Category Archives: Arachnida

Arachnids – scorpions, spiders, mites & ticks, harvestmen, pseudoscorpions, & relatives.

Cosmetid harvestman with parasitic/phoretic mites in Argentina

While searching logpiles last month in a relatively intact tract “Selva Paranaense” near Paso de la Patria (Corrientes Prov., Argentina), the most interesting find for me was Desmiphora hirticollis, a bizarre longhorned beetle that is either amazingly cryptic or a curious mimic (I … Continue reading

Posted in Arachnida, Opiliones | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Adult male Hentzia palmarum jumping spider

A brief break from photos from Argentina. Last week—just a few days after returning from my 8-week absence—I visited two of the sand prairie preserves in Missouri’s southeastern lowlands to try to photograph individuals from the unique, disjunct population the … Continue reading

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Best of BitB 2011

Welcome to the 4th Annual BitB Top 10, where I get to pick my 10 (more or less) favorite photographs of the year. As an insect macrophotographer I still feel like a relative newcomer, although with three seasons under my belt fewer … Continue reading

Posted in Acrididae, Anthribidae, Arachnida, Araneae, Carabidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Fungi, Hemiptera, Membracidae, Orthoptera, Pentatomidae, Tettigoniidae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

BugShot 2011 – Final Thoughts

As I suspected would be the case, ID Challenge #11 has proven to be an especially difficult challenge.  As a result, instead of posting the answer tonight I’m going to give folks another day to make their play for points (remember, nobody walks … Continue reading

Posted in Apidae, Arachnida, Araneae, Hymenoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Mite on White

I found this velvet mite at Shaw Nature Reserve (Franklin Co.) in east-central Missouri on a trail through mesic upland forest. At 4 mm in length, this member of the superfamily Trombidioidea is a downright honker compared to most other mites. I suspect … Continue reading

Posted in Arachnida | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Bichos Argentinos #6 – Jumping Spider

I photographed this jumping spider (family Salticidae) two weeks ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina at La Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur. In gestalt it is very similar to our North American species of the genus Phidippus, but I can’t say for … Continue reading

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

BitB Top 10 of 2010

Welcome to the 3rd Annual BitB Top 10, where I pick my 10 (more or less) favorite photographs of the year.  My goal for 2010 was to continue the progress that I began the previous year in my quest to become a bona … Continue reading

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Chilopoda, Cicindelidae, Cleridae, Coleoptera, Hamamelidaceae, Lepidoptera, Plantae, Reptilia, Scolopendromorpha, Sesiidae, Vertebrata | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Answer to Super Crop Challenge #2

I was hoping that Super Crop Challenge #2 would prove a little more difficult than the first one, but first responder Troy Bartlett quickly sniffed out the correct answer – the top part of the abdomen of the marmorated orb weaver, … Continue reading

Posted in Arachnida, Araneae | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments