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I’m not really sure what this is, but its awesome, and I love it.

She said, “Don’t touch it!”, I totally would have picked it up, its all furry.

Aww

Archimantis latistyla, commonly known as the large brown mantis (also known as the stick mantis or Australian mantis) is a species of mantid native to Australia. The large brown mantis has a few subspecies, and one of them is the stick mantis ghost from Bundabergs Turtle Sands. The stick mantis ghosts are not as aggressive as the original species but have a defense display used to make the mantis appear larger by flinging its front legs into the air and putting its head down along with its antennae. Large brown mantids are light brown with short winged female and a long winged male. The subspecies from Bundaberg is a pale cream white with a yellow and black eye in between the arms (one and a half times the size of the original species). The large brown mantis female is called “short winged”—the pair of wings reach only half her abdomen and she is not able to fly—but the long winged male has wings that cover the entire abdomen. The wings have four sets of wings and wing covers. The top set are the covers and the bottom wings enable the mantis to fly.

Kung-Fu

Giant Mantis in the classroom

Parasphendale Agrionina (Budwing Mantis)

Phyllocrania Paradoxa (Ghost Mantis)

Praying Mantis (National Geographic)

Monochamus
Monochamus galloprovincialis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Suborder: Polyphaga Superfamily: Chrysomeloidea Family: Cerambycidae Subfamily: Lamiinae Genus: Monochamus Megerle in Dejean, 1821 [1]

M. sartor

M. sutor

Monochamus is a genus of longhorn beetles that are found throughout the world. They are often known as sawyer beetles, as their larvae bore into dead or dying trees, or bark beetles^[2]. They are often found in pine or evergreen trees. Some species are know to transmit the nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which is the cause of pine wilt disease^[3].

[edit] References

Wikispecies has information related to:

Monochamus

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Devil’s Flower Mantis
Idolomantis diabolica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Mantodea Family: Empusidae Genus: Idolomantis Species: I. diabolica
Binomial name
Idolomantis diabolica Beier, 1956

via [wikipedia]

Apparently there isn’t much information about them but they are beautiful.

Here are some pictures.

Devil's Flower Mantis

Defense Pose

Another Defense Pose

Brazilian Wandering Spider

The genus Phoneutria (Greek for “Murderess”) contains eight similar scientifically described species. The Brazilian wandering spiders can grow to have a leg span of up to 10-13 cm (4-5 in). Their body length ranges from 17 to 48 mm (0.7-1.9 in).^[2] The genus is distinguished from other related genera such as Ctenus by the presence of dense prolateral scopulae on the pedipalp tibiae and tarsi in both sexes.^[2] Phoneutria are especially easily confused with Cupiennius, in which some species (such as the recently described C. chiapanensis) also have red hairs on the chelicerae.

Danger to humans

Phoneutria has a highly venomous bite. This genus includes some of the relatively few species of spiders known to present a threat to human beings.

These spiders are notorious both because of their toxic venom, and because they are not reluctant to attack people who appear threatening. Of the eight described species, P. nigriventer and P. fera most frequently receive mention in mass-media publications. P. nigriventer is the species responsible for most cases of venom intoxication in Brazil because it commonly is found in highly populated areas of south-eastern Brazil, such as the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. The species P. fera is native to the northern portion of South America in the Amazon of Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and the Guyanas.

Recent studies suggest that these spiders only inject venom in approximately one-third of their bites and may only inject a small amount in another third. However, research in this area is hindered by the difficulty of identifying particular species.

Bites from these spiders may result in only a couple of painful pinpricks, or may involve full-blown envenomation; but in all cases, people bitten by a Phoneutria, or any Ctenid, should seek immediate emergency treatment, as the venom can be life threatening. P. fera and P. nigriventer are the two most commonly implicated as the most virulent of the Phoneutria spiders. Phoneutria not only has a potent neurotoxin, but is reported to have one of the most excruciatingly painful envenomations of all spiders, because of its high concentration of serotonin.

via [wikipedia]

Painted Grasshopper (Dactylotum Bicolor)

Picture Copyright © 2004 Richard C. Hoyer

Works Cited

1.

Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States By John L. Capinera, Ralph D. Scott, Thomas J. Walker

2.

How to Know the Grasshoppers, Cockroaches, and Their Allies By Jacques R. Helfer

3.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders By Lorus and Margery Milne

4.

Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Insects By Dr. Ross H. Arnett, Dr. Richard L. Jacques

5.

Insects in Kansas By Glenn A. Salsbury and Stephan C. White