New Discovery this Hot 34deg sweltering day. Photographing the elytra was into sun . Massive gams = male morphology.
A female Giant Ichneumon wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus) oviposits into the side of a tree.
I was honored to have this observation selected as observation of the day for June 11, 2020, and again as observation of the week (week of June 21, 2020). It is covered in this blog post: A Trip to Texas Provides a Long Sought Photographic Opportunity - Observation of the Week, 6/21/20.
After finding some Willow leaves covered with tiny galls, I opened one up with a razor blade and examined the inside with a Hitachi SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope, courtesy Merritt College, Oakland, CA). I found several dozen mites inside the gall (see attached SEMicrographs). The average length of each mite was about 90um.
He's so cute but so hard to photograph! Whenever he rested in a perfect position, I would get ready to take a photo, but then he would decide to look away from the camera. I am not as satisfied with the photos as I had hoped (I spent literally 4 hours trying to get photos of him), but some is better than none! Unfortunately, it was windy, cold, and our friendly neighborhood cat kept following me around, so I had to continuously relocate while photographing this stubborn little guy!
She appears to be camera shy! Constantly wanted to jump on my finger and on the window!
Weird orange lichen. Cezar approved! Good for chewing
Raríssima e pouco conhecida, essa planta parasita fungos micorrízicos. São conhecidos apenas dois indivíduos que estão depositados em uma coleção cientifica do Rio. Essa é a primeira foto na natureza dessa espécie.
About 25 mm long. Matthew, I have emailed you re these.
on horse dung
Amazing things going on here. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p007vz26
Progression of nest. 1st photo: 7/10/2022, 2nd: 7/3, 3rd: 6/12, 4th: 6/9, 5th: 6/2.
increíble espectáculo de la llegada masiva de la "mariposa blanca" a El Ejido El Águila, Cacahoatán, en la zona de influencia de la Reserva de la Biosfera Volcán Tacana
Drama. These guys all normally get along pretty well, but here a squirrel decided to start something and nearly got kicked in the head as reward. Moments later they were back to munching sunflower seeds side-by-side again.
My first attempt at diatoms cleaning.
Three specimens observed, from the same sample of my previous observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141202070 taken on 2022-11-05.
Stria density: 7-8 per 10 μm (center), 10-11 (extremities).
Puncta density: 11 per 10 μm.
Length 213-225 µm, width 41-44 µm.
Stigmata visible near the central nodule.
According to Diatoms of Europe vol.3 by Kurt Krammer, 2002, it looks like Cymbella peraspera:
“Valves moderately to distinctly dorsiventral, dorsal margin rather evenly arched, ventral margin with a slightly gibbous central portion. Valve ends not protracted and broadly rounded. Length (130)154-320 µm, breadth 44-52 µm, maximal length/breadth ratio about 6. Axial area moderately wide, linear, widening at mid-valve to form a shallow central area, about ¼ to nearly ⅓ of the valve breadth. Raphe slightly lateral, tape ring near proximal and distal ends, becoming filiform near the proximal and the distal ends. Proximal raphe ends with moderately large roundish central pores which are slightly ventrally deflected; terminal fissures sickle-shaped and dorsally bent. Striae throughout radiate. Puncta distinctly and more or less roundish in focus high and low. A large number of stigmata on the ventral side of the central nodule, in focus low differently shaped from the puncta, commonly distant from the middle ventral striae. Striae 5-8/10 µm, becoming up to 10/10 µm near the extremities. Puncta 7-10(11) in 10 µm.”
Leucospilapteryx venustella. Photographed in High Park, Toronto, Ontario on 24 July 2017.
on Acer negundo, prev obs.
In previous observations, it's been suggested that some of these mystery spots could be being caused by Grovesinia moricola (the new name of Cristulariella moricola), based on this paper here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263651079_Zonate_Leaf_Spot_of_Acer_negundo_Caused_by_Cristulariella_moricola_in_Korea/fulltext/53e9dadc0cf2dc24b3cade88/Zonate-Leaf-Spot-of-Acer-negundo-Caused-by-Cristulariella-moricola-in-Korea.pdf?origin=publication_detail
While the one image does show similar symptoms, I now think that the ones I've seen and some of the other observations in iNat aren't being caused by that species. The spots are just too small, don't turn a dark/muddy brown, aren't particularly zonate, I've seen no evidence of conidia, and it looks like there are a few other species of fungus that affect A. negundo leaves. The ones in this observation are particularly interesting because the black dots appear to be fruiting bodies.
Here's a list of other fungi possibly causing leaf spots in A negundo:
1) Cristulariella pyramidalis, apparently now called Grovesinia pyramidalis. (source:https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/11120/file/pp113.pdf) G. pyramidalis may or may not be the same as Grovesinia moricola in this context. I can't figure out the synonymy.
2) Phyllosticta negundinis:https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT88913039/PDF
3) Exserohilum rostratum: https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PDIS-07-20-1424-RE
from https://www.indiananature.net/pages/taxa/Plantae/a/Acer_negundo.php:
4) Phyllosticta minima
5) Rhytisma punctatum
6) Cylindrosporium negundinis
7) Septoria negundinis
8) Cercospora negundinis
A little story about this fly: https://dipterists.org/assets/PDF/flytimes071.pdf
On dead alder (I think) in a snowmelt area. Yuba pass, 2045MASL
Dikenli buğday başağına benzer bir peygamber devesi türüdür. Ot gibi sallanarak kamufle olmaya çalışırken yakaladım, tenebrio molitor ile beslemekteyim, gayet sağlıklı ve iştahlı, bakalım diğer bedenlerini görebilecek miyiz.. En çok mayıs ayı ve eylül ayı görülürmüş, eylül ayında buldum.
Nisan-Haziran arasında ormandayız, kuzu göbeği candır gerisi heyecandır ;)
Öğle sıcağında taşın altında buldum. Muhtemelen çok zehirli olsa da ölümcül zehri olmayan bir akrep türüdür. Tür ismi tahminidir.
Parectopa plantaginisella. Photographed in High Park, Toronto, Ontario on 27 July 2017.
I found these eggs on the underside of a Bladderpod leaf. There were 3 Harlequin Bugs on the plant.
Host plant observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/167833349
Photos 3-5 were edited to have a Flash White Balance in Photoshop. Photo 9 shows a measurement in centimeters.
Location a bit imprecise.
Female axanthic (lacking xanthophores which create yellow pigmentation) green frog
Probably the same individual as this:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/180023792
Female adult spider with egg-sac on Paan leaf
Location: Badsaitilla village, Karimganj District, Assam
Date: 1st July 2016
Equipment: Nikon D800 with Micro-Nikkor 105mm
I failed to make a note on what this Question Mark larva was eating. I think it might be hackberry.
Cyphonia clavata. La Fortuna de San Carlos, Provincia de Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Not sure what is going on but this is the fourth birder that I know of who has had a phoebe perch on their binoculars or on their person at Commons Ford.
No Vitis we're harmed in the making of this observation
Sometimes you just gotta mash the shutter for too long
Why did he do this?
That fly impaled itself to a leaf of Marram grass
Grappling?!?