#july2021

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Villa Bee Fly - Villa sp.

Neighborhood flowers like these are the perfect place to find pollinating insects such as Bees and snap a few pictures of them. Imagine my surprise to find this imposter darting around and surveying the flowers, and poking around for nectar using its proboscis. Although it's a small proboscis, rest assured that it is indeed a proboscis built for sipping, not a labellum (spongy mouthpart) for soaking. With how it buzzes around, stays near flowers and flashes its striped body, it's a convincing Bee mimic (if somewhat lacking in the fuzz department). As for what specie it is, I can only make an educated guess by comparing it with similar images and other Villa species. While searching for the identification, I was surprised to learn that this specie of Bee Fly is one of the more "plain" ones within the Villa genus. The breadth of biodiversity within this genus is staggering, with many species sporting colors yellow, red, gold and black, in most cases in the form of hairs, further lending authenticity to be mistaken as a Bee. This Fly isn't so grandiose as the others, and as such many that resemble it aren't conclusively identified. My best guess here would be V. arenicola due to its overall appearance, the pronounced wing venation and the presence of 2 white plumage spots at the very tip of the abdomen.

Like Bees and the other Bee Flies, it may not be a surprise to find individuals like this one rummaging on flowers, but it might surprise you learn that these Flies are also associated with sand. Specially, female Villa Flies due to their method of egg dispersal. To be specific, the larvae of these insects are endoparasites, meaning that they live inside a host and feed off of them. So what does sand have to do it? When ready, the female Fly finds a hole in a location filled with potential hosts for her eggs and begins to gather sand and other suitable fillings to place in the hole. She even has a "sand pouch" to stock up when a resource is found. When the hole is ready, the mother Fly flicks (using her abdomen) her eggs into the hole one at a time; the coating of dusts and sand allows the eggs to clump without sticking together. When the eggs hatch, the larvae find suite soft-bodied hosts to infest such as younger forms of Lepidopterans and Darkling Beetles. They will grow and develop within those hosts! They are even prepared for when their host pupates (and they are still inside): the Fly's own pupa is lined with spikes, allowing it to pierce the host's pupa and emerge as an adult Fly through it. Remember, the pupa is not a still object, but rather a living thing that moves only when it has the energy to do so. Considering they're learning as they go along, these Flies are very resourceful!

Pictures were taken on July 15, 2021 with a Google Pixel 4.

[juliasphotoarchives]

[starkap]

#happystranger😎 #theuneasedoesntmeananythingjustkeepmovingforward #470 #⭐dropoff53 #quarry #wainfleetquarry #wainfleet #refill #july2021 #facebook #StarKapRockz #youtube🎬📽️ #⭐StarKap⭐ #starkap #tumblr #pinterest #thekindnessrocksproject #paintedrocksofinstagram #paintedrocks #paintingrocks (at Wainfleet Quarry) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpf3NdGOQ9g/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[myenemystolvrs]

July 2021

completed fics that i read this month.

~read the tags~

▶ more than 1 chapter

Drarry

1. Things Worth Knowing by Femme (femmequixotic), noeon (noe) [E, 164K, 10ch]

“After the Battle, Harry thinks he's left Hogwarts for good, but Minerva insists that all students return for an Eighth Year if they wish to sit for NEWTs in the spring, and Harry needs those NEWTs to go into the Aurors. Draco's just grateful not to be in Azkaban. Or the Manor. He's hoping he can steer clear of Potter this year and grapple with his own problems. Unfortunately for him, Potter appears to be one of those problems. And that's not even addressing the fact that Potter's got serious issues of his own, which Draco realises as he's forced to share an Eighth Year dormitory room and several classes with the Gryffindor Git. If only they can make it through the year without killing each other, it should be all right, shouldn't it?"

----------------------------------------------------

▶ one shots

Kagehina

1. the pull of the stars by midnight sun (notyoongs) [T, 12K]

“it’s not as though kageyama will never play volleyball again. but as he watches the ball spiral toward a soaring hinata, still small and yet seeming larger than life as he jumps high above the net, kageyama realizes he might never play this kind of volleyball again: the kind of volleyball that makes him feel alive, heart thumping, stomach twisting; the kind of volleyball that makes him think of those words his grandfather once spoke to him—one day. one day, someone even stronger will find you. just wait. just you wait—

(or: on the night before their last national tournament, kageyama and hinata learn something about volleyball, about each other, and about endings and beginnings.)”

[doronjosama]

Sunday Memorial: the late Dito, July 2021. #catscatscats #bandito #dito #fritobandito #ripdito #tabbycat #standardissuecat #rescuecats #adoptdontshop #july2021 #dailycats #catmomlife #catsofinstagram #catstagram #latergram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elin Winkler (@doronjosama)

[agentbingx]

CRYPTO SUPERSTARS: UNLOCK THE $35 USDT AIRDROP AND REAP MASSIVE REWARDS AT BINGX!

#cryptoevent #airdrop #cryptorewards #BingX #USDT #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #futures #tradingvolume #prizepool #referralcode #cryptoexchange #signup #cryptogenius #rewardprogram #eventpage #chancestowin #limitedtime #July2021 #cryptoindustry #massiverewards #cryptoenthusiasts #cryptoparty #cryptoeventalert #cryptoopportunity #cryptoinvestment

[vilomah2021]

Montana's July2021 like

Use your Divine atributes to bless your path, and everyone else's.

[bromsgrove]

Archive: July 2021 #SpadesbourneWalk #CitroenHY #HVan #BreadVan #DaihatsuHiJet #EFI #CarParksOfInstagram #July2021 #Bromsgrove #BromsgroveTodayArchive — View on Instagram https://ift.tt/Iif3D5r

[greymoggy]

Unfinished roadkill fox

[azkhar]

secret santa for someone in a fr server!

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Black Gnophomyia Crane Fly - Gnophomyia tristissima

After researching and uploading the Giant Crane Fly specie from 2 weeks ago, I was reminded of this specie and a few more pictures that I have. As it turns out, Gnophomyia Crane Flies aren't the only Crane Flies that rest their wings on their back instead of their sides, but they are much smaller than Tipula metacomet. With this specie's size, it could easily be mistaken for a big Mosquito (such as a male) which themselves are often mistaken for Midges. Yes, the world of identifying Dipterans can be somewhat tricky to navigate. To prevent such confusion, I have here a refresher regarding some key characteristics of Crane Flies and Mosquitoes for referral when observing unconventional flying insects with a single pair of wings. Anecdotally, Crane Flies tend to escape from humans when bothered, not wanted to risk harm to their wings and legs. Scientifically, Crane Flies generally have thin, extended legs to an extreme degree. Moreover, while they have an elongated face, their mouthparts are either nonfunctioning reduced (in the form of palps) for cleaning their legs, manipulating nectar into their mouth or interpreting sensory information. Finally, and seemingly rather obvious in hindsight, theykeep their bodies relatively straight when at rest. This is to say that the head can be parallel with the abdomen's posture when necessary, as opposed to always slopping or pointing downward. As for how important this is, read on to see how Mosquitoes differ from their long-legged relatives.

To get something out of the way immediately: although spindly Crane Flies can be large - certainly larger than most Mosquitoes - size cannot be used in every instance to separate between the two Fly families. For example, Elephant Mosquitoes (of the genus Toxorhynchites) are very large in size and wingspan, and could be mistaken for a Crane Fly. However, they feature colorations not typically seen in Crane Flies and (fortunately for everyone) those Mosquito species do not have the need to feed on blood. Otherwise, most female Mosquitoes opportunistically will feed on mammalian blood, and so they might not be easily deterred if shooed away. While Mosquitoes have thin legs which can spread wide for a stealthy landing, the legs are not as long as that of a Crane Fly. In addition, they can lift their hindmost legs and curl them at the tip. Some reports say this allows them to act as a pair of sensory appendages (like the rear cerci of Silverfish), while other accounts say it is to reduce drag in flight. Mosquitoes also have their mouthpart visible and prominent: a needle-like proboscis. Such a mouthpart is kept sheathed until the time comes to partake in a meal of blood, nectar or fruit juice. Finally, because of the connection between a Mosquito's thorax and abdomen, it gives them a hunched or arched appearance when feeding or at rest. Knowing the differences, have a look at today's specimen and see how this information can be applied to identify it.

The legs seem rather long and all are on the landing zone, the elongated head features small filamentous mouthparts rather than a proboscis, and the insect's posture is straightened. Yes, this is definitely a Crane Fly! And this specie has yellowish halteres contrasting against a jet-black body, making identification at a glance simple. It was likely searching for a source of rotting wood or leaf litter, which serves as further contrast to Mosquitoes which prefer to be closer to stagnant or still water.  

Pictures were taken on July 10 and 27, 2021 with a Google Pixel 4.

[screwave]

purpled, are you there? a pain star has entered your house, but what are you going to do about it? are you going to touch it? it only happens once every thousand years, maybe even two thousand years.

[starkap]

#lookupandyoullfeelbetter #469 #⭐dropoff62 #refill #morganspoint #wainfleet #lakeerie #july2021 #facebook #StarKapRockz #youtube🎬📽️ #⭐StarKap⭐ #starkap #thekindnessrocksproject #paintedrocksofinstagram #paintedrocks #paintingrocks (at Morgans Point) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpankG1O0UT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[insertsomthinawesome]

Watched BNA a little bit ago, it twas cute. :3

I would love to see more of these two clowns. xD (+Birb because I love smol birb.)

-NO ROMANCE INCLUDED-

___________________________

Studio Trigger is the owner and creator of Brand New Animal

Please do not REPOST, EDIT, or USE this art without Permission.

___________________________

[doronjosama]

Sunday Memorial: the late Dito, who only became a lap cat in his old age, July 2021. #catscatscats #bandito #dito #fritobandito #ripdito #tabbycat #mainecoon #standardissuecat #rescuecats #adoptdontshop #july2021 #catmomlife #catsofinstagram #catstagram #latergram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elin Winkler (@doronjosama)

[sarahwaraor]

8 July 2021

Rub rub