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apsciencebydan · 21 hours
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King Anthur and the Ants of the Round Table
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apsciencebydan · 2 days
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There's a non-zero percent chance that some of the tiny red mites you see in the Florida sands are not mites.
I released yesterday's Metaphycus wasp back where I found her, after a sugar snack, and got a few more pics of her, and of one of the mites.
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apsciencebydan · 2 days
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Late spring/early summer here in Florida is the time for Castianeira amoena, the little orange zebras, and I cannot wait. 🧡
(Throwback to my first sighting of one, in the parking area of the place I call my home away from home, as I was about to leave)
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apsciencebydan · 2 days
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Piglet bugs (Bruchomorpha here) are already tiny nuggets, but consider a baby piglet bug. Just a shape with legs 🥹
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apsciencebydan · 3 days
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Rove beetle nugget, Megalopinus rufipes - a species which apparently hadn't been photographed alive until my sighting early last year. Sighted another this evening, under a pine log. 🖤
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apsciencebydan · 3 days
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NUGGET ❤️
These tiny wasps never fail to make my day. Didn't see much today but she is enough. Just bouncy little red goofballs going about very serious wasp business and being some of the best hymenopteran ambassadors.
(Metaphycus sp encyrtid)
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*taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap*
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apsciencebydan · 4 days
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He was a rabbit, she was a Cute-rebra - can I make it anymore obvious?
Not A Cat
(Cuterebra buccata, a gorgeous botfly which apparently parasitizes bunnies? So large I thought she was a cicada when I first sighted her!)
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One can see how I initially took her for a cicada:
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As always, if you're thinking about dropping a comment here which is hating on bugs, move along or get blocked.
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apsciencebydan · 4 days
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god put a speed limit on turtles because she knew they'd be like this
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apsciencebydan · 5 days
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Ooencyrtus (pronounced "Oooh Encyrtus!", named for the happy sounds a Bug lover makes when they see a nugget-y encyrtid wasp)
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apsciencebydan · 5 days
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Peak Male Performance 🖤
(tiny male Chalcoscirtus "Orange-Face" on a tiny male pine cone)
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apsciencebydan · 5 days
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One Mope (Moping)
Eupelmus sp wasp, on the hunt for something to tickle with her single booty feather.
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apsciencebydan · 5 days
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Not A Cat
(Cuterebra buccata, a gorgeous botfly which apparently parasitizes bunnies? So large I thought she was a cicada when I first sighted her!)
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One can see how I initially took her for a cicada:
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As always, if you're thinking about dropping a comment here which is hating on bugs, move along or get blocked.
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apsciencebydan · 6 days
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Nugget Planthopper 🖤
(pine needle for scale)
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apsciencebydan · 6 days
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HI, HELLO
No this isn't a #BugSex entry, this is just a male sawfly (Sterictiphorinae) with branched antennae.
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apsciencebydan · 6 days
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Things that make me happy, on a day I need it:
Fuzz-bum going in for the snack
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apsciencebydan · 7 days
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Omg yes. It's perfect. I'm so happy you made this, and it sparked joy. 🖤
The Amazon Ant nest which provided me with the coolest single creature I may ever find nearly 2 years ago is still there and active! I wondered if it would survive this past winter and a burn, and was glad to see both species out and about yesterday. Polyergus longicornis can no longer feed themselves, so they raid the nests of Formica dolosa ants and carry back "slave" workers to care for them. So if you find a nest, there will be two ant species in the same burrow. Usually you will just see the Formica out and about doing maintenence on the nest, but if disturbed the Polyergus and their large mandibles will come out ready to fight. Or if you're really lucky you'll catch them on a raid, which is quite a sight.
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OR, if you're prepared to use your entire allowance of luck for your life, you'll catch a gynandromorph male/worker just emerged. 👀
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apsciencebydan · 7 days
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The Amazon Ant nest which provided me with the coolest single creature I may ever find nearly 2 years ago is still there and active! I wondered if it would survive this past winter and a burn, and was glad to see both species out and about yesterday. Polyergus longicornis can no longer feed themselves, so they raid the nests of Formica dolosa ants and carry back "slave" workers to care for them. So if you find a nest, there will be two ant species in the same burrow. Usually you will just see the Formica out and about doing maintenence on the nest, but if disturbed the Polyergus and their large mandibles will come out ready to fight. Or if you're really lucky you'll catch them on a raid, which is quite a sight.
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OR, if you're prepared to use your entire allowance of luck for your life, you'll catch a gynandromorph male/worker just emerged. 👀
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