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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

A polka-dotted Assassin bug (Heniartes spp.) hunting on a leaf in central Amazonas, Brazil #insects #bugoftheday #42

An orange assassin bug with white dots (Heniartes spp.) strutting on a leaf

flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

A Cobalt Milkweed Beetle (Chrysochus cobaltinus) meets a European Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) on a Showy Milkweed flower in southern Idaho #insects #bugoftheday #41

A metallic blue Cobalt Milkweed Beetle (Chrysochus cobaltinus) and a Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) on a Showy Milkweed inflorescence (Asclepias speciosa). The Honey Bee is after the copious nectar these flowers produce, while the beetle is more interested in eating the flowers themselves.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

An Arrowhead Orbweaver (Verrucosa arenata) spotted in Costa Rica #spiders #bugoftheday #40

Arrowhead Orbweaver (Verrucosa arenata) with a white and black arrowhead shaped body hanging in its web in Costa Rica

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

A Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) nectaring from a Narrowleaf Milkweed inflorescence #insects #bugoftheday #39

A Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) hanging off of and drinking from a flower of Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

A Mediterranean Mantis (Iris oratoria) hanging out on my bike tire in Davis, California #insects #bugoftheday #38

A Mediterranean Mantis (Iris oratoria) hanging upside-down from a bike tire

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Large Brown Cicada (Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata) molts on a tree branch, spotted last August in Kyoto, Japan #insects #bugoftheday #37

Five cicada molts on the end of a tree branch in the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

A predatory ground beetle (Opisthius richardsoni) found hunting on the banks of the Queets river on the Olympic peninsula #insects #bugoftheday #36

The ground beetle Opisthius richardsoni resting on the mud bank of the Queets river

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

A Crethon Daggerwing (Marpesia crethon) puddling on the bank of the Rio Nushino in eastern Ecuador #insects #bugoftheday #35

A Crethon Daggerwing (Marpesia crethon) drinking from a sand beach

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

A giant Silk Moth (Rothschildia sp.) attracted to a light trap in the cloud forest in central Ecuador #insects #bugoftheday #34

A giant Silk Moth (Rothschildia sp.) with transparent windows in each wing hanging on to a wire at a light trap

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

A well camouflaged wandering spider (Gephyroctenus sp.), spotted in Amazonas, Brazil. #arachnids #bugoftheday #33

A green wandering spider (Gephyroctenus sp.) resting in green moss on the side of a tree

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

This is certainly one way to use citations

A screenshot from a paper with a sentence that reads "In total, our database contained 412,452 vegetation plots", followed by ~130 in-text citations

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Duponchel's Sphinx (Cocytius duponchel) resting on the ground after visiting a blacklight in the Brazilian Amazon near Manaus. #insects #bugoftheday #32

Duponchel's Sphinx (Cocytius duponchel) resting on sandy ground. Wingspan is ~11cm

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

A Broad-shouldered Leaf Beetle (Platyphora sp.) spotted in Amazonas, Brazil. This genus tends to sequester toxins from the plants they eat, so probably would not taste very good #insects #bugoftheday #31

A Broad-shouldered Leaf Beetle (Platyphora
sp.) with brown and white stripes resting on my hand

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

A male Longhorn bee (Melissodes sp.) nectaring on Rubber Rabbitbrush. Bees in this tribe (Eucerini) get their name from the males' distinctive long antennae #insects #bugoftheday #30

A male Longhorn bee (Melissodes sp.) on a yellow rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) inflorescence

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

A Cactus Chimney Bee (Diadasia sp.) peaking out of a prickly pear flower #insects #bugoftheday #29

A Cactus Chimney Bee (Diadasia sp) after foraging in a pink prickly pear flower (Opuntia sp.)

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

A Snail-eating Beetle (Scaphinotus sp.) spotted in Redwoods National Park on the Pacific coast #insects #bugoftheday #28

A Snail-eating Beetle in the genus Scaphinotus walking on a rotten log

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

A Bicolored Snakefly (Agulla bicolor) resting on a Balsamroot flower #insects #bugoftheday #28

The Snakefly Agulla bicolor resting on the flowerhead of an Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

A Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) Sunning on a leaf, and some nearby graffiti #insects #bugoftheday #27

A brown and yellow Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) resting on a leaf in the sun

A sharpie drawing of a dragonfly with the text "dragon zone" under it, drawn on a nearby footbridge

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

A pair of Shoulder-streaked Firetips (Pyrrhopyge papius), spotted on the side of the road near Cosanga, Ecuador #insects #bugoftheday #26

Two Shoulder-streaked Firetips (Pyrrhopyge papius) with black wings and red racing stripes

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

A female Leafcutter bee (Megachile sp.) feeding from Rubber Rabbitbrush. Unlike honey bees and their relatives which gather pollen on their legs, Leafcutters collect pollen on the undersides of their abdomens - very visible here! #insects #bugoftheday #25

Leaf cutter bee (Megachile sp., likely subgenus Megachiloides) on Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa).

She hold her abdomen up in the air when drinking nectar, giving us a nice view of all the pollen suck to its underside

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

An iridescent Long-Legged fly (Condylostylus sp.) resting on a leaf in Costa Rica #insects #bugoftheday #24

A Long-Legged fly in the genus Condylostylus with an iridescent green body, standing on a leaf

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Flower Longhorn Beetle (Grammoptera subargentata) feeding on Anemone pollen by the edge of the Puget Sound, Washington #insects #bugoftheday #23

A longhorn beetle (Grammoptera subargentata) feeding on pollen from a pink Anemone flower

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Terrible day for both my space heater and electric kettle to break. at least the snow is pretty

Macrophotography of a snowbank in the sun, with light catching large ice crystals

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Sachem (Atalopedes campestris) feeding from Curlycup Gumweed. Photo taken at the northern edge of their summer range #insects #bugoftheday #22

A male Field Skipper (called Sachem in the US, Atalopedes campestris) feeding from Curlycup Gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa)

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Finally made it to Saturday after a very long week. Here's twin Silk-moth caterpillars (Gamelia sp.) feeding on a reed near the Napo river, Ecuador #insects #bugoftheday #21

Two green and spiny caterpillars in the genus Gamelia, feeding on opposite sides of the same leaf

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

A Leaf Katydid in the genus Quiva, found in the lowland rainforest of eastern Ecuador #insects #bugoftheday #20

A large, grey and green katydid with striped antennae, resting on a wood table.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Excellent advice from the Book of the Dead for repelling beetles. Found in this article on ancient Egyptian pest management: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Text reads: "Chapter 36 offers a formula to repel the so-called apshai - insect, which states: “Begone from me, O Crooked-lips! I am Khnum, Lord of Shen, who dispatches the words of the gods to Ra, and I report affairs to their master” (Taylor 2010). Illustrations associated with this spell (e.g., Fig. 6) show the creature to be an exceptionally large beetle, which the deceased threatens with a knife or impales
with a spear (its “crooked lips” thus possibly alluding to the asymmetrical biting cusps of coleoptera or the transverse movement of their mandibles when chewing; Chapman 2003)."

A man brandishes a knife against a dog sized insect (with eight legs!), which appears to be a beetle. From the Book of the Dead; Tomb of Nakht,

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Male Sharptail Bee (Coelioxys sp.) nectaring on Narrowleaf milkweed. Bees in this genus are kleptoparasites - laying their eggs in other bees' nests instead of caring for them on their own. #insects #bugoftheday #19

Male Sharptail bee (Coelioxys sp.) on narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis). Males are recognizable from the curved spines at the end of the abdomen. Females have "sharp", almost conical, final segments to their abdomens

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Caterpillar of the Salt Marsh Moth (Estigmene acrea) feeding on Asparagus near Davis, California. #insects #bugoftheday #18

An orange and black Salt Marsh Moth caterpillar on a branch of asparagus.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

A White-cheeked Carpenter bee (Xylocopa aestuans), defending his territory in an urban garden in Singapore. Photos came out surprisingly well, considering I only had a wide-angle lens! #insects #bugoftheday #17

A White-cheeked Carpenter bee (Xylocopa aestuans). Females are black with golden backs, while males like this are entirely gold

He spent long periods of time hovering over this one bush, looking for other insects to chase out of his territory

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Thinking back on this chilly day to these Dead Man's Fingers (or one of the many Xylaria sp. that look like them) spotted in a narrow ravine by the Napo river, Ecuador #mushroommonday

Black mushrooms with white tips (Xylaria sp.) growing from a mossy log

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

A Northern #Scorpion (Paruroctonus boreus) spotted by Mono lake, California. #bugoftheday #16

Northern Scorpion (Paruroctonus boreus) on the sand

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

A male thread-waisted wasp (Astata sp.) cooling off on the mud near a waterfall in the Sierra Nevadas. #insects #bugoftheday #15

Astata wasp puddling in mud. Males of this genus are recognizable from their very large eyes which meet at the top of their heads

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

Happy #Spidersaturday! Here's a Golden Silk Spider (Trichonephila clavipes) in her web. Also note the tiny male in the upper frame #spiders #bugoftheday #14

A large Golden Silk Spider (Trichonephila clavipes) female and tiny male. The name comes from the gold color of the silk they produce, not the color of the spiders themselves.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

A large flock of Statira Sulphurs (Phoebis statira) puddling together near the Rio Negro in Brazil. Also a few bonus Apricot Sulphurs (Phoebis argante) mixed in. #insects #bugoftheday #13

yellow-green Statira Sulphurs (Phoebis statira) puddling for nutrients

The entire congregation of butterflies, about 3ft by 4ft in size

Butterflies in flight after being disturbed - most return to puddling within a few minutes. The water here is a small inlet off the Rio Negro, the river itself is about the width of the Pudget Sound at this point.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

A Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) resting on a branch of Antelope Bitterbrush. #insects #bugoftheday #12

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) on antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata). A very common Lycaenid butterfly in the great basin, but very charismatic!

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Just learned about these fantastic photos by David and Marian Farichild from 1914. One of the earliest examples of #macrophotography, taken with 50 to 80 second exposures and a 20ft long lens extender. Gallery here: pdimagearchive.org/galleries/ar...

“The robber fly” - Asilid species, face on

“A centipede” - slightly coiled centipede, head on

“A solitary leaf-cutting bee” - Megachile sp., face on

Marian Fairchild sits at one end of a 20ft long camera as David and assistant position a specimen at the other end. The caption reads "The long camera with which the monsters were taken"

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

A Tarantula Hawk (Pepsis sp., likely P. grossa) nectaring from Horsetail Milkweed outside of Sedona, Arizona. #insects #bugoftheday #11

A large black tarantula hawk wasp with orange wings (Pepsis sp.) feeding from flowers of Horsetail milkweed (Asclepias subverticillata)

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

An Orchid Bee (Euglossa sp., possibly E. imperialis) visiting some field equipment in Costa Rica. One of my favorite bee tribes! #insects #bugoftheday #10

An iridescent Orchid Bee (Euglossa sp.) on a piece of white foam

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

A striped walkingstick (Acanthoclonia sp.) spotted on a fern in the cloud forest in Ecuador. About 8cm long. #insects #bugoftheday #9

A spiny, bark-colored walkingstick (Acanthoclonia sp.) climbing on a mossy fern leaf.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

An exquisitely spiny Harvestman (Phareicranaus manauara) from Amazonas, Brazil. One of the many #arachnids that glow under UV. First image is 365nm, second 395, third is its actual color. #bugoftheday #8

Harvestman at 365nm UV, showing glowing spines and bands. The moss it's crawling on also appears red at this wavelength

Same individual at 395nm. Some of the light bleeds through into the visible range at this wavelength, so appears much more blue

Same individual under white light. leg-span is easily 4 inches.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Common Morpho (Morpho helenor) caterpillar feeding in lowland rainforest in eastern Ecuador #insects #bugoftheday #7

A spiny Morpho caterpillar on a stem. Toxins sequestered from the host plant in this life-stage will persist into adulthood.

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

One of my favorite #isopods, a Sleepy Seaslater (Ligia pallasii) from the Pacific coast of Washington. Big enough to feel like a modern day trilobite #bugoftheday #6

A Sealaster on a barnacle and mussel encrusted rock. Typically only exposed like this at exceptionally low tides

Holding the Seaslater in my hand. About 3 inches long from toe to tip

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

O' to be this gnome and not have to worry about writing grant proposals

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

A little Golden dung beetle (Phelotrupes auratus) in the leaf litter on Mount Daimonji, near Kyoto, Japan. About 1.5cm long. #insects #bugoftheday #5

A metallic earth boring dung beetle, Phelotrupes auratus ssp. auratus, crawling on some dead leaves

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

California Spreadwing (Archilestes californicus) chowing down on what I believe is a Braconid wasp in the tribe Agathidini. These wasps are all over rabbitbrush in the summer, presumably looking for hosts to lay eggs in, so they're not uncommon prey-items for the local aerial hunters #bugoftheday #4

A spreadwing damselfly resting on a branch of rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) with a red and black insect in its mouth

A parasitoid wasp in the tribe Agathidini, walking on a rabbitbrush flower as it hunts for hosts

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Tiny, thumbnail-sized, immature Liturgusid mantis I spotted off the Rio Tumbira in Amazonas, Brazil last year. Most mantises in this family are lichen mimics, but this one was perfectly camouflaged on the white sand beach it was hunting on #insects #bugoftheday #3

A thumbnail sized, white and black striped Liturgusid mantis sitting on my thumbnail

A white sand beach off a tributary of the Rio Negro. White sand ecosystems can be found along many of the rivers of the Amazon and are habitat to unique plant and insect communities distinct from the more "jungle-y" portions of the rainforest

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Love these bonnet mushrooms (Mycena sp.) in their tiny moss jungles. This one was about about a centimeter tall #mushroommonday

A tiny bonnet mushroom growing from the side of a tree and surrounded by tufts of moss

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

#bugoftheday #2 is a longhorn-cuckoo bee in the genus Triepeolus. These bees are kleptoparaistic, laying their eggs in the nests of other bees (typically Eucerine bees) and feeding on their pollen provisions

Longhorn-cuckoo Bee (Triepeolus sp.) feeding on Rubber-Rabitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)

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flollop.bsky.social @flollop.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Cold and dreary out and the summer insects are feeling especially far away today, so I'm going to start posting some pics from last year until the bees start flying again (and maybe after) Here's #bugoftheday #1 - A Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) photographed in the Sierra Nevada

A Lorquin's Admiral on a leaf, endemic to the western USA and south-west corner of Canada

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