evanrandall's Favorites

This is an observation of spiderlings.

For an observation of the adult mother from the same date, time, and location, see:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/231133295

Below are my past observations of the same spiderlings, beginning w/ an observation of the newly laid egg sacs on June 30 and ending with spiderlings first observed on July 20.

Spiderlings on July 20
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/230745390

Egg sac on July 17
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/230033112

Egg sac on July 16
w/ white streaks
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/229829315

Egg sac on July 11
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/228810878

Egg sac on July 4
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/227234162

Egg sac on July 1
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/226618998

Egg sac on June 30
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/226355107

Casual observation. Meant to record abundance attracted to light source. It seems to vary with weather. Far less activity with cooler weather. Today, first night of increased activity. Temps above 70F at 11pm, humidity >70%, partly cloudy, little wind.

On zebra mussels on dock, including colonies with male and female gonophores, with Hydra (bottom of third photo)
0.1 ppt, 300 µS/cm, 22.3 ºC

So I’m familiar with flat flies on raptors, but I didn’t realize they came in fun size? This just-dead (window collision) junco was COVERED in them. I’ve been collecting dead and live birds through the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors for 1000 years and never noticed flat flies on a small bird, somehow. Looks like the louse fly family is pretty big!

Pentastomid Gecko Parasite
Identified as Waddycephalus on Bowerbird by Ken Walker: "The identification was made by a colleague at Melbourne University. It's a Crustacean nymph parasite of all things. Pentastomiasis (also known as Porocephalosis) is a disease caused by infection with pentastomids. Pentastomids or Rallietellids are endoparasites of the respiratory system of vertebrates, maturing primarily in carnivorous reptiles (eg. snakes). Adult and larval pentastomids can cause severe pathology resulting in the death of their intermediate and definitive hosts. These parasites have an indirect life cycle involving one of more intermediate host. A closely related parasite genus Raillietiella was found to use frogs as an intermediate host in frog eating snakes. Nymphs of Waddycephalus have been recorded in numerous taxa (e.g. dasyurids, elapids, geckos, skinks, frogs, and owls) but it is unclear whether these animals are viable intermediate hosts or accidental hosts in which the parasite will not develop further or will transfer to other hosts. Considering the diet of known definitive hosts of Waddycephalus, frogs and/or lizards are the most plausible intermediate host for these parasites. For more information, see: https://www.wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Documents/FactSheets/Reptiles/Pentastomiasis%20in%20Australian%20snakes%20Jul%202014%20(1.1).pdf"

In a high quality floodplain flatwoods with an understory dominated by spicebush

Nearly 4ft dbh

Based on habitat and size, I think this could be a naturally occurring plant. At the very least, it could easily be a pre-modern-settlement tree