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Warning Coloration
Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or smell, sharp spines, or aggressive nature. These advertising signals may take the form of conspicuous coloration, sounds, odours, or other perceivable characteristics. Aposematic signals are beneficial for both predator and prey, since both avoid potential harm. The term was coined in 1877 by Edward Bagnall Poulton for Alfred Russel Wallace's concept of warning coloration. Aposematism is exploited in Müllerian mimicry, where species with strong defences evolve to resemble one another. By mimicking similarly coloured species, the warning signal to predators is shared, causing them to learn more quickly at less of a cost. A genuine aposematic signal that a species actually possesses chemical or physical defences is not the only way ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metasepia Pfefferi 1
''Metasepia'' is a small genus of small cuttlefish from the Pacific Ocean. The two members of this genus are characterised by a small, thick, diamond-shaped cuttlebone. Species This genus contains two known species: *Pfeffer's flamboyant cuttlefish, ''Metasepia pfefferi ''Metasepia pfefferi'', also known as the flamboyant cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish occurring in tropical Indo-Pacific waters off northern Australia, southern New Guinea, as well as numerous islands of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malay ...'' *paintpot cuttlefish, '' Metasepia tullbergi'' References * Norman, M.D. 2000. ''Cephalopods: A World Guide''. ConchBooks. * Ross, R. 2010Aquarium Invertebrates: ''Metasepia pfefferi'' – the aptly named Flamboyant Cuttlefish Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine. External links * Cuttlefish Cephalopod genera Taxa named by William Evans Hoyle {{cuttlefish-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Velvet Ant
The Mutillidae are a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their dense pile of hair, which most often is bright scarlet or orange, but may also be black, white, silver, or gold. Their bright colors serve as aposematic signals. They are known for their extremely painful stings, (the sting of the species ''Dasymutilla klugii'' rated a 3 on the Schmidt pain index and lasts up to 30 minutes), and has resulted in the common name "cow killer" or "cow ant" being applied to the species ''Dasymutilla occidentalis.'' However, mutillids are not aggressive and sting only in defense. In addition, the actual toxicity of their venom is much lower than that of honey bees or harvester ants. Unlike true ants, they are solitary, and lack complex social systems. Distribution Mutillidae can be found worldwide with about 230 genera or subgenera and around 8,000 species worldwide. Over 400 species oc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stinger (organ)
A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of venom, although not all stings are venomous. Bites, which can introduce saliva as well as additional pathogens and diseases, are often confused with stings, and vice versa. Specific components of venom are believed to give rise to an allergic reaction, which in turn produces skin lesions that may vary from a small itching weal, or slightly elevated area of the skin, to large areas of inflamed skin covered by vesicles and crusted lesions. Stinging insects produce a painful swelling of the skin, the severity of the lesion varying according to the location of the sting, the identity of the insect and the sensitivity of the subject. Many species of bees and wasps have two poison glands, one gland secreting a toxin in which formic acid is one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poison Dart Frog
Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly colored bodies. This bright coloration is correlated with the toxicity of the species, making them aposematic. Some species of the family Dendrobatidae exhibit extremely bright coloration along with high toxicity, while others have cryptic coloration with minimal to no amount of observed toxicity. The species that have great toxicity derive this feature from their diet of ants, mites and termites. However, other species that exhibit cryptic coloration, and low to no amounts of toxicity, eat a much larger variety of prey. Many species of this family are threatened due to human infrastructure encroaching on their habitats. These amphibians are often called "dart frogs" due to the Native Americans' use of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skunk
Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have warning coloration. While related to polecats and other members of the weasel family, skunks have as their closest relatives the Old World stink badgers. Taxonomy In alphabetical order, the living species of skunks are: * Family Mephitidae ** Genus: '' Conepatus'' *** ''Conepatus chinga'' – Molina's hog-nosed skunk *** ''Conepatus humboldtii'' – Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk *** ''Conepatus leuconotus'' – American hog-nosed skunk *** ''Conepatus semistriatus'' – striped hog-nosed skunk ** Genus: '' Mephitis'' *** ''Mephitis macroura'' – hooded skunk *** ''Mephitis mephitis'' – striped skunk ** Genus: '' Spilogale'' *** ''Spilogale angustifrons'' – southern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naturwissenschaften
''The Science of Nature'', formerly ''Naturwissenschaften'', is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media covering all aspects of the natural sciences relating to questions of biological significance. It was founded in 1913 and intended as a German-language equivalent of the English-language journal ''Nature'', at a time when German was still a dominant language of the natural sciences. The journal is now published in English. History ''Die Naturwissenschaften'' was founded in 1913 by Arnold Berliner and published by Julius Springer Verlag. Berliner intended to create a German equivalent to the English-language journal ''Nature''. The original subtitle ''Wochenschrift für die Fortschritte der Naturwissenschaften, der Medizin und der Technik'' (''Weekly Publication of the Advances in the Natural Sciences, Medicine and Technology'') was later changed to its current ''The Science of Nature''. The journal is published monthly and the ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arctiidae
The Arctiinae (formerly called the family Arctiidae) are a large and diverse subfamily of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species.Scoble, MJ. (1995). ''The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity''. Second ed. Oxford University Press. This subfamily includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths (or tigers), which usually have bright colours, footmen, which are usually much drabber, lichen moths, and wasp moths. Many species have "hairy" caterpillars that are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms. The scientific name Arctiinae refers to this hairiness (Gk. αρκτος = a bear). Some species within the Arctiinae have the word "tussock"' in their common names because they have been misidentified as members of the Lymantriinae subfamily based on the characteristics of the larvae. Taxonomy The subfamily was previously classified as the family Arctiidae of the superfamily Noctuoidea and is a monophyletic group ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ladybird
Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from . They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain. Some entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as they are not true bugs. Many of the species have conspicuous aposematic colours and patterns, such as red with black spots, that warn potential predators that they are distasteful. The majority of the more than 6,000 described species are generally considered beneficial insects, because many prey on herbivorous hemipterans such as aphids or scale insects, which are agricultural pests. Many coccinellids lay their eggs directly in aphid and scale insect colonies, ensuring their larvae have an immediate food source. However, some species such as the herbivorous Mexican bean beetle are agricultural pests. Etymology The name ''coccinellids'', created by Pierre André Latreille, is derived from the Latin word ''coccineus'' meaning "scarlet". T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae. Their blood is not totally contained in vessels; some circulates in an open cavity known as the haemocoel. Insects are the most diverse group of animals; they include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living organisms. The total number of extant species is estimated at between six and ten million; In: potentially over 90% of the animal life forms on Earth are insects. Insects may be found in nearly all environments, although only a small number of species reside in the oceans, which are dominated by another arthropod group, crustaceans, which recent research has indicated insects are nested within. Nearly all insects hatch f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hycleus Lugens, Meloidae
''Hycleus'' is a genus of blister beetle belonging to the Meloidae family found in Africa and Asia. The genus contains over 400 species, which historically have been confused with the genus ''Mylabris''. Ecology Adults feed mainly on flowers from a wide range of plant families. The first larval instar is an active triungulin form that is a predator of soft insects such as aphids. While the young are often beneficial to crops by suppressing other plant feeders, the adults can be a problem when present in large numbers. Flower feeding leads to lower yield and this can be a problem in some leguminous crops. They are however easily controlled by manual collection. In northern Nigeria, heavy infestations of '' Hycleus terminatus'', '' Hycleus fimbriatus'', '' Hycleus hermanniae'', and '' Hycleus chevrolati'' have affected early plantings of pearl millet crops. Gallery File:Mylabris pustulata.JPG, Seen in Karnataka File:Orange_Blister_Beetle_(Mylabris_pustulata)_on_Ipomoea_carnea_W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Encyclopedia Entomologica
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by article name or by thematic categories, or else are hyperlinked and searchable. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most dictionaries. Generally speaking, encyclopedia articles focus on '' factual information'' concerning the subject named in the article's title; this is unlike dictionary entries, which focus on linguistic information about words, such as their etymology, meaning, pronunciation, use, and grammatical forms.Béjoint, Henri (2000)''Modern Lexicography'', pp. 30–31. Oxford University Press. Encyclopedias have existed for around 2,000 years and have evolved considerably during that time as regards language (written in a major international or a ver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
