Eric and I made a quick trip out to the outer beach on Point Reyes yesterday (5 June 2021). A few fun beach invertebrate highlights included this Red-backed Jumping Spider (Phidippus johnsoni) hanging out in a large piece of driftwood (above), a nice look at some Western Tiger Beetles (Cicindela oregona) along the upper beach near a freshwater seep :
Noticeably abundant amphipods, or beach hoppers, feeding on drift algae washed up along the strand line:
And a Pictured Rove Beetle (Thinopinus pictus) feeding on the aforementioned amphipods (!):
What fun (except for the amphipods who hadn't planned on being someone's snack.)
ReplyDeleteI love jumping spiders.
:) Funny, Alice! It would certainly be surprising to be an amphipod munching on algae and then to be ambushed by a rove beetle! Enjoy your seaweed while you can! ;)
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