Mantidfly (Mantispidae) under an oak leaf
I found this remarkable Mantidfly (Mantispidae, Neuroptera) hanging under a leaf of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae) in the woods this morning. It's about 3/4 inch long. I'm not sure, but maybe this is species Leptomantispa pulchella - kin at least. The larvae of these insects have an interesting association with spiders, see this photo among others. I've found the larvae on both Crab Spiders and Jumping Spiders, mostly the latter. BugGuide explains it (somewhat cryptically) like this: "First-instar larvae board spiders to gain access to freshly laid eggs; they will not feed on eggs unless they have spent some time on the dorsum of the spider pedicel, where they apparently feed on the host's haemolymph." I don't know what later-stage larvae do. Very interesting! (San Marcos Pass, 7 September 2020)
Today was 10° cooler than yesterday - but that's still 104°! There has been a thin cloud cover for much of the day, and it's been quite smoky from wildfires elsewhere in California both north and south. We've been lucky with smoke so far during this heat event, but we got our share of it today. It also feels muggy with 30% humidity. Tomorrow should be another 10° or more cooler, and then it gets interesting with Santa Ana winds down south, strong east winds in Portland, and maybe even snow in Colorado - Aspen goes from a Red Flag Warning to a Winter Weather Advisory overnight? Is our weather broken?? Our NWS warnings expire tonight, and it might even be cool enough to sleep.
Mantidfly (Mantispidae) under an oak leaf
I found this remarkable Mantidfly (Mantispidae, Neuroptera) hanging under a leaf of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae) in the woods this morning. It's about 3/4 inch long. I'm not sure, but maybe this is species Leptomantispa pulchella - kin at least. The larvae of these insects have an interesting association with spiders, see this photo among others. I've found the larvae on both Crab Spiders and Jumping Spiders, mostly the latter. BugGuide explains it (somewhat cryptically) like this: "First-instar larvae board spiders to gain access to freshly laid eggs; they will not feed on eggs unless they have spent some time on the dorsum of the spider pedicel, where they apparently feed on the host's haemolymph." I don't know what later-stage larvae do. Very interesting! (San Marcos Pass, 7 September 2020)
Today was 10° cooler than yesterday - but that's still 104°! There has been a thin cloud cover for much of the day, and it's been quite smoky from wildfires elsewhere in California both north and south. We've been lucky with smoke so far during this heat event, but we got our share of it today. It also feels muggy with 30% humidity. Tomorrow should be another 10° or more cooler, and then it gets interesting with Santa Ana winds down south, strong east winds in Portland, and maybe even snow in Colorado - Aspen goes from a Red Flag Warning to a Winter Weather Advisory overnight? Is our weather broken?? Our NWS warnings expire tonight, and it might even be cool enough to sleep.