Blog Archives

Cockroach Mating Call

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

5cm | January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

I found this impressively large two inch long cockroach just like this, sticking out its abdomen from the side of a creek bank after dark. I found the behavior odd, and I suspected that it might be releasing pheromones to attract a mate. I really had no idea if cockroaches did that or not. After some recent reading, that does appear to be part of the courtship ritual. To initiate courtship, a female will call nearby males in this manner. Presumably then, this is a female.

A while later, I managed to catch her in a different pose. read more

Posted in Featured Photos | 3 Comments

Another Attractive Beetle

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

9mm | January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

While I work on some longer posts, here’s another attractive unidentified beetle to ponder. Maybe a pleasing fungus beetle in the family Erotylidae?

Posted in Featured Photos | 4 Comments

Yellow-headed Gecko

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

This species, Gonatodes albigularis, can usually be found on surfaces two to three meters above the ground. Not surprisingly then, I spotted this male just above eye-level on the side of a tree, shortly after dark.

Male coloration as shown here is distinctive among Costa Rican lizards. Interestingly though, coloration changes after dark. The head darkens a bit and the body lightens somewhat. Both still remain distinct from each other. What you see above then is the night color phase, or perhaps a transitional phase between the two. Males also have that white-tipped tail. read more

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Attractive Beetle

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

11mm | January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

I won’t venture an identification here, but it was too attractive to pass up! Can anyone narrow it down for me?

Posted in Featured Photos | 2 Comments

Micropezid, ovipositing

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

8mm | January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

While recently reviewing my shots of this fly in the family Micropezidae, I was surprised to find that I unknowingly got a shot of her laying an egg. Here’s another shot for comparison, where she has concealed her ovipositor beneath her abdomen.

Ovipositor concealed

Here’s a crop from the first photo, showing the ovipositor and the egg.

Ovipositor and egg

Everything I’ve read indicates that most larvae develop in decomposing matter, so it seems strange she would be placing an egg on a leaf surface. Perhaps this is  just a method of random distribution, and the egg just falls where it may on the ground below. read more

Posted in Easter Eggs, Featured Photos | 3 Comments

True Bug Eggs

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

I found this row of eggs on the underside of a small log that was laying on the ground. They look like they belong to a true bug (order Hemiptera) of some sort. Here’s a closer look.

Closeup look | Each egg measures about 1mm

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Mystery Beetles

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 18, 2011 | Gandoca-Manzanillo NWR, Limon Province, Costa Rica

The day I spent in Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, I encountered many beetles like the one above. They were always crawling around on large leaves. I didn’t observe them feeding or see any obvious damage from possible feeding in their vicinity. Rather, I spotted what I assume are both males and females, possibly coming together for mating. I didn’t actually see any mating though.

I suspect the one above is a male, based on those antennae. Here’s what I figure is a female. There’s also a bit of its frass there (confirmed from another image). read more

Posted in Featured Photos | 6 Comments

Ant-mimicking Broad-headed Bug Nymphs

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

14mm | January 17, 2011 | Cahuita National Park, Limon Province, Costa Rica

At first glance you’d think that’s an ant rather than a true bug. Look closely though and the beak gives it away. These broad-headed bug nymphs (Family Alydidae) were easily found on the same foliage where I saw some Ectatomma ants. Perhaps those ants are the model for this mimic. The caption for this photo certainly suggests that’s the case.

Here’s a side by side comparison.

Mimic, feeding

Model?, waiting in ambush

Notice how the antenna tips are darker in the photo below. I wonder if that makes them appear shorter and closer in length to the model? read more

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Possible Hecale Longwings

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 17, 2011

Cahuita NP, Limon Province, Costa Rica

These butterflies were attracted to these white flowers. These might be Heliconius hecale zuleika, but I suspect there are probably lots of species that are difficult to tell apart.

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Alpaida species?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

5mm | January 17, 2011 | Cahuita National Park, Limon Province, Costa Rica

One of my books (below) has a picture of a very similar looking spider identified as a spiny flag spider, Alpaida cornuta, also from Costa Rica. I wasn’t able to find anything online though using either the common name or the scientific name. The World Spider Catalog doesn’t seem to recognize that name at all, but I saw two species there from Costa Rica, A. bicornuta and A. championi. Perhaps this is one of those.

Here’s a similar looking unidentified Alpaida from Ecuador, so I think the genus is probably correct. read more

Posted in Featured Photos | 2 Comments