Stenopelmatidae

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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.