The Leopardopterist

lepidoptera, invertebrates, nature

[polilla-astral]

♠

[underthehedge]

Not to be that guy...

But I feel like parts of my brain are melting at people’s ID requests so I’m totally going to be that guy. 

Recently I joined some UK ant-keeping facebook groups to get updates on mating flights and no one uses the forums anymore. Overall they’re pretty good and interesting, nice bit of community etc. but some of the ID requests…Anyone else who helpfully answers people’s questions about these things will probably know where I’m going with this (@nanonaturalist), it’s the photos.

I remember first getting into photographing bugs years ago and taking photos I thought were decent, but looking at them now? Oh dear, no, out of focus etc. So I know you need to have experience to actually tell a good photo from a bad photo but like, sometimes it feels beyond a joke? I’m not expecting a studio lit image stack but surely people can work out you need to be able to actually see the ant? 

“Hi I caught this queen earlier can anyone ID it for me?” - I took this photo as a joke but actually uuuuh this really isn’t that far off. Grainy, unfocused, apparently taken from halfway across the room for some reason. Or other old favourites like a lovingly detailed portrait of someone’s thumb next to a blurry out of focus blob that I wouldn’t even feel confident IDing as “an ant”.

None of which bothers me like the people who don’t have even the faintest clue what they’re talking about who stride in proclaiming it as this genus, species, subspecies and its mother’s maiden name for ants you can’t even ID past subgenus without a microscope (looking at you, Chthonolasius with your identical workers and nearly identical queens). Especially tiresome when you’re trying to explain how you can’t actually ID something to species from these photos and what would be needed and here’s Barry swooping in with “Oh it’s X looks just like mine”. Fuck off Barry you thought you’d found something that’s not even present in this country last week, take your shoddy advice elsewhere.

I get it, if you’ve never keyed out species with a dichotomous key you aren’t going to know what details to include and what quality of picture you need. If you’ve not spent hours staring at small insects down a microscope you won’t realise how much fine detail your photo is lacking* and you probably don’t know why that’s important. It’s not their fault and I don’t want to discourage anyone it’s just…after the fifth unusable photo of the day my brains starts to squeak.

*for the love of any and all gods that are listening, Focus. The. Camera. On. The. Subject. Not your fingers, c’mon, just focus the camera before you press capture.

[giantleopardmoth]

hello Mr. smart guy biologist, pls id this caterpillar for me immediately asap i need it right now please thanks toby please respond TOBYU PLEASE HELP ME ID IT PLEAS!!!!!!!!                e

[underthehedge]

Drinker moth, Euthrix potatoria?

[giantleopardmoth]

That is completely and exactly Ẃ̷̨̛̻̳̹̮͉̩̳͇͓̯̣̘̗̻̤̞̼͎̓̅̾̃̾̒̇̋̈́̑̄͂͒̀̏̾̀̑̑̿͆͌̈́͌͌̓͌̃̀͝ͅṚ̴̨͙̙̙̝̋̇̏̈́̓͋̐̎̄̋̉͋͌̓̈́̈͑́̓͘̕̚̚͝͝O̵͖͎͔̻̅̌́͌̎͘Ņ̶̛̛̠͕͍̰̩̦̟͚̠͋̾̾̐͊͒̊̾̀͐̔̄̎̏̉̈̈̅͂̔̊̀̔͘̚͝͝ͅG̴̨̢͖͙̗̜̺̖̫͕̈́̅̉́̐̌̌́͋̌̔̇̏̈́̃̀̌͜͝

That is obviously an early instar oak eggar, Lasiocampa quercus! I mean, did you even look at the photo?! *disdainful headshake*

Sorry nerd, but I’m gonna have to revoke your Smart Guy Biologist card.

[underthehedge]

Not to be that guy...

But I feel like parts of my brain are melting at people’s ID requests so I’m totally going to be that guy. 

Recently I joined some UK ant-keeping facebook groups to get updates on mating flights and no one uses the forums anymore. Overall they’re pretty good and interesting, nice bit of community etc. but some of the ID requests…Anyone else who helpfully answers people’s questions about these things will probably know where I’m going with this (@nanonaturalist), it’s the photos.

I remember first getting into photographing bugs years ago and taking photos I thought were decent, but looking at them now? Oh dear, no, out of focus etc. So I know you need to have experience to actually tell a good photo from a bad photo but like, sometimes it feels beyond a joke? I’m not expecting a studio lit image stack but surely people can work out you need to be able to actually see the ant? 

“Hi I caught this queen earlier can anyone ID it for me?” - I took this photo as a joke but actually uuuuh this really isn’t that far off. Grainy, unfocused, apparently taken from halfway across the room for some reason. Or other old favourites like a lovingly detailed portrait of someone’s thumb next to a blurry out of focus blob that I wouldn’t even feel confident IDing as “an ant”.

None of which bothers me like the people who don’t have even the faintest clue what they’re talking about who stride in proclaiming it as this genus, species, subspecies and its mother’s maiden name for ants you can’t even ID past subgenus without a microscope (looking at you, Chthonolasius with your identical workers and nearly identical queens). Especially tiresome when you’re trying to explain how you can’t actually ID something to species from these photos and what would be needed and here’s Barry swooping in with “Oh it’s X looks just like mine”. Fuck off Barry you thought you’d found something that’s not even present in this country last week, take your shoddy advice elsewhere.

I get it, if you’ve never keyed out species with a dichotomous key you aren’t going to know what details to include and what quality of picture you need. If you’ve not spent hours staring at small insects down a microscope you won’t realise how much fine detail your photo is lacking* and you probably don’t know why that’s important. It’s not their fault and I don’t want to discourage anyone it’s just…after the fifth unusable photo of the day my brains starts to squeak.

*for the love of any and all gods that are listening, Focus. The. Camera. On. The. Subject. Not your fingers, c’mon, just focus the camera before you press capture.

[giantleopardmoth]

hello Mr. smart guy biologist, pls id this caterpillar for me immediately asap i need it right now please thanks toby please respond TOBYU PLEASE HELP ME ID IT PLEAS!!!!!!!!                e

[kas-e]

Unknown sp. 

First shot is stacked.

[giantleopardmoth]

Definitely looks like some sort of prominent (family Notodontidae).

If I knew in what country/state it was found, at what time of year and on what food plant (if any), I could probably ID it for you fairly easily.

[spidersaregood-blog]

[giantleopardmoth]

kurtmn commented on bugbbys's post “Me: spiders dont have emotions and cant be emotionally attached to...”

If spiders had emotions, then the one in my bathroom would certainly commit suicide when I have to sit on the toilet. :)

lol

I love when one of my caterpillars crawls up over my shirt and just hangs out on my boobs with complete obliviousness.

[bugbbys]

Me: spiders dont have emotions and cant be emotionally attached to someone

Also me: look at my spider sitting there looking at me shes so comfy and happy she loves me and I love her!!!!

[alrightyspidey]

Lol I completely identify with this

[arcticarthropod]

Im pretty sure emotions are how nature regulates evolved behavior. Like for example humans being afraid of being eaten by lions. I sure they experience something like that. Especially fear and pleasure.

[bugbbys]

Maybe in a way, but I’d think their reactions are less emotional and more instinctual. Of course we can know for certain, but it’s unlikely spiders can love for example o:

[giantleopardmoth]

Emotions and instincts (innate, complex patterns of behaviour that can’t be learned or unlearned) aren’t mutually exclusive, but complementary, with particular emotions (e.g. sexual jealousy) triggering and guiding particular behaviours (e.g. mate guarding behaviours). Emotions are highly basal, primordial things; primitive urges designed to heuristically nudge us towards our reproductive goals.

However, it does seem highly unlikely that arthropods form attachments in the way we do. I think that, at best, they might learn to associate us with comfort (like a goldfish associating its owner with food), but that’s probably the uppermost limit.

[textless]

Nonstop caterpillar party.  Cochise County, Arizona, summer to fall 2018.

[bowelflies]

happy halloween

(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Herona marathus)

[spiders-spiders-spiders]

dune predator by Marshal Hedin on Flickr

Salticidae (Jumping Spider)

[theindependentconservative]

@keyhollow

[yourladyindank]

A friend

[wickedroses]

@necrophagist

[fumblebeefae]

I really wish the entomology tag on tumblr had more actual….entomology

[saturniidays]

*goes to check the entomology tag* HOT GIRLS WANT YOU NOW

[bug-maniac]

Wait what do you mean that’s not entomology? Are you telling me my degree at the University of Booty is a lie?

[nice-beetles]

Someone: wait so you just look at bugs all day?

Me: yeah, see let me show you. Oh…oh yeah ignore that…….oh that one too…………sorry people are weird this is just part of it

[bug-maniac]

Oops, my hand slipped.

[nanonaturalist]

Don’t let them get away! Follow for more!

August 10, 2018

[bugsrfckdup]

I made a few friends recently! Can anyone tell me about them? I met all of them on a vacation to Vermont!

[giantleopardmoth]

The first is a plume moth (family Pterophoridae), the second a sawfly larva of some variety, and the last an adorable gypsy moth caterpillar, Lymantria dispar dispar.

[bowelflies]

there he go!!

[eartharchives]

For anyone wondering this is the strange caterpillar of a lobster moth, which is believed to mimic other insects for protection!

[itscolossal]

Larger-Than-Life Insects Lurk Around Abandoned Buildings in Anamorphic Street Art by Odeith

[thespicebettas]

moo goes the cow bark goes the dog meow goes the cat FUCK goes the aquarist who just spilled water all over the floor

[thespicebettas]

honestly if you ever need a fishblr user master post I think nearly every active user has reblogged this post

[cutelittleanimalsthings]

Swallowtail eating fennel with tiny hands