IN THE YELLOW WONDERLAND - Part Two

avatar
(Edited)

The Spartium junceum saga continues. :D Some branches of these colorful shrubs are covered with aphids ...

(Enlargeable)

... and here you can see one of their protectors ... an ant. This could be the Formica sanguinea worker, but I'm not sure with many similar looking ant species around.

(Enlargeable)

A multitude of Aphis cytisorum aphids is feeding on plant's sap ...

IMG_6121i24i28i31 CETVEROSTRUKO.jpg

... and quite a few interesting insect species are here to take advantage of this invasion. Ants are enjoying the sweet, nutrient liquid called honeydew, excreted by aphids ... and they aren't just waiting for honeydew to appear, but actively massage the aphids with their antennae to control the process. The parallel with human shepherding and milking is very clear & obvious.

IMG_6133i35 DVOSTRUKO.jpg

Because of the importance of honeydew in their diet, these ants are protecting the aphids ...

IMG_9348 malo.jpg

... and the Hippodamia variegata lady beetle on this photograph ...

IMG_9358 malo.jpg

... is one of the predatory species from which the aphids need to be protected.

IMG_6044 malo.jpg

Here you can see a pair of these lady beetles mating ... the female will lay the eggs here among the aphids ... to ensure an abundance of food to the larvae.

IMG_6021 malo.jpg

It looked that this Hippodamia variegata is just resting on the flower ...

IMG_6028 malo.jpg

... but then, when the insect started to move, I saw that it was trapped by some slimy thing ...

IMG_6025 malo.jpg

... I don't know what exactly happened here. The lady beetle on the following photograph ...

IMG_9477 malo.jpg

... the Harmonia axyridis, is an invasive species that came from eastern Asia not so long ago, in the 90' ... and this one is also enjoying the abundance of aphids ...

IMG_6799 malo.jpg

... on the Spanish broom.

IMG_6061 malo.jpg

Coccinella septempunctata is the most common European lady beetle, with the "classic" lady beetle look from many children books and cartoons ... here you can see an adult insect among the aphids ... and on the following photograph ...

IMG_9437 malo.jpg

... is the larva of this species.

IMG_9444 malo.jpg

While taking these photographs ... at the end of July 2020 ... I saw some aphid eaters that I never noticed before ...

IMG_9452 malo.jpg

This is the larva of the Episyrphus balteatus hover fly ... and you can see it here with an aphid in its mouth.

IMG_9461 malo.jpg

It's very hard to notice when resting still on the twig of this plant.

(Enlargeable)

In the lower left corner of this photograph you can see a fragment of the Episyrphus balteatus larva blurred in the background ... and in the center of the shot, the main protagonist of this picture ... a very different larva, of some green lacewing species ... probably the very common Chrysoperla carnea.

IMG_9448i67 DVOSTRUKO.jpg

This little predator with big mandibles looks pretty scary in macro view.

P1810244 malo.jpg

Here you can see the adult green lacewing ... on the nearby meadow.

IMG_0555 malo.jpg

Just like the lady beetles that you saw before in this post, lacewings are also trying to lay their eggs in places with rich sources of food for the future larvae.

(Enlargeable)

Each egg is situated at the end of a relatively long, thin stalk, out of reach for many small predators. Maybe you already noticed a small orange thing among these eggs in the middle of an aphid colony ...

IMG_0542 malo.jpg

... this is another small aphid hunter ...

IMG_0535 malo.jpg

... larva of the midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza. Midges are small flies with long legs, they look a bit like mosquitoes.

IMG_0539 malo.jpg

This was the first time I saw this minuscule larva, actually smaller than aphids, in action ...

IMG_0549i54i76i83 CETVEROSTRUKO.jpg

... only through the macro lens I was able to follow what's going on ...

(Enlargeable)

... the larva was producing a silky thread to help here move among the lacewing's eggs.

IMG_6070 samo MALO.jpg

Here you can see another ant species that shepherds these aphids ...

IMG_6074 samo MALO.jpg

... the very small, but very aggressive Crematogaster scutellaris ... and on the following photograph ...

IMG_9441 malo.jpg

... you can take a look at another predator ...

IMG_9443 malo.jpg

... but this time I can't tell you the species ... it's clearly a larva ... but how the adult insect looks - I have no idea.

IMG_6793 malo.jpg

The Aphis cytisorum aphids can be considered pests on the Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) but their presence on the plants sustains a nice variety of insects ... and with many plants in bloom, you can always find a rich, colorful biodiversity here along the Adriatic coast.

IMG_5825 malo.jpg

Not all insects are here for the aphids ... this small fly, I don't know the species ... is feeding on pollen and nectar.

IMG_6115 malo.jpg

This beetle ... I wasn't able to find out the species ... is also feeding on pollen.

IMG_6722 malo.jpg

Many flies are active around the flowers. This is the Anthomyia procellaris.

(Enlargeable)

I don't know the name of this, considerably smaller species.

IMG_8285 malo.jpg

This colorful fly from the Tachinidae family filled with cool looking species ...

(Enlargeable)

... is the Gymnosoma rotundatum.

(Enlargeable)

Some flies end up caught by the spiders ... this Thomisus onustus crab spider has caught a green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) ... and now is feeding surrounded by aphids ...

IMG_6707 malo.jpg

... and that's it for the second part of this yellow trilogy ... as always in these posts on HIVE, the photographs are my work ... TO BE CONTINUED ...



0
0
0.000
3 comments
avatar

अत्यधिक खूबसूरत फोटोज़ 👌👌👌

0
0
0.000
avatar

धन्यवाद :)

0
0
0.000
avatar

some collection of photos of small animals that are very beautiful when seen, really like it .... extraordinarily beautiful.

0
0
0.000