EcuadorMegadiverso

These are Treehoppers with the scientific name Membracis foliata c-album from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Treehoppers, family Membracidae are insects related to cicadas and leafhoppers. Most treehoppers have a highly modified pronotum on the back. Treehoppers feed on plant sap which is rich in sugar.

This Hoverfly, Palpada sp., Syrphidae was filmed in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador

This soldier fly, Cyphomyia sp, Stratiomyidae looks like wearing a yellow helmet.

This Weevil from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is just 4 mm in size.

This pretty Leafhopper Nymph from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is only about 4 mm in size as can be seen by comparison with the tip of a ballpoint pen at the end of this video.

This little Katydid nymph from the upper Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is about 10 mm in length without legs and antennas. Here is another species: https://rumble.com/v5i8yb

Tortoise beetles own their name to the carapace under which they can find shelter like a tortoise, with the difference that their carapace can open for flight. This species is from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador.

This Planthopper nymph from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador has a tail made from fibers of extruded wax. If a predator tries to grab it the wax fibers brake off and the planthopper can escape.

True Weevils, also called snout beetles or Curculionidae are one of the largest animal families with over 80,000 species described worldwide. They feed on plants with their long snout (rostrum), in many cases only living on a single species. This cute little fellow of the genus Cholus was filmed in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador

What looks like a tasty gummy sweet is actually a Translucent Jewel Caterpillar from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. It belongs to a family of moths known as Dalceridae whose larvae are also called slug caterpillars. They are not poisonous as many other caterpillars, but the yellow glutinous cones will just break off if a predator wants to grab them. Also their stickiness may protect them from being eaten by hungry insects such as ants.

This colorful Monkey Grasshopper with the scientific name Eumastax vittata napoana in the family Eumastacidae is common in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador.

Jumping spiders, Salticidae are the largest family of spiders. This little guy was filmed in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Its pedipalps end in two bulbs which look like a pair of boxing gloves but are actually the male genitalia. Jumping spider do not build a web to trap insects, but jump on their prey and grab it with the jaws. Jumping spiders still produce silk for safety lines as can be seen at 20" in the video and also to build a tent as shelter from bad weather and to sleep at night. As most spiders they have four pairs of eyes, which give them a 360-degree view of the world. Their large frontal eyes are build like telescopes and provide them with very sharp vision. A mobile retina allows them to scan the object they are looking at.

Jumping spiders, Salticidae are the largest family of spiders. This little Phiale sp. was filmed in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. They do not build a web to trap insects, but jump on their prey and grab it with the jaws. Jumping spiders still produce silk for safety lines while jumping and also to build a tent as shelter from bad weather and to sleep at night. As most spiders they have four pairs of eyes, which give them a 360-degree view of the world. Their large frontal eyes are build like telescopes and provide them with very sharp vision. A mobile retina allows them to scan the object they are looking at.

This treehopper from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is called Entylia carinata in the family Membracidae and measures only 5 mm in length. Treehoppers are insects related to cicadas and leafhoppers. Most treehoppers have a highly modified pronotum on the back. Treehoppers feed on plant sap which is rich in sugar.

This treehopper from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is called Cyphonia clavata in the family Membracidae and measures only 6 mm in length. Treehoppers are insects related to cicadas and leafhoppers. Most treehoppers have a highly modified pronotum on the back, in this case forming several hollow spheres and spines, which makes it unpalatable for potential predators. Moreover it resembles an ant which most predators rather avoid. Treehoppers feed on plant sap which is rich in sugar. In this video the sucking mouthparts of the treehopper have penetrated the vein of a leaf.

This larva of a Lady Beetle, Coccinellidae, Azyini or Coccidulini? was filmed in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. The coating of white tufts consists of waxy secretions that presumably protect the larva from predators by making it difficult to seize or just unpalatable.

This little Green Jumping Spider named Lyssomanes lives in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Jumping spiders, Salticidae are the largest family of spiders. They do not build a web to trap insects, but jump on their prey and grab it with the jaws. Jumping spiders still produce silk for safety lines while jumping and also to build a tent as shelter from bad weather and to sleep at night. As most spiders they have four pairs of eyes, which give them a 360-degree view of the world. Their large frontal eyes are build like telescopes and provide them with very sharp vision. A mobile retina allows them to scan the object they are looking at, which is why the frontal eyes turn black as the retina gets into focus.

Here is another video of the Bunny Harvestman from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Its scientific name is Metagryne bicolumnata, from the family of Cosmetidae, in the order of Opiliones, also known as Harvestmen or daddy longlegs. They are not spiders, but belong to the same class of Arachnida. Contrary to a common belief Harvestmen do not have venom glands and are absolutely harmless. Harvestmen have been around for at least 400 million years and lived even before the dinosaurs. watch my previous video of the Bunny Harvestman: https://rumble.com/v44zn5

These leafcutter ants from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador dissect a leaf with their strong mandibles and carry the pieces to their colony's fungus garden under ground. They cannot digest the leaves themselves but cultivate a special fungus on which they feed. The wingless worker ants are females. Each ant can carry up to 50 times its own body weight. This is equivalent to a man carrying a van over his head!

This is a subspecies of the Red Postman butterfly from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Its bright colors warn predators such as birds that it is unpalatable. There are close to 4,000 species of butterflies and some 10,000 moths in Ecuador, one of the countries with the highest biodiversity on earth!

This video shows a little Jumping Spider from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. They do not build a web to trap insects, but jump on their prey and grab it with the jaws. Jumping spiders still produce silk for safety lines while jumping and also to build a tent as shelter from bad weather and to sleep at night. As most spiders they have four pairs of eyes, which give them a 360-degree view of the world. Their large frontal eyes are build like telescopes and provide them with very sharp vision. A mobile retina allows them to scan the object they are looking at.

This Hairstreak butterfly from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador not only has striped legs and antennae, but also a false head with orange and black fake eyes and tails that mimic antennae. This creates the illusion that the back is actually the front. Predators, such as birds and jumping spiders, will aim for the hairstreak's tail, rather than its head, and the butterfly may escape in the opposite direction.

This spiny orb-weaver lives in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. The bright yellow color warns potential predators such as birds that eight spines on the abdomen make them difficult to swallow. They are harmless to humans.

This carpenter ant from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador became infected with a fungus that forces the ant to climb up and bite down on the underside of a leaf. Then it slowly decomposes the ant and grows a spore-releasing stalk from its head in order to infect more ants. Such Entomopathogenic Fungi attack many other insects and may be employed as biological insecticides. Crazy!

Tortoise beetles own their name to the carapace under which they can find shelter like a tortoise, with the difference that their carapace can open for flight. This species with a ruby ring on gold ground that looks like a target is from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador.