Robber Fly

Posted on March 29, 2024 by tspuckler

I have seen this cool insect from as close as just outside my back door, to both the East Coast and West Coast – and a number of places in between.

Also known as “Assassin Flies,” their common name reflects their aggressive predatory behavior; they feed mainly on other insects that they catch in flight.

Robber Flies are powerfully built. They attack their prey by stabbing it with their short, strong, pointed tubular mouthpart. They have long, strong legs that are bristled to aid in capturing prey.

The mouthpart, known as a proboscis, injects the victim with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which very rapidly paralyze the prey and soon digest the insides. The Robber Fly then sucks the liquefied material through its proboscis.

These creatures hunt a very wide range of prey, including other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, bees, ants, dragonflies and damselflies, wasps, grasshoppers and some spiders.

Robber Flies often establish a “perching zone” in which to locate potential prey. The height of the perch may vary, but they are generally in open, sunny locations.

Though they vary widely in appearance, Robber Flies have a characteristic divot on top of the head, which is located between their especially prominent compound eyes.

Different species vary in appearance and some types mimic wasps and bees. Most species are gray-to-black and have a long, narrow, tapering abdomen containing segments that may be banded or contrasting in color.

It is fun to come across the many different types of this very interesting invertebrate wherever I go.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Camel Cricket

Posted on January 12, 2024 by tspuckler

Although it’s cold outside, the inner temperatures of caves is remarkablely stable. So some cool creatures can be found if a person is willing to do a little bit of exploring.

Camel Crickets get their common name from their humpbacked appearance, which is similar to that of a Camel. Also commonly known as Cave Crickets or Spider Crickets, this species can be found in caves, as well as damp, cool areas underneath damp leaves, stones and rotting logs.

These insects are widespread in the United States and in the world and have a lifespan of about one to two years. They do not possess sound producing organs, and therefore they do not chirp. Additionally, unlike other cricket species, the adults do not have wings.

Camel Cricket have very long antennae as well as long back legs, which enable them to jump several feet. They tend to be light tan to dark brown in color. These crickets are almost entirely nocturnal, so long antennae and other appendages allow them to feel their way around in the dark.

At the tip of the abdomen is a pair of long cerci (paired appendages on rearmost segment), and in females, an ovipositor (a tube-like organ used for laying of eggs) which is cylindrical, pointed, long and narrow, smooth and shiny.

Camel Crickets need to shed their exoskeleton periodically, a process known as molting. This is done as the insect grows, because the exoskeleton cannot expand.

These creatures are omnivores and eat what is readily available, from plants to carrion to fungi.

I enjoyed finding these unusual creatures as a kid and still like coming across them in the present day. I most often find them under rocks and fallen limbs in slightly damp locations. I usually come across them in the Autumn months while flipping logs, looking for salamanders.

Growing to about an inch long, there are about 150 species of Camel Crickets in the United States.

In 2023 this fine insect was named The 2023 USA Cave Animal of the Year: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/cave-cricket.htm

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Autumn Yellow-Winged Grasshopper

Posted on September 29, 2023 by tspuckler

While hiking through open fields in Missouri, I noticed several examples of this cool insect. This large, brown grasshopper is about 1-1/2 inches long and most often seen from late Summer into Autumn. This rather drab-looking creature belongs to the family known as the Short-horned Grasshoppers. It occurs throughout the eastern and central United States in open woodlands, grasslands, dry fields and prairies.

When approached, it is quick to retreat and fly away. When it flies away, it shows its bright yellow or orange hind wings and makes a rattling noise. The sound produced in flight is a behavior known as crepitation.

Species that produce sound also have hearing organs. In crickets and katydids, these “ears” are on the front legs. In grasshoppers, they are on the sides of the first abdominal segment. Many grasshoppers produce ultrasonic mating calls (above the range of human hearing). In some species, the sounds may be as high as 100 kHz. (Human hearing extends to about 20 kHz.)

When resting, this species often blends exceptionally well with soil. Its wing pattern puts it in a group known as Bandwinged Grasshoppers, which are usually heavy-bodied and bear enlarged hind legs. The head of this grasshopper often appears enlarged and broadly rounded.

Autumn Yellow-Winged Grasshoppers feed on various grasses. They do not seem to occur in abundance anywhere and therefore they are not considered a pest species.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Posted on August 4, 2023 by tspuckler

This is a big, handsome, black dragonfly with spotted wings. In addition to its size, the male Twelve-spotted Skimmer is easily recognized by its wing spots. Females have a brown body with yellow lateral stripes with similar wings to the male, but lack the white patches.

These insects have two sets of wings. They have twelve dark brown or black wing spots (three spots per wing) – hence, the name “Twelve-spotted.” The Twelve-spotted Skimmer averages just over two inches in length and their wingspan is just under two inches.

Dragonflies are very efficient hunters and catch their insect prey by grabbing it with their legs. Adult Twelve-spotted Skimmers will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect, including mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies and flying ants and termites.

Skimmers are the most common and colorful members of the dragonfly family. Their wings are held flat and extend outward from the body when at rest.

Males typically are very territorial at breeding sites, displaying aggression by chasing competing males in what can be likened to an aviation performance of vertical loops and side-by-side flight displays.

The Twelve-spotted Skimmer is found in southern Canada and in all 48 of the contiguous United States. Its habitat is ponds and nearby fields. As visual hunters, nearly all of a dragonfly’s head is eye, so they have incredible vision that encompasses almost every angle except right behind them.

It is always cool to see one of these fine creatures when out and about. Dragonflies were among of the first winged insects to evolve, some 300 million years ago and had wingspans of up to two feet.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Spring Fishfly

Posted on June 30, 2023 by tspuckler

While hiking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, I came across this cool insect. It can be found throughout much of eastern North America. Adults are generally found near the water that their aquatic larvae require and can be found in a variety of aquatic habitats, including ponds, swamps, marshes, and springs.

Fishflies are quite large, with a wingspan of 2-1/2 to 3 inches. Their wings are delicate and very long, much longer than their body. The wings are clear and tinted pale brown, with no dark or white markings apart from the veins. There are two large compound eyes on the sides of the head and three small simple eyes (ocelli) in a triangle on top of the head. The antennae are long, dark brownish-gray, and have many segments.

This is a primitive creature, having appeared on earth more than 260 million years ago. Fishflies, Alderflies and Dobsonflies belong to the insect order Megaloptera, which means “great wing.” Their entire lifespan is several years, but most of this time is spent in their immature aquatic state. They only live up to seven days as adults.

The larvae of both Dobsonflies and Fishflies are called Hellgrammites, and are, famously, sold to fishermen as bait. Hellgrammites are thick and somewhat flattened, dark brown and shiny, with an impressive head, six legs and seven or eight finger-like filaments along each side.

Fishflies lay their eggs upon vegetation overhanging streams, whereby the larvae, as soon as they hatch, drop into the water, and go about preying upon aquatic animals, including vertebrates like minnows and tadpoles, as well as aquatic plants.

These insects practice complete metamorphosis, hatching from eggs, living as aquatic larvae, resting and changing as pupae and emerging as adults. Like many of the insects that develop this way, their appearance, habitat and diet changes radically in their different life stages.

Adults are active at dusk but remain hidden during the day. The wings are held roof-like and to the side of the abdomen when at rest. They are relatively weak fliers. It was super cool to find one of these; there is also a later-emerging Summer Fishfly.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Southern Yellowjacket

Posted on January 20, 2023 by tspuckler

While flipping logs in the woods on a (relatively) warm Winter day, I sometimes come across invertebrates like this one. Southern Yellowjackets are typically found in the eastern United States and as far south as Mexico and Guatemala. Their territory expands as far west as Texas and as far east as the Atlantic Ocean.

The Southern Yellowjacket is a social wasp. This species can be identified by its distinctive black and yellow patterning and orange queen. This species is predatory and typically eats live insects, but they also feed on the flesh of deceased prey.

Their nests are typically found in unnatural habitats, such as yards, parks and the sides of roads. Mated queens (like this one) overwinter as adults in protected areas and start new colonies in the spring. In some cases, they build their own nest, but more often, they take a different approach.

Since she emerges from hibernation a month or more later than the Eastern Yellowjacket, she simplifies things by finding a recently constructed Eastern Yellowjacket nest. She enters the nest, murders the queen, and appropriates the nest and workers (which don’t seem to mind the change in executive management).

As a form of defense of their nests, Southern Yellowjacket workers use alarm pheromones to communicate with each other to coordinate an attack. These behaviors are chemically mediated, and the alarm pheromones cause many social wasp species to leave the nest and attack whatever may be threatening it.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

American Bird Grasshopper

Posted on September 30, 2022 by tspuckler

I happened to flush one of these creatures out of its hiding spot while walking through a field in southern Illinois. It did not just hop a few feet in front of me, like most grasshoppers, rather it took wing, flying several hundred feet and landing in high up in a tree.

Although these large insects have two generations a year, they are most abundant in the Autumn. Mature females are approximately two inches in length, and the males are only slightly smaller. They are North America’s largest flying grasshoppers.

While most grasshoppers overwinter as eggs in the soil, American Bird Grasshoppers overwinter as adults and lethargically active adults can be spotted on warm Winter days in meadows and along wooded edges throughout the colder months.

The American Bird Grasshopper is found in fields and open woodlands in eastern and central North America, south into Mexico and South America. Somewhat migratory, in the northern part of range it may be an immigrant only and not breed.

This species was the source of a newly discovered class of chemical compounds called caeliferins. When the grasshopper feeds on a plant, its caeliferins induce the plant to release volatile organic compounds. Caeliferins also play a role in defense, as the grasshopper expels large amounts of it when attacked.

Not only is its large size impressive, I found its detailed Art Deco-like pattern really neat.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Nebraska Conehead

Posted on August 19, 2022 by tspuckler

While hiking on the Buckeye Trail I came across this cool insect. The Nebraska Conehead is type of Katydid. Like other members of its family, males “sing” on warm summer nights.

Part of this insect is not very well named: While it is found in Nebraska, its range is much broader, extending southward to Mississippi and eastward to Maryland. The other part is indeed well named: A prominent, cone-shaped structure is its the head, which easily seen when looking at it up close.

This katydid feeds on the flowers as well as the foliage of woody plants. The call of the male sounds like “tsip-tsip,” a buzz-like sound repeated once every two seconds. This call is typically heard in daytime, but occasionally at night as well.

It tends to spend its time facing head down more often than not, presumably prepared to execute its escape strategy – falling headfirst into the grass, where it will remain motionless to avoid detection.

Nebraska Coneheads can found along roadsides, in weeds at the edges of fields and woods and in brushy ground cover in open woods. This is the first one I’ve ever seen, so it made for a great hike.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Carolina Mantis

Posted on December 10, 2021 by tspuckler

While walking along some railroad tracks in southern Illinois, I came across this cool creature.

The Carolina Mantis is a species native to North Carolina and South Carolina; hence the name. But, actually it is a common mantis is most states of the United States. It also occurs in Mexico and South America.

These insects are about 2-1/2 inches long and are highly variable in color. They may be gray with spots, green, green with spots or bands, brown, and brown with spots or bands.

The front legs are usually held folded in front of the insect in a pose resembling prayer. When an unfortunate insect gets too close, the mantis’ forelegs spring out, grab the prey and then hold it while it is eaten.

This insect is found in woodlands and meadows, especially around flowering plants. It tends to stay in one place as for long as there is a good supply of food and usually uses a “sit-and-wait” tactic of obtaining its prey.

The Carolina Mantis is the state insect of South Carolina.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Modest Katydid

Posted on November 13, 2021 by tspuckler

While exploring a cypress swamp in southern Illinois, I came across this fine creature. Native to the southeastern United States, this species is more common in the south, but appears to be expanding its range northward.

It is found in a wide variety of both dry and wet habitats, though in more northern states, most reside in bottomland forests. The Modest Katydid is small and easily overlooked. Not only is the species size and demeanor modest, the song is barely audible in the field.

Though it looks leaf-like like other katydids, a key identification mark it that it has a bold dark diagonal stripe through its eye. Like other katydids, it eats leaves from deciduous trees in wooded areas, parks and neighborhoods.

The quiet, lispy ticks of the Modest Katydid are very hard to hear in the field. The nighttime chorusing of other katydids and crickets easily drown them out.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Category Archives: Insects – Other

Robber Fly

Camel Cricket

Autumn Yellow-Winged Grasshopper

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Spring Fishfly

Southern Yellowjacket

American Bird Grasshopper

Nebraska Conehead

Carolina Mantis

Modest Katydid