Insectorium Thread.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

How about a Tiger Moth?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

In my back yard.

[Faithfree]

How about a Tiger Moth?

Very short pilot.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

First one to notice that.

[MrFungus420]

I saw this lovely lady on a park path last week:

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Pretty, but nothing to lose your head over.

[SteveB]

rimshot

[Gawdzilla Sama]

rimshot

[Calilasseia]

In my back yard.

DSCN1411.JPG

The inflated hind tibiae on that specimen make it look as if it could be a nymph of Leptoglossus occidentalis, the Western Conifer Seed Bug. Which has been reported as another invasive species here in the UK. Though it's entirely possible that there are other Leptoglossus species applicable to this image.

If you have any decent sized conifers in close proximity, then it could be L. occidentalis. Otherwise, I'd have to run through the species lists and see what pops up for Missouri.

[Blind groper]

In Fiji this last week.

This is a crappy photo, but it was scurrying along the edge of our dining table and I had only a second to snap it. This wasp was as long as my thumb.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

In my back yard.

DSCN1411.JPG

The inflated hind tibiae on that specimen make it look as if it could be a nymph of Leptoglossus occidentalis, the Western Conifer Seed Bug. Which has been reported as another invasive species here in the UK. Though it's entirely possible that there are other Leptoglossus species applicable to this image.

If you have any decent sized conifers in close proximity, then it could be L. occidentalis. Otherwise, I'd have to run through the species lists and see what pops up for Missouri.

We have lots of conifers in this area.

[Calilasseia]

Just checked the life cycle stages chart on the British Bugs website. Scroll to the bottom of that, and late instar Leptoglossus occidentalis nymphs do indeed resemble your specimen.

If you go here, you'll learn that it's attracted to light at night, and once Autumn arrives, it has a habit of looking for hibernation sites in buildings. Here in the UK it's now spread all the way from Cornwall to Cumbria in England, and I gather there are recent sightings of the species in southern Scotland too. Weirdly enough, in the USA it's usually reported as only producing one generation per year, whilst here in the UK it produces two.

Given a choice, it prefers conifers, but will feed upon various Angiosperm plants if hungry. Exhibits a preference for those conifer species that produce large quantities of resinous, terpene-rich emissions. Has a particular fondness for Lodgepole Pine, Douglas Fir and White Spruce in the USA, and is also found on Eastern White Pine and Red Pine. Favoured species in Europe include Mountain Pine, European Black Pine, Scots Pine and Pistachio. Because it feeds upon sap in developing seeds, it's a pest in Pistachio plantations.

They can become a nuisance in Autumn, because they start seeking hibernation sites in September here in Europe, and considerable numbers of them can sometimes turn up in a house, if the house is relatively close to a conifer wood. For defence, they exude an unpleasant smelling chemical, and will do this if sufficiently annoyed. Sometimes, they exude a pine sap odour that is more tolerable.

Several different radiation points are known in Europe, arising from the species being introduced on imported American timber. From the Czech Republic, the species moved westwards into Austria and the Swiss Alps, thence to Germany, France and the Benelux countries. Radiation eastwards from this point was slower, but the species has now reached Poland. Appearance in England may have been either via the cross-channel route once it reached France, or via a separate, independent introduction. A separate, independent introduction almost certainly accounts for its appearance in Spain. It's a matter of debate whether the species reached Croatia via the Czech introduction route, or whether a separate introduction into the Balkans resulted in its appearance there. According to the Fauna Europaea database, it's yet to penetrate into Portugal, the Ukraine, Russia or the Baltic coast states, but it's known to be present in Norway. Out of all the European countries directly connected by land borders in the Central European land mass, it's absent from Bosnia & Macedonia, but has penetrated into the Greek mainland. and has yet to be recorded in Romania and Moldova. Thus far, it's completely absent from Sweden and Finland, though it should only be a matter of time before it arrives there.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Cool. Now I know whether or not to squash the next one I see.

[Calilasseia]

Boo, hiss.

Distribution map for Europe can be viewed here (needs a functional Java runtime coupled to your browser, preferably the Sun/Oracle version).

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Boo, hiss.

Distribution map for Europe can be viewed here (needs a functional Java runtime coupled to your browser, preferably the Sun/Oracle version).

We have poisonous bugs here. They can make a kitten sick enough to die. I don't like that idea.