Cryptopod: Definitely A Romantic

Our lovely mystery flowers of yesterday were chosen as the location for a liaison by two very energetic insects.

Image shows our fabulous flowers with some very tiny black insects on them.
Cryptopod I

You had to get up close to see what they were doing, as they were tiny. If there are any people in the audience who don’t like kids to know how baby arthropods are made, you’ll want to usher them from the room now.

Image shows the 'pods from the side. One is on top of and slightly behind they other. They are small, long black bugs.
Cryptopod II

There’s seldom much excitement when it comes to wee little insect sex. But I did get you a close-up shot.

Image is a close-up of the previous view.
Cryptopod III

Raunchy!

And, of course, I got you a different angle.

Image shows the same bugs from the front.
Cryptopod IV

They look a bit spent, don’t they?

These aren’t the best arthropod boinking photos of all time, but hopefully they’re good enough for you to determine what our amorous insects were busy making more of.

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Cryptopod: Definitely A Romantic
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13 thoughts on “Cryptopod: Definitely A Romantic

  1. rq
    1

    I was think along the lines of some kind of dipteran, but doesn’t look right. Perhaps a small, delicate beetle? The mating style doesn’t seem right for a fly, and neither does the head/thorax combination. Perhaps something like this, except not that particular one, because it prefers to live in (rotting?) wood.

  2. rq
    4

    But these guys look like they have no heads at all. Plus click beetles seem to have long antennae, which I’m not seeing. :( GO BACK AND GET BETTER PICURES, DANA!

  3. rq
    9

    Actually, if you look carefully, you can see the antennae (esp. in picture II, a little bit in IV) laid back along the sides of the thorax, with the head presumably bent down under it (straining with the effort?). So they’re not headless. :P Still looks like a Lyctus, but skinnier. There’s the blister beetle, which also looks similar, though with a smaller thorax / larger head.
    However. The adult wireworm, also – yes! – called the click beetle, upon closer inspection, looks closest to me right now. Lyctus, after all, prefer dead wood to fresh flowers. The antennae position on this guy and the side-by-side here (though without reference to male or female, and wiki doesn’t say, either – going to take a guess, though, and say the male is the smaller one), and I’m going to confirm my identification as the click beetle. Common agricultural pests, so living the high life on a bed of camas sounds about right for them!

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