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Blog Archives
Caterpillar
13mm long | July 8, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Assassin Bug
July 8, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
This assassin bug mimics a bee quite well. It even seems to have pollen baskets on its hind legs.
Posted in Featured Photos
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Ant Mimicking Spider and Possible Model
July 8, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park
Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
These two photos of critters both 4mm long were taken less than an hour apart in spots just a few feet apart. I believe these two are probably a mimic and its model.
I first photographed the jumping spider. I only got a few shots before I lost it. Later I spotted the ant and took quite a few photos. Here I selected one that would show roughly the same pose as the spider.
The area around the rearmost eyes of the jumping spider is darkened to better match the larger black eyes of the ant. The dark spots on the spider’s abdomen are an anomaly though. Maybe this ant isn’t the model after all?
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Caterpillar
25mm long | July 6, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I found several of these caterpillars. They all had lighter colored mid-abdominal segments, like this one.
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Mantispid
12mm body | July 6, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I spotted this small mantidfly hanging out on the underside of this leaf. I’m always excited to find one of these.
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Termites at Work
July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Just after dark, termites started emerging from below ground. Here they appear to be excavating. The darker soil has been brought up from below by workers while guards form a defensive perimeter.
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Doomed Caterpillar
25mm | July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Despite its defenses, this caterpillars appears to have ended up with some parasite eggs, a tachinid fly perhaps.
Closer look at parasite eggs
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Fruit Fly
8mm | July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I start with low expectations whenever I try to identify a fly. I’m happy if I get to family, but I think I got as far as genus on this one. This female fruit fly in the family Tephritidae might be an Anastrepha species.
Reference:
[book:9968927147]
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Hidden Caterpillars
10mm body | July 3, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Scanning the foliage, I spotted some overturned leaf fragments suspiciously resting on top of the leaves they’d been carved from. Lifting the first one up, I found it was concealing a small caterpillar.
Here’s a leaf fragment concealing another smaller caterpillar. That might be the egg the caterpillar hatched from at the top of the photo.
Overturned leaf fragment
And here the little inhabitant is revealed. Note the silk used to secure the leaf fragment in place. I like that it was careful to leave a small hinge.
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Only Termites Shall Pass
July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil
A phalanx of termite soldiers forms a first line of defense in front of foraging workers (not shown). I accidentally breathed on them shortly after this shot and they all quickly retreated.
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