#homingpidgeon

[onenicebugperday]

how come plume moths do that with their wings?

I would assume camouflage! They tend to look like sticks.

[onenicebugperday]

Do you have any tips for telling leaf footed bugs and assassin bugs apart? They tend to look pretty similar to my eye. Is it just the fancy boots?

The leaf-like widened hind tibiae on leaf-footed bugs are sometimes a good indicator because assassin bugs don't have them at all. So if they do have them, they're a leaf-footed bug. But there are quite a lot of species of leaf-footed bugs that don't have them either, so a lack of them is not a good way to distinguish one from the other.

In addition to the fancy feet, leaf-footed bugs usually have thicker antennae with four rather visible segments. Assassin bug antennae tend to be more thread-like, often with a bend in the middle.

Both have tube-like piercing mouthparts, but assassin bugs have a thicker, shorter proboscis that's very obvious, whereas leaf-footed bugs tend to have a longer, thinner one that they fold neatly under their body and it's often not very visible without flipping them over to have a look.

Leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis):

Assassin bug (Zelus longipes):

(Photos are cc0/free use)

Obviously there are so many species with such a variety of morphology, there will always be exceptions, but those are at least a starting point.

[catprinx]

Oh dang, I think I picked up your shortbox comic without realizing it was yours!! I absolutely loved it, it was super fantastic, the themes were chef's kiss and in this house we love a story that repeats sections with changes to show growth and change

Ahhh thank you!!! Yeah I had a lot of fun with the repetition heheh

[onenicebugperday]

How many bugs with raptorial forelimbs have tarsus on those forelimbs? I know mantids do and mantidflies don't, what about giant and creeping water bugs?

The tarsus is just the last part of the leg. Mantidflies do have a tarsus, it's just smaller than in praying mantises. See figures 21A and 21B here. Giant water bugs also have tarsi on their forelimbs, sometimes referred to as a protarsi :)

[onenicebugperday]

I asked a while back about threat displays, but what bug do you think has the best flirt tactics? I am very partial to peacock jumping spiders' dances

I’m not familiar with many tbh! Peacock jumpers are pretty great though. Scorpions also “dance” before mating but their show is less flashy than the jumpers!

[onenicebugperday]

every single time i see a bold jumping spider i have to stop and behold bc sometimes their lil back spots look like faces and every time that happens I have to take a picture to show to everyone I know

YES. Sometimes they look like this :D and it brings me joy every time

[onenicebugperday]

Given how fond of them you are, I'm surprised you haven't kept a ghost mantis before! Especially given their reputation as being one of the easier mantids to keep

I just haven't wanted to get into keeping feeder bugs for predators, but eventually I'll dive in! Starting with very small prey for my future jumping spider(s).

[onenicebugperday]

For wildcaught isopods, what's the risk of them carrying disease or parasites? Especially for folks who keep other bugs as well?

I would not put wild caught ones in the same enclosure with pets of any kind, unless they were caught from the same environment. Always assume they will introduce something. Better to be cautious! But as long as they're in separate enclosures, it would be perfectly fine if they're near each other, assuming they can't climb out of one and into another.