It’s gotten a little quiet around here lately, and since we haven’t done a Super Crop Challenge for awhile let’s see if this latest version will liven things back up. This challenge strays a bit from my normal scope, so I’m not sure how difficult or easy it will prove to be. I’ll award 2 pts for all correctly stated primary rank taxa (what a mouthful!)—standard challenge rules apply, including moderated comments to give everyone a chance to submit their answers. Bonus points will be awarded to early birds if multiple participants arrive at the same correct answer, and possibly also for other relevant comments (at my discretion). Good luck!
Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2011
Beetles In The Bush 
I think it is quiet because of the time of year. December has always been a pretty slow month on my blog, at least – my traffic in December drops to less than half what it is in the summer.
As for what your picture is, well . . . I’m pretty sure it’s a Eukaryote, anyway (domain Eukaryota). Which narrows things down practically not at all, but still, there you are.
Since you said it was “straying a bit from your normal scope”, I’ll go with my first impression and say that it’s a fungus (kingdom Fungi). Mushrooms are phylum Basidiomycota, and most of them are class Agaricomycetes. Aaannndddd, that’s about as far as I can go with that.
If that turns out to be a body part of some insect, I’m eagerly waiting to see what sort of weird creature you’ve found this time!
First impressions are often the best, and you earn 6 points for going as far as class Agaricomycetes.
Finding an insect part that looks like a fungus sounds like good fodder for a future challenge. 🙂
An antennal insertion might do the trick . . .
Hmm…
Could this be one of the polypore fungi?
Yep, it’s one of them. 2 pts for “fungi,” since that is the actual scientific name of the kingdom, but only 1 pt each for phylum/division, class, and order (implied rather than stated) and family (common rather than scientific name). Sorry—them’s the rules…
Total = 6 pts
I think this is a view of the undersides of several bracket fungi, and it looks like they are dried out/dead. I’ll say Kingdom–Fungi, Phylum–Basidiomycota, Class–Agaricomycetes, Order–Polyporales, Family–Polyporaceae, and then I’ll guess Genus–Polyporus.
Full credit down to family level = 10 pts. One other player got as close as you did, so you get a bonus point for being first.
Total = 11 pts
This was interesting! I went through several iterations before coming up with what I believe is a satisfactory answer. Kingdom = Plantae, Subdivision = Angiospermae, Order = Rosales, Family Moraceae, Scientific name = Ficus carica, common name = Fig….sliced.
If I’m right then there is an interesting tie-in with entomology through the fact that figs are pollinated by the highly modified fig wasp, Blastophaga sp. (Agaonidae). The “fruit” is actually an infructescence (modified end of the stem) within which many tiny flowers are borne.
Hopefully I got the italics right this time.
This has to be one of the more creative answers I’ve seen to this point – especially considering it was in a different kingdom altogether! Still, I can certainly see the resemblance to the cut surface of a fig fruit, and the entomological tie-in has also got to count for something. I’ll give you the customary 2 pity pts and another 2 for creativity.
Total = 4 pts
I also wanted to point out the obvious pun in this challenge, your Super Crop is a picture of an actual crop for a change! Who’d have fig-ured? 😉
This double pun would have been worth 2 more points had your answer been correct 🙂
I was hoping you were following a Christmas theme and tying in “We wish you a Merry Christmas”, and the love of Figgy Pudding! Oh well, I considered fungi, and those were my early iterations, but tossed it for figs! Should have stuck with my first impressions too!
LOL
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Polyporaceae
Genus: Polyporus
Species: alveolaris
Full credit down to family level = 10 pts.
Can you tell me if it attractive to flies?
Not to my knowledge.
Now wondering what your guess would have been if it was…
Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Anambodera
I’m going WAY out on a limb and guessing this is a closeup of the little indentations/holes in the elytra of the beetle you posted earlier.
Hear that snap? That’s the sound of the tiny little twig you crawled out on breaking under the weight of your guess. 🙂 I am impressed, however, that I managed to get guesses in three different kingdoms!
Your logic cannot be faulted though, and your 2 pity pts could made a difference down the road in the overalls.
I didn’t know you did these kinds of challenges, too! I’ll have to check by here more often 😀
Sure, I’ve been doing them for about a year now – a little like Alex’s, a little different too.