[VIDEO AND PHOTOS TAKEN: MAY 8TH, 2023 | Video And Image IDs: A Video And Six Photos Of A Yellow And

[Video ID: a compilation of fotage from a trail camera focused on a man-made watering hole, which is a very large bowl with rocks in it. It’s in a desert area with lots of bushes and trees, though much of the landscape is hard to see due to the low-down angle. To me it looks like the deserts in western North America, but I could be wrong.

Throughout the video lots of animals stop by for a drink! In order they are: a coyote, a skunk, a raccoon, an opossum, a snake (I think a garter snake?), a small brown song bird, a hare, a hawk (possibly a juvenile Cooper’s hawk), a hummingbird, a variety of small song birds taking a bath, and a western scrub jay, also taking a bath.

The audio is mostly splashing from the animals drinking or from the fountain. In the clip of the hawk you can also faintly hear song birds and the flapping of the hawk’s wings. The song birds taking a bath together keep letting out short, shrill chirps. /End ID]

“A variety of wild animals visiting a water fountain”

(via)

Prancing Peacock Spiders

Maratus volans is perhaps the most widely known member of the genus Maratus, also known as peacock spiders– part of the jumping spider family– which contains 108 recognised species. Maratus volans is common across Australia and the island of Tasmania, and occur in a variety of habitats. They are most commonly found among leaf litter and dry vegetation, especially in dunes, grasslands, and sparse deciduous forests.

Peacock spiders like M. volans are extraordinarily small; both sexes only reach about 5 mm (0.19 in) in length. Members of the Maratus genus are famous for the male’s coloration, and M. volans is no exception; the abdomen is covered in brightly colored microscopic scales or modified hair which they can unfold for mating displays. Some males can also change the color of their scales, and the hairs can reflect both visible and ultraviolet light. Female M. volans lack this distinctive coloration, and are a drab grayish brown.

Reproduction for M. volans occurs in the spring, from August to December. During this period, males will approach females and raise their patterned abdomens and third pair of legs for display. He then approaches, vibrating the fan-like tail, and dances from side to side. If a female is receptive, he then mounts her; if not, she may attempt to attack and feed on him. This may also occur post-copulation. In December, the female creates a nest in a warm hollow in the ground where she lays her eggs. Each cluch contains between 6 and 15 eggs, though females typically lay several clutches. Male M. volans hatch the following August, while females typically hatch in September. Both sexes mature quickly and typically only live about a year.

Like other jumping spiders, peacock spiders like M. volans do not weave webs. Instead, they hunt during the day time using their highly developed eyesight. These spiders are also able to jump over 40 times their body length, which allows them to pounce on unsuspecting prey like flies, moths, ants, crickets, and other, much larger spiders. Other spiders are also common predators of M. volans, as well as wasps, birds, frogs, and lizards.

Conservation status: None of the Maratus species have been evaluated by the IUCN. However, it is generally accepted that they are threatened by habitat destruction, like many other insects.

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Photos

Jurgen Otto 2 & 3

a couple extremely handsome carpet beeltes, Anthrenus lepidus and Anthrenus scrophulariae

Giant Flower Beetles (Genus Mecynorhina), family Scarabaeidae, from various parts of tropical Africa

M. savegei

M. torquata

M. polyphemus

M. obertheri

photograph by Ennis Fei (@ennisanna_fei)

Spiky Leaf Beetle, Hispellinus sp., family Chrysomelidae, Keelung, Taiwan

photograph by Adeline Goh

*BLEEP*

This is a swallowtail moth. They have a very short season but if I'm lucky, in summer a small number of them drop by. What a joy. Pls enjoy this moth because the world feels better knowing they exist 💖🦋

Eyed Elaters (Alaus)

eyed elater click beetles, like this Alaus oculatus from Florida, are the biggest click beetles (Elateridae) found in temperate North America.

Click beetles are best known for their eponymous clicking ability- a sort of elastic locking mechanism on their thorax can snap open with a loud clicking sound, which helps them startle or escape the grasp of predators and allows them to launch themselves into the air when overturned (you can see that in slow motion at the end of the video)

(more elating click beetle trivia below!)

They live around decaying trees and logs, the adults feeding on sap flows and other sugary liquids while the predatory grubs use their powerful jaws to tunnel in search of other wood-dwelling insect larvae to devour (by contrast many smaller click beetle larvae, often called wireworms, feed on rotting wood itself or other plant matter). To rear these beetles in captivity it’s necessary to keep the larvae in containers made of a hard material like glass, as they’ll chew through plastic and escape (I learned this the hard way the first time I found and attempted to raise a grub).

There are 6 Alaus species in the US, the largest of which can be over 5 cm long. Two are found in forests along the east coast- A. oculatus, the eastern eyed elater (below, left) and its smaller relative A. myops, the blind elater (right).

Even though the larvae don't feed directly on decaying wood, different Alaus species prefer different trees- oculatus breeds in dead oaks and other hardwoods, while myops found in the same habitats only use well-rotted pines.

Just a reminder about fatphotoref.com—it exists!! I'll be updating with new photos next week and hopefully more regularly after that. Request access by going to bit.ly/fpraccess 💙🧜‍♀️ happy mer may!

Lamprosoma sp.

photos by Gil Wizen