Phorid (Scuttle) Flies

These flies belong to a large family called Phoridae or Scuttle Flies. They are parasites on many different invertebrates. These photos are of two species (Pseudacteon obtusus and P. tricupsis) attacks the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta). They quickly lay an egg in the thorax of the ant, then the larva hatches and migrates to the head of the ant where it eats out the head capsule, which eventually falls off!

Cats at Sirena

Margay, originally uploaded by Abbott Nature Photography.


Ocelot, originally uploaded by Abbott Nature Photography.


Mountain Lion or Puma, originally uploaded by Abbott Nature Photography.

In February of 2007, I spent some time at Sirena Biological Station on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. This is a magical place with lots of wildlife. I setup my trap camera and had amazing success capturing tapirs, white-lipped peccary, many small animals and the three cats above. Capturing all of these animals in a single month is a testimony to not only the diversity of this special place, but also the density of the wildlife.

Diving Beetle

These are aggressive predators, both as larvae and adults. They feed on other insects as well as small fish and tadpoles. The full series of shots can be viewed in the galleries at my website.

New Website

I have moved my old www.aeshna.com photographic site to www.abbottnaturephotography.com and enhanced it in many respects. I'll be adding lots of photos in many galleries over the coming months.