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Unpleasantness in the undergrowth

These posts look at the grisly adaptations that many species have evolved to catch their prey

A mite problem…

[featured image] Mites have developed quite a niche for themselves in parasitising other arthropods, even other arachnids. Opiliones, the so-called harvestmen are often singled out by these haemolymph sucking varmints. The mites latch on to the gangly harvestman and search for chinks in its suit of chitinous armour – normally, …

Unsporting ants

[featured image] The trap ant, Allomerus decemarticulatus, is a small, unassuming South American insect, staying out of sight much of the time …

A precarious existence

[featured image] Among the huge diversity of insect life there are some bewildering complex life cycles, but there are few that can …

Hats off to the digger wasps

[featured image] Surprisingly, there isn’t any government help for single mums in the insect world, so female digger wasps (hymenoptera: sphecidae) wear …

A bit galling

[featured image] What often bamboozles me about the natural world is the bizarre goings on just beneath the surface of something that …

Ravenous rove beetles

[featured image] Catching prey is far from easy, that’s why predators have evolved a host of means of catching and subduing their …

There’s no need for that

[featured image] Spider-hunting wasps, technically known as pompilids are about as mean as insects come. They range in size from no more …

Beastly goings on

[featured image] This blog is devoted to animals. There’ll be tales from the undergrowth, photos and a little bit about the books …