Libellula saturata. Arroyo Chico, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, USA. 23 September 2007.
laying eggs; photos are presented in the order in which they were taken
This observation is for the fly. Possibly a phorid? I'm interested to see whether anyone has observed this behaviour before. I had broken open a nasute termite feeding trail and this fly immediately appeared. The fly walked up to the termites then lead one of the workers away from the group. The worker termite followed the fly around 50-60cm, with the fly constantly walking and pausing, before I lost them in the grass next to the log.
Noticeably white wings. Suspiciously similar to Apystomyia to my untrained eye…
I was stunned to see a complete demon like face on this bug..!!
To me this face is complete with the beautiful crown formed by the limbs... :-)
size: 1cm approx
Ants dispersing Acacia fimbriata seeds, Ant ID?
Identified as Papyrius on Bowerbird by Ken Walker: "ID by Simon Hinkley"
~4cm
saltwater
Scooped dockside from the surface
Duplicate for possible salp https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65489110
? don't know what these are. Under a rock in the inter tidal zone
Found below the wrack line. Very fragile. I'm guessing that it was formed beneath the surface and that gentle waves/currents washed the surrounding sand away.
Compare cocoons for Hypocharassus pruinosis: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F2422259&psig=AOvVaw1tGtqquQgTRizY0HLKRxK4&ust=1611342253883000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOD91oLcre4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
My friend described this new species of fungus gnat and named it by my colleague from University of Ostrava - Dr. Sevcik. These are the pupae of the type specimens.
Not sure if this is a Hopper, Fly or something else.
First image: the flatworm has sensed a leafveined slug’s mucus and is on the hunt.
Second image: The flatworm has caught up with the slug and pounces on its prey. The slug shows a surprisingly quick reaction and immediately elongates its body in an attempt to escape, albeit at a sluggish pace. Which is a bit faster than I would have imagined.
And just when I thought the slug was done for, it pulled one out of the hat: the BASE-jumper move! Without parachute, it let itself fall off the tree into the leaf-litter below.
The flatworm looked left and right, seemingly confused by the sudden disappearance of its prey, then showed some superior intelligence. Applying some basic notions of physics, it reasoned that if it let itself fall off the tree also, it would land in exactly the same place. And so it did!
Upon landing in the leaf-litter on the forest floor however the flatworm appeared disoriented and was unable to locate the slug again. With that BASE-jumper move, the slug may have just pulled off the narrowest of all escapes!
Clearly some kind of nymph though I'm not sure what of. Raises those appendages at the back when approached, though not sure about the tapping on the ground thing.
Polysphincta sp female ovipositing on Tetragnatha sp (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19529926), identified at BugGuide 1000173. – https://bugguide.net/node/view/1000173
This observation links to this one: http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/2487673
Shoot # 5 shows habitat.
Encouraged by @treegrow, I returned to the beach with my macro lens to photograph the flies with large black eyes and noticed more detail. The eyes are framed in beige, the mouthparts are elongated, the pronotum is green and hairy, the legs are black and hairy, there is a flat, turquoise scutellum behind the pronotum, the wings are flat and iridescent, there are oval antennae with long, pointed tips like hairs. I wondered what they were doing on the boulders at low tide, and one appeared to sip from a barnacle shell with mouthparts. They seem social, as many were flocked together.
Ant-mimicking hemipteran! Just emerged from egg-mass, which is clearly visible in photo.
These are empty insect nests built along the length of Xylaria stromata
Habitat: Northwest Andean montane forest (NT0145)
Collector(s): D. Newman & R. Vandegrift
Collection #: RLC1365
Photomicrography and molecular data forthcoming
a) The jumping spider resemblance is insane. b) The range of sizes among adults is insane. What is up with this fly.
Predatory Fungus Gnat (Orfelia fultoni) larva
ALABAMA: Franklin Co.
Dismals Canyon
5-May-2017
J.C. Abbott & K.K. Abbott
Possibly the weirdest fly I've seen in Europe so far. Seemed to be searching for spots to deposit eggs while ants (www.inaturalist.org/observations/3422529) where swarming.