Take that, vertebrates!

I’ve known for a while that beetles and other inverts occasionally have vertebrates on their menu, but I didn’t really know how large of an animal they could subdue! Even when the odd mantis grabs a hummingbird the size difference is not as substantial as is shown below. This impressive video was . . . → Tovább: Take that, vertebrates!

Hétfő Moth

Hoppá, it’s almost Tuesday! Above is Schinia ligeae (Noctuidae) resting on its host plant Xylorhiza tortifolia, the Mojave Aster. I photographed this about three weeks ago outside the town of Big Pine, Kalifornia. The asters were thick in the valleys below the snow capped Sierra, and the moths were abundant. . . . → Tovább: Hétfő Moth

The Arachnologists have landed

Rendben, not an insect

 

For the next three weeks my colleagues from the Arachnology lab at the California Academy of Sciences are in the Philippines! (no, not jealous at all…) The trip is part of the CAS Hearst expedition, a massive effort spanning all of our research departments to survey . . . → Tovább: The Arachnologists have landed

Genius of the Press XVIII

 

Who can tell me what’s wrong below? Not only is it the obvious photo problem, but the author of the article takes some logical leaps to support his premise. Who can tell me what his logical fallacies are? I won’t link to the entire article quite yet because a well known Lepidopterist has already . . . → Tovább: Genius of the Press XVIII

Észak-Amerika mecoptera

Merope tuber

New to the web this week is an excellent resource on the Mecoptera of North America. Dr.. Norm Penny has put together an illustrated guide to all the North American species with habitus and genitalia images. While not very diverse, the Mecoptera prove to be an enigmatic and fascinating . . . → Tovább: Észak-Amerika mecoptera

A Mission Blue Butterfly

 

Férfi – Marin Headlands

Like so many other urban animals, the Mission Blue Butterfly (Plebejus icarioides missionensis) is one that is gravely imperiled. This small blue lives in tiny fragments of habitat alongside multi-million dollar development in and around the San Francisco Bay. A century ago this butterfly . . . → Tovább: A Mission Blue Butterfly

Vasárnap Moth

 

Everyone is familiar with the famous death’s head hawkmoth, de azt hiszem, ez egy szégyen, népszerűsítették ilyen komor jellegű. Fent egy sokkal vidám Neotropical Arctiinae francia Guyana, hogy néz ki ez a sport a bohóc arca. Sajnos ez nem az én fénykép, de . . . → Tovább: Vasárnap Moth

Blue Oak Ranch Reserve

A few weeks ago I was invited to join a Berkeley entomology class out in the field for the weekend. Our destination was the Blue Oak Ranch Reserve; one of the newest reserves to the University of California system located just outside of San Jose on Mount Hamilton (map below). It was a . . . → Tovább: Blue Oak Ranch Reserve

Rejtély Revelaed

Rendben – néhány elnézést azért, mert nincsenek teljes képei * a kérdéses lárvákról (Néhány nap múlva megteszem!). A hétvégén egy Berkeley-diákcsoporttal voltam a Hamilton-hegyen, és PhD-jelölt Meghan Culpepper összegyűjtött néhány Scaphinotus-fajt és néhány lárvát! Tehát a példány . . . → Tovább: Rejtély Revelaed

Hétfő rejtély

 

Jött át ez a srác, miközben a terepen a minap, mi folyik itt? Pontok a rend / család / Genus – de még a szakértők ebben a csoportban nem tud rájönni a faj elég még.

 

(mindenki a téren velem kell tartani . . . → Tovább: Hétfő rejtély