Myrmecos blog commentators identified Sunday’s mystery photo almost instantly as a stick insect laying an egg. The species is the Northern Walking Stick Diapheromera femorata, a common local insect easily collected by beating tree branches. We’ve taken a few home as pets, and the females are obligingly dropping several eggs a day. Photo details (top): [...]
Archive for October, 2009
Diapheromera femorata, the Northern Walking Stick
Posted in Nature, tagged Insects, phasmatodea, Photography, stick insects on October 13, 2009 | 5 Comments »
On the future of scientific communication
Posted in Science, Taxonomy on October 12, 2009 | 10 Comments »
Dipterist extraordinaire David Yeates writes: If accepted, a recently proposed amendment to the ICZN allows for electronic publication of taxonomic names…. [T]he logical implications of this proposal are many and far reaching. For example, this change may lead to further advances so that zoological taxonomy bypasses traditional journal publication entirely… I agree with Yeates. Taxonomy [...]
What to do with all those dead flies in the window?
Posted in fun, Insect Links on October 12, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Fly art, of course.
Sunday Night Movie: The Coke Heist
Posted in fun on October 11, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Yeah, so I’m giving the Coca-Cola Corporation some free ad space. But it’s a spectacular bit of animation, and they’ve paid a great deal of attention to getting the anatomical details right.
Question of the day
Posted in Nature, tagged Insects, Photography on October 11, 2009 | 16 Comments »
10 points to the first person who can identify this: Another 10 to the first person who can explain its myrmecological significance.
Friday Beetle Blogging: Amphicrossus Sap Beetle
Posted in beetles, tagged Insects, nitidulidae, Photography on October 9, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I admit to a soft spot for beetles in the family Nitidulidae. Maybe it’s the cute clubby antennae. Or maybe it’s just the shared fondness for beer. In any case, the sap beetles are charming little insects. I found this Amphicrossus imbibing fermented tree sap from a wounded tree in downtown Champaign, Illinois. Tree wounds [...]
While I’m sure your genitals are amazing,
Posted in Ants, Navel-Gazing, Science, tagged genitalia, Insects on October 8, 2009 | 8 Comments »
they’ve got nothing on Protanilla. (via antweb)
Image Gallery Down
Posted in Uncategorized on October 8, 2009 | Comments Off
Smugmug, the host for my image gallery alexanderwild.com, has been down all morning. The problem is apparently serious and resolution may take a while. I apologize for the inconvenience. If there was a particular image you were looking for this morning and now you can’t get to it, email me. *update 12:15pm; we’re online again!
Awesome.
Posted in Ants, fun, tagged meat ants on October 7, 2009 | 7 Comments »
I’ll be there.
A transitional Myrmicaria?
Posted in Ants, Taxonomy, tagged myrmecology, myrmicaria on October 7, 2009 | 3 Comments »
One of the oddest results from the Ant Tree of Life phylogeny was the recovery of a close relationship between Monomorium and Myrmicaria, two rather different looking ants. But it all seems a little more plausible when looking at the Monomorium infuscum specimen recently uploaded to antweb. I know this is just a gut impression, [...]
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