Artemis Eats a Cricket

It's been far too long since I've updated this blog. I have so many projects and posts that I dream of, and I need to get it going already. A year ago, I visited The Galapagos and the Ecuadorian Amazon, and I have thousands of photos that I want to share! It's time to tackle that pile!

Before all that, I would like to show off this brutal encounter a feeder cricket had with my old scorpion, Artemis. 

Witnessing one of these feedings was rare. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and my camera was handy. I almost felt bad for the cricket, as it stared at the giant, hairless ape documenting its demise. 

I was also able to get a nice side view. 

I'm still largely confused about how scorpion faces work, but I think you can make out part of the scorpion's chelae ripping through the cuticle and muscle of the cricket. Any links to a good diagram of scorpion mouth parts are welcome!

Bugs From Around the House: Jumping Spider Feeding

It's cold outside! I'm missing the warm, summer months that buzz with life. I'm particularly missing the arthropod diversity that I see in and around my own home. I live in the city and, even here, we humans are outnumbered by the diversity of insects and arachnids. Even in January, I'm sure a thorough hunt could turn up a few live arthropods. Or, instead, I could finally do something with these pictures I've been sitting on for months. It may keep me busy as I wait out the winter cold.

Here's a photo I took last August. I was in my laundry room and out of the corner of my eye I noticed the swift movement of this hunter grabbing a fly out of the air.

I immediately ran to fetch my camera and started snapping photos as the meal was devoured. This spider appears to be in the genus Platycryptus. The species either californicus or undatus. They are jumping spiders in the family Salticidae.

Woolly Bear Caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella)

This November, I recently traveled to the city of Eugene, Oregon for a family get-together. It was a bit chilly, so I didn't expect to see much insect life. My cousin and I were hiking on Spencer Butte, and I was surprised to find this caterpillar.

Commonly called a "woolly bear," this larva of Pyrrharctia isabella is a species of moth (known as the Isabella Tiger Moth) with a wide distribution across North America. As the weather gets cooler this caterpillar will go dormant for the winter beneath leaf litter and loose tree bark. During dormancy, when temperatures drop, this species produces a cryoprotectant that insulates their tissues to prevent ice from forming in the hemolymph (circulatory fluid). A combination of dehydration and cold acclimation drive the synthesis of the cryoprotectant compounds.

I'm usually hesitant to pick up fuzzy caterpillars if I don't know what they are. My cousin, Sarah, has more experience with these and picked it up right away. Sometimes the setae (the little fuzzy spines) of caterpillars can irritate the skin or even cause severe pain in some instances. This species, however, is perfectly safe to handle.

As you can see in the photo, the caterpillar has curled up. They will respond this way to a disturbance, staying still in order to appear dead.

The woolly bear caterpillar draws a huge crowd in Vermilion, Ohio every year. According to The Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, it is the biggest one-day festival in Ohio. For 41 years this fall festival and parade has brought people together to celebrate the caterpillar and its role in predicting the weather. Much like Punxsutawney Phil, the famed Groundhog who predicts the end of winter, the woolly bear is said to predict the winter weather based on the size of its orange-colored band in the middle of its body. However, like the lore of Punxsutawney Phil, this is not an accurate way to get a weather forecast. The size of the band is actually determined by the developmental stage, or instar, that the larva is in.

More reading and references:
Encyclopedia of Life:  http://eol.org/pages/863046/details
Discover Life ID Guide: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Caterpillars
Triggering of cryoprotectant synthesis in the woolly bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). Jack R. Layne Jr., Diane K. Kuharsky: http://tinyurl.com/lk3lug5
Stinging Caterpillars: A Guide to Recognition of Species Found on Alabama Trees. L. L. Hyche: http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/caterpillar/caterpillar.htm
Woolly Bear Festival: http://tinyurl.com/n6dcdvz and http://vermilionchamber.net/festivals/woolybear/

Mantid Color Variation in the Uintah Basin

I spent last week walking transects in search of cacti in the Uintah Basin near Ouray, UT. There was tons of insect life out there! I was also able to see a few cool arachnid species as well. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the work, I didn't have much time to stop and get as many photos as I wanted. I did, however, get acquainted with some mantids!

This one was found near the Green River. The habitats we were searching were typically dry with no trees. However, there was one section where the river meandered through and cottonwood trees gave some cover from the hot sun. That is where I was able to find this bright green mantis.

I grabbed her up as soon as I saw her gangling through some weeds on the ground. She eventually crawled up my arm, onto the top of my hat, where she groomed her self for a minute or two and then flew away.

Another mantid I found was a mile or two away from the river, on top of a large hill where no trees were present. Notice the difference in color! These appear to be the same species but even in the same species they can have different coloration.

I would hypothesize that natural selection plays a part in the area where the color variation is typically found. For example, the green mantid would probably not fare well in the high and dry habitat where I found the above (and one other) brown mantid. Its bright green exoskeleton would be a giant, neon, "eat me" sign for predators in the area. However, the brown mantids would probably be just fine in the riverside habitat as there are still plenty of things in that area (it is completely surrounded by desert, after all) that it could blend in with.

Oh how I wish I was getting paid to search for these awesome insects instead of cacti!

Avicularia Spiderling in the Ecuadorian Amazon

I am finally digging my way through the stacks of pictures I took on my recent trip to Ecuador this past May. I recently started sorting through the photos from the Amazon. That means TONS more bug photos!

Here is one of the first species I encountered. It's a small spiderling in the genus Avicularia, also known as "pink toe" tarantulas. They are recognized by their pink-colored toe pads and are commonly kept as pets.

The genus Avicularia contains the first species described in the infraorder of Mygalomorphae. The species was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1818. The history of the taxonomy of the genus is an insight to the changing of the scientific understanding of arachnids through the last two centuries.  

Species in the genus are arboreal, and they build their webs in trees and vegetation as well as human-built structures. They are distributed throughout Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

I am unsure of which instar this spiderling was, but it was about 3-5 cm across. It was scurrying along a wooden foot bridge between the Sacha Lodge boat dock and canoe dock near the banks of the Napo River. The spiderling didn't seem too spooked by me, so I got to take my time with it and get some good shots.

In the near future I'll be adding in some photos of adults too, as there were plenty of them in the Amazon!

Moth Week: Syngamia florella

In May I visited The Galapagos Islands with a group of fellow college students. It was in the highlands, on the island of Santa Cruz, that I encountered this little beauty. With spread wings measuring only about 1 inch or so across, this Red-waisted Florella Moth (Syngamia florella) was photographed while foraging on an Indian Heliotrope (Heliotropium indicum). Syngamia florella is a moth in the family Crambidae. This species was likely introduced to the islands in 1906 on plants in the family Rubiacea. 

A special thank you goes to my friend Heather for helping me sleuth out an identity of this moth and to my cousin Alison for helping me id the plant. If anyone has additional info for this particular species I would love to learn more!

New Adventures in Mealworm Husbandry

I unintentionally started a mealworm farm. This is a video of some of the worms (Tenebrio molitor) I have already. I didn't realize I'd get so many from just a few darkling beetles. Wow! I'll be moving them into a bigger home this evening and making plans on just what kind of meal I'll be turning them into. I haven't intentionally eaten bugs before, I guess it's time to start!

Here's a link to some additional information on Tenebrio molitor:
http://insected.arizona.edu/mealinfo.htm

Welcoming any suggestions for future recipes!