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ISAAC THE DOG

@wetdogclaws.bsky.social
83 followers 90 following 322 posts

HE / HIM / HIS / HIMSELF My name is Isaac. I am fond of organisms that can be colloquially referred to as a "bug" (such as many invertebrates). I have a neurotic disposition and I was born at exactly 2:27 AM on a Saturday morning.

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Reposted by ISAAC THE DOG
Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
There's a group of braconid wasps, the Alysiinae, that attack maggots, develop inside the hardened puparia, and have to force their way out. So their mandibles open away from the head to push rather than crush, the teeth appearing to face the wrong direction.
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alicia 🍳 NYCC AA I-24 @acorviart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
a murder [ #art ]
Illustration of a crow on a branch, surrounded by the old windows XP ghosting error screens, all duplicating the crow's face so it looks like there's a murder of crows.
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Jen C Mars @jencmars.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Small & shiny #InverteFest
Photo of a small, round wasp that is a dark blue-green metallic black with lots of  texture all over its body. It has a large, boxy thorax, round head and kind of a relatively small, pyramid shaped abdomen. It's standing on a dried up leaf, which helps give it scale
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Nancy 🪲SciBugs🪲 Miorelli @scibugs.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Actual footage of me looking for dessert. El Septimo Paraiso, Mindo, EC
A brown snail with a small shell but a veerrrryyy long neck and looonnnggg eye stalks
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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 28/08/2026
Leathery lady looking lethal. 😳 A female Tenodera sinensis mantis giving me the (pseudo-)eye as I photographed her up close. Love the texture on her skin, which looks more like kid leather than anything else. #InverteFest #bugsky
Closeup of the face of a mantis. Her pseudopupils make her look a bit angry and a bit crosseyed. The photo has a high level of detail, allowing you to see the small ripples and textures on her exoskeleton. Her front legs are stretched out straight.
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Riley Black 🏳️‍⚧️ 🦕 @restingdinoface.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Hey do you want to play cicada and cicada killer? I call the wasp.
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CuttleDreams @cuttledreams.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Been playing with patterns a bit, and finished this one just in time for #Invertefest ~
A repeating pattern of blue diamonds and colored circles, with a grub in various poses in each diamond.
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Marc A. Milne @forthespiders.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Momma centipede with her legs wrapped around her eggs. #invertefest
A photo of a brown centipede in a burrow clutching a batch of yellow eggs with her legs.
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savin dos louvadeus 🦗 @sav.trevastropicais.art.br · 27/08/2026
trazendo para o #inverteFest hoje essa montagem com asas de mariposas bem de pertinho 🦋 #fotografia
Montagem empilhando cinco fotografias das "costas" de mariposas recortadas em faixas horizontais. De cima para baixo temos: 1) uma mariposa bege-clara com manchas mais escuras como se fossem pinceladas ligeiramente grossas em pontilhismo e eventualmente curvinhas como um "m" - de longe parece uma peça estilizada de mármore. 

2) uma mariposa marrom com diversas pequenas áreas translúcidas em suas asas como um vitral rústico.

3) uma mariposa bem branco-amarelada, clarinha, com manchas escuras como em pinceladas em tinta preta em linhas, pequenos pontos e círculos, trazendo quase uma vibe de arte indígena.

4) uma mariposa marrom-avermelhada que mostra enormes manchas em formato de olho em suas asas posteriores, com grandes "pupilas" pretas e "íris" amarelas bem vibrantes sobre uma base bem avermelhada. Por causa da posição das asas anteriores, dá a impressão de ser um olhar triste.

5) uma mariposa também marrom avermelhada, mas com manchas texturizadas que lembram conjuntos de telhas de um telhado daqueles de barro tradicional. Vemos uma clara linha branca espessa cortando horizontalmente as asas como uma espuma na ponta de uma onda recém quebrada na praia. Por toda ela vemos reflexos bem roxos, possivelmente iridescentes.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
That's not excessive. THIS is excessive:
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Steve "Whistling Joe" Everett @whistlingjoe.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Not something you'll see very often - Hedychrum rutilans, one of the Jewel Wasps. Extinct in the UK up to a handful of years ago, now popping up in the southeast. A specialist cuckoo on the Beewolf - this one spotted by Mrs WJ just off #DiggerAlley @rspbminsmere.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
At Brackenridge Field Lab, a predatory Odontomachus trap-jaw ant strikes and lifts a termite.
Macro photo of a small white termite in side view being lifted off the ground by a larger orange ant with long jaws, a droplet of clear liquid oozing from the point of contact.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Gold star for this silver soldier #fly 🌟 Diptera are seriously amazing 🤩 🥰 #Stratiomyidae: #Artemita argentea Soltis Center, Costa Rica @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @dipteracourse.bsky.social @riccardi-p.bsky.social
A fly covered with thick silver fur sits on a white background facing left. It's head is mostly red eyes with darker red squiggles, and it's wings are held out folder over each other sticking out the rear.
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Cri 🕊🐝🐜📝🎭⚽😷 @crawlieswithcri.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Extreme CLOSE-up because - that leafhopper tho! I'm sure some of that color is picked up from the garden hose (what Robber Fly is standing on) - but DAYUM! Wish I could ask the fly if it tastes like blue opal! #inverts #becurious
macro photo of a robber fly eating a leafhopper. the hopper sparkles like a blue opal.
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NatureBureau @naturebureau.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Off to Westhay Moor on the Somerset Levels tomorrow. Should see Hairy-legged Horseflies (Hybomitra bimaculata) sitting around on fences - check out the horseflies in our Flies of Britain & Ireland bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @somersetwt.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @gailashton.bsky.social
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Craig B @mutillidae.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I've been working on a better setup for capturing focus-stacked images of immature insects in alcohol...and it's working well. 🙂 #NaturalHistoryCollections #Macrophotography #FocusStacking #Psephenidae #APennyForYourThoughts
Ventral view of a water penny larva (Psephenidae) against a black background. The six legs, antennae, and the feathery gills are all clearly visible—and would be well protected from above when the larva is clinging to a rock underneath the water.
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Get To Know Nature @gettoknownature.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The fact that there’s a wasp with dark blue iridescent wings brings me joy. Also, Mountain Mint is a fabulous plant and brings in so many fancy pollinators! #invertebrates #BugSky 🌿 #NativePlants
A long black wasp with dark blue iridescent wings stands on several clusters of very small white flowers.
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Mary Gemignani @marygemignani.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Where's MY Milkweed? #Butterfly #Inverts #Milkweed
Close up of a Monarch butterfly on a Milkweed plant. Head on shot.
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Kristin Wyatt @kristinwyatt.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Early instar Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars. #caterpillars #moths #nature #photography
A swarm of tiny black and yellow fuzzy caterpillars eating a milkweed leaf. These guys will grow up to be crazy fluffy black and orange stripe caterpillars before becoming a grey moth with an orange and black striped abdomen.
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AJCann @ajcann.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Common Furrow-bee male, Lasioglossum calceatum. #Bees #Hymenoptera #VC55
Common Furrow-bee male, Lasioglossum calceatum.
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mossworm.bsky.social @mossworm.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
oough having a live zoanthid tank is one of those dreams I literally do not have the time or money to pursue, but I still like to look at the stuff. they tickle my primate brain
Photo from The Coral Farm of a tank with many small colonies of zoanthid coral in a variety of shapes and colorsPhoto collage of many different ornamental strains of zoanthid coral
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ISAAC THE DOG @wetdogclaws.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
I've recently left my home in England and now reside in Florida. I will (probably) live here for the rest of my life, now. What is it like to be a Floridian, or an American? What are the normal and expected behaviors/culture/ways of speech? How to best assimilate? Grateful for any advice. #Florida
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
A parasitoid wasp (Eupelmidae: Anastatus) oviposits into a stink bug egg. Austin, Texas.
Macro photo of an antlike metallic blue-green and black wasp standing atop a cluster of 15 globular greenish white insect eggs.
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ЗИТА. @zinoky.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Fritillary Selena. Butterflies are more than just pretty insects. They play an important role in nature.
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Galling, @galling.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Gall of the week is cause by the tephritid 'picture-wing fly' Urophora cardui on thistles, Cirsium spp. Male and female fly photos by Malcolm Storey, gall photo unknown.
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Matt Berry @matthewberry.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
'Sad Fairy' called Bubopsis andromache
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Acorn ants, Temnothorax curvispinosus, in an old acorn in Illinois. They need an acorn in a particular stage of decay, usually a year old and already hollowed out. If you're looking for acorn ants, you won't find them in the fresh ones.
A cut through a round gray acorn revealing a few dozen shiny orange ants.
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Here is a citronella ant, one of the most aromatic of all insects. I really love these things. New photo from western New York.
Macro photograph of a shiny, pudgy orange ant standing on a pure white background. The ant has small black eyes and lots of little teeth on its slightly open mandibles.
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Tom Snarsky @tomsnarsky.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
F. A. Nettelbeck, from “BUG DEATH,” for Monday
our strange
captivity
continues.
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Dave Appleton @applewildlife.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
I found several female scorpionflies in Bintree Wood yesterday. All three UK species were suspected in the field based on their wing pattern and thorax colour, and today confirmed by checking their genital plates. Panorpa cognata was only my second record and my first female. #Mecoptera #UKinverts
Panorpa cognata, sometimes known as Scarce Scorpionfly.

Clues to its identity include, in combination, the brown centre to the thorax (usually yellow on the other UK species), dark patch at the tip of the wings not fully extending right to the edge of the wing, dark bar across wing much broader in the outer half of the wing than the inner half, and only small dark spots in the base of the wing.  However for certain identification it is really necessary to dissect out the genital plate.

This is by far the scarcest of our three scorpionflies - I have only found two (including this one) compared to 55 communis and 89 germanica.Panorpa communis, sometimes known as Common Scorpionfly (common indeed but in my experience marginally less so than Panorpa germanica).

Clues to its identity include, in combination, the yellow centre to the thorax (usually brown on cognata but also yellow on germanica), dark patch at the tip of the wings fully extending right to the edge of the wing (but atypically small - it tends to be larger in this species), dark bar extending right across wing (broad at the costa but otherwise the outer half only slightly thicker than the inner half), and only small dark spots in the base of the wing.  However for certain identification it is really necessary to dissect out the genital plate.Panorpa germanica, sometimes known as German Scorpionfly (though probably our commonest scorpionfly in the UK, so not really German).

Clues to its identity include, in combination, the yellow centre to the thorax (usually brown on cognata but also yellow on communis), dark patch at the tip of the wings rather narrow (often larger on communis and more clearly separated from the margin in cognata), and larger dark spots towards the base of the wing compared to typical communis and cognata.  However for certain identification it is really necessary to dissect out the genital plate.Genital plates of all three scorpionflies:

Left: Panorpa communis - note pointed tips to the arms at the top (rounded on cognata, more acute on germanica), short arms compared to the length of the plate (relatively longer on germanica), anterior apodomes at the bottom strongly divergent and bluntly rounded (finer-tipped on cognata and germanica, usually less divergent on germanica).

Centre: Panorpa cognata - note blunt-tipped arms and long narrow-tipped anterior apodomes divergent at tip.

Right: Panorpa germanica - note acutely pointed and relatively long arms and long narrow-tipped and scarcely divergent anterior apodomes.

Although not referred to (but illustrated) in the key, and I’m not sure what the bit of anatomy is called, there seems to be a consistent difference in the fine dark lines running alongside the posterior end of the anterior apodomes - long and sinuous on communis, medium length and evenly arched on cognata and short and straight on germanica.

The genital plates of scorpionflies are subject to quite a bit of individual variation so some care is needed to ensure correct identification, but the differences are generally more reliable than wing-pattern.
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caryocatactes.bsky.social @caryocatactes.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Three from Holt Lowes - Least Velvet Ant ♀︎ (Myrmosa atra), Green Tiger Beetle (Cincindela campestris) & a Ground Bug Sp (Trapezonotus Sp)? @norfolknats.bsky.social
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Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Around here, loving Shrimp is the law. This guy will enforce the law, with his firearm (pistol shrimp 💚🦐 )
Large dark green shrimp with a massive claw used to shoot fools with sound
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Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Mr Leg Floof 💜 (Tutelina, of course)
Shiny coppery green jumping spider with magnificent floof on the 1st leg pair which he's waving. He's peering at something to right of frame, from a leaf
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Jen C Mars @jencmars.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Munch munch munch
Close-up photo of a sawfly larva, I think a yellow-headed spruce sawfly, eating an evergreen needle. The larva is yellow-green with dark stripes and an orange-red head, and it is sitting lengthwise atop the needle it's eating, in a cluster of other needles all pointing in the same direction against a dark background.
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Kit (they🗡️them) @gothickitsune.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
very late, but happy flat fuck friday friends <3 i hope it was a good one.
photo by richard banke. alligator basking in the bog with 3 little baby gators on her nose. the baby gators have yellow stripes. their eyes are closed except mama’s.
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fravery.bsky.social @fravery.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Domes and Minarets. Istanbul Twilight.
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Paul Round @paulwildlife.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Finally saw my first Green Hairstreak Butterfly today. Stunning little critter. @savebutterflies.bsky.social #ukbutterflies #butterflyconservation
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Simon Knott @sjbknott.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Nomada zonata ♂ feeding on Bramble (Rubus sp.) today in Bengeo garden. This cuckoo bee, whose host is Andrena dorsata, was 1st recorded in UK in 2016 & has dramatically expanded its range since.
Nomada zonata male
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Kasey Gifford @kaseygifford.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Junicorn Day 12: Encounter #junicorn #kaseyart
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Vera Kober Art @vera-kober-art.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
My painting of cornflowers
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Zoologist Mary Rathbun founded modern carcinology: the study of crustaceans. The Crustacean Queen single-handedly described >1,000 new crab species, establishing the foundation for modern marine biological cataloging. She was born #OTD in 1860. #WomenInSTEM #zoology
An elegant, sepia-toned studio portrait of pioneering American zoologist Mary Jane Rathbun (1860–1943), whose historical significance lies in establishing the foundation for modern marine biological cataloging. Shown from the chest up, she poses at a three-quarter angle against a dark, minimalist gradient backdrop. She gazes off-camera to the right with a dignified, contemplative, and slightly serious expression. Her hair is styled in a neat, vintage updo, and she wears delicate, thin-rimmed oval spectacles resting on the bridge of her nose. Her attire features a dark dress or blouse accented by a broad, crisp white collar, trimmed with a decorative, dark swirling soutache embroidery pattern. Multiple layers of a classic pearl necklace drape elegantly around her neck, adding a touch of timeless sophistication to her look. The soft, directional lighting illuminates the right side of her face, casting a subtle shadow behind her that creates a solemn, intellectual, and focused mood reflective of her lifelong dedication to science.
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ABC News Australia @news.abc.net.au · 11/06/2026
Scientists discover 149 new marine species off Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands
abc.net.au
New species found in Australia's most 'pristine' marine parks
Researchers have catalogued dozens of new marine species found in the depths of Australia's most remote waters. The result is a window into a rarely glimpsed world.
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Simon Knott @sjbknott.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Three species of Volucella enjoying Bramble (Rubus sp.) today in Bengeo garden: V.zonaria ♂, V.inflata ♀+♂ & V.pellucens ♀. Magnificent hoverflies. @flygirlnhm.bsky.social
Volucella zonaria maleVolucella inflata femaleVolucella inflata maleVolucella pellucens female
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Richard Jones @bugmanjones.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Coolest bug of the day, Variimorda villosa, no common name other than vague ‘tumbling flower beetle’. Scarce, mostly south-east England. Rochester.
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Lukas Large @lukaslarge.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Who doesn't like a Figwort weevil?
A long nosed beetle sitting on a leaf
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Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
lunch break with the lads
Assorted North American caterpillars eating their lunches on a branch high over the forest, posed in the manner of that one famous photo of construction workers sitting along an I-beam
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Tom Astle @tjalamont.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Tree Swallow says "You shall not pass." (Montana) 🦉📷🌿
A photo of the blue and and white head of a tree swallow peeking out of the round entrance hole in a weathered wood nest box, with blue sky in the background on either side.
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Uncle Duke @uncleduke1969.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
"Ah, I see you've met Mr. Whiskers. Mr. Whiskers was a bad cat, a very bad cat. YOU'RE not a bad cat, are you Mittens?"
A very alarmed looking cat stares at a ceramic cat’s head on the table.
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