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Creepy Crawlies Photos

Insects, spiders and other bugs and creepy crawlies are one of my favorite photographic subjects in Costa Rica.

Bugs aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when the topic of wildlife comes up but if you look closely the mantis, walking sticks, ants, butterflies, bees, katydids and even roaches are fascinating and often beautiful.

Insects are also often quite easy to photograph so since we’re not professionals and don’t have thirty pound telephoto zoom lenses to get that perfect shot of a king vulture half a mile up in the sky we get a lot of bug pictures.  Except for those pesky morphos.  I’ve probably taken a thousand shots of morpho butterflies in flight both in the wild and in butterfly garden enclosures and still don’t have a really good one.

Click on the thumbnails for a more detailed description, location and larger images.

Katydid or grasshopper alongside the Rio Coen on our way to La Amistad Peace Park
Katydid alongside the Rio Coen on our way to La Amistad Peace Park
Spider and Praying Mantis
Spider and Praying Mantis
Grasshoppers the size of hamsters in the Delicias de la Tierra Tipico Restaurant Uvita. "Would you like that fried or grilled with a little bbq sauce sir?" Red Legged Grasshopper - Tropidacris cristata.
Grasshoppers the size of hamsters in the Delicias de la Tierra Tipico Restaurant Uvita. “Would you like that fried or grilled with a little bbq sauce sir?” Red Legged Grasshopper – Tropidacris cristata.
Leaf cutter ants
Leaf cutter ants
Look carefully just in front of the left rear leg and you can see a mosquito biting this frog. That's animal kingdom audacity.
Frog with mosquito – Look carefully just in front of the left rear leg and you can see a mosquito biting this frog. That’s animal kingdom audacity.
Aedes albopictus (sometimes called Stegomyia albopicta) are active all day and along with the Dengue vector Aedes aegypti they're bringing a new tropical disease called Chikungunya to warm climates in the western hemisphere
Aedes albopictus (sometimes called Stegomyia albopicta) are active all day and along with the Dengue vector Aedes aegypti they’re bringing a new tropical disease called Chikungunya to warm climates in the western hemisphere
Anole with a cricket in his mouth along the trail to the top of Diamante Waterfall near Dominical
Anole with a cricket in his mouth along the trail to the top of Diamante Waterfall near Dominical
Katydid
Katydid
Rhinoceros beetle
Rhinoceros beetle
Cicada on driftwood Playa Barú
Cicada on driftwood Playa Barú
Spider eating a butterfly
Jumping spider eating a Julia butterfly (Dryas iulia)
Orange millipede
Orange millipede
Golden Carpenter Ant (Camponotus sericeiventris)
Golden Carpenter Ant (Camponotus sericeiventris)
Wasp snacking on a dead katydid
Polistes wasp snacking on a dead katydid
Green Hornet!
Green Hornet! -actually not a hornet at all but a paper wasp (Polistes)
Caballito del Diablo - the devil's little horse. There is a common myth that beacuse of the way thier legs are attached dragonflies cannot walk - in fact they can walk, but only backwards!
Caballito del Diablo – the devil’s little horse. There is a common myth that beacuse of the way thier legs are attached dragonflies cannot walk – in fact they can walk, but only backwards!
Tiger beetles are common in the sandy cracks between rocks along the Río Grande de Orosí Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park
Tiger beetles are common in the sandy cracks between rocks along the Río Grande de Orosí Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park
Grasshopper near San Gerardo de Rivas Chirripo national park
Grasshopper near San Gerardo de Rivas Chirripo national park
Honey from Meliponinae (Tetragonisca angustula) and other stingless bees of the tropics has long been claimed to cure cataracts in local medicine. Science backs up the claim with a finding that chemicals in the honey reduce opacity - Journal of Health Science - Putative Anticataract Properties of Honey Studied by the Action of Flavenoids on a Lens Culture Model - http://goo.gl/HxM85
Honey from Meliponinae (Tetragonisca angustula) and other stingless bees of the tropics has long been claimed to cure cataracts in local medicine. Science backs up the claim with a finding that chemicals in the honey reduce opacity – Journal of Health Science – Putative Anticataract Properties of Honey Studied by the Action of Flavenoids on a Lens Culture Model – http://goo.gl/HxM85
Leaf cutter ants, Zompopos, (Atta sp.)
Leaf cutter ants, Zompopos, (Atta sp.)
Tiny (8 mm) katydid or leaf hopper
Tiny (8 mm) leafhopper, Cicadellidae, possibly Paromenia
The only thing I could find that was close were the fire beetles in the pyrochroidae (schizotus ?) but these comb antenna seem way bigger
glow worm beetle male, Phengodidae
Army ants dismembering a scorpion on the tropical dry forest floor
Army ants dismembering a scorpion on the tropical dry forest floor
Paper bee's nest on an epiphytic cactus branch (Cojones de Toro, paper wasp, Polybi occidentalis). The epiphytic cactus air-rooted to the trunk is probably Hylocereus costaricensis
Paper bee’s nest on an epiphytic cactus branch (Cojones de Toro, paper wasp, Polybi occidentalis). The epiphytic cactus air-rooted to the trunk is probably Hylocereus costaricensis
Cockroaches make up the largest mobile biomass in the rainforest (ants are more numerous but smaller)
Cockroaches make up the largest mobile biomass in the rainforest (ants are more numerous but smaller)
Big bee (size of the end of my thumb) along the upper portion of the crater trail, Volcán Turrialba National Park
Big bee (size of the end of my thumb, Bombus sp.) along the upper portion of the crater trail, Volcán Turrialba National Park
Blister beetle along the lower mirador spur trail in the main crater, Volcán Turrialba National Park
Blister beetle along the lower mirador spur trail in the main crater, Volcán Turrialba National Park
Warning! This image may be disturbing to lepidopterists. The butterfly didn't stand a chance once the fly targeted it.
Warning! This image may be disturbing to lepidopterists. The butterfly didn’t stand a chance once the robber fly (Asilidae) targeted it.
Some Tarantulas (Matacaballos) are venomous enough to be dangerous to humans and can defend themselves by flicking hairs from their legs through the air to penetrate the skin of an attacker.
Some Tarantulas (Matacaballos) are venomous enough to be dangerous to humans and can defend themselves by flicking hairs from their legs through the air to penetrate the skin of an attacker.
Millipede (Platyrhacidae (Plydesmida) with moss growing on it - El Silencio Reserve east of Suiza
Millipede (Platyrhacidae (Plydesmida) with moss growing on it – El Silencio Reserve east of Suiza
Tick. Fortunately Costa Rican ticks don't carry Lime Disease (although there are some other nasty illnesses associated with them). This one came off my leg after walking a trail in Corcovado.
Tick. Fortunately Costa Rican ticks don’t carry Lime Disease (although there are some other nasty illnesses associated with them). This one came off my leg after walking a trail in Corcovado.
Very bizarre moth on driftwood
Very bizarre moth on driftwood
Recently hatched baby stick insects
Recently hatched baby stick insects
Mud wasps nest hanging from a branch along the Río Tigre on the Osa Peninsula
Mud wasps nest hanging from a branch along the Río Tigre on the Osa Peninsula
The streaks are bees zipping through the patch of sunlight in front of the entrance to their nest just above the center of the frame
The streaks are bees zipping through the patch of sunlight in front of the entrance to their nest just above the center of the frame
Male and female golden orb weaver spiders
Male and female golden orb weaver spiders
Entrance to a bees nest
Entrance to a bees nest
Katydid, Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Katydid, Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Praying mantis with fake leaf damage. Leaf Mantid (Choeradodis rhombicollis) see Hogue p. 177
Praying mantis with fake leaf damage. Leaf Mantid (Choeradodis rhombicollis)
Katydid
Katydid
Katydid, Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Katydid
Ants excavation
Ants excavation
Grasshopper (Eumastax sp.) see Hogue pl. 1 and p. 163 seek out tiny spots of light below holes in the canopy where the sun brings out the iridescence on their bodies
Grasshopper (Eumastax sp.) see Hogue pl. 1 and p. 163 seek out tiny spots of light below holes in the canopy where the sun brings out the iridescence on their bodies
Giant water bugs (Belostomatidae Lethocerus sp.) aka "toe biters" wait patiently in waterfront vegetation for insects, small fish and tadpoles that they grab with their foreleg pincers then dispatch with a fatal stab of their mouth stylets. This one joined us for dinner at a lakefront restaurant on the north shore of Arenal. (see Hogue p. 228)
Giant water bugs (Belostomatidae Lethocerus sp.) aka “toe biters” wait patiently in waterfront vegetation for insects, small fish and tadpoles that they grab with their foreleg pincers then dispatch with a fatal stab of their mouth stylets. This one joined us for dinner at a lakefront restaurant on the north shore of Arenal.
Aphid
Hemiptera nymph
Gold dragonfly
Gold dragonfly
Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Golden Orb Weaver Spider with dragofly
Golden Orb Weaver Spider with dragonfly
Tiny grasshopper, Cerro Chato trail near Arenal
Tiny grasshopper, Cerro Chato trail near Arenal
Army ants on the march in Cabo Blanco Wildlife refuge on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula
Army ants on the march in Cabo Blanco Wildlife refuge on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula
Army ants on the march in Cabo Blanco Wildlife refuge on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula
Army ants on the march
Dangerously close to the web
Damselfly dangerously close to the web
Wasps building a nest
Wasps building a nest
Katydid. Usually very well camouflaged, this individual has wandered away from its normal habitat (probably spanish moss or lichen?) and stands out against the green leaf.
Katydid. Usually very well camouflaged, this individual has wandered away from its normal habitat (probably spanish moss or lichen?) and stands out against the green leaf.
Along the lower mirador spur trail in the main crater, Volcán Turrialba National Park
Meloidae along the lower mirador spur trail in the main crater, Volcán Turrialba National Park
Golden ant on white fungus with bees
Golden ant on white fungus with flies
Bee gathering mud for nest building from beside a stream
Carpenter bee gathering mud for nest building from beside a stream
Africanized bees? Near the Matapalo estuary central Pacific coast
Africanized bees? Near the Matapalo estuary central Pacific coast
Harvestmen spiders (Opiliones) defend themselves by spraying caustic quinones and phenols. If this doesn’t work they drop a couple of their legs for the predator to munch on while they make their escape
Harvestmen (Opiliones) defend themselves by spraying caustic quinones and phenols. If this doesn’t work they drop a couple of their legs for the predator to munch on while they make their escape
Giant red-winged grass hoppers (Tropidacris cristata, Saltamonte) make a good midnight snack since they grow to nearly a one foot (30 cm) wingspan.
Giant red-winged grass hoppers (Tropidacris cristata, Saltamonte) make a good midnight snack since they grow to nearly a one foot (30 cm) wingspan.
Walking stick, Playa Coyote, Nicoya peninsula
Walking stick, Playa Coyote, Nicoya peninsula
Ants munching on fungus
Ants munching on fungus
Walking stick
Walking stick
Spider carrying an eggsack
Wolf Spider (Lycosidae) carrying an eggsack
Walking stick
Walking stick
Very bizarre moth on driftwood
Very bizarre moth on driftwood
You said you wanted to see the wildlife up close... This is one of 37 or more species of the Patch butterflys found in CR living up to its name it seems. Chlosyne maybe the narva. Really hard to tell here. In the US we call this family the checkerspots.
Butterfly face – You said you wanted to see the wildlife up close… This is one of 37 or more species of the Patch butterflys found in CR living up to its name it seems. Chlosyne maybe the narva. Really hard to tell here. In the US we call this family the checkerspots.
Crab Spider
Crab Spider
Walking stick aka stick insect on the wall at Punta Dakota, Nicoya Peninsula
Walking stick aka stick insect on the wall at Punta Dakota, Nicoya Peninsula

 

Ray & Sue

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Photos
  • Tortuguero Beach – National Park & Sea Turtles Nesting
  • Tortuguero Village & Canals Photos
  • Guayabo National Monument
  • San Gerardo de Dota National Park
  • Karen Mogensen Nature Reserve
  • Lower Savegre & Rafiki
  • Savegre National Park
  • Pacuare River Rafting Overnight
  • Portalón Estero Rey National Wildlife Refuge
  • Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge Photos
  • Rainmaker Biological Reserve Photos
  • Hills of Portalón Wildlife Refuge
  • Funny, Quirky, Weird – Costa Rica Humor
  • Bahía Junquillal National Wildlife Refuge Photos
  • Playa Hermosa-Punta Mala National Wildlife Refuge Photos
  • La Cangreja National Park Photos
  • Pacuare Gilligan’s Island
  • Rincón de la Vieja – Hacienda Guachipelín Photos
  • Quirky, Weird, Funny – Costa Rica Humor
  • Lankester Botanical Gardens Photos



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