Unusual insects

[meatbeef]

Awesome pics guys, thanks!

 

[Dark Raptor]

This time only one "beast". Schizotus pectinicornis larvae - beetle family (Pyrochroidae).

 

[Spiderling LT]

nice photos like all yours photos Dark Raptor

 

[Tony]

Thread like this should be a sticky...

 

[Dark Raptor]

Some new stuff!

Hah... I'm very busy this days (I'm preparing to my master's thesis exams), so I'm here, on AB, very rarely.

I post here some new pics:

Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa - nice "legs"

Oiceoptoma (Silpha) thoracica - silphid beetle. They love snail's carrion.

Pupating antlions (Myrmeleon formicarius) - I used scaner here

...and effect

 

[Dark Raptor]

Family Elateridae

Some click-beetles species.

Agrypnus murinus - very common in Europe, larvae developes in soil. Predator/Phitophagous

Elater ferrugineus - very, very, very rare specie. Only in few places in Europe. It developes in old hollow oaks. Xylophagous.

Ampedus sp. - common. It developes in rotten, humid wood. Predator.

Cardiophorus gramineus - in forest soil. Saprophagous.

Selatosomus cruciatus - in forest soil. Saprophagous.

 

[dtknow]

Maybe I missed it, but how do you guys breed/raise diving beetles in aquaria? I hear they insert eggs into aquatic plants?

Also, has anyone bred water striders? I've kept them for short periods of time(they are very entertaining) but never had 2 at one time to breed with.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Maybe I missed it, but how do you guys breed/raise diving beetles in aquaria? I hear they insert eggs into aquatic plants?

Yes, you are right. So if you want to breed them, put some plants to their aquarium. Dytiscus spp. always lay their eggs into aquatic plant tissues. Other Dytiscidae species lay their eggs on the surface of these plants. The most interesting, Acilius spp., lay their eggs on land, in humid places. Generally under bark of fallen trees, near water.

Also, has anyone bred water striders? I've kept them for short periods of time(they are very entertaining) but never had 2 at one time to breed with.

They are easy to breed, but you should have a very large aquarium (they need a lot of space). It is bad idea to keep them captive. I've build small pond near my cotage house. Every year I've got hundreds of them.

 

[Dark Raptor]

My Cicindela hybrida and Rhagium mordax

C. hybrida

R. mordax

...and Opatrum sabulosum

 

[orcrist]

That's a nice tiger. THe only kind I see often are the blue-green-purple ones.

 

[dtknow]

Also(noticed a photo of these in the thread) hasd anyone tried to get antlions to reproduce in captivity? That seems like it would be pretty tough.

How large of an aquarium are we talking about for waterstriders? When I kept one it had the surface of a ten gallon to itself and that seemed like a good amount of room. With more you would probably need a large tank so they can stay away from each other. Also perhaps a piece of floating wood for eggs.

Also, how do you guys catch the large adult diving beetles? I don't see them very often.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Also(noticed a photo of these in the thread) hasd anyone tried to get antlions to reproduce in captivity? That seems like it would be pretty tough.

Keeping antlions is very easy. For larvae you need only small boxes 5x5x7 cm with dry sand (you can moist it, but most of water they get from their preys). For adults, you need larger tank. I've been keeping them in faunaboxes 20 x 10 x 15 cm. You should remember, just before pupation, to increase humidity and give them something that they can climb on to dry their wings.

Also, how do you guys catch the large adult diving beetles? I don't see them very often.

I use special net (for fishing). During day, you should check underwater plants, where they are hiding. In the evening/night they are more active. You can collect them from water or capture them when they are flying (they also fly to light, so lamp can be very helpful).

 

[Dark Raptor]

More insects!

Ok. Some new stuff I collected last week in north-western Poland.

First - Hippoboscidae fly. They love blood (I know something about that )

Ant that I didn't ID (I don't work on Hymenoptera)

New Ampedus specie (Elateridae)

This is fantastic histerid beetle Hololepta plana (this is real photo, not a fake). They live under bark of trees.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Family Scarabaeidae

Valgus hemipterus

Onthophagus sp.

Larvae of Osmoderma eremita. Tree in which they were living was cut and burned. I think more than one hundred larvae were lost :evil:

Family Trogidae - Trox sp. They live on dry carrion and excrements :}

 

[Dark Raptor]

Family Cerambycidae

Molorchus sp.

Acanthocinus aedilis

Family Tenebrionidae

Finally... I've got them! Blaps lethifera!

Uloma culinaris

Family Buprestidae
Chalcophora mariana

 

[Fluid Filter]

What the heck is this thing?

 

[Alex S.]

The insect is a hemipteran of the family Coreidae, commonly known as leaf-footed bugs or squash bugs. The specimen pictured is most likely of the genus Leptoglossus. Members of this family are mainly phytophagous, but some are predacious.

Alex S.

 

[Fluid Filter]

Too bad i let it wander off. i didnt fully appreciate its wierdness until i looked at the pictures i took of it. it looks as though it has some kind of needle or straw-like gizmo folded up underneath it.

 

[Alex S.]

The proboscis, or rostrum (needle-like feeding structure), is a major identifying characteristic for and in the order Hemiptera. In Coreidae the proboscis has 4 segments. The Coreidae is really an awesome family, containing the giant mesquite bugs (genus: Thasus), which are some of the largest North American hemipterans.

Alex S.

 

[Fluid Filter]

Probably common but i felt like taking a picture. After all, everybody loves pictures. i think...