Witalis värld

With the addition of the LIFEPLAN samples that was shipped here recently it is now also the worlds biggest entomological collection with aprox. 100 million insects.

Visiting Station Linné this weekend along with experts and amateurs to sort and ID insects from The Swedish Insect Inventory Program (SIIP) and The Swedish Malaise Trap Project (SMTP). Some proper spring sun to make it even better (even tho we spend all our time in the lab 😅)

Close-up photographs of a naturally green harvestman (Algidia viridata ssp. bicolor) with a bumpy, textured body that resembles moss or algae. The arachnid's long spiny legs and bumpy body are shown from multiple angles against a blurred green background.

Close-up photographs of a naturally green harvestman (Algidia viridata ssp. bicolor) with a bumpy, textured body that resembles moss or algae. The arachnid's long spiny legs and bumpy body are shown from multiple angles against a blurred green background.

Close-up photographs of a naturally green harvestman (Algidia viridata ssp. bicolor) with a bumpy, textured body that resembles moss or algae. The arachnid's long spiny legs and bumpy body are shown from multiple angles against a blurred green background.

Close-up photographs of a naturally green harvestman (Algidia viridata ssp. bicolor) with a bumpy, textured body that resembles moss or algae. The arachnid's long spiny legs and bumpy body are shown from multiple angles against a blurred green background.

Never miss a chance to get face-to-face with a harvestman.

This is the stunning subspecies Algidia viridata ssp. bicolor, endemic to New Zealand!

A phylum defying threesome with 2 Colobochyla salicalis and 1 Capaea sp. snail.

Happy valentines day!

While not *technically* a wasp, you cant tell me bumble bees wouldnt fit right in at a furry convention!

11,5 k pictures is more than anyone will ever need and not all of em are even close to usefull.

But its fun!

Not everybody was as lucky that morning.

I've been spending my day sorting and IDing pics from earlier years, with the goal of being able to sort last years pics, before the snow thaws and i get to take more pics.

Anyway, here's a Colletes sp. that manage to stay dry in the morning rains outside of the Swedish museum for natural history.

Now, i dont live in an area with some kind of magical biodiversity. Ive just followed some nesting sites for the Potter flower bee, Anthophora retusa (NT), and the reports have accumulated over the years to make it look like a real hotspot in regards to nr of reports.

Density analysis of reports to the national database of redlisted insects.

Then the munincipality where i live made an inventory last summer and omg that yellow area is where i do my walks 😅

One of the big round blobs are where another bug friend live. The big blob is a nature reserve and that far south is where A. retusa was discovered after not been seem for 50 years.

"Hilarious", I thought in the moment! Its so funny that statistics can be so easily skewed by so small circumstanses.

"That would never happen to ME, surely" was my second though.

Sneaky statistics!

Stockholm EntomologicL society invited Torbjörn Blixt to speak on the provincial Pentatomidae inventory project in Östergötland. Turns out there were some real hotspots!

...Or not, cause all those red areas are where the active entomologist live, have a summer house and so on 😅

I tend to claim im a generalist but something bout Hymenoptera catches my attention just that little bit extra 🙂

So last tuesday it was finally time and it turned into a great evening!

Not every day you get to meet your internet idols 😅

Tapani Hopkins was the guest at Stockholms entomological societys meeting in january. I only got one picture because i was too wrapped up in his talk on the "unknown wasps of Uganda" to take more 😅

A few months ago i reached out to @tapani-hopkins.bsky.social asking if hed be willing to speak bout his work during one of the monthly meetings at Stockholms entomological society.

We meet at the swedish museum of natural history, and i was in luck cause he was planning to visit the collections!

Knowledge is annoying sometimes.

Now, to be fair, they were talking bout the general "body plan" of beetles snd how successful it seems to be in general - in contrast to the feemale trilobite beetles (Platerodrilus) the segment was about.

But every other pic they showed while saying that were actual beetles.

Behold, a beetle!
Or not really, its a true bug. Once again has someone (or atleast their editor) been wrong about insects. This time its ClintsReptiles, a zoologist.

Feel as if im becoming a call out channel 😅

Could the scientific name be translated to "green haired flowerlover"? But the common name is both golden and grey?

I feel like either someone involved in naming it was colourblind or is this one of those old namingconvention that dont specify the hues as we do today? 🤔

Is the middle and left one... the same? 😅

Or am i missing something obvious?

Beetles sorted! (sort of)

The #Cerambycidae were one of the groups that caught my eye early but ive realized im missing a few of the most common ones in my area.

Now, fingrs crossed, hope the pins fit back in the box because last years additions might have been a few more than i planned on...

Bugs Use Tools YouTube video by SciShow

Heres a link to the episode in question:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kSF...

The fact that the same company produces @bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social that have multiple episodes on insect just make it even more annoying!

Ah yes, the "two pair of wings and biting mouthparts" characteristic of the true bugs. The quote being a "pedantic taxonomy lesson" according to the script.

@scishow.bsky.social have a long history of good works but after the knitting fiasco last year this chatgtp level of missinformation is bad.

Now for the best part of the day after any holiday: leftovers.

Tho i feel a little bit like a walking scandinavian stereotype with pickled herring and sugersalted salmon. Atleast youre allowed to fry the potatoes the day after instead of eating them just boiled 😅

Now i have more than 1000 labeled specimen fighting for room in the boxes.

(part of) This years collection from the nearby area where i live. I got strict orders to stop occupying the fancy dinner table before xmas so i guess ill have to sort it q bit better at the start of next year.

When i started collecting early last year i thought 200 pins would last a lifetime.

Jag brukade jobba på fritidshem med 6-9 åringar. Saknar det lite faktiskt så kanske söker mig tillbaka till skolvärlden snart.

Vilka åldrar jobbar du med? Universitetsstudenter?

Here in sweden we have atleast two types of digital IDs used in the latest election. The one i personally have is originally made for my bank i believe?

That said, if my government started asking me to scan it everytime i go online id go scorched earth so maybe i dont really have a balanced view 😅