Life's firsts: identifying unknowns pays off

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Question here for unknownithologists. I’ve found going through unknowns to be quite educational for me and have learned about a few organism that I would otherwise have overlooked. This has resulted in those “wait a second, I know what that is!” moments.

Have you ever made an observation of something that you only recognized because you remembered it from identifying Unknowns and State of Matter Life (shameless plug)?

I have two first for me so far:
Maple Erineum Mite Aceria calaceris https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/84143552 - I was taking a shore break while canoeing in the BC interior
Genus Leptothrix https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/170214611 - I was exploring a drying creek bed in Kakadu, Australia looking for birds

Let’s share those observations.

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Herpotrichia Juniperi, this weird looking fungal brown felt blight that causes pine needles to look like they are fused together into a shiny black mass: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/89671897

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Thanks, I’ve seen that before and wondered what it was!

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The purpose of this thread

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I love hearing about this!

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This one for me, thanks! :

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I’m always down to look at these but for diptera in particular. Especially blowflies, and most of all my version is Lucilia. :)

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Mine also feeds back the other way. Learning that my preying mantis - is not Mantidae, there are whole layers packed within my small knowledge - which fits in Mantodea.

Moss is just moss, right? Then I find liverworts, and other worts, and a panoply of mossy directions.

Never got to my Unknowns yesterday. We are sorting thru this subspecies
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/599973-Knowltonia-vesicatoria-vesicatoria
And that is why the leaderboard is deceptive :rofl:
It reflects sweeping thru and agreeing (where it fits) to the ssp.

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A while ago I found an upside down wet hag moth. No one had any idea even what phylum it belonged to cause the fuzzy little spikes (which were wet) looked like legs. No idea where that observation is now.
Here’s some pictures.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/122254-Phobetron-pithecium/browse_photos?quality_grade=any&term_id=17&term_value_id=18

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O wow, what a beautifully confusing being that is to encounter.

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