The dude in the video is a medical professional and really well known for his information on physical symptoms on melinated skin.

-fae

yes

entomologists should avoid FSCA (Gainesville, FL) at all costs

I’m going to go into more detail about my workplace eventually but for now it’s important to make public that ethanol holdings in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (FSCA, Gainesville) are completely neglected and actively rotting. Holotypes (the original specimen of a plant or animal used to define a species, completely priceless and the pride and joy of any good collection) are already ruined. Don’t ever donate your stuff there, it will go to waste.

Everything that is not personally interesting to the administrators has clearly been totally ignored for decades and priceless scientific information has been lost as a result. It is the worst I have ever seen, having worked in three other collections previously. I was lucky I had not formally donated most of my own collection material there because I guarantee they would have barred me from ever accessing the specimens again and then neglected them all to destruction anyway. Other people have not been so lucky and multiple scientists have their life’s work trapped in there and deteriorating. Admin is not above blocking former employees or whistle blowers from using the collection, even if it is your own material.

Here is how FSCA was keeping the holotype of the rare cave millipede Scoterpes rudis. The ethanol should be clear, but I had to fish the actual specimen out of the opaque yellow slime with forceps. Many others were just like this when I found them, and I did my best to care for them all but there was clearly already permanent damage years before I was even hired. I’m really sorry for the poor solifugid biologist who has to try to get useful information out of the holotype that is just a small wad of legs and glue now.

Many of the specimens, including some holotypes, are like this centipede, with the rubber stopper having degraded into a glue-like material and dripped onto the specimen. Reaching this state requires years of total neglect because you can see the rubber start to wilt long before it drips. All it takes to fix this is replacing the stopper more than once in a century, but apparently that was too much to expect of the “world class” FSCA.

FSCA higher-ups recently presented a big cheesy video at the Entomology Society of America meeting in Nov 2022 in Vancouver, patting themselves on the back for the size of the collection and soliciting new collaborators and donations. They are constantly seeking to acquire more material even though they are running out of space and totally incapable of maintaining what they have already. The other staff are completely aware, but apparently only concerned with their own personal research material and individual favorite bugs.

I would appreciate if you all could share this with anyone you know interested in entomology, natural history collections, or biology in general. I suspect my former position will open for new applicants almost immediately because of how many different aspects of the operation I supported out of a genuine love for entomology and curation. Now that I am gone, the ethanol collection is likely completely abandoned. Please do not give this pathetic institution and its staff more things to ruin.

-Mossworm

Another carboniferous painting, going for something more stylized this time

How to make a bug kisser 😘🐛

I'm going to launch a Kickstarter for these, sign up to be notified

Many insects are so nearsighted they would actually see nothing but the lips floating out of nothingness to smooch them and then vanish

another cool bug on this site is when youre on mobile and suddenly the ads will just move and cover the post youre reading

im so sorry ill make it up to you

enjoy the WOOLLY CHAFER BEETLE

Lipstick lady beetle, Cheilomenes bidentata, Coccinellidae

Found in South Africa

Photos by tonyrebelo

redrew and painted this today based off a drawing I recently found that i made when i was little. I’ve always loved bugs!

if you’re curious about centipede sounds, here’s Agatha walking on some paper after her banana treat time.

42 little clicking nails ASMR? (well, really only about 38 are ever in contact with the ground)

(Scolopendra mutilans)

Here is my dog Kiki watching your video of Agatha. She really loved it, and kept watching it loop again and again and again!

The velvet worm has a beam attack. This is because it is God’s favourite beast.

Something a little different from me.

Available as prints and other merch formats!

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Ohohohoho freshly peeled

i agree! here u go!

Bupkis and Beeftongue.

Bupkis and Beeftongue.

Bupkis and Beeftongue.

this is the container just having been opened. Bupkis wrinkles a little when disturbed by light, but in this picture it is quite smooth and calm, napping moistly on its faithful friend and pillow Beeftongue.

I do think they’re buddies, as much as slugs can be. I often find them huddled up together despite them being different species.

Bupkis and Beeftongue.