100 Insecta in a Month

Last year, one of my I-nat goals was to have research grade observations of at least 100 bird species (~1% of all birds) every month. I was able to achieve this goal comfortably, especial in the winter months with all the migratory birds. One of my I-nat goals this year was to have research grade observations of at least 100 insecta species (~0.002% of all insects) in any month (insects are somewhat seasonal here where I'm living compared to where I grew up so an every month goal was infeasible). Since the species population for Insects is orders of magnitude greater than Birds, I thought this was a comfortable goal, but have I been wrong. The biggest hurdle in achieving the goal is getting research grade observations for insects as identifying birds is much easier than insects for several reasons. 1) Birds are larger animals and can be easily identified from photos. Insects tend to be smaller and many insects need to be observed at the microscopic level to narrow down to a species. 2) The majority of birds have been described and named, while there are many insects that still need to be described/named. 3) More identifiers feel comfortable identifying birds (even amateurs), while insects usually require experts in the field for identification. Given all these hurdles, I was finally able to get to my goal in June with exactly 100 research grade insecta speices for the month and counting (see full list below). As always I liked to thank all the identifiers that put up with all my photos :), especially @brianahern and @tvl for all the Lepidoptera ids, @catherine_g, @trinaroberts @stephenluk for all the diptera ids, @bdagley, @pedro3111, @mettcollsuss, @something5067 @tiwane for the Hymenoptera ids, @ameeds, @mydadguyfieri for the Hemiptera ids, @elytrid, @reptipods for the Coleoptera ids, @jimjohnson for the Odonata ids and @tgrant999 for the Orthoptera ids. There were 72 identifiers that made this possible and I wouldnt' have hit 100 without all of them.

Order Common Name Scientifc Name
Lepidoptera = 28
Acmon Blue Icaricia acmon
Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon
California Sister Adelpha californica
Checkered White Pontia protodice
Common Checkered-Skipper Burnsius communis
Common Ringlet Coenonympha california
Darker-spotted Straw Moth Heliothis phloxiphaga
Echo Azure Celastrina echo
Gray Buckeye Junonia grisea
Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus
Great Copper Tharsalea xanthoides
Margined White Pieris marginalis
Monarch Danaus plexippus
Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta
Northern Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus
Pacific Azure Celastrina echo
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
Rural Skipper Ochlodes agricola
Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus
Small White Pieris rapae
Strawberry Crown Moth Synanthedon bibionipennis
Tailed Copper Tharsalea arota
Umber Skipper Lon melane
Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedona
West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella
Western Pygmy-Blue Brephidium exilis
Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus
Diptera = 20
Compsomyiops callipes
Chyliza notata
Bathroom Moth Fly Clogmia albipunctata
Black-backed Grass Skimmer Paragus haemorrhous
Black-margined Flower Fly Syrphus opinator
Common European Greenbottle Fly Lucilia sericata
Common Lagoon Fly Eristalinus aeneus
Common Thick-leg Fly Tropidia quadrata
Diamond Spottail Fazia micrura
Forked Globetail Sphaerophoria sulphuripes
Large-tailed Aphideater Eupeodes volucris
Margined Calligrapher Toxomerus marginatus
Oblique Streaktail Allograpta obliqua
Single-banded Plushback Palpada alhambra
Sugarcane Soldier Fly Inopus rubriceps
Swift Feather-legged Fly Trichopoda pennipes
Western Aphideater Eupeodes fumipennis
Western Calligrapher Toxomerus occidentalis
Western Forest Sedgesitter Platycheirus trichopus
Yellow-haired Sun Fly Myathropa florea
Hymenoptera = 14
Sphex lucae
American Sand Wasp Bembix americana
Argentine Ant Linepithema humile
European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula
Foothill Carpenter Bee Xylocopa tabaniformis
Golden Paper Wasp Polistes aurifer
Hairy Smooth Carpenter Ant Camponotus laevissimus
Odorous House Ant Tapinoma sessile
Pacific Velvet Ant Dasymutilla aureola
Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Western Velvety Tree Ant Liometopum occidentale
Western Yellowjacket Vespula pensylvanica
Yellow-faced Bumble Bee Bombus vosnesenskii
Yellow-legged Mud-dauber Wasp Sceliphron caementarium
Hemiptera = 12
Pagaronia triunata
Cosmopepla intergressa
Bagrada Bug Bagrada hilaris
Common Water Strider Aquarius remigis
Harlequin Bug Murgantia histrionica
Hedge Nettle Stink Bug Cosmopepla conspicillaris
Hyaline Grass Bug Liorhyssus hyalinus
Large Milkweed Bug Oncopeltus fasciatus
Red-shouldered Bug Jadera haematoloma
Southern Green Stink Bug Nezara viridula
Syzygium Leaf Psyllid Trioza adventicia
Western Boxelder Bug Boisea rubrolineata
Coleoptera = 12
Dicheirus piceus
Platynus brunneomarginatus
Strophiona tigrina
Calathus ruficollis
Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis
California Lady Beetle Coccinella californica
Convergent Lady Beetle Hippodamia convergens
Ornate Checkered Beetle Trichodes ornatus
Red-eared Blister Beetle Lytta auriculata
Seven-spotted Lady Beetle Coccinella septempunctata
Spotted Cucumber Beetle Diabrotica undecimpunctata
Twenty-spotted Lady Beetle Psyllobora vigintimaculata
Odonata = 9
Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor
Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum
Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia
Flame Skimmer Libellula saturata
Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula
Red-veined Meadowhawk Sympetrum madidum
Variegated Meadowhawk Sympetrum corruptum
Vivid Dancer Argia vivida
Widow Skimmer Libellula luctuosa
Orthoptera = 5
Brown-spotted Bush-cricket Tessellana tessellata
California Chaparral Katydid Platylyra californica
Clear-winged Grasshopper Camnula pellucida
Fontana Grasshopper Trimerotropis fontana
Pallid-winged Grasshopper Trimerotropis pallidipennis
Publicado el julio 1, 2023 03:40 TARDE por muddphoto muddphoto

Comentarios

Great job, many good photos.

Also for your list, it would be easier to read the insect order titles like Hymenoptera if you delete a line below and add a blank line above each of them.

Publicado por bdagley hace más de 1 año

It is that way in the source, but the formatting on I-nat changed it. I just formatted it using HTML so it's easier to read

Publicado por muddphoto hace más de 1 año

I’m glad to have helped you achieve your goal, congrats!

Publicado por reptipods hace más de 1 año

Awesome work!

Publicado por tiwane hace más de 1 año

Congratulations! What a challenge! I hope you will continue photographing the bugs.

Publicado por catherine_g hace más de 1 año

Cool!

Publicado por tgrant999 hace más de 1 año

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