A water sample was taken from the shore of Srednerogatsky Pond. The sample was stored at room temperature and observed 7 days after collection.
Video: https://youtu.be/1Q3ujDmjsks
My first tardigrade !!!
Microscope Swift SW380T
Camera Swiftcam 5MP 0.5x on the trinocular.
10x objective
Sample from rain water on a empty dirty compost bucket in the garden.
There were a ton of rotifers swarming around, a couple of nematodes and some ciliates in the sample, and then this only water bear ... and maybe some eggs from them!
📺 Watch it moving, isn't it the cutest thing? https://youtu.be/no4a2vKbLes
A ciliate that resembles an Easter egg. This one was found in a natural pond intermittently connected to the Gatineau river by a culvert.
The colourful cytoplasm consists mainly of food vacuoles containing cyanobacteria in various phases of digestion. The cytostome (cell mouth) is supported by a cytopharyngeal basket composed of stiff microtubular rods (at the anterior right, from cell's perspective). The cell has numerous spindle-shaped trichocysts, visible here as short black lines.
Femella caiguda a l’aigua al viver, 18.vii.2019. Longitud de 6.8 mm. Ala anterior de 5.9 mm. CAP : Antena amb 12 artells; funicle filiforme. Segment 3 de l’antena més de 5 vegades més llarg que ampla. Cap 1.4 vegades més ample que el pronot. Cap subrectangular, amb les temples estretides cap enrere seguint la curvatura dels ulls. Distància entre ocels laterals (POL: 8/45 mm) més curta que la distància entre ocel i ull compost (OOL : 12/45 mm). Ulls no escotats a la vora interna, ulls no reniformes. Clipi en forma d’escut, amb la vora anterior sortint al mig i els costats de la punta concaus. Mentum amb cardo, un pinzell de setes fortes. Vèrtex amb pèls llargs blancs erectes. MESOSOMA: Negre. Metanot (postescutel) una mica més llarg (=10/45 mm) que el metapostnot (=8.5/45 mm). Metapostnot amb fines estries, enfonsat al mig. Escultura del propodeu amb estries molt fines. Propodeu amb pèls blancs. ALES: Ales molt lleugerament enfosquides o fumades. Ala anterior amb la primera vena mediocubital (1m-cu) unint-se al centre de la base de la 2a cèl·lula submarginal. Segona cel·la discoidal sense “bossa” a la base. Cel·la marginal en angle agut a l’àpex.
POTES: Ungles de les potes en corba regular, dentades al mig. Espines de l’àpex de les tíbies de mida regular. METASOMA: Negre, tenyit de vermell a l’extrem apical del primer segment i a la base del segon. Primer terguit una mica peciolat; costats sense plec pronunciat a la base. Segon esternit amb solc transversal. Darrer esternit no comprimit lateralment. COMENTARI: Determinació fins a gènere seguint Durand 2013; espècie seguint Berland 1925; Haupt 1927; Junco Reyes 1951. Forma del clipi concordant amb imatge de Durand a insecte.org.
Found dying - didn't see the severe injuries until editing photos
Found paralyzed inside an Sceliphron curvatum nest in a hut. Body length: 4.4 mm. Prosoma: 1.5 mm. Opistosoma: 2.5 mm. Colour of body and legs brownish. HEAD: Eyes not situated on white tubercles. Posterior median eyes closer to anterior lateral eyes than to posterior lateral eyes. LEGS: Legs length formula: 2-1-3-4. Metatarsus I with 3 pairs of ventral spines (of which the second is situated in the apical half of the segment). Tibia I with 3 pairs of ventral spines. Metatarsi I and II with 3 pairs of dorsal spines; metatarsi with 3pairs of ventral spines. GENITALIA: Epigyne with a distincs sclerotized arch, slightly curved. Epigynal folds S-shaped. Anterior parts of epigynal folds diverging. Median plate laterally convex. REMARKS: Determination from genus to species following Wolfgang Nentwig, Theo Blick, Robert Bosmans, Daniel Gloor, Ambros Hänggi & Christian Kropf (editors): https://araneae.nmbe.ch/specieskey/260/Philodromus (key by Christoph Muster)
Quebratahuesos o Gypaetus Barbatus sobrevolándonos en las cercanías del Refuge du Toubkal.
Leo en Fundación Gypaetus:
Área del Parque Nacional de Toubkal
Se observaron 21 ejemplares, distribuidos en 18 observaciones diferentes. De ellos, se pudo identificar a 5 individuos diferentes (2 adultos y 3 jóvenes de menos de 3 años). De la misma forma, se localizó el dormidero de un ejemplar adulto.
Beaten from Oak (Quercus sp)
Found under Platanus bark. Resort surrounded by pine forests.
Just one seen in the last two years and on a fairly cloudy day
Under pine bark. Recently molted, apparently
Strolling through the woods near Ithaca, New York, one October afternoon, I saw, upon a leafless hemlock-branch, what looked like a piece of the net of some geometrical spider. Still, there was a regularity in this triangular net which did not accord with the idea of its being a fragment. A closer examination showed that its form and structure were perfect and unbroken; and moreover that, instead of hanging loosely from the twigs, it was upon the stretch, as if constantly drawn by a power at one or the other end.
On touching the net to determine its degree of tension, what was my amazement to see it suddenly loosened with a snap, as if let go at one end! Nor was my wonder diminished when, a moment afterward, the net slowly regained its original condition, by a steady pulling upon a short line connected with the apex. And now I saw the puller—a little dull-colored spider, about one-eighth of an inch long—hanging from the under side of the apex-line, and hauling it in, not "hand over hand," as at first appeared, and as one would suppose by analogy with sailors' operations, but "foot over foot;" in short, with its hinder legs moved alternately so as to gradually take in that part of the line which intervened between its body and the twig to which it was attached.
In bushes. Oaks nearby.
I found it walking a very long silk thread from two high plants, at eyes level. So lucky find 😍
This species is re-discovered after 136 years of presumed extinction, after a single (holotype) specimen was collected in 1885 (Natura Croatia, 2022;31(2):217-224, https://hrcak.srce.hr/en/clanak/417209 and Linzer biol. Beitr 2022:54(1):251-256; https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/LBB_0054_1_0251-0256.pdf). The main feature of the species is the black marking on the male clypeus. Females were firstly observed and described from this location. Currently considered endemic to Croatian coast, including the Mosor, Kozjak and Dinara Mountains.
More images later
Large (about 2.5cm length)
Playing hide and seek in my orchard
A female Giant Ichneumon wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus) oviposits into the side of a tree.
I was honored to have this observation selected as observation of the day for June 11, 2020, and again as observation of the week (week of June 21, 2020). It is covered in this blog post: A Trip to Texas Provides a Long Sought Photographic Opportunity - Observation of the Week, 6/21/20.
Genitalia Identified Eratigena serrana
Reference: https://araneae.nmbe.ch/data/5067
Thomisidae, famiglia-Arthropoda-Chelicerata-Arachnida-Araneae-Araneomorphae-Entelegynae-Thomisioidea-Thomisidae_Thomisinae-Misumenini-maschio
This is a captive specimen of the somewhat rare Hemerocallis fulva var. rosea which was originally found in central China. They were brought into cultivation from wild collected seeds. From that initial introduction this specific seedling was selected for further propagation and sharing among daylily breeders because of how attractive it was. This wild Chinese selection is credited as being the original source of pink coloration in cultivated hybrid daylilies.
Most cultivated daylilies with similar color to this should be assumed to be of hybrid origin unless they are of known provenance since this pure species form is not very available and may not exist much outside of the collections of serious enthusiasts. Presumably the only place that truly wild sightings of this variety should be found is in China.
The most commonly seen specimens of H. fulva do contain the same reddish-pink anthocyanin pigment known as cyanidin-3-rutinoside, but appear primarily orange due to also producing two carotinoids (zeaxanthin and lutein). For more information see: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279482000_Flower_Pigments_within_Hemerocallis_fulva_L_fm_fulva_fm_rosea_and_fm_disticha