drhoz: Catasarcus weevils, probably impressipennis
Creepy Crawlies!
Entomology (from Greek ἔντομος, entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented", hence "insect"; and -λογία, -logia[1]) is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology.
Though technically incorrect, the definition is sometimes widened to include the study of terrestrial animals in other arthropod groups or other phyla, such as arachnids, myriapods, earthworms, land snails, and slugs.
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Black is beautiful!
The black beauty stick insect (Peruphasma schultei) is known to exist only in a tiny area of 12 acres, in the Cordillera del Condor region of northern Peru. It became known to science for the first time just six years ago, being named after an amphibian expert called Rainer Schulte, who originally discovered the species.
Most of you know that I had a nasty fall down a flight of stairs in March. I was very lucky to escape with my life and my relentless sass, but parts of me were not so lucky (broken jaw & teeth… lots of broken teeth). May 8th I will be having my first round of dental surgery to restore my mouth to it’s former glory (you’re welcome). The whole process is going to be ridiculously expensive ($18k… seriously? Yes, seriously).
I basically am not going to be able to pay for this alone… so, the girls and I got together and came up with “Art for Teef”. Here’s how it works:
1. Click the link and donate what you can thru Paypal.
2. PRIZES! We will send you art handmade by one or more beautiful ladies* just for you.
3. I will give all the money to my dentist.
4. My dentist will make me pretty again… EVERYONE WINS!
Looky here to donate and for more infoThis is an old friend of my partners. If you have a love of art, or just some $ to spare, please check out the site! This is great thing she is doing to make the money she needs for her dental surgery.
Dinosaur Fleas: A Look at Paleo Pests
by Jeanna Bryner
Like today’s mammals and birds, including our furry four-legged friends, dinosaurs may have been plagued by fleabites. Researchers have discovered the fossilized remains of what they are now calling two species, one of which lived 165 million years ago, and the other 125 million years ago. They were about 10 times the size of today’s fleas and sported long, tough mouthparts that were likely able to penetrate the tough skin of a dinosaur. The finding adds to other “dinosaur flea” discoveries, suggesting perhaps a giant flea collar may have been in order…
(read more/see more fossils: Live Science)
(images: Capital Normal University, Beijing, China)
realmonstrosities: Adult Green Lacewings are dainty princesses! Their children are murderous brutes. Use a condom.
A pilot study in Tanzania to help prevent malaria is identifying and targeting bodies of water where mosquitoes lay eggs. The larvae are then poisoned with larvicide and eventually die. Results show that in the six wards of Dar es Salaam where larvaciding took place, the density of adult mosquitoes fell by 57%.
New Giant Tarantula Discovered in Sri Lanka
“A new type of tarantula about the size of your face has been found in northern Sri Lanka. Scientists found the spiders — with a leg span up to 8 inches across — living in trees and the old doctor’s quarters of a hospital in Mankulam.”
Someone just wrote to me with their surprise that spiders could be cute until they saw the jumping spider I found. So, I googled, and found this cutie! She’s all “Who me? I am just holding this fly, I didn’t do anything…”
Little Barrier Island Giant Weta (Deinacrida heteracantha)
…is a species of weta once found throughout New Zealand but is now only found on Little Barrier Island. Like most giant wetas this species is a nocturnal herbivore and has a diet of leaves, fungi and small invertebrates. But unlike other wetas this species is not social and pretty passive, despite its genus name meaning ‘terrible grasshopper’. The only thing terrible about them is their weight, as they are the heaviest of all giant wetas with one specimen reported weighing 71g that’s 3x heavier than a house mouse!
Phylogeny
Animalia-Arthropoda-Insecta-Orthoptera-Anstostomatidae-Deinacrida-heteracantha
(via rhamphotheca)
Grasshopper (Acrida chinensis)
These large elongate grasshoppers camouflage well in long grass until intruders get too close and then the explosion of legs and wings as they take flight is hard to ignore.
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) in “Bugs on Black”.
Beijing, China
(“Bugs on Black” is my 500px-hosted portfolio of images of Chinese insects and arachnids on a black background whether it be in my home lightbox studio or in a natural setting where the use of a flash without a close background produces a dark backdrop. The black background, although not natural in appearance, focuses the attention of the image on the subject itself and can emphasize additional detail otherwise not evident.)
See more Chinese grasshoppers and crickets on my Flickr site HERE…..
(via insectlove)
Lobster Moth Caterpillar (Stauropus sp., Notodontidae)
by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
The Lobster Moth is in itself an unremarkable fluffy Lepidopteran you might not look twice at. Its larvae however are widely regarded as the most bizarre of all caterpillars, with long thin jointed forelegs which are not only used outstretched in a defensive posture when alarmed but also giving this caterpillar extreme agility and alien-like mobility around its environment, and a grotesquely enlarged tail-end not dissimilar to that of a crustacean which can be elevated to assume numerous “artistic” poses.
Following is Wikipedia’s entry for this caterpillar…..
“In the first instar the caterpillar feeds entirely on its own egg-shell and is unusual in that it mimics an ant or small spider. This is due to the long thoracic legs “and caudal appendages which are ever nervously twisting about”. If the larva is disturbed during this period it wriggles about violently in the same manner as an injured ant.“The young caterpillars keep guard over their own egg-shell. They keep nervously moving around and about the egg, and if perchance another caterpillar should approach within touch of it, a vigorous attack is made to drive off the intruder.” During the following instars the caterpillar develops even more of an odd appearance with “a large head, long thoracic legs, raised humps on the fourth to seventh segments and a greatly swollen anal segment that has the claspers modified into long thin structures”.
The general colour is reddish brown and if in its resting position provides perfect cryptic camouflage. The larvae can grow to a length of 70 mm and if disturbed by a potential predator can put on a menacing display with the thoracic legs splayed out and the head arched back over the body. The moth pupates in a strong cocoon, “usually spun up between dead leaves”.”
Pu’er, Yunnan, China
See more Chinese caterpillars on my Flickr site HERE…
Sometime in April or May of this year, a swarm of insects called Brood II Cicadas will rise from the earth and fill the skies all across the Northeast, from Virginia to Connecticut
.
This year’s brood will emerge in the following states: Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. You can find when the cicadas are coming to your region on Magicicada.org.
(Source: Business Insider)
