Elli Klaus
LightNews LightNews
banner
ellililalala.bsky.social
Elli Klaus
@ellililalala.bsky.social
840 followers 1.9K following 120 posts
Conservation biologist with focus on botanics and entomology. I love macrophotography of all fauna & flora but especially of insects and spiders. Pics & opinions are my own.
Based in Switzerland. She/her

https://www.inaturalist.org/people/elliklaus
Posts Replies Media Videos
ellililalala.bsky.social
A Longleg #Dandy (#Portia cf. schultzi) from #Choma, #Zambia.

#jumpingspider #salticidae #spidersky #bugsky #inverts #macrophotography #spiders
A brown jumping spider with yellowish pedipalps facing the camera.
November 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
A lucky find: A southern #African rock #python caught itself a nice dinner.

Seen in #Choma, #Zambia in November 2025.

#herps #snake
A scrub hare is entangeled by a medium sized python.
November 17, 2025 at 5:44 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
One of the jumping #spiders I found in the leaf litter at #Choma, #Zambia. Any ideas for an ID?

#spidersky #inverts #macrophotography #inaturalist
Brown jumping spider facing the camera. The pedipalps are half white on the bottom.
November 16, 2025 at 5:55 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
An #Amegilla #bee resting on the stem of a lavender.
Seen in #Choma, #Zambia in November 2025.

#bugsky #inverts #inaturalist #macrophotography
November 16, 2025 at 7:27 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
A burrowing wolf spider with her #spiderlings at the entrance of her hole.
Seen in #Choma, #Zambia

#spidersky #bugsky #wolfspider #inverts #inaturalist
November 16, 2025 at 7:16 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Just because I just found this picture and I find them pretty. So lets see who else likes it!

This is a male #Philaeus chrysops, a #jumpingspider. Discovered in #France, #Camargue in Mai 2024.

#salticidae #spidersky #inverts #inat #bugsky
Generally black jumping spider with a striking red abdomen with a vertical black stripe. The legs have white hairs which for the four front legs range to orange. Also the hairs on the pedipalps are white. Head and cheliceres are dark black. View from front top onto the spider.
August 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Quite a colour explosion in European regards 😅 This is a Leafy Spurge #Hawkmoth ( #Hyles #euphorbiae) eating it's host plant, a Cypress Spurge. It's a young one, it will be double its size. Seen in the #Binntal, #Valais, #Switzerland

#bugsky #insects #inverts #macro #photography #inat
A lateral view of a green caterpillar with white spots surrounded by black. It has a brown and black spike at the end of its abdomen directed upwards. The head is light brown and black on top. It is sitting on a little twig of spurge.
July 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Just a little jumper - a female #Aelurillus v-insignitus from the #Binntal in #Valais. They are quite common in their habitat but easily overlooked. This individual was 2-3 mm tall. Love to find them! 😍
#bugsky #salticidae #inverts #spiders #spidersky
Jumping spider facing the camera generally brown in colour with rings of shades of brown on the legs. The front eyes have right and left white strikes extending to the side of the head.
July 20, 2025 at 8:30 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
For #InsectThursday I want to show you this #solitary #bee (I don't know the species) sitting on a #monkeyorchid (Orchis simia) with a pollinion on its front. This is how orchids spread their pollen, so cool! (France, 12.5.2024)
#bugsky #macrophotography #inverts #insects #pollinators
A solitary bee (I don't know the species) sitting on a monkeyorchid (Orchis simia) with a pollinion on its front
May 22, 2025 at 8:08 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
It's #Worldbeeday! So here is my contribution: it's the #solitary wild #bees we care about - not the honey bee. It is those that we depend on for our food and all wildlife around. I like honey bees when they are good food for others, e.g. for this jumping #spider couple of #Asianellus festivus
Dead honey bee caught by a (relatively) big grey female jumping spider. The male is on her and is probably trying to fertilise her.
May 20, 2025 at 6:17 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
A tail-wagger #snail ( #Sheldonia sp.) from Wilderness, South Africa (march 2025). What a weird little thing! It made my day when I saw it!

#mollusks #gastropod #SouthAfrica #macrophotography #bugsky
April 23, 2025 at 1:11 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
You don't see me! This #ichneumonid #wasp reminds me of a toddler trying to hide 😃

Found in Bière, #Switzerland

#bugsky #insects #arthropod #inat #hymenoptera #macrophotography #pollinator
Black and orange ichneumonid wasp holding on to a blade of grass looking into the camera.
April 3, 2025 at 9:50 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Another jumping #spider from Thailand. #Plexippus paykulli is originally from Africa but has been introduced on all other continents. I was happy to find it!

#inverts #bugsky #salticidae #macrophotography #arachnids #jumpingspiders #inat
A jumping spider facing the camera. The head is dark brown and white striped while there is a red ring around the two front eyes. The legs and pedipalps are dark brown with some brighter hairs. The underground is dark red.
March 27, 2025 at 9:59 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Just another #jumping #spider looking pretty. This time it's #Menemerus cf. taeniatus found in the #Camargue in France.

#inverts #bugsky #macrophotography #inat #wildlife #nature
Greyish jumping spider looking up into the camera. The pedipalps are covered with long white hairs making them look like feathers. The ground is grey with some yellowish lichens and soil.
March 24, 2025 at 5:06 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
A juvenile flower #mantis from Thailand, potentially of the genus Creobroter. All green in green!

#bugsky #inverts #inat #insects #macrophotography
Green mantis on a thin green twig. The mantis looks into the camera and seems ready to catch the next prey.
March 2, 2025 at 2:49 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
A little jumper for all of us!

Telamonia dimidiata from Mae Wong NP in #Thailand.

www.inaturalist.org/observations...

#jumpingspider #spider #inverts #bugsky #macrophotography #inaturalist #salticidae
Frontal view of jumping spider with black and brown legs, light brown pedipalps and a red stripe on the height of the eyes. Underneath the main eyes is a white patch.
February 17, 2025 at 7:25 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
#Butterflies on #flowers - always a good combination. So here I have a mountain burnet (Zygaena exulans) on the flower of a wood pink (Dianthus sylvestris). Seen in #Switzerland.

#inat #bugsky #inverts #insects #macrophotography
A butterfly with golden, slightly see through wings with red spots sitting on one petal of a a pink flower. Photographed from the side.
February 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
A jumping #spider from Thailand: Pancorius magnus. There is not much known about the species (at least not in english). But I found it rather photogenic!

#Salticidae #jumpingspider #bugsky #inverts #inat #macrophotography
Frontal view of a jumping spider with dark legs with a blue line and white hairs. The pedipalps are reddish brownish and behind them underneath the eyes there are white hairs. A ring around the eyes and the upper part of the head is light brown.
February 10, 2025 at 7:41 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Jumping #spiders are my favourites! Look at this one from #ManaDulce in #Colombia. I think it belongs to the genus #Ceriomura.

www.inaturalist.org/observations...

#bugsky #salticidae #inat #macrophotography
A jumping spider looking into the camera. The legs are light yellowish and the pedipalps and the part underneath the eyes are white. The rest of the body is reddish with a pattern on the abdomen. The spider is lifting its abdomen up. The spinnerets at the end of the abdomen are well visible.
February 9, 2025 at 7:56 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
A batman #hoverfly from the #Canaries. Must have freshly hatched according to the nice coloration. It is a common species but pretty nevertheless.

#inverts #bugsky #macrophotography #Myathropaflorea #insects
Lateral view of a hover fly sitting on a daisy-like flower with white petals and yellow stamen providing pollen. The fly is hairy with dark yellowish and black patches. The legs are yellow towards the body and black towards the feet. The eyes are dark brown as are the mouth parts.
February 9, 2025 at 6:05 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Here it's dark and grey... but #Ophrys flowers are such an enrichment in life! Here an Ophrys sphegodes from Switzerland.

#wildflowers #orchids #nature #macrophotography #inat
Orchid flower with a dark red labellum with two shiny stripes and hairs on the edge. The other petals are light green.
February 2, 2025 at 10:34 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
This is a male longhorn #bee of the genus #Eucera. Just to remind that there are not only honey bees but there is a huge amount of #solitarybees much more important for #pollination of our food - and for this tufted vetch (Vicia cracca)
#pollinators #inverts #bugsky #wildlife #inat #macrophotography
Lateral view of a male longhorn bee. The body is light brown and covered by hairs. It is clinging to the flower of a purple coloured tufted vetch and sucking the nectar.
February 1, 2025 at 6:33 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
Another brood #parasite is this #Sicus ferrugineus, a #fly whose larvae are endoparasites of #bumblebees. It's a common fly as long as bumblebees are common.

#inverts #bugsky #insects #biodiversity #macrophotography #nature
Lateral view of a brown fly that has the abdomen curled towards the belly. The antenna are short and the front of the head is yellowish. The fly is sitting on a green leaf.
February 1, 2025 at 9:09 AM
ellililalala.bsky.social
I'm always amazed and excited to find sleeping #bees like this #Epeolus cf. variegatus that is a brood parasite of several #Colletes species. It feeds ondifferent species of #Asteraceae such as Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare).

#wildbee #inverts #insects #nature #macrophotography #bugsky 🌿
Lateral view of a solitary bee that holds itself via the mandibles to a small twig. The bee is black with brown feet and eyes. The abdomen has white patches. Lateral to back view of a solitary bee that sits on a small twig. The bee is black with brown feet and eyes. The abdomen has white patches.
January 31, 2025 at 1:24 PM
ellililalala.bsky.social
I saw quite some pictures of praying #mantis photographed on the hands of people which I find not so nice for the #insect. That is why I post one within its natural environment out of grasses and herbs in autumn.

#bugsky #inverts #Mantisreligiosa #macrophotography
Green praying mantis in lateral view in upright position turning its head towards the camera. It is surrounded by its natural environment with brown and green vegetation.
January 29, 2025 at 11:20 AM