280 days of Urbpandemonium #68

[urbpan]

Photographing a pair of insects engaged in the copulatory act does not necessarily make you a pervert. Whether you are a pervert or not, when insects are mating, you generally have a male and a female both present, increasing your chances of identifying the species in question. You can see that the male has more white on his head and thorax, for example, pervert.

These ladybeetles are very small ones, only a few millimeters long each. I wasn't positive that I was seeing ladybeetles until I cropped the photo to see them closely. This species, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata*, is yet another Eurasian ladybeetle, introduced to North America by accident and intentionally, at different times.

*"A propylaea, propylea or propylaia (/ˌprɒpɪˈliːə/; Greek: Προπύλαια) is any monumental gateway based on the original Propylaea that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens." (wikipedia) What does that have to do with this beetle? Dunno. Maybe that central double spot made the taxonomist think of the Acropolis for some reason. The rest means "14 spotted."

Comments

[gigglingwizard.livejournal.com]

Is it considered inappropriate to cheer while ladybugs are having sex? Bringing more aphid eaters into the world is a beautiful thing.