Bug Of The Month Blue Ladybugs

Yes these are real. You get 2 different species today. Enjoy

Metallic Blue Ladybug - Curinus coeruleus

Identification:

Blue with two orange markings on the pronotum (hard shell between wings and head).

Range:

Native to the Caribbean but widely introduced for biological control. Apparently imported to Florida from Mexico in the 1950s.

Food:

Normally scale insects (order Homoptera, suborder Coccoidea), but also will feed on aphids and the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri)

Remarks:

One of only two blue lady beetles in the U.S

Thalasa montezumae

Not much on this one. They feed on scale insects. I'll definitely keep looking. Thalassa montezumae is the one on the top.

Aren't they pretty? Info and photos from Bugguide. Copyright infringement not intended.

Locust Are Kinda Scary.....

......but fascinating too.

Enjoy!

Silk thread hunting trap - Sir David Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth - BBC wildlife

This is amazing!

Enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wishing everyone a good one!

Love you all!

The 5 Most Horrifying Bugs in the World

Clicky!

I thought this was hilarious! They should do something like "The 5 Most Horrifying Arachnids in the World" because they're some pretty bad ass arachnids out there.

Enjoy.....I hope that I didn't give you nightmares....XD

Weird mating calls of the leopard slug - Life in the Undergrowth - BBC Attenborough

I thought this was beautiful.

What about you?

OMG! Parasitic Woodlice?!

Apparently so I learned about them today in a book called Extreme Nature and they were mentioned. This is what Wikipedia had to say about them:

Cymothoa exigua or the Tongue eating louse is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cymothoidae. It tends to be 3 to 4 cm long. This parasite enters through the gills, and then attaches itself at the base of the spotted rose snapper's (Lutjanus guttatus) tongue.

It then proceeds to extract blood through the claws on its front and less blood reaches the tongue, and eventually the organ atrophies from lack of blood. The parasite then replaces the fish's tongue by attaching its own body to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue.

It appears that the parasite does not cause any other damage to the host fish. Once C. exigua replaces the tongue, some feed on the host's blood and many others feed on fish mucus. They do not eat scraps of the fish's food.

This is the only known case of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ. It is currently believed that C. exigua are not harmful to humans unless picked up alive, in which case they can bite.

~Wikipedia

Well if I ever see one I'm not touching it. And it is an Isopod and so are woodlice, so woodlice are isopods and isopods are woodlice etc. :P

Who knew huh? Next thing you know they're gonna be saying they're parasitic millipedes or something.....<_<>_> O_O

Photo and info from Wikipedia

Red Back Spider - Attenborough: Life in the Undergrowth - BBC

I just learned something new today.

Enjoy!

Summons of the Queen ant - Ant Attack - BBC

The males of this species are called Sausage Flies.

Blue Ants?!

The blue ant (Diamma bicolor, also known as the blue-ant or bluebottle) is, despite its name and its appearance, not an ant at all, but rather a species of large solitary parasitic wasp sometimes known as a flower wasp.

It is a native of south and southeast Australia, including the Australia states of Tasmania, New South Wales,Victoria and South Australia. It is the sole member of the subfamily Diamminae, and is both morphologically and behaviorally unusual among members of the family Tiphiidae.

Blue ants have a distinctive metallic blue-green body, with red legs. The female ranges up to 25 mm (1 inch) in length, is wingless and ground-dwelling, and exclusively hunts mole crickets, whereas all other species of tiphiids attack beetle larvae.

The cricket is paralyzed with venom injected by the female's stinger and an egg is laid upon it so the wasp larva has a ready supply of food. The male is smaller, approximately 15 mm (0.5 inches), and has wings. Adults feed on nectar, and pollinate various native Australian flowers.

The sting can cause a severe burning sensation and swelling in humans; in rare cases, it can cause a life threatening reaction (such as anaphylaxis).

Picture and info from Wikipedia

Bee vs. Jumping Spider

Enjoy! Can anyone tell me what kind of jumping spider this is?