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More insects, including a trip down a wormhole and bad damselfly drivers
Jul 25, 2020 23:40:44   #
Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI
 
Here are more pictures from late last summer. Still a long way to go.
First up is a broad-headed bug Megalotomus quinquespinosus. This is a different species from the ones I usually see.
Broad-headed bug by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

This crab spider got quite a catch. It can be hard to ID flower crab spiders, but it looks more like Misumenoides than Misumena. I won’t hazard to guess the particular species.
Flower crab spider and honey bee by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

The Geometrid moth looks to be Lambdina fervidaria.
Curve-lined looper moth by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Next are some wasps, and none of them were very cooperative! The first is in the Thynidae family, Myzinum quinquecinctum. They are parasitic on beetle larvae in the soil.
Thynid wasp by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

I had to chase these mating thread-waisted wasps everywhere just to get this so-so picture. They are Eremnophila aureonotata, a species that is parasitic to caterpillars.
Mating thread-waisted wasps by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Next up is a rather gnarly looking caterpillar that is definitely a bird dropping mimic. I had long ago identified it as the larva of the red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis), but while preparing this post I saw a post with the same caterpillar, only it was labelled as belonging to the viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus)! From that it was learned that the caterpillars of the two species are virtually identical even though the adult butterflies are completely different. Let's see where this leads...
Further inquiries showed that the two species are very closely related, and yes their caterpillars are hard to tell apart and they also feed on many of the same host plants. The species are sufficiently similar that they will even form inter-species hybrids, as shown here: https://xerces.org/blog/my-first-hybrid . This is very weird to see!
Anyway, after much deliberation I’ve decided this is a viceroy larva, owing mainly to a few extra spikes on the head. But I could be wrong.
Vicery butterfly caterpillar by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

The extremely leggy insect shown in the next picture is a thread legged assassin bug, Emesaya brevipennis. I believe that tinusbum had recently shown one of these here.
I was with a fellow macrophotographer when this was found, and he was gobsmacked about this strange creature. If you go only by length, they are easily our largest assassin bug. I saw my first one the previous summer just a few feet away from this one. Funny how that happens a lot.
Thread-legged assassin bug by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Finally, I had come across this mating pair of blue-fronted dancer damselflies (Argia apicalis) that had the bad luck of being ensnared in an orb web on a foot bridge. Fortunately, the resident spider was not at home (this species of orb weaver is one that frequently abandons their web to build a new one). But the damselflies were still hopelessly trapped. Of course I carefully disentangled them, and they went their separate ways.
Next time, let me drive! by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

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Jul 26, 2020 00:11:14   #
Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona
 
Interesting set, I really like the descriptions.

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Jul 26, 2020 06:01:35   #
EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England
 
Nice photography as always Mark. I would love those Flower spiders a lot more if they left bees alone.

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Jul 26, 2020 07:35:20   #
docshark Loc: Millersville, PA
 
Outstanding set and narrative Mark. Of course I enjoyed the Argia. Well done my friend.
-Doc

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Jul 26, 2020 08:58:38   #
tinusbum Loc: east texas
 
love the 2nd shot,i didn't see the crab at first

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Jul 26, 2020 10:23:30   #
sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri
 
Wow...wow and even more wow..!

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Jul 26, 2020 11:04:18   #
kpmac Loc: Ragley, La
 
Those damsels were unlucky and then lucky you came along. An excellent set of sharp images.

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Jul 26, 2020 11:04:39   #
kpmac Loc: Ragley, La
 
Those damsels were unlucky and then lucky you came along. An excellent set of sharp images.

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