Bug Identification

[sometime]

In the last few days we have had a number of what I can only call bug shells clinging to the plants in the garden, there is a hole in the back where something has emerged, whether the thing that emerged is eating the plants or something else I am not too sure,

[phaethon]

Looks very much like a cicada chrysalis - do you hear them at dusk/night 'singing'? Each species has a unique song. They spend most of their life-cycle underground as nymphs before climbing a plant and emerging from the chrysalis you found.

Hand on and I'll find a pic I took a couple of weeks ago...

Here we are at SamPran temple:

Unidentified Spp. There are many variations - YCMV (your cicadas may vary).

Edited April 4, 2009 by phaethon

[sometime]

Looks very much like a cicada chrysalis - do you hear them at dusk/night 'singing'? Each species has a unique song. They spend most of their life-cycle underground as nymphs before climbing a plant and emerging from the chrysalis you found.

Hand on and I'll find a pic I took a couple of weeks ago...

Here we are at SamPran temple:

Unidentified Spp. There are many variations - YCMV (your cicadas may vary).

Thank you Phaethon, what an amazing life cycle (17 years) http://www.pbase.com/knight_errant/cicada_central

[JetsetBkk]

Sometimes, gangs of the little buggers come out:

That was taken nearly a year ago. I'd better go look and see if they're emerging again.

[Penkoprod]

In the last few days we have had a number of what I can only call bug shells clinging to the plants in the garden, there is a hole in the back where something has emerged, whether the thing that emerged is eating the plants or something else I am not too sure,

How did you manage to train it to sit on the tape measure?

(i'll get me coat)

Penkoprod

[mitmig]

Glad you asked this question, because I took this photo a couple of weeks ago and hadn't yet identified it By the looks it's the same 'shell' you found!

[JetsetBkk]

Nice pic mitmig! I just had a look at my patio wall - they're definitely coming out tonight! I saw this one earlier:

So I just went back and he's working his way out:

Probably end up looking like this one that I photographed earlier:

Anyone know if there's an automatic time-lapse digital camera available...

[mitmig]

Oh wow, those are great! I think I'll grab my camera and go into the garden right now!

I've got a Nikon D300 with an interval timer, now I just have to find a bug

Edited April 4, 2009 by mitmig

[JetsetBkk]

Oh wow, those are great! I think I'll grab my camera and go into the garden right now!

I've got a Nikon D300 with an interval timer, now I just have to find a bug

That's a really good camera - outside my price range though! I just had another look outside - the cicada is now drying off/hardening up/whatever. It'll be gone soon I expect:

[mitmig]

You're really lucky ... no luck for me, have been searching the entire garden with a flashlight!

[Goshawk]

really nice series of pics jetty, great captures indeed...

as for the D300, they are a bit steep but i'd love one too..