~2-3mm; in a hollow in mostly moss-covered tree trunk about 5' up.
I did not disturb it other than with light to avoid hurting/losing it.
1 female emerged from this gall on valley oak:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/206493197
Collected: 04-07-2024
Emerged: 04-10-2024
1 female emerged from this gall on valley oak:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/206492830
Collected: 04-07-2024
Emerged: 04-08-2024
Flower galls by a midge on Oregon Gumplant. Possibly R. grindeliae as discussed in Russo 2021 (page 263, plate 454), but not clustered as in the image provided, and emerging in midsummer rather than fall as asserted by Russo. Other occurrences recorded on this date show open galls and exuviae from recently emerged adults. @norikonbu, @nancyasquith, @megachile
metamorphs in a crack in the ground
Observation for the bumble bee species.
There was a lot going on in this one... Most of these are stills from a "live" photo. I hadn't even noticed the jumping spider until after the shot (and chaos) occurred.
The spider struck the bee, the bee "kicked" it back (perhaps an example of the recently described disturbance leg-lift response), and the butterfly took flight.
You'll notice the spider is upside-down in the middle image, having flown and tumbled away from the kick. I have more stills from the live photo, if there's interest.
HAY-F-005430
Permit: private land, approval by owner.
microscopy:
conidial mature spores round and ~ 4-4.5 µm in diameter
Mites on the beetle!
Observation of mites on centipede species
On ceanothus.
@graysquirrel @merav @norikonbu @nancyasquith @megachile @garth_harwood
This is a fun one!
On Quercus berberidifolia, California scrub oak
https://www.gallformers.org/gall/3746
Found in a Tree Swallow bird house.
Observed on Quercus agrifolia.
The neighboring twig had Parthenolecanium sp. scale as well.
Caught in Malaise trap 10-17 August 2019, photos taken at California Academy of Sciences.
This is for the raptor
Beat from Quercus, species det. J Carr, also posted to BG here:
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1515923
Collected: 09-04-2023
Dissected: 09-07-2023
Field observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/181851193
Preserved in EtOH for Cynipini Larval Sequencing Project
Observed on coyote brush.
Information on the species, thanks to @nancyasquith in this observation.
Leucistic? The pigment in the ocular orbitals is making me hesitate on saying albino
With mantis as prey!
It took me some sleuthing to figure out where the actual type locality for this species was located. This species was described by Hershler (1995), and the type locality information provided was:
"Type locality: Unnamed spring about 4.8 km west-southwest of Hallelujah Junction, Long Valley, Lassen County, California, T. 22 N, R. 17 E, SW 1/4 sec. 9 (Figure 4E). Holotype, USNM 860642 (Figure 5E); paratypes, USNM 858262, collected by R. Hershler and D. Sada, 3 August 1990. Snails were commonly found on stones and in watercress of this large spring, which was situated adjacent to a residence and had been recently excavated."
"Remarks: This species is known only from the type locality in the southern end of the Honey Lake basin (Figure 6)."
The township and range described in the paper was wrong, as no springs matching the description provided were located there. However, using Google Earth I was able to identify a few possible spring candidates that could be the type locality approximately 4.8 km southwest of Hallelujah Junction. All of the springs that I thought could have been the type locality were located on private land owned by the City of Santa Clara. I obtained written permission to visit the property and quickly located the type locality spring behind the abandoned house on the property. Springsnails were not overly common in the spring, and the spring had been previously developed in the past. There was also evidence of use of the spring by cattle. I've attached two photos of the spring to this observation. I checked nearby springs to see if I could find springsnails, but I found no Pyrgulopsis in any other nearby springs.
The correct Township and Range for this spring and type locality would be: T. 22 N, R. 17 E, SE 1/4 sec. 17
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/11299/iz_Hershler1995.pdf
Helminthoglypta stiversiana miwoka (Bartsch, 1919)
This is a dwarf size sub-species of the coastal H. stiversiana. This sub-species is only found on Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County.
Two adults observed along coast live oak leaf alongside whitefly nymphs
A gentleman caught this on the pier today. I released it for him :)
Hwy 299 not too far from Swede Creek, Trinity County.
Gotta be something cool. Land snail at base of tall limestone cliffs which provide a cooler, shadier microclimate. Deep cracks around they could hide in. Looks like Sonorelix borregoensis, but a good deal smaller in size. So I’m guessing the same genus.
Eagle Lake, Lassen County
found on submerged brick. I observed a huge population boom a few years ago at the site, but hadn't seen any since. Menetus opercularis or Gyraulus sp. ??? historically at the lake. See Cal academy (CAS-IZ 162252.00, collected 1869), Academy of Natural sciences Philadelphia database (ANSP #328863) and Hertlein & Smith 1960 Mollusks of Mountain Lake SF, CA. The Veliger, 2(3). P. 47-51. This snail is also at Lobos Creek.
Ovipositing on Quercus lobata twig. Perhaps 6-7mm long.
Swept from vegetation and collected, specimen photos taken at the California Academy of Sciences.
Exciting stuff! Two adults and a subadult tightly rolled up in duff under a stone, all three of whom refused to uncoil for me. A nearby board yielded a third adult who was kind enough to move around a bit.
Hmm. Chyromyid? Riparian.
One of three pairs and few satellite individuals on the trunk of a single oak.
Found on the nasal ala/alar crease of a Homo sapiens sapiens, using a gentle deep skin scrape procedure that didn't involve any capillary bleeding.
First mite measures ~210um x 44um
Second mite ~334um x 34um
After that I got lazy and didn't measure them.
Most of them weren't moving, but this one was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd-NarK9NjE
I also found a Demodex folliculorum in thes same sample:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68306159
and an egg: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68305996
Collected from Quercus agrifolia leaf litter using a Tullgren funnel, 400 microns in length, photos taken at the California Academy of Sciences. Three mites in this vial.
Found under rock by CB, collected, about 1.9 mm, also posted to BG.
Fungus found growing on Porcellio sp.
Empty shell found within an empty shoulderband shell
HAY-F-002797
Microscopy (400X, 1,000X)
spores = x µm
asci = amyloid tipped in Melzers, x µm
Observed on Quercus lobata
Same as https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71283249
I'll get to stacking when I have some free time.
Found under a broken slab of pavement piled by the side of the road, not dug from a burrow. I didn't notice anything resembling a turret or trapdoor next to the slab, but I could have easily missed it. Thoracic furrow doesn't look longitudinal to me, but I so rarely have a chance to see these spiders that I may not have a good sense for how pronounced that feature needs to be to make it something else.
X. redimita furthest to the left for comparison
The bulge on the side of the leafhopper
Richardson Grove State Park, Humboldt County, California
I’ve often observed this miniature subspecies on the western portion of the county near Tomales Bay. Today I observed several of these diminutive arrosas (1 inch or less when fully matured) here at China Camp so it’s nice to know that this subspecies is also found along the eastern portion of the county as well.
Snails observed among wood debris beneath bay laurel trees along the shores of San Pablo Bay.
Helminthoglypta arrosa ssp. marinensis Pilsbry, 1927
The Mini Me of H. arrosa. Dwarf subspecies found only in Marin County, California. Found beneath coastal shrubs. These resemble typical Helminthoglypta arrosa only very miniature and compact.
Bandless form of Helminthoglypta nickliniana
This California endemic was found aestivating in a thick bed of sycamore and oak leaf litter. It was identified by its location, the depressed shape of its spire, and its broad aperature, partially covered umbilicus, and the coarse, even granulation across the shell.
When you can't find other stuff, you start collecting images of Linopodes...
On Ribes californicum. So many leaf galls! First time I ever noticed. Egad.