bugs are really fckd up

Submissions of little babs & identification curiosities welcome!!!

[hideki-koga]

ルリモンハナバチ（Thyreus decorus）

[eartharchives]

Spider-like creatures help uncover the surprising origins of fatherhood

Citizen scientists have helped solve a long-standing mystery about how parental care evolved in harvestmen, revealing separate evolutionary paths for mothers and fathers. Image credit: John Uribe

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260712011737.htm

[dailybugfacts]

Hav i done somthing on tree lobsters yet?

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TODAY'S FACT IS

Did you know that the Tree Lobster (Dryococelus australis) is a species of stick insect native to the Lord Howe Island Group? For about 80 years this insect was believed to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 2001 on the nearby Ball's Pyramid.

In 2003, captive breeding programs were spearheaded by the Melbourne Zoo with the goal of repopulating Lord Howe Island itself. As of 2025, 5 other zoos in major cities worldwide have assisted in breeding efforts (Budapest, Bristol, San Diego, Toronto, and Prague).

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Photo by Granitethighs

[waspdaily]

Today's wasp of the day is Melittobia acasta!

Credits

These short-lived wrigglers are parasitoids of bees, wasps, and basically anything that also tries living in the nests of those bees and wasps. You can't be that picky when you only live for 25 days after all. What's most interesting about these seemingly simple wasps is that they exhibit primitive social structures with cooperation between multiple generations.

While these wasps can be quite a problem for commercial bees, their short lifespan and ease of rearing makes them a good subject for laboratory studies.

[ratcandy]

are u guys hearing this

(This is a Great Golden Digger Wasp - Sphex ichneumoneus - doing what its name implies, digging. But you may also notice, if you turn the sound on, that she’s making some incredible noises as she does so.)

[nimbugs]

Reach WITHIN a bush or tree and you may find a friend and boy

Gonipterus platensis! This cute little weevil really liked hugging tightly on the leaf they were at, it's adorable. Don't worry it wasn't Cordyceps or anything like that, they reacted to stimuli like a healthy bug, they just really like hugging leaves!

I quite enjoyed how round and red this guy was, the biggest weevil I've ever found!

Taken in Bogotá, Colombia

Ko-Fi

[auckie]

[communist-hatsunemiku]

[virtualgirladvance]

You are a bug in bug hell but your spider torturer so fucking bad at their job that the devil himself has to grab you with his gay pitchfork and help them

[stardog-howls]

[indolentjellyfish]

as per request, banana for scale

[photogdenography]

Stream Sipping

Arizona Sister - Embudo Canyon, NM

[waspdaily]

Today's wasp of the day is Cratomus megacephala!

Credit's: photo 1, photo 2

"mega-cephala" means "big head" but what that leaves out is that said big head is also shaped like a human thyroid. And what benefit is there to having a bow tie shaped noggin? Well, it's theorized that those little nubbins are what help this wasp push their way through their cocoon (and host) when they're done with their pupa nap.

[waspdaily]

Built in fish eye lense

[onlytiktoks]

[salticidaeily]

(source: Ahmed et al., 2018. Oophagy by Hyllus semicupreus (Araneae: Salticidae: Plexippina))

No need to teach your grandspider to suck eggs! Oophagy has been observed by several salticid species, and this H. semicupreus even got to exercise a bit of gourmand choosiness, passing over the insect eggs that didn't measure up to her standards as she Pac Woman'd her way down the line.

[bugkeeping]

been holding a lot of guys lately

Obscure Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca obscura) & Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)

[uncharismatic-fauna]

I saw these funky creatures by a lake in Minnesota last year, I haven't identified them but I know their collective name is "Susan"?

Susan is a fantastic collective name for those guys!

[waspdaily]

Today's wasp of the day is Belonogaster lateritia!

Credits: photo 1, photo 2

Wasps and birds typically do not get along. There are many types of birds that specialize in eating wasps, and there's even a few wasps that have been known to eat small young birds too. And yet, there are rare cases where wasps and birds coexist.

Sociable weaver birds (Philetairus socius) are known for making massive multifamily nests, and sometimes they specifically choose to be neighbors with the nests of wasps such as B. lateritia. It's believed the small birds do this because less predators are willing to mess with the stinging wasps around. It's also been theorized that the wasps' nest building instincts also help maintain the birds' nests. For the wasps, they also benefit from the protection of being a part of a larger structure. The flies that are attracted to the birds' waste are also an easy food source for the wasps' young.

[dystopianroach]

girl dinner

Narceus americanus