#leaf mimic

[jenfoundabug]

Gorgeous October thorn moth (Tetracis jubararia) I found while camping in Northern California a few months ago. These leaf mimics in the Geometridae family reach adulthood sometime in the fall (August - November depending on the locality), making their brown camouflage all the more clever. As a bonus, the serrated edges of their wings resemble the leaves of the live oak trees, which are common around here. Live oak picture, for your reference. Not brown, but you get the idea. They're evergreen, but shed old brown leaves fairly regularly, particularly in the fall.

[morgansram]

Leaf mimic in a frame.

[bobipineman]

a fae

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Poplar Lappet Moths: these moths are able to mimic the dead leaves of a poplar tree (there is at least one moth in each of the photos below)

Above: the photo at the top shows two poplar lappet moths disguised as foliage (the two "leaves" on the left-most end of the branch are actually moths) and the photo on the bottom shows another poplar lappet moth clinging to a leaf

The scientific name of this species is Gastropacha populifolia, but it's more commonly referred to as the poplar lappet moth. It's also known as pappelglucke in German and feuille-morte du peuplier in French.

The moths are distributed across large sections of Europe, Russia, China, Korea, and Japan, but they're regarded as a rare species throughout most of Europe.

The shape, color, wing pattern, and resting position of this species all contribute to its unique disguise, as it bears an uncanny resemblance to a dead leaf. It even has a dark, snout-like projection (the labial palpi) that mimics the stem of a leaf, and its wing pattern completes the illusion with a dark, raised line forming the central "vein" of the leaf; the soft ridges and scalloped edges of its wings also add to the effect.

There are many other leaf-mimicking moths out there, but this species is particularly impressive.

The caterpillars also have a knack for blending in -- thanks to their cryptic coloration and fuzzy, setae-lined sides, they are easily camouflaged against the bark of a poplar tree.

Above: the photos at the top show Gastropacha populifolia caterpillars blending in by pressing their bodies flat up against twigs/branches, and the photo at the bottom shows one of the caterpillars in a more conspicuous setting

These moths are defended by more than just mimicry, though; they can also produce ultrasonic clicks that interfere with the echolocation signals of predatory bats, which allows the moths to avoid being detected (and ultimately eaten) by bats.

Above: the adorable face of a poplar lappet moth

Sources & More Info:

Nota Lepidopterologica: Continuous Long-Term Monitoring of Daily Foraging Patterns in Three Species of Lappet Moth Caterpillars

Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium: Gastropacha populifolia

Moths and How to Rear Them: Gastropacha populifolia

Wikipedia (German): Pappelglucke

Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa: G. populifolia

EurekaMag: Effect of the Scale Coverage of the Moth Gastropacha populifolia on the Reflection of Bat Echolocation Signals

[wheretheresawyll]

Wyll: A deal's a deal. But I didn't know I'd have to watch my own father die. Mizora: And here I'd thought you'd be grateful for the final good-bye. [x] Head Study of Young Man (Venetian School, 18th century) || Pallas and the Centaur (Botticelli, 1482)

[yellbug]

literally just bragging because we finally got this marble top early 20th century washstand up here and i set it up as a vanity last night

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Leaf-mimic katydid

By Nick Garbutt

[cloudcountry]

i love picking up habits from other people because sometimes you will mimic the poses they usually do and sometimes you will meow at random intervals and i do both

[onenicebugperday]

@flecks-of-stardust submitted: some lovely bugs spotted on my campus today! there were also some wasps, but unfortunately i didn’t get pictures of them. i’m especially enthralled by the bee and the fly-looking fella; ids for all of them would be nice if you’re willing, but i’m most interested in those two. all of these bugs were found within an hour of each other in [removed] (please remove location)!

i didn’t notice the torn wing on the fly looking fella initially :’) it was a bit sluggish too when i went to move it off the side walk, but such is the life of a bug i suppose.

Indeed such is bug life! In general flies don't live particularly long. The first fella looks like a western carpenter bee, and the next is a bee-mimic robber fly. The pretty yellow beetle is an elm leaf beetle and the grasshopper I couldn't say offhand!

[psikonauti]

Leaf mimic grasshopper - Systella sp.

[animal-forgeries]

today's mimic: giant malaysian leaf insect, pulchriphyllium giganteum

photo by bernard dupont

the giant malaysian leaf insect is one of the largest members of the family Philliidae, a family of insects that are highly specialised in object mimicry--sometimes called mimesis--of leaves. this species is a particularly good example, almost exactly matching the model in many subtle ways, such as the flattened legs that resemble half-eaten leaves, the veins on the abdomen, and the brown patterns that match brown discolouration on damaged leaves. to add to the illusion, these insects will sway back and forth like leaves in the wind. even the eggs of the giant malaysian leaf insect show mimicry, as they resemble seeds! this is an example of defensive mimicry: by mimicking leaves and seeds, insectivorous predators are more likely to ignore them.

[leaf4e]

the urge to create but not enough energy. and other things i need to do

[deepermadness]

Some flyers from my garden! How many do you recognise?

- - -

[All photos taken by me, DeeperMadness, on a Sony Xperia 1 IV]

[psn-stalling]

I feel like the key to getting out is related to emotional things rather than anything material. Would you describe your outfit as you?

...Not really. I just put it on once and it's just stuck here.

I don't really know if there's a particular reason for it just staying with me. It just did.

[newvegascowboy]

the concept of a shapeshifter alien is really cool and i do like it but like. i do want to know what the evolutionary pressures were to develop those traits. also how expensive is it, evolutionary speaking?

[justshapesandshitposting]

Random lil concept i’ve thought of (worldbuilding)

Concept: Flower Shapes are flower mimics, they’re still animals, but evolved to look like flowers/plants to avoid predation, and considering how small animals get larger on islands, and how i hc paradise to be a sorta island continent/island chain... yeah i can def see that paradise’s flower/plant shapes are much larger than their mainland cousins, and there might even be a totally unique breed or two of flower shape on paradise as well. 

they likely dont have as much of the natural chitinous armour as other ‘breeds’ of shape, which makes them far more flexible and likely faster in the process, which again, would make sense if they were closer to the bottom of the food chain originally on the mainland. 

their mainland relatives are prolly generalists for the most part, with a prevalence of insects in their diet, after all, bugs get attracted to flowers defensive AND aggressive mimicry-