submitted by /u/twisted_potential
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/Entomology/comments/pfmgvr/wanted_to_share_this_little_beastie_since_ive/
Tuesday 31 August 2021
House Bug Help Needed
I have a few problems, so I would appreciate some advice or solutions.
1) How many cellar spiders is too many?
I feel uncomfortable killing them because they are helping keep other insects away… and my house has an insect problem in general, as it set empty for over a year before I moved in. Upon move in, there were 20-30 cellar spiders in my house including at least one in every kitchen cabinet…
I have generally been unbothered by them (excluding cabinets RIP), but it’s is kind of getting ridiculous. So I have started killing them… they are reproducing rapidly and they have a rather long life span based off research.
Should I be releasing them? My only concern with that is that it could affect the population of other insects in the yard because I have essentially created an unnecessary breeding program.
How many should I let live in my house ? Should I eliminate all I can see, knowing they have offspring I cannot see?
2) I have oriental cockroaches…?
Upon move in they were very bad. I knew they are attracted to moist climates, and my landlord said that under the house is moist about 3 feet in as it was an incredibly wet spring/summer. They have stayed mostly in back of house (near water heater room, laundry room, and bathroom). I know infestation happens rapidly, and i have done extensive research.
My landlord was informed about the problem, and he sprayed the house. Cockroaches went away for a period of time. They have returned as nymphs…
My theory is that there were Ootheca already laid that were not affected by the roach spray. Is that theory logical? I have killed ~12 nymphs. I am going to spray again to kill the rest.
My question is, should I release a few house centipedes in the back room of my house to eat future nymphs/other insects? Or is that just fucking insane?
Are the cellar spiders killing cockroach nymphs as well?
3) Katydid infestation?
A previous garden bed is in my backyard with peonies and rhubarb. It is absolutely covered with katydids. You cannot step into the grass surrounding without them jumping away for their lives.
Is it detrimental to the future of the garden?
Will they eat/destroy a vegetable/herb garden? If so, what can I plant to deter them/attract them elsewhere?
Will they return with high population after the winter?
Why are there so many? I have never seen anything like it.
Sorry for the novel. Please help.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/Entomology/comments/pflz3l/house_bug_help_needed/
What eggs are these? Most were in rows of around nine eggs on underside leaf edges (felt like a pattern). There were 52 total eggs on the plant. Diameter around 2.5 mm. Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Monday 30 August 2021
hey guys help!! i’m needing to pin some specimens cause they’ve been hydrating for a little longer than i’d like. what can i use beside parchment paper?? i’m all out☹️😬
The Fate of Oligochiton | Catalogue of Organisms
Chitons are one of the most distinctive and evolutionarily divergent groups of molluscs alive today. But compared to other groups of molluscs, the fossil record of chitons is rather sparse—or at least sparsely studied. It's not hard to see why. The multi-plated nature of the chiton shell means that it tends to fall apart after death, and the structure of the plates is such that critical features are easily abraded.
(Clockwise from top left) head, intermediate and tail valves of Lepidochitona lioplax, from Dell'Angelo et al. (2011).
Lepidochitona lioplax is one example of a fossil chiton. It was originally described from Oligocene rocks belonging to the Sooke Formation of southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Only four moderate-sized valves were initially identified: one head valve, one intermediate, and two tails (so at least two individuals were involved). The valves had a smooth outer surface without a strong distinction in appearance between the central and lateral areas. The insertion plates (lateral projections of the lower surface of the valves that in life anchor them into the surrounding girdle) were very short. The sutural laminae (anterior projections of the lower surface of the intermediate and tail valves that articulate with the valve in front) were low, wide, and divided in the middle by a broad shallow surface. Slits in the lateral insertion plates were numerous, with several in the tail valves and probably two or three on each side in the intermediate valves (Smith 1960). When first described, this species was thought distinct enough to belong in its own genus Oligochiton.
Oligochiton lioplax would then go little reported on until 2011 when Dell'Angelo et al. described an assemblage of chiton fossil from the latest Eocene or early Oligocene of the Lincoln Creek Formation in Washington State. Specimens of lioplax were relatively numerous in this collection and Dell'Angelo et al. were able to examine close to a hundred valves. Their observations would lead to something of a downgrade in the species status. Rather than deserving its own extinct genus, Dell'Angelo et al. felt that lioplax could be comfortably accommodated in the living genus Lepidochitona. Its smooth valves are unusual within Lepidochitona but not unique. The supposed multiple slits in the sides of the valves did not stand up to scrutiny. Instead, intermediate valves of L. lioplax bore only a single slit on each side, in line with other Lepidochitona species. The original inference of multiple slits was an error due to the original specimen being still partially embedded in the surrounding matrix.
Lepidochitona lioplax is one of the earliest known representatives of its genus but its exact significance is obscure. It has been suggested as a direct ancestor of the modern subgenus Spongioradsia but this, again, was based on the supposed slits in the intermediate valves that Dell'Angelo et al. refuted. To know how L. lioplax connects to the big picture of Lepidochitona evolution, we would probably need a better picture of Lepidochitona evolution overall.
REFERENCES
Dell'Angelo, B., A. Bonfitto & M. Taviani. 2011. Chitons (Polyplacophora) from Paleogene strata in western Washington State, U.S.A. Journal of Paleontology 85 (5): 936–954.
Smith, A. G. 1960. Amphineura. In: Moore, R. C. (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt I. Mollusca 1: Mollusca—General Features, Scaphopoda, Amphineura, Monoplacophora, Gastropoda—General Features, Archaeogastropoda and some (mainly Paleozoic) Caenogastropoda and Opisthobranchia pp. I41–I76. Geological Society of America, and University of Kansas Press.
Lepidochitona lioplax is one example of a fossil chiton. It was originally described from Oligocene rocks belonging to the Sooke Formation of southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Only four moderate-sized valves were initially identified: one head valve, one intermediate, and two tails (so at least two individuals were involved). The valves had a smooth outer surface without a strong distinction in appearance between the central and lateral areas. The insertion plates (lateral projections of the lower surface of the valves that in life anchor them into the surrounding girdle) were very short. The sutural laminae (anterior projections of the lower surface of the intermediate and tail valves that articulate with the valve in front) were low, wide, and divided in the middle by a broad shallow surface. Slits in the lateral insertion plates were numerous, with several in the tail valves and probably two or three on each side in the intermediate valves (Smith 1960). When first described, this species was thought distinct enough to belong in its own genus Oligochiton.
Oligochiton lioplax would then go little reported on until 2011 when Dell'Angelo et al. described an assemblage of chiton fossil from the latest Eocene or early Oligocene of the Lincoln Creek Formation in Washington State. Specimens of lioplax were relatively numerous in this collection and Dell'Angelo et al. were able to examine close to a hundred valves. Their observations would lead to something of a downgrade in the species status. Rather than deserving its own extinct genus, Dell'Angelo et al. felt that lioplax could be comfortably accommodated in the living genus Lepidochitona. Its smooth valves are unusual within Lepidochitona but not unique. The supposed multiple slits in the sides of the valves did not stand up to scrutiny. Instead, intermediate valves of L. lioplax bore only a single slit on each side, in line with other Lepidochitona species. The original inference of multiple slits was an error due to the original specimen being still partially embedded in the surrounding matrix.
Lepidochitona lioplax is one of the earliest known representatives of its genus but its exact significance is obscure. It has been suggested as a direct ancestor of the modern subgenus Spongioradsia but this, again, was based on the supposed slits in the intermediate valves that Dell'Angelo et al. refuted. To know how L. lioplax connects to the big picture of Lepidochitona evolution, we would probably need a better picture of Lepidochitona evolution overall.
REFERENCES
Dell'Angelo, B., A. Bonfitto & M. Taviani. 2011. Chitons (Polyplacophora) from Paleogene strata in western Washington State, U.S.A. Journal of Paleontology 85 (5): 936–954.
Smith, A. G. 1960. Amphineura. In: Moore, R. C. (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt I. Mollusca 1: Mollusca—General Features, Scaphopoda, Amphineura, Monoplacophora, Gastropoda—General Features, Archaeogastropoda and some (mainly Paleozoic) Caenogastropoda and Opisthobranchia pp. I41–I76. Geological Society of America, and University of Kansas Press.
How a cool creepy insect warms up: Eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus
Extremely long mandibles of male dobsonflies are used to battle rivals.
While much of the nation roasts through stifling heat waves this summer, it is hard to believe that any creature could struggle with cool temperatures. But remember from your high school biology days that many animals are poikilotherms, cold-blooded beings whose body temperatures largely depend on the ambient temperature of the environment they occupy. Terrestrial creatures including amphibians like frogs, non-feathered reptiles like snakes, and, of course, insects fit into the category of cold-blooded animals. However, to perform fundamental activities of locomotion either by legs or wings, muscles of cold-blooded insects must reach a minimum temperature to function. For example, take butterflies - in cool montane habitats of the Sierra Nevada, flight muscles in a butterfly’s thorax may require temperatures in the 90’s to sustain flight. One way to generate this level of heating is to bask in the strong mountain sunshine. Basking is a thermoregulatory behavior used by many insects and other poikilotherms to gather energy and warmth to facilitate metabolic processes and sustain activities such as walking and flight.
Large and a little creepy, dobsonflies are among the largest insects found in the DMV. Photo credit: Nolan Jenkins
As homeotherms, that is, warm-blooded creatures, we have behaviors and the metabolism to help keep our body temperatures at optimal levels. One familiar way to keep warm is shivering, rapid involuntary contractions of our muscles that expend energy and generate heat to warm our bodies when we are cold. Do insects employ shivering or something akin to shivering as a way to warm up? You bet! Enter a chilly dobsonfly. Each year about this time, Bug of the Week receives requests to identify a large creepy looking insect found on the side of a building or on a plant, often near a porch light that attracts flying insects. These grotesque marvels belong to an order of insects known as the Megaloptera – “huge winged” insects - and go by the name of dobsonflies. They are among the largest winged insects found in the DMV, ranking in size with large moths and butterflies.
On a recent chilly morning on Cacapon Mountain, West Virginia when temperatures had dropped into the low 60s the night before, I spotted a magnificent female dobsonfly resting on a railing near a porch light. Apparently, temperatures in the upper 70s at nightfall were warm enough to enable this behemoth to fly toward the light and come to rest on the nearby railing of a deck. With morning’s first sunbeams just creeping over the mountains but not yet intense enough to warm flight muscles, the dobsonfly found a way to generate its own heat as a bug geek approached with a camera. Rather than a mammalian-style shiver, a burst of rapid wing-fluttering ensued. In just under two minutes, with flight muscles warmed and ready to rock, the dobsonfly escaped the probing lens of the paparazzi.
On a chilly mountain morning, watch as a creepy female dobsonfly flutters her wings to warm flight muscles in preparation for takeoff. In less than two minutes she is ready to escape the probing lens of the camera.
As you can see, female dobsonflies are magnificent, but males are really something special with their enormous sickle-shaped mandibles. Careful observations of mano-a-mano encounters between male dobsonflies reveal that their super large jaws are used in combat to dislodge competitors from substrates where potential mates might be present. These mandibles are useless in capturing prey and both male and female dobsonflies, which have powerful jaws, are not predatory as adults. As adults their diet is likely a liquid one.
Juvenile dobsonflies go by the name of hellgrammites and live a life aquatic. These fierce predators roam the interstitial spaces between stones and vegetation at the bottom of rapidly flowing streams, where they capture and dine on immature mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies. Experience tells me that their powerful jaws can deliver a memorable bite to unsuspecting humans attempting a capture. Hellgrammites are a key indicator of stream health and not found in polluted waters. Fish adore them and they are excellent bait. Like many aquatic insects, hellgrammites have gills lining the margins of the abdomen enabling them to extract oxygen from their watery habitat. In an unusual developmental twist, they also have spiracles, breathing ports, which allow them to obtain air on land. This adaptation is critical to their amphibious life style as they climb out of the water to build pupal chambers on land beneath stones, logs, or other moist protected structures. You may encounter adult dobsonflies in the morning near lighted buildings, as both sexes are attracted to light. After mating, female dobsonflies deposit eggs on vegetation overhanging water. Hatchlings drop to the stream below to roam the benthos in search of prey. Larval development can take from one to three years. Over the next several weeks as you wander the banks of freshwater streams and rivers in our region, or visit structures with nighttime illumination near waterways, keep an eye open for these marvelous giants of the insect world.
Acknowledgements
Bug of the Week thanks Nolan for providing images that were the inspiration for this episode. The wonderful publications “Behavioral Observations on the Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) with Photographic Evidence of the Use of the Elongate Mandibles in the Male” by T. J. Simonsen, J. J. Dombroskie, and D. D. Lawrie, and “Featured Creatures, common name: eastern dobsonfly (adult), hellgrammite (larva), scientific name: Corydalus cornutus (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Megaloptera: Corydalidae: Corydalinae)” by D. Hall, and “Comparative Thermoregulation of Four Montane Butterflies of Different Mass” by Bernd Heinrich, were used as references for this episode. Many thanks to Nolan Jenkins for providing the cool image of the huge-jawed male dobsonfly.
Sunday 29 August 2021
We recently moved to south west of Tucson (10 miles south of the national park) moving some pavers I found this 2. I have a video but I’m dumb and I don’t know how to post (you can see it on my stories on my insta) does anyone know what they are? They didn’t liked me moving the pavers
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