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Photo#1379110
large beach hoppers - Americorchestia

large beach hoppers - Americorchestia
Wells, York County, Maine, USA
May 31, 2017
Size: 1 in.
Saw several of these hopping in the sand in the dunes at a beach. I'll try to get better photos in the future. I've never seen any this big before.

Images of this individual: tag all
large beach hoppers - Americorchestia large beach hoppers - Americorchestia

Moved, Americorchestia
Moved from ID Request. The eyes seem too small for A. megalophthalma, but the antennae seem too short for A. longicornis.

 
I think I have seen these...
with extremely long, bright blue antennae. I distinctly remember these big eyes, body shape, and large size. And they were in Wells, maybe even at this same beach. Don't know how I never snapped a photo of one. Is there anything that matches that description? I wish I could get back there and find one for a photo.

Also, Molly, thanks for posting these images from southern Maine. I recently moved away from there and it's nice to see familiar creatures and places (Kennebunk plains, etc). So many good habitats for all sorts of stuff!

 
Thanks!
I am in southern Maine for the summer for bird conservation work but I'm trying to photograph as many insects as I can while around on the job or on days off. I've seen your stunning photos from these parts and I'd be grateful to find even a small fraction of those you have! Funny about that Marram weevil we've both seen at Parsons Beach!

 
yeah, Parson's beach is definitely a good spot...
especially towards the south end where there is a lot of driftwood and other debris lying around. If you're looking for anything specific I can probably tell you exactly where to go!

Aaron: I dredged up some old, not-so-great photos of the thing, have a look:

 
Hoppers
Your description matches A. longicornis. The long antennae give it away. A. megalophthalma is similar, but with larger eyes and much shorter antennae. On Block Island, I've found the latter species to be much more common. In addition to the difference in eye size and antennae length, A. longicornis is substantially larger. I believe at one time A. megalophthalma was thought to be the immature form of A. longicornis. There are a few other species in our area as well, but they have much darker coloration.

You can find them during the day under driftwood and wrack, but if you want to see their true numbers, go to the beach at night, when they're all scavenging along the wrack line.

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