Blog Archives

Colorful Leafhopper

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

5mm long | July 5, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

It’s a shame I found this attractive little leafhopper on such an ugly leaf.

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Leafhoppers, displaying

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

4mm | January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica

Some leafhoppers (family Cicadellidae) spread their wings in the manner shown above, perhaps as part of some mating ritual.

Reference:

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Amplypygids – Tailless Whip Scorpions

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

20mm | January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

These fearsome looking arachnids have an order to themselves, Amblypygi. Though commonly called tailless whip scorpions or whip spiders, they are neither. Intimidating though they may look, they aren’t dangerous and possess no venom. They are quite timid in fact, and I had to take care not to scare them away while photographing them.

Here’s how you might expect to see one actively moving about, with its oversized first pair of legs outstretched.

Longest legs extend outside frame

That first pair of legs is modified for use as antennae. They wave them about, sensing and probing. While the body of this one measured only 2cm, each one of those antenniform legs was 8cm long! read more

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Black and Yellow Leafhopper

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

10mm | January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica

In an earlier post I remarked how I initially mistook a colorful micromoth for a leafhopper, and that I later saw a similarly marked leafhopper. This is the leafhopper I had in mind, although now I can’t really say they look all that alike.

I did see quite a few of this variety of leafhopper though.

Another individual

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Leaf Beetles and Damaged Leaves

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

2mm | January 17, 2011 | Cahuita National Park, Limon Province, Costa Rica

This is almost but not quite the shot I was going for. When I first saw this little beetle it was oriented toward the freshly eaten patch. With the frass strewn around, you can just imagine it chewing away at the surface in a circular pattern. I wasn’t quite stealthy enough in my approach however, and I spooked it into moving away.

Below is a similar beetle, perhaps a different sex of the same species. Note the difference between the freshly eaten patch above and the older ones below.

Showing older leaf damage

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A Caterpillar to Avoid

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

January 28, 2010 | CaraÃ§a Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I found a couple of these large caterpillars very near to each other. First the one above and then the one below. I believe they are a species of Automeris.

With those spines and colors, it’s pretty obvious they are to be avoided. Each one of those spines is like a little hypodermic needle bearing venom.

Here are some closeups.

Head

Spiny cluster

And here’s a particularly intimidating display.

Back off!

So what would mess with this spiny critter? I discovered while reviewing photos of the latter caterpillar that there was a small fly up to no good. Sorry for the photo quality. These are extreme crops. read more

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