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Giraffe Weevil
The giraffe weevil (''Trachelophorus giraffa'') is a weevil found in Southern Africa, India, south-east Asia. Description and ecology It derives its name from an extended neck, much like that of a giraffe. The giraffe weevil is sexually dimorphic, with the neck of the male typically being 2 to 3 times the length of that of the female. Most of the body is black with distinctive red elytra covering the flying wings. The total body length of the males is just under an inch (2.5 cm), among the longest for any Attelabidae, attelabid species. The extended neck is an evolution, adaptation that assists in nest building and fighting. To breed, females roll and secure a leaf of the host plant, ''Dichaetanthera cordifolia'' or ''Dichaetanthera arborea'' (a small tree in the family Melastomataceae), then lay one egg (biology), egg within the tube, before snipping it from the plant. References Endemic fauna of Madagascar Beetles described in 1860 Attelabidae {{Attelabidae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attelabidae
The Attelabidae is a widespread family of weevils. They are among the primitive weevils, because of their straight antennae, which are inserted near the base of the rostrum. The prothorax is much narrower than the base of the elytra on the abdomen. Attelabidae and the related family Rhynchitidae are known commonly as the leaf-rolling weevils.Legalov, A. A. (2004)New data of the leaf-rolling weevils (Coleoptera: Rhynchitidae, Attelabidae) of the world fauna with description of 35 new taxons.''Baltic Journal of Coleopterology'' 4(1) 63-88. Rhynchitidae may be treated as subfamily Rhynchitinae of the Attelabidae. Some members of this family have long necks and may be called giraffe weevils, particularly '' Trachelophorus giraffa''. A few species are minor agricultural pests. The larvae of Rhynchitinae feed in flower buds, fruits, and terminal shoots, or are leaf miners. The subfamily Attelabinae are the true leaf rollers. The female cuts slits into leaves to deposit her eggs, and ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henri Jekel
Henri Jekel (September 21, 1816, Paris - August 4, 1891) was a French coleopterist. Life and work Jekel ran a natural history items and books store in Paris. In 1849 he wrote a revision of the work ''Genera et species Curculionidarum'' by the Swedish entomologist Carl Johan Schönherr. From 1854 to 1859 he self-published the three-volume work ''Fabricia entomologica''. In the following years he wrote a large number of specialist articles for various journals of entomological societies, including the first description of the giraffe neck beetle from Madagascar in 1860. In total, Jekel described over 550 taxa, 367 of which are still valid today. These include genera and species from the beetle families Anthribidae, Attelabidae, Curculionidae and Geotrupidae. Genera described are Lasiorhynchites, Conothorax, Chelotrupes, Balanobius, Donus, Eudmetus, Elytroxys and Entomops. In 1855 he published the first part of ''Insecta Saundersiana or characters of undescribed insects i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weevil
Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several families, with most of them in the family Curculionidae (the true weevils). It also includes Bark beetle, bark beetles, which while morphologically dissimilar to other weevils in lacking the distinctive snout, is a subfamily of Curculionidae. Some other beetles, although not closely related, bear the name "weevil", such as the Drugstore beetle, biscuit weevil (''Stegobium paniceum''), which belongs to the family Ptinidae. Many weevils are considered pests because of their ability to damage and kill crops. The grain or wheat weevil (''Sitophilus granarius'') damages stored cereal, grain, as does the maize weevil (''Sitophilus zeamais'') among others. The boll weevil (''Anthonomus grandis'') attacks cotton crops; it lays its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis'', with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into up to eight extant species due to new research into their mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements. Seven other extinct species of ''Giraffa'' are known from the fossil record. The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its spotted coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, frui ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sexually Dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most animals and some plants. Differences may include secondary sex characteristics, size, weight, colour, markings, or behavioural or cognitive traits. These differences may be subtle or exaggerated and may be subjected to sexual selection and natural selection. The opposite of dimorphism is ''monomorphism'', which is when both biological sexes are phenotypically indistinguishable from each other. Overview Ornamentation and coloration Common and easily identified types of dimorphism consist of ornamentation and coloration, though not always apparent. A difference in coloration of sexes within a given species is called sexual dichromatism, which is commonly seen in many species of birds and reptiles. Sexual selection leads to the exaggerated d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elytra
An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alternatively spelled as "hemielytra"), and in most species only the basal half is thickened while the apex is membranous, but when they are entirely thickened the condition is referred to as "coleopteroid". An elytron is sometimes also referred to as a shard. Description The elytra primarily serve as protective wing-cases for the hindwings underneath, which are used for flying. To fly, a beetle typically opens the elytra and then extends the hindwings, flying while still holding the elytra open, though many beetles in the families Scarabaeidae and Buprestidae can fly with the elytra closed (e.g., most Cetoniinae; ). In a number of groups, the elytra are reduced to various degrees, (e.g., the beetle families Staphylinidae and Ripiphoridae), or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation tends to exist within any given population as a result of genetic mutation and recombination. Evolution occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection (including sexual selection) and genetic drift act on this variation, resulting in certain characteristics becoming more common or more rare within a population. The evolutionary pressures that determine whether a characteristic is common or rare within a population constantly change, resulting in a change in heritable characteristics arising over successive generations. It is this process of evolution that has given rise to biodiversity at every level of biological organisation, including the levels of species, individual organisms, and molecules. The theory of evolution by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the List of most visited websites, second most visited website, after Google Search. YouTube has more than 2.5 billion monthly users who collectively watch more than one billion hours of videos each day. , videos were being uploaded at a rate of more than 500 hours of content per minute. In October 2006, YouTube was bought by Google for $1.65 billion. Google's ownership of YouTube expanded the site's business model, expanding from generating revenue from advertisements alone, to offering paid content such as movies and exclusive content produced by YouTube. It also offers YouTube Premium, a paid subscription option for watching content without ads. YouTube also approved creators to participate in Google's Google AdSens ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dichaetanthera Cordifolia
''Dichaetanthera'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is Tropical Africa, Madagascar. Species: *'' Dichaetanthera africana'' *'' Dichaetanthera altissima'' *'' Dichaetanthera arborea'' *'' Dichaetanthera articulata'' *'' Dichaetanthera asperrima'' *'' Dichaetanthera bifida'' *'' Dichaetanthera brevicauda'' *'' Dichaetanthera ciliata'' *'' Dichaetanthera cordifolia'' *'' Dichaetanthera cornifrons'' *'' Dichaetanthera corymbosa'' *'' Dichaetanthera crassinodis'' *'' Dichaetanthera decaryi'' *'' Dichaetanthera echinulata'' *''Dichaetanthera erici-rosenii'' *'' Dichaetanthera grandifolia'' *'' Dichaetanthera heteromorpha'' *'' Dichaetanthera hirsuta'' *''Dichaetanthera lancifolia'' *''Dichaetanthera lutescens'' *''Dichaetanthera madagascariensis'' *''Dichaetanthera matitanensis'' *''Dichaetanthera oblongifolia'' *''Dichaetanthera parvifolia'' *''Dichaetanthera rhodesiensis'' *''Dichaetanthera rosea'' *'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dichaetanthera Arborea
''Dichaetanthera'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is Tropical Africa, Madagascar. Species: *'' Dichaetanthera africana'' *'' Dichaetanthera altissima'' *'' Dichaetanthera arborea'' *'' Dichaetanthera articulata'' *'' Dichaetanthera asperrima'' *'' Dichaetanthera bifida'' *'' Dichaetanthera brevicauda'' *'' Dichaetanthera ciliata'' *''Dichaetanthera cordifolia'' *'' Dichaetanthera cornifrons'' *'' Dichaetanthera corymbosa'' *'' Dichaetanthera crassinodis'' *'' Dichaetanthera decaryi'' *'' Dichaetanthera echinulata'' *''Dichaetanthera erici-rosenii'' *'' Dichaetanthera grandifolia'' *'' Dichaetanthera heteromorpha'' *'' Dichaetanthera hirsuta'' *''Dichaetanthera lancifolia'' *''Dichaetanthera lutescens'' *''Dichaetanthera madagascariensis'' *''Dichaetanthera matitanensis'' *''Dichaetanthera oblongifolia'' *''Dichaetanthera parvifolia'' *''Dichaetanthera rhodesiensis'' *''Dichaetanthera rosea'' *''D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melastomataceae
Melastomataceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) comprising c. 175 genera and c. 5115 known species. Melastomes are annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, or small trees. Description The leaves of melastomes are somewhat distinctive, being opposite, decussate, and usually with 3-7 longitudinal veins arising either from the base of the blade, plinerved (inner veins diverging above base of blade), or pinnately nerved with three or more pairs of primary veins diverging from the mid-vein at successive points above the base. Flowers are perfect, and borne either singly or in terminal or axillary, paniculate cymes. Ecology A number of melastomes are regarded as invasive species once naturalized in tropical and subtropical environments outside their normal range. Examples are Koster's curse (''Clidemia hirta''), '' Pleroma semidecandrum'' and ''Miconia calvescens'', but many other specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the animal hatches. Most arthropods such as insects, vertebrates (excluding live-bearing mammals), and mollusks lay eggs, although some, such as scorpions, do not. Reptile eggs, bird eggs, and monotreme eggs are laid out of water and are surrounded by a protective shell, either flexible or inflexible. Eggs laid on land or in nests are usually kept within a warm and favorable temperature range while the embryo grows. When the embryo is adequately developed it hatches, i.e., breaks out of the egg's shell. Some embryos have a temporary egg tooth they use to crack, pip, or break the eggshell or covering. The largest recorded egg is from a whale shark and was in size. Whale shark eggs typically hatch within the mother. At and up to , the o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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