iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 25/09/2026

I'm not one to air my family issues online. I lost my cousin George to fentanyl. He was as smart and capable as I was, but the troubles of life led him to drugs instead of a career. If life had treated him differently, he would have accomplished something great. We weren't different. I was lucky.

A vintage studio portrait of George as a young boy, smiling at the camera. He has light brown hair with a fringe and wears a maroon knit shirt with a pink collar and buttons, against a plain brown backdrop.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 15/09/2026

You'll see the first results here of my mounting media testing. It's a laelapid mite. I am not satisfied with how dark the specimen is. Even after slide mounting, under the microscope the specimen is not clear and not really quite visible. It's a bit disappointing. #bugsky #inverts 🌿🧪

Transmitted light microscope image of a laelapid mite mounted on a slide, dorsal view. The body is a deep orange brown and heavily sclerotised, so dark that internal structure obscures the dorsal shield outline. Long, sparsely spined legs radiate from the body. The specimen is not fully cleared and detail is hard to resolve.

A small orange brown mite suspended in a bright yellow droplet of mounting medium on top of a cover slip viewed at low magnification. The mite is pale and semi transparent here, with all eight legs spread out and visible against the yellow field. A few flecks of debris sit in the medium.

A microscope stage seen from above, with a slide bearing a single domed droplet of yellow mounting medium under a round coverslip. The objective is out of focus above it. A red box labelled Microscope Slides Frosted sits in the background.

Three small orange brown mites before transferring to mounting media in lactic acid on a white background seen through a microscope eyepiece, the circular field of view surrounded by black. Two mites sit close together at upper left, a third smaller one at lower right. Legs and body outlines are clear against the pale background.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 14/09/2026

First step in using the Thinozercon Project to bring people into the world of mites: I have been testing a way to democratise mite ID. What if I could make a slide mounting medium out of relatively non toxic cosmetic chemicals off Amazon? These images are the first results. #entomology #bugsky 🧪🌿

High magnification view of an oribatid mite through a circular microscope field, the dark edge of the eyepiece framing the image. The rear of the amber notogaster sits at upper left and the gnathosoma fills the centre, with the chelicerae extended and their toothed chelae visible. Legs radiate to the right and lower left, individual segments, claws and long fine setae resolved sharply against the pale background.

Whole mite mounted on a microscope slide, photographed down the eyepiece. The body is a translucent amber oval roughly egg shaped, with eight legs splayed out around it and the mouthparts and chelicerae projecting forward at the top. Paired rounded coxal plates show through the cuticle in the front half of the body. A clump of granular yellow gut content or debris sits beside the right hand legs. The background is pale grey with scattered specks of dust and air bubbles in the medium.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 06/09/2026

New Thinozercon trip in Wales. This time a very successful trip with LOTS of amazing little critters. Everything from Crustaceans, Hemiptera and velvet mites in one location. Wales has such amazing #ukwildlife 🌿🧪 #inverts #bugsky #entomology Blog here: rosariolebronentomology.com/thinozercon/...

A pale, translucent Corophium amphipod in side view, walking across wet grey estuarine mud on its long banded antennae and front legs, with glistening sediment in the background.

A bright red velvet mite, plush and densely furred, walking over coarse damp sand mixed with tiny shell fragments and strands of green algae.

A small orange-brown predatory mesostigmatid mite with a smooth, glossy oval body, standing on rippled wet mud, its pale forelegs extended ahead like feelers.

A slate-blue sea springtail, Anurida maritima, its plump segmented body covered in fine white hairs, crawling across shiny waterlogged mud, with a much smaller pale springtail visible below.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 06/09/2026

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 02/09/2026

I was a wee little hoodlum from North Philadelphia. I knew nothing about entomology or arachnology until the kind people at ANSP took me in and let me work in their collection. They are the reason a young, poor Puerto Rican broke into the field. This is a travesty. I would not be here without them.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 30/08/2026

Bracelet Bay / Mumbles "expedition" in #Wales. I couldn't pass up posting these additional photos. Amphipods, a crab, more of the lovely Anurida springtails in magnification, and one of my favourite inverts, a great photo of a chiton! Best mollusc ever. #inverts #bugsky #invertefest #ukwildlife

A Lepidochitona chiton on damp, pale grey rock at low tide. The oval mollusc is seen from above, showing its eight overlapping shell plates in mottled green, olive and brown, ringed by a speckled girdle with a finely fringed edge. Coarse sand grains, shell fragments and a small piece of red seaweed lie scattered on the rock around it, with a few grains resting on its back.

A European green crab, Carcinus maenas, facing the camera on sunlit pale rock, seen from slightly above and in front. Its carapace is glossy olive green and brown with a toothed front edge, and its dark stalked eyes are raised. It holds a bright red, branching scrap of seaweed up to its mouthparts with one claw, and its walking legs are braced against the rough rock surface.

Close up of a loose group of about eight translucent amphipods on wet brown sediment. The small shrimp like crustaceans lie in the typical curled, side lying posture, their segmented bodies and pale legs visible through the transparent shell. Bits of shell and dark debris are scattered across the wet surface around them.

Extreme close up of a single slate blue springtail, Anurida, on wet sand, viewed from above and behind. Its plump, segmented body is covered in short pale hairs, and its stubby antennae and short legs are visible at the front. It sits among rounded quartz sand grains in shades of amber, white and grey, with pale shell fragments nearby.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 30/08/2026

Another fun day searching for my cryptid mite. I don't think this is the right kind of habitat, but maybe the springtails are a clue towards what we are looking for? Could they unlock what we are trying to find? 🌿🧪 #bugsky #inverts Full blog here: rosariolebronentomology.com/thinozercon/...

A wide rocky shore at low tide under a broken grey sky. Dark, deeply fissured rock stretches to a calm sea, cut by narrow channels and pools holding clear water and fringes of brown wrack. A lone bird flies high at upper right.

A long, narrow tide pool running between pale limestone weathered into honeycomb shapes. The still water reflects the sky, and its floor is carpeted in bright green seaweed with tufts of dark red wrack along the left edge.

A chiton resting in a thin film of water on wet, algae stained rock. The oval mollusc shows eight ribbed, grey green shell plates with a dark reddish brown flank, surrounded by scattered shell fragments and a small snail at its edge.

Extreme close up of a slate blue springtail on pale, water covered shell fragments and quartz like sand grains. Its plump, segmented body bristles with fine pale hairs, and its thick, stubby antennae reach forward mid stride.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 24/08/2026

Almost at MiteOS v1, a compact, cheap data recorder at around £100/$140. It captures GPS and sensor state, adds written or voice notes, then saves the record and a spreadsheet. Made for the Thinozercon Project to test ideas for my larger Wales PhD work.🧪 rosariolebronentomology.com/miteos/ #inverts

A compact white M5Stack Cardputer ADV running MiteOS on a wooden table. A waterproof metal temperature probe, coloured sensor wires, GNSS and LoRa module, and USB cable are connected. The small screen displays the MiteOS readiness menu.

Close view of MiteOS running on a white M5Stack Cardputer ADV with a miniature physical keyboard. The screen shows readiness checks for the SD card, probe, GPS, system, and charging mode. A GNSS and LoRa module sits above the screen, with an M5 Stamp S3 board connected on the right.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 23/08/2026

New entry to the field log. With a promising turn of events in our search. A massive number of the "right" kind of mites near where the specimens were found. Will we locate it? Or will I become very fit from lugging my macro equipment around? Only time will tell 🧪🌿 #bugsky #entomology #inverts

rosariolebronentomology.com

The Field Log | The Lost Mite of the Irish Sea

Where the hunt has looked, what was found, and where it goes next.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 23/08/2026

rosariolebronentomology.com

The Field Log | The Lost Mite of the Irish Sea

Where the hunt has looked, what was found, and where it goes next.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 19/08/2026

A mite last seen 39 years ago. We will be walking the Welsh shore looking for it, and posting as we go. The site now has a live blog, a map of everywhere we have searched, and a Welsh option. I can't speak Welsh, but this is Wales. It needed a Welsh option. Thinozercon is out there. #inverts 🧪

Screenshot of the Lost Mite of the Irish Sea website on a phone, styled like a page from an old book: cream paper, a brown double ruled border, antique serif type. A bar across the top holds a Contents button, a CY button for Welsh, and an Aa button for text size. The title reads The Lost Mite of the Irish Sea, above the line Ireland, 1915 · Wales, 1987 · Then the record goes silent. The italic paragraph below reads: The hunt for one of the strangest and most mysterious arachnids of the Irish Sea shore. First found on Irish shores in 1915, then recorded once more in Wales in 1987 by Swansea researchers working in Milford Haven on a study part funded by the oil industry. Thinozercon has not been seen since. The Hunt for Thinozercon intends to change that.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 17/08/2026

I'm hunting for a "cryptid", but with tiny feet. I've launched a website about the creature. Are you a naturalist, #entomology , #arachnid or general invertebrate enthusiast around #swansea and #wales? Do you have a free weekend day in the UK? I'd love for you to come along. More on the website 🧪

rosariolebronentomology.com

The Lost Mite of the Irish Sea: Have you seen this mite?

Found in Ireland, 1915. Found in Wales, 1987. Lost since. A one millimetre cryptid of the Irish Sea shores, and a weekend hunt to find it again.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 17/08/2026

rosariolebronentomology.com

The Lost Mite of the Irish Sea: Have you seen this mite?

Found in Ireland, 1915. Found in Wales, 1987. Lost since. A one millimetre cryptid of the Irish Sea shores, and a weekend hunt to find it again.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 05/08/2026

When people think of insects, we often picture relatively large animals wandering about. In reality, most ecosystems are dominated by tiny organisms like these thrips (family Phlaeothripidae), and it's these overlooked creatures that make up the bulk of biodiversity. #entomology #bugsky 🧪🌿

Macro photo of two slender, dark thrips (family Phlaeothripidae) on the decaying, crumbly surface of a rotting log. Their narrow, elongated bodies show segmented abdomens tapering to the tube-like tip characteristic of the family. The scene is rich brown, scattered with soil, wood fibre and fungal debris, with a tiny reddish millipede blurred in the top-right corner.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 05/08/2026

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 15/07/2026

HAH! People tell me all the time, "you need to go to fancy tropical places to find cool #hemiptera." Nay I say, Nay. This common froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) was from a random park in Wales. Wales and the UK have cool bugs too. You just have to look. #entomology #bugsky

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 14/07/2026

I really wish I remembered what exactly this was. I photographed it when I was invited to the Natural History Museum (@nhm-london.bsky.social), London, and it became one of the many collection images I never properly labelled. Remember, folks: labelling is important. #hemiptera #entomology #bugsky 🌿

Close up macro photograph of an unidentified insect specimen facing the camera on a white surface. It has very large dark compound eyes, long thin antennae, a dark segmented abdomen, and wings spread on either side. The right forewing is patterned with mottled cream and dark brown markings, while the other wings fade into the shallow focus of the background. One long orange and black leg extends towards the upper right corner.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 13/07/2026

Ah, my old arch nemesis. The Scymnus genus beetle larva. See, people will swear up and down this is a mealybug or a pseudococcidae. It is not! It is a tiny predatory ladybird. This one is on the way to the peak of Vesuvius in Italy. #bugsky #entomology #coleoptera

A tiny Scymnus ladybird larva rests on a slender green flower stem, its body cloaked in a dense coat of pale blue-grey waxy filaments that give it a woolly, mealybug-like appearance. Segmentation shows through the wax as a series of raised ridges along its back, with darker legs just visible beneath. The stem belongs to a flowering dock (Rumex), whose winged red and yellow-green fruiting valves surround the larva in soft focus. The background is a warm, blurred wash of tan and olive, with sunlight catching the fine dew on the stems

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

The Ommatidium Project @entofacet.org · 09/07/2026

Coming soon: The Ommatidium Project, a better front door to #entomology and invertebrate science. For the curious: somewhere to ask when you do not know who to contact. For entomologists: cleaner requests with clear limits, and impact evidence for your documentation in return. entofacet.org

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 06/07/2026

A hoverfly (syrphidae) I found on my windowsill after its demise. Never going to pass up an opportunity to pin and take a closeup of a critter face. #entomology #bugsky #diptera 🌿 #ukwildlife

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 06/07/2026

A hoverfly (syrphidae) I found on my windowsill after its demise. Never going to pass up an opportunity to pin and take a closeup of a critter face. #entomology #bugsky #diptera 🌿 #ukwildlife

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 26/06/2026

A tiny weevil in Wales for your Friday. Look at that little snout. 🌿 #bugsky #weevils #coleoptera #entomology #ukwildlife

Macro photograph of a small weevil perched on a reddish green plant bud. The weevil has a long curved snout, dark rounded body, black legs, and dense cream and black scales across its head and thorax, giving it a patterned, almost furry appearance. One front leg is raised as if it is stepping forward. The plant surface is glossy and uneven, with burgundy and green tones. The background is a soft blurred green, making the weevil stand out clearly in the center of the image.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 02/06/2026

I have never seen this many anystids (whirligig mites) in my life. These fast reddish predators climb plant stems and tree trunks. Not much else looks like a red ball with legs. Zoom in and check out the eyes. Keep an eye out next time you're in nature. #bugsky #entomology ,🌿 #invert #ukwildlife

Macro photo of a bright red mite on a strand of green moss. The mite has a rounded, glossy red body and slender reddish legs spread out around it, with fine pale hairs on its body and legs. Behind it is soft, blurred green moss lit by sunlight

Close-up macro photo of a reddish mite on a green leaf. It has a dark, almost maroon rounded body and long orange-red legs, with scattered fine bristles. A pale green plant stem runs down the left side of the frame, and the leaf surface shows fine hairs.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 02/06/2026

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 31/05/2026

Hoverfly larvae on a grass stem outside a pub in Wales. At this scale they always look rather... alien. Fear not, these are UK natives and friends, eating pests in your garden 🌿 #entomology #bugsky #diptera

Extreme macro photograph against a black background showing pale, fringed hoverfly larvae draped over the crossing point of two slender plant stems. The stems are bright green with tiny whitish stipples and a sparse fringe of fine erect hairs, deepening to purplish-brown at the junction. The larvae are translucent cream-yellow and roughly oval, their bodies ringed by a continuous fringe of short, fleshy, spine-like projections that give a cogwheel or sunflower silhouette. The upper surfaces are densely peppered with tiny dark dots, the bases of minute setae, arranged in faint concentric patterns. At the left, two small fused orange-brown structures sit close together: these are the posterior respiratory process, the larva's breathing apparatus, where the paired spiracular openings are carried at the tail end. To the right, pronounced transverse segmentation runs along the flank as a series of rippled rings, with a smaller, more translucent posterior lobe trailing downward. A small flake of white waxy material rests on the stem nearby. The dark background isolates the subject sharply, giving the shot a flash-lit, portrait quality.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 31/05/2026

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 28/05/2026

It's spring in Wales and a massive aphid colony overhead keeps coating my car in honeydew, their sugary phloem excretion. Looks like weird sticky glue all over the windows. Don't worry, it's just sugar. It's also aphid poop. Kind of. 🌿 #entomology #bugsky

Extreme macro photograph of a dense aphid colony carpeting the surface of a green leaf. The frame is almost entirely filled with dozens of small, plump, oval aphids in pale lime-yellow, packed shoulder to shoulder with very little leaf showing between them. Most are wingless individuals (nymphs and apterous adults) of varying sizes, the smallest barely formed. Many trail delicate, hair-like white waxy filaments that drift across the colony like fine threads, and a faint white waxy bloom dusts parts of the cluster. Scattered through the mass are tiny dark specks and the occasional pale, shed cast skin.
Two larger winged adults (alates) stand out sharply against the yellow throng. The one on the left lies horizontally across the center of the image, facing right; it has a glossy black head and thorax, a darker greenish-black abdomen, long slender legs, and two pairs of clear, faintly smoky membranous wings folded back over its body, traced with dark brown veins and a prominent dark stigma along the leading edge. A reddish compound eye and thread-like antennae are visible. The second alate sits in the upper-right corner, oriented diagonally with its head down, similar in form, its dark body and veined wings catching a slight sheen.
The background leaf is rich green with a softly textured, hairy surface, and a thicker vein runs along the lower-right edge of the frame.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 11/04/2026

A Rhizophagus beetle from under a log in Wales. Sometimes the added rain in the wood really adds a nice detail to some pictures. Like this one. #bugsky #entomology #coleoptera 🌿

A small Rhizophagus beetle fills the center of an extreme close up macro photograph, rendered in sharp detail against a warmly blurred background of amber and sienna tones. The beetle faces toward the lower right of the frame, its beaded moniliform antennae reaching outward like a delicate string of dark pearls.

The elytra are a striking bluish black, smooth and domed, catching the light with a subtle steely sheen. Fine rows of punctures are visible across their surface, giving the wing covers a lightly textured appearance despite their overall glossiness. The pronotum and head are a deep reddish mahogany brown, similarly punctured, and the junction between the darker elytra and the reddish thorax creates a clean and visually dramatic color boundary.

The beetle stands on what appears to be freshly exposed wood or bark saturated with sap or resin, the surface glistening with wet amber streaks that pool and flow across the grain. Tiny fragments of frass or wood fiber cluster around the beetle's feet, suggesting active feeding or burrowing activity beneath the bark, consistent with the genus's predatory lifestyle in bark beetle galleries.

The legs are slender and reddish brown, partially tucked beneath the body. The overall body form is elongated and compact, characteristic of Rhizophagus, built for moving through the tight confines of subcortical spaces. The lighting is warm and raking, emphasizing surface texture and making the cool blue gray of the elytra pop dramatically against the rich burnt orange environment surrounding the animal.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 19/03/2026

Eyeless oribatid on a 5 pence coin, about dime sized for US folks. Something about the way these tiny mites move makes them feel almost xenomorph, all glossy, eyeless, alien-esque. 🌿🪲🪳 #Invert #nature #macrophotography

Extreme macro photo of a tiny reddish brown oribatid mite standing on the face of a British 5 pence coin. The mite is incredibly small compared with the raised letters and engraved portrait on the coin, emphasizing its minute size. Its body is smooth, glossy, and almost spherical, like a dark translucent bead with tiny legs tucked beneath it. Most of the coin is softly out of focus, creating a dramatic shallow depth of field that draws attention to the mite and the metallic texture around it.

Extreme macro side view of a tiny glossy reddish brown oribatid mite perched on the ridged edge of a British 5 pence coin. The coin edge looks like a rough silver cliff above a warm tan background. The mite’s rounded body shines like polished glass, with faint reflections on its surface, while its delicate legs grip the metal edge. The huge scale contrast makes the mite look both jewel like and otherworldly.

Head on macro view of a tiny reddish brown oribatid mite walking across a piece of dry leaf litter. Its glossy rounded back dominates the frame like a dark polished dome, while its small legs and front appendages reach forward over the rough orange brown surface. Bits of soil and decomposing plant matter surround it, and the shallow focus makes the mite stand out sharply against a softly blurred background. The perspective makes it look like a miniature alien creature exploring a rugged landscape.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 19/03/2026

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 08/02/2025

If you don't know who Louise Russell is, you owe it to yourself to learn about her. Between the fact that she was an entomological authority in 1953 to her final publication at age of 101, it's criminal she isn't more famous. www.entsoc.org/fellows/loui... #entomology

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 16/02/2025

I uploaded a draft of the (mostly) full interview with Dr. Louise M. Russell, which I’ve worked on for fun today. Behold, an interview with a federal worker who served 48 years, retired at age 70, and worked unpaid for 25 more. #entomology 🧪 www.youtube.com/watch?v=clCW...

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 14/03/2026

An oribatid mite from the woods today. I photographed it on a log, then on a 5 pence coin to show just how tiny it is. Mites like these are the tiny machines helping decompose organic material in our ecosystems. It still boggles the mind most people don't know they exist. 🌿 #bugsky #invert #nature

Extreme macro photo of a tiny reddish brown oribatid mite standing on the broken edge of pale, crumbly bark over dark rotting wood. The mite has a rounded, glossy, dome like body that looks almost translucent in the light, with short legs tucked underneath and tiny bristles visible near the front. The background is softly blurred in warm tan and gold tones, making the mite look jewel like against the rough texture of the log.

Close macro image of the same tiny oribatid mite on a flat piece of bark. Its body is smooth, oval, and highly polished, glowing amber brown with a glassy sheen. The mite is viewed from the side, showing its small head and legs tucked low beneath the body. The bark surface is cracked and speckled in cream, tan, and brown, with the shallow depth of field fading everything beyond the mite into a soft blur.

Another scale comparison photo of the oribatid mite on the surface of a British 5 pence coin. The coin is photographed at an angle, with raised lettering and the portrait design visible in soft focus. Near the lower left area of the coin, the mite appears as a very small amber brown dot with a rounded glossy body and tiny legs. Fine scratches and wear marks on the metal surface make the mite’s size even more striking.

$Macro comparison photo showing the minute size of the oribatid mite next to a small splinter of dark wood on a British 5 pence coin. The coin fills most of the frame, with part of the lettering visible upside down. The mite appears incredibly small, only a tiny reddish brown speck with legs beside the wood fragment. The image emphasizes scale, showing that the animal is only a fraction of the width of a single letter on the coin.$

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 11/03/2026

Got to visit the Prague National Museum annex and poke around their psyllid collection. Very kind of them to walk me through it. #entomology

Front entrance of the Depozitář Národního Muzea in Prague. A broad gray stone stairway leads up to a modern white building with two tall blocklike upper sections. At ground level, a yellow revolving door sits beneath a large angular glass canopy, with benches and tall windows on either side. Bare trees frame the building under a pale blue sky.

Interior view of the Coleoptera storage stacks at the Depozitář Národního Muzea. A long white aisle runs between tall rows of compact white shelving with black wheel handles used to move the cabinets. Papers are posted on many doors, and fluorescent strip lights line the ceiling. A cart and worktables in the middle of the corridor emphasize the active collections space.

A museum specimen box filled with pinned psyllid specimens is held open in both hands inside the collection storage area. The insects are arranged in dense, orderly rows, each with tiny labels beneath them, creating a grid of carefully curated specimens. In the background are archival binders labeled Homoptera, reinforcing the scientific and archival setting.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 07/03/2026

I don't think I've ever found such a good collection of entomology supplies. Amazing show in Prague. #entomology

Wide view of a busy entomology exhibition hall in Prague, with long rows of tables covered in glass topped display cases filled with pinned insects. In the foreground, large specimens such as moths, cicadas, beetles, and other insects are neatly arranged in black framed cases, while cardboard boxes and storage trays sit underneath and beside the tables. In the background, many visitors stand closely together, leaning over the displays and browsing the collection in a bright, modern room with white walls and a high ceiling.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 05/03/2026

Some kind of really delicate Psychodidae (moth fly) I found on a flower. Shame the picture quality wasn't there to identify it well. #bugsky #entomology #diptera #invert🌿

A detailed macro photograph of a tiny, dark moth fly perched perfectly on the sweeping, velvety fold of a vivid, deep red flower petal. The fly's body and rounded, translucent wings are densely covered in thick, bristly grey and brown hairs. It is gripping the edge of the petal with delicate dark legs, and its long, strongly segmented antennae curve forward. The smooth, glowing red surface of the petal behind and around the insect is lightly dusted with microscopic, bright yellow specks of pollen.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 04/03/2026

I will be attending Vladislav Maly´s exhibition in Prague this weekend. Say hello if you're around. A carabid (ground) beetle in the meantime. #coleoptera #entomology #bugsky 🌿

A highly magnified, front-facing macro photograph of a large, glossy black ground beetle resting on rough, crumbly brown soil. The camera is at the beetle's eye level, highlighting its prominent, downward-pointing curved jaws, which are surrounded by tiny, reddish-brown sensory palps. The insect features a solid head with small dark eyes, a broad and smooth shield-like thorax, and a rear section covered by hard wing cases that have deep, parallel, lengthwise grooves. Two long, beaded antennae sweep forward and outward from its head, while its jointed, reddish-brown legs grip the earthy background.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 04/03/2026

The amount of springtails on everything in Wales is unlike anything I've ever seen. It seems like every surface has SOME springtails on them. I'm assuming due to all the moss and humidity. The diversity is enormous out here. #inverts #entomology #bugsky 🌿

A close-up macro photograph of a tiny springtail perched on dark, wet, rotting wood. The springtail has an elongated, pale yellow-green body marked with dark, mottled bands across its back. It is densely covered in long, fine, bristly hairs. Two long, segmented antennae extend upward and forward from its head, and its delicate legs grip the lumpy, glistening surface of the wood. The background is dark and smoothly blurred, keeping the intricate details of the small creature in sharp focus.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Field Guide to the Insects of Tasmania @insectsoftasmania.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Psyllids are quite underrated #insects. They are tiny leaf dwellers and some make elaborate sugary shelters (lerps). These are Cardiaspina sp. nymphs with their intricate fan-shaped covers. #Tasmania

About 25 little orange and brown bugs on a red and green Eucalypt leaf. Each nymph has made its own white fan or shell shaped shelters. They suck nutrients under the leaf. The birds love to eat the lerps and the bugs underneath and you can hear quite a satisfying crack sound as they forage.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 01/03/2026

A Black Snail Beetle I found under some moss. Beautiful shiny black animal. It's incredible what you'll find in Wales if you look hard enough. #coleoptera #entomology #bugsky 🌿

A macro closeup of a black carrion beetle, Phosphuga atrata, standing on the broken edge of decaying wood. The beetle faces the viewer, so its head, textured shield behind the head, and front legs are most prominent. Its surface is glossy black with dense, fine pitting that makes it look armored. One antenna reaches forward toward the right side of the frame, ending in several thicker, bead like segments. The beetle’s legs grip the crumbly, fibrous wood, which is torn into splinters and soft flakes in tan, rust, and dark brown tones. The background is strongly blurred, olive green on the left fading into deep shadow on the right.

A macro view from above of Phosphuga atrata moving through dark, moist soil or decomposing organic matter. The beetle’s back and the rounded shield behind the head fill much of the image, showing a hammered metal texture made of tiny dimples and pits. Light catches the shield, creating a silvery highlight, with a faint greenish sheen on parts of the black surface. The head is mostly tucked under the front shield, and the legs are partly obscured by the substrate. Around it, the ground is lumpy and wet, made of irregular clods and pellets of dark brown material with scattered plant fragments, forming a rough terrain the beetle is pushing through.

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 26/02/2026

It's warming up in Wales and now the Sminthuridae are out and about. 🌿 #bugsky #invert #entomology

Axtreme close-up (macro) photograph of a tiny, globular springtail (a member of the Sminthuridae family) viewed from the side, facing the left of the frame.

The Subject: The springtail has a plump, rounded body, resembling a tiny, semi-translucent balloon. Its coloration is a warm amber-yellow, and it is heavily speckled with irregular dark brown and black dots across its back and sides. It has a distinct, dark eye patch on the side of its head and thin, segmented, dark antennae curving forward and down. Sparse, very fine hairs are barely visible along its back. Its tiny, pale yellow legs are delicate, gripping the surface below.

The Environment: The creature is resting on a highly textured leaf. The leaf surface is a mottled mix of deep green veins and pale, yellowish-white raised cellular bumps, giving it a bumpy, almost reptilian scale-like appearance. The depth of field is very shallow, so only the springtail and the immediate leaf surface beneath it are in sharp focus, while the rest of the leaf blurs into the background. There are a few tiny, unidentifiable dark specks on the leaf near the springtail's feet.

This is another extreme close-up of the same springtail, but this time it is photographed head-on, looking directly toward the camera.

The Subject: Because of the frontal angle, the springtail's face is the focal point. It has a rounded face with two very distinct, dark eye patches on either side, giving it a somewhat cartoonish appearance. The two dark antennae extend outward and slightly downward toward the viewer. You can see its front legs bracing against the leaf. Behind its head, its plump, amber-yellow, black-speckled body stretches back, slightly out of focus due to the macro lens.

The Environment: It sits on the same textured leaf, with the pale, raised bumps and green veins clearly visible in the foreground. The background softly blurs into a pattern of light and dark green spots.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Wild And Small KY @wildandsmall.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

A group of Oribatida, also known as oribatid mites, moss mites, or beetle mites, feeding on plant detritus at the base of a tree. Photo taken at Mathews Garden on the University of Kentucky's campus.

A group of Oribatid mites, also known as moss mites, feeding on plant detritus.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

🕸️ British Oribatidæ /. London: The Ray Society, 1884-1888.. [Source]

Illustration plate showing detailed black and white scientific drawings of two British Oribatid mites, Damæus nitens and D. suffixus, from an 1884-1888 London publication. The larger mites are depicted with segmented legs covered in fine hairs, distinct rounded bodies, and textured dorsal surfaces. Additional smaller sketches highlight anatomical parts like claws, hairs, and mouthparts with fine line work. The illustration includes labels with numbers for each figure and detailed morphological features, emphasizing the mites' microscopic structures within the Arachnida class. The style is typical of 19th-century natural history engravings focusing on taxonomy and species identification.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Dr Beulah Garner @beetlequeen.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Saturday 21st February is the annual Coleopterists Day! We hope to see many of our beetle supporters at the World Museum Liverpool on the day 🪲 🙌🏻

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 29/07/2025

A likely Leiobunum sp. harvestman. Striking colors against the background here. I wish more people looked past the blur of those long legs to see the beautiful animal behind them. #bugsky 🪲🪳🌿

A vivid close-up photograph of a harvestman, likely in the genus Leiobunum, perched on a lush green fern. The harvestman has a strikingly orange body with a textured, almost pebbled carapace and glossy black eyes positioned at the front of its small head. Its body is compact and oval-shaped, with several small, articulated legs near its front that seem to aid in sensing or feeding. The most visually dominant feature is its long, dark brown to nearly black legs, which radiate outward in all directions and stretch well beyond the edges of the frame, creating dynamic lines across the background. The fern beneath the animal is a rich green, with detailed, feather-like fronds. The contrast between the orange body and the cool green leaf provides a visually stunning color palette. A few tiny grains of soil or sand are scattered across the fern, adding realism to the natural setting. The image is extremely sharp, especially at the center where the body is in crisp focus, while the legs and edges show a slight blur from depth of field, emphasizing the central figure.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 14/10/2025

Some kind of Harmonia sp. ladybird/ladybug out here in Wales. #bugsky #Coleoptera #Invert #entomology🌿

A close-up macro photograph of a Harmonia species ladybird, possibly the Asian lady beetle, resting among soft green and brown leaves. Its domed red shell gleams under the light, patterned with bold black spots. The pale cream pronotum and dark head are captured in crisp detail, showing the fine textures of its surface and subtle reflections across its smooth exoskeleton. Surrounding plant hairs and leaf edges frame the insect in natural contrast, with the blurred background drawing attention to the ladybird’s vivid color and intricate detail.

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Reposted by Armando Rosario-Lebrón

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 10/06/2025

For a moment I was fooled, I took the picture assuming it was a wasp. The way it moved very specifically, suggested Hymenoptera. It even moved its antennae the same way! Then I looked closer... that’s #Cerambycidae, #Coleoptera keeps surprising me. #Entomology 🪲🪳 #Invert 🌿 #macrophotography

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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 11/02/2026

As I’ve been researching how common pet flea & tick treatments are affecting the UK, I am genuinely shocked by the lack of testing some of these compounds went through. There are so many pathways to accumulation in our environment it's mind boggling. www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/pub... #science 🧪

An infographic illustrating the pathways of chemical pollution from urban and agricultural sources into the environment.

The diagram is divided into human sources on the left (red buildings) and natural environments on the right (blue water and green forests). Arrows track the flow of chemicals:

Sources: Chemicals move from "Vets & Retail" to "Domestic" homes, which depict dogs, cats, and washing machines. "Industry & Agriculture" is also shown at the bottom left.

Waterways: An arrow labeled "Direct exposure from pets & wastewater" points from the domestic homes straight into a body of water at the top right labeled "Freshwater Ecosystems," which shows ducks swimming.

Soil & Runoff: Another arrow from domestic homes shows chemicals "Leaching into soils." From the soil, the chemicals take two paths: one goes via "Subsurface flow runoff" into a second "Freshwater Ecosystem" at the bottom right.

Plants & Insects: The other path from the soil shows chemicals being "Absorbed into plants," leading to a patch of trees and flowers where bees are buzzing, labeled "Pollinator Exposure."

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