Myrmecos
Archives for March, 2009
Estoy de vuelta
Posted by Alex Wild on March 31, 2009 Was Argentina fabulous? Yes. Am I exhausted after a sleepless overnight flight? Also. I’ll try to think of some things to write about the trip once I’m lucid. In the meantime I’d like to thank guest bloggers Scott and Eli for elevating the literary standards of the myrmecos blog during my absence. photo details: Canon…
Sunday Night Movie: Beaker Sings
Posted by Alex Wild on March 29, 2009 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt8Q7Fsa_Vs]
Friday Beetle Blogging: Nemognatha Blister Beetles
Posted by Alex Wild on March 28, 2009 Some of the oddest blister beetles in western North America are in the genus Nemognatha. Their mouthparts have become elongate to form a proboscis- a common trait among other groups of insects- but rare among the beetles. They are commonly seen on flowers feeding on nectar. photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on…
Procryptocerus mayri
Posted by Alex Wild on March 24, 2009 photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/13, flash diffused through tracing paper
Sunday Night Movie: How Ants Communicate
Posted by Alex Wild on March 22, 2009 From the recent documentary Ants: Nature’s Secret Power, a glimpse of how researchers study ant behavior in the lab: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CAjWaZx2Ks]
Friday Beetle Blogging: Wrinkled Bark Beetle
Posted by Alex Wild on March 21, 2009 Rhysodine beetles make their living feeding on slime molds under the bark of decaying trees . They are instantly recognizable from the grooves on their backs and from their distinctly moniliform (bead-like) antennae. The taxonomic placement of these insects is controversial, but genetic evidence suggests they are a highly specialized lineage of Carabidae, the ground…
Prenolepis on your computer
Posted by Alex Wild on March 17, 2009 Since you’re all being so well-behaved while I’m in the field, here’s a new wallpaper for your 1680 x 1055 desktop:
Sunday Night Movie: Being a Bird
Posted by Alex Wild on March 15, 2009 Another classy animation from Creature Comforts: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvETCQiUCv4]
Friday Beetle Blogging: a non-glowing firefly
Posted by Alex Wild on March 13, 2009 Not all fireflies luminesce. Lucidota atra is a day-flying species, common in eastern North America, with vestigial light-producing organs. photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS D60 ISO 100, 1/200 sec, f/13, flash diffused through tracing paper
Sunday Night Movie: The Ingenuity of Ants
Posted by Alex Wild on March 8, 2009 Courtesy of Miniscule: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPhRA2qywgU]