CSI: New Haven (Catching Some Insects: New Haven)

Our trip to Sleeping Giant State Park last weekend netted a good haul of insects. The trip started off with an unfortunately all-too-familiar sight: a dead body laying on the side of the road. I was mortified by the zeal and bloodlust of the students (and Val) as they ran towards the corpse.

They were looking for signs of life- but not from the deer. They were looking for carion beetles. To their chagrin, the kill was too fresh, and not a silphid beetle or flesh fly would be found. The deer seems to have met a particularly violent death. It was hit by a car AND shot it in the back of the head.

Undaunted, the class charged up the Mill River. We started finding some good North American freshwater insects.
Peter caught this Belastomatid:

While walking along the river's edge, I saw an interesting Insect-Plant interaction. I encountered this Philopotamid caddisfly flitting around on some stinging nettle (yes... it stung me pretty good before I realized it was stinging nettle).

Black insect:  Philopotamidae.  Likely a member of the Dolophilodes genus.  Also, there appears to be another Trichoptera tucked between flowers (orange/brown color).  Perhaps a Neophylax (Uenoidae).

The funny thing about Trichoptera is that most people will say that as adults they don't eat. This is probably true for many Trichoptera (especially the short-lived ones), but there is at least anecdotal evidence that they use their highly reduced mouthparts to lap up water or nectar, like a fly might. Check out this old sketch of a Pycnosphyche.

Diagram of Trichoptera mouthparts.

 Note the highly reduced mandibles. Trichoptera have well-developed maxilary and labial palps (that likely serve some sensory functions). The glossa is extended into a large tongue-like projection, called a haustellum, that has a series of longitudinal grooves that can be lined with tiny hairs. These structures may facilitate lapping of liquid with capillary action. So was this Philopotamid drinking stinging nettle nectar? Or just resting its wings? Either way, it ended up in the kill jar immediately after this picture was taken.

Lateral view of Trichoptera head/mouthparts.

Peter scours the benthos for aquatic insect larvae.