Jen's nature blog

Dorsal view by the same photographer:

And from the side:

Beetle Fly (Celyphus sp.), family Celyphidae, Malaysia

Yes, this is actually a true fly! (order Diptera)

Orgyia leucostigma, commonly known as the white-marked tussock moth, is one of the few known examples of a flightless moth. The females of this species are brachypterous, which means that they have tiny, vestigial wings that are completely non-functional; in fact, their wings are barely even visible at all.

Above: close-up of a female white-marked tussock moth

As this article describes:

The adult form of Orgyia leucostigma exhibits strong sexual dimorphism. The males are small, grayish-brown moths with a wingspan of about 25-35 mm. They have feathered antennae that they use to detect pheromones released by females from a considerable distance.

In contrast, the females are wingless and remain on or near their cocoons after emerging. They are larger than the males and have a plump, cylindrical body covered with dense hairs. Since they are flightless, females rely on releasing pheromones to attract males for mating.

Above: the photo at the top depicts a female white-marked tussock moth, while the photo on the bottom shows a male of the same species

After mating, the females lay their eggs atop the remnants of their own cocoons, then cover them with a frothy substance that quickly hardens to form a protective barrier around the eggs.

Above: Orgyia leucostigma in the process of laying its eggs

According to this article:

The white-marked tussock moth is native to eastern North America and parts of Canada. This species of tussock moth overwinters in the egg stage. Eggs are laid by females in groups of approximately 300 in a white frothy mass on the cocoon from which the female moth emerges.

Above: Orgyia leucostigma

Flightlessness occurs in several other tussock moths of the genus Orgyia; it can also be found in some species of bagworm moth (family Psychidae) and footman moth (subfamily Arctiinae).

Above: these photos show female clouded footman moths, Anestia ombrophanes, which are also flightless/wingless

Sources & More Info:

North Carolina State University: White-Marked Tussock Moth Factsheet

UMass Amherst: Orgyia leucostigma

iNaturalist: Photos of White-Marked Tussock Moths

Ohio State University: Sneaky White-Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillars

Ozark Bill: Orgyia leucostigma

Eastern dobsonfly (Corydalus cornutus) larva I found while hanging out in the river in Northeastern Pennsylvania (US) last year. Dobsonfly larvae, also known as hellgrammites, are one of the top invertebrate predators in fast-moving streams. They tend to hide under rocks and use their sharp mandibles to capture and eat prey. These mandibles can also deliver a painful (but harmless) bite, so definitely be careful handling them! Larvae can get up to 3.5 inches (9 cm) long. Since they're large and relatively common, many of the local fishermen like to use them as bait (which may or may not be problematic).

my good friend Pycnogaster cucullata - mouse-sized beast, maker of high-pitched hums, and lumberer extraordinaire - very clearly prefers to hang out hidden in dense, spiky bushes like gorse in my experience. this one, though, was wandering around on fennel for some reason, which is the exact opposite of a dense plant, allowing me to get a pretty good look at him

i considered handling him for better photos, and easily could have, but even small katydids are famously bitey so i didn't really feel like testing my luck against something of such hippopotamus-like proportions

Above: a carnivorous pug moth caterpillar, Eupithecia orichloris, ambushing a fly

Lepidopteran predators are extremely rare, but they do exist. Some of the most interesting examples include the carnivorous pug moth caterpillars of the genus Eupithecia, the ant-eating casebearer, the Hawaiian snail-eating moth, and the bone-collector caterpillars of the genus Hyposmocoma. Curiously, almost all of the species on this list are endemic to Hawaii.

Above: Eupithecia orichloris

The carnivorous pug moth, Eupithecia orichloris, is probably the most famous predatory caterpillar in the world, thanks to the striking and unusual method by which it captures its prey -- this species is an ambush predator that often disguises itself as a twig and then pops up out of nowhere, violently plucking its prey from the foliage. Eupithecia is the only lepidopteran genus that is known to contain ambush predators, which makes this behavior seem even more striking.

The ant-eating casebearer, Ippa conspersa, is another carnivorous caterpillar that feeds on ants and other insects (both as a predator and as a scavenger). This species uses silk, sand, and other fine debris to build a flat, peanut-shaped "shell" around its body, and the "shell" acts as a kind of camouflage, allowing the caterpillar to sneak into ant nests and hunt.

Above: the ant-eating casebearer and its unique "shell"

As its name implies, the ant-eating casebearer often feeds on ants, but it has also been known to eat cockroaches and other insects.

Above: an ant-eating casebearer feeding on a cockroach

Hyposmocoma molluscivora, commonly known as the Hawaiian snail-eating moth, is a casebearing caterpillar that feeds on live snails. It uses strands of silk to immobilize its prey, tethering the snail in place so that it can climb into the victim's shell and feed on the soft flesh within. The caterpillars of this genus are the only lepidopterans that are known to feed on molluscs; all of the other predatory caterpillars feed on arthropods (insects and arachnids).

Above: this photo shows a Hawaiian snail-eating moth using strands of silk to hold its prey in place

The genus Hyposmocoma also contains the predatory "bone-collector" caterpillars, which cover themselves with the body parts of other insects and arachnids, often scavenging the leftover pieces from spiderwebs. They carefully trim each piece of exoskeleton and then arrange them all together onto a portable silk mesh.

The caterpillars often live side-by-side with spiders, as they opportunistically feed on the insects that they find trapped in spiderwebs, and their macabre body ornaments likely serve as camouflage; they allow the caterpillar to avoid being detected or attacked by spiders.

Above: a bone-collector caterpillar covered in the body parts of other insects, including a large weevil head that is clearly visible near the center, several ant heads, a fly's leg, the abdomen of a bark beetle, a wing, and several pieces of antennae, among other things

Sources & More Info:

Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society: Predatory and Parasitic Lepidoptera

GeoJournal: Behavior, Biogeography, and Conservation of Eupithecia in the Hawaiian Islands

Korean Journal of Applied Entomology: The First Record of the Myrmecophilous Tineid Moths of Genus Ippa in Korea

Nature: Caterpillars Eat Snails Out of House and Home

Science: Web-Spinning Caterpillar Stalks Snails

NBC: Hawaiian Caterpillars Hunt like Spiders

National Geographic: This Camouflaged Critter Wears Severed Insect Body Parts like a Coat

Scientific American: Carnivorous "Bone Collector" Caterpillars Wear Corpses as Camouflage