The bugs above are Lyramorpha, literally in the shape of a lyre. Being this bright red with the beautiful soft grey-blue edging they stand out in the rainforest. However while they have been known for a long time, their hosts have never been recorded. Until now! I was told this on Friday, found one host on Saturday and two more on Sunday.
Yes you are looking at a world first.
In the top picture you can see three different instars of the nymph stage. Later they go green and their wings grow. I am yet to find an adult feeding on the hosts or better yet guarding her eggs.
Some bugs exhibit high degrees of maternal care; even carrying their young around with them.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...
Beetles bite / bugs sux
My friend Geoff Montieth said of these little fellows, " are beetles of the family Endomychidae. I think the genus is Encymon... Sometimes they are very common but I've never seen them eating anything so being predatory is interesting."
Here they are eating tiny tree snails. The snails are about one millimetre in diameter.
Posts
1 comment:
Have a look at http://bunyipco.blogspot.com/2010/04/handsome-fungus-beetle.html for more on this group of beetles.
Post a Comment