Costa Rican Insects
Harvestmen and daddy longlegs are two of the common names applied to Opiliones. This one is the only specimen I've seen and I've not been able to ID him. That's not unusual. There are millions of arthropod species in the remaining areas of tropical wet forests. Not to be too glum, but given the ongoing destruction of these areas, thousands of species will become extinct before they are properly described by scientists.
I find it hopeless to try and ID caterpillars. Perhaps some kind of owlet?
Beetle. (Family Chrysomelidae suspected.)
Seriously challenging to ID this tiny iridescent green beetle once it rolled itself into a ball -- but it made a nice picture! Family Chrysomelidae is suspected.
A charming and common Costa Rican beetle.
I thought I'd found a 4-5mm beetle. But he is actually a true bug or hemipteran. Look closely at his mouth parts and you'll see his "stylet", a drinking straw-like structure through which he can suck sap.
I like this shot. The beetle was small and an ID is in progress
I call this one the "doorstep weevil" because I found him outside my little Zompopa cabin at La Selva. He was bold and handsome and let me take this portrait.
This earwig has a grand set of pincers. I cannot be sure of the species. Insect order Dermaptera.
I see these on the base of rotting shelf-fungi.
A lovely, small, and common leaf beetle. Chrysomelidae.
The brown stuff is a mature slime mold and I believe the tiny insect is a Collembola (springtail). About 2.5mm long not counting headgear.
Spider building her egg case. She first suspended a leaf from multiple threads of web. In this photo, she is creating the pad on which she will deposit her eggs. She will then cover the eggs with more web and probably draw the sides of the leaves together to form a little packet. She will then leave the leaf hanging with her eggs hidden in the folded leaf. The process takes an hour or two in my experience.
Sometimes called a popcorn bug, this tiny hopper is emerging from the waxy case in which he has developed into an adult. You can see his wings which are still compressed.
This spider basically disappears into her beautifully constructed web.
This little (4mm) wasp built the cells she needs to rear her young utilizing an abandoned length of fishing line. In this photo, she has clamped on to the line with her mandibles and is resting -- something many wasps do.
I'm pretty sure this is one of the 15,000 species in the family Buprestidae. About 8-9mm IIRC and found at La Selva Biological Station. It's the only one I've ever seen and is very lovely.
Stalk-eyed fly (Richardia.) This is the male -- the female has shorter stalks. Males use the eye stalks to shove each other about when competing for females. When these flies leave their pupal stage their optic nerves are coiled and their eye stalks are much shorter. They apparently inflate the eye stalks by pumping air into them. Very cool and one of a number of stalk-eyed flies found in lowland Costa Rican forest.
Another lovely fungus beetle (Aegisthus spp.) -- compare it to the red one elsewhere in this gallery.
A largish Fulgoridae (about 3/4" or 20mm.) Their pattern makes them almost impossible to spot when they are on mossy trees.
Cerambycidae for sure. Species is another matter...
One of many Cerambycidae I've found at La Selva. This one allowed a close-up portrait.
Netwing beetles can look a bit like moths but their antenna ain't right and neither are their wing covers (elytra) which have a 3D pattern instead of scales. The family is Lycidae.
I'm unsure of an ID for this hopper even though they are seasonally common. Regardless, the reflection and wing structure is fascinating.
Euglossa species are common throughout Central America. I'm working on a special section devoted to them.
One of many beautiful cockroaches at La Selva. Blattodea is the order and the species may be Panchlora nivea, the Cuban cockroach.
More properly known as members of the order Dermaptera, earwigs are charming littke guys. I got this shot by simply tilting the leaf.
I believe these were built by a potter wasp and contained eggs. The wasp probably provisioned them with insects that it paralyzed and stuffed into the chambers before sealing them.
The larva is hidden under the strands of fecal matter.
Liberace would have loved this outfit. This true bug is in the Coreidae family and may be in the genus Paryphes.
Cute member of the family Membracidae which I found just outide the canteen at La Selva.
Pretty sure this thorn hopper is in the genus Umbonia. These lovelies are quite common.
Surely a member of the family Membracidae, and possibly Poppea capricornis. Pretty, small at about 5-6mm, and not uncommon.
I'm going with Theclinae as the genus (the family being Lycaenidae) which are commonly known as blues or hairstreaks and probably a couple of other names. I've read that the tassles on the hind edges of the wings may mimic antennae and provide some protection from bird strikes via confusion.
This genus (Aegisthus) of beetle is quite large (meaning a lot of species in it) and I've found a variety of them at La Selva.
I believe this is Ornidia obesa -- a magnificent and large iridescent green fly. These are not uncommon but they are difficult to photograph due to their constant movement.
I love the red waistcoat on this one!
Zoom or pinch this beetle to see her lovely compound eyes.
Of the Fulgorid hoppers I find at La Selva, this is the most brilliantly colored. Commonly known as a chainsaw hopper.
I love the contrast between the ridged wing covers (elytra) and the smooth head and shoulders (pronotum) on this beetle. Talk about dark beauty!
This Spined Orb Weaver is spinning a web pad on which to lay her eggs.
This large (2") caterpillar may be the larva of Archaeprepona demophoon. He was big and calm and allowed me to get up close and personal for this portrait.
I see these occasionally in the forest. I suspect a spider may be involved but have never seen an arthropod of any kind on or near them. The last little blob usually has a visible hole or slit in the top and I've wondered if they are some sort of refuge or a place in which eggs are deposited.
Opiliones sometimes do this.
Scale insects trade honeydew for the company of ants. Since the ants deter small wasps and flies this is a good deal. You can see the ant lapping up a tiny droplet of excreted honeydew.
I ocassionaly find these 1' long leaf-footed bugs (Anisocelis sp.) on the passiflora vines next to the ambient lab at La Selva Biological Station.
Over-the-top leg warmers on this amazing butterfly. She may be in the genus Sarota. The color has not been enhanced -- her legs really are this color!
This photo shows an 8-9mm Costa Rican trap jaw ant with her jaws in the open position. Her genus is Odontomachus. If you stretch or enlarge the photo you can see the tiny setae arrayed along the inside of the jaw. If these hairs come into contact with prey her jaws will slam shut. I frequently see these ants (as well as another species of trap jaw) in the forest. They move slowly by ant standards and are relatively easy to photograph.
Commonly known as a flannel moth or puss caterpillar, this caterpillar is a lovely, large, and unusual larva. I found this one in a swampy area. It also evokes unpleasant memories...