Mark McCaughrean1d ago

A timely reminder that not *every* postbox red & black insect in the garden is a firebug, even though you've been seeing those every day for months.

First & new today: a pair of the superficially similar but quite unrelated cinnamon or squash bug (Corizus hyoscyami; 🇩🇪 Zimtwanze).

Second: European firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus; 🇩🇪 Gemeine Feuerwanze).

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Show threadzipkid - Breaker of Systems1d ago
@markmccaughrean i saw these on a wall yesterday. Making baby firebugs..?
Show threadMark McCaughrean

@zipkid Indeed. Apparently they stay like that for anything between hours & 7 days (the median is 12 hours), depending on the size of the participants, the thought being that it prevents another male dashing in & depositing his sperm too.

Some interesting reading here if you're so inclined 🙂

https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2019/01/20.pdf

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-002-0524-9

Apr 6 at 7:40pmWeb