![]() ![]() Wherever they live, sharks play an important role in ocean ecosystems-especially the larger species that are more “scary” to people. They are found in just about every kind of ocean habitat, including the deep sea, open ocean, coral reefs, and under the Arctic ice. ![]() They come in a variety of colors (including bubble gum pink), and some feed on tiny plankton while others prefer larger fish and squids. They range in size from the length of a human hand to more than 39 feet (12 meters) long half of all shark species are less than one meter (or about 3 feet) long. That generalization does sharks a huge disservice, as they have far more variety than that. Yet when most people think of these cartilaginous fish, a single image comes to mind: a large, sharp-toothed and scary beast. ![]() This is the Three-banded Robber Fly ( Stichopogon trifasciatus), a common and small robber fly, but note that it has captured an even smaller fly.There are more than 500 species of sharks swimming in the world’s ocean. Robber flies are about as ruthless a predator as tiger beetles! As one naturalist stated, “We’re lucky they aren’t the size of golden retrievers!” Three-banded Robber Fly ( Stichopogon trifasciatus) I saw a couple Velvet Ants (family Mutillidae), a group of insects that parasitize ground-dwelling wasps and bees that are found in sparsely-vegetated sandy areas. Tiger beetles aren’t the only sand-lovers found here. Here is a red and green Festive Tiger Beetle ( Cicindela scutellaris subspecies Lecontei). Festive Tiger Beetle ( Cicindela scutellaris subspecies Lecontei) It can be mostly green (as above) or mostly red (as in photo below). It is BIG and it loves sand…Well named! Festive Tiger Beetle ( Cicindela scutellaris subspecies Lecontei)Ī colorful (and variable) tiger beetle is the wonderfully named Festive Tiger Beetle. On the other end of the size spectrum is the Big Sand Tiger Beetle ( Cicindela formosa). Big Sand Tiger Beetle ( Cicindela formosa) This tiny tiger is the Punctured Tiger Beetle, which is named for the minute pits on its elytra (wing coverings). Ghost indeed! Punctured Tiger Beetle ( Cicindela punctulata) You can spot them when the run, but as soon as they stop and remain motionless, they disappear. Ghost Tiger Beetle ( Ellipsoptera lepida) Ĭan you spot the “Ghost”? They are aptly-named species. This is where the Ghost Tiger Beetles were found. Rain has washed and sorted the finer-grained sand to the base of the gravel flats. You can see the lighter-colored sorted fine sand where the Ghost Tiger Beetles occurred. This guy went down into this burrow several times. Their pale elytra (wing coverings) are the perfect camouflage for their light-colored sandy habitats. But as soon as the tiger beetle quit running it seemed to disappear into the background. I knew that they seem to prefer fine-grained sand, so I searched an area at the base of the gravel flats where the finer sand had washed out from rain and erosion…and I got lucky! After about 45 minutes of searching, I saw movement on the fine sand. Ghost Tiger Beetle ( Ellipsoptera lepida) My goal was to see and photograph this beautiful creature…the aptly-named Ghost Tiger Beetle ( Ellipsoptera lepida). ![]() On this mid July trip to Madison, Wisconsin to bring my kids to “Nana Camp,” I decided to stop at the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area on the advise of Wisconsin tiger beetle guru Mike Reese (Mike is also the photographer for our Tiger Beetles of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan guide). It is my goal to photograph all 21….and the Ghost Tiger Beetle would be number 14. My publishing company recently put out a field guide to all 21 species of tiger beetles in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They ambush and pursue their victims on foot…and they are very fast.Īnd they are a colorful lot as well. Tiger beetles are voracious predators of other insects. These sand-loving “tigers” are of the beetle variety. JGravel/sand area at Sauk Prairie Recreation Area, Wisconsin ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |