Notices by kho (kho@shitposter.club), page 11
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kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 23-Jul-2023 02:49:36 JST 
kho
A tick "questing" -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 23-Jul-2023 02:49:36 JST
kho
TICKS
Wood ticks are highly colorful and pretty easy to recognize. They have grayish patterns on their bodies and males will have a mottled grey coloration along their backs. American dog ticks (wood ticks) are often mistaken for Deer ticks, which carry Lyme disease. The American dog tick does not carry Lyme disease.
The American dog tick also has a wide, oval body with a flattened top. Females are generally larger than males, measuring about 5 mm long when not engorged (with blood), and 15 mm long and 10 mm wide when engorged. Males measure just 3.6 mm long when not engorged.
Deer ticks (also called blacklegged ticks) are much smaller than Wood ticks and can be distinguished by their—you guessed it—black legs.
Wood ticks are a three-host species of tick that goes through four distinct lifecycles: eggs, larvae, nymph, and adult.
After hatching from its egg, a tick must feed on the blood of a host at every life stage in order to survive. The newly hatched tick is called a larva, or seed tick. Tick larvae have just six legs and are about 1/8 inch in size.
Since ticks can’t jump, the larva must stand on blades of grass or perch on vegetation until a warm blooded mammal walks by, at which point it latches on. This behavior is called “questing,” and looks like the tick is trying to stand up to grab the sky. Once the larva has fed on its initial host, it will drop to the ground and molt into an eight-legged nymph.
Nymphs then lie in wait until a second warm-blooded host wanders by, like a raccoon, possum, or other large animal. The nymph will then feed for a few days until it becomes engorged with blood. It again drops to the ground and molts into an adult tick.
Adult ticks will hunt for a third and final host, preferring large animals like deer or dogs, where they will be able to feed, breed, drop off, and lay eggs. Once the female has laid a few thousand eggs she dies. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:57 JST
kho
Rubber ducky isopods have a pair of lips that look similar to a duck. And from that, the naming has been done. Other than having a “ducky” look, they have a round, segmented body, typically brown or grey. Their exoskeleton is hard, providing them with protection from predators and the elements.
On average, rubber ducky isopods can reach up to 2 cm or 0.8 inches in length. Even though rubber ducky isopods can survive up to a few years, as they’re slow growers, they become only a couple of centimetres in length.
Rubber ducky isopods are found all over the world. However, they are most commonly found in damp, shady areas such as leaf litter, rocks and logs, and soil. They are also found in gardens, parks, and in greenhouses.
There’s an interesting reason behind isopods living around wet and moist places. In order to respire and survive, isopods need to keep their respiratory organs wet. That’s why you often see them living or roaming around damp places.
Rubber ducky isopods are decomposers, and their diet mainly consists of organic matter such as leaves, wood, and soil. They are also known to feed on dead insects, algae, and other plant material. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:55 JST
kho
Found only in North America, the luna moth starts out as a very hungry caterpillar. Newly hatched, this caterpillar constantly munches on the leaves of walnut, hickory, sweet gum, and paper birch trees. After about a month of filling up on these plants, the caterpillar builds a cocoon. The insect lives inside for about three weeks, then emerges as a moth.
The eye-catching critter is easily recognizable because of its wings. But that's not the luna moth’s only interesting feature. The insect doesn’t have a mouth or a digestive system. That's because it only lives for about a week after leaving the cocoon, and it doesn't ever eat. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:44 JST
kho
The smallest arthropod of any kind (and also the smallest species of crustacean) is Stygotantulus stocki, a tantulocarid. This tiny creature measures only 0.094 mm long, and is an ectoparasite of harpacticoid copepods (which are themselves crustaceans). -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:43 JST
kho
Giant Shield Bug -Tessaratomids resemble large stink bugs (family Pentatomidae) and are sometimes quite colorful. Most tessaratomids are Old World, with only three species known from the Neotropics. Some members of Tessaratomidae exhibit maternal care of eggs and offspring. The defensive chemicals of certain species can cause significant damage if they come into contact with human skin; they may also cause temporary blindness. All species are exclusively plant-eaters, some of major economic importance as agricultural pests. A few species are also consumed as human food in some countries. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:42 JST
kho
What this spider has going for it is a really scary name. Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t hear much about it. It rarely kills people and many who are bitten never even know it. There are 32 types of widow spiders, including the western, southern, and northern widows, as well as the red, gray, and brown widows. They’re found on every continent except Antarctica. The females are usually dark-colored, frequently with red, white, or brown markings on the dorsal of the abdomen. Some have the classic hourglass-shaped markings and some do not. Black widows are usually small but carry an unusually potent venom that contains larotoxin, a neurotoxin that can cause pain, muscle rigidity, vomiting, and sweating. Symptoms typically last three to seven days. Only the female bite is considered dangerous to humans. Each year, about 2,200 people report being bitten by black widows. None has died since 1983. On the other hand, some house cats have died of convulsions or paralysis. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:42 JST
kho
Velvet ants are not ants. Velvet ants are part of the wasp family.
Velvet ants, like other wasps and bees feed on nectar. Unlike the female velvet ant, males have wings but no stingers. The male velvet ant will fly low to the ground looking for females.
When mating, the female makes a squeaking sound by rubbing one abdominal segment against another. Both will squeak when frightened.
It´s the female who is responsible for finding a home for her eggs to hatch but she is sneaky and resourceful and will lay her eggs in another ground wasp or bee´s nest where they will hatch and feed on the bee´s or wasp larvae.
Although both the white and the red velvet ant have powerful stings, it´s the red velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis) that has been nicknamed “Cow Killer.”
It’s sting may hurt but it doesn´t kill. If stung, it is said to hurt “like you know what” for a good 20 minutes. The red velvet ant can be found in the eastern and southern states and west towards Texas. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:40 JST
kho
Carpenter ants live in large colonies with hundreds of workers (all sterile females), several males and females that reproduce, and one or more queen. When part of an established colony goes into a nearby structure, it sometimes establishes a smaller satellite colony there. Some experts believe this is the main way carpenter ants invade houses.
Carpenter ants don’t actually eat the wood they excavate (unlike termites), lacking the digestive enzymes to break down cellulose. Instead, they forage on a wide variety of plant and animal materials, including sweet substances, like honeydew produced by aphids. They also eat the body fluids and proteins of both dead and live insects. Most of this foraging is at night, kept somewhat hidden by the underground tunnels they use. Carpenter ants have a painful bite, but cannot sting.
Hilltopping: When the winged swarmers emerge in spring to mate, they often gather at pronounced points on the landscape, like a large tree or lone building or top of a hill, thus the term, “hilltopping.” The swarms can turn into rolling clusters of males trying to mate with a single female.
Exploding ants: Some Malaysian carpenter ant species make the ultimate sacrifice to defend against attackers. They can explode their bodies, spraying a sticky and caustic fluid from inside a special jaw-to-abdomen-length gland, which immobilizes the enemy. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:40 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
House flies feed and breed in the things we revile: garbage, animal dung, sewage, human excrement, and other nasty substances. Musca domestica is probably the best known and most common of the insects we collectively refer to as filth flies. In suburban or rural areas, house flies are also plentiful in fields where fish meal or manure is used as fertilizer, and in compost heaps where grass clippings and rotting vegetables accumulate.
House flies have sponge-like mouthparts, which are good for soaking up liquefied substances but not for eating solid foods. So, the house fly either seeks out food that is already in puddle form, or it finds a way to turn the food source into something it can manage. This is where things get kind of gross. When a house fly locates something tasty but solid, it regurgitates onto the food (which may be your food, if it's buzzing around your barbecue). The fly vomit contains digestive enzymes that go to work on the desired snack, quickly predigesting and liquefying it so the fly can lap it up.
How do flies decide something is appetizing? They step on it! Like butterflies, house flies have their taste buds on their toes, so to speak. Taste receptors, called chemosensilla, are located at the far ends of the fly's tibia and tarsa (in simpler terms, the lower leg and foot). The moment they land on something of interest – your garbage, a pile of horse manure, or perhaps your lunch – they start sampling its flavor by walking around. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:39 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
Neocaridina davidi has a similar anatomy to marine shrimp (ocean dwelling). The differences lie in the shape of certain structures. Belonging to the order Decapoda, Neocaridina davidi have five pairs of walking legs called periopods. The first two pair of legs are modified structures called chelate, which are claw-like appendages used for grabbing food. In front of the periopods are three pairs of maxillipeds or jaw legs used for feeding. Under the abdomen are five pairs of limbs that are used for swimming called pleopods. In female shrimp, these limbs are also used for egg holding. The rostrum, or beak, of the cherry shrimp has a more squared shape compared to the more pointed shape found in saltwater shrimp species. Like most shrimp species, ornamental shrimp are detritivores and opportunistic feeders. They will graze on algae, biofilms, and dead plants and animals on the bottoms of rivers.
Neocaridina davidi spends the majority of its time grazing on biofilms that form on leaf litter. Like most crustaceans, shrimp play a crucial role in the aquatic ecosystem by serving as a food source for other organisms and by recycling nutrients through feeding on decaying vegetation. This helps keep the water clean.
Unlike most crustaceans, this shrimp does not have a larval stage. The young of this species emerge from the eggs as miniature versions of the adult, they are only around 1 to 2 millimeters in length. As with all arthropods, Neocaridina davidi grows by molting their exoskeleton (Figure 5). They will feed on their molted exoskeleton to reabsorb valuable nutrients. Sexual maturity is reached at around 30 days. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:38 JST
kho
Creatonotos Gangis is the scientific name for a peculiar type of moth from Australia and Southeast Asia. They usually come with abdomens that are either yellow or red.
They have four coremata sticking out from their abdomen that are but are usually retracted, they are pushed out during the breeding season. The coremata release pheromones which attract females and show that the male is ready to breed. When the coremata are fully extended, they can become longer that the actual body itself which is typically around four centimetres.
They are found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia and are found in some parts of South-east Asia. Their diet is also quite peculiar, as it eats a variety of PA rich leaves. PA (pyrrolizidine alkaloides) are usually foul tasting, toxic chemicals that would usually deter insects, but Creatonotos gangis loves plants with this strange chemical inside. This "diet" consists of plants such as pomegranate trees, rice plants, soybeans and maize. This diet is primarily during its caterpillar stage but is sometimes consumed by the adult moths. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:37 JST
kho
Coccinellidae is a family of small, rounded (hemispheric), usually bright colored, short-legged beetles, known variously as ladybugs (North American English), ladybirds (British English, Australian English, South African English), or lady beetles (preferred by some scientists).
Unlike most insects, ladybugs have caught people's imagination and are generally held in high regard. In some cultures, they are considered a sign of good luck, whose killing brings bad luck. Their very name (ladybug or ladybird) is believed to be a dedication to the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.
It is believed that coccinellids are often brightly colored to ward away potential predators. This defense works because most predators associate bright colors (especially orange and black or yellow and black) with poison and other unpleasant properties. This phenomenon is called aposematism. In fact, most coccinellids are indeed poisonous to smaller predators, such as lizards and small birds. However, a human would have to eat several hundred coccinellids before feeling any effects. Adult coccinellids are able to reflex-bleed hemolymph from their leg joints, releasing their oily yellow toxin with a strong repellent smell. This becomes quite obvious when one handles a coccinellid roughly. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:37 JST
kho
The Brazilian treehopper (Bocydium globulare) is a species of insect belonging to the treehopper family (Membracidae). It has unusual appendages on its head. While Bocydium can be found throughout the world, they are most prevalent in Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australia. They exhibit limited movement and their primary food source is from the underside of leaves.
This species has very apparent, globular appendages coming out of its thorax. Entomologists are still not certain about why these treehoppers have these appendages, however, it has been proposed that the adaptation deters their predators.
The nymphs feed on the underside of leaves. They are deemed "sap sucking" insects because the nymph gets its nutrition from the sap of the leaves. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:35 JST
kho
The Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula is a member of the genus Avicularia that is the most widespread group of spiders in the Americas, comprising of around 20 species. These spiders are extremely popular as pets especially because of their vibrant coloration, docile temperament, and very high longevity.
These tarantulas are arboreal (tree-dwelling). They spin intricate funnel webs in which they spend the majority of their lifetime.
The spiderlings of this species spend most of the time with their mother until they are ready to separate and can independently hunt for their own food. The slings are metallic steel to bright blue with a black tree-trunk pattern on the abdomen. As they begin to age, they gradually lose their blue hue, getting their adult coloration.
Although very docile and rarely bite, they do not prefer being handled much. Even if they bite, it is not poisonous and is no worse than a plain bee sting. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:35 JST
kho
Neotibicen superbus, the superb dog-day cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae. It is the greenest cicada in the neotibicen genus. It has reduced black patterning and looks different than most other cicadas in its genus. Its song is a soft buzz that reaches a crescendo. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:32 JST
kho
🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing is the largest butterfly on the planet. Famous for its ability to grow up to 11 inches in wingspan, this magnificent creature also has an enthralling historical foundation.
The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) was first discovered in 1906 by Albert Stewart Meek. The naturalist, who was employed by Walter (((Rothschild))) to seek out butterflies, recounted his discovery in Papua New Guinea in a 1913 book.
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing butterflies live in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, an island off the northern coast of Australia.
The orb-weaving spider and several types of small birds are the only natural enemies of the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing. The pipevine plant that the larvae feed on is poisonous, so it is thought that the adult butterflies are also poisonous. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:18 JST
kho
Remipede venom is odd compared to that of other arthropods. While some spiders, for example, use venom consisting of tiny neurotoxic proteins, the remipede’s toxic cocktail is dominated by larger enzymes that break down the exoskeletons of their prey and destroy proteins in their bodies, softening their defenses and making their insides more easily digestible. In its makeup, the researchers say, remipede’s venom is more like that of vipers than any of its arthropod cousins. There is one familial similarity, though: a neurotoxin that paralyzes the remipede’s victims and is nearly identical to one found in spiders.
With so many crustaceans out there, why is the remipede the only one to become venomous? The researchers think that because the group has such varied diets—some are filter feeders, some are scavengers—none of them really needed a potent weapon for taking down large prey. While remipedes have also been seen filtering small bits of food from the water, their environment and lifestyle pressured them into going toxic. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:18 JST
kho
Giant Wetas are a group of twelve large, flightless insects endemic to New Zealand. They belong to the genus Deinacrida, with individual species displaying varying sizes and appearances.
The Giant Wetas are among the heaviest insects in the world. The heaviest-known individual weighed around 70 grams (2.47 oz).
Wetas are primarily nocturnal and herbivorous, feeding on leaves, fruit, and other plant material, although they may occasionally consume other invertebrates. -
kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 21-Jul-2023 02:58:17 JST
kho
The giraffe necked weevil is named for the long neck which is colored black. At the top of the neck is the head which features two eyes and a pair of antennae which project out from it. Males have a much longer neck than females sometimes by three times as much.
Males have this longer neck for use in combat across other males.
A pair of males will fight for mating rights with a female. She may wait close by while they duel using their long necks and then mates with the winner. On a rare occasion these fights may end in death for one of the parties.
The female deposits a single egg on a leaf and then rolls this up to provide protection to the egg and gives it its first meal upon hatching. Once this role is completed they will cut the tube so it falls to the forest floor.
After hatching the giraffe necked weevil is a yellowish larva which feeds on the leaf it was wrapped in. It will then undertake a pupation to become an adult weevil.
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