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Photo#1760095
unknown insect - female

unknown insect - Female
Pasture Creek Campground, Bears Ears National Monument, San Juan County, Utah, USA
September 7, 2019
These very odd critters were drinking sap from a desert shrub. Most of the curving "horn" structure of them appears to be waxy secretions exuded from their abdomen. They were being tended by ants, the same ants as in the next submission. In fact, the two species were within a few feet of each other, on different plant species. Found in Great Basin desert/cottonwood riparian habitat of the Colorado Plateau.

Images of this individual: tag all
unknown insect - female unknown insect - female unknown insect - female unknown insect

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Scale Insects
These are Giant Scales or Ensign Scales. I don't know how to tell the difference.
The big ones are adult females and the males have wings. So we should mark these images as female/adult/immature. I don't know the plant name.

 
That is fascinating.
So what are we saying here? Are the long ones female and the lumpy ones males? If so, they were on separate bushes within 5 feet of each other, and not mixed together.

 
Nope
The smaller lumpy ones are probably immature. The males are winged and they only appear during mating. So they are rarely seen.

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