Spiky, hairy, shiny: LA abuzz with insect discoveries, in pictures – Guardian
Since 2014, entomologists have sampled millions of insects around the city, identifying 800 species, including 47 new to science. The most striking miniature inhabitants are showcased in photographs taken using a special digital microscope in an online exhibition called Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of LA. All photographs by Lisa Gonzalez
Among the insects sampled as part of the BioSCAN (Biodiversity Science: City and Nature) project at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles county was this flower fly (Helophilus latifrons), whose soft fuzz and black-and-yellow stripes help it mimic bees and wasps.
The idea for the project came after entomology curator Dr Brian Brown bet a museum trustee that he could find a new species anywhere. His colleague suggested he look in her LA backyard. Pictured is the acorn weevil (Curculio occidentis), whose ‘fur’ provides important camouflage.
Eight hundred species of insects have been catalogued so far in what is the world’s largest urban biodiversity study, including this Halloween ladybug (Harmonia axyridis).
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