Just out: VoR of our novel cost-benefit analysis of eye design. Applied to simple and compound eyes, discovers that photoreceptor costs shape design of entire eye, explains why diurnal insects have world's longest photoreceptors, and revises scaling of acuity with eye size. doi.org/10.7554/eLif...

Flight overlays from a mass dispersal of what I think are Hylastes sp. bark beetles. I'm always fixated watching when the light catches just right, and you can see how complicated insect airspace is.

Happy #worldrobberflyday to some of the very best flies you can find. Robberflies are wonderfully effective predators, with some even catching dragonflies. They combine remarkable vision, rapid reactions, and fast acting venom. Every #robberfly is a treat to find.

Older than the dinosaurs: scientists finally unlock secret of the mayfly’s dance New article in @theguardian.com on research by @stfabian.bsky.social 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

🧵 1/6 Our new paper is out in Journal of Experimental Biology! We've been studying the curious dancing flight of male mayflies and why they do it. Spoiler: it's not just to impress females. 🪲⬇️ journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-...

I've wanted to see one of these for years. Mantispids are glorious, especially in banana yellow.

The remarkable wings of Ryothemis fuliginosa, the butterfly dragonfly. While most of the time they look a dark black, they shimmer with iridescence when viewed from above. Males display this iridescence to eachother by swooping below their rival when fighting.