One Hundred and Sixty-One Wasps
LightNews LightNews
banner
diplopodracer.bsky.social
One Hundred and Sixty-One Wasps
@diplopodracer.bsky.social
110 followers 1.6K following 180 posts
Amateur wildlife photographer & invert keeper (millipedes, but also some beetles, tarantula, isopods, and Gryllus crickets)

Iterested in most invertebrate orders, but especially Diplopoda, Isopoda, and Hymenoptera.

My OC photography is CC0 public domain
Posts Replies Media Videos
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Closer crop of this millipede's cool transparent feet.

#invertebrates #m43 #bugsky
A very close crop of the purple millipede legs with transparent feet. They are resting on a dried river shrimp.
November 15, 2025 at 6:12 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A little baby Chicobolus spinigerus "Tamarack, FL"

#invertebrates #m43 #bugsky
A young juvenile cream colored millipede with single black stripes down its sides and horizontal orange stripes on its segments eats some dried river shrimp.
November 15, 2025 at 7:29 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
The coloration of the legs/feet of this millipede is mesmerizing (Chicobolus spinigerus "Brooksville, FL")

#invertebrates #invertefest #diplopoda #m43
a macro photo cropped to the feet of a millipede. They are purple with clear tips and some clear hairs running down the undersides of the legs. The body segments are white and black, but only the white part is shown in this photo.
November 15, 2025 at 6:58 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
For the BDFB, I set it up with automated day cycle heat lamp control triggered by a soil moisture/temp sensor I wired to an esp32 that i coded to simulate an average day/night cycle that they would see in the wild.
A time series graph showing the temperature of a sensor over 24h, showing a steady 82F temp during the day and a drop down to ~77F at night.
November 14, 2025 at 3:28 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Here is a better photo that I took of the Brooksville, FL locality of Chicobolus spinigerus.

#invertebrates #invertefest #millipedes #diplopoda
An female adult Ivory Millipede forages for freeze dried peas on flake soil. It has the Ivory piano key style morphology, however in a departure from the normal appearance of mostly black on the top, the white portion goes all the way around as a stripe.
November 13, 2025 at 1:38 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
This (Ivory Millipede) locality with the prominent purple striping are from Elliot Key, FL

#invertebrates #invertefest #diplopoda #myriapoda

3/3
a juvenile Ivory Millipede with purple and black horizontal stripes is rearing up the front 1/7th of its body while an older one forages that is about 3 to 4 times larger and has quite a bit less purple striping replaced with more black with white (approaching their eventual full adult morphology of black and white piano key markings)
November 13, 2025 at 4:26 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
these two (Ivory Millipede) adults one with the more prominent white and black striping are from Brookfield, FL

#invertebrates #invertefest #diplopoda #myriapoda

2/3
two adult Ivory Millipedes forage for freeze dried peas on flake soil. A male on the right and female on the left. they have the Ivory piano key style morphology, however in a departure from the normal appearance of mostly black on the top, the white portion goes all the way around as a stripe.
November 13, 2025 at 4:26 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
It is very interesting to me how different the morphology is of Ivory Millipedes (Chicobolus spinigerus) depending on the specific local population they come from. These are all Ivory Millipedes, with this first group of lighter colored ones from Miami

#invertebrates #invertefest #diplopoda

1/3
a group of 5 Ivory Millipedes are all eating some freeze dried peas on top of some flake soil. They are round millipedes and from late adolescent juvenile to early adolescent juvenile ages. They are light colored with a dark stripe are down their back, somewhat less pronounced than the traditional piano key morphology in the species.
November 13, 2025 at 4:26 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A small solitary parasitoid wasp (perhaps Exallonyx sp. or Ichneumonidae, idk) sat still longer than I expected her to on a porch light tonight.

#hymenoptera #wasps #insects #invertebrates #invertefest #m43
A black wasp with long thick antennae, a long narrow stinger/ovipositor, orange & black legs and transparent veined wings sits on a light. A black wasp with long thick antennae, a long narrow stinger/ovipositor, orange & black legs and transparent veined wings sits on a light. A black wasp with long thick antennae, a long narrow stinger/ovipositor, orange & black legs and transparent veined wings sits on a light.
November 12, 2025 at 6:44 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A Western Fairy Lady Beetle (Psyllobora borealis) is busying itself with folding its wings underneath its elytra before busying itself with walking away from my camera lmao

#coleoptera #beetles #insects #invertebrates #invertefest #m43
A tiny ladybeetle (~2.5mm) walks across mildew and lichen covered wood. The beetle has irregular sized dark splotchy brown spots on its elytra and more regularly spaced spots on its pronotum. It has one of its wings outside and is in the act of tucking it inside its elytra. A tiny ladybeetle (~2.5mm) walks across mildew and lichen covered wood. The beetle has irregular sized dark splotchy brown spots on its elytra and more regularly spaced spots on its pronotum. It has one of its wings outside and is in the act of tucking it inside its elytra. This POV is from the rear where you can clearly see that the spots on the elytra are symmetric across the halves. A tiny ladybeetle (~2.5mm) walks across mildew and lichen covered wood. The beetle has irregular sized dark splotchy brown spots on its elytra and more regularly spaced spots on its pronotum. A tiny ladybeetle (~2.5mm) walks across mildew and lichen covered wood. The beetle has irregular sized dark splotchy brown spots on its elytra and more regularly spaced spots on its pronotum. It has one of its wings outside and is in the act of tucking it inside its elytra.
November 10, 2025 at 4:24 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A couple images of some Painted Ladybeetles [Mulsantina picta], plus one tube tailed thrip from yesterday.

#invertebrates #m43 #invertefest #coleoptera
A red ladybeetle sits on a mildew/lichen covered fencepost. It has an orange/red colored elytra, with vague darker red shapes on each elytra half mirroring one another (mostly). The pronotum is black and white with black connected dots in a fancy 'W' shape. A red ladybeetle sits on a mildew/lichen covered fencepost with one wing in the process of being tucked inside the elytra. It has an orange/red colored elytra, with vague darker red shapes on each elytra half mirroring one another (mostly). The pronotum is black and white with black connected dots in a fancy 'W' shape. There is also a very small black tube tailed thrip in the bottom left of the image. The thrip is all black and shiny, is an insect, and has very narrow wings folded on top of its abdomen.
November 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
This little Anna's Hummingbird (I think) was very chatty guarding its feeders lmao

#m43 #birds #hummingbird
A hummingbird with a white breast and pink neck sits on a branch with its beak wide open
November 9, 2025 at 3:43 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A brown lacewing decided to hang out on my front porch the other night and was very patient with me while I took its picture.

#invertefest #invertebrates #insects #neuroptera
A small brown winged insect rests on a flat concreteboard panel. The insects wings are heavily venated with forking of the veins at the lateral edges. The antennae are long, segmented, and slightly thick.
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
I had one (diff species, same family) on my porch this week and grabbed a pic of those hypnotic eyes lmao
Close shot showing the head of a brown winged insect. The eyes are very large and the antennae pointed straight forward.
November 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Blue death feigning beetles (Asbolus verrucosus) are some of the cutest beetles on the planet istfg

#insects #invertebrates #m43 #invertefest
A powder blue beetle climbs down a chunk of stone. The beetle has a blue waxy coating on its exoskeleton and uniform variegated ridges down its elytra. The antennae are thick and segmented. The feet have fine red hairs on them as well.
November 6, 2025 at 2:48 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A twenty-spotted lady beetle (Psyllobora vigintimaculata) poking along a fencepost. These little lady beetles are non-predatory fungus eaters and one of the smallest species in North America (smallest in WA state, where this one was photographed).

#invertebrates #coleoptera #beetles #novembeetle
A very small ladybug (about 2mm) is crawling across a mildew covered fencepost. The ladybug is cream colored with yellow legs and segmented antennae and connected black spots all over the elytra and seven spots on the pronotum.
November 4, 2025 at 5:22 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Was out taking bug pics and just had to take a pic of this hilariously friendly squirrel

#m43 #squirrel #sqrl
A chubby adult gray squirrel is sitting perched on a branch looking into the camera. It has its puffy tail curled over its back.
November 3, 2025 at 2:28 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Got a shot of this hoverfly while it was still pretty groggy in the late morning today (family Syrphidae)

#invertebrates #diptera #m43 #invertefest
A small hoverfly rests in some light green moss. The hoverfly has large eyes, small, stubby antennae, and is dark green except for an orange band across for first third of its abdomen with matching orange legs.
November 3, 2025 at 4:10 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Couple pictures (heavily cropped due to subject size) of some rice weevils poking around.

#insects #grainpets #m43 #invertober #invertefest #weevil
a reddish brown insect with a long tubular snout climbs over some grains of rice. The weevil is about 2/3 the length of a grain and is also covered in rice dust. It has 2 segment antennae that begin at the base of the snout. The elytra is lined with bumpy ridges in rows all the way down. a reddish brown insect with a long tubular snout climbs over some grains of rice. The weevil is about 2/3 the length of a grain and is also covered in rice dust. It has 2 segment antennae that begin at the base of the snout. The elytra is lined with bumpy ridges in rows all the way down.
October 27, 2025 at 2:23 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Another shot of a Gryllus sp. "Marina, CA" field cricket is eating its recently shed molt.

#insects #crickets #m43 #invertefest #invertober #invertebrate
a close up photo of a cream colored cricket nymph with big, dark eyes, and a reddish brown color to the exoskeleton intersections with the abdomen, eats its darker colored shed exoskeleton.
October 25, 2025 at 5:46 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A Gryllus sp. "Marina, CA" field cricket is eating its recently shed molt. They change colors to their normal cricket colors as their new exoskeleton hardens.

#insects #crickets #m43 #invertefest #invertober #invertebrate
a close up photo of a cream colored cricket nymph with big, dark eyes, and a reddish brown color to the exoskeleton intersections with the abdomen, eats its darker colored shed exoskeleton.
October 25, 2025 at 5:15 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A group of shiny spider beetles (Mezium affine) clomp around snacking on some dry dog food.

#coleoptera #beetles #invertober #invertebrates
October 24, 2025 at 1:35 PM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Caught a picture of a recently molted Ivory Millipede (Chicobolus spinigerus "Elliot Key, FL") eating its recently shed exoskeleton

#invertebrates #invertefest #diplopoda #millipedes
a millipede with slightly cloudy coloration on its exoskeleton (which is black with dark purple stripes and piano key white leading to the underside of the millipede. The millipede has recently molted and is eating its shed exoskeleton.
October 22, 2025 at 3:26 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
Saw a Cross Orb Weaver (Araneus diadematus) eating a ladybug tonight and grabbed a few shots. (3 shots stacked)

#arachtober #invertebrates #m43 #invertefest #spiders
A cross orbweaver underside is visible and the withering husk of a ladybug is also in focus, slightly covered with cobwebbing. The web itself is messy, reflective of the recent catch of the ladybug in the web. The spider has wide cream and reddish brown stripes alternating on the legs.
October 22, 2025 at 2:49 AM
diplopodracer.bsky.social
A young adult Mozambique Red Fire Millipede (Centrobolus splendidus) is snacking on some freeze dried peas.

#diplopoda #millipede #invertebrates #invertefest #invertober #m43
a bright red millipede eats some freeze dried peas. The millipede is medium sized, and has black spots regularly spaced down its back and each side. The millipede has large black simple eyes and distinctly segmented antennae.
October 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM