Bug Night #8: Don’t just sit (or stand) there—ID something

“Wow, look at the crazy patterns of exoskeleton on my pedipalp,” said the Bug Night-er. She could not be blamed for a moment of distraction looking at her own morphology through the stereoscope. The one-hour warning had been issued by a White Coat and she had already identified over 700 chironomids and varying quantities of seven other families.

“Dude, how fast do you think I can click to 999?” drawled her lab partner with his lolling head supported by a free hand while basking in the otherworldly glow of the unused stereomicroscope. She looked concerned and then irritated.

“I am not a dude,” she snapped, “You have counted nearly a thousand gnats?”

“No, I just want to see how fast I can click to 999 on these cool counters,” he said.

“Don’t just sit here,” his prolific lab partner commanded, “ID something—we have only an hour and just a few Bug Nights left.”

The doors open at six on Wednesday. Please click rapidly on the windows with your tarsi should you arrive a bit late. We are on a serious roll thanks to you. We can’t wait to see you there.