New Year’s Insects and Spiders

Happy New Year to my friends and followers! I do hope that you are finding reasons to celebrate, and are getting out into nature. Our local weather here in northeast Kansas, USA, has been unseasonably mild, to the point of nearly breaking high temperature records. Yesterday, January 7, it was sixty-eight degrees on the Fahrenheit scale. Our average historical high is in the high thirties or low forties. Consequently, I have found a few insects and arachnids active in our yard.

Spined Soldier Bug, Podisus maculiventris

A few months ago, one person admonished me for using the word “bug” too liberally, to include other insects, and even other arthropods. Technically, it is a proper complaint, but scientists are not my intended audience here, and the overall goal is to improve public appreciation of every related organism that suffers persecution and disdain. In honor of this person’s observation, I will start by giving examples of actual bugs, true bugs in the order Hemiptera, that I have seen here in January, 2026.

It is surprising how many true bugs overwinter in the adult stage, and will stir themselves “awake” on warm winter days. Among the most obvious are stink bugs. Many people across the United States are familiar with the non-native Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), but I have not yet encountered one this month. Instead, I have been surprised by this season’s population of the Spined Soldier Bug, Podisus maculiventris, a type of predatory stink bug. You read that correctly, this stink bug, along with several other species, preys on other insects. Normally, I see precious few of them, but this past autumn they were everywhere, especially along forest edges.

Stink bug, Banasa calva

Another stink bug I saw recently is Banasa calva, or at least I think so. There are eleven species in the genus in North America, and several of them look identical to this one. Species identification relies on characters best observed under a microscope. This is one of the usual species that feeds on sap of trees and shrubs, but is rarely, if ever, a pest.

Leafhopper, Erythridula? sp.

Leafhopper, Stirellus bicolor

Three-Banded Leafhopper, Erythroneura tricincta

Usually, the bugs I find this late (or early) in the cold months are leafhoppers, family Cicadellidae. They are small enough to be overlooked easily, but I managed to spot at least three different species recently. They are often so wary as to be difficult to approach, flying before you can train a camera or phone on them. Looking on both the interior and exterior surface of our backyard fence, and on the exterior of our house, usually proves fruitful. These insects also feed on plant sap. A few species are major crop, orchard, and vineyard pests because they can transmit plant viruses.

Aphid

I am well aware that many species of aphids spend the winter on alternate host plants, different from the plants that they feed on in warmer months, but I was still shocked to find one that had alighted on our fence. A single species of aphid my differ drastically in physical appearance between its winter and spring/fall populations.

Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

Most beetles stay well-concealed in leaf litter, under bark, and in other nooks and crannies, but lady beetles in particular will surface on warmer days to prowl sun-warmed surfaces.

Non-biting midge

Flies are insects that you wouldn’t expect to be the least bit active, but if you look closely enough, you are still likely to find some. Chief among them are tiny, non-biting midges that defy identification. Even expert midge specialists find them challenging.

Winter crane fly

There are some flies that you can find only during the colder months, and the winter crane flies of the family Trichoceridae are perhaps the largest of them. At least if you measure their lanky leg span of three-fourths of an inch or so. I see them almost daily on the side of our house, our garage, and clinging to the wooden fence. The larvae require moist or wet terrestrial habitats where they feed mostly on decaying vegetable matter, fungi, debris in rodent burrows, and similar niches.

Moth fly, Psychoda sp.

A different moth fly of another genus?

Moth flies are very small and cryptic, and also resemble moths more than flies. Their larvae feed on decaying organic matter.

Frit fly

Another kind of frit fly with different antennae

Another unexpected family of flies I have observed so far this year are frit flies, also known as grass flies and “eye gnats,” in the family Chloropidae. They are almost impossible to spot at only 2-3 millimeters. I imaged several blemishes on our fence before one of them metamorphosed into one of these flies. Ha! They have a variety of lifestyles, though most live as larvae mining the stems of grasses.

F-winged Barklouse

Barklice, in the order Psocodea, are usually most abundant and diverse in late fall, but the only one I have seen so far is the F-winged Barklouse, Graphopsocus cruciatus, one of the introduced species, from Europe. They graze on microflora like algae and fungi on plant leaves, but I usually see them roaming the exterior of our house.

Fall Cankerworm male

Fall Cankerworm female

Moths. Moths! There are several moths that occur as adults in late autumn through early winter. I usually see the Fall Cankerworm, Alsophila pometaria, a type of geometer or “inchworm” moth, in late fall, but it wasn’t until this mnth that I saw both sexes, on the same day. The female moth is wingless, while the male looks like an ordinary moth. The caterpillars are generalist feeders on the leaves of a variety of trees and shrubs. We have several of their known host plants in our yard, so the appearance of the moths is not surprising.

Green-striped Grasshopper nymph

Believe it or not, some grasshoppers overwinter as nymphs (juveniles, immatures), and will poke their heads out of the leaf litter on warm days. The Green-striped Grasshopper, Chortophaga viridifasciata, is one of these.

Smooth springtail, family Isotomidae

Plump springtail, order Poduromorpha

Today, springtails are technically considered “non-insect hexapods” given their primitive physical form, but at one time they were classified as insects. They are generally small enough (under five millimeters) that they escape your attention unless they move. As their name implies, many species jump away when approached. Others do not have the anatomical mechanism to do so, and those are the ones I seem to be encountering now. In some geographic locations you may encounter “snow fleas,” which are actually springtails that can pepper the melting snow at the base of trees and similar situations.

Juvenile long-jawed orbweaver

Juvenile Humpbacked Orbweaver

Spiders can be out and about, too, though they mostly represent juvenile specimens. I managed to spy a young long-jawed orbweaver, Tetragnatha sp., and a “baby” Humpbacked Orbweaver, Eustala anastera, outdoors. I did see a jumping spider on the ceiling of our living room, though, and if I searched thoroughly, I could probably find more arachnid friends.

While I am enjoying the warmth of this winter, so far, I am also concerned about the volatility of our weather from one year to the next. Last year at this time we were buried under snow. The extremes and unpredictability of when the different seasons begin and end does not bode well for the survival of many species. Insects are more adaptable than most, but even they can succumb if they burn their fat reserves ahead of true spring. Take care, friends, let me know what you are finding.

Beat The Winter Blues With An Indoor Bug Hunt

Are you tired of waiting for spring to bloom? Snowed in for yet another weekend? You can find a surprising number of creatures without leaving the comfort of your home. Just how comfortable you will be after your indoor discoveries is another question, but most of your home's biodiversity will be benign.

The variety of insects in one light fixture:dark-winged fungus gnats, carpet beetles, a weevil, aphids, thrips, gall midges....

Before you begin your indoor expedition, you might want to read Rob Dunn's Never Home Alone. The book is an excellent primer for a home bioblitz (inventory of a given taxon of organisms in a short period of time). It can give you a good idea of what to expect, and calm any potential fears. Indeed, the thesis of Never Home Alone is that the more biodiversity in your household, the better. At the end of the day you will be discarding pest control products and harsh cleaning agents....or buying more.

Web of a funnel web weaver spider in kitchen ceiling corner

Instead of being embarrassed by the cobweb in the corner, recognize the industrious nature of its maker. Compliment yourself for preserving a living pest control agent. See if you can find evidence of the insect victims the spider has trapped. Examine any shed exoskeletons to help you identify the spider itself if the living arachnid is not present. Dusty webs, unable to snare prey any longer, can be safely cleaned. Spiders will change "web sites" if they go long periods without success.

Indian Meal Moth, Plodia interpunctella

Don't forget to check your pantry. You may need a snack midway through your hunt anyway, but flour, rice, and other grains may hold unexpected insect surprises. Drugstore Beetles, Cigarette Beetles, Meal Moths, and spider beetles may be feasting on neglected stored products of vegetable origin. Dry animal-based foods can attract the Larder Beetle and carpet beetles, all members of the family Dermestidae. The wool garments in your wardrobe, and wool blankets, furs (but you have faux furs, no?), and silks are vulnerable to clothes moths and carpet beetle larvae, too. Try storing them in a cedar chest when you are not using them regularly. Cedar has proven repellent qualities and is not toxic to people or pets.

I spy some insects in there....

One of the most rewarding sources of insect diversity is a light fixture. The other day, one of our bulbs burned out and it gave me an excuse to see what insects had found their way into our home over the past several months. In our case, because we actively blacklight for moths in the backyard, we inevitably carry other tiny insects back inside after the night is over, so we might have a greater diversity of fauna than average, but probably not.

Dark-winged fungus gnats are often abundant indoors

You may not want to wait for a light bulb to expire before you examine a ceiling fixture or lamp, though. These days, the lifespan of the new generation of electrical bulbs is ridiculously long. It can be years before you have to install a new one. Further, insect specimens quickly die in the hot, dry conditions, become brittle, are eaten by carpet beetle larvae, and gather dust that makes them difficult to identify later. Best to check the lights often.

A lace bug in the light fixture?! Yep.

Last, but certainly not least, you will want to inspect for bed bugs. Adult bed bugs are small, no larger than the average apple seed. Immature stages are smaller still, some nearly transparent. You will likely see other signs of bed bugs before encountering the insects themselves, though. Should you find some, resist the temptation to blame your spouse, roommate, visiting guest, or tenants of the nextdoor apartment. Some authorities believe that one out of every four U.S. residences has bed bugs or will have them. Cimex lectularius thankfully poses no health threats that modern science is aware of. The biggest problems still stem from litigation over infestations, and the costs of eradication in a given dwelling.

Adult Bed Bug

Our home list of domiciliary creatures, including people and pets present and past, is approximately forty (40), over the last seven years or so. Clearly, we have more work to do. We do take comfort in the notion that we are providing homes for a broad spectrum of creatures, the great majority of which enhance our lives rather than detract from them.

A Winter Click Beetle?

I can't make this stuff up. Here I am just walking my neighborhood for exercise yesterday, as I try to do on a daily basis, and limping across the sidewalk comes a little (6-7 mm) click beetle. I put it in a vial, bring it home, and take a couple of pictures. Because I am curious, and I know that "bug folks" on Facebook are starved for stimuli during the winter, I post the images in a beetle group. How should I know that would be genuinely exciting?

My first stop online was the "Friends of Coleoptera [beetles] at the Natural History Museum" group on Facebook. The group is hosted by curators at the Natural History Museum in London, England, but beetle experts from all over the world are members of the group and always willing to help with identifications.

As luck would have it, one of my mentors from back when I was a teenager, and then at Oregon State University, is an expert on click beetles (family Elateridae). I knew this, and I knew he was in the Facebook group, but I had no idea when he would be online next, let alone looking at posts in the group. In a matter of minutes, he had put up a comment on my post that exceeded my wildest expectations:

"Anthracopteryx hiemalis. Super-nice find! This is a native winter-active species in a monobasic genus. It is endemic from Laramie south to Westcliffe in the Front Ranges. Never collected it myself."

Translation: This beetle is the only species in that genus, and it has a very restricted geographical range. You could have knocked me over with a feather. What I haven't told my friend yet is that this is actually the second specimen I have found, in the same stretch of sidewalk, under pretty much the same exact conditions. I didn't get around to imaging that first specimen until it was just about to expire, unfortunately, but here you go....

I certainly did not expect to get a species identification, but I took that and went over to Bugguide.net, the foremost online repository of images of North American insects, spiders, and other arthropods, to add my two images. Well, there weren't any others. There was not a species page to put them on. There was not even a page for the genus. Fortunately, I have volunteer editorial privileges, and so I was able to erect the appropriate pages and then put the pictures up. That kind of thing does not happen very often any more. Bugguide is damn comprehensive.

The lesson I learned, and should have learned long ago, actually, is that when it comes to entomology, you can never assume anything. You can never figure that what you observe and record has no significance. Sure, most of the time it won't be earth-shaking in any way. Then, one day when you don't bother making something public, you will be depriving the scientific community of something truly remarkable.

If anyone ever chastises you for sharing an observation of some "common" critter that you personally were unfamiliar with, then the shame is on them. We can all recall learning about a given organism for the first time, and how exciting that was. Scientists have no right to insult anyone for making an effort to learn, contribute, and otherwise share. Thankfully, there are few scholars that arrogant and disrespectful.

So, get out there on warm winter days and start looking for stuff! There are, no doubt, whole communities of winter-active organisms that we are overlooking.

Missing Sector Orbweaver, Zygiella x-notata

During my stay in Oregon during December and the first week of January, I was surprised to see how many spiders were still active in the relative cold and damp. The most conspicuous of those arachnids were the Missing Sector Orbweavers, Zygiella x-notata, which seemed to occupy the corner of every window frame, outdoor light, or other manmade structure.

This species is easy to identify, simply from the web alone. It looks as if the spider forgot to finish it. A substantial wedge of the sticky spiral is missing from the top half of the web, the central radius in the sector running to a tubular retreat on the periphery where the spider usually resides. The web spans anywhere between 6-14 centimeters in diameter.

Zygiella web, spider in upper right corner

The spiders will come out to sit in the hub (center) of the snare at night, or even on overcast days; and young spiders are more apt to station themselves at the center than older spiders. Adult females measure 7.4-8.7 millimeters in body length, males 6-6.5 millimeters. The color and pattern is pretty consistent across all specimens, as shown in the images here.

Male specimen

Zygiella x-notata is not native to North America, having been introduced here from Europe who knows how long ago. It is well-established here now, from the California coast through western Oregon and Washington, and also along the Atlantic coast, from New England to Virginia. Another adventive species, Z. atrica, is known from northwestern Washington and southern British Columbia. Z. nearctica is boreal, occurring coast to coast in Canada, plus Alaska, New England, the Rocky Mountains to Colorado, and the Appalachians to North Carolina.

Two native species formerly placed in Zygiella have been reclassified into the genus Parazygiella: P. carpenteri with a disjunct occurrence in the Sierra Nevada mountains, California coast, and also southeastern Washington; and P. dispar from southern British Columbia to the vicinity of Monterey, California (though this is a holarctic species also found in Europe). P. carpenteri usually spins a complete orb web.

Spider in tubular retreat with egg sac

Back to Z. x-notata. It is also known under the aliases of "Winter Spider," "Opensector Orbweaver," and "Silver-sided Sector Spider." I recall this species being most abundant along the waterfront of the Columbia River when I was a child, but it is now among the most abundant of spiders even up in the hills of southwest Portland. It certainly associates itself with buildings, bridges, docks, and other structures.

What would these spiders feed on during the winter months? Many moth species fly throughout the colder months in the Pacific Northwest, plus winter crane flies, other dipterans, and some beetles. Orbweavers often crowd their snares around outdoor lights to further improve their odds of catching a meal.

Female with egg sac

Keep exploring during the winter months, even if it is only around the exterior of your home, office, or other building. You might well encounter one of these spiders, or any number of other organisms.

Sources: Adams, R.J. 2014. Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States. Berkeley: University of California Press. 303 pp.
Bradley, Richard A. 2013. Common Spiders of North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. 271 pp.
Sollfors, Stephan. 2010. "Zygiella x-notata," EuroSpiders.com
"Zygiella x-notata," NatureSpot.org.uk
"Summary for Zygiella x-notata (Araneae)," British Arachnological Society.

Underside of spider

Winter Crane Flies

Few insects habitually appear in adult form during the winter months, but members of the family Trichoceridae, better known as "winter crane flies," are among them. I found a few attracted to the porch light at my late mother's apartment in Portland, Oregon the evening of December 10, 2014.

Distinguishing winter crane flies from other crane flies is not easy, because the characters needed to tell them apart are not readily visible in the field, or even in images. They are relatively small, averaging 6 millimeters in body length. Winter crane flies have three "simple eyes," called ocelli, which other crane flies lack. The ocelli are on the crown of the head between the compound eyes. The wing venation helps to separate trichocerids from other families of crane flies, too; and even helps identify the three North American genera.

Males can be seen flying in swarms on sunny days, but these flies seem to be associated mostly with dark, sheltered situations like the mouths of caves and mine shafts, hollow trees, and cellars. This might reflect the larval affinity for decaying organic matter.

Winter crane fly maggots have been found in decomposing leaves and vegetables, as well as in fungi, manure, decaying tubers in root cellars, and in rodent burrows where they probably scavenge on feces.

Most North American trichocerids are in the genus Trichocera, which accounts for 27 species. There is one species each in the genera Paracladura (western North America) and Diazosma (transcontinental).

Since these flies are of no economic importance, we don't know as much about them as we do other insects. Still, I find it delightful that I can find a flying insect in the dead of winter. It is a testament to the durability and diversity of insect life no matter the weather or the environment.

Sources: Clark, Patterson. 2011. 'Snow Swarms: Winter Crane Flies," The Washington Post.
Eisele, Tim. 2013. "Winter Crane Flies," The Backyard Arthropod Project
Fetzner, James W., Jr. 2007. "Trichoceridae," The Crane Flies of Pennsylvania. Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Leckie, Seabrooke. 2010. "Tay Meadows Tidbit - Winter Crane Fly."
McAlpine, J.F., et al. 1981. Manual of Nearctic Diptera, vol.1. Ottawa: Agriculture Canada. Monograph No. 27. 674 pp.

Fly Day Friday: Snow Flies

As I write this, the outdoor temperature here in Colorado Springs is a whopping 5° F. There are going to be few, if any insects out and about in those frigid conditions. A sunny winter day, even higher up in the mountains, could provide a different story. There are wingless crane flies that can be seen crawling across the snow in the dead of winter.

Last October 27, 2012, I was fortunate enough to take a trip with other members of the Aiken Audubon Society to Guanella Pass (Clear Creek County) in search of ptarmigans. We got skunked on the birds, but one person in our party spotted a tiny insect creeping across the snow. I instantly recognized it as a wingless crane fly, though I had only seen images of them until then.

There are sixteen species of “snow flies” in the genus Chionea in North America. They are in the crane fly family Limoniidae, formerly a subfamily of the Tipulidae. While western species are mostly confined to mountain ranges, eastern species can be found in most forested areas, especially in regions that experienced glaciations during the most recent ice age. They appear most commonly in October and November, and again in February and March.

While these dark flies are most conspicuous on the surface of the snow, most of the time they are concealed in the tunnels of small mammals, beneath leaf litter, or fairly deep in caves. These situations help to insulate them from truly severe weather, and an adult snow fly may live up to two months.

Drawing by Dr. George Byers

The life cycle of Chionea remains mostly a mystery. Every attempt to rear them in the laboratory has failed because no one knows what the larval stage feeds upon. We do know that an adult female fly can produce up to 194 eggs, each one laid singly. Lacking wings, the female fly can store eggs even in the thoracic cavity that is normally packed with wing muscles.

Eggs take eight days to three weeks to hatch under laboratory conditions. Larvae have fairly hardened mouthparts, suggesting they may be able to take in solid food. Just what that nourishment could be is up for conjecture. Maggots of distantly-related flies feed on fungi that grow on bat guano in caves, but that information may or may not be relevant to snow fly larvae. We do know the larvae feed and grow during the summer months, with pupation taking place in the fall.

Adult snow flies have few enemies, but we know that mice are among their predators. Believe it or not, this conclusion is reached from knowledge of the cycle of parasitic tapeworms. Rodent tapeworm eggs expelled in the feces of a mammal must be consumed by an insect, usually a larva. Once inside the insect, the tapeworm metamorphoses into a “cysticeroid” stage. There it remains until the insect is in turn consumed by a rodent. Tapeworm eggs have been found in the gut of adult snow flies.

Rock-crawlers, primitive insects related to mantids and cockroaches, are also predators of snow flies. Grylloblattids, as rock-crawlers are known in the scientific community, are found in isolated populations at high elevations in western North America.

How do snow flies keep from freezing to death? First, snow flies occupy the “subnivean” environment: a microclimate that exists in cavities beneath the snow created by arching grassblades, leaf litter, and rodent tunnels. These nooks and crannies offer protected niches with temperatures that are milder than the surface and air temperatures above.

Snow flies also have a body chemistry to cope with the cold. Many insects have glycerol in their body fluids, which acts as an antifreeze, preventing the formation of sharp, life-threatening crystals of ice inside the insect’s tissues. Differing enzyme systems also allow snow flies to function at lower temperatures than most insects. In fact, they are susceptible to overheating!

The temperature in the room where I write this is not that warm, either. I am not believing the 66° registered on the digital thermometer and, lacking my own internal antifreeze, will go open a can of soup. Stay cozy, friends.

Source: Schrock, John R. 1992. “Snow Flies,” Kansas School Naturalist 38(2): 1-16.

Spider Sunday: Spring Spiders

It really isn’t quite spring here on the Front Range, but neither is it winter, at least not lately. The high temperature for Tuesday, March 6 was 69°F, albeit windy. Walking down the Homestead Trail in Colorado Springs at midday I was amazed by how many spiders were out and about as well.

A surprising number of spider species overwinter as adults or immature, forsaking the cozy shelter of an egg sac in which to endure the harsh, cold extremes. Among them are running crab spiders (family Philodromidae, image below), crab spiders (Thomisidae), wolf spiders (Lycosidae), and jumping spiders (Salticidae).

Most of these arachnids are ground-dwellers, so presumably they ensconce themselves in debris such as leaf litter, or tuck themselves into the base of grass tussocks. Even a blanket of snow helps insulate spiders from colder air temperatures and chilly winds.

Spider bodies also contain glycerol, a chemical compound that helps reduce the freezing point of their blood, by about one degree Centigrade (Celsius). Certain proteins in spider blood (hemolymph) apparently reduce the freezing threat even more, up to 20°C. Spiders of temperate climates that overwinter in a passive state tend to be much more cold-hardy than those that are winter-active, like some wolf spiders in the genus Pardosa.

Spiders fall into different categories depending on their reproductive cycle. “Eurychronous” species take a long time to reach maturity, and so may overwinter as adults or immatures. “Stenochronous” spiders include those that reproduce during spring and summer (overwintering as immatures); those that mate in autumn (with the spiderlings overwintering inside the egg sac); and those spiders that are active during the winter, reproducing at that time. Lastly, “diplochronous” species have two reproductive cycles, one in the spring and one in the fall. Typically, they overwinter as adults.

The most abundant adult spiders I have found recently are running crab spiders in the genus Thanatus, family Philodromidae. Numerous specimens were basking on the concrete path of the Homestead Trail. A gust of wind caught one unfortunate specimen, sending it tumbling head over heel, heel, heel, heel, heel, heel, heel, heel.

One short stretch of trail also produced two very gravid female crab spiders in the genus Xysticus. “Gravid” means full of eggs. I’ll be looking for them next in silken retreats guarding their egg sacs. Crab spiders are typically ambush hunters, lying in wait for a potential victim to come within reach. Their extra-long first and second pair of legs means that “reach” is considerable, and spines lining the inside of their legs help insure that prey does not escape the spider’s embrace.

Wolf spiders are also on the move, and a short distance from the crab spiders I spotted a plump adult female heading for cover at the edge of the trail. Fortunately, she stopped just short momentarily, posing for a couple of pictures. My friend and colleague Mandy Howe kindly identified this as a female in the genus Alopecosa. She’ll soon have an egg sac attached to her spinnerets (the spider, not Mandy!).

I also found another wolf spider, much smaller and quicker. This is probably an immature in the genus Schizocosa, judging by its color pattern. It bears a superficial resemblance to the Thanatus in that both have stripes on the cephalothorax and a dark “cardiac” mark on the top of the abdomen. This pattern is effective camouflage among grasses and seeds, rendering the animals nearly invisible unless they move. I appreciate the concrete substrate for photography, as one easily loses track of the subject on a more natural surface.

Hiking in Red Rock Canyon Open Space on March 5, a 68°F day, yielded a pair of jumping spiders along the trail. I only managed to get the image below before the tiny arachnid hopped away. I have no idea whether it is an immature or an adult, let alone what genus it might be.

I encourage you to go spider-hunting yourself on the next nice day. It need not be that terribly warm, and I have seen spiders on the surface of the snow before. Look carefully, as some of the most abundant spiders of winter and early spring are the tiniest: dwarf spiders in the subfamily Erigoninae of Linyphiidae. Some juvenile cobweb weavers (Theridiidae) and funnel weavers (Agelenidae) can also be common.

Source: Foelix, Rainer F. 2011. Biology of Spiders (Third Ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 419 pp.