Ent-O-Lantern 2010 Part 1

Just in time for all the exoskeletons and Devils Walkingsticks to head out onto the streets for some trick or treating, there are a few other insects ready for Hallowe’en!

Steve and Rob’s a-maize-ing Corn-Stalk Eyed Fly (Diopsidae) included pomegranate eyes, carrot pedicel and flagellomeres, corn tassel arista, jalapeno pepper scutellar spines, and corn stalk legs.

Adam and Meagan captured this gourd ant roaming the haunted halls and brought it back for further examination.

The rest of the lab helped with our Scare-ab Beetle (Scarabaeidae) and associated kleptoparasitic Dung flies (Sphaeroceridae).

An assortment of gourds formed the exoskeleton of our beetle, with a turban squash as the head, gooseneck gourd for the horn and front tibia, apple eyes and mandibles, and willow branch antennae with sliced gourd lamellae.

Candy octopi make excellent phoretic mites!

Finally, we have kleptoparasitic flies circling around and riding the scarab waiting to lay their eggs on the glowing dung ball.

Happy Hallowe’en!