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Re: Insect ID needed

Jon Richfield
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 11:32 am
Posts: 55

Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:52 pm

onewithnature wrote

Thanks Jon. Yes, I've been fascinated with insects - often in rest camps - for decades, but have often struggled with ID. Nevertheless, watching their behaviour and awed by some of those colours and shapes means I can spend ages watching insects in camp while others are watching birds. I think, perhaps, the first actions I need to IDing them are to recognise classes. That, in itself, will take months, if not years. But, the world of insects is an amazing one that few people take the time to understand. If they did, soapies would be on the decline. :wink:

Right. I have found a page that could help for starters. Have a look at:

http://www.life.illinois.edu/entomology ... tions.html

As for people dropping soapies for science and biology, you are overlooking one worrying fact about human nature:

The people you meet here are unusual; they enjoy thinking.
Most other people can't take it any longer than they take to say "Gee- whizz!" when they see some biological violence in a watered-down and misleading nature program for kids.

Do I sound negative?
Perhaps I do.
But at least you now know part of why I appreciate you folks!

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Re: Insect ID needed

onewithnature
Distinguished Virtual Ranger
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:22 am
Posts: 19081
Location: Midway between the infinite and the infinitesimal!

Fri Mar 04, 2011 6:02 am

Thanks for the link, Jon. :thumbs_up:

I agree that so few people actually appreciate the smaller aspects of the great Creation. Actually, few appreciate the larger facets too. :doh:

Which makes all of us on this forum rare individuals. :hmz:

All I know is that I have always been enthralled with Nature's intricate workings, and much of these can be extrapolated to human nature. We are all mammals, thereby sharing characteristics with that group; but also animals, so, though many times less common characteristics exist with the "lesser" life-forms, there are always some.

We are all interlinked. All magnificent in our own ways. Nothing is truly lesser - just different.

Re: Insect ID needed

bishop3006
Senior Virtual Ranger
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:45 pm
Posts: 5652
Location: Pretoria

Sun Mar 27, 2011 10:42 pm

Thanks for that site Jon!

And yes, unfortunately you are right - not many people want to think. Too much like hard work! Our age of infotainment. You see a TV image. Not like the old days when you listened to a story on the radio, or had it read to you, or read it yourself, and had to visualise for yourself what was being described. Now it is given to you...

Re: Insect ID needed

onewithnature
Distinguished Virtual Ranger
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:22 am
Posts: 19081
Location: Midway between the infinite and the infinitesimal!

Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:40 am

Yes, Bish, I believe too that, as evolution takes place, we'll grow onto those alien-like creatures portrayed in the early years of alienism, when we'll have arms and legs like the forelimbs of T-Rex, tiny eyes to shield against light-generating devices, and huge heads with tremendous brain capacity; but, the latter lopsided in the sense that they'll only have small areas for rote memory and robotic like responses. The creative sides of the brain, the ones for structure and learning, and the ability to communicate, will all be atrophied through non-use. Too dramatic and Sci-Fi? Mmmmm, I wonder ...

Two unidentified species.

Pieter Espeel
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:34 pm
Posts: 2

Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:49 pm

Can someone identify these?

The first picture was taken in Karoo National Park, the second in Augrabies Falls National Park.

Thanks a lot!

Re: Two unidentified species.

Imberbe
Senior Virtual Ranger
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:28 am
Posts: 14344
Location: Pretoria, RSA

Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:18 pm

Off the cuff I would say that the first is a milkweed locust and the second an armoured ground cricket.

Re: Insect ID needed

arks
Senior Virtual Ranger
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2005 5:53 pm
Posts: 3761
Location: Cambridge, MA (and home from home in Darling, WC)

Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:48 pm

I saw these two critters — the dark one is an insect for sure, but I'm not so sure about the pale pink critter

— "interacting" near the Venus Pool at Cape Point in March 2010. I've no idea about either, so am hoping that someone can help with an ID?

Re: Insect ID needed

RUMURUTI
Senior Virtual Ranger
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:54 pm
Posts: 1981
Location: Milano (Italy) - IT ALL STARTED WITH A FOOTSTEP!

Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:02 pm

arks,
It def looks like a wasp and the pinkish one like a spider. :hmz:

Re: Insect ID needed

oddesy
Virtual Ranger
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:57 pm
Posts: 3426
Location: Randburg, SA

Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:16 pm

Arks looks like it may be a saw fly of some kind :hmz:

. Spiders I cant help with

Re: Insect ID needed

ross hawkins
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:50 pm
Posts: 167
Location: JHB, Gauteng

Sun May 15, 2011 4:02 pm

Hi arks

This looks to be a species of spider hunting wasp and the spider a rain spider.
The wasp will have stung the spider and paralyzed it and will then take it back to its burrow or built nest where the wasp will then lay an egg on the spider and this will be food for the larva when it hatches.

Does anybody know what kind of insect this is???

pepijn
Joined: Sat May 14, 2011 10:16 pm
Posts: 11

Sun May 15, 2011 7:20 pm

Hi all,

In August 2010 I was visiting the KNP and saw this strange looking insect sitting on the roof of my car. I still don't know what kind of insect it is. Please let me know if you do.