the entomology thread

A Hyphantria cunea apparently

Ridiculous

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20p?act=zoom&img=/home/IM/I_JP/1039/640/Hyphantria_cunea,_Fall_Webworm,I_JP103948.jpg

Whoops

http://i.imgur.com/ZXxRaHr.jpg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160201-arachnids-harvestman-penis-amber-fossil-animals-science/

http://i.imgur.com/lpWIsWV.jpg

The arachnids' long track record excites scientists

http://i.imgur.com/eowXaK0.jpg

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=115778830

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6AB7EZflDE

http://i.imgur.com/Om2KxzD.png

http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-knocked-out-by-moth-2016-5

let me reiterate: fuck moths

http://i.imgur.com/KhFiDgZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4nP5c5K.jpg

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-biology-of-the-translucent-jewel-caterpillar-the-nudibranch-of-the-forest/

oh wow those are striking

http://i.imgur.com/9L5zJVU.jpg

want a slo-mo of it springing into flight

http://i.imgur.com/2ymAThf.jpg

http://oddity-txt.tumblr.com/post/149239939651/oddity-txt-oddity-txt-oddity-txt

https://i.imgur.com/ix6Fhnc.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nr8SYrJ53g

It is not fully known what the adults feed on, but it could be flowers. These beetles have a unique life cycle. The female will lay her eggs near the base of various flowers. When the eggs hatch the newly born larvae must climb up the stalks to the blooming flowers. Then the young larvae will cluster together and form a shape that very much resembles a female solitary ground bee. To make the ruse even more complete they even emit a pheromone that very much smells like the female bee....in fact it is so good that male bees are often fooled and come to "mate" with the cluster of larvae. By the time he realizes his mistake the little larvae have climbed on board. The male bee will carry his stowaways along with him as he locates a "real female" to mate with. During mating the larvae transfer to the female who will then carry them to her underground nest. The little interlopers will remain behind in the burrow and feed on the bees offspring and the honey stores she provided to feed them. The beetle larvae will remain in the burrow to pupate and later will emerge as the wingless prodigy of their parents. Mother Nature offers no limitations on deceit.

Giant mesquite bug nymphs. pic.twitter.com/LYy8ihmmxU

— Strange Animals (@Strange_Animals) January 15, 2018

Any recommendations for a good popsci book on ants? I'm guessing something by EO Wilson?

https://gizmodo.com/i-do-not-like-this-new-wasp-species-whose-giant-stinger-1827395696

Still reading this https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/18/a-giant-crawling-brain-the-jaw-dropping-world-of-termites but here's an interesting nugget:

Christine Nalepa, Theo Evans and Michael Lenz have written that termite parents bite off the ends of their antennae, which may make them better at raising their young. Antennae give termites lots of sensory information, and biting off the segments toward the ends could reduce that stimulation, making it easier to live in a tiny burrow with a few million children.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aha_ha
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eubetia_bigaulae (Pronounced you betcha by golly)