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melvynyeo — Freshly Hatch Mantidfly Larvae

#freshly #hatch #larvae #mantidfly
Published: 2014-10-20 18:01:16 +0000 UTC; Views: 3044; Favourites: 68; Downloads: 47
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Description One is still on its stalk! Each egg is barely 1mm across. Taken at night in Singapore forest.

Quote from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantispi…
About 5–47 millimetres (0.2–1.9 in) long and with a wingspan of 5–30 mm (0.2–1.2 in), some mantidflies (e.,g. Climaciella brunnea, Euclimacia nodosa[3][4]) are wasp mimics,[5] but most are brownish with green, yellow and sometimes red hues. They get their name from their mantis-like appearance, as their spiny "raptorial" front legs are modified to catch small insect prey and are very similar to the front legs of mantids. The adults are predatory insects that are often nocturnal, and are sometimes attracted by porch lights or blacklights. They are usually green, brown, yellow, and sometimes pink, and have four membranous wings which may sometimes be patterned (especially in wasp mimicking species) but are usually clear. Adult mantidflies are predators of suitably sized insects, which they catch as mantids do. Mantidflies are active hunters, but as with other Neuroptera, they are cumbersome fliers.

Symphrasinae larvae are sedentary parasitoids on bee, wasp or scarab beetle larvae. Larvae of the Calomantispinae are predators of small arthropods, and in at least one species they are mobile. Mantispinae have the most specialized larval development among all mantidflies studied to date (the life history of the Drepanicinae remains unknown): their campodeiform larvae seek out female spiders or their egg sacs which they then enter; the scarabaeiform larvae then feed on the spider eggs, draining egg contents through a piercing/sucking tube formed by modified mandibles and maxillae, pupating in the egg sac.[1]

First-instar mantispids use two strategies to locate spider eggs: larvae may burrow directly through the silk of egg sacs they find, or they may board and be carried by female spiders prior to sac production (phoresy), entering the sac as it is being constructed. Mantispids that board spiders usually adopt positions on or near the base of the abdomen; some species may enter the spider's book lungs. Larvae maintain themselves aboard spiders by feeding on spider hemolymph. Transfers of larvae from spider to spider are possible during spider mating or cannibalism. All of the major groups of hunting spiders are attacked by spider-boarding mantispids; the egg sacs of web-building species are also entered by egg-sac penetrators.
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Comments: 4

IsaiahParker [2014-10-24 17:50:47 +0000 UTC]

There are so many of them!

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silencer1017 [2014-10-23 03:29:14 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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melvynyeo In reply to silencer1017 [2014-10-23 06:00:08 +0000 UTC]

? The blur is called Depth of field (DOF). At magnification above 1:1, i have only 1-3mm of DOF. That is not something i can control.... i also want a DOF of infinity but it is impossible.
Another options is stacking. But i don't have the luxury to shoot 200 pics in the wild of the same subject.

Please read up
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of…

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WatNHooRU [2014-10-21 07:11:03 +0000 UTC]

Woah, this is cool dude

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Onyx-Allblack [2014-10-20 19:38:11 +0000 UTC]

It always amazes me that something can be so small but still be complex.

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