Insect or Invertebrates Identification - DONE

[BluTuna]

Brilliant, I can see that's the right one now! The orange/brown marks on the abdomen aren't very clear in my picture because they are out of focus.

Not bad, we got it at second try

Another new one for the book!!!

[BluTuna]

Day 1 continued.

The Great Trek.

Let's go on the Eco Trail! What a great idea! We emerged (seemingly) days later at the far end of the camp, hot and sweaty having almost gotten lost a couple of times where the trail seemed to vanish. The path also got pretty rough from time to time and we struggled along in our sandals which aren't designed for hill climbing.

On the plus side, I did get some Dragonfly pictures.

Th first one a Brachythemis lacustris Red Groundling female or teneral male

They striped eyes point to Brachythemis


Epaulet Skimmer Orthetrum chrysostigma female or any other Orthretrum also similar

Hehe, this looks like the one from the Swaziland PDF, page 54

A Machado's Skimmer Orthetrum machadoi

Yes, a much clearer picture that I have.

My reference is a PDF file "Odonata_Dragonflies and Damsels of South Africa" by Michael J Samways. I'd send it to you but it's nearly 25Mb. I got it off the net.

[Toko]

Have that pdf, too very good descriptions, but very small photos

[ExFmem]

it's what we call "red Ant"

Solenopsis geminata or similar?

Looks not bad

Here's my trouble w/ this being a Solenopsis sp. _

ID key: http://antsofafrica.org/ant_species_201 ... psis.htm#4

Genus Solenopsis Westwood (1840b: 86)

In Tribe SOLENOPSIDINI.

**Genus Diagnostic Features -... Antennae 10-segmented with a 2-segmented club….



I can't see any 2 segmented club??? I see 11 "segments" total, so even if club segments are INCLUDED in the total, it has more than 10, if NOT included there should be 12.

[Toko]

http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http ... CCIQrQMwAA

Solenopsis antennae look indeed different all I have checked now have distinct clubs

[ExFmem]

Yes, as well as the fact that I've been able (at least to me) to exclude all the listed species of Solenopsis found in SA based on species diagnostic features, aside from the antennae issue on the genus level.

Back to square one. Methinks I need to do more "fun" photos elsewhere on the forum and take a bug-break. I only have difficult ones left, but bugs are my real interest.

I'm putting myself on time-out.

[ExFmem]

My time-outs last about as long as a two year old's does...

And then I find this:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/ANTKEY/countanten.html

Antennal segments
Ant antennae are elbow-shaped and divided into segments.
The second character used to distinguish ant species is the antenna.
Count antennal segments beginning with the scape, the longest segment.
The last 2 or 3 segments may be enlarged, forming a club.
Not all ant species have clubbed antennae.

So if I count the scape (first LONG segment), it does have 12.

[Toko]

but still your ant lacks clubs

[steamtrainfan]

Managed to photograph two kinds of butterfly today. Please help with an ID.

This white one.







This guy was very small for a butterfly.

[Toko]

Brilliant photos

Brown-veined White Belenois aurota aurota and Pea Blue Lampides boeticus

Is your garden in Pretoria?