Natural History Photographs






Libellulidae
Orthetrum sabina
Authority:(Drury, 1773)
Nederlands:Slanke oeverlibel
English:Slender Skimmer
Deutsch:Schlanker Blaupfeil
Italiano:Orthetrum sabina
Crocothemis erythraea
Authority:(Brullé, 1832)
Nederlands:Vuurlibel
English:Broad Scarlet
Deutsch:Feuerlibelle
Svenska:Karmintrollslända
Français:Crocothémis écarlate
Italiano:Frecciarossa
Español:Libélula escarlata
Trithemis annulata
Authority:(Palisot de Beauvois, 1807)
Nederlands:Purperlibel
English:Violet Dropwing
Deutsch:Violetter Sonnenzeiger
Français:Trithémis annelé
Italiano:Obelisco violetto
Español:Libélula violeta
Diplacodes lefebvrii
Authority:(Rambur, 1842)
Nederlands:Moriaantje
English:Black Percher
Deutsch:Glänzender Schwarzpfeil
Italiano:Freccia carbone
Español:Libélula de Lefebvre
Selysiothemis nigra
Authority:(Vander Linden, 1825)
Nederlands:Windvaantje
English:Black Pennant
Deutsch:Schwarzer Baron
Français:Sélysiothémis noir
Italiano:Freccianera
Español:Negra mediterránea




Diptera




Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Nederlands:Schildwespen
Deutsch:Brackwespen
Apidae: Andrena pilipes
Authority:Fabricius, 1781
Nederlands:Koolzwarte zandbij
English:Black mining bee
Deutsch:Schwarze Köhlersandbiene
Sphex flavipennis
Female.
Male.
Sphex flavipennes is a huge wasp. Here it almost dwarfs
the other - already sizable - wasp, Stizoides tridentata.
Crabronidae: Stizoides tridentata

Female feeding at Allium spec. First - and second! - impression is you see a Scolid wasp; however, it isn't. The stunning likeness to the Scolidae makes one easily think this is a clear case of mimicry. But then, why would a wasp resemble another wasp from a distantly related family? Within Crabronidae, there is plenty of aposematic coloration to be found - yet except for Stizoides not the Scolid pattern. So there is a bit of a mystery in this color pattern...




Miscellaneous