ocean_beach_goth's Favourites

In shady side canyon off Digier Road, Tejon Pass. Growing at base of rotten wood. White rhizomorphs, greenish blue cap fading to splotchy blueish green to tan. Gills pale pinkish tan when young. Gill edges with fusoid chryso-cheilocystidea, which according to Michael Kuo distinguishes S. caerulea from S. aeruginosa.

Organized by retired State Park biologist Mark Faull, along with current State Park biologists and I found several shells and live snails of this poorly known species in Red Rock Canyon State Park. We hope to shed light on how closely it is related to other Sonorelix in the Mojave Desert. We were very glad to find that it still survives here, despite climate warming and drought.

Empty shell under blue oak log (a few grey pine also present). Did not have lighter yellowish "borders" adjacent to the dark band like H. traskii. Diameter 19 mm, height 16 mm, nice sculpturing. No other live snails, shells or fragments seen. Suspect H. uvusana, but could be new location (on iNat at least) for H. tejonensis or H. traskii.

Very similar to, and closest to, this observation by @ocean_beach_goth https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47121319 and also looks like this observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/192299006 by @chilipossum.

Location is private to protect sensitive species (including this one!) seen that day. General area is NW Angeles National Forest, W of I-5 and S of Gorman.

@tlawson @cedric_lee @jannvendetti @davegoodward @pliffgrieff @chloe_and_trevor Thought you all might be interested in this one.

Galls showing recent debris emerging from 'ruptures', possibly signaling emergence of adult wasps at this time. Same pattern observed on other galls of this species along today's route. Host: Live Oak (Interior or Shreve; see last image fo leaf details.)

9 adults merged from a gall collected in this area:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/153729350

Collection date: 04-01-2023
Emergence date: 04-26-2023

Time-lapse of emergence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1apsuYRoAc
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6argssxK8uE

Collected 9/15/23, refrigerated in a ziploc bag until 9/24 and dissected Quercus agrifolia acorn.

Preserved in 40% ethanol at 40°F.

Collected acorn from same tree, same date/time as the acorn gall observations below (2nd acorn):

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184824656

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184823155

Dozens of identical-looking adult gall wasps crawling on Dryocosmus dubiosus galls, some with exit holes. Galls present on this same Coast Live Oak include (tentative IDS): Aceria mackiei, Dasineura silvestrii, and lots of Dryocosmus dubiosus.

This observation is for the adult wasps; could be newly-emerging Dryocosmus dubiosus, or they could be another species, perhaps parasitic.

Dozens of identical-looking adult gall wasps crawling on Dryocosmus dubiosus galls with exit holes. Galls present on this same Coast Live Oak include (tentative IDS): Aceria mackiei, Dasineura silvestrii, and lots of Dryocosmus dubiosus.

I was listening for owls not too long after dusk. The temperature was in the 50s and the half moon shone brightly. Owls had been vocal. Standing in the dark, I heard a very loud, unfamiliar call that I thought must be either Great Horned or Spotted Owl. It called again, nearby and more intensely. I found myself getting in my car quickly without quite knowing why - it was an involuntary response faster than my brain consciously moved on to IDs like this one. But my brain did get there as I found myself rolling up the window in addition to closing the door, leaving just enough room to record. It was too loud and intense. The sounds moved very quickly from roughly behind my car to in front of my car. When I turned on the car and drove slowly forward, I quickly spotted these two individuals (presumably immature), which I somehow half expected I would see up the road. They were occasionally responding to other calls from the woods (presumably their mother). Photo taken by headlights at 12800 ISO.

Collected: 09-04-2023
Dissected: 09-07-2023
Field observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/181851193
Preserved in EtOH for Cynipini Larval Sequencing Project

A wasp mimic.

I found it almost drowned in the overflow ledge of the John Jay swimming pool. But it was rescued by me.

However the moth never completely revived and died during the night, outdoors on my windowsill.