Yellow Jacket

This week brings us the head of a yellow jacket (Vespidae: Vespula) from the forests of Slovakia. As many of you know, these wasps build nests from paper that the wasps produce from chewing on dead wood. If you disturb these creatures, they will certainly sting you. Here you can gaze at a wasp face closely without fear.

Treehopper: Membracidae

This weeks brings a Treehopper to your mind (Family=Membracidae). These insects suck plant juices, primarily from trees and shrubs, and very few of them cause economic damage. A part of these insects, called the pronotum, is typically enlarged and it may take a wide variety of shapes. Some mimic thorns, others look like psychedelic Christmas tree ornaments. This specimen was collected in Columbus, Ohio, by insect enthusiast Marietta Belfanti.

Raphidiidae: The Snakefly

This weeks brings a snakefly (Neuroptera: Raphidiidae) from the forests of Slovakia. The female (as seen here) use her lengthy ovipositor to lay eggs in the crevices of bark. The larvae then feed beneath this bark on small arthropods.

The cat flea: Ctenocephalides felis

This flea was collected from a feline friend of mine, Smoldron. Zoom in on the abdomen and you will see trachea below the tergites.

Amblyaspis

This week brings us another member of the subfamily Platygastrinae (parasitoids of gall flies). This time it is a species in the genus Amblyaspis, collected in Slovak hills of meadows and forest.

A recipient requested that a wasp be imaged on a coin to depict its size, and here it is on penny. The specimen that you see on the penny is the same in the high resolution image (please zoom in to appreciate the setation and fine sculpture of the exoskeleton).

This week brings us a dragonfly- an insect with which we are somewhat familiar. These creatures benefit humans by eating mosquitoes, both in the larval and adult forms, and they cause absolutely no harm to people. So, if you view them with disgust or disdain then you should be ashamed of yourself. Dragonflies are also the world's most acrobatic and agile flyers, largely because each of their wings operates independently. The image of the wing base illustrates part of the complicated external morphology that connects the wings to internal musculature.

In the air, the dragonflies catch prey in their legs, which are typically bristling with stout hairs that create prevent their prey from escaping. Sometimes you may see dragonflies patrolling a particular part of a pond or lake shore. This is a male defending his territory from other males. If a female finds his territory to be a suitable place to lay eggs, she may mate with him.

This species is from Florida, it is about 1 inch long and belongs to the family Libellulidae.

Baeus

This unpredictable interval time brings you an image of Baeus. Parasitoid wasps in this genus attack the eggs of spiders. The plucky females nibble their way through the silk covering of spider egg sacs and parasitize the eggs inside. Males have wings, in the females the wings are vestigial. The round, spherical shape of these wasps reflects the shape of the egg in which they develop. They are very small, typically less than 1 millimeter in length, and are probably not noticed at all by adult spiders.

If you have a cellar, attic, or windows full of cobwebs, you may be in close proximity to these creatures.