Weird Bugs And Other Stuff

I love pretty much all organisms and I post about anything cool, especially when I encounter them in the wild. Unless stated otherwise pics/videos are my own. I don’t care if you repost them elsewhere but please add a link to this blog if you do.

[platycryptus]

A female robberfly (Prolepsis tristis) I spotted devouring a male conspecific in central Florida.

Robberflies are formidable, solitary predators and many species are not at all shy about making a meal of their own kind, whether indiscriminately or in apparent cases of sexual cannibalism. It’s hard to say if this encounter is a random act of predation, the result of a failed mating attempt, or if the male did his job and she needed a snack afterwards.

[platycryptus]

Zebra clubtail (Stylurus scudderi)

An uncommonly-seen species that flies over clear rivers later in the summer than most clubtails, I’ve been wanting to see these for years and finally got the opportunity last August.

Like many Gomphidae, zebra clubtails are fast, maneuverable fliers and aggressively territorial. Males like this one defend breeding sites along the river both from conspecifics and from other dragonfly species, even those much larger than themselves.

(Massachusetts, 8/25)

[drhoz]

#3653 - Phasmodes ranatriformis - Kings Park Stick Katydid

Broadly similar to the Pollen-feeding Katydids, but quite a bit larger. They're also katydids, and like Kawanaphilas eat pollen and nectar (as well as flowers), but they're named for their resemblance to Phasmids (stick insects) and Ranatra sp. water scorpions, who are also very skinny and have a long tube on the tip of the abdomen. Although in this case it's an ovipositor, not a butt-snorkel. In colour they may be green or brown.

There are three species in the genus - Phasmodes ranatriformis (the type species, discovered in Kings Park right in the middle of Perth), Phasmodes jeeba, and Phasmodes nungeroo. All three are endemic to the SW Corner of the country, and the only members of the katydid subfamily the Phasmodinae.

Uniquely among the katydids, Phasmodes ranatriformis is mute, which can't make finding a mate any easier.

Kings Park, Perth.

[platycryptus]

A giant ichneumon wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus) uses her extremely long ovipositor to drill into a dead maple tree. Megarhyssa includes species with the longest ovipositors of any insect (up to 11 cm in M. macrurus and up to 14 cm in its cousin M. atrata), which also technically gives them the longest total length of any hymenopteran insect. The ovipositor is used to pierce deep into dead or dying trees to lay eggs on the larvae of a large wood-boring sawfly (Tremex columba).

Her ovipositor acts not only as a drill but as a sensory organ, and is highly sensitive to vibrations in the wood made by the sawfly larvae. Note how the translucent membranes of her abdomen stretch as she applies pressure by curling the base of the ovipositor, then retract when she withdraws to search for a different spot.

(Massachusetts, July 2025)

[apocrital]

Are we ready for another round of freaks

I always say this lovingly, of course

Idolothrips spectrum (I couldn't find much information on these so I'm not sure whether that spectrum refers to them being variable but none of the others seem to look as strange as this one. Not sure if there's something else going on there) and lepidopsocid

Ophiotettix limosina and phaneropterine

Perola sericea and Melittia sp.

Selandriine and Ghilianella sp.

Holoptilus sp. and Pseudocephalelus bleusei

Chaetochlorops inquilinus and Calodromus sp.

Moluris globulicollis (aka the globeneck globe toktokkie because I can't just leave that name out) and Phycosoma oecobioides

Herdoniine and Cazira verrucosa

Tereticepheus sp. and Moegistorhynchus longirostris

Charistica rhodopetala (there's a gif I can't add here but please watch it) and Tetraglenes hirticornis

Ordgarius magnificus and Papirioides jacobsoni

Exechesops sp. (some have even goofier eyes than this) and Oraesia excavata

Necrophylus arenarius and Mosu sp.

Pachycnema calviniana and Palmipenna aeoleoptera

Mucronianus sp. and Metallyticus splendidus

[platycryptus]

One of my absolute favorite native fish species is the longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae). A weird minnow specialized for life in the most fast-flowing torrents of rocky rivers and streams, they use their funny snout to grub in the gravel for small invertebrates, algae and any edible detritus. They have perhaps the largest native distribution of any North American freshwater fish, found coast to coast across much of the northern US and most of Canada.

If you’ve ever been bitten by blackflies (Simuliidae), I hope you’ll be pleased to know that longnose dace are one of their main predators! Blackfly larvae cling to rocks in swift waters where few fish can brave the current but longnose dace feel right at home. Blackfly larvae make up a large proportion of their diet, so without the dace there would be a lot more blackflies around.

Young longnose dace, like in the video above, display fairly typical minnow behavior. They forage in schools and are active during the day, and like many minnows have a dark lateral line. As adults they lose the stripe, develop mottled brown or gold coloration, and become nocturnal, skulking under rocks during the day. However, during spawning they become active during the day and males develop orange highlights.

[platycryptus]

The spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is seldom seen, but when I do see them, they’re usually walking across roadways in early spring. In fact, I rarely see them anywhere else.

The salamander’s black and yellow color scheme provides impeccable camouflage against the asphalt and the yellow paint. Clearly, this animal evolved specifically for crossing roads.

We can thus use the salamander’s evolutionary history to understand its psychology- it crosses roads because it likes to be on the road. The road is its home, hence the camouflage. So whenever I see one getting confused and walking away from the road, I always pick it up and put it back to safety near the centerline. Don’t try this at home though, I’m only allowed to interact with them because I’m basically an expert.

[platycryptus]

The Lake Placid funnel wolf spider (Sosippus placidus) is a species with an extremely limited distribution, found only in certain tracts of sandy scrubland in the vicinity of Lake Placid, Florida.

Most wolf spiders are roaming hunters or burrow dwellers that do not build any sort of web, but Sosippus build a funnel web where they ambush prey, similar to unrelated funnel weavers like Agelenopsis. Florida is home to a few other, more common species of Sosippus, but S. placidus is considerably larger than the others and has a unique black and orange underside.

The range of S. placidus is contained within the Lake Wales Ridge geological formation of central Florida, which has arid subtropical conditions unlike any other habitat east of the Mississippi. These dry, harsh scrublands are not as biodiverse as the swamps and forests covering most of Florida, but because the habitats are so unique many plants and animals have evolved here that are found nowhere else on earth.

Development, agriculture and fire suppression threatens to destroy what little remains of these scrublands, and the current political forces that control Florida (and the entire country for that matter) aren’t too keen on environmental conservation. So if you think this spider is cool I recommend making the trip to central Florida to get a good look before it’s gone forever.

(Florida, 11/4/25)

[platycryptus]

I LOVE ARACHNIDS!!! EVERYONE SHOULD LOVE ARACHNIDS!!!!!

So far i’ve found 11 of the 13 currently recognized living arachnid orders in the wild. Someday I hope to find all of them!

Clockwise from upper left: (Parasitiformes not pictured, but I do love ticks and I think they’re awesome even though I’ve had Lyme disease twice..)

Phrynus marginemaculatus (Amblypygi)

Argiope trifasciata (Araneae)

Stenochrus portoricensis (Schizomida)

Neoscotolemon spiniferum (Opiliones)

Chernetidae sp. (Pseudoscorpiones)

Hadrurus arizonensis (Scorpiones)

Mastigoproctus floridanus (Uropygi)

Eremobates or Eremocosta sp. (Solifugae)

Erythraeus sp. (Acari)

Limulus polyphemus (Xiphosura)

[platycryptus]

Name something better than flipping over logs and trash on a brisk autumn day and finding salamanders

(Massachusetts, 10/22/25)

[platycryptus]

One of my third-instar hickory horned devils (Citheronia regalis) chowing down on a sweetgum leaf

At the moment, this caterpillar is about 4 cm long, but only has two molts to go before it turns bright green and swells to the size of a hotdog

[platycryptus]

The prince baskettail (Epitheca princeps) patrols large rivers and lakes throughout eastern North America. As far as I can tell from limited research, it’s the largest species of emerald dragonfly (family Corduliidae) anywhere on earth!

This species rarely lands and is notoriously wary and difficult to catch, even compared to other large dragonflies with similar flight behavior. E. princeps is quite common, yet this is only the second specimen I’ve ever caught- I only got him because his flight path took him past some tall reeds where I could hide with my net and ambush him

The other one I captured years ago I approached by swimming with just my head above the water to avoid scaring him, and even then I only succeeded when he was distracted by an intense dogfight with a rival.

(Massachusetts, 8/14/25)

[platycryptus]

Systropus macer is a species of beefly (Bombyliidae) that mimics a sand wasp in the genus Ammophila. This gives it a strange appearance for a beefly, as most other species are round and hairy.

S. macer is a parasitoid of slug caterpillars, which is also somewhat unusual since bombyliids typically target ground-dwelling hosts like burrowing bees and beetle larvae.

(Massachusetts, 8/11/24)

[platycryptus]

Luna moth caterpillar (Actias luna) making a birch leaf disappear

I raised these juicy caterpillars from eggs collected from this moth, which was found struggling in the wind at the very summit of a mountain on the full moon last June

[platycryptus]

Black-tipped darner (Aeshna tuberculifera)

The genus Aeshna, or mosaic darners, contains many similar-looking species found in temperate and boreal regions across the Northern Hemisphere. If you live in the northern US or Canada, many of the large, fast dragonflies seen flying in swarms in late summer and fall belong to this genus.

A. tuberculifera is one of the largest Aeshna in North America, and in my opinion might be the coolest looking- just look at the turquoise on his thorax stripes!

(Massachusetts, 7/31/25)

[platycryptus]

A Rhyssella nitida ichneumon wasp ovipositing in a dead pine log!

A smaller relative of the more well-known giant ichneumons in the genus Megarhyssa, they also parasitize wood-boring sawflies but target smaller species.

(Massachusetts, 5/29/25)

[platycryptus]

Look at this beautiful green soldier fly (Odontomyia cincta) that landed on my hand while I was sitting next to a pond!

Soldier flies are best known for the species that feed on decaying matter like manure and compost, but O. cincta is one of many where the larvae are aquatic and feed primarily on algae.

(Massachusetts, 6/17/22)