Assassin Bug Interrupts a Moth Date - Observation of the Week, 9/10/24

Our Observation of the Week is this remarkable scene captured in India by @santosh-vithura: an Assassin Bug (potentially Euagoras plagiatus) feeding on a mating Footman Moth (Nepita conferta)!

Santosh wrote a very nice piece this week and I’m posting it in full with only some minor copy edits and added links. The paragraph with info about the two organisms was written by me and is in italics. - Tony

I have always been fascinated by nature and its living and non-living elements. I am often in awe of the invisible connections that link living creatures to one another. My work focuses on observing and recording the fine and intricate details of the natural world around me. Currently, I've chosen to photograph arthropods, which I find complex, beautiful, and a source of daily inspiration.

By profession I am a physicist but I now dedicate a significant portion of my time to taking macro photographs of insects. I strive to interfere as little as possible with my subjects, never collecting or disturbing them in their natural habitats. I feel privileged to simply observe them in the wild.

I live near the foothills of the Agasthyamala mountains in Kerala, India, where lush greenery surrounds me for most of the year. The region receives ample rainfall and is dotted with natural springs and waterfalls. The environment is pristine, and rich in flora and fauna.

In my daily routine, I spend six to seven hours scanning the short grasses and shrubs for tiny arthropods, all while keeping an eye out for snakes and scorpions. During this particular macro photoshoot, I noticed a mating pair of Nepita conferta. Nearby, I also spotted an assassin bug, Euagoras sp., which swiftly attacked the female. Typically, the female would take flight and carry both herself and the male to safety, but this time, the assassin bug claimed its meal.

Footman moths are the only member of the genus Nepita and they occur in India and Sri Lanka, living in moist habitats where the larvae can devour moss and lichens. Assassin bugs, like all bugs (order Hemiptera), have a proboscis for piercing and sucking. After piercing their prey with it, assassin bugs inject digestive juices that kill the prey and liquefy its insides, making it suitable for ingestion. 

I've been photographing insects regularly for the past year and have been able to record my findings systematically using the iNaturalist app. The database and its identification tools have been incredibly helpful in my work, and I've even identified several rarely sighted arthropods with the help of the experts on iNaturalist. I'm now considering a career in professional macro photography and am planning to publish a book based on my fieldwork.

For those interested in following my daily updates from Vithura, Kerala, you may visit my Facebook profile.

(Photo of Santosh by Shabnam Iyyani, IISER TVM)

Posted on 10 de setembro de 2024, 09:11 PM by tiwane