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Parachartergus Apicalis
''Parachartergus apicalis'' is a species of wasp in the Polistinae subfamily, found in the Neotropics. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804. In Honduras, they are known as ', which translates into English as "white wings". Behaviour They have been observed to swarm when they move between nests, with the behaviour occurring between April and May in Paraguay. At times they form temporary compact clusters along the route of the swarm; each cluster is evenly spaced and individuals move from one clump to the next, with the clumps at the back shrinking, whilst those at the front grow. It is uncertain how they navigate between the clumps, but it is thought they use either visual or olfactory cues. False swarming can also occur when strong winds prevent foragers from entering the nest. They have been recorded to tend species of treehopper, plant sap-feeding insects, during the daytime, an example of a mutualistic relationship. The wasp protects the treehopper nym ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Treehopper
Treehoppers (more precisely typical treehoppers to distinguish them from the Aetalionidae) and thorn bugs are members of the family (biology), family Membracidae, a group of insects related to the cicadas and the leafhoppers. About 3,200 species of treehoppers in over 400 genera are known.Treehoppers. Dr. Metcalf. NCSU Libraries. North Carolina State University. They are found on all continents except Antarctica; only five species are known from Europe. Individual treehoppers usually live for only a few months. Morphology Treehoppers, due to their unusual appearance, have long interested naturalists. They are best known for their enlarged and ornate pronotum, expanded into often fantastic shapes that enhance their camouflage or mimicry, often resembling Thorns, spines, and prickles, plant th ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plant Sap
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separate substance, separately produced, and with different components and functions. Insect honeydew is called sap, particularly when it falls from trees, but is only the remains of eaten sap and other plant parts. Types of sap Saps may be broadly divided into two types: xylem sap and phloem sap. Xylem sap Xylem sap (pronounced ) consists primarily of a watery solution of hormones, mineral elements and other nutrients. Transport of sap in xylem is characterized by movement from the roots toward the leaves. Over the past century, there has been some controversy regarding the mechanism of xylem sap transport; today, most plant scientists agree that the cohesion-tension theory best explains this process, but multiforce theories that hy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmecopsis Strigosa
''Myrmecopsis strigosa'' is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Herbert Druce in 1884. It is found in Mexico and Guatemala. The wingspan is about 25 mm. It is thought to be a Müllerian mimic of the wasp ''Parachartergus apicalis ''Parachartergus apicalis'' is a species of wasp in the Polistinae subfamily, found in the Neotropics. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804. In Honduras, they are known as ', which translates into English as "white wings". ...'', with predators paying a high penalty for mistaking ''M. strigosa'' for the wasp and there is a small reward from correctly identifying it since ''M. strigosa'' is bitter tasting and covered in scales. References * Euchromiina Moths described in 1884 Moths of Central America {{Euchromiina-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sphecosoma Aliena
''Sphecosoma'' is a genus of moths in the subfamily Arctiinae. The genus was erected by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1876. Species The genus includes the following species: * '' Sphecosoma abdominalis'' Schaus, 1905 * '' Sphecosoma abnormis'' Hampson, 1898 * '' Sphecosoma albipalpe'' Draudt, 1915 * '' Sphecosoma alica'' E. D. Jones, 1914 * '' Sphecosoma aurantiipes'' Rothschild, 1911 * '' Sphecosoma besasa'' Schaus, 1924 * '' Sphecosoma cognata'' Walker, 1856 * '' Sphecosoma curta'' Rothschild, 1931 * '' Sphecosoma deceptrix'' Hampson, 1898 * '' Sphecosoma ecuadora'' H. Druce, 1883 * '' Sphecosoma flaveolum'' Rothschild, 1931 * '' Sphecosoma gracilis'' Jörgensen, 1932 * '' Sphecosoma linda'' E. D. Jones, 1914 * '' Sphecosoma mathani'' Rothschild, 1911 * '' Sphecosoma matta'' E. D. Jones, 1914 * '' Sphecosoma meerkatzi'' Strand, 1915 * '' Sphecosoma melanota'' Hampson, 1898 * '' Sphecosoma melapera'' Dognin, 1909 * '' Sphecosoma melissa'' Schaus, 1896 * '' Sphecosoma melissina'' Kay ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic rank, superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described species of living organisms. It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world. The Lepidoptera show many variations of the basic body structure that have evolved to gain advantages in lifestyle and distribution. Recent estimates suggest the order may have more species than earlier thought, and is among the four most wikt:speciose, speciose orders, along with the Hymenoptera, fly, Diptera, and beetle, Coleoptera. Lepidopteran species are characterized by more than three derived features. The most apparent is the presence of scale (anatomy), scales that cover the torso, bodies, wings, and a proboscis. The scales are modified, flattened "hairs", and give ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mimicry
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry functions to protect a species from predators, making it an anti-predator adaptation. Mimicry evolves if a receiver (such as a predator) perceives the similarity between a mimic (the organism that has a resemblance) and a model (the organism it resembles) and as a result changes its behaviour in a way that provides a selective advantage to the mimic. The resemblances that evolve in mimicry can be visual, acoustic, chemical, tactile, or electric, or combinations of these sensory modalities. Mimicry may be to the advantage of both organisms that share a resemblance, in which case it is a form of mutualism; or mimicry can be to the detriment of one, making it parasitic or competitive. The evolutionary convergence between groups is driven by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Necrophagic
Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding behavior. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by consuming dead animal and plant material. ''Decomposers'' and detritivores complete this process, by consuming the remains left by scavengers. Scavengers aid in overcoming fluctuations of food resources in the environment. The process and rate of scavenging is affected by both biotic and abiotic factors, such as carcass size, habitat, temperature, and seasons. Etymology Scavenger is an alteration of ''scavager,'' from Middle English ''skawager'' meaning "customs collector", from ''skawage'' meaning "customs", from Old North French ''escauwage'' meaning "inspection", from ''schauwer'' meaning "to inspect", of Germanic origin; akin to Old English ''scēawian'' and German ''s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aedeagus
An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, though the comparison is fairly loose given the greater complexity of insect reproduction. The term is derived from Ancient Greek αἰδοῖα (''aidoia'', "private parts") and ἀγός (''agos'', "leader"). It is pronounced or . The aedeagus is part of the male's abdomen, which is the hindmost of the three major body sections of an insect. The pair of testes of the insect are connected to the aedeagus through the genital ducts. The aedeagus is part of the male insect's phallus, a complex and often species-specific arrangement of more or less sclerotized (hardened) flaps and hooks which also includes in some species the valvae (clasper), which are paired organs which help the male hold on to the female during copulation. During copulation, the aedeagus co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genitalia
A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, are called the ''primary sex organs''. All others are called ''secondary sex organs'', divided between the external sex organs—the genitals or external genitalia, visible at birth in both sexes—and the internal sex organs. Mosses, ferns, and some similar plants have gametangia for reproductive organs, which are part of the gametophyte. The flowers of flowering plants produce pollen and egg cells, but the sex organs themselves are inside the gametophytes within the pollen and the ovule. Coniferous plants likewise produce their sexually reproductive structures within the gametophytes contained within the cones and pollen. The cones and pollen are not themselves sexual organs. Terminology The ''primary sex organs'' are the gonads, a p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parachartergus Fraternus
''Parachartergus fraternus'' is a neotropical, swarm founding, polistine wasp species that is distributed throughout Central and South America.Leonardo, Paula C., Flavio R. Andrade, and Fabio Prezoto. "Foraging Behavior in the Neotropical Swarm-founding Wasp Parachartergus Fraternus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae: Epiponini) during Different Phases of the Biological Cycle." ''Sociobiology'' 42 (2003): 735–43. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. They live in nests in second growth tropical dry forests, near pasture fields, roadside areas, and urban areas as well.Olson, Eric J. "Parachartergus Fraternus (Gribodo)(Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) Uses Venom When Taking Caterpillar Prey." ''Psyche: A Journal of Entomology'' 103.1–2 (2000): 85–93. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. These wasps eat insects, such as caterpillars of Lepidoptera. They also drink nectar, honeydew, and water.Mateus, Sidnei, Fernando Barbosa Noll, and Ronaldo Zucchi. "Caste Flexibility and Variation According to the Colony Cycle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camponotus Atriceps
''Camponotus atriceps'', previously referred as ''C. abdominalis'', is a species of carpenter ant, endemic to the Americas. Habitat It has been found in a variety of moist and forested habitats, including wet lowland and rainforest, tropical rainforests, pine or oak forests, wet montane forest, and in mature wet forest. It occurs from near sea level to as high as 2,290 meters. Races There are two accepted races: * ''Camponotus atriceps atriceps'' * ''Camponotus atriceps nocens'' Parasites A variety of parasites have been identified from the subspecies, ''Camponotus abdominalis floridanus''. These include the inquilines '' Microdon fulgens'', ''Myrmecophila pergandei'', an undetermined species of Atelurinae, ''Alachua floridensis'' and ''Obeza floridana''. The cockroach, '' Myrmecoblatta wheeleri'' has also been found associated with the ant in southern Florida. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carpenter Ant
Carpenter ants (''Camponotus'' spp.) are large () ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world. They build nests inside wood consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles or jaws, preferably in dead, damp wood. However, unlike termites, they do not consume wood, discarding a material that resembles sawdust outside their nest. Sometimes, carpenter ants hollow out sections of trees. They also commonly infest wooden buildings and structures, and are a widespread problem and major cause of structural damage. Nevertheless, their ability to excavate wood helps in forest decomposition. The genus includes over 1,000 species. They also farm aphids. In their farming, the ants protect the aphids from predators (usually other insects) while they excrete a sugary fluid called honeydew, which the ants get by stroking the aphids with their antennae. Description ''Camponotus'' are generally large ants, with workers being 4-7 mm long in small species or 7-13 mm in large spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
