#conehead bug

[unbeweevablebugs]

When you're chillin at the gay leather bar and THIS guy shows up

[onenicebugperday]

Mediterranean conehead mantis, Empusa pennata, Empusidae

Photographed in France by Bernard DuPont

[razehider]

shortly after meeting an adult Empusa pennata like i've always wanted to, i came across this baby one. it was roughly in the same area as the adult, so she could be its mom for all i know. either way this bodes well for my odds of seeing more in a few months

predictably it despised me and kept leaping away with impressive speed, but it was also pathetically easy to get it back on my hand repeatedly. this was another one of those that are hard to walk away from because i never got tired of looking at it (September 18th, 2024)

[antiqueanimals]

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: vol. 2 - Insects. Written by Dr. Bernhard Grzimek. 1984. Illustration by H. Mizzard.

Internet Archive

1.) Lepisma sp.

2.) Machilis sp.

3.) Campodea sp.

4.) Japyx sp.

5.) A proturan.

6.) Hypogastrura sp.

7.) Sminthurus sp.

8.) Onychiurus sp.

9.) Orchesella sp.

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Photos thanks to Panagiotis Dalagiorgos & Иван Тисленко on iNaturalist!

[corehopeart]

Anatomy Practice 6/?: Protonura

Protonura is an order under Apterygota, the primitive wingless invertebrates. They are small, only a few mm long, and adapted for cave life with their lack of eyes and 'antenna' like forelimbs!

Protonurans live in soil, and grow through shedding into larger stages as they go, rather than a complete metamorphosis. They seem to be detritivores doing their best!

[luxuryghouls]

my onglydoople

[drowsydragontastemaker]

[ID: traditional pen drawing of mantids on orange paper. In lighter ink are two rows of rudimentary European mantis heads. In darker ink are three large conehead mantis heads with heavy shading. There are small doodles of mantis antennae and full body conehead mantids between the three main heads. On the right side of the paper it says “June 13th 2024.” In the top lefthand corner of the paper is the artists signature, a black dragon and the letters DDTM enclosed in a gray box. Beneath the signature is the word mantidae in all caps. End ID.]

Obsessed with conehead mantids right now. I’m thinking of transferring this drawing over to procreate!

[critter-catcher]

Saw a young katydid the other day, they sure do look goofy

[bugkeeping]

Split-banded Owl-Butterfly, Opsiphanes cassina

[vrgssmncht]

MEDITERRANEAN CONEHEAD MANTIS OR EMPUSA PENNATA FOR DAY TWO LETS GOOOO

[tabbertbellingsworth]

#6 Giant conehead mantis

[razehider]

this is Empusa pennata, a mediterranean conehead mantis, and i've wanted to see one since i was eight years old. she wasn't happy about being removed from her hiding spot, my camera, or my general existence, which made photos a little complicated, but the real deterrent was the fact that for a really long time all i could do was stand there speechless

this has been my #1 local lifer for as long as i've had a concept of "animal i really wanna see one day". now that i've finally found one i dunno what my next goal could possibly be. maybe a dodo. maybe another conehead that looks exactly like this, why not. i miss her already

(September 1st, 2024)

[abstractscreach]

I’m sorry you mean this isn’t a fucked up depiction of a skinned antelope?

Conehead praying mantis (Empusa pennata), photo taken by Marta Albareda.

[herpwrangler]

bug

[majesticn3wt]

I can't believe I never posted them here!!

Here's my bugs, Kika the Executioner Wasp and Neissa the Conehead Mantis!!

I'll post more about them individually another day <3