truly cannot overstate how important it is for everyone to do research into local insect species and just try to notice them when you go outside. there are beautiful metallic blue mud dauber wasps where i live and they’re common in the summer but i just never noticed them until this past year. there are so many dragonflies at the local park. in one walk this june i found ebony jewelwing damselflies and an enormous stinkbug and an emerald-coloured tiger beetle and there is honest to god so much beauty in the insect world if you are willing to look for it
we finally found another Myrmarachne ant mimic, in our bathroom of all places.
I've been itching to get some more photos of these spiders since getting my speedlite, but they're very elusive and almost constantly in motion. thankfully this lady was content to explore a sheet of cardboard while I took a million photos of her like a madman.
special shoutout to my wonderful partner for a) spotting the spider in our house and b) wiggling their fingers in front of her to keep her attention while I got these photos (it seems jumping spiders are the wayward cats of the arthropod world lol).
I'll link my other Myrmarachne post here, as its interesting to compare the colouration of the two individuals. likely the same species, but my previous sighting had a much brighter gold on her abdomen.
My dealer, Antfrost: got some straight gas 🔥😛 this strain is called “the red banquet” 😳 you’ll be zonked out of your gourd 💯
Me, : yeah whatever. I don’t feel shit.
30 minutes later:
Me: dude I swear I just saw Bad lock the doors on us
My buddy Awesamdude, pacing: Hannahxxrose is lying to us
Now that ive got their designs done, i can draw them everywhere>:)
Scarabs lil antennae are optional cause i like both ideas, but im keeping him red cause it looks better and i have a particular distain for red characters turning blue when they get redeemed.
Yesterday was the first day of the year the Red Wood Ants/röd skogsmyra showed themselves after a long winter underground. Värmland, Sweden (March 24, 2024).
exciting find today!! I believe this is a Red-and-Black Ant Mimic, a species of jumping spider evolved to mimic Strobe ants (family Opisthopsis). While I dont have a positive ID, this female looks like she's mimicking the Black-Headed Strobe Ant (Opisthopsis rufithorax).
Ant mimic spiders (Salticids or otherwise) are so fascinating to me, but I rarely get to see them, let alone get a clear photo. This girl was moving around so quickly (also mimicking the quick, jagged movements of Strobe ants) and I didn't have my macro on me, so sorry for the photo quality! she's too cool not to share anyway imo :,)
🕷!!!
Red-and-Black Ant Mimic, female (Myrmarachne bicolor).
THE COMMITTEE FOR RAPACIOUS INTERLOPERS AND MANIACAL ESPERS !
drawing dump I definitely can’t fit all of them in but here’s most of em lol. Neo Cortez the founder and Head of C.R.I.M.E. Got a complete redo which I actually Like now so’ll probably expand on him more