Moving Forward

The spanner crab (Ranina ranina, or frog crab) is found along the west and east coasts of Australia, and elsewhere in the Indian Ocean. It's got something of a tick appearance going on (as Jelo pointed out -- thanks for the photos). They are rare among crabs in that they walk forward as opposed to sideways.

They prefer sandy beds where they lurk submerged in the sand so that they might snatch at passing hapless fish. They are also opportunistic eaters (as am I).

They often find themselves on the dinner plate, or in the dinner bowl. Jelo says that in his native Philippines, the spanner crab (called the curacha there) is used to make delicious stew, complete with lemon, garlic, and chili. Sounds fantastic.

This photo here reminds me of a sloth I posted on a couple of years ago. Never thought I'd draw that corollary.

Slug Panting

Jen is a proud resident of New Zealand, where the typical slug is only a couple of centimeters long. Imagine her shock and horror when she traveled to the UK and found this huge slug along an urban Birmingham footpath.

My best guess is that it is the red or rufus form of the European black slug. You can see the indentation of the slug's pneumostome, just behind the slug's 'neck', on the right side. A pneumostome is an opening found on land slugs and snails, usually on the right hand side, used in respiration. You can only see it when it's open. And they only open it about once every two minutes when fully hydrated. More often when dehydrated. Could this be the slug equivalent of panting?

Thanks for the photo, Jen.

Keeping Your Resolutions

This is for all of you who are contemplating losing some weight when the new year comes. Keep this post bookmarked and come back to it when you find your will slipping (unless you are an entomophagist).

Thanks for the photos, Casey.

Photo source: JoeMonster.org

The Awards Are Out

The awards are out for Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and here is one of the entries. It's identified as a baboon, but I'm not convinced. Could it be a drill?

It could be my brother, but he doesn't like to go outdoors (no place to plug in his game consoles).

Thanks for the photo, Ida.

UPDATE: Christopher has identified this as a Sulawesi macaques-and he should know; he's working on his PhD. Thanks, Christopher. You're more qualified to run this blog than I am!

Photo source: Stefano Untherthiner via Telegraph.co.uk

Mantis Bonanza

Time for another mantis bonanza. I can't find who to credit for these photos, but I'm assuming they belong to the uber-talented Igor Siwanowicz.

Most of these specimens are of the exotic Asian variety. Asia gets all the cool mantids (even most of the ones you encounter in North America are Asian imports).

Zombie Spiders

Want to read an article that will have you leave you squirming? Then check out this link, brought to us by Casey. It shows how in nature there are parasites, and then there are parasites who up the ante. And the world is more zombie-rich for it.

Behold the alien beauty (I'm stretching here, for the sake of this post) of a Costa Rican orb weaver known as Plesiometa argyra. This spider is known for its perfectly symmetrical and round webs.



















Ah, but what happens when a parasitoid wasp comes along and stings the spider? The spider goes comatose for about 15 minutes and wakes up and resumes its normal routine. But the spider is unaware that the attack it just *survived* resulted in it being inject with a wasp egg.

A little while later, that same little waspling will hatch and begin dining on the spider. Typical parasite behavior--until it gets time for the little larvae to pupate. It enlists the spider's help in that, by making it a zombie. The larvae hijacks the spider's brain and induces it to ply its web-weaving skills at pupae making. The orb weaver literally spins a cocoon for the larvae and suspends it above the forest floor, safe and out of the way of would-be predators. See the photo below: the left is of a normal web, the right is a zombie web.














And what does the larvae do to show its appreciation? It drains the spider dry and tosses aside its shriveled carcass. I'm afraid that's what my kids will do when they've used me up. I've already got a head start on the zombie thing after a couple of weeks of sleep deprivation.

Almiqui

How does a creature pull off presumed-extinct status? Well, it of course helps to have limited numbers to begin with, and a low birth rate. Add to that residence on an island under international embargo, being nocturnal, and living in burrows, and well, you've got yourself a hard to spot little ugly. I've posted on it before, but it's time to come back for more.

Though of Cuban derivation, the once-thought-extinct almiqui finds its closest relatives in the wilds of Madagascar. Also known as the Cuban Solenodon (sounds more like a dinosaur name to me), this little mammal is shrew-like and only 37 have ever been officially captured (the first one back in the 19th century). But, recent studies have shown that there are still more out there. That's important for Cubans to know, because almiquis are rare among mammals in that they have venomous saliva. Watch out. ¡Un almiqui me mordió! ¡Quema!



















This second picture borders on cute, so I'll move on to the last one.

This specimen was found in the Fire Swamp in the Holguin province of Cuba. Sadly, it was killed after being engulfed in a gout of fire (its slayers were acting in self defense).






















Thanks for the solenodon, Jelo.

Vampire Moth

What better way to bring in November (and mark the day after Halloween) than with the vampire moth? I know, at first mention the vampire moth may not instill any dread in you. But, please, read on.

The vampire moth was recently discovered in Russia, in two separate populations. This moth has forsaken the traditional fruit in favor of the forbidden fruit: human blood. What's amazing about this moth is it is virtually indistinguishable from its fruit-eating cousins of the same species (Calyptra thalictri).

See that moth perched on that finger? See its tongue, how it has a nice red tint to it? That's because this researcher offered up his finger, and the moth obliged him by drilling into his finger with its hook-and-barb-lined tongue and tapping it for blood.

Photo source: National Geographic



















The vampire is virtually indistinguishable from the fruit-eating variety. Only minor variations in the wing pattern would give you any warning that the moth fluttering about the lamp post is sniffing you out for blood.

Some researchers see this adaptation as a means of getting greater insight into how insects move from eating nectar to eating blood. Here's one possible progression: lapping at nectar to behaviors that result in drilling into fruit to eating tears and dung and pus-filled wounds to using that same drilling technique to dine on blood.

Not the most wholesome progression, but progress none the less. I can imagine grandpa moth saying, "Ah, back in my day we didn't eat puss and blood like the rascals these days. We ate fruit! That's the way it was, and that's the way we liked it!"

On the positive side, though you may not be able to distinguish the vampire from its benign form, you can protect yourself. They can't enter your home without your permission, they're allergic to sunlight and garlic, and they can't cross running water. It's unknown if they have any other forms (gaseous, wolf, bat, etc.), though the moth below does have a bat-like quality to it.




















Thanks for the vampire moth, Tanya and Ida.