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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Giraffe weevil porn

Giraffe weevils / leaf rolling weevils / long necked beetles are one of my most favorite macro subjects. They are so just so cute and photogenic and a great fun to photograph, even more so when they are mating!

I found my first giraffe weevil on March 8, 2008 - a male with long neck! But it wasn't until Oct 9, 2010 that I managed to find a mating pair of that particular species. More info here.

These yellow spotted giraffe weevils are still quite new to me. First found on April 22, 2012, this species has been identified as Korotyaevirhinus necopinus orientalis,  Legalov, 2003. (ID credit: Andrei).

I found a female rolling a leaf to make a nest out of it on May 25, 2012. The process is documented in this post .

I was lucky enough to have found a mating pair by June 7, 2012. Both the males and females of this species have similar neck length.

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All images taken with a Canon 40D, MP-E 65 Macro Lens, MT-24EX Twin Lite
and concave diffuser.

At first, there were just the two of them. Oh, and me too, of course. But they didn't seem bothered at all.
Leaf rolling weevils mating...IMG_6519 copy

Still only the two of them.
Giraffe weevils porn ...IMG_6542 copy

And then, things got a little more interesting. An ant appeared from out of nowhere!
Mating pair of giraffe weevil...IMG_6546 copy

The ant was really really nosy!
Giraffe weevils porn...IMG_6547 copy

See what I mean by being nosy? :D
Giraffe weevils sex...IMG_6548 copy

More bugs porn here.

Check out the other three species here:

http://orionmystery.blogspot.com/2010/08/giraffe-weevil-and-its-host-plant.html

http://orionmystery.blogspot.com/2011/03/spiny-giraffe-weevils-and-host-plant.html

http://​orionmystery.blogspot.com/​2011/05/​another-giraffe-weevils.htm​l

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Cool jumping spider

At first glance, I thought it was a Camaricus maugi crab spider. Peeping through the viewfinder, I was surprised to discover that it was a jumping spider, one that looked almost like a Camaricus maugi crab spider.

Coiicidence? Or is it mimicking the Camaricus maugi? And if so, why?
Jumping spider...IMG_5197 copy

Camaricus maugi crab spider. See the resemblance?
Crab spider Camaricus maugi ...IMG_0338 copy

My first time finding a Salticid like this, no ID yet.

Jumping spider...IMG_5208 copy

Jumping spider...IMG_5203 copy


Jumping spider...IMG_5229 copy

Jumping spider...IMG_5188 copy

Jumping spider...IMG_5205 copy


A Camaricus maugi crab spider with treehopper prey
Crab spider with treehopper prey....IMG_9847 stk copy

This one caught a larva.
Early crab gets the worm........IMG_5423 copy

Anyway, it's not safe even for a crab spider.
Pompilidae Wasp with spider prey..IMG_3256 copy

Pompilidae Wasp with spider prey...IMG_3235 copy

More jumping spiders here.

More tropical spiders here.