After a series of “atmospheric rivers,” we had a strange, 60° day in western Oregon yesterday, and I saw several odd insects that I’d never seen before. So. Much. Fun! Above is a Thread-legged Bug. These predatory insects are fairly long (over an inch) with spindly legs and antennae and front legs that are held forward, folded, under its tiny head. Those front legs are deployed like a praying mantis, to grab and subdue prey… yes, these are “assassin” bugs!
Because it holds its front legs up, Thread-legged bugs walk, swimmingly, with just four legs. I’m fairly sure this individual is in the Barce genus. I’ll write more extensively about it in my next column for Mt. Pisgah Arboretum.
Next up is this crazy critter. You can see from the size of the blade of grass that it’s super small (1 to 2mm?). At first glance, I thought it might be a weevil, but then what I thought was a rostrum turned out to be enlarged antennae. The big eyes are on top, so I thought it was a fly. However, my best guess now is that this is a weirdo wasp in the Tetracneminae subfamily.
Here’s the wee wasp from above. An online search finds a few photos that look somewhat like this creature, and little else. The research papers that show up are about new species being discovered… which makes sense because these wasps are incredibly small and therefore likely to be overlooked and understudied.
I’ll leave you with this bizarre fly. Furry rump, cat-tail extensions on already wide antennae… I still don’t have an i.d. for this one. I’ll come back and edit this post if / when I learn more.
Enjoy the fall insects (yes it’s still fall) . Cheers!
Ticklehead 