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Very interesting, Jim. Are you including the red areas on the body too? If mites, it's a wonder the creatures can fly!! Angus At 07:58 PM 5/29/2007, you wrote: >Regarding his mating crane flies (yes), Angus also wrote, "...Note the red >on the legs and parts of the body." The red items are clearly MITES, and >could be either water mites (since many crane fly larvae are semi-aquatic) >or terrestrial mites, and probably could be either larvae, nymphs, or even >adults? of the mites, which require specialists for identification, I >believe. Some of the mites seen on various insects are just hitch-hikers, >but some of them in larval or nymph stages are parasites, I believe. > >Cheers from Jim in Wolfville >---------- >From: Angus MacLean <angusmcl@ns.sympatico.ca> >Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >Date: Tue, 29 May 2007 17:33:04 -0300 >To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Spital Road Pit > >Thanks Steve. They are indeed Crane Flies, genus Nephrotoma. A >similar photo to mine is at : >http://bugguide.net/node/view/105327/bgimage > >Angus > >At 04:46 PM 5/29/2007, you wrote: > >Angus: Focus is a bit off, but they look more like mating > >craneflies (Tipulidae, Diptera). Look for club-shaped halteres in > >place of the second pair of wings possessed by most other insects. > >Steve > > > >On 29-May-07, at 4:10 PM, Angus MacLean wrote: > > > >>This morning I checked out an area in one of my Atlas Squares > >>called Spital Road Pit (sw edge of Coldbrook). Despite being a > >>working pit (at times) it proved last summer to have quite a > >>variety of birdlife (along with other creatures). > >> > >>- There were 5 Alder Flycatchers singing. I recall there were a few > >>more last summer. > >>- A Bank Swallow colony has increased dramatically. Last summer > >>there were ~20 nestholes. Today I counted 26 in one gravel face & > >>48 in another. Obviously this is a new colony. Last summer I > >>thought they had little chance since the gravel faces they were > >>nesting in, were being worked on intermittently. However this year > >>they are nesting much higher so I presume they are safe from the > >>front end loader. > >>- Spotted Sandpipers nested here in 2006 but no sign of them this year. > >>- Red-eyed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Redstart, Least > >>Flycatcher & many other species were heard. > >>- I heard one short high-pitched sound I was confused by. It turned > >>out to be a 2nd year male Redstart. It's a standing joke with the > >>group I usually bird with that any confusing bird song can be > >>ticked as a Redstart!! > >> > >>- I was intrigued by something oddly shaped that "floated" by me a > >>few times. It finally landed and I was able to get a photo.The > >>shape and pattern of their bodies suggests (a mating pair of) > >>stoneflies & I presume, because of their size would be > >>"Taeniopterygid broadbacks". However the extremely long legs would > >>suggest something else. Note the red on the legs and parts of the > body. Help! > >> > >>http://www.flickr.com/photos/58321572@N00/520342445/ > >> > >>Angus
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