Belostoma sp. - Belostoma

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

Interesting pose. I don't think I've ever seen one positioned like this. Genus is as far as you can go without a seeing the ventral abdominal segments and the arrangement of the hairs.

… Brady Richards, 5 April, 2012 - 7:28pm

wings full => adult; no Lethocerus; must be Belostoma

always do your best to get a plain dorsal view for ID purposes
NB: just Valdosta, not 'Valdosta, Georgia' --pls correct form per instructions

… v belov, 5 April, 2012 - 7:01pm

Added second image with Dorsal View

It's cropped quite a bit, but I added a second image with dorsal view. Will also amend data.

… Janson Jones, 5 April, 2012 - 7:04pm

thanks -- Belostoma it is

can't tell if sp. ID is possible in this case (wait for the experts), but cropping everything just to the bug may greatly improve you chances for a feedback and positive ID, while images showing much background are often ignored

… v belov, 5 April, 2012 - 7:08pm

Thanks -- Degree of Crop

I get that, in regard to cropping. The second image is already cropped enormously. I was worried about excessive pixelation. Seems like a smaller but cleaner image would be more useful to discern details than a tightly cropped, highly-pixelated image. I'll keep this in mind and abstain from posting any species that aren't tightly composed and framed (or can be cropped cleanly to that effect) and don't show the dorsal view. I thank you for the guidance!

… Janson Jones, 5 April, 2012 - 7:16pm

Cropping

There is a common misconception that cropping changes an images quality, it does not. Cropping simply removes the border around the subject area without changing that desired subject at all. Enlarging an image is the action you are thinking about not cropping. Enlarging an image can cause pixelation but cropping does not.

… John R. Maxwell, 7 April, 2012 - 12:38am

do not jeopardize the sharpness

i totally agree; cropping to a degree where the pic becomes grainy is counterproductive, but pls consider the psychological factor, too: the influx of photos may be overwhelming and while going thru hundreds of thumbnails the fallible human eye would cherry-pick those that show more detail to work with

… v belov, 5 April, 2012 - 7:23pm

Got It -- and Agreed!

I'll definitely hold off on wide-angle shots and uncroppable photos for identification. Keep it limited to clear, tight shots. I also just read that I should've capped at three photos for today. (Oops!) New to the site today and jumped in too fast, it seems. My apologies ~

… Janson Jones, 5 April, 2012 - 7:28pm

keep them coming --and never mind the cap

it's a legacy of times long gone, when BG was in its infancy; nobody around here would mind if you post two hundred during a day, as far as they show something that will attract attention and interest (as opposed to whatever nauseatingly common stuff that really clog the site --like the same old Japanese beetle or BMSB or the wheel bug... i could think of a hundred spp. i barely survive seeing again and again ))))))
also, i would suggest consulting this forum thread for informal guidelines that help us run the site

… v belov, 5 April, 2012 - 7:53pm