Insects and Invertebrates 2
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Robber Fly (Family Asilidae)
Robber flies comprise one of the largest families of present day insects with over 500 genera and 7000 species.  Robber flies are so named as they will readily capture and prey upon any passing insect.




Jumping Spider (Family - Salticidae)
Jumping spiders have the sharpest vision of all spiders with their two large foreward facing eyes allowing for binocular vision.  Before they jump they lay down a silken thread which acts as a kind of safety line in case they miss their intended target.






Meadow Katydid
(Conocephalus sp.)





Predaceous Stink Bug
(Family Pentatomidae)
This predaceous stink bug is feeding upon a monarch butterfly caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) and is apparently undetered by its chemical defenses.






Hog Sphinx (Darapsa myron)
This Hog Sphinx or Virginia Creeper Sphinx, as it is also called, was found feeding on grape leaves and in this photograph has adopted a defensive pose.







Katydid (Amblycorypha sp.)









Ambush Bugs (Phymata sp.)
As can be observed in this photograph ambush bugs are able to subdue much larger prey by immobilizing them with potent neurotoxins.  They then proceed to feed upon their victims by sucking up their internal fluids.  These two photographs show this species ability to change colour depending on the colour of the flower it's sitting on.




European Mantid (Mantis religiosa)
As its common name suggests this species of mantid was accidentally introduced into North America from southern Europe sometime around 1899 on nursery stock.






Treehopper (Family Membracidae)




Green Lacewing
(Family Chrysopidae)
Lacewing eggs are laid singly on long stalks meant to deter egg predators.  Some lacewings coat the stalks with a sticky coating which the larvae have to eat when they hatch so that they do not get stuck.  Lacewing larvae are sometimes called "aphid lions" because they will often prey upon aphids which they pierce with their long mandibles.










Lacewing Larvae



Virginia Creeper Borer (Albuna fraxini)
The larvae of this species develop in the roots of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). 







Unknown Caterpillar










Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus)
Larvae of this species feed upon the roots of the host plant while the adults will feed upon the foliage.  The females lay eggs on or near the host plant in a mass of their own feces (lower photograph).



Deer Fly (Chrysops sp.)
It is only the female deer fly which drinks the blood of mammals while males can be found drinking nectar on flowers.  Males can be distinguished from the females by their large eyes which often touch at the top of the head.



Cicada Nymphal Exoskeleton
Some species of cicada may spend around 17 years underground  as nymphs before they emerge and shed their nymphal skins to become adults.  The nymphs feed on sap which they suck from the roots of trees.






Black-Sided Meadow Katydid
(Conocephalus nigropleurum)





Digger Wasp (Family Crabronidae)
Many wasps in this family provision their nests with prey they capture.  Some species will keep returning to the same nest to continue feeding the larvae developing within.






Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar
(Euchaetes egle)






Spread-Winged Damselfly
(Family Lestidae)
Spread winged damselflies are so named because they do not fold their wings above their bodies as do other damselflies.






Viceroy
(Limenitis archippus)










Viceroy Caterpillar



Broad Headed Bug
(Protenor belfragei)




Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa)







Gasteruptiid Wasp
(Gasteruption sp.)
The female wasp uses her long ovipositor to lay eggs.  Members of this family are mostly kleptoparasites meaning that the larvae will kill and steal the food of another insect larvae.  The photo below is of a male wasp.




Velvet Ant
(Dasymutilla vesta)
This species of insect is in fact a wingless female wasp which parasitizes the larvae of sand nesting bees/wasps.






Tiger Moth
This female has finished laying her eggs along a grass leaf.






(Stereopalpus vestitus)
A species commonly found along the shores of the great lakes.






Plume Moth
(Family Pterophoridae)
Instead of fully formed wings the plume moth has several fringed finger-like projections which unfold during flight.


Immature Tree Cricket (Oecanthus sp.)
The absence of fully formed wings on this individual shows that it has not yet reached maturity.




Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii)




Swamp Milkweed Beetle
(Labidomera clivicollis)
The adults and larvae of this species feed upon the foliage of milkweed plants (Asclepias sp.) but are most commonly found on Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata).  When feeding on the leaves the adults and larvae first sever the main leaf veins to stop the flow of the sticky sap so that they can feed freely.



Locust Borer
(Megacyllene robiniae)
As the common name implies this species of long horned beetle (Family Cerambycidae) develops as larvae in Black Locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia).  The adults emerge in fall and can be seen aggregating on goldenrod flowers where they mate and feed on pollen.  Many suggest that the bold yellow and black colouration of this and many similar species mimics wasps and helps to deter predators.





Fruit Fly
(Eutreta sp.)
This species develops in the roots of goldenrod and other plants in the Asteraceae family.  I found several individuals feeding on what looked like foamy masses attached to the goldenrod plant.  The males produce frothy masses from the mouth which attract females.  The females feed on the frothy masses during and after mating with the males. As far as I know this is the first record of this behaviour for this species.



Bee Fly
(Family Bombyliidae)




Phantom Crane Fly
(Bittacomorpha sp.)




Red Milkweed Beetle
(Tetraopes tetraophthalmus)
The antennae of this species divides the eyes in half thus creating four eyes.  This speceis will chew through the midvein of the milkweed leaf allowing the sap to bleed out and will then feed upon the tissue above the ruptured vein.  This allows the beetle to feed freely upon the foliage without having its mandibles gummed up by the sticky sap.






Millipede (Narceus americanus)
This is a dead sun bleached individual.  Click the button below for a video of a live specimen.




Ebony Jewelwing
(Calopteryx maculata)
This species of damselfly (Family Calopterygidae) is always found near running water.  Males can often be seen guarding females as they lay eggs into submerged vegetation.


Pigeon Horntail (Tremex columba)
This is our only native Tremex species.  Females lay eggs one at a time into wood which they bore through with their ovipositor.  The eggs are coated with fungal spores which grow and soften the wood allowing the larvae to feed. 








Encyrtid Wasp (Ooencyrtus kuvanae)
These tiny wasps from the family Encyrtidae were introduced into North America from Japan in 1909 to help control the Gypsy Moth. These wasps are laying their eggs into the eggs contained in this Gypsy Moth egg mass.  The wasp larvae will each develop within a single egg and will eventually emerge to continue the cycle once again.




Master's Dart Moth (Feltia herilis)
I only ever found this species at night feeding on the nectar of plants with white blossoms.





The Joker (Feralia jocosa)









Ants Guarding Aphids
(Crematogaster sp.)
These Crematogaster ants were guarding a small group of aphids which were in turn feeding upon a reed leaf (Phragmites communis).  The second photo is of another species of aphid (Aphis nerii) which is an introduced species.  These aphids are also being tended by Crematogaster ants but are feeding on Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).


Spider Wasp (Family Pompilidae)
This specimen has managed to paralyze a spider and will bury it in the ground and lay an egg on it.  The spider wasp larvae will eventually hatch and eat the paralyzed spider.





Bumblebee (Bombus sp.)





Wasp (Family Vespidae)
This wasp was feeding upon a fly it likely took from an ambush bug (Phymata sp.).  The ambush bug could have easily killed and eaten the wasp but instead they both ended up eating the same fly oblivious of each other.



Striped Willow Leaf Beetle
(Disonycha alternata)
Like many leaf beetles the adults and larvae of this species feed on the foliage of their host plant.




White Marked Tussock Moth
(Orgyia leucostigma)






Four-Lined Plant Bug
(Poecilocapsus lineatus)




Grasshopper Laying Eggs
This female grasshopper is laying eggs by putting the tip of her abdomen into the sand. 
Reptiles and Amphibians
Plants and Fungi
Birds and Mammals
Random Photos




Scorpionfly (Panorpa sp.)
Scorpionflies are neither scorpion nor fly but instead belong to a separate insect order known as Mecoptera.








Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)



Five Spotted Hawk Moth
(Manduca quinquemaculata)
Many species of insect cannot fly without first warming up their flight muscles.  They do this by flapping their wings rapidly while remaining stationary.  Click on the button to see this species exhibiting this behaviour.




Toad Bug (Gelastocoris sp.)
Toad bugs can be found along muddy shorelines where they move around in a toad-like "hopping" fashion.  The short antennae of toad bugs, a trait common among aquatic bugs, suggests that they evolved from aquatic ancestors.  As this photo shows they are quite well camouflaged and hard to find when they stay still. 







Punctured Tiger Beetle
(Cicindela punctulata)



Leaf Mining Beetle
(Family Chrysomelidae - Subfamily Hispinae)
The larvae of this species of beetle live and feed between the upper and lower surfaces of leaves.



Shore Bug (Family Saldidae)
These tiny bugs can be found running around the shores of lakes and rivers actively searching for prey.  They are also a pain in the ass to photograph.







Trumpet Net Caddisfly
(Neureclipsis sp.)
These caddisflies are so named because of the trumpet shaped nets they spin.  The mouth of the net faces the current and traps any detritus that flows into them.  The sketch below is a representation of what the members of this family (Polycentropodidae) of caddisfly larvae look like.



Blister Beetle (Meloe sp.)
As the common name suggests this beetle can cause blistering of the skin if handled.  The chemical which causes the blistering is known as cantharidin and has also been used in human products ranging from aphrodisiacs to wart removers.

Forked Fungus Beetle
(Bolitotherus cornutus)
Larvae of this species feed on polypore fungi and can be found most commonly burrowing inside Fomes and Ganoderma sp..  The adults are generally active at night where they search out and lay eggs on shelf fungi.  The female coats the eggs with her own feces which may make them distasteful to predators or may simply help to camoflague them.  Forked fungus beetles are sexually dimorphic with males like the one in the top photo having two long horn-like extensions on their heads while females have smaller lumps. The males use the horns to fight one another to gain access to females. Males with larger horns generally displace males with smaller horns and are able to mate with more females. This species is the only member of the genus Bolitotherus to occur in eastern North America.  Adult beetles will excrete foul smelling defensive chemicals when handled. I have found that they use their hind legs to help smear the defensive secretion over their bodies as well as onto any attackers.  This behaviour can be easily observed by picking up the beetles and either blowing on them gently or by poking them. Forked fungus beetles rarely fly and prefer rather to walk when looking for new fungi to lay eggs in.  They are long lived with some specimens reaching 5 years of age.


Click here to see the pygidial glands everted
when the beetle is agitated





Tube Tailed Thrips (Haplothrips sp.)



Crab Louse/Pubic Louse (Phthirus pubis)
If your crotch is constantly itchy then take a peek and see if you have any of these little guys running around down there.  The pubic louse feeds on blood and can leave swollen itchy spots on the skin.
Insects and Invertebrates 1, 2, 3