Here are more pictures from the trip to Maui.
Spiny-backed orb weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis). This species is also found on the mainland.
Spiny-backed orb weaver by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Asian spiny-backed spider, Gasteracantha mammosa. It is easy to see a 'Cheshire cat' pattern on the abdomen.
Asian spiny-backed spider by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
A nest of paper wasps. These look to be Polistes aurifer, which is a species that also occurs on the mainland.
Paper wasps by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Windfall coconuts attract arthropods. These cockroaches are the Pacific beetle roach, Diploptera punctata.
Pacific beetle cockroach by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Numerous species of lizards abound on the Hawaiian islands. To my knowledge, all of these were introduced by humans, generally from the pet trade and assistance from human stupidity. At a botanical garden there was an informative display about the various invasive lizards, and among them was a posting about the different chameleons to be found there. Not 10 feet from this display was a spectacular horned chameleon just sitting there! I thought that surely this was a realistic plastic model that someone put there as a joke, given it was so close to the display, but then its eye rotated to look at me. This is the Jackson’s chameleon, Trioceros jacksonii., and it is native to Africa. It is the males that have horns while females usually lack them. The many species of introduced lizards are of course a problem since they will prey on the native fauna. Big lizards like this one will take baby birds.
Jackson's chameleon by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Photography from Maui, part 3
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Photography from Maui, part 3
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters
Dept. of Still Waters
- MarkSturtevant
- Posts: 1947
- Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
- Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
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well.. the "invasor" is impressive.
very good photo too...
here I just find solitary paper wasps .. in the place were I use to shoot there was one in every dry shrub .
This year I could photograph a coleopter who parasites the wasps nest... I found very strange a shrub full of small Berberomeloe majalis , beacuse those colopters can't fly ... reading the wikipdia I found they parasite the wasps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberomeloe_majalis
very good photo too...
here I just find solitary paper wasps .. in the place were I use to shoot there was one in every dry shrub .
This year I could photograph a coleopter who parasites the wasps nest... I found very strange a shrub full of small Berberomeloe majalis , beacuse those colopters can't fly ... reading the wikipdia I found they parasite the wasps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberomeloe_majalis
YAWNS _ (Y)et (A)nother (W)onderful (N)ewbie (S)hooting
Mark,
Great images, love the lizard even tho it's not normal to the islands. The way they balance has always amazed me.
We have the Spiny-Backed Orbs here in Florida, but also have a serious problem with invasive species, from plants, frogs, parrots, Iguanas, Python, Boas just to name a few.
Best,
Great images, love the lizard even tho it's not normal to the islands. The way they balance has always amazed me.
We have the Spiny-Backed Orbs here in Florida, but also have a serious problem with invasive species, from plants, frogs, parrots, Iguanas, Python, Boas just to name a few.
Best,
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~Mike
~Mike