Nature pics

[pat]

Just by way of a change, here's a photo of a moth. It's perfectly beautiful and beautifully perfect.

[Leedscot]

Stunning, Pat. Taken where?

[Calilasseia]

Just by way of a change, here's a photo of a moth. It's perfectly beautiful and beautifully perfect.

If that's from Peru, then it's Pachydota nervosa. It's a cloud forest species.

[Calilasseia]

As an expert on things entomological, Calilasseia, can you tell me what this is? It's about the size of my little finger nail and was walking at a fair pace along a long wooden railing (hence the not very sharp photo). It got to the end, realized it couldn't go any further, turned round and started to go back. Any large ants it encountered gave way to it, but tiny ants didn't. In fact one seemed to nick a bit of the white stuff, which I assume the insect is carrying as some sort of protection.

If that was taken in Peru, then that's one for the Natural History Museum. I suspect it could be a scale insect of some sort, with that extravagant white fluff on its back, but scale insects are notoriously difficult to identify without dissection even among the UK fauna, and as for South America, well ... there's a lifetime's research waiting for anyone who wants to study the scale insects of the region.

[pat]

Both photos were taken in Peru.

After asking Calilasseia what the weird creature might be I did a bit of online research and found a web site called www.whatsthatbug.com. I submitted the photo to them and they said it was a planthopper nymph, probably in the family Fulgoridae. The white stuff on its back consists of waxy secretions which, being waterproof and easily detachable, both keep the nymph dry and protect it - if a predator takes a bite it’s likely to go off with a beak/mouthful of wax while the nymph escapes.

Ain’t nature grand?

[Calilasseia]

Oh good grief. Fulgorid planthoppers are another one of those groups that even experts have trouble with, when identifying to species level. They're notorious for this.

[birdy]

Pretty bug, Pat.  I am a big fan of our Bugguide.net, which helps me label my unknowns.  Unfortunately, that's just for the USA and Canada, but for anyone finding bugs in those locations, it's invaluable.

[anona]

As someone who can usually tell a moth from a butterfly, can recognise ladybirds and take a stab at cabbage whites (if near cabbages) and red admirals, I'd agree with Calilasseia. Have you reached a decision, Pat, or should we take a vote on it?

[pat]

Hi Anona. I'm inclined to go with the chap from What's that bug. He sent me a link to another photo of a planthopper nymph for comparison and apart from the colour of the eyes it's very similar to mine.

https://www.reddit.com/r/awwnverts/comments/2yfwph/waxy_planthopper_nymph_or_possibly_a_new_pokemon/

[anona]

Oh! I've not followed carefully enough, then. I was looking at the picture you posted at 8pm on the 10th. Sorry, Pat.

[pat]

Cross purposes, methinks. I agree with Calilasseia’s identification of the moth.

[Calilasseia]

Meanwhile, I've had this turn up at a recent moth trapping session (see photo). It's been identified by an expert at the Natural History Museum as Opheltes glaucopterus, and it's big. As in close to an inch long, which by Ichneumon Wasp standards in the UK, is pretty big - most species in the UK fauna have a body length under 10mm, and some are as small as 3.5 mm long. The big ones, as a consequence, tend to be noticeable among entomologists, even those who specialise in other insect groups, because the big ones stand out, and this one stood out because it was even bigger than the usual Ophion species that turn up at moth traps.

Anyway, I sent the photo and the record details off to my local biological records centre, and the only other record they have of this species in my area dates back to, wait for it, 1947. So apparently I've found the first individual of this species in my area for nearly 72 years.

This beast makes its living as a parasitoid on the larvae of large Cimbicid sawflies.

[yelnats]

My wife has been feeding the local magpie family for a few years now and recently the lorikeets came to check out whether they could get some food too, so I made a feeder and...

[Valerie]

Well done Calilasseia.  And a fantastic photograph to boot.  You must be over the moon.

[pat]

And a bonus for yelnats, too. Beautiful rainbow lorikeet.