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Socius (genitals)
The study of the genitalia of Lepidoptera is important for Lepidoptera taxonomy in addition to development, anatomy and natural history. The genitalia are complex and provide the basis for species discrimination in most families and also in family identification. The genitalia are attached onto the tenth or most distal segment of the abdomen. Lepidoptera have some of the most complex genital structures in the insect groups with a wide variety of complex spines, setae, scales and tufts in males, claspers of different shapes and different modifications of the ductus bursae in females. The arrangement of genitalia is important in the courtship and mating as they prevent cross-specific mating and hybridisation. The uniqueness of genitalia of a species led to the use of the morphological study of genitalia as one of the most important keys in taxonomic identification of taxa below family level. With the advent of DNA analysis, the study of genitalia has now become just one of the t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Male Genitalia Lepidoptera
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to at least one ovum from a female, but some organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Most male mammals, including male humans, have a Y chromosome, which codes for the production of larger amounts of testosterone to develop male reproductive organs. Not all species share a common sex-determination system. In most animals, including humans, sex is determined genetically; however, species such as ''Cymothoa exigua'' change sex depending on the number of females present in the vicinity. In humans, the word ''male'' can also be used to refer to gender in the social sense of gender role or gender identity. Overview The existence of separate sexes has evolved independently at different times and in different lineages, an example of ... [...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] |
Lepidopterology
Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post-Renaissance, the rise of the "lepidopterist" can be attributed to the expanding interest in science, nature and the surroundings. When Linnaeus wrote the tenth edition of the ''Systema Naturae'' in 1758, there was already "a substantial body of published work on Lepidopteran natural history" (Kristensen, 1999). These included: * ''Insectorum sive Minimorum Animalium Theatrum'' – Thomas Mouffet (1634) * ''Metamorphosis Naturalis'' – Jan Goedart (1662–67 ) * ''Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium'' – Maria S. Merian (1705), whose work included illustrated accounts of European Lepidoptera * ''Historia Insectorum'' – John Ray (1710) * ''Papilionum Brittaniae icones'' – James Petiver (1717) History Scholars 1758–1900 was the era of the ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
External Morphology Of Lepidoptera
The external morphology of Lepidoptera is the physiological structure of the bodies of insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, also known as butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera are distinguished from other orders by the presence of scales on the external parts of the body and appendages, especially the wings. Butterflies and moths vary in size from microlepidoptera only a few millimetres long, to a wingspan of many inches such as the Atlas moth. Comprising over 160,000 described species, the Lepidoptera possess variations of the basic body structure which has evolved to gain advantages in adaptation and distribution. Lepidopterans undergo complete metamorphosis, going through a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva or caterpillar, pupa or chrysalis, and imago (plural: ''imagines'') / adult. The larvae – caterpillars – have a toughened ( sclerotised) head capsule, chewing mouthparts, and a soft body, that may have hair-like or other projections, three pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insect Reproductive System
Most insects reproduce oviparously, i.e. by laying eggs. The eggs are produced by the female in a pair of ovaries. Sperm, produced by the male in one testis or more commonly two, is transmitted to the female during mating by means of external genitalia. The sperm is stored within the female in one or more spermathecae. At the time of fertilization, the eggs travel along oviducts to be fertilized by the sperm and are then expelled from the body ("laid"), in most cases via an ovipositor. Internal Female Female insects are able to make eggs, receive and store sperm, manipulate sperm from different males, and lay eggs. Their reproductive systems are made up of a pair of ovaries, accessory glands, one or more spermathecae, and ducts connecting these parts. The ovaries make eggs and accessory glands produce the substances to help package and lay the eggs. Spermathecae store sperm for varying periods of time and, along with portions of the oviducts, can control sperm use. The ducts and sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parnassius
''Parnassius'' is a genus of northern circumpolar and montane (alpine and Himalayan) butterflies usually known as Apollos or snow Apollos. They can vary in colour and form significantly based on their altitude. They also show an adaptation to high altitudes called altitudinal melanism. They show dark bodies and darkened colouration at the wingbase which helps them warm faster using the sun. Although classified under the swallowtail butterfly family, none of the ''Parnassius'' species possesses tails. The larvae feed on species of plants belonging to the Papaveraceae and Crassulaceae families, and like the other swallowtail butterfly larvae, possess an osmeterium. Unlike most butterflies that have exposed pupae, they pupate inside a loose silken cocoon. Identification and ecology ''Parnassius'' species of butterflies are often hard to identify and can sometimes only be identified by dissection of the genitalia. The phylogeny of the group is still under study using molecular ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Citheronia Regalis
''Citheronia regalis'', the regal moth or royal walnut moth, is a North American moth in the family Saturniidae. The caterpillars are called hickory horned devils. The adult (imago) has a wingspan of . The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. Life cycle The adult moth is the largest moth by mass in latitudes north of Mexico, as are the spectacular larva and the substantial pupa. The life cycle of the moth is typical of the Saturniidae species, and typical of the Ceratocampinae. It burrows into the ground to pupate in an earthen chamber, rather than spinning a cocoon. Its eggs are yellowish, oval and 2 mm in diameter. They are laid either singly or in groups of up to four on the upper surface of the host plant leaves, favoring nut trees such as ''Juglans'' and ''Carya'' (walnuts and hickories). There are regional preferences, with the utilization of sweet gum and persimmon in the south, and sumacs where the others are not available. Larvae are s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mating Plug
A mating plug, also known as a copulation plug, sperm plug, vaginal plug, or sphragis (Latin, from Greek σφραγίς ''sphragis'', "a seal"), is gelatinous secretion used in the mating of some species. It is deposited by a male into a female genital tract, such as the vagina, and later hardens into a plug or glues the tract together. While females can expel the plugs afterwards, the male's sperm still gets a time advantage in getting to the egg, which is often the deciding factor in fertilization. The mating plug plays an important role in sperm competition and may serve as an alternative and more advantageous strategy to active mate guarding. In some species, such a passive mate-guarding strategy may reduce selection on large male size. Such a strategy may be advantageous because it would allow a male to increase reproductive success by spending more time pursuing new female mates rather than active mate guarding. Composition The mating plug of the ''Bombus terrestris'' was c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called brush-footed butterflies or four-footed butterflies, because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up; in some species, these forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name. Many species are brightly coloured and include popular species such as the emperors, monarch butterfly, admirals, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries. However, the under wings are, in contrast, often dull and in some species look remarkably like dead leaves, or are much paler, producing a cryptic effect that helps the butterflies blend into their surroundings. Nomenclature Rafinesque introduced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acraeini
The Acraeini are a tribe of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. Genera The recognized genera are: Tree of Life * ''Abananote'' Potts, 1943 * ''Acraea'' Fabricius, 1807 – acraeas * ''Actinote'' Hübner, 819/small> – actinotes * ''Altinote'' Potts, 1943 – altinotes * ''Bematistes'' Hemming, 1935 *''Cethosia'' (Fabricius, 1807) – lacewings * '' Miyana'' (Fruhstorfer, 1914) The genus ''Acraea'' is highly paraphyletic and needs to be redelimited. This will possibly re-establish the old genus ''Telchinia'', and perhaps others. The genus ''Pardopsis'' Trimen, 1887, previously included in Acraeini, has tentatively been moved to the Argynnini Argynnini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae, containing some of the fritillaries. This group has roughly 100 species worldwide and roughly 30 in North America. Systematics This group has also been classified as subtribe ... tribe. References External links * * {{ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papilionidae
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of the genus ''Ornithoptera''. Swallowtails have a number of distinctive features; for example, the papilionid caterpillar bears a repugnatorial organ called the osmeterium on its prothorax. The osmeterium normally remains hidden, but when threatened, the larva turns it outward through a transverse dorsal groove by inflating it with fluid. The forked appearance in some of the swallowtails' hindwings, which can be seen when the butterfly is resting with its wings spread, gave rise to the common name ''swallowtail''. As for its formal name, Linnaeus chose ''Papilio'' for the type genus, as ''papilio'' is Latin for "butterfly". For the specific epithets of the genus, Linnaeus applied th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parnassinae
The Parnassiinae or snow Apollos are a subfamily of the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. The subfamily includes about 50 medium-sized, white or yellow species. The snow Apollos are high-altitude butterflies and are distributed across Asia, Europe and North America.Ackery PR (1975) A guide to the genera and species of Parnassiinae (Lepidoptera:Papilionidae). ''Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist.'' (Ent.) 31, pdf/ref> Tribes This subfamily consists of the following tribes: * Luehdorfiini * Parnassiini * Zerynthiini The Zerynthiini are a tribe of swallowtail butterflies. Genera The tribe is thought to consist of four genera: * '' Allancastria'' * '' Bhutanitis'' * ''Sericinus ''Sericinus'' is a genus of swallowtail butterflies placed in the subfamily ... Gallery File:Hypermnestrahelios (2) cropped.jpg, File:Parnassius phoebus MHNT CUT 2013 3 6 Arvieux female dos.jpg, File:Parnassius mnemosyne2.JPG, File:Archon_apollinus_bellargus_1.jpg, File:Luehdorfia japonica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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