Shore Insects

Takes a special insect to qualify for this page.


Anisolabis maritima Maritime earwig

This will forever be a safe space for maritime earwigs.

Closeup on a dew-covered female maritime earwig Anisolabis maritima resting on the sand.
A good-sized sow
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Winged Ants

When nuptial flights line up with an east wind, beachcast events can span miles and include millions of winged ants.

A beachscape with the top of the tine marked by a lineup of beached flying ants. in the distance dines and forested coastal mountains to the left, surf zone to the left. Mostly clear sky.
Strand line dominated by winged ants as far as the eye can see
Closeup on a lot of dead winged ants resting on the sand.
Victims of an east wind

The two most dense and extensive ant beachcasts I’ve seen have both occurred in May (2013, above; and 2023, below) following an east wind. (By contrast, typical springtime prevailing wind direction on the northern Oregon shore is WNW, which would blow flying ants inland.) 

Closeup of the wrack line full of winged and a a sprinkling of ladybugs and iridescent green beetles.
Among the ants, a few ladybugs and iridescent green beetles
Closeup of the wrack line full of winged and a sprinkling of crustacean molts.
Winged ants and a sprinkling or crustacean molts
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Thinopinus pictus Pictured rove beetle

Pictured roves are predators, and in their size class they’re a force on the back beach. Woe to the inattentive beach hopper.

Closeup of an adult pictured rove beetle on the sand.
Adult
Closeup of an pictured rove beetle grub on the sand.
Grub
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References

Kozloff, E. N. 1993. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast. 3rd ed. University of Washington Press.


I created this page on February 19, 2025