Portal:Insects/Did you know

edit

Did you know 1

Portal:Insects/Did you know/1

... that Araneagryllus is named from a combination of the Latin aranea meaning "spider" and gryllus meaning "cricket"?
... that the ant Pseudomyrmex ferruginea kills insects such as crickets and stings the heads of animals such as goats, attacking any approaching creatures attracted to the leaves of the Bullhorn Acacia?
... that Electrinocellia peculiaris is named for the Latin "electrum" meaning amber, "Inocellia", the type genus for Inocelliidae, and "peculiaris" for the enigmatic nature of the species?
... that the extinct sweat bee Augochlora leptoloba is known from a single specimen now in a private collection in Turin, Italy?
... that the extinct sweat bee genus Nesagapostemon is known from a single 9.9-millimetre (0.39 in) female specimen?

edit

Did you know 2

Portal:Insects/Did you know/2

... that the ringlegged earwig gets its common name from the noticeable dark bands around the middle of its six legs?
... that the female sweetpotato bug is very protective of her young?
... that the stink-bug Nezara viridula can feed on plants from over 30 families, but its preference for legumes, such as beans and soybeans, make it an economically important pest on crops?
... that the only male "sweat bee" to have been documented from Dominican amber is the type specimen for the extinct Eickwortapis?
... that after Indian domino cockroaches copulate, a female does not permit males to approach, kicking them away with her hind legs?

edit

Did you know 3

Portal:Insects/Did you know/3

... that Prodromus Entomology was the first book about Australia containing plates engraved in Australia?
... that Archiinocellia is noted to be the only snakefly fossil genus from British Columbia and one of only two from Canada?
... that the extinct Neocorynura electra, found in Dominican amber, is the only known species of Neocorynura "sweat bee" from the Greater Antilles?
... that the oldest association between Trypanosoma, which causes Chagas disease, and its vector, the assassin bug Triatoma, is found in Triatoma dominicana and Trypanosoma antiquus?
... that at just over 18 millimetres (0.71 in), Fibla carpenteri is the largest species of snakefly known from amber?

edit

Did you know 4

Portal:Insects/Did you know/4

... that along with Ithonidae, Polystoechotidae are regarded as the most primitive living members of the insect order Neuroptera?
... that the white-throated round-eared bat creates roosts inside the nests of the termite, Nasutitermes corniger?
... that Leptofoenus pittfieldae is the only species of Leptofoenus documented from the West Indies and the only member of Leptofoenus in the fossil record?
... that fluffy bums suck on passion vine juice?
... that Diorhabda carinata, D. sublineata and D. elongata, three species of leaf beetle in Eurasia and North Africa, are used as biological pest control agents against invasive tamarisk trees in North America?

edit

Did you know 5

Portal:Insects/Did you know/5

... that the flower chafer species Eupoecila australasiae gains its common name of 'fiddler beetle' from its violin-shaped markings?
... that the larvae of the Silky Hairstreak secrete substances that attract ants?
... that unlike other siricid wood wasps, Xeris spectrum does not have symbiotic fungi to aid its larvae as they burrow in the wood of fir and other conifer trees?
... that the extinct snakefly genus Proraphidia is known from fossils found in Spain, England, and Kazakhstan?
... that Kricogonia lyside can grow from egg to adult in as little as 13 days?

edit

Did you know 6

Portal:Insects/Did you know/6

... that offspring of Gargaphia solani almost always fall victim to predation without the protection of their mother?
... that the brilliantly-coloured blue and black neon cuckoo bee of Australia is a parasite of the blue banded bee?
... that fossil specimens of the extinct scorpionfly family Dinopanorpidae, which includes Dinopanorpa and Dinokanaga, sometimes have preserved dark with light to clear color patterning?
... that Ororaphidia and Styporaphidia are the oldest snakeflies known from China, dating from the Middle Jurassic?
... that the Australian cicada Psaltoda plaga is commonly known as the "black prince"?

edit

Did you know 7

Portal:Insects/Did you know/7

... that the caterpillar of the zygaenid moth Aglaope infausta can retract its head into its prothorax?
... that the pictured rove beetle lives in the intertidal zone and feeds on beach hoppers?
... that the male Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth attracts females by buzzing like a bee?
... that the mosquito Psorophora howardii can puncture through a coat, vest, and two shirts?
... that the beetle Dermestes maculatus attacks and eats live turkeys?

edit

Did you know 8

Portal:Insects/Did you know/8

... that the golden-green carpenter bee defends its nesting burrow by blocking the entrance with its abdomen?
... that caterpillars of the oak leafroller and oak leaftier moths are major defoliators of oak trees, with leafroller timber losses in Pennsylvania of over $100,000,000 in the early 1970s?
... that Nanoraphidia electroburmica, known from a fossil in amber, is the smallest known snakefly species, living or extinct?
... that researchers finally collected a larva and an adult female Tonyosynthemis ofarrelli which match an earlier male specimen?
... that the common spangle gall on the leaves of pedunculate oak trees is produced by the gall wasp Neurotus quercus-baccarum?

edit

Did you know 9

Portal:Insects/Did you know/9

... that the Australian moth Abantiades latipennis is well-adapted to surviving clearfelling and thrives in regrowth forests?
... that out of the described snakefly specimens from the Florissant Formation, the Raphidia funerata holotype is the most complete?
... that Ctenomorphodes chronus is an Australian stick insect that resembles an eucalyptus twig, and the female lays 3-mm elliptical eggs that resemble plant seeds?
... that when a Japanese honeybee hive is invaded by a giant hornet scout, the honeybees "bake" the hornet in a ball of about 500 bees?
... that Acanthoplus discoidalis is able to squirt haemolymph up to 30 centimetres (11.8 in) when attacked by predators?

edit

Did you know 10

Portal:Insects/Did you know/10

... that the cicada Aleeta curvicosta of eastern Australia is known as the floury baker from its appearance of being dusted with white powder?
... that a blister beetle was introduced in Hawaii to trim the wood-boring Sonoran carpenter bee population, but the beetle failed to survive in the islands?
... that the termite Globitermes sulphureus uses autothysis, a form of suicidal altruism, to entangle intruder ants in a sticky substance?
... that male Coastal Petaltails have unique, bright orange anal appendages called 'petaltails' that are believed to be used to attract a mate?
... that some beetles of the genus Zopherus are used as living brooches?

edit

Did you know 11

Portal:Insects/Did you know/11

... that Clouded Magpie moths resemble bird droppings while they are resting on the upper surface of leaves?
... that the caterpillars of the moth Mompha raschkiella cause a yellowish blotch on the leaves of Rosebay Willowherb that bleach rapidly after the caterpillars leave them?
... that the scientific name of the peacock carpenter bee (Xylocopa bombylans) means "bumblebee-like wood-cutter"?
... that the mayfly Rhithrogena germanica can emerge from a river, moult and fly off in 30 seconds?
... that the first entomological article written by a New World native concerned the "Great Black Waſp"?

edit

Did you know 12

Portal:Insects/Did you know/12

... that the animals described in Carl Linnaeus' Centuria Insectorum include the crab Hepatus epheliticus, the rhinoceros beetle Dynastes tityus, the scale insect Conchaspis capensis and the butterfly Catopsilia scylla?
... that male Monobia quadridens wasps will try to sting like a female, but have neither stinger nor venom?
... that in 1962, biophysicist Jerome Wolken proposed sending cockroaches into space as part of an effort to detect signs of extraterrestrial life?
... that Frankliniella tritici, known as Eastern flower thrips, is an insect that damages crops in the United States of America, including strawberries, grapes, beans and asparagus?
... that the extinct ant-like stone beetle Kachinus, found in Cretaceous amber, is similar in appearance to the modern genus Paraneseuthia?

edit

Did you know 13

Portal:Insects/Did you know/13

... that the water cricket Velia caprai can travel twice as fast after spitting on the water?
... that along with the giant lacewings, the moth lacewing family are regarded as the most primitive living Neuroptera?
... that the timothy plant bug causes "sticky dough"?
... that the Queen's executioner lives in Windsor Great Park and feeds on weevils and nectar?
... that the maize weevil is a serious pest of maize in the United States, and also infests standing crops and cereals in all tropical areas of the world?

edit

Did you know 14

Portal:Insects/Did you know/14

... that the fossil butterfly Prodryas persephone is so well preserved that individual wing scales can be seen?
... that the beetle Lixus concavus lives inside sunflowers?
... that the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory imports up to 3,000 butterflies a month from around the world?
... that the extinct sawfly Pseudosiobla cambelli is one of three species of Pseudosiobla known from the fossil record?
... that members of Senostoma kill their hosts when ready to emerge?

edit

Did you know 15

Portal:Insects/Did you know/15

... that the extinct rove beetle genus Ektatotricha is known from 15 beetles trapped in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar?
... that "Sheridan's Green Hairstreak", Callophrys sheridanii, is Wyoming's state butterfly?
... that one species of the extinct wasp Palaeovespa fed caterpillars to its larvae?
... that fighting crickets are provided with female company before the fight, stimulated with tickling during the fight, and buried in silver coffins after it?
... that the predatory insect Orius insidiosus is mass-reared for use in the biological control of thrips?

edit

Did you know 16

Portal:Insects/Did you know/16

... that Parachartergus apicalis will attack Camponotus atriceps if they try to tend their treehoppers?
... that the Philippine hornet Vespa luctuosa has the most lethal venom by weight of any known wasp species?
... that amber fossils of ants carrying the extinct mealybug genus Electromyrmococcus represent the oldest record of symbiosis between mealybugs and Acropyga ants?
... that the extinct Protosialis casca is one of only two known alderflies from the West Indies?
... that the bone skipper came back from the dead after 160 years to feed on rotting bones?

edit

Did you know 17

Portal:Insects/Did you know/17

... that molecular phylogenetics suggests that Pthirus gorillae jumped from gorillas to early humans about 3.3 million years ago and speciated into the present day pubic louse?
... that Austroplatypus incompertus forms colonies in the heartwood of some Eucalyptus trees and was the first beetle recognized as eusocial?
... that Mimoides phaon was the first swallowtail butterfly of the genus Mimoides to stray into the United States?
... that the "orchid dupe wasp", Lissopimpla excelsa, ejaculates visible amounts of semen as it tries to copulate with flowers of the leafless-, large- and tartan- tongue orchids, which it mistakes for a female wasp?
... that the oriental mole cricket, Gryllotalpa orientalis, can not only dig a burrow a metre deep but can also swim?

edit

Did you know 18

Portal:Insects/Did you know/18

... that the fungus Entomophthora muscae makes flies climb upwards before killing them, so they are better able to release a shower of spores for the next cycle of infection?
... that the bee Anthidium manicatum scrapes fur from leaves to line its nest?
... that the extinct sandfly species Lutzomyia adiketis is host to the Paleoleishmania species P. neotropicum?
... that all species of the fruit fly genus Zaprionus have the same characteristic white stripes over the head and thorax?
... that the wasp Megarhyssa macrurus paralyzes her prey by injecting it with an ovipositor 4 inches (10 cm) long?

edit

Did you know 19

Portal:Insects/Did you know/19

... that adult males of the parasitic wasp, Encarsia perplexa, can only develop when a virgin female lays eggs in a fully developed larva of her own species?
... that anywhere from 60 million to 1 billion monarch butterflies spend the winter at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in central Mexico?
... that the bigheaded ant, Pheidole megacephala, protects the source of its food supply, green scale insects, by removing predatory larvae that might eat them?
... that three partial cross veins in the wings make D. appendiculata a unique fruit fly among the more than 1500 species of Drosophila?
... that due to its long life cycle, the adult Great Arctic is only seen every other year?

edit

Did you know 20

Portal:Insects/Did you know/20

... that Petalura hesperia dragonflies lay their eggs along stream margins because their larvae are semi-aquatic?
... that the beetle Typhaea stercorea has been found in grain storages dating all the way back to the Iron Age?
... that Vespula flaviceps larvae are considered a delicacy in Japan?
... that with a forewing length of only 3.36 millimetres (0.132 in) Microberotha is one of the smallest known beaded lacewings to have been described?
... that, in female bedbugs, the spermalege reduces the wounding costs caused by a male's needle-like penis?

edit

Did you know 21

Portal:Insects/Did you know/21

... that Euprenolepis procera is the first ant discovered that harvests and feeds on mushrooms?
.. that Milton Levine founded Uncle Milton's Toys, best known for its ant farm, with ants from the species Pogonomyrmex californicus?
... that Acromis spinifex is one of the few tortoise beetles that shows maternal care of its young?
... that the population density of Moroccan locust nymphs can reach several thousand individuals per square metre (11 sq ft)?
... that picnic beetles are attracted to beer?

edit

Did you know 22

Portal:Insects/Did you know/22

... that the beetle Caryobruchus gleditsiae is named after the legume Gleditsia triacanthos, although it lives exclusively on palms?
... that the larvae of the common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea usually consume aphids, but when food is scarce they will eat each other?
... that the "black-margined loosestrife beetle", Galerucella calmariensis, was introduced to North America for biological pest control against the invasive Lythrum salicaria?
... that Edward L. Kessel assembled the world's most comprehensive collection of Platypezidae flat-footed flies?
... that in the north, the North American paper wasp Polistes annularis has rust-red markings on a predominantly black thorax, but in the south, the thorax is mostly rust-red with black markings?

edit

Did you know 23

Portal:Insects/Did you know/23

... that the extinct Phlebotominae sandfly Pintomyia falcaorum is known only from Miocene age Dominican amber found on Hispaniola?
... that although true bugs eat aphids, they help the aphids by eating another predator, young lacewings?
... that the ground beetle, Lebia grandis, can eat about 23 eggs or three larvae of the Colorado potato beetle every day?
... that the weevil Hylobius transversovittatus has been introduced into the United States and Canada to help control the invasive wetland plant Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)?
... that the larva of the Texas beetle, Brachypsectra fulva, can live for over two years without feeding?

edit

Did you know 24

Portal:Insects/Did you know/24

... that larvae of Cuban endemic firefly Alecton discoidalis (pictured) attack land snails?
... that the extinct parasitoid wasp Metapelma archetypon is thought to have preyed upon wood-boring beetles?
... that the extinct mason bee species Anthidium exhumatum and Anthidium scudderi are known from the Eocene Florissant Formation in Colorado?
... that the extinct parasitoid wasp genus Aspidopleura is known from only two fossils found in Baltic amber?
... that the extinct Eocene parasitoid wasp Brevivulva electroma was named from the Latin words meaning "short amber wrapper"?

edit

Did you know 25

Portal:Insects/Did you know/25

... that only one side of the extinct parasitoid wasp Neanaperiallus is visible in its sole fossilised specimen?
... that the queen ant of the Acropyga acutiventris carries a mealybug Xenococcus annandalei in her jaws on her nuptial flight?
... that the only known specimen of the extinct planthopper Glisachaemus jonasdamzeni is preserved with a parasitic mite?
... that the extinct planthopper Tainosia quisqueyae was named for the Taíno people and Hispaniola?
... that the discovery of the fossil giant ant Titanomyrma in Wyoming indicates that warmth-loving fauna spread through the north between Europe and America during hot spells in the Eocene?

edit

Did you know 26

Portal:Insects/Did you know/26

... that the iridescent metallic hues of some jewel bugs are caused by structural colours instead of pigmentation?
... that a fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana has been released along with a parasitic wasp Tetrastichus planipennisi in the United States as a biological control agent of the emerald ash borer?
... that the extinct giant ant genus Formicium is known only from forewings found in Dorset and Tennessee?
... that some species of giant stink bugs are edible?
... that a new species of decim periodical cicada was discovered by studying the songs of Brood XIX, which re-emerged in 2011 after 13 years underground?

edit

Did you know 27

Portal:Insects/Did you know/27

... that the fossil sawfly species Eriocampa tulameenensis was found along the Canadian Pacific rail line near Princeton, British Columbia?
... that the wasp Dinocampus coccinellae can turn a ladybird into a "zombie bodyguard"?
... that June mating displays of Photinus carolinus create moving bands of light and darkness that draw crowds one firefly scientist calls "obscene"?
... that the moose botfly Cephenemyia ulrichii shoots its larvae into people's eyes, perhaps because human eyes and moose nostrils both face forward?
... that musician David Rothenberg appears in a YouTube video playing jazz with cassini periodical cicadas, insects noted for their synchronized rhythm?

edit

Did you know 28

Portal:Insects/Did you know/28

... that the penis of the lesser water boatman Micronecta scholtzi creates mating calls of 99.2 decibels, making it the loudest animal on earth, scaled for its size?
... that when the extinct forester moth Neurosymploca? oligocenica was described, a second fossil was known but unavailable for study?
... that the fontanellar gun is a type of specialised weapon used by North American termites to ward off enemy insects?
... that the extinct Eocene butterfly Prodryas persephone from the Florissant Fossil Beds is the best preserved fossil lepidopteran discovered to date?
... that Hydriomena? protrita was the first geometer moth to be described from the American fossil record?

edit

Did you know 29

Portal:Insects/Did you know/29

... that scientists first discovered the biological screw joint in the Papuan weevil Trigonopterus oblongus?
... that fossils of extinct giant cicadas were once misidentified as the oldest known butterflies?
... that some species of the stick insect genus Timema have not had sex for over a million years?
... that the family placement for the fossil moth genus Dominickus was not noticed until entomologist Norman Tindale looked at pictures of modern moths from Australia?
... that tiny Paederus beetles may have caused some of the ten Plagues of Egypt?

edit

Did you know 30

Portal:Insects/Did you know/30

... that the seeds of the European sedge Carex pilulifera may be dispersed by the ant Myrmica ruginodis?
... that the oldest known member of the mayfly family Neoephemeridae is the Eocene species Neoephemera antiqua?
... that Sphecius grandis, the Western cicada killer wasp, paralyzes cicadas for its offspring to eat after hatching?
... that the extinct griffenfly genus Bohemiatupus inhabited peat-mires?
... that the extinct hangingfly genera Formosibittacus, Jurahylobittacus, and Mongolbittacus are only known from the Middle Jurassic of China?

edit

Did you know 31

Portal:Insects/Did you know/31

... that of the three described species in the Eocene bulldog ant genus Avitomyrmex, one species is known only from worker caste individuals?
... that one species of the extinct Eocene bulldog ant Ypresiomyrma reached up to 25 millimetres (0.98 in) in length?
... that the type specimen of the extinct bulldog ant Macabeemyrma ovata is the fossilized remains of an adult queen preserved in shale?
... that the type specimen of the extinct tortoise beetle Denaeaspis is only 6.04 millimetres (0.238 in) long?
... that the extinct snakefly Agulla protomaculata is the only snakefly described from the Green River Formation?

edit

Did you know 32

Portal:Insects/Did you know/32

... that the nearest living relatives of Eosacantha, a fossil tortoise beetle from Colorado, are found in Africa, tropical Asia, and Australia?
... that the extinct sweat bee Halictus? savenyei was the first fossil bee from Canada to be described?
... that the extinct planthopper Emiliana was described from a single 47 million year old wing?
... that the Albian 100-million-year-old fossil wasp Myanmymar is only half a millimetre long?
... that fairyflies include the smallest known insects, smaller than a single-celled Paramecium?

edit

Did you know 33

Portal:Insects/Did you know/33

... that the only fossil of the extinct moth Baltimartyria sat on a paleoentomologist's desk for a number of years before being described in 2011?
... that the extinct wasps Dryinus grimaldii and Dryinus rasnitsyni are distinguishable by the modified claws on their front legs?
... that the extinct planthopper Ordralfabetix is named for a character from The Adventures of Asterix?
... that the rove beetle Diochus electrus is the first definite member of the subfamily Staphylininae from the fossil record?
... that the horse fly Scaptia beyonceae was named after singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles because of its striking golden behind?

edit

Did you know 34

Portal:Insects/Did you know/34

... that species in the fossil ant genus Myrmeciites are named for Hercules, Goliath, and a river?
... that Euploea alcathoe, the common crow butterfly, may pass through several generations in a year?
... that the female sand wasp Ammophila sabulosa digs burrows in sandy ground, provisioning each burrow with a food supply of paralysed caterpillars, always laying one egg on the first caterpillar?
... that larvae of the toadfly make their way through the nostrils of the common toad and eat its flesh?
... that the rice stink bug, a major pest of rice kernels, can possibly be ignored when found on standing maize?

edit

Did you know 35

Portal:Insects/Did you know/35

... that the male tropical rockmaster can be distinguished from the male sapphire rockmaster by the size of the blue spots on the underside of its abdomen?
... that bellflower resin bees were among the first insects noted to use synthetic materials in manufacturing nests?
... that the spermatophore of Zorotypus impolitus, one of the smallest in the insect world, contains a single giant sperm cell that is almost as long as the insect itself?
... that the Australian Jumper Ant Myrmecia nigrocincta is an accomplished jumper with leaps ranging from 3 to 4 inches (76 to 102 mm)?
... that the parasitoid wasp Kollasmosoma sentum can deposit its egg within the abdomen of an ant in as little as 0.052 seconds?

edit

Did you know 36

Portal:Insects/Did you know/36

edit

Did you know 37

Portal:Insects/Did you know/37

edit

Did you know 38

Portal:Insects/Did you know/38

edit

Did you know 39

Portal:Insects/Did you know/39

edit

Did you know 40

Portal:Insects/Did you know/40