Lmst

Males of all North American velvet-ant species are winged, although males of Myrmilloides grandiceps are brachypterous—the wings are present, but they're tiny and non-functional.

The intimidation factor of the large mandibles is offset by the derpy-looking wings, in my opinion. 😀

Dorsal view of a male velvet-ant (family Mutillidae), Myrmilloides grandiceps. The head is twice as wide as the mesosoma (i.e., thorax) and the large mandibles are open and looking quite formidable. The males of this species are brachypterous: they have wings, but they are tiny and non-functional. Overall the specimen is ferruginous with a pair of pale spots on the metasoma (i.e., abdomen) and with pale stripes on the ends of the metasomal tergites. The mandibles, antennae, and legs are darker, at least in part.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ECN/ESA meetings this year in National Harbor.

Is it too soon to be thinking about #ECN2024? 😀

#EntSoc23 #ECN2023 #NaturalHistoryCollections

Craig Brabant boosted:

A Beetle Fly, genus Celyphus, spotted at MacRitchie Reservoir Park, Singapore, on 18 May 2023. A fly that looks like a beetle with that shield over its wings, it is tiny, but recognizable by its strange looks.

On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/162264599 ]

#iNaturalist #Nature #Singapore #Photography #Insects #Flies #Diptera

A brown insect with a bulbous shaped abdomen. A shield sits on its back, covering the wings. A dark mark is found on the back behind the head.

the Eyes have it...

Here's a robber fly in the genus Holcocepha for #Flyday Friday.

#NaturalHistoryCollections
#Taxonomy

This is an oblique frontal view of a point-mounted robber fly (family Asilidae). It's head is mostly made up of it's two ginormous compound eyes and the distinguishing feature of robber flies—the sunken space (vertex) between the eyes—is very pronounced.

Did you know...

filament for 3D printing is available in a variety of colors?

Including translucent white?

#NaturalHistoryCollections #Macrophotography #MakeYourOwnDiffuser

This might be a cause for concern in most other situations, but not in a natural history collection!

#NaturalHistoryCollections #Entomology #Insects

Close up of a shallow white dish with a white, flat lid, sitting on a desk. "Malaise for days" is written in purple on the lid. Behind the bowl is the edge of two objects, one purple and one green.

@mattfossen Yours looks very functional, even it's a little rough in places. 😀👍🏼

That's what I like about 3D modeling/printing—I can design & make exactly what I want or need. I've made a bunch of things in the last couple of months and I'm gonna present on this topic at the ECN meeting in November.

@alexwild Yes, I've been (slowly) learning how to use 3D modeling software so I can make stuff in house.

Curation Station.

#NaturalHistoryCollections
#Taxonomy
#Insects

Lavender blue block, roughly 8 cm square and 2 cm tall, for curating insects. The block has space for insect pins, an aluminum pinning block, a round cork surface for pushing pins through card points, and a foam rectangle for pushing pins through labels. There's also space for black scraps of label paper and a little tray for extra card points. There's a fine-tipped forceps sitting in front of the block.

I've been playing around with new diffusers for our focus-stacking system. I like how this image turned out.
#Insects #Entomology #Taxonomy #Ochodaeidae #Macrophotography

This is a left lateral view of a pinned beetle specimen, in the family Ochodaeidae, also known as Sand-loving Scarab Beetles. This specimen is reddish-brown and is quite pubescent (i.e., "hairy"), with dense yellowish setae, or hairs.

Yesterday, we picked up the second half of a specimen donation that will...ah...significantly increase our holdings of Odonata! 🐉🪰

#NaturalHistoryCollections #Curation #Entomology #Dragonflies #Taxonomy

A flatbed cart loaded with about 200 green carboard file boxes, all holding enveloped dragonflies and damselflies. Cabinet drawers filled with additional specimens in alcohol are stacked on the bench top next to the cart.

Craig Brabant boosted:

It’s hard to find ppl & buikd community here. Pls share / suggest #science #scicomm accounts for me to follow. Thanks!

Craig Brabant boosted:

It's National Learn About Butterflies Day. This one is called a Chryxus Arctic
(Oeneis chryxus), a species that makes its home in the boreal forests of Canada and the Great Lakes, as well as the Rocky Mountains. I saw this one near Brainerd Lakes in Boulder County, CO. The caterpillars eat alpine sedges.

#nature #naturephotography #lumix #insect #butterfly

A brown butterfly with a complex wing pattern sitting on a white rock.

Craig Brabant boosted:

Coconuts at the grocery store labeled “Monty Python horseshoes”

@futurebird @llewelly Would those be...pun-itive damages then?

What amount would you consider to be a suitable pun-ishment?

[I'll see myself out.]

@dhobern I see at least one lovely male mutillid in the sample as well... 😀

Craig Brabant boosted:

@nev That's basically why I'm on social media—to share focus-stacked images of really awesome insects. 😃

@nev @colinpurrington Fortunately, I do know what it is. 🙂 I was trying to draw in potential followers. It's Sierolomorpha similis...isn't it lovely?

@pjacock I do not, unfortunately! It's in the genus Sierolomorpha (family Sierolomorphidae). If I keyed it correctly, it's S. similis. (My odds are pretty good, there are only six species in the U.S.)

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