iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Chris Wirth

Entomological Collections Network @entcollnet.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Registration for #ECN2026 is NOW OPEN! As well as standard in-person registration, we have discounted rates for online registration, for students and for volunteers. Make the most of our early-bird rates (ending on September 14): ecnweb.net/welcome/meet...

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference!

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Entomological Collections Network @entcollnet.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Do you work with insect collections? Yes?! Then we hope to see you at #ECN2026! 🪲 When: November Friday 6 - Saturday 7, 2026 Where: Columbus Hilton Downtown hotel, Ohio That’s right folks, we’re trialling something new and starting a day earlier than usual. We really hope you can join us!

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Andrew Johnston @andrewjohnston.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Interested in insect macrophotography? If you are in the midwest, think about attending this workshop put on by @ageofarthropods.bsky.social and myself, 2-3 May 2026 cvent.me/qK5bOo

infographic for an insect macrophotography workshop featuring photo of a wasp

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

A perfect beetle indeed-would love to photograph a live one!

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

That's no dull teneb, that is the uncommonly-collected Prateus fusculus, a weird lagriine!

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

On this #tenebtuesday — a favorite teneb (& favorite photo of a heap of 'em), Neomida bicornis (Fabricius, 1777) [Diaperinae: Diaperini]? Their pronotal coloration is variable, from shining metallic green in some beetles to red in others, & the males have two tiny horns!

A heap of small beetles with green elytra and red pronota partly hidden under a piece of bark

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

I’m really coming around on tenebs, you never know what they’re going to come up with next

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

If you’re at #EntSoc25 stop by Portland Ballroom 253 now (2-5pm) for some (great) entomological collections talks, including mine!

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

As a follow-up to my talk at #ECN2025 — here is a parts list for a budget (~$1,500) focus stacking system: www.ccwirth.com/Z-stacking

ccwirth.com

Focus Stacking Systems

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Got to maximize the time photographing specimens-so many bugs, so little time!

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Entomological Collections Network @entcollnet.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

used rubber bands in the alcohol collection? ONE THOUSAND YEARS DUNGEON

Harrowing photos of rubber bands that have failed in their archival duty

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Andrew Johnston @andrewjohnston.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Thinking about buying a macro lens for insect photography? Along with @ageofarthropods.bsky.social we have been testing many options! Our results are summarized in 2 blog posts in the field www.insectid.org/post/macro-l... and in the lab www.insectid.org/post/lab-tes...

insectid.org

Macro Lens Comparison in the Field

As I continue to dive deeper into insect macrophotography, I have been exploring lens options and fallen down many YouTube rabbit holes and read probably hundreds of photography blogs and customer rev...

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Entomological Collections Network @entcollnet.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Just ONE WEEK until #ECN2025! 🪲 Head to the website to check out the full program: ecnweb.net/welcome/meet... This year’s program cover features a beautiful Rain beetle (Pleocoma sp.). Photograph courtesy of @ageofarthropods.bsky.social & the Purdue Entomological Research Collection.

Program cover for the 2025 Entomological Collections Network meeting, feature a beautifully fluffy Pleocoma specimen. Meeting taking place November 8-9, in Portland, Oregon.

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

And this #TenebTuesday an answer (at last!)—this is the rarely collected Prateus fusculus LeConte, 1862, a member of the subfamily Lagriinae & type genus of the recently-established tribe Prateini (Aalbu et al. 2023)

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

A mystery teneb for this #TenebTuesday — specimen collected by Charles Dury in Cincinnati &, until last month, was only identified as "'Tenebrionidae unknown' teste [George Henry] Horn" — any guesses?

A reddish-brown beetle specimen with moderately long antennae and two labels reading "Cin. O. / V-28-[?]" and "'Tenebrionidae / unknown' teste Horn"

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Found this cartoonish monstrosity of a specimen preparation while sorting through drawers of unidentified flies in @purdueentcoll.bsky.social !

Six flies minuten-pinned in an uneven row on the edge of a piece of card stock!

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Andrew Johnston @andrewjohnston.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Want to set up your own photo-stacking imaging system for under $3000? This post which outlines all the off-the-shelf items I used this year along with some recommendations for how to use it. Planning to talk about this at @entcollnet.bsky.social this November, too! www.insectid.org/post/focus-s...

insectid.org

Focus-stacking photography: Building your own system

Ten years ago, Alex Wild published a guide on Scientific American on how to make your own focus-stacking system for under $6000. I can't seem to find that post any more, just some secondary posts with...

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

But this is going to be yet another area where the taxonomists who did all the work to set up the species and the traits to identify them don't get paid. Even as many are retiring or losing their jobs, the resources get diverted away from expertise to the tech sector instead.

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Spotted this “stack” of specimens collected by Charles Dury in 1904 at the Cincinnati Museum Center-upon turning over, I was surprised gold-colored corrosion(?) on the underside

A pin bearing several strips of paper with beetles neatly glued to them and text reading “Cin. O. 6-12-[190]4”

The underside of the pin and paper strips showing a patch of gold-colored corrosion

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

And for #TenebTuesday here’s Strongylium crenatum Mäklin, 1867—this species is widespread in the southeastern US, but can separated from the other co-occurring Strongylium by its iridescent green coloration, punctate elytral striae, & indistinct, crenate pronotal margins

A green and brown beetle with punctate elytra on a white background

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

For #WeevilWednesday — a 106-year-old specimen of an anthribid, Toxonotus fascicularis (Schönherr 1833), described by its collector, Willis Blatchley, as "a prettily marked medium sized anthribid frequent on the dead branches" of saffron plum, Sideroxylon celastrinum.

A pinned specimen of a grey-brown-and-white-mottled fungus weevil with very long antennae and tufts of setae on its pronotum and elytra

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Doyen & Lawrence (1979) note “Edrotes [Pimeliinae: Edrotini] (North America) & Epiphysa [Pimeliinae: Adesmiini] (southern Africa) are strikingly similar in external appearance [but] major differences in endoskeletal features, mouthparts & genitalia refute a close relationship" #TenebrionidTricky

A grey-black round beetle, missing an antenna, with yellow setae along the junction of its head and pronotum sitting on the ground

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Back from an end-of-semester-hiatus here's Epiphysa ciliata Bates, 1872 (Pimeliinae: Adesmiini) for this #TenebTuesday —1 of 9 distinctively globose spp found across arid southern Africa. They are “crepuscular to nocturnal,” retreating to “rocky crevices or mammal burrows” in the day (Penrith 1978)

A grey-black round beetle with yellow setae along the junction of its head and pronotum sitting on the ground

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

It is-given the small amount, leave for now-have more pressing specimens to repair!

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

This specimen has been in @purdueentcoll.bsky.social for nearly 130 years — but has only two minute labels reading "Marquette, Michigan" & "H.G.H." [Henry Guernsey Hubbard] — Hubbard collected extensively in the Lake Superior region in 1876 (Mallis 1971), making this specimens over 149 years old!

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Back from an unintended break — for this #TenebTuesday here's very typical (looking) #tenebrionid — Bouchardandrus concolor (LeConte, 1866), only species in the genus & only known to from the Great Lakes region of Canada (MB ON QC) & US (MI MN OH WI) (Steiner 2016, Bousquet et al. 2018)

A dorsal view of a pinned darkling beetle specimen with black body/appendages, punctate pronotum and striate elytra

A ventral view of a pinned darkling beetle specimen with black and red-tinted body, black appendages, and tufts of golden setae on tarsi

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Exquisite! An identical model in the Essig Museum is labeled as made by Louis Auzoux around 1850

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

On this #TenebTuesday an excellent #tenebrionid — a species of Trogloderus (Blaptinae: Amphidorini) — the nine distinctively sculptured species are restricted to sandy areas & dunes in the western United States.

A brown beetle with ridged elytra and tuberculate pronotum sitting on light orange sand

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

From a warm night last fall—several Marbled Fungus Weevils, Euparius marmoreus (Olivier, 1795), at fungus on a fallen tree—these individuals show some of the variation in size & color common in this species!

Three blotchily-patterned beetles on flat, white-yellow fungus

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

The setae (hair-like structures) on the elytra are soft! But the specimens are small enough that I’ve only touched with forceps when cleaning or repairing

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

For this #TenebTuesday a deceptive #tenebrionid — Nilio (Linio) lanatus Germar, 1824 from Bahia, Brazil. Nilio adults & larvae (& sometimes aggregations of either or both stages!) can be found on trunks & branches of trees, where they have been observed feeding on fungus & lichens #Coletopera

A dorsal view of double-mounted (pinned) specimen of a beetle with an orange head and pronotum and elytra covered in light/off-grey setae that form patterns

A lateral view of double-mounted (pinned) specimen of a beetle with an orange head and pronotum and elytra covered in light/off-grey setae that form patterns

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

A pair of myrmecophilus crickets, Myrmecophilus pergandei Bruner, 1884, collected September 6, 1902 in Crawford County, Indiana by W.S. Blatchley—such cool insects! #Orthoptera

Two brown-orange wingless crickets preserved on (glued to) the same point

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

And for this #TenebTuesday here's the distinctively diminutive, setose Eleodes barbata Wickham, 1918 (Blaptinae: Amphidorini)—the species is found in the Four-Corners region of the Colorado Plateau (AZ, CO, NM, & UT)—this beetle was voraciously nibbling on a dry blade of grass!

A brown, setose beetle nibbling on a dry blade of grass against an sandy orange background

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

It's #TenebTuesday! This large (>2 cm), intricately sculptured #tenebrionid from Malawi is Catamerus revoili Fairmaire, 1887 (Lagriinae: Pycnocerini)—the 19 Pycnocerini genera are largely found in tropical Africa, w/ 3 in the Philippines, Indonesia, & Malaysia (Schawaller 2003)

A view of the head and pronotum of large blue beetle specimen

A top-down view of a large blue beetle specimen with wrinkled elytra

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

For this late night #TenebTuesday here's a hand-colored plate of #tenebrionids from Lacordaire's monumental Genera des Coléoptères—this collection of twelve plates and text explanations was still in their original paper wrappers!

An plate illustrating five brown to black tenebrionid beetles (in the genera Salax, Edrotes, Triorophus, and Calyptopsis), with line drawings of head, palp, and antennal details

A green paper cover with text reading "SUITES A BUFFON, PLANCHES, 5 Livraison, INSECTES, COLÉOPTÈRES. PARIS, A LA LIBRAIRIE ENCYCLOPÉDIQUE DE RORET. Rue Hautefeuille, N°12"

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Adult & larval forked fungus beetles (family Tenebrionidae) are found on/in shelf fungus across the eastern U.S. & Canada—& despite their appearance they can fly! #TenebTuesday

A bumpy brown beetle with two rounded pronotal horns sitting on a white and brown shelf fungus.

A bumpy brown beetle sitting on a white sheet.

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

And before another #TenebTuesday is over—this is Bolitotherus cornutus (Fabricius, 1801) [Tenebrioninae: Bolitophagini], THE Forked Fungus Beetle! Males have a distinctive pair of curved, forward-pointing pronotal horns—zoom in to see the mites & pscoid on the pronotum & elytra! #Coleoptera

A bumpy brown beetle with two rounded pronotal horns sits on a white and brown shelf fungus.

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

For #TenebTuesday here is a species of the genus Eurychora (Pimeliinae: Adelostomini) from Namibia—note the waxy, filamentous cuticular pruinescence & how it accumulates detritus to camouflage the beetle! #Coleoptera

A flattened, black beetle with its pronotum and elytra covered in white waxy pruinescence and grains of sand.

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Reposted by Chris Wirth

The Coleopterists Society @coleopsoc.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

#Proposals or #nominations for our honors, #awards, and #grants are due on March 1. More info and requirements at www.coleopsoc.org/society-info...

Advetisement: Most Honors, Awards, and Grants offered by The Coleopterists Society are due on March 1.
To learn more visit https://www.coleopsoc.org/society-info/prizes-and-awards/
Bottom row decorated with anterior region of beetles: Leiodidae, Carabidae, Cerambycidae

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

For a belated #TenebTuesday — this is Polemiotus submetallicus (LeConte, 1854) [Pimeliinae: Epitragini] from a light sheet in Arizona this summer. The only species in the genus, this large, elongate, flighted #tenebrionid is found in Arizona & nw Mexico & recognizable by its distinctive head shape!

A line drawing showing the distinctively-shaped head of Polemiotus submetallicus

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

It's #TenebTuesday! The tiny #tenebrionids on this intriguing two for one "point" are Soemias minuta Champion, 1884 (Pimeliinae: Edrotini), from Tabasco, Mexico #Coleoptera #Tenebrionidae

Two small beetle specimens glued to a T-shaped "point"

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Yes and yes! With >2,300 valid genera (and >760 valid subgenera) the tenebs have quite a few good names!

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Thanks! They really are beautiful—such intricate pronotal and elytral sculpturing in this genus/tribe!

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Chris Wirth @ageofarthropods.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

It’s #TenebTuesday! Another “pancaked” #Adelostomini —Stips sp.—photographed at night near Gobabeb Namib Research Institute. The adult beetles spend the days buried in the sand, emerging at night to forage on the dunes. #Coleoptera #Tenebrionidae

A flattened/circular, dark brown beetle, with three raised ridges on its elytra, sitting on orange sand

A flattened/circular, dark brown beetle, with three raised ridges on its elytra, burrowing into orange sand

A ventral view of a flattened/circular, dark brown beetle with legs held tightly against its body

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