tjalamont.bsky.social
Writer & nature photographer, especially macro photography of arthropods. Desert Tortoise conservation advocate. Fan of California, Montana, the rest of the planet. Photo website: https://www.tomastlephotography.com/
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When the levee slowly erodes
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Maybe? I wasn't sure what it was. Aphid-size, if so.
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--spider, I think a juvenile Lyssomanes sp., was spotted by a fellow photographer on my hat while we were walking along a path. It was quite reluctant to leave its Pantone 294C perch, which means we now have scientific proof that some jumping spiders are Dodgers fans. (Costa Rica)
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--windshield-wiper-like, with its palps. The reason the two largest eyes are two different colors in photo 1 is that they are looking in two different directions (the green one is green because the internal, moveable part of the eye is aimed sideways, reflecting nearby greenery). This--
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--spiders will prey on other spiders, but in this case the jumping spider had the upper fang. Btw, there are quite a few jumping spiders (and other spiders, true bugs, katydids, and other insects) that mimic ants, not least because ants bite and/or sting, and many predators avoid them. (Costa Rica)
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--a spitting spider, so named because they spit a sticky fluid, a mix of venom and liquid silk, to ensare prey. If you look closely in the upper right of this photo, you'll see a clear liquid stuck to the spitting spider's legs, which I'm guessing is some toxic spit it deployed in vain. Spitting--
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Amazing!🦡
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Thank you 🪰
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I hear you, but I find all of them fascinating, complex, and beautiful in their own way. I realize many folks don’t agree - which is why I work very hard to avoid negative/scary language to describe these creatures. They are pointlessly killed/hated enough already without me feeding that narrative.
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Also, thanks to @ndrewrivera.bsky.social for the mosquito ID 🦟
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It's not a spider, but a different kind of arachnid called an amblypygid. They have no venom and can't make silk. They are in their own order, separate from other arachnids (spiders, harvesters, mites, scorpions, etc.). This was a small juvenile, body length under 1 cm. Seen in Costa Rica.
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Thank you - one of my favorites from the trip.
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They really are dainty in their movements. Wonderfully complex and fascinating animals!
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Amblypygids use their spiky, mantis-like pedipalps to grab prey. They only use six legs for walking; the first pair of legs are modified into long, thin, antennae-like appendages that they use to feel their way around in the dark and sense prey. I like the white highlight at the bend in this one.
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Go for it, it's a time-honored strategy
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Also possibly steampunk robots
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I love these beetles so much
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Thanks, Alex.
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Before I found their small nest, I had no idea these beautiful, honey-colored, silk-spinning little wasps even existed. And now I do. Sometimes when I go for a walk with my camera, I feel as if I know almost nothing about the world. It really is a wonderful thing.
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--solitary. Microstigmus wasps live in small colonies, usually no more than a dozen or so individuals; I only saw three on this nest. Given their tiny size, they hunt tiny prey - other wee arthropods like springtails, thrips, and aphids - to feed their young. (Check out her tiny bitey mandibles!)
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--eusocial (live in nests of related individuals that work cooperatively - think ants, honeybees, hornets). But they're not closely related to other eusocial wasps, and have evolved eusociality separately from them. The other wasps in their superfamily (Apoidea) - at least 10K species - are--
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--as you see here, the nest hangs below a leaf by a thin silk line called a "petiole." You can also see the nest entrance at the top where the petiole meets the main structure. But the coolest thing about these wasps is that they are the only wasps on their side of their family tree that are--
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I’m very sorry for how you’re feeling. As someone who admires your work and knowledge, and just as a fellow human, I hope things improve soon in any way they can. 🪲🪰🕷️
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Sounds like an excellent plan 📸
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They were really adorable - we saw a few males on a shrub, occasionally “battling” for perching rights (I presume as lookouts for females) on the leaves
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Phones are getting better all the time, especially for larger subjects like big butterflies or mantises. But as you've noticed, with super-tiny creatures they sometimes struggle.
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Nikon Z8 and Laowa 2x macro lens 🦋
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This species, yes. Once most insects molt to their winged adult form, they no longer grow.