Africa Wild

That's a funny one with "leaves" or are they eyebrows on the head

Moths and especially Saturnidae have an excellent sense of smell. This is provided by a pair of large antennae mounted above the eyes. They commincate via chemical signals, known as pheromones. Fertile female saturnid moths produce a sex pheromone and the males can detect this substance in the air, some species are able to "smell" it from distances up to 5 km. The receptors are located on the antennae. The Saturnid antenna is fan-shaped and all over the surface are olfactory sensilla. Species with large antennae can cover a large porportion of the airflow moving past and have a better chance of encountering an important signal molecul.

Thanks for the lesson, Professor If I had thought about it seriously, I would have known

BluTuna wrote:Here's a different view of the mystery Damselfly.



What are the red objects at the base of the tail?

The red objects on damselfly are ectoparasitic mites (Arrenurus spp).

BluTuna wrote:Here's a different view of the mystery Damselfly.



What are the red objects at the base of the tail?

Thank you for the additional pic. Now I'm convinced it is a Swamp Bluet, Africallagma glaucum. Typically segments 8 and 9 are all blue. Segment 7 can be all black, or blue below as in this case. Tarboton & Tarboton 2005, P. 78-79. The description you presented further up the thread is also good.

Toko is right: The red globbies are an ectoparasitic stage in the complex life cycle of water mites (Hydracarina), belonging to the genus Arrenurus. They are quite common on damselflies, especially on the kinds of damsels associated with more stagnant (not swift) water. Take a look at http://bugguide.net/node/view/84930/bgimage.

Here some more info on the parasitic larvae

http://books.google.de/books?id=pOO75z3 ... ts&f=false


Great ID, wynand

Thanks for the ID Wynand!

wynand wrote:

mposthumus wrote:Cicada?


KNP - Tamboti

Axe-head Cicada. Oxypleura quadraticollis

Towards the end of their relatively brief adult lives cicadas become moribund and often partly covered in fungus before they die. Like this one. Their reproductive functions fulfilled, they shut down and perish.

There are two species of Axe-heads in S.A. This one, in the northern parts and O. lenihani which is restricted to northern KZN, in the coastal forests.

Have added this one Thank you, wynand!

https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.p ... 74#p143874

wynand wrote:

BluTuna wrote:Here's the unidentified stuff from my last few days in the garden.

Some other beetle.

A Leaf Beetle, family Chrysomelidae. There are several subfamilies and many, many species, but I can't venture further than family.

Leaf Beetle of the subfamily Clytrinae (or considered tribe Clytrini within subfamily Cryptocephalinae)

They are characterized by head sunk into the pronotum, the short, cylindrical or subcyilndrlcal body; antennae serratae, relatively short and often more developed in males, elytra laterally lobed

.

I agree with your further identification of the Leaf Beetle, Toko.
Tribe Clytrini.