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Hangingfly
Bittacidae is a family of scorpionflies commonly called hangingflies or hanging scorpionflies. The genus ''Bittacus'', comprising approximately 75% of all species within the family, occurs worldwide. Other genera are mostly confined to South America or Australia. Members of this family may be confused with crane flies, in the order Diptera, but can be distinguished by their two pairs of wings and lack of halteres. They are distinguished in the fact that during mating the male captures a prey insect and offers it to the female as a nuptial gift. The larger the prey item is, the more receptive the female will be to mating. Genera This list is based on ''The World Checklist of extant Mecoptera Species''. Presumably complete up to 1997, it is updated as needed. The number of species in each genus are in parentheses. A number of extinct(†) genera have been described from the fossil record. * '' Anabittacus'' (1) Kimmins, 1929 (Chile) * '' Anomalobittacus'' (1) Kimmins, 1928 (Sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mecoptera
Mecoptera (from the Greek: ''mecos'' = "long", ''ptera'' = "wings") is an order of insects in the superorder Endopterygota with about six hundred species in nine families worldwide. Mecopterans are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals raised over the body that look similar to the stingers of scorpions, and long beaklike rostra. The Bittacidae, or hangingflies, are another prominent family and are known for their elaborate mating rituals, in which females choose mates based on the quality of gift prey offered to them by the males. A smaller group is the snow scorpionflies, family Boreidae, adults of which are sometimes seen walking on snowfields. In contrast, the majority of species in the order inhabit moist environments in tropical locations. The Mecoptera are closely related to the Siphonaptera (fleas), and a little more distantly to the Diptera (true flies). They are somewhat fly-like in appearance, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bittacus
''Bittacus'' is a genus of hangingflies in the order Mecoptera. Members of the genus have a cosmopolitan distribution. The genus has existed since at least the earliest Late Cretaceous. ''Bittacus'' is considered "grossly paraphyletic" and serves as a catch-all for many distantly related species of hangingflies. Characteristics Members of this genus have long legs, the front pair of which are modified for grasping and are used to hang from vegetation. The other two pairs have tarsal claws and are modified for catching prey. There are two pairs of equal sized, membranous wings with dark mottling. The mouthparts are modified for chewing. The insects superficially resemble crane flies. Species The following species are listed in the ''World Checklist of Extant Mecoptera Species'': *'' Bittacus aequalis'' Navás, 1914 – Kenya *'' Bittacus africanus'' Esben-Petersen, 1915 – Zaire *'' Bittacus alluaudi'' Navás, 1914 – Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia *'' Bittacus andinus'' Londt an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hylobittacus Apicalis
''Hylobittacus apicalis'' is a species of hangingfly in the order Mecoptera, and the only species within the genus ''Hylobittacus''.Byers, G. W. and Thornhill, R. 1983. Biology of The Mecoptera. Annual Review of Entomology 28: 203-228. Description ''H. apicalis'' is a holometabolous insect with two pairs of wings.Penny, N. D. 1975. Evolution of the Extant Mecoptera. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 48: 331-350. Adults are medium-sized and reach a body length of around 1.9 cm.Thornhill, R. 1984. Alternative Female Choice Tactics in the Scorpionfly ''Hylobittacus apicalis'' (Mecoptera) and Their Implications. American Zoologist 24: 367-383. Antenna, when compared proportionally to body size, are short. ''H. apicalis'' is widely distributed throughout the lower United States and are the most common hangingfly in Illinois.Maddox, J. V. and Webb, D. W. 1983. A New Species of ''Nosema'' from ''Hylobittacus apicalis'' (Insecta: Mecoptera: Bittacidae). Journal of Inverte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baltic Amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 100,000 tons of amber. Today, more than 90% of the world's amber comes from Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia. It is a major source of income for the region; the local Kaliningrad Amber Combine extracted 250 tonnes of it in 2014, 400 tonnes in 2015. "Baltic amber" was formerly thought to include amber from the Bitterfeld Lignite, brown coal mines in Saxony (Eastern Germany). Bitterfeld amber was previously believed to be only 20–22 million years old (Miocene), but a comparison of the animal inclusions in 2003 suggested that it was possibly Baltic amber that was redeposited in a Miocene deposit. Further study of insect taxa in the ambers has shown Bitterfeld amber to be from the same forest as the Baltic amber forest, but separately deposited f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purbeck Group
The Purbeck Group is an Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous lithostratigraphic group (a sequence of rock strata) in south-east England. The name is derived from the district known as the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset where the strata are exposed in the cliffs west of Swanage. The Purbeck Group is famous for its fossils of reptiles and early mammals. This sequence of rocks has gone by various names in the past including amongst others the Purbeck Beds, Purbeck Formation, Purbeck Limestone Formation and Purbeck Stone. Rocks of this age have in the past been called the Purbeckian stage by European geologists. The Purbeckian corresponds with the Tithonian to Berriasian stages of the internationally used geologic timescale. Outcrops The Purbeck Group outcrops follow the line of the Jurassic outcrop from Dorset, through the Vale of Wardour, Swindon, Garsington, Brill and Aylesbury. In East Sussex, the Purbeck Group outcrops at three locations north and northwest west of Battle, East Suss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berriasian
In the geological timescale, the Berriasian is an age/stage of the Early/Lower Cretaceous. It is the oldest subdivision in the entire Cretaceous. It has been taken to span the time between 145.0 ± 4.0 Ma and 139.8 ± 3.0 Ma (million years ago). The Berriasian succeeds the Tithonian (part of the Jurassic) and precedes the Valanginian. Stratigraphic definition The Berriasian Stage was introduced in scientific literature by Henri Coquand in 1869. It is named after the village of Berrias in the Ardèche department of France. The largely non-marine English Purbeck Formation is in part of Berriasian age.In fact, the first rocks to be described of this age were the beds of the English Purbeck Formation, named as the Purbeckian by Alexandre Brongniart in 1829 following description by Henry De la Beche, William Buckland, Thomas Webster and William Henry Fitton. The base of the Berriasian, which is also the base of the Cretaceous System, has traditionally been placed at the first ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
