Was supposed to go to Dairy Farm but made a mistake with the dates and ended up at Chestnut Avenue instead. A number of interesting finds left us with more weird names for the little critters!
![Mirid Bug (Sophianus sp.?) - DSC_8766](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8077121770_21825a0978_z.jpg)
#1 A really tiny bug that David found. Interestingly, the eyes stood up like that of a crab, and the antennae was thick and leaf-like. We called it the muscle bug. lol
![Mirid Bug (Sophianus sp.?) - DSC_8759](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8077122042_8edae28bb4_z.jpg)
#2 Top view. This bug was barely 2mm long!
![Mirid Bug (Sophianus sp.?) - DSC_8724](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8077122222_ebd183bbf5_z.jpg)
#3 Head shot focusing on the eyes and “muscles”
![Mirid Bug (Sophianus sp.?) - DSC_8774](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8332/8077130053_146798f921_z.jpg)
#4 Slightly angled view
![Praying Mantis (Mantodea) - DSC_8562](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8594493933_41503ed4ee_z.jpg)
#5 Lots of Praying Mantises along the trail, spotting one in every few meters.
![Praying Mantis (Mantodea) - DSC_8628](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8051/8077123652_b01a40f22f_z.jpg)
#6 Found a beautiful one and took some handheld shots with the Raynox attached.
![Praying Mantis (Mantodea) - DSC_8633](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8464/8077123494_6d9878d244_z.jpg)
#7 My favorite angle. Love the colours! The 3 little jewels between the antennae are the Ocelli, which function as eyes as well.
![Mosquito? (Culicomorpha) - DSC_8563](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8077124780_51a1a880a7_z.jpg)
#8 Found lots of mozzies flying around me too
![Mosquito? (Culicomorpha) - DSC_8674](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8077128233_fd4bf48941_z.jpg)
#9 Unfortunately, this one seemed to have gotten to me and is sluggish enough to let me shoot.
![Mosquito? (Culicomorpha) - DSC_8683](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8051/8077128083_a2a046345a_z.jpg)
#10 Took another shot for insurance. 😛
![cDSC_8688](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8334/8077122722_b82494b889_z.jpg)
#11 Top view. Maybe useful to ID if I get some weird disease from the bite!
![Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus) - DSC_8570](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8333/8077132943_93f7f65f4a_z.jpg)
#12 A Common Mormon sleeping under a leaf
![Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus) - DSC_8573](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8077132761_761c07d413_z.jpg)
#13 Tried to go a bit closer
![Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus) - DSC_8585](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8077124212_f030a256a4_z.jpg)
#14 This was the closest I could get
![Ant (Formicidae) - DSC_8603](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8077132365_6c5d25d8de_z.jpg)
#15 Bored due to lack of subjects, and took shots of this ant
![Velvet Mite? (Trombidiidae) - DSC_8608](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8077132173_c87fdc0b07_z.jpg)
#16 James found this little velvety mite
![Jumping Spider (Salticidae) - DSC_8641](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8184/8077131687_86494c80a6_z.jpg)
#17 Relatively large
Salticidae.
![Jumping Spider (Salticidae) - DSC_8657](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8077123134_02e211b970_z.jpg)
#18 Large eyes!
![Jumping Spider (Salticidae) - DSC_8665](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8077122912_12b491d38b_z.jpg)
#19 A female with large abdomen. Pregnant?
![Harvestman (Opiliones) - DSC_8689](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8077122556_b600b00189_z.jpg)
#20 Harvestman from the leaf litter
![Harvestman (Beloniscus sp.?) - DSC_8696](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8077130835_f3d317b78d_z.jpg)
#21 It took a break, while I continued to shoot
![True Weevil (Curculionidae) - DSC_8822](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8077121396_a099284998_z.jpg)
#22 Portrait of a very large weevil, almost an inch long. Didn’t take much pics while Ben was going at it.
![Crab Spider (Thomisidae) - DSC_8836](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8077129735_88ce7135c5_z.jpg)
#23 Pretty little
Crab Spider, a female
Boliscus tuberculatus![Crab Spider (Thomisidae) - DSC_8838](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8077121054_df347bdd2b_z.jpg)
#24 Top view.
![Crab Spider (Thomisidae) - DSC_8845](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8077120900_676fb48b27_z.jpg)
#25 Taking a poop. The white substance could be guanin, a nitrogen-rich excretory product.
![Crab Spider (Thomisidae) - DSC_8849](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8463/8077120728_5d6662b6ca_z.jpg)
#26 Look at the abdomen. See any face with thick eyebrows? 🙂
![Crab Spider (Thomisidae) - DSC_8851](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8077120492_d7bc5e5bc2_z.jpg)
#27 Back view, as it moved non-stop
![Crab Spider (Thomisidae) - DSC_8855](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8077120380_6afe28855a_z.jpg)
#28 Last shot but out of focus. 🙁
![Masked Hunter (Reduvius sp.) - DSC_8859](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8471/8077120188_005dae6480_z.jpg)
#29 Masked Hunter, an assassin bug nymph. See the eyes?
![Masked Hunter (Reduvius sp.) - DSC_8864](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8077128469_0b4095ce1d_z.jpg)
#30 Here’s how it’d look normally
James blogged about this trip
here.
The complete album can be
viewed here.
TAGS
matinggeckos
could the 'muscle bug' be a horned-fly?