Saturday, September 19, 2020
Slender Springtails (Entomobryomorpha)
Tiny, skinny jumpers. The ones with the white "belt" are Orchesella cincta.
European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
These guys have wings and are the most common earwigs (by far) in NJ. They are not aquatic. The males have wider spread "forceps" than the females.
Friday, September 18, 2020
Maritime Earwig (Anisolabis maritima)
This one has no wings, no marks except a light "neck". The male has the more curved "forceps": one side is actually more curved than the other. Only on seashore.
Common Rough Woodlous (Porcellio scaber)
This one has 2 segments in the antennae (smooth has 3) and no white line along the side where the body flares (that would be Rathke's). It has two tails (no tails are pillbugs).
If you don't know what woodlouse you have, but it has tails, use Crinocheta.
Rathke's Woodlouse (Trachelipus rathkii)
If you don't know which woodlouse you have, but it has tails, put it in Crinocheta.
This one has two segments on the end of the antennae, a light line at the base of the body where the edges flair out, and not a whole lot of bumps on top. If bumpier and no line: rough; if 3 segments in antennae: smooth.
Common Shiny Woodlouse / European Sowbug (Oniscus asellus)
Can't roll in a ball, has two tails. The last angle of the antenna has 3 parts (not 2). generally light colored on the flared part of back and then with a row of dark spots.
If you don't know which woodlouse you have but it has tails, use Crinocheta.
Pillbug (Armadillidium sp.)
The only ones in NJ that can roll into a ball. They also don't have a pair of "tails" like woodlice do. There are two species here. They are difficult to separate. See here.
Striped Woodlouse / Speedy Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum)
It's from Europe. Small and narrow, shiny, with a very black head and lighter but highly patterned back
Brightly Colored Flat-Backed Millipedes (Xystodesmidae)
Apheloria virginiensis is perhaps the most common one, but there are others in NJ.
American Giant Millipede / Worm Millipede (Narceus americanus/annularis complex)
Can't separate the two species (N. americanus and N. annularis) so it's a "complex". These are the huge, red-striped millipedes.
Round-Backed (or Snake) Millipedes (Julida)
In NJ there are two main families: Julidae (invasive) and Parajulidae (native). I cannot separate them.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Soil Centipede (I think it's Schendyla nemorensis)
soil centipedes have lots and lots of short legs (one per segment). This could be Strigama chionophila instead, but that one tapers to the front end and I'm not sure this one does.
Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis)
This is a new invasive species (since 2017) in NJ.
Red Daddy-Long-Legs (Leiobunum sp.)
basic red daddy-long-legs, often with red legs. Lots of species, some have dark marks on backs.
if gray with dark three-part "hourglass" shape on back use European Harvestman
If daddy-long-legs shaped but neither of these, use Phalangioidae.
If vaguely daddy-long-legs-y and found wandering use Eupnoi
If you can tell it's a harvestman and not a spider, but not much else, especially if found under rocks, use Opiliones.
European Harvestman / European Daddy-Long-Legs (Phalangium opilio)
basic daddy-long-legs in gray with dark three-part "hourglass" shape on back.
if red (especially with black legs) then Leiobunum sp. instead.
If daddy-long-legs shaped but neither of these, use Phalangioidae.
If vaguely daddy-long-legs-y and found wandering use Eupnoi
If you can tell it's a harvestman and not a spider, but not much else, especially if found under rocks, use Opiliones.
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Guide to Water-Horehounds / Bugleweeds (Lycopus sp.)
In New Jersey there are four main species: American (L. americanus), sweet (L. viringicus), European (L. europaeus), and northern (L. unifllorus).
American and European have leaves with lobes, rather than just teeth, especially the lower leaves of the plants. They also have sepals (calyx lobes) with long points, that extend well beyond the fruit.
American is generally mostly or entirely smooth on the stems and upper surfaces of the leaves. European always has hairy stems and generally hairy on the upper surface of leaves.
American flowers have petals twice as long as the green sepals. European has petals only a little longer than the sepals.
European will grow in waste places away from water, American (and sweet and northern) needs to be near water.
Sweet and northern have leaves with teeth and no lobes. Often the leaves are purple.Their sepals are triangular with no long points. They do not extend much beyond the top of the fruit.
Sweet has leaves that narrow abruptly to a long, winged stem. Northern leaves taper gradually.
Sweet teeth are smaller and there are more of them on a leaf than in northern.
Sweet fruit (and American and European) are indented at the top. Northern are rounded on top.
Sweet is hairy on the stems and somewhat hairy on leaves. Northern is mostly smooth.
There is one more Lycopus sp., only in southern NJ (barrens and Cape May): clasping water-horehound, L. amplectans. It has leaves that are very sessile, somewhat clasping the stem, and has few teeth along the edges of the leaves. Otherwise they are similar to sweet and northern.
European Water-Horehound, European Bugleweed (Lycopus europaeus)
Leaves with some teeth elongated into narrow lobes
Plant hairy, especially on stems
Upper surface of leaves rough, hairy
sepals with long tips
Flowers only a little longer than sepals
fruit with indented tips and sepal lobes extending well beyond top (same as american, look for hairy stems)
Will grow in wasteplaces away from water.
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