Do both kinds eat snails? Reason I ask is because I have this observation.
I think they do. From what I read on the web, firefly larva do eat snails.
Neat observation!
Well, it’s a bit strange to call this “ruin” favourite lifer, but it is the only one of this week and really special. Lemonia philopalus is the only species of the family Brahmaeidae here in Andalucia and it’s not very common - and now I have hope to one day find a complete and live one.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255451847
Thanks, getting down to 10 is tricky. But for this week I know there is at least a couple hundred species in there, mostly lifers. Many are at high level IDs for now.
My telephoto images are quite weak, I am much stronger on the close up side. Though have a new camera this year, so still missing focus on quite a few shots. Putting several shots into the “Hopefully good enough to ID” basket.
I am very arthropod biased, but herps are cool as well. Birds are fine…I guess. Kidding, but I do try and get images of things which dont already have 1000s of obs.
Thank you, I am certainly trying to improve my skill there. I still have plenty to learn on my new camera, and on the link above, you can see I still get it wrong often. But I think thats fine, as long as it counts to tell what something is. Like many all my images are CCBY, so I would be honored to be included in any guide. Like I know one of my earwig images will be in a insect book aimed at upper primary age published this coming april by NZs national museum, which I am looking forward to seeing.
Unfortunately my iNatting has slowed down a lot this week due to a drop in temperatures, so I don’t have anything to report. However last week I found a species of fungus growing on an indoor plant that I had never seen before: Rhizoctonia solani
I got to see my first Ruddy Duck yesterday, which was super fun considering I’ve been trying to see one since June!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255638402
(The photo’s pretty bad since it was cloudy and the sun was starting to go down.

At last I found a live bird-dropping spider, after having seen their eggs half a dozen times over the last few years. Apparently this one is Atkinson’s bird-dropping spider, Celaenia atkinsoni. Very chuffed to find it!
Congratulations! I’m a birder and know how it feels when you finally get a new species on the list.
That is such a interesting Spider. Cool find!
Would also fit in amazingly well in this thread.
I need some lifers to post here! I haven’t found a single one this week.
Yes! It had complete trust in its disguise and didn’t flinch even though my finger was nearby. I could have tickled it!
I got some lifers!
A dead three-spined grass bug I think, but I’m not completely sure.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255814617
A water mite.
I’m not sure that it counts since it was captive/cultivated, but it was definitely new to me.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255815873
Any help identifying these would be greatly appreciated.
I saw my first Tardigrade! (I think; please correct me if I’m wrong )
That might honestly be my only lifer this week, I haven’t been getting out of the house much
All I can say about these is “Wow”.
This week we took possession of our new home though we will not move in quite yet. While the home is much newer (think decades rather than centuries), the neighborhood is on the outskirts on the edge of the jungle, so I am certain to have many “new to me” species just because I will be in such a different area.
I had been a bit down in the mouth because when I walked through before, I saw that while the walled garden was lovely, with three coconut, three banana, and one large limón tree, as well as two newly planted limón trees, I thought no native plants had been allowed to grow.
However this week, with a bit more time and being allowed to poke all around, I found Nature had indeed snuck in! Way back behind the trees, I found this curious plant that had grown sight unseen. The former owner, there to show us the keys and the water system, etc., was surprised as well.
Meet Syngonium angustatum (Fivefingers), native to Mexico! There is a wild mass of it, so I am not sure quite what to do. It is clearly thriving there so I guess I just let it be? I can find no information about who or what has been pollinating it and am so excited to see.
This bit of sweetness is Oldenlandiopsis callitrichoides (Creeping Bluet), also native to Mexico, and I found it in several places in the garden. I am hopeful it will spread because it is the prettiest ground cover I think I have ever seen and it appears to be growing where the soil is very shallow. I love it so much and again, cannot wait to see who is pollinating.
This was hopping madly and I finally managed to charm him into posing prettily in the garage, my first Aidemona.
Finally, this is clearly a Lady Beetle but I have never seen one this color (blue-black) and shine before but do not know if it is attributable to the recent molt. TBD. It was on a leaf of the large limón tree.
All in all, a good week for new things.
This tiny little fly, maybe a drain fly though I found it amongst the moths at my bug light. Maybe 3 mm in size. I’ve not seen anything like it in almost nine moths of bug lighting so it is my fav of the week.
Peruvian Amazon week 3
Not sure what species this is, but definitly very new for me. I wonder if something along the lines of a female Huasampillia, but no idea.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255758467
Typophyllum lacinipenne (Maybe)? A pretty good mimic.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255861249
Tityus bolivianus?
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255861248
Hoplomutilla
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255758462
Apotetamenus amazonae
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255576420
Loxophlebia
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255758535
Red Snouted Tree Frog Scinax ruber
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255861232
Sphallambyx superbum
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255576448 i
Not the crispest image, but this moth looks very feline to me for some reason, could just be me.
Nola triplaga?
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255758526
Now I really really really want to go to Peru!