the period of time that the caterpillars spend as caterpillars and pupa. Based on the first post in this entry, the caterpillars were first seen the Saturday before my first entry, and they have had at least one molt since then. They were sufficiently large to have hatched at least 1 week prior, so I will estimate they hatched the Sunday before that Saturday, which was 25 January. As of 9 February, these caterpillars are 15 days old (young estimate). They have definitely molted at least once in the last two weeks - and maybe once before then.

Megachilidae

2009-02-09T07:46:00.001-08:00

Here is the second insect I found. I thought he looked too bee-like to be a wasp, and turns out I was correct - it is a bee of the family Megachilidae, which includes leaf-cutter bees, Mason bees, and carder bees.

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Anthophila (Apoidea); Megachilidae; Osmiini;

Most of these bees are solitary, and very efficient pollinators. They drink nectar from plants, like most bees. Some are parasites of other bees, consuming nectar collected by other bees. One of the most common member of Megachilidae is the Leaf Cutter bee, seen below:

Ichneumonidae

2009-02-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is a large wasp of family Ichneumonidae. They are very noticeable because most of them have very long ovipositors extending from the abdomen. When I caught this Ichneumonid, the abdomen was a very bright red, but after pinning the abdomen became a duller red color.

Hymenoptera; Apocrita (parasitic); Ichneumonoidea; Ichneumonidae;

These wasps are parasites of other insects, specifically their larvae. When the wasp locates the grub, sometimes several inches inside a tree or the ground, the wasp inserts its ovipositor and lays an egg in the grub. The insect's body, not including the ovipositor, tends to be fairly large and thin, at least an inch long. Ovipositors can extend beyond the length of the insect's body, as in this example.

Hybosoridae

2009-02-07T18:58:00.001-08:00

This insect was found in the La Verne area, and was somewhat difficult to key because it only had one remaining antenna and that antenna was hidden underneath it's head. This specimen is pretty small, no longer than 10mm.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Scarabaeiformia; Hybosoridae; Hybosorinae; Hybosorus illigeri
Common Name: European Hybosorus Scarab

This insect is known as a scarab-like scavenger beetles. They eat rotting plant material, dung, fungus, and carrion. Some members of the family are able to roll up into a ball. Average length is 5-7mm, color light brown to black. Many species are not very well known.

Pentatomidae

2009-02-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I plan to unpin the two wasps, key, and photograph them. In the meantime, I obtained this specimen c/o my aunt who lives down here in San Diego. Just as a reminder, my personal key only goes down to family, but I refer to bugguide.net and other internet resources to refine my identification, so if there is suspicion that my ID of an insect is incorrect after the family level, do bring it to my attention. I can't afford a key for every insect family.

Hemiptera; Pentatomidae; Pentatominae; Halyini;

These insects are commonly called "stink bugs" because when disturbed, they may emit a pungent liquid. Most of the family Pentatomidae are herbivores, sucking plant juices, and are major pests. They are not known to bite, and the family comes in many colors such as green, beige, black and red, and mottled earthy colors. Here are a few more examples of which I may devote single entries to at a later time.

Carabidae

2009-02-06T12:58:00.001-08:00

While out collecting the caterpillars and pictures of the ants/scale bugs, I also caught two of the order Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants). I have not keyed either of them yet but they are on the pinning board. As soon as they are ready to be removed, I will take their pictures and key them. For the time being, I will post on the most recently collected insects that have not been placed away yet.

Coleoptera; Adephaga; Carabidae; Laemostenus complanatus

Carabid beetles are one of the most common beetles one will find - they are extremely diverse. Many also bite - you can see the large mandibles - and are carnivorous, feeding on other insects and especially caterpillars. They are generally flattened, not raised high above the ground. This specimen is one of the larger beetles I have collected, and is likely this species, Laemostenus complanatus, a fast-running African beetle which has spread worldwide and is now very common in Southern California.

Ants and Scale Insects

2009-02-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

I went out to grab a picture of a possible relationship between ants, most likely Argentine, and scale insects. I am not certain what plant they are on, but it is definitely some kind of chaparral bush, probably Baccharis sarothroides. If all goes well, I will be doing volunteer research studying Argentine ants and their relationship with cotton aphids. Ants are in family Formicidae, and the scale insects, if I am correct that they are soft scale insects, are in family Coccidae.

In addition, I took a few pictures of the hundreds of caterpillars roaming the area - it seems like these caterpillars are the dominant organism out there. I grabbed a total of 6 to rear and confirm my hypothesis that they are Painted Tiger Moth larvae, as well as document any that have been parasitized.

Welcome

2009-02-03T15:45:00.001-08:00

I have decided to devote a blog to my entomology hobby - I collect, photograph (amateur), identify, and research insects. I also love spiders, so I may feature them occasionally, but the main emphasis is on insects. I will include common name and scientific name to family, possibly to genus/species if I have the time.

To preface, I may be doing some research on the side in the entomology field, most likely related to ants (Formicidae) or yellow jackets (Vespidae). Hopefully this blog will interest a few, but primarily it is for the purpose of recording my insect collecting! I will not bore with insects I have collected in the past, but every new insect will have its own entry! And I will update regarding my work at the university or insect trends. I am based in California so the insect population is not unusually diverse, but there are plenty to sate my curiosity!

Diptera; Brachycera; Asilomorpha; Empidoidea; Empididae;

These flies are often found in annoying swarms. This specimen is approximately 5mm long. When you think you're walking through a swarm of "gnats" you may be walking through a swarm of Empididae, or dagger/dance/balloon flies. Historically, evidence in amber has placed the family Empididae as far back as the Cretaceous.