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WilliamFisherPhotography

Small Wonders

Insects and spiders (+ some other critters) close up
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DipteraTabanidaehorse flymouthpartsSmugMug collection

  • Mouth parts of a horsefly. Note the flat, amber, blade-like structures (upper right) that are used like scissors to penetrate and cut the skin to produce a pool of blood. The blood is then brought into the insect via the small parallel capillary channels located on the large yellow structure. The bite of a horsefly is usually more painful than a mosquito because more extensive skin damage is created by the fly compared to the more simple puncture of the small round mouthparts of a mosquito
  • Note the fine spines on the legs that assist this insect in capturing and holding prey while in flight. check
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  • Ventro-lateral view of a mole cricket showing the head with various palps and the massive front legs for digging. check
  • Treehopper
  • Egg of a lacewing laid at the end of a stalk that supports it off the surface of the leaf. This help protect the egg against predators looking for a meal. check
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  • Spiracle (lower center; opening that lets oxygen into the tracheal system) and haltere (upper right; orange knob-shaped organ that helps balance the insect in flight). Dark brown horizontal structures at top are the wings.
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  • Spicebush swallowtail laying down silk on spicebush leaf to cause it to fold over and enclose the larva for protection against predators. The large "eyes" on the upper part of the body are fake, but appear real to predators such as birds that perceive the worm to be much more dangerous than it really is. The real eyes are much smaller spots located laterally on the tan-colored head capsule. check
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  • Parasitized aphid showing the hole used by the parasitoid to exit the host. Dark spots inside the aphid shell may be excrement deposited by the parasitoid. check
  • Note the piercing mouthparts embedded into the leaf's main vein, which anchors the insect and allows the next stage to more easily shed it's old skin. check
  • Mite hiding in a crevice of a beetle's integument ; uncertain id.
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