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Project Noah Nature School
Family Reduviidae
When I found this bug, it had gonne through its last molt, and was hanging from its exuvia by the rear end. In photos 1 and 2 it is possible to see that the caracteristic "wheel" in its back - which gives the bug its name - is still in a vestigial form. In photos 3 and 4 it is possible to see that, after some minutes, the wheel expands, slowly comming to a more defined shape. Finaly, in photo 5, the bug is completely out of the exuvia, and the wheel assumed its definitive shape. The bug's exoskeleton is still soft and red, but in the next hours it will harden, becoming brown.
Spotted on Jan 20, 2013
Submitted on Jan 20, 2013
19 Comments
Thank you Antonio, Argy & Carol.
Gorgeous color!
Fantastic. The last shot says it all.
Great spotting Sérgio,amazing series,congrats and thanks for sharing
Thank you Johan, and Gerardo and Alice too.
What a great spotting!
Fantastic :)
Wonderful series Sergio
Jakubko, Janson, Yuko, Maria dB, Rieko, Luis, Cindy, Satyen, Karan & Adarsha, thank you very much. @Rieko: I wish I'll become a professional some day, it would be wonderful to be able to make a life out of a passion. By the way, please call me Sergio, Mr. Monteiro sounds a bit too formal for PN fellows :-)
Thats gorgeous!
Awesome series Sergio!
Wonderful!
Great timing and series!
Excellent series Sergio!
Mr. Monteiro is a very special finder of wonderful nature and should call himself a professional photographer!
Superb series, Sergio!
This is incredible & beautiful series! Thanks for sharing this special spotting, which was possible to capture only for the first hours of its life!
Awesome Sergio! I've seen this before too. Sometimes they get stuck in this pink exoskeleton and don't fully molt and die.
Thank you, Janson. I was very glad that I could see it. I always think that there is something magic in a molting, just like a birth.