Notices by kho (kho@shitposter.club)
-
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:23:05 JST 
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Umbonia spinosa can be distinguished from other members of its genus by the appearance of its elongated pronotum, or dorsal horn. The dorsal horn is located between or just behind its humerals and they possess a short metopidium. The dorsal horn itself is straight and the base of the plate is yellow, testaceous or pale green, with red or yellow vittae (stripes) at each side, though sometimes U. spinosa can be characterized by black vittae. It also has an interesting egg survival technique, where “females dig the nest during the nesting cycle”. The dorsal horn gradually tapers to a point from base to summit, similar to a thorn in appearance.
Umbonia spinosa has been found in South and Central America, Mexico, and southern Florida. In general, they tend to reside in more subtropical environments. In Central America, they congregate on the branches of the Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) for mating and overwintering, and are also found on the bean tree (Inga edulis). Female Umbonia spinosa uses those trees to lay their eggs in by making round holes in them. The trees are also used as a source of food, the Umbonia spinosa uses its mouth parts to ingest sap from the trees.
The juvenile form of Umbonia spinosa is historically considered edible by the indigenous peoples of South America, while their spines are still soft after molting. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:23:03 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
The beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is found in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. It is often found along fast-flowing waters.
The male usually has much more extensive pigmentation on the wings than other Calopteryx species in its range. In the southeast of its range (the Balkans and Turkey), the wings are entirely metallic blue. In other areas, the wings have clear spots at the base and the tip. Immature males have brown wings, as the metallic blue wing color develops only with age. They have metallic blue-green bodies and blue-green eyes.
The female has dark brown iridescent wings, a white patch near the tip of the wings (called a pseudopterostigma) and a metallic green body with a bronze tip of the abdomen.
Mating takes place in a way that for the genus Calopteryx and is typical of an eye-catching advertising behavior precedes. The females fly over the water, always in search of suitable nesting places and fly it through the territories of males. The males who recognize the females to the reflections of the moving wings, fly towards it, once they have crossed the border area. They use a striking Schwirrflug that only in the courtship will be shown, and demonstrate the underside of its abdomen raised high. The last three segments of it are much brighter and are referred to as a "lantern" that will be presented. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:23:00 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
A. virginiensis is a rather striking and, with a length of at least 5 cm (2 in), fairly large millipede found all around the eastern side of North America.
Like other millipedes the world over, A. virginiensis prefers dark and damp places where the musty air carries the thick scent of moss and fungus, shed leaves and rotting wood.
And, like other millipedes the world over, A. virginiensis feasts on the very same decaying plant matter. They're like vultures for plants, except we don't see it that way because we've never gotten round to taking the plant experience seriously. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:58 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Four-lined plant bug (Poecalocapsus linectus) is a piecing/sucking true bug that can cause unsightly damage to perennials, herbs, woody shrubs and some leafy vegetable plants, but damage is generally cosmetic and no control measures may be necessary. These insects are very small and are usually only discovered because of their tell-tale feeding damage.
Spots where feeding has occurred are small, somewhat circular and uniform with smooth edges. Contributing to the illusion of disease is the fact that these insects are fast moving, frequently dropping to the ground, and hiding under foliage or flying away when disturbed, so they may not be seen on.the plants. A third reason people might think this is a disease is that dead plant tissue may drop out, leaving a shot hole. Many leaf spot diseases also have this symptom.
As the common name suggests, adults of this true bug have four black longitudinal stripes surrounded by yellow to yellow-green on the leathery part of the wing covers. Beyond this, the membranous part of the wings is black. The head and body are a golden yellow with yellow-green legs that have black markings. Antennae are black. Adults are one-quarter inch in length. Nymphs are smaller, wingless, brightly-colored yellow to red, with black spots in rows on the segments of the abdomen. Mouthparts of adults and nymphs are piercing-sucking. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:58 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
The peacock pansy butterflies are recognized by their striking eyespots. The fascinating butterflies are native to South Asian countries. The upperside of peacock fansy’s wings are yellowish brown in color with brown edges. There are also distinct costal bars and attractive ‘peacock eyespots’ on the wings. The eyespots on the lower part of the wings become more prominent and attractive. The patterns on underside peacock pansy’s wing’s changes with season. Unlike dry season more brightfull patterns and eyespots form on the wings in wet season. Compare to upperside the costal bars on the edges of underside of their wings are appears to be dull and less attractive.
It takes 3 – 5 days to hatch the eggs of peacock pansy. The leaves of host plant become main food of caterpillars. It also takes another 5-6 days for development as a butterfly from pupa. The adult peacock pansy has a wingspan between 54-62 mm. They mainly prefers to live in gardens and open areas. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:56 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Aenigmatinea glatzella: The moth is small, about the size of a five cent piece when its wings are outstretched, and looks more like a caddis-fly than a moth. Although tiny, they are very beautiful: males look as though they’ve been sprinkled with gold dust, females are metallic purple, and both have feathery edges fringing their wings.
The genus name, Aenigmatinea, is well-chosen (it contains the word 'enigma'): there are several puzzling things about this moth that made it difficult to place in an evolutionary framework. Its wings and genitalia showed it to be primitive. The question was how primitive. Even the most primitive moths have jaws, and one of the first steps in the evolution of ‘advanced’ moths and butterflies is the development of a tongue. Aenigmatinea’s mouthparts are almost entirely reduced; it has neither jaws nor tongue.
It lives on Southern Cypress-pine trees (Callitris gracilis), a very ancient element of our flora dating back to the supercontinent Gondwana.
The adult moths are short-lived. In just one day they emerge from their cocoons, mate, females lay their eggs, and then die. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:53 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Soldier beetles are a common outdoor insect that can be abundant accidental invaders as either larvae or adults. Soldier beetles are nicknamed leatherwings because of their soft, clothlike wing covers, which when brightly colored are reminiscent of uniforms. The beetles are elongate, soft-bodied and about 1/2-inch long. Colors vary from yellow to red with brown or black wings or trim. Soldier beetles resemble lightning bugs but do not have light-producing organs.
Both adults and larvae are predacious and feed on other insects. The adults eat caterpillars, aphids, and other soft-bodied insects and can be important predators. As they lie in wait for prey on flowers such as goldenrod they may feed on nectar and pollen but they do no damage to the plants.
These black and orange flying insects are often seen flying around flowers and can be easily mistaken for wasps. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:51 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
The adult ornate bella moth is a rather small moth (wingspan 3.0 to 4.5 cm). The more common "bella" form has the front wings yellow with white bands each containing a row of black dots, and the hindwings bright pink with an irregular marginal black band. The paler form originally designated "ornatrix" is restricted to southern Florida and southern Texas.
The bella moth has two generations northward
but may breed continuously in the southernmost parts
of its range. Eggs are laid in clusters on the foliage.
Upon hatching, the young larvae feed on the foliage,
but later move to the pods which they bore into to
feed on the seeds. Upon reaching maturity, larvae migrate from the host plant to pupate in sheltered
situations under loose bark on nearby trees, in thick
vegetation, or in debris.
Adult bella moths live approximately three
weeks and females mate on average four to five times
-- each time receiving additional nutrients and
alkaloids via the spermatophores. The additional
nutrients and alkaloids allow the female to lay a
larger number of eggs than would otherwise be
possible and also to continue to invest sufficient
amounts of alkaloids in the eggs. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:49 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
The Australian Walking Stick is a large insect that can reach up to seven inches in length. These bugs have a distinct twig-like appearance. This helps them blend in with their surroundings and avoid predators.
Adults can release a defensive odor that humans might not find offensive as it “is rather reminiscent of peanut butter, vinegar or toffee”.
This stick insect is sexually dimorphic; that is, the male and female look very different.
Female adult are covered with thorn-like spikes for defense and camouflage. Their long, rounded bodies grow to about 8 inches (20 cm) long. The males are small and thinner, growing only about 11 cm in length and have three ocelli. Males lack the thorny growths except for spikes around their heads. They have long wings and are good flyers who readily take to the air if disturbed or in search of females. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:47 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
If ever there was a beetle made for a circus, it would be the Luminescent Click Beetle. It may look like any other brown beetle to most, but this humble-looking insect can do a myriad of tricks other insects can't. Look for its long brown body and two yellowish-white spots, one each on the outer edges of the thorax, when trying to identify it.
Like Fireflies, this beetle has light-producing organs. These organs are under the insect and give it a blue-green glow. Bioluminescence is not widespread in the insect world, so having it makes the Luminescent Click Beetle special. Because it is a member of Elateridae, it is able to snap a spine-like appendage against its chest which creates a 'click' or snapping noise as well as elevation. This feature allows the beetle to flip itself should it ever get turned onto its back. It also helps it quickly move away from threats like predators. The 'jump' can be quite high (about 10cm, or 6 inches) for such a small creature. This beetle can also fly, like all beetles. This collection of abilities makes the Luminescent Click Beetle extraordinary. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:44 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Oribatid mites are a suborder of mites (Acari) found around the world; there are about 9.000 species described. Oribatids are considered mesofauna, due to their body size of 0.1 to 2 mm. Most species feed on fungi or dead plant material and detritus (saprophages). A few are necro-/coprophageous) and some (opportunistic) predators.
Most adult oribatid mites are brown, but species range in color from nearly white, to yellow, to reddish-brown, to almost black. Males and females look very similar in most species, but the young mites rarely look like the adult mites. The females lay eggs and when the eggs hatch, the young mites (larvae) grow through three more stages before becoming adults. At each stage, they shed their outer body covering, called the exoskeleton. The external skeleton that supports and protects an animal’s body, in other words, the animals’ outer body covering. In can be very hard in oribatid mites as their bodies get bigger. Some oribatid mites carry this old exoskeleton around on their backs as a form of camouflage to protect them from predator mites.
Oribatid mites occur from the tropics to the Antarctic in almost all terrestrial habitats and have even colonized the marine littoral, bogs and fresh waters. Numerous species are adapted to life on tree trunks, bark and lichens on trees.
Many of the families have the ability to tuck their legs underneath their protective armour, called ptychoidy. This renders them immune from most predation, apart from being eating wholesale. The ability earned them the common name of box mites- like a closing box. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:42 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Ant-nest beetles, which belong to the genus Paussus, are among the most bizarre and fascinating insects in the animal kingdom. By hacking the complex communication systems of ants, the beetles are able to not only live among the colony as royalty but simultaneously prey on its members and trick the ants into raising their young.
Over the past few million years, these beetles have rapidly diversified in response to adopting new ant hosts, in a process known as adaptive radiation. Remarkably, this symbiosis has proved to be among the swiftest and most sophisticated examples of adaptive radiation in the animal kingdom.
Ants communicate with one another through a complex system of stridulation (noise making by rubbing together different parts of their body) combined with chemical messaging. Paussus beetles also stridulate and produce chemicals. Their stridulation may mimic that of their host ants, and the chemicals they secrete from their antennae are powerfully attractive to ants. Somehow, the beetles are able to use these traits to interfere with the ants' own chemical communications and hijack the normal functioning of ant society. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:40 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Leafcutter ants practice advanced methods of sustainable agriculture, and operate under one of the most studied social caste systems in the natural world. Naturalist E.O. Wilson offered that leafcutters have perfectly evolved to address every small need necessary for their survival over their 50 million years in existence. Different ants are responsible for each step in the process of cultivation of fungi. According to their size, ants fulfill specific roles such as defenders of the colony, caretakers of the young, gardeners, foragers and leafcutters. Incredibly, there are even tiny ants that straddle the backs of larger worker ants and defend them from carnivorous flies. No survival task is left unassigned. Researchers marvel at the complex form of sustainable agriculture that the ants practice. Careful not to overuse a single vegetation source, leafcutters gather fragments from different plants and trees, minimizing the vegetation’s tendency to build up its defenses. Some ants are equipped with a bacterium that acts as a pesticide on a particular mold, the largest threat to their fungus gardens. The ants sparing use of this protectant has kept the mold from developing a resistance, allowing the bacterium to remain an effective defense over time.
Found principally in Latin America and the Caribbean, leafcutter ants inhabit the forest floor and construct an underground web of chambers where they “farm” and harvest their staple food, fungus. They create underground fungus “gardens” by clipping and gathering fresh vegetation and injecting the pieces with a fungal secretion that digests the often poisonous plants into an edible and nutritious mushroom form.
These ants consume more vegetation than any other animal group. Their own fungal secretion, which they inject into the leaves, can change poisonous plants into a nutritious meal.
https://youtu.be/qE20FJINg1I?si=3i73zhg2gnbRIIUd -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:37 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Whiteflies are soft-bodied, winged insects closely related to aphids and mealybugs. Whiteflies are not true flies although they look fly-like. They actually belong to the same order of insects as scales, aphids, and mealybugs: the order Homoptera.
Whitefly adults resemble tiny moths and are covered with a whitish powder. Species identification can be made by examining the wing markings. The first instar nymphs resemble scales, but they become a transparent yellow-green and settle once they reach the second and third instar stages.
Whiteflies are “true bugs” (Hemiptera) that feed on plant sap, much like aphids. Adults are very small (1/16 - 1/10 inch) with powdery white wings. Females lay eggs directly on the undersides of plant leaves. The eggs hatch into tiny “crawlers” that walk a short distance before settling at a feeding location. These nymphs lose their ability walk, and remain in the same location for the rest of their development until they pupate and emerge as winged adults (Figure 1). The entire whitefly life cycle takes about 3 weeks under favorable conditions, allowing populations to build quickly. Whiteflies do not have a dormant stage that can withstand freezing temperatures. In climates that have winter freezes, such as Kentucky, whiteflies are year-round pests only in greenhouses. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:35 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Arctia plantaginis, the wood tiger, is a moth of the family Erebidae. Several subspecies are found in the Holarctic ecozone south to Anatolia, Transcaucasus, northern Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan. One subspecies is endemic to North America.
Wood tiger moths have coloring reminiscent of the tiger and are found in many parts of the world. In this new effort, the researchers took a closer look at how they ward off predators by collecting multiple specimens and bringing them back to the lab for study.
Prior research had shown that the moths excreted fluid from glands on the backs of their necks—a good location for warding off birds, their main predator. Birds eat moths and catch them by grabbing them by the back of the neck. Anecdotal evidence had suggested that when birds grab a wood tiger moth, they tend to let it go, and have been seen trying to clean their beaks afterwards. Other anecdotal evidence also suggested that ants tend to avoid the moths, likely due to fluid excreted from the moth's anus.
The moths produce different fluid deterrents to ward off different types of predators. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:32 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Melanoplus viridipes, the Green-legged Locust, is a species of spur-throated grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in North America.
This is a short-winged grasshopper. The body length of males ranges from 17.5 to 18.5 mm. Females are larger, ranging in length from 21.5 to 25.5 mm.
Adults are characterized by solid green forelegs and midlegs; black lateral stripe running the full length of the pronotum; and short wings covering less than half of the abdomen (this combination of characteristics is diagnostic). In addition, the lower half of side of the pronotum is white and the top of the pronotum is either all black or black with white patches. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:30 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
The white-lined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata, is a common sphingid moth that occurs throughout most of North America, from southern Canada down to Central America. It does not survive our harsh winters but moves up from the south most springs.
This is a large, stout-bodied moth with a furry brown body crossed by six white stripes. It has long, narrow, triangular forewings and shorter hindwings, with a wingspan of 2½ to 3½ inches. Each dark olive brown-colored forewing has a broad tan band going from the base to the tip of the wing, crossed by a series of thin white stripes along the wing veins. The black hindwings are bright reddish-pink in the middle.
The adults are primarily nocturnal fliers but are sometimes seen during the day, too. With their large, plump bodies and relatively small wing surfaces, they must beat their wings very fast, compared to butterflies, in order to stay aloft. By beating their wings rapidly, these agile fliers are able to hover like a hummingbird in mid-air.
In poor light they can easily be mistaken for hummingbirds as they hover at tubular flowers, sipping nectar with a long proboscis. They are especially attracted to scented flowers.
The caterpillars are quite variable in color but all have a pointed horn at the back end. This horn may be yellow or orange, sometimes with a black tip. This is not a stinger and the caterpillar is harmless to humans. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:28 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Lauriea siagiani, also known as the pink hairy squat lobster or the fairy crab, is a species of squat lobster in the family Galatheidae, genus Lauriea. Despite its name, L. siagiani is not really a lobster, but instead belongs to a group of crabs called the Anomurans.
They live on Giant Barrel Sponges and don’t usually like to get their photo taken. They’re a little bit shy. These squat lobsters are remarkably colored, with their intense pink body, purple spots, and bright yellow hairs that protrude in all directions. Lauriea siagiani has been recorded from Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
Hair squat lobsters also use their tiny stature for mischief and steal their food from anemones – a risky affair, considering anemones wield toxins and are aggressively defended by their clownfish residents. They also instinctually wrap their tails up under themselves for protection, which gives them their distinctly squat appearance. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:26 JST
kho
Lol woops my pets got in the last one but whatever
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Bull ants, a native of Australia, are unquestionably one of the world’s most remarkable ants and as far these species of ants go, they are the giants in every sense of the word. Being the largest in the country, there are not many ant species that can match up to bulldog ants.
Aside from their striking size, the behavior is one of the things that make bull ants differ from other species. Being exceptionally aggressive, they are known to attack large ants and sink their teeth into humans for defending themselves. Their eyesight is simply incredible, and it lets them hunt their prey from distances up to 3 feet.
Bull ants or bulldog ants are immensely known for their aggressive behaviour. Their sting is extremely powerful. And, the venom produced by them has the potential to cause anaphylactic shock in the victims that are allergic to ant stings. If the allergic reaction is severe, it can prove fatal, if left untreated. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:22:26 JST
kho
The mole cricket is an invasive pest that attacks turfgrass and other plants. This unique insect gets its name from its huge forelegs, which it uses to tunnel through the dirt like a mole. It damages golf courses and lawns by eating plant roots and disturbing the soil’s surface.
The mole cricket’s long forelegs are its most distinctive physical trait. These enlarged limbs have blade-like projections called dactyls that allow the insect to dig through the soil. The number and appearance of dactyls differ among species.
Adult mole crickets have short antennae and long cerci, or appendages, on their abdomen. They have large hind legs and wings of varying sizes. Many mole crickets can fly awkwardly. Their bodies have thick, short hairs.
The mole cricket is an omnivore that feeds above and below the surface. These insects eat foliage, grasses, plant stem tissue, roots, and tubers. They also feed on fruit and vegetables like beets, carrots, eggplants, strawberries, sweet potatoes, and turnips. The southern mole cricket mostly eats small animals and insects that live underground.
All ０７６萌ＳＮＳ content and data are available under the