Diversity – Magnificent creatures of the world

19 Nov Diversity – Magnificent creatures of the world

Posted at 19:57h in Insects, Spiders by
3 Likes

Climate change, the use of pesticides/herbicides and habitat loss threaten a lot of  species, Species diversity is declining rapidly and especially the decline of insects is a continuous media topic nowadays.

Photographing these creatures with a focus on those that are not known to a majority of people or not considered ‘beautiful’ in the first place, and showing their beauty has always been my mission and a fascination of mine.
Acceptance and respect towards every living creature is what we should all strive for.

The following selection of photos documents the immense diversity of nature´s wonders and is a spectacle of strange forms, colours and textures..

portrait of buffalo tree hopper (stictocephala bisonia) Büffelzikade
The buffalo tree hopper indeed does look like a small buffalo – or at least like the insectoid interpretation of one.
buffalo tree hopper (stictocephala bisonia) Büffelzikade
The lateral view also resembles the bulky shape of a buffalo. The tiny tree hopper is only 6 mm small though.
Ant-mimicking jumping spider Synageles venator
Synagales venator is an ant-mimicking jumping spider. It uses its leg pair II to imitate the antennae of ants.
dorsal view of ant-mimicking jumping spider Synageles venator
The shape of its body also resembles an ant. It can walk among ants and even enter their nests without being attacked.
predatory red mite (Raubmilbe)
Did you ever lift up a flower pot and see tiny red dots running around rapidly? It might have been a predatory red mite, like the one seen here. They are only 1-2 mm small but extremely fast regarding their size.
predatory red mite
larva of green lacewing with big mandibles
The larvae of the green lacewing hunt for aphids and look fierce with their big mandibles.
nymph of coreus marginatus dock bug (Lederwanze)
Adult dock bugs (Coreus marginatus) have long antennae but in nymph stage the antennae-body relation is even more unbalanced: the antennae are almost longer than the body.
black planthopper with spiky head
This planthopper looks like it was designed with aerodynamics in mind: the spiky head makes it look like a projectile.
larva of deraeocoris ruber
Another bug larva: Deraeocoris ruber features a striking red and blue/black contrast.
Goldwespe (chrysis ignata) colourful metallic cuckoo wasp
Chrysis ignata is a species of cuckoo wasps and a very beautiful one. These small insects are kleptoparasitic and lay eggs in the nests of unrelated host species.
Dickfußpantherspinne (Alopecosa cuneata)
What makes this wolf spider (Lycosidae) recognizable is its thickened leg pair I, a very distinct feature.
cyclosa conica spider
The spider Cyclosa conica gets its name from the distinct shape of its abdomen.
Weevil nedyus quadrimaculatus
Nedyus quadrimaculatus is a tiny weevil of only a few millimeters and can be found on nettles. Whenever it feels threatened it curls up into a ball and rolls down a few leaves/levels and therefor out of reach for any potential predator.
This planthopper from South Africa looks like an alien from outer space.
Tree-, leaf- and planthoppers are very diverse regarding their form and probably some of the most unusual insects regarding their appearance.
No Comments

Post A Comment