iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

fuji body was out of commission for a bit w/ a stuck on/off switch (from sweat?) - but got it fixed and am gladly back in action shooting leafhoppers in the backyard (got some rain for the first time in too long here in OK) 🌈Graphocephala versuta, Graphocephala coccinea, and Oncometopia orbona!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"✌️"major agricultural pest" Diabrotica undecimpunctata "Spotted Cucumber Beetle" on my Tithonia "Mexican Sunflower"✌️"

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Guyana turtle ant haul: Cephalotes atratus (mango tree) Cephalotes placidus (forest) Cephalotes pusillus (many on a fence beneath a mango tree) Only regret is I didn't find Aphantochilus, a genus of crab spiders that mimics (and predates upon) Cephalotes

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Lovely checkered skipper seen in Guyana - Burnsius orcus Didn't know the genus in the field, but recognized it as one of those "little fancy spread wing skippers" I see back home here in Oklahoma, just a bit more contrasty!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

...Ectatomma tuberculatum (top) and an alydid bug nymph (bottom) from Guyana. Roughly same size and similar movement/stance from a distance - totally mistook the bug for the ant in the field - should’ve filmed a comparison!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The quoted post is kind of like the New World equivalent of this mimicry comparison I put together from Mozambique - showing the Old World equivalent slender ant, Tetraponera (top), and its mimic - Myrmarachne (spider, bottom).

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Incredible mimicry under a mango tree: Pseudomyrmex sp ant (top) and a Synemosyna sp jumping spider (bottom). Both Synemosyna males found on this trip lacked (antennae mimicking!) front legs - yet they were no less ant-like!

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

New map projection just dropped

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Back from BugShot in the Rupununi savannah of Guyana! Some incredible ant mimics & potential models: 1. Alydid (Broad-headed Bug) -> Ectatomma? 2. Myrmecium sp. (corinnid spider) -> Ectatomma? 3. Synemosyna -> Pseudomyrmex 4. Peckhamia -> Crematogaster **All IDs tentative - corrections welcome!**

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

Blue Appaloosa @blueappaloosa.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Sketch of a firefly, ready for take-off. Referenced from the quoted photo by Thomas Shahan. I think I need to simplify my shading when I draw bugs. There's too much going on, and stuff gets lost. #SciArt #Invertebrates #BugSky

Pencil sketch of a firefly, facing the camera, with it's wing-covers lifted and ready for take-off.

Watermark reads: Blue Appaloosa

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Photuris sp firefly (beetle in the family Lampyridae) with elytra popped - about to take flight 🪲

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

milla🧷 @villakala.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Daily doodle 169, stag beetle based on @tshahan.bsky.social 's photo #dailydrawing #dailydoodle #sketchbook #sciart

Sketchbook drawing of a slender stag beetle. It has a relatively narrow body, two long curved horns on a wide head, and long spiky legs. It's drawn and shaded with coffee brown ink over some planks roughly sketched with gray pencil. Some drawing tools are laid diagonally by the drawing.

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

in non-salticid news, I found this beautiful stag beetle *just* as I was overheating and getting fed up w/ mosquitoes while hunting today 🙏

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Re-visited a limestone gravel path yesterday after a rainy night and got lucky with harmochirine portraits 🕷️ 1 Sooty-faced adult male Habronattus borealis 2 Adult male Pellenattus(?) - first time seeing this guy! 3 Immature male w/ red face 4 Uniformly pale green-eyed female

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

"tufted" dark morph of the dimorphic jumping spider Maevia inclemens 🤩 Excited to get a portrait (on a light bg highlighting his mohawk) as it's been a while since I've shot a dark morph - I usually only run into the colorful "light" morphs Still hoping to film their courtship display(s) someday

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Clockwise from top left: Nectopsyche sp. - White Miller Caddisfly Petrophila jaliscalis - Jalisco Petrophila Cyllopsis gemma - Eastern Gemmed-Satyr Cerastipsocus trifasciatus - Barklouse maybe the depicted salticid is at a low anterior angle: how real jumpers may encounter another face-to-face?

4 images of insects that each depict a portrait of a jumping spider:

Top left is a caddisfly with markings that look like a yellow jumping spider with dark eyes. Top right is a moth that looks like a warm colored jumper with a pale face. Bottom right is the distal portion of a butterfly's wing that looks like the face of a jumping spider. Bottom left is a barklouse with wings that have dark patterns that look like the legs of a jumping spider.

Who is the intended audience of these patterns and why? Surely a little human pareidolia is at play here too... Best viewed small!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

overlaying jumping spiders on insects at 50% opacity... clockwise from top left: salticid/caddisfly salticid/moth salticid/butterfly salticid/barklouse

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Camponotus with another ant's head still clamped to her left antenna. Second time I've seen this with this species (Camponotus pennsylvanicus?) this spring! Wild how the mandibles can still be locked so tightly even after the attacker was decapitated!

black carpenter ant on pale wood background. The main ant has a decapitated ant's head clamped to her left antenna - a remnant of a past battle!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Not the most colorful Habronattus out there but very handsome in an understated way - Habronattus borealis. One of the more common Habros I'll see around here (NE OK) on rocky shores of creeks and lakes in the summer.

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

I see Peckhamia a lot and occasionally think "ooh this one looks a little different" but don't ID them to species because they're apparently difficult to tell apart and the genus needs revision love that they're still kind of a mystery🙇

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

low posterior angle passes the "looks like an ant" test too ✅

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

from the side... bold patches of white setae break up the silhouette + create the illusion of a more tucked waist, additional body segment(s?) - maybe even a more isolated, ant-like head? and a darker color around the rear eyes (~where an ants are) makes them look bigger! lateral angle disguise ✅

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

bit better anterior angle - focused on the "antennae" - v anty 🐜 squinting eyes (and looking at the image small), taking in just values, u can def see the silhouette of an ant like head capsule too anterior angle disguise ✅

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Peckhamia sp ant-mimicking jumping spider showing off their odd second pair of legs - thin and dark - help up and out like the geniculate antennae of an ant Woods, NE Oklahoma, in situ, 5-14-26

an ant-mimicking jumping spider portrait - the spider's second pair of legs is thing and dark - held up like the geniculate antennae of an ant

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Thanks for the feedback/suggestions on the spider anatomy design!🙏 Was going to update it today but went on a hike instead - here are some handsome jumpers I found: Hentzia mitrata, Habronattus coecatus, Paraphidippus aurantius, and Habronattus decorus - all in situ w/in about the same 1 acre area!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Salticid anatomy design I've been whittling away at too long - started as an idea for a t-shirt but may be too feature-bloated now... Tear it apart! I need criticism/corrections! What don't you like? What doesn't read well? Anything misleading/mislabeled? Fonts/labels/pointers can all be changed...

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

grateful for a herp-heavy spring so far! 🙇 1 Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) 2 Mississippi Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepis) 3 Lined Snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum) 4 Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) in situ, NE OK

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

Dr. Catherine Scott @cataranea.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Sooo... who's going to #Bugshot Guyana this July? (Or wants to join? I hear there are a few spots left!) 🕷️🪲🪳🦋🐜🐝🐞🪰🦟🐛🦂🪱 I may have just impulse-registered myself* & @ibycter.bsky.social! So exciting!!!!!!!! *strictly as a bug-pointer-outer and enjoyer www.bugshot.net/bugshot-guyana

bugshot.net

BugShot Guyana — BugShot

Photograph in one of the most biodiverse intense places on Earth! 7 days in the remote jungle with some of the best macro photographers in the world!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

was photographing a turtle yesterday when a Habronattus decorus male hopped on top the turtle and searched around a bit #salticidae #jumpingspiders #arachnology #herpetology

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 07/02/2024

!!! initially thought they were an oribatid beetle mite... then freaked out upon taking a few photos - realizing they were BAEUS - a *tiny* (~600µm) parasitic wasp! Lost them after trying to stop lens down for a bit more depth of field! Underneath a log, NE Oklahoma

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

squinting my eyes, blurring my vision, just looking at coarse silhouettes and values... comparing Synemosyna formica's 🕷️ first leg to Camponotus subbarbatus' 🐜antennae... both seen around 1PM 4/9/26 woods NE Oklahoma (unsure of plant ID - maybe young Verbesina?)

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

if you don't fly away, i WILL go to 2x and open up the aperture a little so I can crop 😤

cropped macro photo of the eyes of a horse fly. thousands of little reflective lenses - metallic green, orange, red

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

☀️went out looking for Cicindela scutellaris, and found Cicindela scutellaris🙇 🏖️here's a pair on sand, near a river🪲

two festive tiger beetles on sand - flashy and colorful beetles with big eyes - their bodies metallic green to gold to red!

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

🕷️four Argiope species🕸️ Argiope flavipalpis(?) (A. levii?), Mozambique Argiope trifasciata, the "Banded Garden Spider", Oklahoma Argiope florida, the "Florida Garden Spider", Florida Argiope aurantia, the "Yellow Garden Spider", Oklahoma

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

some myriapod portraits with snake vibes 🐍

photo of a stone centipede with a glossy, vaguely snake-like head shape

view of a ghostly pale pseudocentipede with a snake like head shape

photo of a coiled up soil centipede among damp leaf litter. warm colors.

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

Microstylum morosum or the "Giant Prairie Robber Fly" living up to their name - what a HUGE fly! 🫡 NE Oklahoma, iphone video (wish it would've locked the color balance while filming!)

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Portrait of a fancy globular springtail from a hunt yesterday morning - Ptenothrix marmorata! NE OK, in situ, Fuji xt3 + Laowa 25mm @ 5x f/5.6(?), diffused flash, handheld stack of 12 shots (w/ gaps!), stacked in Zerene Stacker, cropped in Photoshop...

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Sesiidae, the "Clearwing Moth" family, might be one of my favorite lep families I've only seen 5 species so far, but they've all been BEAUTIFUL👏 1 Euryphrissa sp, Colombia 2 Synanthedon scitula, Oklahoma 3 Synanthedon chrysidipennis, Montana 4 Vitacea scepsiformis, Oklahoma

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Check out "Revision of the comose flame moths of the genus Sosxetra Walker (Noctuidae, Dyopsinae), with descriptions of a new genus and three new species" (Martinez et al., 2026) zookeys.pensoft.net/article/1382... These fluffy pink moths were a highlight of the Belize BugShot workshops 💗

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

💩🥬this is why I can't pass up little turds on leaves - they could be frass mimics! 😰 mating Exema sp "warty leaf beetles", Oklahoma Publilia reticulata treehopper, OK Bolbonota sp treehoppers, Costa Rica Beata sp jumping spider, Peru

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

...a few more to illustrate the morphological diversity of staphyliniform beetles 🤩 🐜ant-like stone beetle, Scydmaenus, under log, Oklahoma 🫓flipped Eurylister carolinus, a flattened hister beetle, OK ✨sleek scaphidiine "Shining Fungus Beetle", OK 🤏TINY Ptinella sp feather-winged beetle, OK

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

some beautiful rove beetles for your Monday! 🤎Mycetoporine on grass, Oklahoma 💙brilliant metallic blue Plochionocerus sp, Ecuador 🖤coupled Stenus alacer in small creek, Oklahoma 🌈unbelievable Phanolinus sp, cloud forest, Ecuador

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

Tom Astle @tjalamont.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Registration is open for this year’s domestic BugShot macro photography workshop. I’ve attended a bunch of them, (both domestic and international versions) and have enjoyed every one. The instructors are awesome and I’ve made many friends among fellow attendees. www.bugshot.net/bugshot-new-...

bugshot.net

Transform Your Macro Skills: Insect Photography Workshop with Top Experts — BugShot

Join Clay Bolt, Danae Wolfe, and John Abbott at Black Rock Forest for a 4-day macro workshop. Photograph butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, and more through hands-on field sessions, black lighting, ex...

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

🙏📯a few non-spider arachnid orders🎺 🙇 Amblypygi - (w/ young!) feeding on a cricket, in cave, Belize Solifugae - under rock(?), Anza-Borrego, California Pseudoscorpiones - forest floor, Oklahoma Schizomida - under log, forest floor, Costa Rica

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

found these moth people I drew back in 2022 while searching an old hard drive for hoverfly videos🙏

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

the people NEED roach pix 😤 Pseudomops septentrionalis "Pale-bordered Field Cockroach", Oklahoma Balta notulata "Small-spotted Cockroach", Oahu Panchlorinae, Tambopata, Peru Paratropes, Tambopata, Peru

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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

it’s amazing how diverse ants are 🙇🐜

Synemosyna formica, an ant-mimicking jumping spider waves around his first pair of legs on a green leaf

Myrmecium, an ant-mimicking corinnid spider with antenniform forelegs, peru

ant-like jumping spider feeding on a springtail, costa rica

Brasema leucothysana, a Eupelmid parasitic wasp that looks like an ant (to me at least) on lichen, oklahoma

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Reposted by Thomas Shahan

Dipterists Society @dipterists.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Enjoy a lovely walk through a Colombian mountain-top forest with @tshahan.bsky.social! We suggest watching the whole video (youtu.be/sgGlXNOct9I?...), but if you want to skip to the flies 🪰 you can click here: youtu.be/sgGlXNOct9I?... Amazing!

youtu.be

Macro Photography in COLOMBIA - Ep 2: SPIDERS, Flies, Orthopterans and more!

YouTube video by Thomas Shahan

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