Tag: missouri

Clubbed Mydas Fly

diptera, insects, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

I missed getting photos of Mydas clavatus (fam. Mydidae) on group photo outings, I believe, for three straight years. I seemed to be somewhere else and my “friends” failed to let me know… 😉 Well, back in July, I finally got lucky and found this one nectaring on some Pycnanthemum at Prairie Garden Trust in Callaway County, MO on a WGNSS Photo Group trip.

Mydas clavatus (clubbed mydas fly)

These are downright fascinating insects. The larvae of mydas flies feed on beetle larvae that reside in soil or rotting wood. The adults, who are Batesian mimics of spider wasps (Pompilidae), apparently feed solely on nectar and can be found in the heat of the day skimming across the prairies to find their favorite flowers.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Locust Leafroller Moth

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Locust Leafroller Moth
Sciota subcaesiella fam. Pyralidae
Host plant: honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
Dates found: 14, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Kaintuck Hollow, Phelps County, MO
Notes: Often wraps itself inside leaf nests much like skippers.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Parasitized Inchworm

2024 Caterpillar Season, Hymenoptera, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

I found this unfortunate little geometrid caterpillar during a hunting session at work back in July. In these photos it is serving as host to some ectoparasitoid wasps in the Eulophidae family. I attempted to rear these but everyone succumbed in quick order.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Radcliffe’s Dagger

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Splendid Dagger Radcliffe’s Dagger
Acronicta superans raddcliffei fam. Noctuidae
Host plant: Not recorded
Dates found: 17, Aug, 2024
Locations Found: Schoolcraft Prairie, Washington County, MO
Notes: Edit – 2/Jan/2026. Science is learning and correcting our mistakes when possible. There have been no confirmed collections of A. superans in MO per Heitzman’s catalogue. The larva of A. superans looks quite similar to the penultimate instar of A. radcliffei, which I now believe this larvae should be labeled as. The primary differences are that A. superans will have black snowflaking on the head, whereas A. radcliffei will have this patterning in red. Another potential option is A. hasta, but I think less likely. All three are cherry/rose specialists. That said, it would not be out of the question for A. superans to be found in Missouri. If any who may have found this post has reason to disagree with my determination, I’d appreciate hearing from you.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Ailanthus Webworm

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Ailanthus Webworm
Atteva aurea fam. Attevidae
Host plant: Leitneria floridana (corkwood)
Dates found: 14, Jul, 2024
Locations Found: Shaw Nature Reserve, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Originally native to southern Florida and other neotropical countries where it hosted on members of the Simaroubaceae. It has expanded its range following the introduction and escape of the invasive Chinese tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima, which is the most common host for this species in Missouri.

Long-tailed Giant Ichneumonid

Hymenoptera, insects, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Here’s another set from the bowels of Facebook that I neglected to put on the blog for some reason. These were taken in 2018 at Pickle Springs Natural Area where Casey and I found this fantastic insect.

The  long-tailed giant ichneumonid (Megarhyssa macrurus) is our region’s largest ichneumonid wasp. This species is a parasitoid and its sole host is the pigeon horntail (Tremex columba, fam. Symphyta) that bores tunnels into decaying hardwood species. The long-tailed giant ichneumonid uses its keen senses to find the host and then uses its long ovipositor to drill into the tunnel where it lays an egg and injects venom to paralyze the horntail. This species does not sting.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Crowned Slug Moth

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Crowned Slug Moth
Isa textula fam. Limacodidae
Host plant: Found on sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Dates found: 5, Oct, 2024
Locations Found: Daniel Boone Conservation Area, Warren County, MO
Notes: I was getting a bit tired of simply shooting slug moth caterpillars from the typical overhead viewpoint that is often seen with these “flatter” species. In this image I used the Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8L macro lens along with a 36mm extension tube. This allowed me to change the plane of focus in order to get the entire animal with acceptable depth of field despite the angle I shot it with and get the magnification and detail I wanted. It isn’t necessarily the most pleasing image compositionally, but I have used this approach with several slow moving slug moth caterpillars this season and I am liking this technique.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Red-washed Prominent

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Red-washed Prominent
Oligocentria semirufescens fam. Notodontidae
Host plant: Not recorded
Dates found: 14, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Kaintuck Hollow, Phelps County, MO
Notes: Typically feeds against midvein of leaves where it perfectly resembles necrotic or blightened leaf sections.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Retarded Dagger

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Retarded Dagger
Acronicta retardata fam. Noctuidae
Host plant: Found on boxelder (Acer negundo).
Dates found: 13, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: River’s Edge Park, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: This species has multiple broods each year and mature caterpillars can be found from May through October in Missouri.