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Seen while conducting plant monitoring with Mike B in Hole-in-the-Donut Restoration Area 2004 by canoe.

All of my observations from today:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-03-25&place_id=any&user_id=joemdo

More info about the surrounding restoration area: https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/hidprogram.htm

Project that includes all of the Hole-in-the-Donut restoration areas: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/everglades-national-park-hole-in-the-donut-restoration

An undescribed (this being the first documentation as far as I’m aware) social parasite of Solenopsis pergandei that strongly resembles its host but with several key differences: queens are half the size of S. pergandei queens, have a smaller gaster/eyes, longer hairs, and a larger head relative to thorax. Cooperates in colony foundation alongside freshly mated S. pergandei queens with no apparent aggression.

Set up my cheapy DJ blacklights with portable USB charging packs in two spots. I had two lights here on a billboard platform near the bridge west of the Everglades Safari. More info about this easy/affordable set-up here: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/damontighe/11836-diy-moth-light

This sheet was much busier than the other, which was on the ground about 50 yards away. The sheet on the ground also only had one light.

All observations from this night:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=25.761380601680504&nelng=-80.6249528301274&on=2021-07-09&order_by=observed_on&place_id=any&subview=map&swlat=25.7600519980589&swlng=-80.63005707388274&user_id=joemdo&verifiable=any

Seen while blacklighting during the 2023 Carysfort Bioblitz. Thanks to Trudy F for meeting me at 2:30AM to let me in to this wonderful area!. I set up two sheets about 15 meters apart (location listed is accurate), using cheapy DJ blacklights connected to USB battery packs. It was fairly windy, making for difficult macro photography conditions and I probably didn't do the best job at documenting everything at the sheets. I didn't photograph much of the extra tiny stuff (less than 4mm) due to the windy conditions. Mosquitoes were pretty thick, which also made it difficult to focus on the bugs on the sheet. I was joined by Stefan Rhoades and Andres Vila later in the night, and some of our observations may overlap.

Project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/2023-carysfort-bioblitz

Blacklighting observations from this event:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=25.445871537847147&nelng=-80.19031613683939&on=2023-04-01&place_id=any&project_id=blacklighting-florida&swlat=25.20878570378058&swlng=-80.40454953527689

Info about the cheapy DJ blacklights I used, great for getting started with blacklighting: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/damontighe/11836-diy-moth-light

Here's a video showing the DJ blacklights in action at the Pinecrest campground (Big Cypress) from Summer 2019: https://youtu.be/tavmTa7WoPk

Blacklighting project for Florida on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/blacklighting-florida

Tentative, will examine specimens to confirm
Edit: examined specimens on 01/15/23.
Male length excluding rostrum ~7.5mm, male wing ~7.5mm, male rostrum ~2.5mm
Female length excluding rostrum ~8.5mm, female wing ~8mm, female rostrum ~3mm
The following hold true for both the male and female specimen and match the description for G. antillarum: 4 pale stripes on prescutum, postnotum pruinose, brown scutellum, black spot present on anipisternum, mostly buffy pleura, pale halteres with dark tips, coxae and trochanters pale yellow, femora pale yellow with dark band near tip, tibiae yellow with darkened tip, tarsi yellow but getting darker towards the end, abdomen pale with dark ring towards posterior end of each segment.

I set up a sheet with two "DJ" UV blacklights on the edge of the dunes, one on the sheet facing the beach and another facing the dunes.

Info about the cheapy DJ blacklights I used, great for getting started with blacklighting: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/damontighe/11836-diy-moth-light

Blacklighting project for Florida on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/blacklighting-florida

Here's a video showing the DJ blacklights in action at the Pinecrest campground (Big Cypress) from Summer 2019: https://youtu.be/tavmTa7WoPk

Seen on a three day solo camping trip to East Cape in Everglades National Park (Cape Sable). I was particularly excited to go shelling on the beach (did not collect any shells, as that is prohibited in ENP) and also try some blacklighting out there.

All of my observations from this trip: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2022-11-21&d2=2022-11-23&order=asc&place_id=any&user_id=joemdo

My blacklighting observations from this trip: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2022-11-21&d2=2022-11-23&order=asc&place_id=any&project_id=blacklighting-florida&user_id=joemdo

My mollusk observations from this trip: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2022-11-21&d2=2022-11-23&order=asc&place_id=any&taxon_id=47115&user_id=joemdo

Gonna be a while before I finish posting everything and before I finish writing up this journal post summing up the trip but eventually there will be more info here: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/joemdo/72888-nov-21-nov-23-2022-east-cape-sable-camping

I am also planning on posting some videos to youtube over the next week or so but I'm prioritizing adding my observations first! Here's a link to my channel in case you want to see subscribe to see some videos about this trip: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Exy70GX48bo6JCDqqRrtw

Seen after the Miramar Pineland field trip.

Thanks to Steff Leigh and the Broward Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society for organizing a great field trip to Miramar Pinelands! You can learn more about this awesome group of native-plant-loving folks here: https://broward.fnpschapters.org/

Big shout out to Jade as well for helping us find a patch of sundews and also taking me to one of the clubmoss spots a bit after the field trip.

It was also great finally meeting Anson, a young dude who has been finding all kinds of cool organisms!

Here is a link to everyone's iNaturalist observations from this field trip: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2022-09-18&order_by=observed_on&place_id=146532