Conversation

Notices

1. kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 22-Aug-2023 03:17:15 JST kho

   • kho
   Giant water bugs—Kirkaldyia deyrolli—are mostly found in East Asia, Australia and the Americas. These bugs are some of the largest in the world (measuring up to fifteen centimeters long) and hunt small fish and amphibians. They are also known to consume snakes and turtles. They wait at the bottom of freshwater rivers and lakes for their prey. When a potential meal comes by, the giant water bug injects powerful digestive fluid into it so that the insides of the prey turn to liquid for easier ingestion. The bug has one of the most painful bites in the insect world.
   
   The male bugs take a very active role in reproduction. Around seven hundred eggs are laid on the male’s wings and remain there until they are ready to hatch. The giant water bug is used in Asian cuisine and it is a popular snack in Thailand. The pheromones it secretes are used in production of an expensive dipping sauce.
   • cool_boy_mew likes this.
   • cool_boy_mew (coolboymew@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 23-Aug-2023 23:57:44 JST cool_boy_mew

     in reply to
     @kho what's the scorpion that shoots acid or something?
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 23-Aug-2023 23:57:45 JST kho

     in reply to
     Looking at this butterfly it is easy to understand why it is called ‘The Emperor of India’. With its shimmering greens, bright yellows and delicate blacks, this rare butterfly is a visual delight.
     
     This magnificent butterfly is found along the Eastern Himalayas (West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim and Manipur) in India. In these areas, it occurs at medium and higher elevations from 6000 to 10,000 feet in well-wooded terrain.
     
     It has a strong and fast flight. It usually flies at tree-top level but when there is strong morning sunlight it descends to sit on low vegetation. April to July is the period when it is in flight. Its eggs are laid on the underside of leaves and are pale purplish red in colour and smooth and spherical in shape.
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 23-Aug-2023 23:57:45 JST kho

     in reply to
     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Tailless Whip Scorpions are spiderlike in appearance.. Due in part to their nocturnal lifestyle and bizarre, frightening appearance, very little is known about this arachnid order. An Amblypygid , the Mexican tailless whip-scorpion was featured in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
     
     The body of the Tailless whip-scorpion is is flat. It has ten legs, and its first legs are very long, thin and whip-like. This Amblyplygid’s pedipalps (pincer-bearing front arms adapted for sensory and predatory use) are spiny and powerful. Whip-scorpions found in the El Yunque National Forest can be quite large (19 to 25 inches/48 to 63 centimeters, including legs) when compared to those found in other tropical areas, possibly because there are no large mammal predators on the island. Adult females are larger than males.
     
     Whip-scorpions are nocturnal, emerging at night to hunt and kill their prey. They eat frogs, small animals, large insects and crustaceans. They capture prey by seizing and holding it with their pedipalps and then killing and eating it with their strong jaws. Although they are Arachnids, they do not have spinnerets (tubular structures used to secrete silk thread) and therefore do not spin webs. Whip-scorpions do not produce venom and are harmless to humans. Whip-scorpions fasten their pedipalps together when they are mating to prevent the female from killing and eating the male when mating is finished.
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 24-Aug-2023 00:01:06 JST kho

     in reply to

     • cool_boy_mew
     @coolboymew it's a different whip scorpion - vinegaroon
     cool_boy_mew likes this.
   • Kirino Kousaka (kirino@seal.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 24-Aug-2023 00:01:22 JST Kirino Kousaka

     in reply to

     • cool_boy_mew

     That’s the Spider-Man villain

     cool_boy_mew likes this.
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 04:01:09 JST kho

     in reply to
     Had limited internet service yesterday, but here was yesterday's arthropod:
     
     Fire ants, aka Solenopsis spp, are dark reddish brown. Their head is lighter than their abdomen, and their size ranges from 1/8-3/8 inch in length. The queen is longer than the workers. They generally possess two segment antennal clubs.
     
     These ants have a painful sting which can cause a raised welt. A white pustule appears, which lasts for 48 hours. Notably, their stings react severely to the people who are allergic to insects.
     
     Fire ants are found in southern parts of the United States. These ants make their nests outdoors and near buildings, making them agricultural and urban pests. They can enter through holes and cracks to invest in the structure. Their nests can usually be found near logs.
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 04:01:09 JST kho

     in reply to
     Today's arthropod:
     
     The Cyanide millipede—Harpaphe haydeniana—is the chemist of the arthropod world. This millipede produces hydrogen cyanide (HCN) to hunt prey and to protect itself against any threats. This lethal substance has proved very effective and as a result of this adaptation, the millipede has very few natural predators.
     
     Storing HCN is extremely complex. If it is stored at room temperature, it could harm the millipede. So instead of storing this substance, the cyanide millipede stores two other chemicals, (mandelonitrile and benzoyl cyanide) in various segments of its body. When it needs to release the cyanide, chambers open and the different chemicals mix. The gas is ejected from millions of pores around the body at its prey or in defense against a predator. The millipede produces up to 0.6 milligrams of HCN, which can kill mice, predatory beetles and stun larger predators.
     
     The millipede is found on the west coast of North America from California to British Columbia and grows to five centimeters in length.
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 04:01:10 JST kho

     in reply to
     Few insects boast a truly gold-colored body. The Golden Tortoise Beetle is even more remarkable because it can actually change its coloring at will thanks to microscopic cavities in its cuticle that house pigmentation. The beetle's metallic sheen can be dulled, and that lovely gold can become brown. Upon death, the metallic glimmer fades. Like a tortoise, the body of the beetle is humped, or rounded, as if the wing coverings were actually a shell. The bottom edges of the beetle's eltyra are transparent, like glass.
     
     Adult tortoise beetles use some unique features to protect themselves from predators. They can cover themselves with their clear pronotum and elytra, which are flanged plate-like structures that extend beyond their oval-shaped bodies. The hardened shell protects them much like a tortoise’s shell, hence the name tortoise beetle. This feature makes it difficult for predators to capture them. They can also evade predators by suddenly dropping off the leaf on which they are sitting. It is an effective “disappearing act.”
     
     Fascinatingly, it also developed a very special relationship with certain flora. That’s because the unique invertebrate evolved to feed only on a specific family of plants, the Connolvulaceae. This family includes several species, including morning glories, bindweeds, and sweet potatoes. In fact, both the larvae and the adults feed on the foliage of these species exclusively. While not unknown, this characteristic remains uncommon enough to garner great interest among researchers. This case, therefore, makes for a rather fascinating example of coevolution.
     
     In the attached video you can see it change color. When a golden tortoise beetle is agitated or under attack from a predator, it contracts the spaces between the layers of cuticle and forces liquid out of the grooves — doing away with the iridescence and usually revealing a brownish-orange color.
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 04:01:10 JST kho

     in reply to
     Black Horse Flies are about an inch long, making them highly visible and somewhat intriguing to watch. They are fast fliers despite their hefty size. Females feed on blood, and they are not averse to taking it from anything that has it. Their mouth parts cut open flesh, allowing blood to ooze out. They use a proboscis to sponge up the blood, leaving behind an open wound. These wounds can become infected, which poses a threat to livestock health. They are also very painful bites for humans. Males do not bite and do not drink blood. Males actually drink flower nectar and spend their days looking for females to mate with.
     
     Males and females are both completely black, but males have huge eyes that touch each other at the center of the face; the eyes of females are separated. It's the size of the eyes that strikes curiosity in most people that see them. The color of the eyes may vary depending on the lighting. Facets comprising each eye reflect light, so sometimes their eyes appear black, sometimes silver (see photo gallery) and sometimes shades of their surroundings.
     
     This species is found in the eastern part of the continent. Females lay fertilized eggs on or near water sources. Maggots (larvae) feed on other aquatic insects and worms. Chemicals, home remedies, and special collars exist as methods used to deter the presence of Horse Flies, especially in stables. ©InsectIdentification.org
   • kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 04:01:31 JST kho

     in reply to
     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Camel spiders, which aren’t spiders at all, are creatures swirled in myth, legend, and viral fame. There are over 1,000 different species of camel spiders. These creatures are actually different members of the arachnid family, in the order Solifugae, but are neither spiders or scorpions. They are also known as “solifuges,” “sun spiders,” and “wind scorpions.”
     
     The largest species of solifugae family can reach up to 6 in. long, including legs. They superficially resemble spiders, but appear to have five pairs of legs. In reality, the first “legs” are actually pedipalps, which are small extensions near the mouth that are used to aid in feeding. These creatures have incredibly long mouthparts, called chelicerae. Each chelicera has a crab-like pincer on the end, which is used for tearing hair and feathers from carrion.
     
     Depending on the species, some camel spiders are carnivores and some are omnivores. The vast majority of species prey on termites, beetles, and other insects and arthropods. Larger species will feed on larger prey. As opportunistic feeders they will eat virtually anything they can capture. Some uncommon but recorded prey includes snakes, small rodents, lizards, and more.