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Burrowing Bug Nymph

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

8mm body | July 3, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This immature burrowing bug in the family Cydnidae was under a log. I gently held it to get a better view of those fossorial legs and its beak (rostrum).

Underside

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Scorpion

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

20mm body | July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I spotted this scorpion on the trail just after dark. Somehow I spooked it and it ran for cover. When I removed the leaf it had hidden under, it was curled up as shown below.

Hiding under a leaf

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Aranha Caranguejeira – Tarantula

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

15mm body | July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I found this little tarantula (family Theraphosidae) under a rock. It could be full-grown, but I suspect it’s young and far from its adult size. It blends in quite well with the rocky ground.

Lateral view

Another angle

Despite its small size, it’s definitely got attitude. After some prodding, it demonstrated a classic threat display.

Don't mess with me

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Marimbondo-chap̩u РHat Wasp

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The local common name for these social wasps is marimbondo-chapéu in Portuguese or hat wasp in English. The name refers to the form of the nest, seen above.

Seen from below, I’d say it looks more like a sunflower. They are really packed in there. I’d estimate there are probably a couple of hundred of them.

Sunflower?

Here’s another crop that I like of that same image.

A different crop

You’ve probably noticed by now these images were taken during the day. So what are all of them doing hanging out on the nest? Taking a siesta? I wondered the same thing. I spent around 45 minutes taking pictures and attempting to gauge just how closely I could approach without alarming them. During that whole time, not a single one flew off or arrived. read more

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Crypsis Challenge #12 Reveal: Frog

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica

Three commenters successfully identified the frog from the last crypsis challenge.

Here’s a closer look.

Frog closeup

That wraps up all my posts from my January trip to Costa Rica.

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Harvestman

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

7mm body | July 2, 2011 | Monte Alegre, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Here’s another crazy looking harvestman for my collection. This was a small one, found under a log. I didn’t want to risk it getting away, so I grabbed it and took those pictures at home on a piece of bark.

Aside from the horns towards the rear of the abdomen, there’s a couple that rise up between the eyes.

Lateral view

There’s also a nice collection of spurs on the hind legs. Here’s a closer look at one of those legs.

Hind leg detail

Here’s a closer look at the eyes. What I assume is a mite is sitting in front of the eyes, with a scattering of what must be eggs close by. If you look closely, you can find other mites in these photos. read more

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Huntsman Spider

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

13mm body | July 2, 2011 | Monte Alegre, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I’m pretty sure this is a huntsman spider in the family Sparassidae.

Frontal view

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Cockroaches

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

30mm | July 2, 2011 | Monte Alegre, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I saw quite a variety of cockroaches in my relatively short outing to Monte Alegre. The first one, above, was the largest and was not altogether unattractive. It blended in well with the leaf litter.

The second one was a bit smaller, and was spotted in some low foliage.

25mm | Dorsolateral view

This last one was the smallest, but the most robust.

20mm | Dorsal view

It was moving slowly about until it encountered something tasty (rodent dropping?).

Lateral view | Feeding

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Odd Spider

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

7mm (body) | July 2, 2011 | Monte Alegre, Minas Gerais, Brazil

One of my brother-in-laws offered to drop me off for a few hours in a forested area on one of his farms. I was thrilled, but perhaps a bit anxious when he offered me a revolver in case I encountered a jaguar. I turned down the gun and if there was a jaguar in the area I never saw it.

The first critter I found was this odd looking spider. I spotted it while breaking up a rotting log. It’s quite flat, evolved no doubt for squeezing into tight spaces. I wanted to grab it for a closer look, but it managed to fall into the leaf litter and escape. read more

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Crypsis Challenge #11 Reveal: Moth

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica

Did you find the moth in the image above? If not, don’t feel bad. I might not have seen it either, except I originally spotted the moth in a more conspicuous location. After a few shots (below), I deliberately spooked it in hopes that it would land in a location suitable for a crypsis challenge. Here’s an outline if you still need a little help finding it.

Moth revealed

Here’s where I originally spotted it. Not blending in so well, is it?

Camouflage fail

This moth’s shape suggests it might be in the family Tortricidae. It’s small, only about 15mm measured lengthwise in the photo below. read more

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