Tag Archive | macro

Dolomedes underwater!

Dolomedes dondalei in a tiny creek at our last night’s campsite in New Zealand.

Wow, it has been a long long time since my last post!

Well, too much to catch up on right now, but the news is that Catherine and I just got back from a trip to New Zealand’s South Island. I know Catherine is planning on doing a series of blog posts on our adventures there (we were there for the International Congress of Arachnology), but these pictures have been burning a hole in my hard drive and I just wanted to share them.

OK, after a lovely 8 days touring around the South Island, we came to our last night in NZ. We wanted to be in striking distance of some good katipo habitat, yet be able to get back to Christchurch the next day for our departing flight. We therefore decided to camp on the south side of the Banks Peninsula, so we could visit Birdling’s Flat to see some katipo. We settled down at the Little River Campground, a really lovely property with wooded sections and a cool little stream running through it (there are big eels in the stream!)

After our excursion to find katipo, we decided to look around the campsite. Our headlamps soon revealed glowing eyes adjacent to the stream, which we had learned in NZ signified fishing spiders in the genus Dolomedes (a big Dolomedes is way more likely than a big wolf spider in NZ). Just across the stream on a rock I spotted this big big Dolomedes, which Bryce McQuillan kindly ID’ed as Dolomedes dondalei (named for the Canadian arachnologist Charles D. Dondale).

After taking a single frame of the large spider in hunting position above the water, she got sick of me, and did what Dolomedes often do when they feel threatened: escape under the water!

Her concealment was not nearly good enough though, as she only popped just under the water’s surface, and she was still super easy to see! There she is, hairs covered in a film of air, clinging to a rock.

Here my shot gets photobombed by a fly attracted to my headlamp, just above the surface where the Dolomedes lurks.

I was able to coax her back onto the rock briefly for this shot showing her lovely dorsal surface. Note how even just out of the water she does not appear wet at all, as her hairs are hydrophobic.

She quickly went back down, in a slightly different position. Here we are looking down on the rear of her abdomen.

A bit of coaxing, and we can see her from the right side in a more open situation. To shoot this, I had half of my diffuser actually under the water, so I was not dealing with reflection from the surface.

So after this session with the big female, we left her alone, and looked along the edge of the stream for more Dolomedes.

For this shot of a juvenile, I tried to use the pop-up flash to see if I could get the eyeshine. You can see it, but it is not the same as in real time moving your headlamp and seeing the surprisingly bright reflected light.

Another juvenile in hunting position in woody debris above the stream.

Finally, a juvenile chilling high above the stream on some vegetation.

By the time I had shot this last frame, it was past midnight, and having driven a long ways from the Otago Peninsula the day before, and hiked all over the beach on our katipo tour, we decided to call it a night…But what a treat, seeing so many wonderful Dolomedes!!!! It was super impressive to encounter so many (we will post more from all around the island). They really seem to be the dominant large cursorial spider in a great many NZ habitats.

Weekend Expedition 71: Mississauga salamander hunt

Mar14

After a week of warmth, Gil Wizen and I set out for the same woods we visited last week, in order to see if we could find any salamanders out to take advantage of the vernal pools. The snow was completely gone, and the pools ice-free, although it was overcast and a nippy 5 C.

There were flies and moths out on the vegetation, indicating at least that the insects have begun to wake up.

Even a male orb weaver was out, although he did not have a capture web.

Near the vernal pools, we started to flip some logs, hoping for a treasure rove of salamanders, but initially we found only millipedes, beetles and some small red-backed salamanders.

There were quite a few firefly larvae in the rotted wood, as well as some rove beetles.

Very close to the vernal pools, Gil found this Jefferson’s Salamander, Ambystoma jeffersonianum. This (to me) was a big beast, dwarfing the longtoed salamanders from BC. This species is endangered in Ontario, although it is common in other parts of its range.

They are a difficukt species to capture well in a photograph, and for this shot I stood off at a distance and used the 300 mm. Luckily it was overcast, and the light in the forest was diffuse. The salamander was quite motionless, and probably was not pleased about being out in daylight.

We replaced the big amphibian, and wished it well. Soon, hopefully, many of its fellows will come down to breed in these little vernal pools.

We also found a few redbacked salamanders, which are a species of plethodontid. These animals have no need of open water to breed, and in fact lay their eggs in moist soil and wood, hatching out into juveniles with legs already formed. They are lungless, and never need gills either!

These Plethodon are a bit easier to photograph, although they might have benefited from a more diffuse flash.

After leaving Gil to pack for his coming trip to Ecuador, I found my way home was blocked by a big St. Patrick’s day parade. It was scheduled to last several hours, so I crawled through the awful Toronto traffic to Tommy Thompson Park to kill some time until my annoying relatives had cleared out of town. I found a couple of nice sac spiders under some bark.

These Clubiona have very impressive chelicerae, but never seem to threaten to use them. Instead, they are very prone to jumping when disturbed.

I found some European fire ants under a rock, and took some photos. They were still rather lethargic, and hence not much of a stinging hazard!

They are quite pretty little ants, and Toronto seems to abound with them now.

Here a worker antennates a queen. You can see her much-enlarged thorax and wing scars.

Despite their wings, the queens do not disperse by flying in North America, a trait they seem to have lost. In addition, the colonies here are often much larger than those in Europe.

First Coelioxys of 2014!

Jun17

I am so excited to have met up with (on Saturday) my favourite little bees, Coelioxys! Something about these streamlined little wonders is just so appealing to me. Of course, they were sleeping in their usual manner on the rainy morning, so I had good opportunities to play with the lighting.

Here is what a cluster of Coelioxys looks like, on a dead flower stalk.

Because of the rain, this one had quite a bit of water accumulated.

Like with the Ammophila yesterday, the water adds something to the already pretty texture.

For this shot and the one at the top, I used some hard light from the rear and to the right to make these droplets shine. The green streak is a plant stem in the background.

This bee is starting to wake, and grooming begins even before detaching her mandibles.

In the midst of waking up…

Now the bee is detached, and looking for a place to groom all this water off.

After a couple swipes with the feet, the thorax is drier.

This pretty little bee had a bit of a drier perch for the night.

Sand Lovers

Jun16

In addition to the bundles of sleeping bees I found at Iona Beach on Saturday, I also encountered some Ammophila wasps. Their name means “Sand Lover” and they are major predators of caterpillars in sandy habitats. They sting their prey precisely to paralyze it, then bury them in dungeons under the sand for their larvae to eat. The wasps I was shooting were resting on various vegetation, especially stiffer dead flowerheads. The rain made for some beautiful texture and reflections.

Most sleeping Hymenoptera I find seem to have a preference for dead vegetation. Perhaps this is less attractive to other animals and makes for a disturbance-free night? In addition, the dead twigs and flowers are often stiffer and don’t blow around as much.

In sleeping mode, these wasps grasp tightly with their mandibles. If you disturb them, they quickly re-grasp the substrate rather than waking and moving.

Here is one on a living plant. I like the way the droplets highlight the smooth abdomen.

It can be a wet business sleeping in the rain. I suppose while they are sleeping they must shut down their grooming responses.

Here is another Sphecid, not Ammophila, but perhaps Isodontia?

Tomorrow I will thrill you with some more sleeping hymenopterans…I have saved the best of them for last!

Weekend Expedition 50: Richmond Nature Park

Jun2

Wow! I can’t believe Weekend Expedition is turning 50! Seems like just yesterday we were at Richmond Nature Park, bringing bugs to kids and speculating how cool it would be to walk around and see the place. Catherine and I saddled up after a long week to see what we could see in this Richmond gem, a bog forest habitat just off Westminster Highway. The day was bright and sunny, but it was cool on the trails.

A male linyphiid (sheetweb weaver) hangs out on Oregon Grape.

These staphylinids seem to be having a sex party on a flowering Labrador Tea.

Catherine and I got our animal feeding jollies at home before setting out: we now have some really fat spiders!

Some prime spotting by Catherine: a female Snakefly!

This (lauxaniid?) is feeding on the corpse of a barklouse.

I really like how this chironomid blends into the lit-up leaf.

This one, in contrast, stands out.

This place is full of blueberries, all along the trails. None ripe yet though!

Here is a male Philodromus dispar in silhouette.

We found a whole bunch of rhaphidophorids (camel crickets) under some bark.

Back out toward the entrance was a newly-fledged Rufous Hummingbird.

Mama would come periodically with food.

The fledgling was already feeding itself as well!

This throat-stabby feeding looks painful, but seems to work well enough.

The whole scene was quite wonderful to see. In only a month and a half, they will be shipping out for a long migration south.

Weekend Expedition 49: you don’t have to go far!

May26

This weekend I spent close to home, working on my final thesis tweaks before it goes out to my committee. Instead of going on a proper expedition, I decided to explore our new neighbourhood of Kerrisdale. Right near our house is a largely-disused railway line that has some good habitat, including tall grasses and saplings, so that is where I rambled. In addition to finding the cuckoo wasps on Friday evening, I also saw a bunch of other cool stuff!

At the top of the grasses where I found the chrysidids, I encountered many large sac spiders (Clubionidae). These fearsome-looking spiders all seemed to be feeding on the same thing: Aphids! With these huge chelicerae and fangs, it seems to be a bit of an overkill!

Check out the chelicerae on this girl!

Also interested in aphids, these Myrmica are milking a thriving colony on a sapling. I figure these are Myrmica incompleta, a fairly robust species.

Myrmica are rather fascinating ants, and a genus I am working with. More on this another day.

These ants have quite the herd of aphids!

On a quick trip to Trout Lake (in East Van), I found some little katydid nymphs. These appear to be meadow katydids, a welcome change from the introduced drumming katydids.

A robust dolichopodid (Long-legged Fly) by the side of Trout Lake. They are quick!

Not quick enough for this tiger fly (Coenosia spp.)!

Here is a Coenosia looking regal and dramatic in the sunset.

This golden dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) was also looking regal (and probably freshly-eclosed).

Back at the railroad tracks in Kerrisdale, I found these Lasius taking honeydew from a scale insect on an oak sapling.

and some mating Coleophora deauratella (red clover casebearer).

Sleeping Cuckoo Wasps!

May25

Last time I got up close with sleeping Hymenoptera, I was shooting Nomada, also known as cuckoo bees. Friday night, about 100 m from my new apartment, I shot some Chrysididae, also known as cuckoo wasps or jewel wasps, which are also nest parasites of stinging Hymenoptera. These gorgeous little wasps are super tough (if you have ever pinned them) with a highly sculptured cuticle and the ability to roll up in a little ball, presumably for defense while dealing with stinging hosts. Peering at a series of pinned cuckoo wasps in Intro Entomology was a big part in winning me over to study insects!

Unlike other sleeping hymenopterans I have shot (Coelioxys, Megachile, Nomada and Ammophila), these guys seem to use their ball-rolling muscles to cling on to the grasses. Because they were so small, I was wishing for more magnification…I could not even find my extension tubes!

These wasps are some of the most gorgeous insects around.

Here you can see the wasp’s feet clinging on, as well as the concave abdomen which also facilitates the defensive posture.

I tried getting both of them to sleep on the same flower, but they seemed to maintain a sizable personal space. While I was doing this, late-foraging yellowjjacket queens were examining the tops of the grasses as well. There were also many sleeping blowflies on the grasses, which may have been what the yellowjackets were hunting for.

Here the two cuckoo’s are finally settling down again. They both appear to be male, with 13 segments on the antennae.

A bit of stretching before bed.

They seem to be connected by a detached bit of spider silk.

In the morning I went back to the site, and both were still on the same plant. Here one of the wasps cleans his eye.

And appears to be ready to start the day!

Weekend Expedition 48: Iona and McDonald Beach, Pacific Spirit Park

May12

Ochlerotatus dorsalis, a saltmarsh breeding mosquito, is abundant at both McDonald and Iona Beach. This one was particularly persistent and bit readily on my hand.

This weekend, Catherine and I made a few quick trips around the area to hit some of our favourite haunts. The weather was nice, but after a long week including a move back to the Lower Mainland, we were not up for major exertion. Here are some of the cool things we saw.

An dew-covered weevil at McDonald Beach.

Here is another shot of the Ochlerotatus dorsalis. This light-coloured, day-biting mosquito is super-pretty.

The forest of Pacific Spirit Park was full of harvestmen. They could be found on almost every bush along the trail we walked.

This sac spider posed for at least a few frames before dropping to the ground.

A freshly emerged muscoid fly. You can see the ptilinum poking out from the front of its face (just above teh antennae), which it used to pop the cap off its puparium.

A particularly robust springtail on a fallen leaf.

This damsel bug appears to be feeding on some kind of nematoceran fly.

At Iona Beach, there are oodles of non biting midges (Chironomidae) as there are sewage ponds nearby as well as less-polluted man-made ponds.

A male zebra jumper.

This cuckoo wasp was diligently exploring every nook and cranny in this dead log, looking for a host nest for her eggs.

I love the metallic sheen on these. They are also notable for having a very hard exoskeleton, a trait shared with other nest parasites such as velvet ants (Mutillidae).

This shot is pretty cute!

Osprey are always hunting around the ponds at Iona, and this one made several flybys.

The Yellow headed Blackbird can be found at Iona, one of the only places on the coast where it occurs.

Some late fall/early winter insects

Nov12

Damsel Bugs (Nabidae) can still be found this time of year.

All the leaves were brown, and the sky was kinda gray, but with some blue yesterday. I went for a walk around the campus, and found some bugs!

Anthocorid!

A tree aphid. These seem to lack cornicles.

A robust little fly. Any ID suggestions? Update! Valérie Lévesque has ID’ed this as a Scuttle Fly, family Phoridae! Thanks Valérie!

The winter moths are here. You can blow on them to get them in this position.

I don’t get out much…

Oct4

Seriously, I don’t get out much! The recent rainy weather has made photography and pretty well all other outdoor activity really unpleasant. In addition, it seems more and more work is piling up that requires my attention. Because we had a rare sunny break yesterday, I went out on the campus for an hour to see what I could see. And what I could see was soggy! The summer insects are gone, and seemingly the forest is once again the realm of water, fungi, dampness and decay.

Update: I read this line in a novel this morning: “In the distance… Simon Fraser University rose up on Burnaby Mountain, a cluster of grey-slab buildings, miserable and gloomy, saved from utter desolation by the surrounding patches of evergreen trees.”

From “A Thousand Bayonets” by Joel Mark Harris.

Seems appropriate!