|
Evarcha Culicivora
''Evarcha culicivora'' is a species of jumping spider (family Salticidae) found only around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda. At maturity, ''E. culicivora'' spiders have an average size of 5 mm for both males and females. The range in size for either sex is quite small, with females being only slightly larger on average (4–7 mm compared to 3–6 mm). It is commonly known as the vampire spider because it indirectly desires the blood of vertebrates. It does this by predating on blood-sucking female mosquitoes in the genus ''Anopheles,'' the mosquito responsible for transmitting malaria in the region, as well as other vector-borne diseases in humans. Experimentally, these spiders are considered ''Anopheles'' specialists. ''E. culicivora'' has an association with the native plants ''Lantana camara'' and ''Ricinus, Ricinus communis''. They consume the nectar for food and preferentially use these plants as a location for courtship. The mating interact ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wanda Wesołowska
Wanda Wesołowska (born 11 August 1950) is a Polish zoologist known for her work with jumping spiders. She has described more species of jumping spider than any contemporary writer, and is second only to Eugène Simon in the history of arachnology. Originally a student of ornithology, she developed an interest in jumping spiders while still a student at the Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in the 1970s. She subsequently undertook study into the genus ''Heliophanus'' at the University of Wroclaw. Her subsequent doctoral thesis described 44 new species, and joined the staff at the university. She stayed until retiring in 2020. Her research included the taxonomy and zoogeography of jumping spiders, and has included extensive work on African genera like ''Menemerus'' and ''Pachyballus''. She has identified over 500 species, including half of all those from South Africa, as well as having more than 20 named after her. Early life Wanda Wesołowska (née Nowysz) was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area.Sayre, April Pulley (1999), ''Africa'', Twenty-First Century Books. . With billion people as of , it accounts for about of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4. Despite a wide range of natural resources, Africa is the least wealthy continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, behind Oceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography, climate, tribalism, colonialism, the Cold War, neocolonialism, lack of democracy, and corruption. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and the large and young population make Afr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are shrubs or trees, such as ''Hevea brasiliensis''. Some, such as ''Euphorbia canariensis'', are succulent and resemble cacti because of convergent evolution. This family has a cosmopolitan global distribution. The greatest diversity of species is in the tropics, however, the Euphorbiaceae also have many species in nontropical areas of all continents except Antarctica. Description The leaves are alternate, seldom opposite, with stipules. They are mainly simple, but where compound, are always palmate, never pinnate. Stipules may be reduced to hairs, glands, or spines, or in succulent species are sometimes absent. The plants can be monoecious or dioecious. The radially symmetrical flowers are unisexual, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ricinus Communis
''Ricinus communis'', the castor bean or castor oil plant, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus, ''Ricinus'', and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of castor and its relation to other species are currently being studied using modern genetic tools. It reproduces with a mixed pollination system which favors selfing by geitonogamy but at the same time can be an out-crosser by anemophily (wind pollination) or entomophily (insect pollination). Its seed is the castor bean, which, despite its name, is not a bean (that is, the seed of many Fabaceae). Castor is indigenous to the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa, and India, but is widespread throughout tropical regions (and widely grown elsewhere as an ornamental plant). Castor seed is the source of castor oil, which has a wide variety of uses. The seeds contain between 40% and 60% oil that is rich in triglycerides, mainly ricinolei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verbenaceae
The Verbenaceae ( ), the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs, and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell. The family Verbenaceae includes 32 genera and 800 species. Phylogenetic studies have shown that numerous genera traditionally classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae. The mangrove genus ''Avicennia'', sometimes placed in the Verbenaceae or in its own family, Avicenniaceae, has been placed in the Acanthaceae. Economically important Verbenaceae include: * Lemon verbena (''Aloysia triphylla''), grown for aroma or flavoring * Verbenas or vervains (''Verbena''), some used in herbalism, others grown in gardens Taxonomy Tribes and genera in the family and their estimated species numbers: Casselieae (Schauer) Tronc. * '' Casselia'' Nees & Mart. - 6 species * '' Parodianthus'' Tronc. - 2 species * ''Tamonea'' Aubl. - 6 species Ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salticid
Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family Salticidae. As of 2019, this family contained over 600 described genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all species. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among arthropods and use it in courtship, hunting, and navigation. Although they normally move unobtrusively and fairly slowly, most species are capable of very agile jumps, notably when hunting, but sometimes in response to sudden threats or crossing long gaps. Both their book lungs and tracheal system are well-developed, and they use both systems (bimodal breathing). Jumping spiders are generally recognized by their eye pattern. All jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes, with the anterior median pair being particularly large. Distinguishing characteristics Jumping spiders are among the easiest to distinguish from similar spider families because of the shape of the cephalothorax and their eye patt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paracyrba Wanlessi
''Paracyrba'' is a genus of jumping spiders found only in Malaysia. It contains only one species, ''Paracyrba wanlessi''. Its microhabitat are the water-filled hollow internodes of decaying bamboo, where it preys for aquatic animals, especially mosquito larvae.Zhang ''et al.'' 2006 ''P. wanlessi'' and ''Evarcha culicivora'', a jumping spider, are the only two spiders that have been experimentally studied and considered a mosquito specialist. ''E. culicivora'' indirectly feeds vertebrate blood by preying female mosquitos that carry blood.Jackson, Robert R., and Fiona R. Cross. "Mosquito-terminator spiders and the meaning of predatory specialization." The Journal of Arachnology 43.2 (2015): 123-142. In general only one specimen is found per occupied bamboo internode.Murphy & Murphy 2000: 294 Description Females are up to 9 mm long, males 7 to 8. The spiders is generally dark colored. On the flattened carapace, there is a central whitish band, which is much larger in the female. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Courtship
Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private matter between two people or may be a public affair, or a formal arrangement with family approval. Traditionally, in the case of a formal engagement, it is the role of a male to actively "court" or "woo" a female, thus encouraging her to understand him and her receptiveness to a marriage proposal. Duration The average duration of courtship varies considerably throughout the world. Furthermore, there is vast individual variation between couples. Courtship may be completely omitted, as in cases of some arranged marriages where the couple do not meet before the wedding. In the United Kingdom, a poll of 3,000 [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. ''Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization. Mating may also lead to external fertilization, as seen in amphibians, fishes and plants. For most species, mating is between two individuals of opposite sexes. However, for some hermaphroditic species, copulation is not required because the parent organism is capable of self-fertilization (autogamy); for example, banana slugs. The term ''mating'' is also applied to related processes in bacteria, archaea and viruses. Mating in these cases involves the pairing of individuals, accompanied by the pairing of their homologous chromosomes and then exchange of genomic information leading to formation of recombinant progeny (see mating systems). Animals For animals, mating ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaoboridae
Chaoboridae, commonly known as phantom midges or glassworms, is a family of fairly common midges with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are closely related to the Corethrellidae and Chironomidae; the adults are differentiated through peculiarities in wing venation. If they eat at all, the adults feed on nectar. The larvae are aquatic and unique in their feeding method: the antennae of phantom midge larvae are modified into grasping organs slightly resembling the raptorial arms of a mantis, with which they capture prey. They feed largely on small insects such as mosquito larvae and crustaceans such as ''Daphnia''. The antennae impale or crush the prey, and then bring it to the larval mouth, or stylet. The larvae swim and sometimes form large swarms in their lacustrine habitats. Description The larvae are nearly transparent, sometimes with a slightly yellow cast; their most opaque features are two air bags, one in the thorax, one in the abdomen about in the second last segment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Embolus (spider Anatomy)
The two palpal bulbs – also known as palpal organs and genital bulbs – are the copulatory organs of a male spider. They are borne on the last segment of the pedipalps (the front "limbs" of a spider), giving the spider an appearance often described as like wearing boxing gloves. The palpal bulb does not actually produce sperm, being used only to transfer it to the female. Palpal bulbs are only fully developed in adult male spiders and are not completely visible until after the final moult. In the majority of species of spider, the bulbs have complex shapes and are important in identification. Structure The palpal bulb of a mature male spider is borne on the last segment of the pedipalp. This segment usually has touch-sensitive hairs (setae) with nerves leading to them. The bulb itself is entirely without nerves, and hence without sensory organs and muscles, since these depend on nerves for their functioning, although some spiders have one or two muscles external to the bulb and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.svg "Click for more on -> Africa")
_W_IMG_9162.jpg "Click for more on -> Verbenaceae")
