The "What is this bug?" thread

[Harvestman]

Now that's just being rude, she could at least pretend to be paying attention

For some spiders it is worse. In some cases he gives her something to eat (a wrapped fly or similar) so he can mate whilst she is distracted. It stops her from killing and eating him instead.

In other spiders he survives the process of mating largely because... well... he's so small she doesn't notice it happening


It is a myth that female spiders will eat the male after mating. The truth is that unless he is careful, she will just kill and eat him.

 

[Niels]

So the first beetle wasn't careful enough?

 

[Harvestman]

So the first beetle wasn't careful enough?

No idea. Might be a different species, might have been already dead (they cannibalistically scavenge), or could have been a careless male, though I don't know with beetles.

 

[Goatboy]

Thought this may be of interest to Harvestman, it's dated 2009 and may be old news to him but I found it interesting. World’s Oldest Spider’s Web found Entombed in Amber

 

[Harvestman]

Thanks Goatboy. Yes, I saw that when it first came out.

I've also seen the fossil of the largest spider ever found (and there's a life size model of it in Cardiff Museum). 41cm long from mouthparts to the tip of the abdomen, with legs extra.The best bit is that there's nothing in the fossil to indicate that it is an adult, so there is the chance that adult ones were even bigger.

Puts our 'enormous' house spiders (2cm body length at most) into prespective.

 

[leedsbrew]

Only managed a quick iPhone shot before the phone died! Found him on a hoodie heading for the washer! Never seen anything like this before!

Not the best shot I know! Lol

 

[Ash Blue]

I found this weird little thing, so I recorded a video of it. What the feck is it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dEyAAABEK0

 

[Harvestman]

Only managed a quick iPhone shot before the phone died! Found him on a hoodie heading for the washer! Never seen anything like this before!

Not the best shot I know! Lol

That is the larval stage of the invasive alien Harlequin ladybird. The native ladybird larva is similar but smaller, and blue instead of orange.

 

[Harvestman]

I found this weird little thing, so I recorded a video of it. What the feck is it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dEyAAABEK0

What?! That's not an earth life-form. That's an alien. Call the men in black.

I have no idea what it is, but it is incredibly cool.

 

[Leiflet]

I'm away from my books at the mo', but it looks more beetle larva than caterpillar to me.

Cheers,
Leif

 

[Robbi]

I found this weird little thing, so I recorded a video of it. What the feck is it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dEyAAABEK0

never seen anything like that before.

 

[copper_head]

Came across this beastie, anyone ID it for me?

My best guess from google was Fox Moth caterpillar?

 

[Niels]

I found this weird little thing, so I recorded a video of it. What the feck is it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dEyAAABEK0

That's pretty bizarre dude.

 

[Harvestman]

I'm wondering about some sort of lacewing larva, as they sometimes disguise themselves in a sort of case. It is a crazy looking thing.

 

[Ash Blue]

The body looked like a centipede, but the shell thing has baffled me. Do centipedes do this?

 

[Harvestman]

The body looked like a centipede, but the shell thing has baffled me. Do centipedes do this?

No they don't. Odds are on a larval insect of some sort.

 

[Harvestman]

By the way, thanks for the sticky. My first.

 

[mountainm]

By the way, thanks for the sticky. My first.

Fnar fnar...

 

[Harvestman]

Fnar fnar...

Tone-lowering reported...

 

[mountainm]

Tone-lowering reported...

Humbug..........