There’ve been some days in the 60s recently, and that’s means there were lots of insects out and about. I found several that were too small to photograph, and a few that came in just barely big enough to capture with a 25X lens. Above is (I am fairly sure) a parasitic wasp in the Platygastroidea family. It looks to me a lot like these Telenomus genus wasps that parasitize stink bug eggs. Without the magnification, it was just a black speck on a wooden display structure. It’s worth it to check the specks!
This little one was also on a man-made post. It’s a barklouse, specifically Graphopsocus cruciatus. These tiny insects are in the same insect order (Psocodea) as head lice, but they aren’t parasites, and they do have wings, although BugGuide says the females may have reduced wings. If that’s true, this is a male. Interestingly, they’re known to gather in large groups, known as “herds,” on tree trunks and because of this they’re sometimes called “tree cattle.” I love that image. As described on this Texas gardeners’ website, they move as a group when disturbed, or scatter and then regroup, like sheep.
Yes, a lot of the insects that live through the winter as adults and come out to play on warm days are small and not colorful. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting or worthy of study. This little arch-backed insect looks like it’s wearing a copper-colored vest. In fact, it’s a rove beetle, adorned in the traditional rove beetle regalia: shortened wing covers. You can barely see the translucent second set of wings folding underneath the elytra. Rove beetles take on this scorpion stance as a threat, but it’s more convincing when the larger ones do it.
It’s been a month since I updated this blog. I didn’t mean to have such a long pause… there are a few more recent insects to share, so I’ll post again soon!
Cheers!
Ticklehead 