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Phymata pennsylvanica
Phymata is derived from the Greek "Phyma", which means tumor or swelling--and one can see why this strange, armored, lumpy-looking insect got its name. Length is about 3/8". Front legs are configured for grasping, much like the mantids. There are 17 species in North America.
I photographed this mating pair in an old, overgrown field. They tend to like to lie in ambush for their insect prey on yellow flowers, such as goldenrod.
I've seen these rather diminutive insects take large and dangerous prey, such as honeybees.
Spotted on Aug 24, 2008
Submitted on Mar 21, 2012
3 Comments
asergio, I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder...grin.
Great photo, Gordon. I like those weird critters a lot. They prove that it doesn't mater how ugly you are, you'll always find a soul mate! :-)
Fantastic!