Been really busy with the garden and things in general. Just stopped by to say hello and post a few new insects from the garden. Have a blooming day! Found all these on the "no see-um" mesh of my screen tent. Xylobiops basilaris (Red-shouldered Bostrichid) Only 3-4mm long. Syrphidae sp.(Syrphid Flies) 18-20mm long Pollaclasis bifaria 7-8mm long Asilidae sp. (Robber Fly) 22-24mm long
Superb macro photography. Your pictures are worthy of inclusion in one of the best wildlife magazines. Have you ever submitted them to anyone?
Thanks to all for the kind words. eileen Thank you very much!! I have never submitted my images, although I have had a couple of my whitetail deer images published in a magazine (their agent contacted me), I have been commissioned to do work for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks on several occasions. Other than that I just do photography as a hobby.
I am not a entomologist, I just enjoy finding and photographing all the different "critters" in and around my garden and I love the intricacy of design by God's hand in these tiny creatures. Thank you all and have a blooming day![/b] Here's a beetle that was crawling across my front porch yesterday. Coleoptera-(Beetles)- The largest order in the animal kingdom, with more than 350,000 described species worldwide, representing about 40% of known insects. About 24,000 spp. in 131 families are known from North America. Coleoptera is derived from the Greek koleon (κολεον) meaning "sheath" and ptera (πτεÏ?α) meaning "wings". {Reference: American Beetles, Volume I: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia By Arnett, R.H., Jr., and M. C. Thomas. (eds.)} Order Coleoptera - Beetles Suborder Polyphaga - Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles Superfamily Tenebrionoidea - Fungus, Bark, Darkling and Blister Beetles Family Tenebrionidae - Darkling Beetles Subfamily Tenebrioninae Tribe Pedinini Subtribe Platynotina Genus Alaetrinus I think this is the species---Species minimus - Alaetrinus minimus Alaetrinus (species probably minimus)
Chalcidid Wasp Chalcididae (Chalcidid Wasp) Trigonura spp. on my index finger. A small parasitic wasp. Have a blooming day! Order Hymenoptera - Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies No Taxon "Parasitica" (parasitic Apocrita) Superfamily Chalcidoidea - Chalcid Wasps Family Chalcididae - Chalcidid Wasps Subfamily Chalcidinae Genus Trigonura Species unknown crop from original pic above... cropped from another image..
What an interesting collection of insects. It seems that the screen works like a magnet for these little beasts. I like noticing these smaller members of these garden population, hats off to you for this posting.