invertebrate
@crevicedwelling
myriapod missing a few dozen limbs. worm watcher and arachnid propagator. waiting for rain
❔ a friend and I swapped bugs recently and now I’ve got a small colony of Therea olegrandjeani, the question mark cockroach! truly a charming blattodean
You can tell millipedes are millipedes because all but the first few segments are fused together, so their legs are stuck together in pairs. There aren’t other living bugs with anatomy like this.
Mr. Mystery millipede has hardened up a bit and he appears to be a species of Brachoria, likely B. ochra (adult conspecifics found at the site). He will need yet more time before his colors deepen into that species’ usual black and red
Panorpa insolens, a scorpionfly, defends her delicious mystery lump from a patient flesh fly (Sarcophagidae). Wing-flagging in Panorpa is used for both intraspecific and interspecific communication, and in some species studied, these displays are often used to guard food from other scavengers
It’s hot here and the Cotinis are thirsty! Not much room at the fermented tree sap bar, so it’s become a bit of a brawl.
they seem to be quite common here, but I’m still not used to seeing the Great Spangled Fritillary so often! big, bold, and very pretty butterfly.
previously, I reared this incredibly handsome Pachydesmus to adulthood with the same method and diet. despite his impressive size he’s actually on the small side for his species, one of the largest millipedes in the eastern US!
another success rearing Xystodesmidae penultimates to adulthood! I caught this male emerging from his molting chamber this morning.
I’m in awe at these majestic creatures. I was not expecting to see glorious shrimps today. why are they huge
@mossworm.bsky.social !!!!!! I found Creatures in this puddle!!!!
mama Scolopendra laid some more eggs! last year she had a clutch about a month later. brooding seems relatively fast in this smaller species, so there should be some new pedelings by early August
chasing these led me deep into the woods and I got a little lost and so basically I think these count as fairies
what appears to be a running crab spider (Philodromiidae) descended down a line from a tree into my hand. she had caught a mirid bug, which had attracted a cheeky moocher, possibly a freeloader fly (Milichiidae) taking a tax of her meal!
interaction recorded while snacking on black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) and looking for hangingflies (Bittacus), who conveniently seem to enjoy perching on raspberry canes here
I imagine this crow parent was thinking “these things sure were easier when they sat in the nest screaming all day and couldn’t follow me while still screaming”
Many myriapods spend a good deal of effort giving their offspring the best possible start in life, even if they don’t provide direct care. This female Narceus seals each egg in wood pulp and feces, carefully molding these protective capsules (and first meals) with her legs and mouthparts.
having never lived in an area with scorpionflies, I am very much enjoying having not just one but 5+ species on the wing at the moment! this orange sp. is the most common currently
there are situations where chasing and grabbing a reptile is necessary, and (too many imo) situations where it happens but isn’t necessary at all, and this was, agreeably, neither of those
maybe the most peaceful encounter I’ve ever had with a reptile. big black rat was basking too close to a bike path, so a gentle head pat prompted it to move a full half foot up the bank after a few minutes’ consideration
It’s Amynthas carnosus, the largest pheretimoid successfully introduced the US (alt text has diagnostic characters listed). This would be the first record of it for this area, a concerning find! Next time it rains, I’ll try to take some alive.
Of course, I had to investigate further. Thus, worm rehydration, and the incidental creation of worm broth. Then onto an ethanol bath to fix the specimen…
I found this horrible piece of worm jerky on the sidewalk. On a whim I decided to look closer, and realized it was a pheretimoid (the dreaded “jumping worms” invasive in the US). However, all the species recorded from this area only mature in the fall, or don’t grow so large.
if you’re not sure what was glowing, maybe this will make it click