#insectsofmastodon — Public Fediverse posts

And finally, one I'm not too certain about, even though the iNaturalist, ObsIdentify, & Apple Photos computer vision models are.

They're all convinced that this is a variable duskyface fly (Melanostoma mellinus; 🇩🇪 Glänzende Schwarzkopf-Schwebfliege), but some of the features seem a bit off 🧐

Will check.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

I took a picture of one of these little dance flies (Hybos culiciformis) yesterday, but this shot shows a key identifier nicely, namely the pale-coloured hairs at the back of the thorax.

This angle also shows the abdomen under the wings: the bulbous shape at the end is the terminal part of the male genitals.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

A cool garden denizen is the locust blowfly (Stomorhina lunata).

In German, it referred to as the Augenstreifen-Schmeißfliege, recognising the coloured horizontal stripes that appear across its compound eyes.

Note though that is just an interference effect & the stripes change as the fly or observer moves.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Also shot from a distance is one of the very rare Dexia vacua flies that my garden is a hotspot for.

The key identifier is the presence of median discal bristles, i.e. pairs of bristles on the back of the abdomen on tergites T2 & T3, set away from their edges. Plus bristles ahead of the thoracic suture.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

A third new species for the day is this small ladybird, hiding from the rain among the leaves of a plant.

Taken from a distance, it's not a great shot, but nevertheless sufficient to ID it as a pine ladybird (Exochomus quadripustulatus; 🇩🇪 Vierfleckiger Kugelmarienkäfer).

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Another new chunky fly for this year is Minettia fasciata, in the Lauxaniid family.

Widespread across Europe, but not that frequent, which might explain why it doesn't have a common name in English or German.

It's also not a single species, but rather a complex, which are difficult to ID individually.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Another cloudy & rainy day, somewhat unpromising for arthropod hunting.

But don't judge a book by its cover – there were indeed some interesting things to see in the garden.

Starting with this chonk feeding on the remains of the figs: it's a female orange muscid fly (Phaonia pallida; 🇩🇪 Helle Hausfliege).

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

A couple of bonus arthropods, albeit neither new species.

An alder spittlebug (Aphrophora alni; 🇩🇪 Erlenschaumzikade) & an ornate-tailed digger wasp (Cerceris rybyensis; 🇩🇪 Bienenjagende Knotenwespe).

At least I think that's what the latter is: the markings don't quite match, but they seem very variable, so ...

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

And the third new species for today is this dance fly, which was patient enough for me to capture a focus stack of eight images in dark conditions.

The golden bristles at the base of the thorax, among other features, suggest that it is Hybos culiciformis, a fly that lacks both English & German common names 🤷‍♂️

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

I saw this squat little fly last autumn & there were several feeding in the Canada goldenrod today.

The shape & markings lead to it being called the ladybird fly (Gymnosoma rotundatum). Despite being widespread in Germany, it lacks a common German name 🤷‍♂️

First picture is a female; the other three show a male.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Back home to cool, cloudy, & even drizzly weather. But not too bad for our garden arthropods.

First, a new one for me: a fig-tree skeletonizer moth (Choreutis nemorana; 🇩🇪 Feigen-Spreizflügelfalter), with its white underside & peculiarly folded wingtips.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Finally, a very poor photo of another dragonfly, which auto-focus didn't manage to lock properly onto before it flitted away.

Still, the colouration & pattern are distinctive enough to clearly ID this as a migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta; 🇩🇪 Herbst-Mosaikjungfer).

We used to get *loads* of these in our NL garden.

#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

And nearby was a single male western willow spreadwing (Chalocolestes viridis; 🇩🇪 Westliche Weidenjungfer).

He has an almost bluish tinge to his abdomen, which is a little unusual.

#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

There were also damselflies, including this mating pair of western willow spreadwings (Chalcolestes viridis; 🇩🇪 Westliche Weidenjungfer).

The male is on top holding the female's head with claspers. She will later curl her abdomen up under the male & extract sperm he has deposited at the base of his abdomen.

#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

My macro hobby started during the pandemic, photographing dragonflies & damselflies in my NL garden.

We don't have many in our DE garden as we're far from standing water 🤷‍♂️

But I had a nice 5 mins by a pond in Windsor Great Park yesterday, which included seeing this common darter (Sympetrum striolatum; 🇩🇪 Große Heidelibelle).

#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Had a few minutes in the garden before heading to the UK. Only had my phone, but still caught some good shots of this nice beast.

I thought it was the hornet mimic fly (Volucella zonaria) again, but it’s actually a new species, a lesser hornet hoverfly (Volucella inanis; 🇩🇪 Gebänderte Waldschwebfliege) 🙂

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

#FotoVorschlag 'Jäger und Gejagte'

Wie bereits erwähnt: es hätte doch kein Segelfalter sein müssen. 😢

#Bienenfresser #Segelfalter #BirdsOfMastodon #InsectsOfMastodon #Schmetterling #butterfly #Barnim

#FotoVorschlag 'Jäger und Gejagte'

#InsectsOfMastodon #DailyBug #BugOfTheDay #Wespe #Insekt #Bremse

And the winner is ... 🎉

The 400th species of invertebrate I've photographed this year: a lovely broad scarlet dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea; 🇩🇪 Feuerlibelle).

Poor shot, but I was surprised it let me get close at all with my phone 🤷‍♂️

Seen at the Fischkinderstube on this evening's 47km ride.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#CyclingLife 🚴‍♂️
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

And a rather more unusual garden beast, if surprisingly common now in Europe.

These are Mexican grass-carrying wasps (Isodontia mexicana; 🇩🇪 Stahlblauer Grillenjäger), badly photographed as they were dashing around at high speed.

It's thought they arrived in France between 1940 & 1960 in US military supplies.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

It's mid-August & one of the garden's big beasts has returned.

This is a mediterranean katydid or southern sickle bush cricket (Phaneroptera nana; 🇩🇪 Vierpunktige Sichelschrecke).

Lacking a large, curved ovipositor, it's a male & will need its camouflage to survive, as it's also lacking one of its hind legs.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Well, this a puzzle 🧐

The CV models of iNaturalist & ObsIdentify are all over the place with IDing this small flea beetle. They suggest genus Neocrepidodera, among others, but it lacks any dimples on its thorax & elytra.

I reckon it might be Aphthona cyparissiae, as it was on Euphorbia cyparissias.

But ... ?

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

And finally, a more familiar butterfly, but seen for once with its wings open, soaking up some of the intermittent sunshine after the rain.

This is a meadow brown (Maniola jurtina), showing the large "eyes" that give it the German name of Großes Ochsenauge.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Also a new butterfly out there today, albeit a common one across much of Europe, if not the UK.

This is a mallow skipper (Carcharodus alceae; 🇩🇪 Malven-Dickkopffalter).

It was sitting in an awkward place for me to get to & it was very twitchy, so the pictures aren't great 🤷‍♂️

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Much more reluctant to be photographed was this small wasp, scuttled through the blackberry bush at high speed.

Nevertheless, I think the pictures are good enough to tentatively ID it as a field digger wasp (Mellinus arvensis; 🇩🇪 Kotwespe).

Hope to get better shots when it's feeling a bit more relaxed.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

What a difference rain & cooler weather make 🌧️🙂

A lot more activity in the garden this afternoon, including this large lady, doing exactly what it says on her tin 👍

She's a hornet mimic fly (Volucella zonaria; 🇩🇪 Hornissenschwebfliege), feeding on the blackberries.

Had me fooled when I first saw her 😳

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

One other thing willing to brave the rain though was this large garden snail (Cornu aspersum; 🇩🇪 Gefleckte Weinbergschnecke).

Not an arthropod, but an invertebrate at least.

When I returned after photographing the Dexia vacua fly, it had moved over to feast on some rotting figs that had fallen on the ground.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

After a day of welcome rain, there was little to see in the garden this evening.

Except for one of Europe's rarest flies – a female Dexia vacua, braving the drizzle 🙂

Likely the same one I saw yesterday & in a slightly awkward place, so not easy to set up the tripod. But good enough pictures to confirm the ID 👍

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Diese Feldwespen (sind das glaube ich/ Polistinae?) haben sich wirklich einen besonderen Platz an der Isar ausgesucht :)

#naturephotography #insects #insectsofmastodon #nature #isar #wespen