work methods

 
 
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Study of Milkweed beetle using its third line of defense

I sometimes draw the insect before sculpting it, to find the right pose for the ethological behavior I am trying to evidence.

In the case of Tetraopes, these beetles employ multiple lines of defense, in series. Their bright red color is their first warning to predators that they are toxic; if this does not inhibit a bird, then they will emit a raucous rattling noise; and if this still proves unsuitable, they will fall to the ground and play dead, since these birds are not carrion feeders and would not be interested in them.


Preparatory drawing for cicada exuvia

Using a micrometer on the actual specimen, or a micrometer disc inside the ocular of my stereomicroscope, I make measurements of the insect’s parts. Then, using a camera lucida or else freehand, I draw the outline of the insect and create a ratio of enlargement.

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Correspondence with hymenopterist David wahl

I spend as much time as possible observing the insects in nature before I choose a behavior I want to portray. When I am unsure of how an insect performs a particular task (here, I was interested in the ovipositor of the parasitic ichneumonid, Megarhyssa lunator) I consult with specialists. In this case, Dr. Wahl had a theory about the terminal abdominal segment which I subsequently was able to confirm when I observed a specimen in nature everting the ovipositor sheath exactly as he proposed.