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Urban Decay

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Ecologists have observed a species of nocturnal spider attracting prey to its web using the bioluminescent beacons of already trapped fireflies. This rare example of a predator exploiting its prey's mating signal for its own gain is documented in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Researchers at Tunghai University, Taiwan have observed sheet web spiders, Psechrus clavis, capturing fireflies in their webs and leaving them there while they emit bioluminescent light for up to an hour. The researchers even observed the spiders going to check on the captured fireflies from time to time.

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You probably have had this submitted already but this came to mind when i saw this blog

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That poor pest control guy did not know what he was getting into, but given the state of my yard i feel like he should have known what he was getting into.

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People who like mantises but aren't that into entomology are always "orchid mantises" this and "orchid mantises" that. Overrated. Can we talk about Toxodera integrifolia for a minute:

(Image links because as much as it pains me I've never seen one of these beauties irl: 1 2 3)

Like how are these things real. Girl what is that thorax shape. Why are you wearing eyeliner. And the colors? Absolutely fire. This is a 10/10 insect if you ask me.

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Spiders of Paradise: Photos by Maria Fernanda Cardoso

Sydney-based artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso captures the unique beauty of Australian peacock spiders in her stunning series “Spiders of Paradise.” Maria is an artist who has been working with animals and the natural world for almost four decades. Her latest work explores the intricate world of Maratus spiders, showcasing these tiny creatures in all their flamboyant glory.

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DO BUGS SLEEP???

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TODAY'S FACT IS

Did you know that Honeybees have 3 different stages of sleep? You can tell how deep the bee is sleeping based on how much the antennae move during its sleep and when it moves its proboscis. If it activates its proboscis while sleeping due to a sensory stimulus it is because the bee reactivates its memories and reinforces them. Because the bees can replay its memories during its deepest sleep stage, it is possible (though no link has been established) that bees have dreams.

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Photo from BeesWiki

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another new bug OC, inspired after seeing some damselfly photos~

Meet Viridia, a damselfly who is transfem~ (hence her having male coloration)

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uploading pictures of the bugs that come to my Meadow so they can be identified on iNaturalist has introduced me to bugs that are weirder than I could possibly have imagined. Did yall know that wasps of the genus Parancistrocerus have compartments in their bodies to hold symbiotic mites?

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Bug time!! Got this done just in time for this summer's Invertefest~

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I saw dragonflies, damselflies, a millipede, and a green lynx spider eating a leaf-footed bug.

"bug report"...? hm, ok. today i saw a water strider, a couple hoverflies, and a lot of water beetles :)

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"bug report"...? hm, ok. today i saw a water strider, a couple hoverflies, and a lot of water beetles :)

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Thirsty wunk

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Insane color moth!! These are reminded me of some kind of ice cream

Oriental Orange Banded Green Geometer Moth (Eucyclodes gavissima)

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Meat-Eating Caterpillars: less than 1% of all known lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) are carnivorous, and even fewer are known to hunt and kill their prey; these are just a few of the exceptions

Above: a carnivorous pug moth caterpillar, Eupithecia orichloris, ambushing a fly

Lepidopteran predators are extremely rare, but they do exist. Some of the most interesting examples include the carnivorous pug moth caterpillars of the genus Eupithecia, the ant-eating casebearer, the Hawaiian snail-eating moth, and the bone-collector caterpillars of the genus Hyposmocoma. Curiously, almost all of the species on this list are endemic to Hawaii.

Above: Eupithecia orichloris

The carnivorous pug moth, Eupithecia orichloris, is probably the most famous predatory caterpillar in the world, thanks to the striking and unusual method by which it captures its prey -- this species is an ambush predator that often disguises itself as a twig and then pops up out of nowhere, violently plucking its prey from the foliage. Eupithecia is the only lepidopteran genus that is known to contain ambush predators, which makes this behavior seem even more striking.

The ant-eating casebearer, Ippa conspersa, is another carnivorous caterpillar that feeds on ants and other insects (both as a predator and as a scavenger). This species uses silk, sand, and other fine debris to build a flat, peanut-shaped "shell" around its body, and the "shell" acts as a kind of camouflage, allowing the caterpillar to sneak into ant nests and hunt.

Above: the ant-eating casebearer and its unique "shell"

As its name implies, the ant-eating casebearer often feeds on ants, but it has also been known to eat cockroaches and other insects.

Above: an ant-eating casebearer feeding on a cockroach

Hyposmocoma molluscivora, commonly known as the Hawaiian snail-eating moth, is a casebearing caterpillar that feeds on live snails. It uses strands of silk to immobilize its prey, tethering the snail in place so that it can climb into the victim's shell and feed on the soft flesh within. The caterpillars of this genus are the only lepidopterans that are known to feed on molluscs; all of the other predatory caterpillars feed on arthropods (insects and arachnids).

Above: this photo shows a Hawaiian snail-eating moth using strands of silk to hold its prey in place

The genus Hyposmocoma also contains the predatory "bone-collector" caterpillars, which cover themselves with the body parts of other insects and arachnids, often scavenging the leftover pieces from spiderwebs. They carefully trim each piece of exoskeleton and then arrange them all together onto a portable silk mesh.

The caterpillars often live side-by-side with spiders, as they opportunistically feed on the insects that they find trapped in spiderwebs, and their macabre body ornaments likely serve as camouflage; they allow the caterpillar to avoid being detected or attacked by spiders.

Above: a bone-collector caterpillar covered in the body parts of other insects, including a large weevil head that is clearly visible near the center, several ant heads, a fly's leg, the abdomen of a bark beetle, a wing, and several pieces of antennae, among other things

Sources & More Info:

Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society: Predatory and Parasitic Lepidoptera

GeoJournal: Behavior, Biogeography, and Conservation of Eupithecia in the Hawaiian Islands

Korean Journal of Applied Entomology: The First Record of the Myrmecophilous Tineid Moths of Genus Ippa in Korea

Nature: Caterpillars Eat Snails Out of House and Home

Science: Web-Spinning Caterpillar Stalks Snails

NBC: Hawaiian Caterpillars Hunt like Spiders

National Geographic: This Camouflaged Critter Wears Severed Insect Body Parts like a Coat

Scientific American: Carnivorous "Bone Collector" Caterpillars Wear Corpses as Camouflage

Science: Hawaiian Caterpillar Patrols Spiderwebs Camouflaged in Insect Prey's Body Parts

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Hieroglyphic moth, Diphthera festiva, Nolidae (Tufted Moths)

Found along the southern coast of the US, down through Mexico and Central America and into South America as far as southern Brazil

Photo 1 by pedrogenarorodriguez, 2 by suecar, 3 by rwcrook, 4 by dloarie, 5-7 by magazhu, and 8 (caterpillar) by francisco3_