Originally I thought this was some sort of fly. Then I thought it was a wasp. Then I thought it was a wasp mimicking a fly. /r/insects didn’t know what it was. Months later, while searching for Polistes wasps on google, I scrolled past a picture of a similar species of sand-digger wasp, and —…
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Paper Wasp
Paper wasps (Polistes sp.) are named because of the paper-like nests the queens build. They are members of the family Vespidae. Paper wasps are primitively eusocial, like bees. There are three castes: fertile queens, infertile female workers, and fertile males who do nothing but fertilize the queen. Founding queens sometimes start a nest in a…
Cellar Spider
Here’s where casual, amateur identification breaks down: these are definitely cellar spiders, of the family Pholcidae, but beyond that…. There are about 20 Pholcidae species in the US — and a couple hundred around the world. Knowing that I found this in Florida, it’s probably Pholcus phalangioides. They’re maybe two inches across from leg to…
Metallic Blue Lady Beetle
Entomologists can’t always be good at naming. At least the metallic blue lady beetle, Curinus coeruleus, is easy to remember, as well as identify. C. coeruleus is a native of South America which has traveled all over the world, where it has largely been introduced by humans as a means of controlling insect pests such…
Cobweb Spider
This little lady (about 5mm long) is a cobweb spider (Theridiidae sp., possibly Theridion varians, although the geographic range is wrong for that). She lives on my garage door, and I’ve photographed her a couple times “posing” with that Asian tramp snail (Bradybaena similaris) shell. This morning she had produced a beautiful egg sac of…
Florida Tree Snail
This little fellow is prooooooobably a Florida tree snail (Liguus fasciatus). The “tree snails of Florida” identification key is a maze of nearly identical slimy bodies with slightly different patterns of bands on their shells. “Florida tree snail” seems to be what you call it when there aren’t enough bands to identify it properly. I…
Punctured Tiger Beetle
The punctured tiger beetle, Cicindela punctulata, is common throughout North America and is primarily recognized by the twin lines of indentations on either side of its midline. It is also known as the sidewalk tiger beetle. Tiger beetles are a group of more than 2,600 known species and subspecies living all over the world. They…
Hentz Orb-Weaver
This immense nope of a spider, about two inches in diameter and very peeved to be disturbed, was encountered strung, at face-height, across a walking path at the Oakland Nature Preserve in Florida. I originally abandoned Neoscona crucifera (the Hentz orb-weaver) as a possible identification, since Wikipedia says they only get to be an inch…
Wall Spider
I needed help with this one (thank you, /r/spiders!). At 2.5mm long, there weren’t a lot of details to go on! This petite lady is an adult female wall spider (Oecobius navus, very probably), and isn’t she darling? She’s sitting on my pillowcase, to give you a sense of scale. Other than being tiny and…
Island Apple Snail Eggs
These little bundles (about 3″ long) are everywhere when we’re out kayaking, and I’ve often wondered what they are. They are the eggs of the island apple snail (Pomacea maculata), a huge freshwater snail which is unfortunately non-native to Florida. (Other common names include the spotted apple snail and channeled apple snail.) Apple snails are…
Southeastern Social Cobweb Spider
Meet Anelosimus studiosus, the southeastern social cobweb spider. This minuscule (7mm) speck on a car window turned out to be a member of one of only 23 social species out of approximately 38,000 known species of spiders. Their behavior varies by region, and in Florida they’re relatively rarely social, but in, say, Texas, you can…
Leafcutter Ants
A column of leafcutter ants (could be Atta sp., could be Acromyrmex sp.) — possibly the coolest thing I saw in Costa Maya, Mexico. They formed a column a foot wide and more than a hundred feet long, something I’d seen in a thousand documentaries and never in person. I could hear David Attenborough narrating…
Habronattus Jumping Spider
I am pretty sure this is a female jumping spider in the Habronattus family. There are eleven species of Habronattus in Florida, and, alas, they are primarily differentiated by the microscopic morphology of male pedipalps. This is a female spider (male jumping spiders tend to be more brightly colored than the females), and I have…
Magnolia Green Jumping Spider
The Magnolia green jumping spider (Lyssomanes viridis) — this individual is an adult male, with fantastically elongated chelicerae that you simply cannot see without macro photography. Compared to the more sedate, round females, this handsome boy looks almost like an alien being. I love this species’ little red “hat”! Lyssomanes are one of the more…
Florida Ivory Millipede
A Florida ivory millipede (Chicobolus spinigerus). I stopped my bike mid-ride to grab a photo of this “little” (about four inches!) guy, who was blithely crossing the bike path. (Yes, I have a problem.) These are native to Florida, which is nice (I like to see non-invasive species!) and reasonably adorable. They don’t seem to…
Trashline Orb Weaver Spider
The name of the trashline orb weaver spider (Cyclosa turbinata) is derived from the thick vertical line of silk and/or debris in its web. Called the stabilimentum, the line may help stabilize the web, may attract insects, or may deter birds from flying through the web by making it visible. The line of silk also…