Geometrid Swallowtail Moth (Ourapteryx clara, Ennominae, Geometridae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..
Crambid Moth (Dichocrocis zebralis, Spilomelinae, Crambidae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..
Marbled White Moths (Nyctemera adversata, Arctiinae, Erebidae)
Male on the left; female on the right (the antennae are the giveaway).
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..
Robber Fly (Pegesimallus sp., Asilidae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Beijing, China
See more Chinese flies on my Flickr site HERE…..
How Many Eyes Does a Caterpillar Have?
Caterpillars have six pairs of simple eyes (ocelli). Ocelli (also called stemmata) are small, simple eyes that can detect changes in light intensity, but cannot form an image so you will see caterpillars swaying their heads from side-to-side to differentiate objects before them. These eyes are usually located in two clusters of six eyes on the sides of a larva’s head. Occasionally, one of these may be offset from the rest as in the case of this large Lasiocampid moth caterpillar - five ocelli form a semicircle (top image) while the sixth is located beneath this cluster next to the antennae (visible in the bottom image).
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese caterpillars on my Flickr site HERE…..
Pyralid Snout Moth (Orybina flaviplaga, Pyralidae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..
The Night of June 11th, 2013
After a lengthy hiatus from using the MV lamp at night for reasons largely out of my control, I was able to get out into the Pu’er hills a few nights back. I am still buzzing. Pictured are ten of the species I was able to photograph.
You know you have had a good night when you find wayward bugs in your underwear and your hair….the next day.
See an explanation of the use of mercury vapor (MV) lamps for light trapping in a previous post HERE.
Some of the reasons I have not been out light trapping recently are:
-my MV bulb broke a couple of months back and because of the apparent unavailability of the ballasted variety in China, I had to order replacements from the UK.
-the summer rains have started in Yunnan and although they are predictable (i.e.. it will rain every day), actually when it will rain is unforeseeable. This night was cloudless, moonless, slight breeze and cool.
-the staggering rate of expansion of Pu’er has meant that the previous locations I have visited for my insect photography have, almost without exception, been engulfed by bulldozers and land clearing. Consequently I have had to foray further and further afield in search of suitable locations. Using my rooftop balcony to set up the lamp and sheet has been proving unproductive (although not pointless) due to the distance from any bushland and competition from domestic lighting and other obstacles. My mode of transport is an electric bike (probably one of my most valued and essential possessions) which is limited by range and limited by its hill-climbing capacity particularly if burdened down with a 20kg generator and other nightlighting paraphernalia. It too has suffered from mechanical issues in the past week. But on this night I had access to a car so was able to set up in a spot I had explored previously but was not able to get to with the bike and my equipment.
So the stars were aligned…..
Click images to see subject identification in image captions…..
or look at these and other images taken that night on my Flickr HERE.
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese insects and spiders on my Flickr site HERE……
Golden Stink Bug Nymphs (Cressona divaricata, Phyllocephalinae)
This species is one of the most serious pests among the Hemipteran bamboo sap suckers in China.
Adult Golden Stink Bug
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese true bugs and hoppers on my Flickr site HERE…..
Bronze Duke (Euthalia nara, Nymphalidae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese butterflies on my Flickr site HERE…..
Geometrid Moth (Chrysocraspeda sp., Sterrhinae, Geometridae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..
Arctiid Moth (Lyclene sp., Lithosiini, Arctiinae, Erebidae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..
Who is Watching Who?
Ground Cricket (Teleogryllus sp., Gryllidae)
(attracted to MV night light)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese grasshoppers and crickets on my Flickr site HERE…..
Elegant dancers spinning and whirling on the dancefloor….
It is not unusual for beetles (particularly the larger ones) to be carrying extra weight in the form of parasites or so-called phoretic passengers. Phoresy is a phenomenon in which an animal actively seeks and attaches to another animal in order to disperse. Commonly these hangers-on are not insects but mites (of the arachnid eight-legged variety). So can anyone offer some insight into the troupe of tiny, (seemingly) six-legged travelers riding atop this White Scarab Beetle (Cyphochilus insulanus, Melolonthinae)?
EDIT: Thanks to Drhoz, the newly hatched larval stages of mites are six-legged. Later nymphal stages, and of course the adults, have eight legs. Which raises the intriguing issue of a living being gaining legs in the course of its development!!!!!
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese insects and spiders on my Flickr site HERE……
Male Crimson Marsh Glider (Trithemis aurora)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese dragonflies and damselflies on my Flickr site HERE…..
Nolid Moth (Titulcia eximia, Nolidae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..
