Blog Archives

Leaf-mining Leaf Beetle

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Troy Bartlett

8mm long | July 12, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This attractive little beetle was resting when I found it. Looking at it here, it almost appears to be nature’s idea of a gaudy holiday light display. Just imagine each of those elytral punctures as a tiny LED, and then imagine them programmed so that the dorsal patterns shift down the eltytra, one puncture at a time. Jokes aside, it actually blends in pretty well with the browning foliage.

This is a leaf-mining leaf beetle, so called because the larvae feed between the surfaces of leaves, creating mines. Adults feed on foliage, and it may be responsible for some of the leaf damage visible here, though I didn’t actually see it eating. read more

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Mesmerizing Mantispid

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Troy Bartlett

Don’t stare at the eyes too long; you might fall under its spell.

January 7, 2012 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Posted in Featured Photos | Leave a comment

Phorid Fly Attempting to Oviposit on a Leafcutter Ant

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Troy Bartlett

Leafcutter ants are a common sight in the Brazilian cerrado. I admit to being apathetic when it comes to photographing them. In order for me to turn my lens on them, something unusual generally has to be happening. In this case, I first noticed something odd occurring around one of the nest entrances. Looking closer, I could see the ants were being attacked by a small fly. I had read about that, but had never seen it personally. Intrigued, I figured I’d spend a few minutes shooting, even though I fully expected to end up with nothing usable. I was pleasantly surprised that one of the images managed to get both an ant and the fly in focus. read more

Posted in Featured Photos | 2 Comments

Aetalionid

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

11mm long | July 8, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This atypical treehopper belongs not to the family Membracidae, but to a separate family, Aetalionidae.

Searching around on the internet, it seems most photographers generally seem to catch these hoppers while tending their eggs, as shown here.

To learn a bit more about the family check out Ted C. MacRae’s post from earlier this year.

Reference:

[book:1554073456]

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Leafcutter Ant

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

July 6, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I mostly ignore these ubiquitous ants, but I thought the plant part this one was carrying might make for an interesting photo.

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Immature Assassin Bug

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

15mm long | July 5, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

It looks somewhat clumsy at this stage, but it’s nonetheless a capable predator.

Closer view

I forgot to turn off one of the flash heads so as to avoid the double eye highlight.

Posted in Featured Photos | 3 Comments

Identification Challenge #13 Reveal: Spotted Apatelodes Proleg

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

Spotted Apatelodes Caterpillar | October 2, 2011 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

Did you guess that the caterpillar above was the critter featured in Identification Challenge #13? Both commenters for this challenge were on the right track, guessing that it was a caterpillar. Here’s the photo again from the challenge.

Proleg closeup

Here’s an even closer look at the proleg so I can point out a few interesting things.

Proleg showing crochets in two different sizes

All those little claws on the proleg are called crochets. This particular species, Apatelodes torrefacta, is one of just a handful of species in my area that belong to the family Bobycidae. The most famous member of that family is the domesticated silkworm moth. One feature of caterpillars in this family is that they have crochets of two different lengths, as shown above. read more

Posted in Identification Challenges | 4 Comments

Caterpillar

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

30mm | July 9, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I might not have noticed this caterpillar during the day, but after dark it stood out in the light of my headlamp.

Posted in Featured Photos | Leave a comment

Coreid Flashback

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

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

I’ve seen this coreid here before.

Posted in Featured Photos | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment