iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 07/05/2024

May is crab month for #insertaninvert2024 - here, a humble farmer rides his lollypop crab to market.

Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 06/05/2024

I would love to give my children a Covid booster shot but they get it so fast from daycare every three months it’s basically impossible. I can basically schedule it at this point. #covidisnotover #covid

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 06/05/2024

"Choose your own adventure in mental anguish and suffering" WILL YOU -count nearly invisible tarsomeres on a 2mm beetle? Turn to... COLEOPTERA -count individual bristles on a made-up sounding body segment? Turn to... DIPTERA -not be able to ID anything that's not spread? Turn to... LEPIDOPTERA

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 27/04/2024

Managed to snap a few more #Invertefest shots, favorite is definitely this goldenrod leaf mining beetle. #coleoptera #chrysomelidae

A leaf beetle, oblong in shape, mostly red with some metallic green/gold coloration on the elytra.

A leaf beetle, oblong in shape, mostly red with some metallic green/gold coloration on the elytra. From above.

A leaf beetle, oblong in shape, mostly red with some metallic green/gold coloration on the elytra. From below showing tiny white feet.

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 26/04/2024

Want a nice, fact-filled overview of this year's periodical cicada emergence? Here you go #InverteFest 🧪https://entomologytoday.org/2024/04/25/periodical-cicadas-2024-brood-xix-xii-entomologists-prepare-six-week-serenade/

entomologytoday.org

Periodical Cicadas, 2024: Entomologists Prepare for the Six-Week Serenade

Entomologists across the U.S. share their research plans for the much-anticipated—and quite rare—dual emergence of Brood XIII and Brood XIX periodical cicadas in 2024.

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 25/04/2024

My first #Invertefest shot: nice little hover fly cooled down too much to fly away. Probably Allograpta but not sure. iNat Observation here: www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Tiny hover fly sitting on a yellow dandelion.

Tiny hover fly sitting on a yellow dandelion, side shot.

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 14/04/2024

Dear parents of one sick child who insist upon sending them places to spread their disease: Don’t. Sincerely, a parent of twins who just spent a whole week without sleep dealing with dual Upper Respiratory and Ear Infections. #twinparenting #nosleep

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🧌🥛 🏨 @comraderobot.bsky.social · 08/04/2024

HELL YES I GOT IT HOLY SHIT 🔭

Sun blowing up left side of moon with ring visible

Sun just peaking over side brightly for diamond ring effect

Almost total eclipse with solar prominences peaking out like little flames

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Michael Skvarla @napoleonicento.bsky.social · 05/04/2024

Since periodical cicadas are trending again, I've copied a thread I originally posted to Twitter in 2021 that answers the question "How loud would a periodical cicada be if it were the size of an F-35?"

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Colin Purrington @colinpurrington.bsky.social · 02/03/2024

Close-up of a pellucid four-tooth moss (Tetraphis pellucida) showing the disc-shaped propagules (gemmae) that form inside splash cups at the tips of shoots. The species can also reproduce sexually. 🌿 #botany #moss

Closeup of a moss with dozens of cup-shaped apices that are either green or brown, the former being filled with green, disk-shaped gemmae.

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Andrew S. Kelly @askellyphd.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

“CSU Management Walks Out of Bargaining.” So we doing this thing…the California Faculty Association will begin a 5-day, systemwide strike in the Cal State system starting Jan. 22. To be clear, that’s a systemwide strike (23 campuses) in the largest public university system in the county.

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Dr. Rebecca Rooney @girls-can.bsky.social · 07/01/2024

We’ve survived the first week of 2024! Now what’s going to define the year ahead? CICADMANIA of course! Who’s excited for 17 yr and 13 yr cicadas to emerge simultaneously for the first time in 221 y? #cicada #entomology #bugs

Map of eastern US and Great Lakes shows the distribution of periodical cicada broods

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Zach likes bees @zachportman.bsky.social · 03/01/2024

Looks like Dr. Johanne Brunet, of the Brunet bee lab, is finally out from the USDA. This comes years after she left UW Madison in 2019 after they initiated a dismissal for cause. For background see: web.archive.org/web/20230221...

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 03/01/2024

She's so flat 🥹 (forgot to post more grizzled mantis pics from the other day) 🌿

Top view of a flat stubby little lichen-esque mantis

Side view from a lower angle, even flatter

Derpy face of the creature; just bug-eyed, lichen-y, with false pupils staring

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Maxime Dahirel @mdahirel.bsky.social · 01/01/2024

Me, all December: we don't need Spotify Wrapped-like retrospectives for everything, please Also me, January 1st: but #InverteFest Wrapped though?

A figure titled "2023 in #InverteFest observations", showing 3 circular phylogenetic trees, one per InverteFest session on iNaturalist (April, August, December). Parts of each tree representing major taxa are highlighted in various colours. While the proportions are about the same in spring and summer ( three quarters insects, a bit under 10% spiders, a bit under 5% molluscs, I think), the winter tree is more diversified with fewer insects (around 60%) and a higher proportion of molluscs, crustaceans, cnidarians and crustaceans

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

franz @franzanth.bsky.social · 01/01/2024

#InverteFest recap: This is what our map looked like at the end of the event. We had 54 participants upload 1245 different animals, at least 672 of which were unique species. Thank you for everyone who played along! The next event will be in April, which coincides with Northern Hemisphere spring.

screenshot of a world map with red dots marking user locations in Canada, USA, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 01/01/2024

As I deal with twins sick with RSV, this reflection, shared with me by my dad, meant a lot to me. I hope it helps any of you dealing with sick children over the holidays. #RSV

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 28/12/2023

Finally got a chance to go out for #invertefest - not much out even on a warm Tennessee day but was able to find one adult beetle and some stunning translucent fly larvae. Collembola abounded under bark.

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

franz @franzanth.bsky.social · 23/12/2023

We begin on MONDAY. I'll be mostly offline except for #InverteFest stuff. Don't forget to join the iNaturalist project to participate in community science! www.inaturalist.org/projects/inv...

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 05/12/2023

RIGHT NOW, GBIF is highlighting the BEST image/specimen they've EVER highlighted! www.gbif.org to check it out: Screenshot for those who miss it:

A screenshot of gbif.org, showing a monotomid beetle as the featured image of the day.

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

For those of you who like #entodesign this rug is on point. Seriously it has an identifiable #rhipicerid ruggable.com/products/iri...

ruggable.com

Iris Apfel Flutterby Rug

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Reposted by Tommy McElrath

Hillary Monahan @hillarymonahan.bsky.social · 21/11/2023

Posted a meme here from FB that went uncredited in the other place. Folks here shared that it was from @whysharksmatter.bsky.social! So if you liked it, follow him cause it's cool. (I nuked the original cause I couldn't update the alt text to reflect this.)

I am not a toy.
I am not a Christmas present.
I am a 400 year commitment.

Please think hard before you give someone a Greenland Shark this Christmas.

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Tommy McElrath @monotomidae.bsky.social · 21/11/2023

I guess I'm on this place now too? Have a monotomid. #monotomidae #beetles #coleoptera

A picture of Crowsonius meliponae, a nearly blind beetle 2.5 mm long. Small and brown with wrinkled pronotum.

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