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Photo#52407
Robber Fly #3 - Laphria flavicollis - male

Robber Fly #3 - Laphria flavicollis - Male
Gloster, Gloster Arboretum, Amite County, Mississippi, USA
May 13, 2006
Size: body length 16.1 mm

Images of this individual: tag all
Robber Fly #3 - Laphria flavicollis - male Robber Fly #3 - Laphria flavicollis - male Robber Fly #3 - Laphria flavicollis - male Robber Fly #3 - Laphria flavicollis - male

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Maybe I missed it, but how are you catching and shooting these?

 
Hi, Lynette,
I still haven't figured out how to catch them! I missed two out of three of the opportunities that I had this weekend, and one of the missed ones was half-again larger than the largest one posted. We had help from a couple of friends (Caroline Bauder & Dorothea Munchow), that seem to have magic nets or some kind of mystical power over the creatures! Once they see an interesting critter, it's as good as caught.
For the photos, after chilling the bug, I use a refrigerated stage that maintains the lethargic state while I use toothpicks to nudge it into the desired positions. I find it to be an extremely valuable device. It is simple, homemade, and hard to describe, but I will Email photos of it to you if you are interested.

Thanks for the "wow".

Gayle

 
Flav
Forgot to say this is also Laphria flavicollis. Another male. They are very size variable.

As for netting, I thought I was good. But I ran around yesterday with Nick Donnelly, the dragonfly scientist who has actually discovered and described several of our North American dragons including the Banner Clubtail. Anyway, he made me look like a complete amateur. He never missed. From small damsels to fast dragons, including a female Arrowhead Spiketail. I was humbled.

We saw several Laphria flavicollis pairs and a Laphria macquarti while we were out draggoning (dragonating? dragonoitering?).

Your refrigerated stage is a small miracle.

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