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Insect Mimic Leaf

Photo by LaurenZarate
Published on Project Noah
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16.7354, -92.6387

Field Notes

Description:

I found this tiny "creature" today sitting on a leaf. I took pictures of it thinking it was a spider of some kind. It was very cooperative. When I saw the pictures, well…… :) We have all seen insects imitating leaves, this is the first leaf I ever saw imitating an arthropod.

Habitat:

Heavy shrubbery along a street, semi-urban area, outskirts of San Cristobal de Las Casas, 2,200 meters.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (21)
Mark Ridgway
Lauren you might like pics 1,2 here... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/101966009 :-)
LaurenZarate
Yes Adi, unbelievable. This one is undoubtedly coincidence, but there are all those orchids that imitate insects and there must be many other things plants do to take advantage of their long and ancient relationship with insects that we haven't found yet.
Adarsha B S
Unbelievable! What a trick nature is playing :) Read comments and your description..I am now getting curious to find more of these Lauren!
LaurenZarate
Thanks guys. It was only about 4 mm and it really fooled me. Nature can turn the tables on us and have a little laugh.
StephenSolomons
so the leaves finally got jealous of the insects getting the attention!
CindyBinghamKeiser
Hi guys, read her description. This is a leaf! It just happens to look like an insect :)
Mark Ridgway
'small guest bedroom' lol Hey Lauren did it do anything at all like move? I can't see any sign of real symmetry or a head or dorsal line... even the 'legs' don't seem to match up properly. Are you doing a late April fools on us ?? :-)
Gilma Jeannette Ospino Ferreira-Norman
WOW!! What is it? It is gorgeous and so very different!! It is so hard to tell what it looks like...I am so curious... I hope you get an ID, LaurenZarate.
LaurenZarate
Thank you Kel my friend, yes I put it in a small guest bedroom, but it was so boring and inactive that I released it again.
Sckel
Oh, no, because you have not explored this insect, friend? It seems incredible. When you see something strange , you should catch it in a temporary trap, you should call it: 'small guest bedroom', to watch their movements and característas. Then drop it in a safe place, or in the same place you found it.
LaurenZarate
Thank you Luis, yes amazing how it tricked me. I thought it a tiny crab spider or even (thrill) a green pseudoscorpion. It was tiny enough that I really shouldn't think I need better glasses????

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Mexico Horn of Plenty
Mission
National Geographic's Great Nature Project
Photographed
PublishedNovember 21, 2013

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