Creepy Crawlies!

sinobug: Easy Pickings….. This Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:01:13 -0400

An opportunistic Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) consumes a Pink Skimmer dragonfly (Orthetrum pruinosum) ensnared in the web of a Jorō Spider (Nephila clavata)

An opportunistic Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) consumes a Pink Skimmer dragonfly (Orthetrum pruinosum) ensnared in the web of a Jorō Spider (Nephila clavata)

sinobug:

Easy Pickings…..

This Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) had taken the easy option and commandeered a Pink Skimmer dragonfly (Orthetrum pruinosum) ensnared in the web of a Jorō Spider (Nephila clavata). Suspended from the web, the hornet was unceremoniously dismembering and devouring it’s stolen meal.

by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China

See more Chinese Hymenopterans (wasps, hornets, bees, ants and sawflies) on my Flickr site HERE…..

macrodan: Two carpenter ants. Not exactly sure what they were...

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:01:30 -0400

macrodan:

Two carpenter ants. Not exactly sure what they were doing, but I think one was harvesting plant sap/nectar and handing it off to the other to bring back to the colony.

insectlove: markhortonphotography: working hard… on Flickr.

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:01:19 -0400

insectlove:

markhortonphotography: working hard… on Flickr.

runnerftw: An old friend is trying to raise some money on...

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:29:35 -0400

runnerftw:

An old friend is trying to raise some money on gofundme for a needed eye surgery, his 8th surgery in 5 years attempting to regain sight in his right eye.

In 2007 while at a party a fight broke out. A bottle was thrown and it missed the intended target and hit Derek in the right side of his face, shattering on impact. The glass shards caused lacerations to his orbital globe in 3 places, leaving him blind in that eye.

He has been through 7 surgeries so far; lens, retina (twice), cataract, laser(twice) and cornea transplant. The next scheduled surgery is for his oculomotor nerve.

Throughout this entire ordeal his sense of humor and easy spirit have not faltered. Despite losing his job more than once due to the missed medical time, the high cost of the medical bills he has paid and the mental anguish of losing part of his site and the repeated stress to his body.

If any of my followers can financially swing it, he could really use the donations.

sinobug: Long-headed Grasshopper (Acrida sp.) family Acrididae,...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:01:22 -0400

sinobug:

Long-headed Grasshopper (Acrida sp.)

family Acrididae, order Orthoptera

by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China

See more Chinese grasshoppers and crickets on my Flickr site HERE…

animalplanet: arcaninetrainer10: I’m pretty sure if I get bit...

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:01:25 -0400

animalplanet:

arcaninetrainer10:

I’m pretty sure if I get bit by this ill get super powers.

i’m pretty sure if you get bit by this spider you’ll get intense muscle cramps

Beetle defends itself by releasing a caustic chemical...

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:01:13 -0400

Beetle defends itself by releasing a caustic chemical liquid
this clip from the life documentary

sinobug: Prominent Moth (Tarsolepis taiwana, Notodontidae) by...

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:01:29 -0400

sinobug:

Prominent Moth (Tarsolepis taiwana, Notodontidae)

by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China

See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..

rhamphotheca: The photographer makes friends with an adorable...

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:01:24 -0400

rhamphotheca:

The photographer makes friends with an adorable Florida Blue Centipede (Hemiscolopendra marginata)… I don’t recommend this.

(photo: e_monk)

macrodan: Happy Mother’s Day! Here’s a mother aphid with her...

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:19:15 -0400

macrodan:

Happy Mother’s Day! Here’s a mother aphid with her babies.

eldenrootsofyggdrasil: southpaw-holmes: beastlyart: manfurarm...

Sun, 12 May 2013 18:30:49 -0400

eldenrootsofyggdrasil:

southpaw-holmes:

beastlyart:

manfurarm:

nevver:

Ladybird Mimic Spider

#fucking spiders man #ANYTHING could be a spider #you reach into your fridge and pull out a popsicle SURPRISE IT’S ACTUALLY A FUCKING POPSICLE SPIDER #you’re walking down the street and a hydrant tackles you GUESS WHAT COCKSUCKER #HYDRANT SPIDER #you reach out in the dark and flip on a light switch AND YOU’RE FUCKED IT WAS A LIGHT SWITCH SPIDER #YOU JUST GAVE A LIGHT SWITCH SPIDER A FUCKDAMN HANDJOB #NICE GOING YOU SKETCHASS ARACHNOFONDLER

Sketchass Arachnofondler. My new band name.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE POST EVER

this made me cry

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Sun, 12 May 2013 15:01:17 -0400

rhamphotheca: Close up Moth Porn: Elephant Hawk Moth...

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:01:20 -0400

rhamphotheca:

Close up Moth Porn: Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor)

The Elephant Hawk-moth is a medium-sized hawk-moth, on the wing from May to July and active at dusk. Found across Eurasia. It is commonly found in parks and gardens, as well as woodland edges, rough grassland and sand dunes.

The caterpillars are seen from July to September and are very characteristic: greyish-green or brown with two enormous, black eyespots towards the head. When disturbed, they swell up to show these spots and scare-off predators. The caterpillars feed on willowherbs, fuchsia and bedstraw, and the adults feed on nectar. The caterpillars overwinter as chrysalides, hidden amongst low vegetation or in the soil…

(read more: Wildlife Trusts UK) (video: Steve Burrows)

A 6-year study of a New World spider reveals that although...

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:01:28 -0400

A 6-year study of a New World spider reveals that although colonies composed of docile individuals fare better in the short term, their passive behavior ultimately does them in. A species may need a mean personality to keep from going extinct, the results suggest.

Colonies founded by aggressive spiders successfully fought the intruders off, but produced fewer offspring because of the continuous conflict. In contrast, the predominantly docile colonies ignored intruders and continued to reproduce. In 2009, the docile colonies were flourishing, and their offspring had begun three times as many new colonies on nearby trees and shrubs compared with offspring from aggressive communities. Yet by 2010, the docile spiders’ apparent advantage began to wane as invaders increasingly ate them and stole the insects snagged by the colonies’ webs. By 2012, not a thread remained from the webs established by docile pairs, and only a quarter of those started by mixed pairs were left. Meanwhile,three-quarters of the original 15 nests founded by aggressive pairs stood strong, the team reports today inEcology Letters.

piperhawk: Geometrid Moth (Ennominae, Geometridae) by...

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:01:30 -0400

piperhawk:

Geometrid Moth (Ennominae, Geometridae) by itchydogimages on Flickr.

fatherofawesome: Animal Planet by fabiogiolito on Flickr.

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:01:33 -0400

fatherofawesome:

Animal Planet by fabiogiolito on Flickr.

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Tue, 07 May 2013 15:01:07 -0400

rhamphotheca: I wear my sunglasses at night. With apologies to...

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:01:08 -0400

rhamphotheca:

I wear my sunglasses at night.

With apologies to Corey Hart; in fact, the precisely nanostructured surface of a nocturnal moth’s eyes, like those of this Elephant hawk-moth, is almost the opposite of sunglasses. The tiny nipple-shaped protuberances all over the surface of the eyes maximize the amount of light that enters the eye instead of reflecting off. This both increases the sensitivity of the moth’s eyesight, and reduces eye-shine that might be spotted by predators out looking for a tasty lepidopteran snack.

That’s not their only trick, either. Check out the other functional adaptation of moth eyes at http://eol.org/pages/508359/details#functional_adaptations

(Photo: Randers Fjord via Biopix)

(via: Encyclopedia of Life)

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Sat, 04 May 2013 15:01:57 -0400

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Thu, 02 May 2013 15:01:14 -0400