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PROGRAM SCRIPT: INVERTEBRATES

First station: What can you tell me about insects? They have 3 body parts: head, thorax and abdomen; an exoskeleton; 3 pairs of jointed legs (6 legs); and most adults have 2 pairs of wings (4 wings). Head: one pair of segmented antennae, a pair of compound eyes and usually two or three simple eyes, and mouth parts (ex: fly has sucker mouth, mosquito has needle-like, grasshoppers grasp like pliers, butterflies and moths have a roll-up straw like a party favor. Thorax: made up of 3 segments, each with a pair of legs attached. The second and third segments each also have a pair of wings ·attached. Abdomen: usually has eleven segments; the spiracles are on the abdomen, openings through which air passes for respiration. Most insects go through 4 life stages: The first is the egg. The next is the larva--the worm-like or caterpillars--these mostly just serve as a feeding stage to prepare for the long metamorphosis (a few days to a few months). The third stage is the pupa--the cocoon or dormant stage--­in this stage the insect goes through metamorphosis, it changes form. In butterflies, the cocoon is called a chrysalis (plural is chrysalids). The cocoon or chrysalis is the covering that surrounds the pupa. The last stage is the adult. This is the most active phase including honey production in honey bees, nest building in wasps, and reproduction in all insects. There are nearly 700,000 described species of insects in the world. That is more than twice the number of all other animals andplants combined. Insects are adapted to virually every kind of habitat. Relatives of insects: Crustaceans---crabs, lobster, crayfish, shrimp Diplopoda---millipedes Chilopods---centipedes Arachnids---spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites

Second station: Discuss bees on the way to VP and while looking at bees in hive. See attached bee info. Give each kid a magnifying glass and mealworm larva

-have them look at body segments -show pupa stage, or if time one to each -pick up larvae (if not already done) or pupae -give mealy bugs (beetles) and have them Ld. head, thorax and abdomen,

six legs, two antennae pick up beetles

Third station: Collect invertes in and around main pond, Ld. as much as possible. If this station is rained out, visit Small Wonders and note black widow, tarantula, centipede.

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: INVERTEBRATES

Part I Basis for Programs Title: Secret Life of Arthropods Course Description: Examine some live critters without backbones and

learn about how these extraordinary creatures with jointed legs and an exoskeleton have colonized almost every habitat on our planet. We will discuss unique and "out of sight" life styles and adaptations of different specimens.

Age Level: Grade 3-6 Time: 1 hour Goal: Participants wilileam the unique characteristics of arthropods, their ~

adaptations and the niches they fill in the environment.

Part II Instructional Plan Course Outline: Three 20 minute sessions:

1 st: Program box---parts of insects and their life cycles; other arthropods.

2nd: Bugs and bees---hold meal worm stages and watch/discuss bees at VP.

3rd: Tour of Small Wonders and pond walk to find invertes in and near the pond.

Part III Resource Support Site Needs: At least one classroom. Participant Thresholds: No more than 15 kids per instructor up to 45 kids. Transportation Needs: Not a good program for outreach. Resource Needs: Invertes program box

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Enough meal worms, pupae, and adults for @ kid Enough magnifying glasses for @ kid Enough nets for @ kid and some jars

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Organs for Moving--Insects have different types of feet for swimming or walking. Some, like mes and bees, have sticky pads and hooks on their feet. Insects move on a series of tripods-they move front and rear legs on one side of the body and the middle leg on the other side of the body.

The wings of the insect move in a figure eight pattern.Some insects, like flies, have two wings. Dragonflies have four wings, and other insects have no wings at all.

Senses-Insects have both simple and complex eyes. The insect's sense of smell is usually located on the antennae in olfactory pits or cones. The sense of taste is usually around the mouth or sometimes in the lower part of the legs. Some insects have no sense of hearing,but others have hearing organs on various parts of their bodies-katydids have ears on their legs, and locusts hfive ears on the sides of their bodies.

Insects have small spines on their bodies which allow them to feel nearness to objects around them. Some insects have heat detectors which help them find endothermic prey.

Arachnids

The class Arachnida conSists of spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions and daddy longlegs (harvestmen). Arachnids have no wings. They have two body parts-­the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Arachnids have one to six pair of simple eyes-no compound eyes. The respiration of arachnids is varied. Some have air tubes, some have breathing organs somewhat like lungs called ''book lungs"-­small sacs within the abdomen connected to the outer air by small openings.

The cephalothorax of the arachnids contain the eyes, mouth, and "motor box". The abdomen of the arachnids contain the digestive system, respiratory system, heart, reproductive organs, and in the case of spiders, spinning organs. Spiders

Spiders have two pair of mandibles. The first pair end in poisonous fangs for killing prey. The eight legs of the spider end in claws. In front of the claws are the palpi-feelers.

Spiders have three pairs of spinnerets. Spider spin webs with silk. They coat their legs with an oily substance from their mouths so they can walk over their own webs.

Females usually spin the webs and catch food. The males are smaller. The palpi of the males are used to fertiliie the female. The female lays eggs in a silky sac.Some mothers open sacs, some die when they lay their eggs, some spider young stay in their egg sacs until they are old enough to make their own webs and capture insects. Some spiders live one year, others live two years or more.

Arthropods: Background Information

Arthropods are in the Kingdom AnimaIia, Phylum Arthropoda (meaning "having jointed feet"). Arthropods make up 3/4 of the Earth's animal population. They have jointed feet and bodies. Arthropods have "exoskeletons" made of chitin. Arthropods must molt to grow. Nearly all arthropods have a heart and blood system and a well-organized nervous system.

The groups of arthropods are: Insects Arachnids--mites, ticks, spiders, scorpions Crustaceans-- crabs, lobsters, shrimp, barnacles Chilopods--centipedes Oi plopods--milli pedes

Insects

Insects are in the class Hexapoda (six legs). Insects are the largest group of arthropods. More than 800,000 kinds of insects have been named. Entomologists believe that there may be as many as 2-4 million species, with billions of individuals within each species. Scientists estimate insects to be about 200,000 years older than humans.

The jointed body of the insect has three body parts: Head--contains the brain, antennae, eyes (both simple and complex-the simple eyes are light sensing organs called ocelli), and mouth Thorax--muscles for flying, walking, swimming--legs and wings are attached to

. the thorax Abdomen-digestive, reproductive, excretory organs, spiracles for respiration

Outer Body--The outer body of the insect is made of chitin. The muscles are attached to the inside of Th. exoskeleton. The insect, like other arthropods, must shed its exoskeleton in order to grow. The period between molts is called "instar".

Internal Organs--The heart of the insect is located in the abdomen. The heart pumps blood, which can be yellow, green, or colorless. The nervous system of the insect is a simple system of ganglia (paired nerve cords) which run down the underside of the body. Some ganglion are capable of functioning alone­therefore some insects with no heads can continue to walk.

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Insects and Relatives • 1

Why Care About Insects?

Insects are incredibly successful

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With around a million named species, and maybe several times that many unnamed and unknown, insects are the large majority of anima] species on earth. They have colonized almost every possible terrestrial and freshwater niche. Almost any substance with any nutritive value is eaten by some group of insects.

Insects are important to Biology Study of the huge variability of insects in lifestyle, behavior, social evolution, mating behavior, and parental investment has greatly advanced our understanding of evolutionary biology. Insects are ideal research subjects for genetics, developmep.t, and " " molecular biology as well.. "

Insects are old Arthropods appear in terrestrial fossils by 400 million years ago. Insects are present by 350 million years ago, and were flying by 300 million years ago. When the first amphibians lived on land, insects were already there. Most modem groups of plants and anirna1s evolved in close association with insects, and have adapted to them in important ways.

Insects are our best friends and worst enemies We often think of insects in negative terms. They feed on our crops, suck our blood, contaminate our homes, and 1ransmit terrible diseases. The mosquito is arguably the most dangerous anjmal in the world to humans. "

However, without insects, the world we know could not exist. Some important contributions of insects include:

• They pollinate m~y, perhaps most, higher plants. Most of our fruit and vegetable crops and most other flowering plants could not exist without them

• Termites, in.particular, are "a vital part of the terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycles. Without them, dead plants would decompose only slowly

• Ants turn over and help create more soil than earthworms

• They are a vital food source for many other animals

• They control populations of other insects and invertebrates

• They provide some products directly (silk, shellac, honey, etc.).

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insects and Reiatives - 2

Phylum Arthropoda

Arthropods are an incredibly diverse group, with far more species than all the other phyla combined. All arthropods have several features in common, including:

1. Segmented bodies, both internally and externally 2. Some segments fus~d into body regions (tagmata) 3. Exoskeletons made of chitin, along with other proteins, waxes, and calcium

carbonate 4. Body segments have pairs of jointed appendages, which are specialized for

feeding, locomotion, sensing, etc. 5. Growth occurs by inolting (ecdysis) - kev~ _ . 6. Compound eyes plus one to several simple eyes bz.vf ci'" ~de. ,(,;~~I'\.I. 7. Breathing occurs through gills, tracheae, or book hmgs I " ~ fs -I!u s?R-8. Nervous system has a "brain" or cerebral gan~on, connected to a pair of

ventral nerve cords with addition8.1 ganglia aece.dnl;r Major groups of Arthropods There is some disagreement about the exact relationships of arthropods, but this is a popular scheme. I have left out several minor classes.

Subphylum. Chelicerata • Class Meristomata (horseshoe crabs) • Class Pycnogonida (sea spiders) ~ It.t'., ~ ': • Class Arachnida (spiders, sco;rpions, ticks, mites) - 2500 spiders, 30,000 ticks & mites .f.?lo&~ So I ~Jr

Subphylum Crustacea -about 30,000 species identified

• Class Brachiopoda (fairy shrimp, water fleas, brine shrimp) • Class Maxillopoda (ostrocods, copepods, barnacles) .. Class Malacostraca (pill bugs, krill, crabs, shrimp, lobsters)

Subphylum UnUmnia • Class Chilopoda (centipedes) • Class Diplopoda (millipedes) • Class Insecta - about 1 million species known

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Insects and Relatives • 3

Key for Classifying Common Arthropods

1a. Two pairs of antennae (one may be greatly reduced), variable number of legs Class Crustacea, 2

1 b. One pair of antennae or none go to 3

2a. Two body regions (cephalothorax, abdomen), 5 pairs of legs Order Decopoda (crayfish, lobsters, shrimp)

2b. Three body regions (head, thorax, abdomen), 7 pairs of legs Order Isopoda (marine isopods, sow bugs, pill bugs)

3a. No antennae, two body regions (cephalothorax, abdomen), 4 pairs of legs .. Class Arachnida

(spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions) 3b. One pair antennae go to 4

. 4a. Three body regions (head, thorax, abdomen), 3 pairs of legs, may have wings Class Insecta

4b. Two body regions (head, trunk) go to 5

5a. One parr of legs per trunk segment

5b. Two pairs of legs per trunk segment

Class Chilopoda (centipedes)

Class Diplopoda (millipedes)

insects and Relatives - 4

Class Insecta

~ Insect Characteristics Jf I, Three body regions (head, thorax, abdomen) 2. Pair of compound eyes, plus (usually) three simple eyes on the head 3, Pair of antennae on the head 4, Varied and adapted mouthparts, derived from a labrum, a pair of mandibles, a pair

of maxilla, and a labia 5. Three pairs of walking legs (s61",etimts JUS} fu boJa.nce,) 6, TWQ pairs of wings, derived not from limbs, but from outgrowths of the body wall

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Important Advan~ges ot Insec s 0 • Extreme adaptability • Small size • Flight • Complete Metamorphosis

Life Cycles of Insects

Simple Metamorphosis ,,' Example: silverfish. The juveniles are essentially miniature adults, having the same lifestyle.

Incomplete Metamorphosis Examples: dragonflies, cicadas. The juveniles (nymphs) are somewhat like the adult, but have important differences and lead a different lifestyle,

Complete MeUUnorphosis The juveniles (larvae) are very different from the adults and have a very different lifestyle. When the larval stage is done, the insect goes through a second phase of embryonic-type development (the pupa) and emerges as an adult. This adaptation has been very successful, and about 88% of known insect species have a complete metamoxphosis. J _ A ~ .

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insects and Relatives· 5

Class Insecta

The Big Four: the most successful Orders

Order Coeloptera (beetles) Ya.( MA~li~ .s{>ec,ies. 1d~1'\~f\eJ./I"\o.-i\~cI Name means "sheath-winged". elI bIg adaptatlon IS Wing covers. There are over 250,000 named sp cies. ~

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Order Lepidoptera (butterniei and mols) \60,000 spec.i6 flo--t-I\~d The name means "scaly-winged". There are about 150,000 named specles.

Order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, llnp. wasps) \20.000 ,",e0M.ec\ C 5000. \ \ '(\'seeks ) elLn <The name means "membrane-Winged". There are about 120,000 named species, of

) W ~t which the majority are ants. These insects determine gender by _~plodil?loidy. _./ "fr - ~ ~~ )<;e _ s;~~ ~ b'1l 3h! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ J:D sls.Jer.s ~ -It. ~~ .. O-$Vrw"~ .,."-.~II~m -~" (t\,iVlS\oY\S ~ 'o...hD"l) ~ VJc,\<.)\Ctl\\l1- {~~ s ~S t.-0\r\ ~ l"WAJ Order JJlptera (true flies) -t~evj d("e SDG\.tiL ~ ~t\t. Order includes gnats, flies, and mosquitoes. The name means ''two wings", because

these insects do not have a second pair of wings; the second pair have evolved into halteres. There are over 90,000 named species.

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Other Major Orders of Insects There are many other kinds of insects, and not everyone agrees on how to classify them. For example, some sources put termites under Isoptera and group mantids and roaches with Orthoptera. I present one version here, but not a definitive one. I have left out several minor unfamiliar orders. '

Order Neuroptera (lacewings, ant lions, dobsonflies, etc.) Order Mecoptera (scorpionflies) Order Siphonaptera (fleas) Order Trichoptera (caddisflies) Order Anoplura (sucking-lice) Order Hemiptera (true bugs and relatives) Order Mallophaga (biting lice, bird -lice) Order Psocoptera (book lice, bark lice) Order Homoptera (white flies, aphids, scale insects, cicadas) Order Thysanoptera (thrips) Order Orthoptera (crickets, grasshoppers, locusts) Order Dictyoptera (termites, manticis, cockroaches) Order Dennaptera ( earwigs) 'Order Plecoptera (stoneflies) Order Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Order Phasmida (walking sticks and leaf insects) Order Thysanura (bristletails, silverfish) Order Collembola (snow flies and springtails)

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METAMORPHOSIS

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If the egg yields an inseel form which is'" ' .. mt;rely different from the final adult, and ' , if this laroa must pass through a pupal ' stage, perhaps in a cocoon, then the spe-" ,ies is characleri~ed by complete meta­morph'lJiis. The painted lady bUllerjly shown here is first a caterpillar and then ' a chrysalis before becoming the ck/icate adull creature which in no way resembles , Ihe slow-moving, segmented calerpillar, ',":~,. not even in its habits Dr food preferences.' ' ..

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The dragonfly and damseljly are similar in that bolk have two pairs of large, filmy wings, shorl antennae and long bodies. But the damselfly's body is gen­erally thinner and it can close ils wings over its back when at resl, Dragor!/lies invariably keep their wings out jlat in the position shown above, and are strong­er, faster .fliers_Its bulging eyes meel each other on top oj the head. The young, too, are similar, hut the damselfly nymph has Ihree finlike gills attached to its tail.

ADULT DAMSELFLY

DAMSELFLY LARVA

ADULT MAYFLY

MAYFLY LARVA

The adult mayjly has a shi".,! hod."1 with two or three conspiclious tai/ fila""mls, often longer than ils bOlly. lis Irans/Jar­ent, veined wings have mort of a hut­terfly than a drago'!fly shape. The ma,:tI?'1 yowg is aquatic, lilce the olher ".'Imphs on these pages, Imt is distingllished by the gills along its abdomen. 71Ie molh/ike caddisjiy adult has long antennae, chew­ing moulh paris and fOllr wings which fold over ,ils body. lis larval life is UJ'uol­('I pQSJ'ed in a prolective casing /)/ debris.

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Although the mouth parts of insects are superficially dissimilar, theJ' have all de­veloped and bun modified from the same origiTUlI plan-still retained by insects like the grasshopper. Essentiall)·, these mouth parts consist of a labrum, or upper lip (7); a labium, or lower liPJ2),: and two pairs of h'?"kontal(,· lC'orkmg Jaws: the mandibles (3) and the maxillae (4).

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ANTENNA CLEANER

Each pair of a bee's legs performs a spe­cial junction. The rear Jegs scrap! pollen from each other and deposit it on pollen baskets ( sluu.kd in green at top). The stiff hairs of the middle legs brurh pollen from the thorax and front legs. Tht sharp little spur ( in green, center) removes wax from wax glands on the abdomen. Each front leg has bTanthed,feathery hairs for collect­ing pollen. It also has a special joint ( en­largement, bottom) with a comb JOT clean­ing the e.:),ts! and a hairlined notch through which antennae are drawn JOT cleaning.

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Austin Nature Center Honey Bee Facts

The bee has 3 body parts: head, thorax and abdomen. (The head has 5 eyes- 3 simple eyes on the top and 2 compound eyes on the front). The antennae have tiny plates on the end which provide a keen sense of smell. The mouth of the honey bee consists of a tongue which is actually an underlip rolled into a slender tube, and jaws. The tongue has a bristly pad on the end, which is used to collect nectar. Once collected,the nectar goes to a special stomach called a "honey bag". This is the frist step in the production of honey. When the bee returns to the hive with the nectar that it has collected from plants, it places the nectar in storage cells where the process of turning nectar into honey is completed. The jaws are used to shape wax for making honeycombs. Thorax:

The wings and legs of the honey bee are located on the thorax. The wings are moved over 12,000 times per minutes by powerful muscles which enable the bee to carry loads heavier than itself. The bee has 6 legs which are covered with tiny hair-like bristles. Pollen is attached to the bristles as the bee collects nectar. Some of the pollen is brushed off onto other flowers. This causes pollination, enabling flowers to ripen seeds. Most of the pollen is carried back to the hive on openings in the hind legs called "pollen baskets·. Abdomen:

The abdomen has scales called wax plates which collect the wax the bees produce from their own bodies. This wax is used by the worker bees to build the hive. The stinger is located at the rear of the abdomen. The worker beels stinger has a barbed end which becomes lodged in the animal that it stings. When the worker bee stings, it dies. The queen bee has a straight stinger and she can sting without dying. She uses her stinger to kill rival queens. Drones have no stinger.

LIFECVCLES All bees begin life as eggs laid by the queen. The queen lays 1 ,000

to 2,000 eggs per day in !tbrood combs·. Brood combs are in a part of the hive set aside as a nursery. Each egg is laid in a cell made of wax. The cells are sealed with beeswax .. The worker bee cells are the smallest in the hive, the drones are medium sized and the queen cells are the largest.

The bee larvae hatches in 3 days. The worker bees feed the larvae as many as 1,000 meals a day. All larvae are fed "royal jellyl' at first. Royal jelly is produced in glands in young worker beesl heads. After 2 or 3 days, worker bee larvae are shifted to a diet of ·bee-bread", a mixture of honey and pollen. Queen larvae are fed royal jelly throughout the larval stage.

The wormlike larvae covers itself with silky fibers to form a cocoon. The body of the larvae forms into the shape of the adult bee. The adult queen bee hatches in 7 days. The adult worker hatches in 21 days and the adult drone in 24 days. Queen:

Larvae which grow in the largest brood cells are fed a constant diet of royal jelly. These larvae become the queen larvae. The old queen attemps to sting and kill her rival daughters. The worker bees allow this if the queen is not too old. If the queen workers decide that the queen is too old, they press around her until she dies. The queen is always attended by 10-15 worker bees. The young worker bees feed and stroke her to encourage her to lay eggs.

A queen bee lives 4 to 5 years. She mates once with a drone and then lays eggs for the rest of her life. The young queen who is the first to leave her cell stings the other young ones to death. She then flies out of the hive and mates with one of the drones. Workers:

In a hive of 10,000 bees, about 9,500 are workers. They are female bees and they rule the hive. They never stop working until they die. They live for different lengths of time depending on when they are born. If they are born during a busy time for the hive, they work themselves to death in 2 or 3 months. If they are born in the fall, they usually live to be 8 or 9 months old.

A woker bee has different jobs at different times in her life. First she feeds the larvae and pupae. Next she guards the hive entrance. She also beats air rapidly with her wings to cool the hive and keep the air fresh. Finally the bee begins to gather nectar and pollen. A worker bee does a upollen danceu in the hive to sign~1 the other bees the location of a patch of flowers. Drones:

The male bees are called drones. They do no work in the hive. One drone mates. with the queen, then dies. The other drones are allowed to stay in the hive if the hive is doing well. Before winter comes, the workers drive out the drones and sting them to death if necessary. If the drones find no other hive to welcome them, they starve or freeze to death.

VALUE OF THE HONEY BEE Honey bees are extremely valuable insects to humans. Most live in

man-made hives. Escaped swarms usually nest in hollow trees. They are valuable for the honey and wax they produce, but especially for their jobs as pollinators. The yield of crops such as orchard fruits and clover seeds can be greatly increased by introducing hives of honey bees into orchards. 0

compiled by Sherry Winriette 10/93

Picture Glossarv ~

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SIAtIPLE METAMORl)HOSIS E~aa:lplt' Silverfish

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LARVA

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Larvae of beetles are GRUBS

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Larvae of some flies are MAGGOTS

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LarVae of buttertlies and rnoths are CATERPILbARS

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NYMPH-loo~s like adult, only smaller

Cockro.:1ch Nymph

PUPA-middle stage of growing insect or bug

NAIAD-The early growth of some insects takes place in water. At that stage, the insect

is caIJed a naiad or aquatic nymph.

Dragonfl~' Naiad

COCOON-a case made of silken threads that holds the growing insect

Apple Maggot

Banded Wooll

· 39 .

o

n

n

u of'

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. ~ uert: IS 5t11l much disa~e('ml"nt amung entoDlolo­~Ists as to the exact numbc.-r of urders amon~ insects. Some scientists list as many as thiny-scven separate orders. Others go to the opposite extreme and list fewer than twenty-five ·orders. The orders given below include all the major groups of insectS. Most of the disagreement occurs about th~ less important orders. The orders below include insectS the 'average person never \ ... ·m see.

Yuu will notice that manv of the order names md in -p!tra. Thi~ is the Gre~k for wings. The (orm of the wlOgs proVides a key to the differences between many o( the orders. The main orders of the insects beginning with the most primitive and progressing to the most complete are listed under separate headings below.

Thy.anura. The name means jringtlails. This order in­cludes the bristle tails, the silverfish, and the fircbrats. They are soft, tiny, wingless insects rarely found except among old papers and under rubbish. The silverfish, often found in households. is said to be the oldest insect on earth.

Collembola. These are tiny and light in weight. Many of them, called springlails, hurl themselves into the air by means of tails which are pressed suddenly against the ~round or surface film of the water to shoot the wingless creatures on long jumps. Some of the springtails are known as snow jltas because thev appear while snow is on the ground, sometimes bv the thousand.

Plecoplera. The stoneflies' belong to this order. Like the nymphs of the dragonflies and the mayflies, the immature stonefties live bt:neath the water, breathing throu~h gills. They sometimes emerge as adults very early m the spring, thus gaining one of their commOD names: snowjiiu.

Eph~merida. Th.e. order-name of these insects, the ~ay flIes, means IIInng jor a day. Some May flies actually ~Ie on the day they appear, and all are extremely short lived. They mat~, t~e females lay the eggs in the water, a.nd then the bnef bfe of the adults is at an end. Some­tunes great clouds of these insects are seen along streams.

Odonata. The word comes from the Greek, and means ~ooIJud. ~e m~uths of the damsel flies and dragonflies, l!lduded in tillS order, have sharp projections that look like teeth. Dragonflies are swift fliers. The damsel flieS

. are smaller and weaker. Thev flutter about close to the veg,etati~n of swamp and stream. Dragonflies rest with thell' wmgs outspread; damsel flies with their wings folded above their backs like butterfiics.

Orthoplera.~ These are the stra;gM wings. They include the grasshoppers, the katydids, the crickets. the cock­~aches. and the praying mantises. The straight-edged Wings of many of these insects produce the music of the late summer fields. The males of these species rub one wing over another like a bow rubbed over a fiddle to produce their musical sounds. , I.ap~. The equal wings of this order arc the destruc­

llve terUlltes. They live in colonies in wood. Although they ,are commonly called white ants, they arc not close mauves of the true ants.

Dermaptera. The earwigs, with curious pincerlike or­gans at the ends ~f their abdomens, are equipped with leathery front Wings. Hence the order name, which means skin wings.

Caleoptera. The insects of this order are the innumer­able beedes. the largest group of the insect world. They all have. sneath u:ings. The front wings have been trans­fonned mto hard shards which provide armor fOT the beedes' bodies. In flight. these sheaths are swung forward ~d the ,membranous hind wings are unfolded and put Into 3Cllon. lkcause beetles ~re biters equipped with

jaws. they do considerable damage. They include such dt'Structi,·e ~sts as the boll wee"'il and the Colorado potato 1>«11(' .

Slrepsip""" The nallll' uf this oruer indicates that these inst'Cts arc: characterized as IU·IS/rtf u·in.~s. The order i! small and consists of tiny parasitic insects which pre~ largely upon wasps and ~'arious members of the Homop. Ina order.

Thysanaptera. These jringt wings are the thrips. They are the enemies of e\'ery gardener. In spite of their minute size. they cause plants to wilt because they attack in large numbers. .

Hemiptera. The true bugs bdong to this order. Thev have sharp braks and suck sap from plants, thus often becoming major agricultural pests. rhe wings of the insects in this order fold flat over the back and are haH clear and half doudy looking, thus justifyi~g the scien­tific name, which indicates they are the hal] wings.

Homoptera. The cicadas, aphids, froghoppers, lantern flies, leaf hoppen, and tree hoppers belong to this order. They, too, suck sap through sharp litde sucking spears. But they hold their wings differently from the bugs of the Hnniptna order. They hold them at an :mgle, 10 that they look like a peaked roof, instead of folding them 8at over their backs.

Neuroptera. These, the nmJt-w;nged insects, include the Dobson flies, the alder flies, the ant lions, and the familiar green lacewings of summer gardens. The lace­wings, particularly, are beneficial because they destror aphids. The young lacewing flies are so active in devour- ' ing the plant lice that they are known generally., "aphis lions."

Corradentla. These tiny insects are very abundant. ~ ; ~orrodCDtia are. the gnawing insects and include IUds ! msects as book bce. ,.

Trichaptera. This order comprises the caddis ftiea. fa their immature stages they live underwater. The tan. mak~ cases of waste material in which they live. Same : species construct underwater nets among pebbles ... : feed on the water-borne particles which are carried ' into them.

Lepidoptera. All the butterflies and the moths c:amr ' under this heading. The order n.ame means they are tbr : "sc~e ~ings." Tiny scales, like ~inute shingles, COYer their wings. Some large butterflles are said to have • many as 1,000,000 scales on their wings. These a:.aJa are the "dust" that comes off on your hands whm yo. touch a moth or butterfly.

Mecoptera. The name of this order means ~ and the group includes the scorpion Sies. Their wings, usually yellow and black, extend for a able distance back of the curled-up tip of the It is this scorpionlike tail-tip that gives the common name.

Diptera. The two wings are the flies. minute fruit flies to the largest of the include those daddy longlegs of the as well as the midges, mosquitoes, All have only two wings in adult form. of major importance, but some species scavengers, removing waste materials animals.

Siphonaptera. This is a small but im:poz_ comprises the fleas. Some species kind of flea is found only on bats. dine on the blood of either man or beast. intelligent.

Hymenaptera. The membrane WU"1"--tlbe: ants, ichneumon flies, and other-i",,,iI,:t .. ii_oiiI

the highest development Thev come the nearest to exllibiitillig instinctive abilities are the most While the ants that we see nonnally mating time the true males aDd (emal~

nest on a. mating flight do have wings. TJ:leir wings are formed. hke those of the wasps and bees. thus linking them With the H)""tnOpltra order. When ants alight after a matinR Ai~ht, the females break off their winv;s before cnterin~ the ground to found a new colonv. ·f-hev fly onlv the one time. ' ,

How Insects Grow Insects change a great dea] d'!.!rin~ their H't7~C: The~e chc:!!'1f!ec: can }lp so drastic that

U ;various growth stages look entirely diiierent. Metamorphosis (pronounced metta­mor-fo-sis and meaning change-of-shape-process) is the name given to the sequence of changes from egg to adult. The two most common forms of insect metamorphosis are called gradual and complete.

Gradual or incomplete metamorphosis

Here, the insect that emerges from the egg is called a nymph. It looks like a little adult, not like a worm. As the nymph grows, it sheds its skin and after several growth stages reaches adulthood. Wings develop from flaps on the thorax that enlarge sideways at each stage. The young nymphs live in the same habitat and eat the same food as the adults, thus competing with them directly.

Egg Day7-Nymph Day 23-Nymph

Life cycle of a grasshopper

Complete metamorphosis .

Here, the embryo hatches from the egg without features of the adult. It usually resembles a worm and is called a larva (plural: larvae). Larvae shed their skins as

Uey outgrow them and increase in size. After a certain number of sheddings, the outer skin hardens into a tough casing and the insect is now called a pupa or chrysalis. Some larvae which are caterpillars, like those of moths or sawflies, construct a silk covering over the pupa and this is called a cocoon. During its pupal stage, the insect transforms itself completely, with some cells moving into their adult position and the remainder turning to mush and being discarded. When the insect emerges from the pupal case, it is a winged adult and can reproduce. At first the wings are soft and sluiveled. They are pumped up with blood to full size, then enzymes tan and harden the skin. Complete metamorphosis allows the young insect not to compete with the adult by living a different life from the adult in a different habitat. For example, the leaf-eating caterpillar becomes a nectar-sipping butterfly.

u Egg

©TPWPress 1999

Larva Pupa

Life cycle of a two-wing fly

5:

lTIOre stuff ...

Egg @ . Nymph ~'i

Gradual metamorphosis of a mole cricket

Where do you fit?

Egg fA

~ . ..... ' . . - - ~:~

Complete metamorphosis

of a Gulf fritillary

There are Lots of Insects and They are Fun to Watch

Sdentific Name : of Order

1 toleoptera 2 Lepidoptera 3 Hymenoptera 4 Diptera 5 ffeDliptera 6 Homoptera 7 Trichoptera 8 Orthoptera 9 Collembola 10 Grylloptera 11 Mallophaga 12 Odonata 13 Neuroptera t4 Blattoptera ~5 Thysanoptera 6 Psocida ~ Siphonaptera , T'. ~emerida

~ J. .Llasmida ) Termitida

Percent of World Spedes

38.54 14.89 13.69 13.09 6.65

4.25

0.93 0.93 0.80

0.73 0.66

0.65

0.59

0.53

0.53

0.33 0.30 0.27 0.27 0.25

Plecoptera 0.21 Manteida 0.20 Strepsiptera 0.18 Dermaptera 0.15 Diplura 0.09 Anoplura 0.07 Panorpida 0.06 Lepismida 0.04 Protura 0.03

Machilida 0.03

Megaloptera 0.03 Embiida 0.02

Scolopendrellida 0.01 Raphidiida 0.--~oraptera 0.--<ar' . "ptera 0.-

100.00

Common Name olOrder

Beetles -.:: \'¥} Moths D"Q Wasps~ Flies ~ True bugs ~ ffoppers .,

Caddis flies ~ Locusts~ Springtails ~ Crickets~ .

Biting lice .,~ • .

Dragonflies ~ Lacewing flies ~ Roaches ~ Thrip.s~ Barklice ~ Fleas 9l. Mayflies ~ ..Jt Walking sticks ~ Termites ~ ,~ Stoneflies ~ Mantise5~ Twistwing~~e:_ ~ Earwigs~ ~ Campodeans ",II'?\.:'-----

Sucking lice .. Sco~ionflies ~ Silverfis~l{l Telson~~f' BristIetails ~< Dobson flies ~ Webspinners ~

Symph~la~~ Snakefhes~

Angel flies ~ Snowskips :? ,,:0'

More than half of all the animals known on earth are insects. There are more than 1 million (perhaps as many as 3 million) species of insects, whlle there are only 1/2 million other known animal species. There are 100,000 or so species of insects native to the United States. More than 1/3 of these have been found in Texas. Texas has more different kinds of insects than any other state.

Color the area on the pie chart that represents Moths.

Relative Importance of Insect Species Among All Organisms

Rank Name of Order Percentage of Spedes

1 Insects 42.00 2 Other Animals 29.00 3 Bacteria 9.00 4 Fungi 8.00 ' 5 Single--Celled

Organisms 6.00 . 6 Plants 5.00

7· Archaebacters 1.00

Many people say they don't like "bugs", meaning insects and other" creepy crawlies", because they have not stopped to observe them and to realize 'how very few insects are really harmful. Insects are truly £acinating and watching their activities can provide hours of fun. Insects are easy to find, since they are common in just about any kind of habitat. You can find them in your backyard and in any field or patch of woods, in lakes and rivers, in deserts and on the seashore, but almost none at sea.

2

Evolution of insect anatomy

Labrum

Front view of an insect head

Exoskeleton

IoI. Jf a stick insect

TPWPress 1999

The Working Parts of an Insect: Outside All insects have three body divisions:

• The head is concerned Wlth getting food and with sensing what goes on in the. insect's surroundings. Thus, eyes (for seeing), antennae (mostly for smelling and tasting) and mouthparts (for feeding) are all located on the head .

.• The thorax is the body division involved with movement. Thus, the three pairs of jointed legs (typical for all insects) and the two pairs of wings (possessed by most, but not all insects) are located on the thorax.

• The abdomen is the largest, fattest section and it contains the organs for digestion, elimination and reproduction.

Typical Insect

Head Thorax Abdomen

The head consists of: a cap or The thorax includes: segment 55 The abdomen includes: segment 58 (often acron (A) in front with antenna (1); orprothoraxwith pronotal reduced or fused with the thorax in wasps); ocelli (2); eyes (3); mouth (4); shield (10); and foreleg (11); and segments 59 through 14 (simple segments

. segment 51 with upper lip or segment S6 or meso thorax with usually without appenaages); segments 515 labrum (5); se~ent 52 with jaws forewing (12) and midleg (13); to 517, carrying gonopods (16) or specialized or mandibles (6); segment 53 with segment 57 or metathorax with appendages for mating and egg laying; the last foodfingers or maxillary palps (7); hindwing (14) an~ hindleg (15). se~ent S18, ~g bind feelers or cerci (17) segment 54 with lower lip or ana the paraprocts (18) or frass shapers for laoium (8); often with acfditional eliminating waste. The anus (19) oE.en5 between foodfingers or labial palps (9). the last segment and the telson (T).

Insects do not have a skeleton made of bones inside the body the way we and other backboned animals do. Instead, the insect skeleton, called an exoskeleton, is a tough skin made of a horn-like material called chitin (pronounced kai-tin). The exoskeleton fits the insect's body like a suit-of-armor with flexible membrane joints that perm:;' movement. As the insect grows, the body gets plumper, stretching ~e memDrant

until the skin must be shed to 2tC:8n1:Uloaate 'the larger body size.lhis sheddin, called molting. There are several molts before an insect can mature.

6

The Working Parts of an Insect: Inside Inside an insect's body are the organ 5vsten15 conc-=;ne·~ ";";,:1~ -.:::.:~,._::: :ife fUnctions.

The digestive system [1- for extracting nutrients from swallowed food and pushing out the waste as frass. The system is basically a tube that starts at the mouth (1) with salivary glands (2). The tube of exoskeleton extends as foregut (3) to a crop (4) which often has teeth for grinding food. The soft midgut (5) is attached behind the crop where there are appendix­like sacks or diverticulae (6). These secrete digestive enzymes. The midgut absorbs nutrients, which are transported to the cells by the blood.

The circulatory system I9 - for carrying nutrients to, and waste from, all the parts of the body. A tube-shaped segmentally chambered heart (7) pumps the greenish­colored blood to the front of the body along the back. This fluid then circulates freely throughout the body, seeping toward the back as it bathes the cells. There are no blood vessels.

The respiratory system I!j - for obtaining oxygen from air and getting rid of carbon dioxide. Tmy tubes called tracheae (8) (pronounced tray-key-ay), carry air throughout the body from small outside openings called spiracles (9). Aquatic insects have gills as well to keep ~e tracheae from floodptg. Oxygen passes across the gill membrane into the tracheae. Gases are passed directly between cells and tracheae. Some larger insects such as dragonflies and bees may be seen to breathe by muscular movement Some insects use air to make hissing sounds.

The excretory system ~ - for getting rid of the waste left from metabolizing nutrients. The hindgut (10) excretes crystals of soluble waste products removed from the blood by Malpighian tubules (11) which function like kidneys. This soluble waste is excreted dry and combined with discarded food detritus to form the £rass which is expelled through the anus (12). The dry excretion of soluble waste allows retention of water. Some wastes get stored in the hard skin of the . . exoskeleton where they are used to make pigments for bright colors.

The nervous system lID - for picking up information from the sense o~ and coordinating behavior. There is a brain (13) at the head end. A double nerve cord runs the length of the underside of the body. There are nerve centers or ganglia (14) in each segment to control various parts of the body. Because of these extra brains, an ant that has lost its head will still walk.

The reproductive' system - for the production of future generations. Females have two ovaries with eggs, and males have two testes and an organ for mating. Females mate and save sperm to use later. In most insects, eggs are fertilized as they are laid. Some insects lay . unfertilized, yet viable, eggs. This process is called parthenogenesis. Many insects may be parthenogenic in summer but produce males for sexual reproduction in winter.

7

;:I.

a 1 Side view of the interior of a grasshopper.

"Wing .... -,-~ 8

9

B

Cross-section (a-a) of the interior of a grasshopper.

Bottom-up view of the interior of a grasshopper.

Silk gland

r------- Color Guide -------, G - Color the blood vessel green. Y - Color the digestive system yellow. X - Color the excretory system (Malpighian tubes) red B - Color the nervous system blue. P - Color the air tubes of the respiratory system pink.

The alimentary canal (Y), silk gland, dorsal blood vessel (G) and ventral nerve cord (B) of a caterpillar.

©TPW Press 1999

How Insects Smell, Taste, See and Hear Smelling and tasting are most important to insects. Thev are chemical senses that use nerve sensors to recognize molecules. Insects use smell and taste to

U recog:nj.ze others of the same species, distinguish males from females, locate suitable foods and rollow trails back to the nest.

Molecules carried by breezes land on nerve sensors on the antennae where they are identified as smells. Male silk moths smell pheromone (pronounced !er-oh-moan) molecules released by a female miles away and fly to her. Sexton beetles can smell a dead mouse many yards away and fly to it to lay their eggs on this food and bury it.

Other insects taste flavors by touching membranes to foods. Beetles and cockroaches taste with their mouth palps. Butterflies taste leaves with organs on their feet to identify suitable caterpillar food on which to lay eggs. Ants use their antennae to taste the chemical trans marked for them by fellow workers.

Seeing is also very important to insects. This physical sense is oased on the intensity, color wavelength and polarization of light.

Simple eyes, or ocelli, are present in most larval !"1.Sects and many adults where there may be up to

Vee. They are used to distinguish day from ni~t, ld determine the polarization of light which 15

used to tell time or direction.

Compound eyes are found in the adults of insects and other arthropods. The individual eyelets are close-packed honeycomb-like to form a compound eye with six-sided lens facets of clear thick cuticle. Under each facet, an eyelet has its own receptor and optic nerve. We do not know how an insect puts these individual pictures together in its brcnn.·· We do not know what a bee actually sees. Compound eyes are good for detecting minute movement. They also sense colors but in different parts of the spectrum than we do. Thus bees and butterflies see the hidden ultraviolet patterns in flowers.

Hearing is another important sense for many different insects. Most insects hear by sensing the . vibration of small hairs or membranes on the skin. Grasshoppers, crickets and cicadas signal their presence by making noise with ratchets or vibrating membranes. They make noise to communicate their presence or attract mates. Crickets and mantises '\ ~ membrane organs on the front legs that ~on as ears. Grasshoppers and cicadas have c .on the abdomen. Many moths have ears on either the thorax or abdomen, tuned to the frequencies of bats, their most serious predators. 8

Honeycomb six­sided lens facets

Grasshoppers "sing" by bowing the rigicf furewing with a ratchet on the inner side of their hindleg.

Under each facet each eyelet has its own receptor and optic nerve.

Crickets and mantises have membrane organs on the front legs that function as ears.

©TPWPress 19r

How Insects Move Most adult insects, nymphs and many larvae have three pairs of legs, one for each segment of the middle section of the body called the thorax. n The usual insect leg consists of five parts: The coxa joins the leg to the body and is often fused with the body. The trochanter is a small joint permitting the leg to rotate foreward and back. The femur looks like a thigh and is usually large. The tibia looks like a shin. The tarsus looks like a foot with up to 5 segments. It ends in a claw or pair of claws. Many insects have hairy or sticky pads on the tarsal segments for traction and tasting. All segments of the leg may have articulated spines or rigid teeth for traction or protection.

The shapes and proportions of the various parts that go to make up an insect's leg vary, depending on its way of life:

Grasshoppers, crickets, fleas, leafhoppers, leaf beetles and other jumpers have muscular femurs and long propelling tibias.

Tiger beetles, ants, cockroaches and other runners have long legs in strong sockets.

Chafers and other tree-climbing beetles have strong turned-back claws for grasping twigs and leaves.

Hanging flies have similar recurved claws for capturing and holding prey.

Water beetles and water bugs have padd1F!s or hair-fringed flippers for swimming.

Pond striders, caddis flies and other pontoon walkers have fringed feet that hold air-bubble floats permitting walking on water.

Flies and other crawlers on smooth leaves or skin have dry adhesive pads that cling to glass with a molecular bond the same way that plastic wrap does.

Mantises, mantis flies, assassin bugs and other hunting insects have a forelimb with a spined. and muscular femur and opposing tibia for grabbing prey.

The usual insect walk is accomplished with reaching forelegs, stabilizing midlegs and pushing hindlegs. The majority of insects have other specialized functions for one or more pairs of legs. In addition to those already mentioned these include digging, clasping, signaling and disguise.

;;ii:~~ !~~ -0 _ _ 0 - -~~

_ c:o c:o - --

Swimmer Water-strider

Foot

Toe Nail--.

Names of the parts of your leg

The many le~ of primitive insects (view of abdomfnalleglets and

tubercle organs)

When an insect walks it never lifts more than one or two legs at a time. This gives the insect walk a wavelike motion. Each pair of legs performs a speciiic function. The forelegs reach ahead, the hindlegs push, while the midlegs act as stabilizers.

10 ©TPWPress 1999

How Insects Feed Insects feed on all sorts of organic materials. Some bite and che'\o\1 plant materials, others are hunters or scavengers that ear nleat \U:)uaU) ut:n~r llbt::CtbJ, sn.i.l utners !:;uck plant juices or blood. There are even midge larvae that feed on crude oil in tar seeps, digesting it with bacteria in the gut.

~iting and chewing mouthparts consisting of several pairs of jaws and jaw-like structures moving from side to side are the basic kfud found in insects. These mouthparts evolved from the jointed legs of the front segments of the early ancestor of insects. Biting and chewing mouthparts are common to beetles, grasshoppers, cockroaches, termites and most wingless primitive insects.

Basic I(ind of Insect Head and Mouth Structure

A - The acron is the front-end head cap. It is divided on top by a V-shaped epicranial suture, found only in insects.

o - The three ocelli or little eyes. a - The antennae or feelers. e - The compound eyes or big eyes. M - The mouth opens between acron and segment 1 underneath. 1 - The labrum is the movable upper lip on segment 1 that is joined to the

acron behind and around the mouth. 2 - The mandible is the limb of segment 2 which also bears the tongue. 3 - The maxilla is the limb of segment 3. It has a coxa of two segments. 'The

mandible-like lacinia is attached to the inside of the coxa. The palp-like galea is attached to the end of the coxa. The leg-like maxillary palp (3a) is attached to the outer side of the coxa. This jointed palp has its trochanter attached to the coxa, followed by femur, tibia, tarsus and pretarsus, just like a leg.

4 - The labium is the limb of segment 4:1t has a coxa of two segments. 'The lip-like glossa is attached to the outer segment on its inner edge. The palp­like puaglossa is attached to the end of the same segment. The leg-like

Ulabial palp (4a) is attached to the outer edge of the same segment. This jointed palp has a trochanter, followed by a femur and tibiotarsus. I

This basic kind of chewing structure is modified in other ~oups of insects. Usually the modified mouthparts take on a thiri, long, piercing and / or sucking shape.

Chewing / Lapping: bees and some wasps

Bee

lPWPress 1999

"Modified Mouthparts

Piercing / Sucking: most true bugs, leafhoppers, treehoppers, mosquitoes, fleas ana horseflies

Mosquito·

11

Siphoning: butterflies and moths

Butterfly

Sponging: houseflies and stableflies

Fly

Insects do a Lot of Good, but a Few are Pests Like insects everywhere, Texas insects are important agents that. overall, make our lives better ana 1110re mteresnng. ror Detter or worse, we share the planet with them. Let's try to get along.

How insects are beneficial or "good":

Without insects, we would not have pretty flowers to look at or fruits and vegetables to eat. That is because most plants need insects in orderto reproduce.

Without insects, we would have fewer songbirds, lizards, frogs and mammals like bats, shrews and anteaters. These animals would have nothing to eat since t!l~y -all :feed on insects.

Without insects acting as Clean-up squads and wu-bage collecto«; dead trees and animals would be piIiftg up everywhere.

How insects are harmful 01' "bad":

Some insects are pests - meaning that their way of life is in conflict with ours.

Some spoil or eat our plant or animal food, or destroy our possessions.

Some suck our blood and sF-read disease. ~----

Honeybee pollinating a flower

Frog catching a horsefly

But, aside from being "good" or ''bad'', insects are fascinating creatures to watch and many are very beautiful.

3

more stuff ...

A Kind Word About "Bug" _ ~

The word bug has several origins that have been punned together to form its present English meanings: a "true bug" or hemipteran, insect-like, microfossil, microorganism, disease, defect, enthusiast, obsession, fear, hidden microphone, asterisk, to sting or to molest. Bwg is Welsh for ghost. Bugge is Middle English for demon, beetle or scarecrow. Boggle is North English for a terrifying apparition. Bougre is French for a nasty fellow. Buz is Spanish for a hit, kiss of respect or sting. Bogie is a surprising event. Bogyman is a bugaboo or fearsome figure. These other meanings are probably responsible for n the general dislike and fear of bugs by people who are ignorant about insects. Let's call the whole group INSEcrs and save BUG just for insects of the order HEMIPTERA which can bug or sting you like a bedbug with their pointed mouthparts. _ This excursion into etymology, or the study of words, should not be confused with the subject of this book, entomology, or the study of insects.

Harmful insects

©TPWPress 1999

INSECTS IN" WINTER. : .' ;,

U How and Where Some Insects OveIWinter

0nnriDteriDg Special Aattnor Spedes Stage PnparatioD IDacttw

Ants Carpenter Adult Produce glycerol Inactive In trees or logs

Aphids Most . Egg None Inactive In bark crevices or base oftwtgs

Bumblebees. • Queen PrefertWzed eggs Inactive Underground. inside queen under leaves or logs

Butterflies Monarch Adult Migrate Semi-active Mexico or California MourntngCloak Adult Lose body moisture Inactive Under bark Painted Lady . Adult Lose body moisture Inactive Under bark Swallowtails Pupa Form crysa1is Inactive Attached to stems or

on the ground

Crickets Most Egg • Inactive In the ground

Dragonflies Some Egg • Inactive On the bottom ofapond

Some Nymph • Semi-active On the bottom ofapond

U Some Adult Migrate ActIve Unlmown

Ftretlles Most Larva (""worms") Inactive Underground

Flies Cluster (wings Adult • Inactive except In crevices ofbulld-overlap) whenwann ~s or cracks in

hollow trees House (Wings Adult • Inactive except In crevices ofbulld-diagonal to side) when warm lngs or cracks

in hollow trees

Grasshoppers Most Egg • Inactive In the ground

Japanese Beetles Larva (grubs) Inactive In the ground

Honeybees • Adult Store food Semi-active Hive In a tree or manmadebax

Ladybug All Adult Cluster together Inactive Under leaves and grasses

Mantlses Many Egg Brown. hardened- Inactive On bushes foam egg case

Mosquitos Most Adult females ~ Inactive Sheltered place

Moths Gypsy Egg On tree trunks Isabella Larva (\\bolly • Usually inactive Under leaves and

Bear) grasses

U Cecropia Pupa Spins a cocoon Inactive On branches Maple Sugar Adult Loses moisture Inactive Under bark

. StoneflJes Many Nymph to • Active Stream to land Adult

tyOM. 6. ~ls O~ )J~-ht~c.. 141

""- - .... " ..... -~-.-....----..--

u

INSECT MOUTHPARTS

One fun thing to do when you encounter any insect is to decide what kind of mouth parts it has. Usually this means deciding whether it's a "sucker" or a "chewer."

The picture at the right shows the coiled tube of a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. When a flower with nectar in it is located, the butterfly inserts its tube (its proboscis) into the flower and sucks up the nectar, so obviously butterflies have sucking mouth parts.

r-------, At the left you see the head of a , ;~ mosquito. Of course mosquitoes are antennna palp famous for being "flying syringes" as

.. 115;.:::...._ they fly about finding animals from urr--I~;"';;"';;;';; ____ -' whom they suck blood using their specialized mouth parts. In the

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picture you can clearly see the proboscis, the tlneedle" part of the "syringe." The antenna and palp help the mosquito feel. Actually, the proboscis is not nearly as simple in construction as a hypodennic needle. As the drawing at the right shows, the proboscis has a groove down its front inside which reside several extremely slender, sharp, saw-toothed stylets. If you ever watch a mosquito "biting" you, try to notice that the entire proboscis does not enter your skin. Instead, as in the drawing, its thick outer part, known as the sheath, bends, or "buckles, II as the mosquito inserts its stiff stylets into your body. These stylets hold together in a way that allows blood to be sucked up.

The Leaf-footed Bug (family Coreidae) shown at the left also has sucking mouth parts. This picture is neat because it shows the held­together stylets outside the proboscis's sheath. In the picture the stylets are held together so closely that they look like just one. As with the mosquito,.as the bug uses its stylets to cut into its victim (a plant in this case), the sheath bends as the stylets go straight into the tissue.

At the right you see a horse fly head, famous for

its complex mouth parts that can cut right into a horse's (or human's) hide. I say "cutll

because horse flies, being members of the order Diptera, have sucking mouth parts, not chewing. We say that horse flies II bite, " but really they don't. Horse fly mouth parts are composed of nine different parts. In the lower, right comer of the picture locate the large, black, roundish 0 bj ect, and then

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notice right above it but below the eyes and antennae the stiff-looking, brownish items. These brownish objects, composed of several distinct parts all of which we can't see here, work together like scissors to cut (not bite or chew) into an animal's skin and cause bleeding. Once blood is flowing the horsefly extends the black "labium" below the scissors-like things to suck up the blood.

........~---, At the left you see the head of a Large Carpenter Bee, genus Xylocopa. The honey-colored, wonnlike thing at the bottom of the mouth structure is its "glossa, II sort of like a tongue. The dark, downward projecting items right above the glossa are the "galea," and these are quite stiff and sharp. If you feel of them with your finger you can understand how a carpenter bee can "chew" its way through solid wood, which it does when it excavates its nest-tunnels. Carpenter bees, however, being members of the Hymenoptera, are chewing insects, but you can imagine that with that wormlike glossa it can also suck a bit. Therefore this is one insect, like a number of Hymenoptera, that doesn't fit clearly into either the sucking or chewing category.

At the right the head of a ,.....-----------, female stag beetle, genus Platycerus, bears

large, pincerlike mandibles that make this beetle look very dangerous. Most adult stag beetles feed on plant sap, so that doesn't explain why they have such formidable mandibles. Male stag beetles, who have much larger mandibles than the ones shown, sometimes use them while fighting with other males to establish dominance.

Look at the mouth parts on the paper-wasp head at the left. One glimpse is enough to assure us that this insect is not a sucker -- there's nothing looking like a tube. Those two overlapping, flap-like things at the bottom of the face are the wasp's mandibles. Paper wasps feed chewed-up insects of various sorts to their young, and when you see how powerful-looking those mandibles are, and note the toothed edges on them, you can imagine that this

I insect wouldn't have much of a problem chewing a nice, soft caterpillar. Though both wasps and bees

are members of the Hymenoptera, you can see that there is considerable difference between the paper wasp's mouth parts, and those of the above carpenter bee. However, they are much more similar to one another than they are with, say, the curled up sucking-tube of the butterfly or skipper.

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OHIO SlI\TE UN.VERStTY

Ohio State University Extension Factsheet

Entomology

1991 Kenny Road, Columbus, OB 43210-1000

Tarantulas HYG-2061B-97

William F. Lyon

Over the past few years, tarantulas have become acceptable pets now widely sold, traded and kept in houses, apartments, schools

U and dormitories. Occasionally, these very large, hairy spiders escape within a dwelling causing alarm and panic among those fearing spiders. Actually, most tarantulas are docile, rion-aggressive and rarely bite. Bites are not considered dangerous and cause little lasting pain. Bites are no more painful than a bee sting, and its symptoms should be treated similarly. Some have a dense covering of special hairs on the abdomen, which, when dislodged, cause skin irritation. This is mec;hanical rather than chemical in nature .

. '

The name tarantula has unfortunately become associated with several spider families, but rpost often is applied to the ones called the hairy mygalmorphs. Tarantulas have been much publicized in horror shows in movie houses and television shows due to their forbidding hairy appearance.

Identification

The largest tarantulas are tropical with a body length of3-1/2 inches and leg span of9-1/2 inches. The largest United States' species has a body length of two inches and leg span of about six inches. These spiders are stout-bodied and covered with hollow, needlelike, barbed hairs, especially on the abdomen. When disturbed, the hind legs are used to scrape off and throw very fine (fiberglass-like) abdominal hairs in the direction of danger, resulting in a remaining bald spot. A bald spot may also occur on the abdomen prior to the shedding of the skin. Hairs may cause a skin rash, allergic reaction and possibly

unaphylactic shock to certain individuals.

Life Cycle and Habits

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T . H • E

OHIO SIt\1E UNIVERSlTY

Ohio State University Extension Factsheet

Entomology

1991 Kenny Road, Columbus, OB 43210-1090

Millipedes HYG-2067 A-94

William F. Lyon

Millipedes normally live outdoors but may become nuisance .pests indoors by their presence. At certain times of the year (usually late summer and autumn) due to excessive rainfall or even drought, a few or hundreds or more leave the soil and crawl into houses, basements, first-floor rooms, up foundation walls, into living rooms, up side walls and drop from the ceilings. Some homeowners as early as late June have reported annoying populations

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accumulating in swimming pools. Fall migrations during rainy and cool weather 1;nay result as a natural urge to seek hibernation quarters. Heavy continuous rainfall in newly developed wooded areas with virgin soil (decaying organic matter habitats) are often troublesome sites. Millipedes do not bite humans nor damage structures,_ household possessions or foods. They can glve off a disagreeable odor and if crushed, leave an unsightly mess.

Identification

Millipedes, or "thousand-Iegged worms II , are brownish-black or mottled with shades of orange, red or brown, and are cylindrical (wormlike) or slightly flattened, elongated animals, most of which have two pairs of legs per body segment, except for the first three segments which have only one pair of legs. Antennae are short, usually seven-segmented, and the head is rounded with no poison jaws. Their short legs ripple in waves as they glide over a surface. They often curl up into a tight "C" shape, like a watch spring, and remain motionless when touched. They range from 1/2 to 1-1/4 inches long depending on the n c;pecies. They crawl slowly and protect themselves by means of glands that secrete an unpleasant od~r.

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the sides of the house up to the level of the first story windows, especially across doorways and other openings. The carbamate insecticides such as propoxur (Baygon), bendiocarb (Ficam) or carbaryl (Sevin) give the fastest lmockdown compared to the other groups of insecticides. Wettable powder formulations provide the best soil residual control. If foundation plantings are heavily mulched, insecticides may have to be rodded down to the soil beneath the mulch. Repeat applications at weekly intervals may be needed.

Treatment of peat moss, mulch, wood chips, leaves, etc. used in landscaping around the house is important. Subsequent water sprinkling will carry the insecticide down into the soil where these creatures hide. Do not expect immediate kill since control may be slow (three to six days or more). Baygon bait works well when scattered along the house foundation providing fast mock-down. Additional pesticides such as amorphous silica gel (Drione, Tri-Die), boric acid (Penna-Dust), chlorpyrifos (Duration, Dursban, Empire, Engage, Tenure), diatomaceous earth (Answer), diazinon, esfenvalerate (Conquer), pyrethrins (Exciter, Kicker, Microcare, Pyrethrum, Safer) and resmethrin (Vectrin) can be used. Only the licensed pest control operator or applicator can use bendiocarb + pyrethrins (picam Plus), cyfluthrin (Optem, Tempo), cypermethrin (Demon, Cynoff, Cyper-Active, Vikor), deltametbrin (Suspend), lambdacyhalothrin (Commodore), permethrin (Dragnet, Flee, Prelude, Torpedo) and tralomethrin (Saga). Fluvalinate (Mavrik, Yardex) is used outdoors. Indoors, if needed, certain formulations ofFicam and Baygon household spray formulations will give some residual, spot or crack and crevice control while space treatments of pyrethrins or resmethrin will paralyze or kill by contact. Always read the label and follow directions and safety precautions.

This publication contains pesticide recommendations that are subject to change at any time. These recommendations are provided only as a guide. It is always the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. Due to constantly changing labels and product registration, some of the recommendations given in this writing may no longer be legal by the time you read them. If any information in these recommendations disagrees with the label, the recommendation must be disregarded. No endorsement is intended for products mentioned, nor is criticism meant for products not mentioned. The author, The Ohio State University and Ohio State University Extension assume no liability resulting from the use of these recoDlDaendations.

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.

TDD # 1 (800) 589-8292 (Ohio only) or (614) 292-1868

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T . H . E

OHIO SfA1E UNIVEl&TY

Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet

Entomology

1991 Kenny Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1090

Centipedes HYG-2067-94

William F. Lyon

The house centipede, unlike most other centipedes that normally live outdoors, can live indoors especially in damp, moist basements, cellars, bathrooms, crawlspaces or unexcavated areas under the house. They are sometimes seen running rapidly across the floor with great speed, stopping suddenly to .remain motionless and then resuming fast movements, occasionally directly toward the homeowner in an attempt to conceal themselves in their clothing. They have a "fearful" appearance but cause no damage to the structure, household possessions or foods. Some can bite when handled carelessly, resulting in a slight swelling or pain no worse than a mild bee sting.

Identification

Centipedes, or "hundred-legged WOIlD.S," are reddish-brown, flattened, elongated animals with many segments, most of which have 1 pair of legs. The first pair of legs is modified into poisonous jaws located below the mouth. Antennae have 14 or more segments. The house centipede is grayish-yellow with 3 dark, long stripes down the back with the legs encircled with alternating dark and white bands. The actual body length is an inch or slightly longer (wormlike), surrounded with 15 pairs of very long legs making the creature appear much larger. The last pair of legs is more than twice the body length of the fem~e. A pair of very long slender antennae extends fOlWard from the head. They move quickly and are sometimes mistaken for long-legged spiders. Other centipedes, found outdoors, often are more elongate with shorter legs and antennae.

Life Cycle and Habits

Centipedes are long-lived, sometimes up to 6 years. They overwinter as adults and lay eggs during the warm months. Usually eggs are laid in the soil and protected by adults. Some species give birth to living

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Additional pesticides such as amorphous silica gel (drione, Tri-die), boric acid (pennadust). chlorpyrifos (Duration, Durshan, Empire, Engage), diatomaceous earth (Answer, Organic Plus), diazinon, esfenvalerate (Conquer), pyrethrins (Exciter, Kicker, Microcare, Pyrethrum, Safer, X-elude) and Resmetbrin (vectrin) can be used. Only the licensed pest control operator or applicator can use bendicorb+pyrethrins (Ficamplus) cyfluthrin (Optem, Tempo), cypermetbrin (Cynoff, Cyper-active, Demon, Vikor), deltmethrin (suspend), Lambdacyhalothrin (Commodore), pennetlrrin (Astro, Dragnet, Flee, Prelude, Torpedo) and Tralometbrin (saga). Indoors, if needed, certain formulations ofDursban, Ficam and Baygon household Spray formulations will give some residual, spot or crack can crevice control while space treatments of pyrethrins or resmethrin will paralyze or kill by contact. Always read the label and follow directions and safety precautions.

NOTE: Disclaimer - This publication may contain pesticide recommendations that are subject to change at any time. These recommendations are provided only as a guide. It is always the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. Due to constantly changing labels and product registrations, some of the recommendations given in this writing may no longer be legal by the time you read them. If any information in these recommendations disagrees with the label, the recommendation must be disregarded. No endorsement is intended for products mentioned, nor is criticism meant for products not mentioned. The author and Ohio State University Extension assume no liability resulting from the use of these recommendations.

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.

U TOO No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868

I Ohioline I Search I Fact Sheets I Bulletins I

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The Provincial Museum of Alberta Natural 'History Invertebrate Zoology

Fact Sheet - Mill~pede

,__ . ._ ..... _ ... _ __-0· .. _

Millipede

Diplopoda

DISTRIBUTION: Millipedes are found allover the world but are most common in tropical " areas.

HABITAT: They are found under logs and stones, in moist soil and under leaf litter, They usually avoid light.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Millipedes are distinguished from centipedes by the presence of two pairs of legs per body segment. They shun the light and tend to hide under logs and other debris, and will often burrow into the ground. Their hard exoskeleton affords some protection against predators. When threatened, they will coil up in a ball to protect the more vulnerable underside. Some also have a noxious secretion used to deter predators. Eyesight is po~r to non-existent in millipedes. They sense by way of their antennae which continually tap the ground as the millipede moves along.

OBTAINING A CULTURE: A few species of

millipedes are ~ound in C~ada, mos~ly in. Giant African Millipedes are often Southern Ontario and Quebec. The bIgger speCIes 'z bI' t t th h th . avaz a e zn pe s ores even oug ey are can reach 5-6 cm, but most of them are farrly b' ld 'II Ii .'. . ezng so z ega y small. Certam trOPICal speCIes are sold at pet store but a pennit issued from Agriculture Canada is necessary to keep those.

ESTABLISHING A TERRARIUM: Setting up an environment which will meet all of the needs of your millipedes is not particularly complicated. If you take the time to do it well, the millipedes will be thrive, and the home will be aesthetically pleasing. Here are some tips to follow:

1. Use a glass aquarium or other clear-sided container, It should be large enough to allow for future growth of the culture (12" x 18" to 18" x 24"; height is not critical).

2. Be sure that your tank is well ventilated so the millipedes can breathe. 3. Fill the tank with sterilized potting soil to a depth of approximately 3 - 4 inches.

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Thoroughly moisten the soil. 4. Add a piece of flat wood. for the millipedes to hide under. 5. One or two small plants will make the environment pleasant; it is best to leave these in

their pots. 6. Provide a dish of water.

MAINTAINING THE TEliRARIUM: Ongoing care of the aquarium is minimal, but the following will keep the millipedes healthy and the cage looking good:

1. Keep the soil fairly damp and water the plants. 2. Clean the glass, both inside and out, with water. 3. Be careful about discarding old food if you suspect there are young. Baby millipedes are

hard to see and often attach themselves to the food.

FEEDING: Most millipedes are herbivores and feed on rotting vegetation.

1. They will eat a fair amount of food, so be sure that they have a continuous supply. 2. Millipedes will eat a combination of leaf lettuce, apple' and mushroom. Cut the food into

manageable pieces. 3. A supply of fresh water is a must.

BREEDING: Many millipedes tend to breed very well in captivity. You can encourage breeding by keeping your adult millipedes well fed and healthy. The young are very small. You can increase their chance of survival by observing the following:

1. Put a wad of cotton batting in the water dish so the young do not drown. 2. Be careful about discarding old food if you suspect there are young.

REACHING MATURITY: The millipedes will periodically moult, shedding their exoskeleton. This is a vulnerable time for the animals. With each moult, more body segments and legs are added. Millipedes mature according to the following pattern:

1. Sexual maturity is reached within one or two years, depending on the species. 2. Growth continues even after sexual maturity is attained. 3. The maximum age of a millipede is probably abouf 5 to 10 years, depending on the

species.

[PMA Home Page J [Natural History] [Invertebrate Zoology] [Fact Sheets]

Copyright (g 1996-2000 The Provincial Museum of Alberta Last ReviewlUpdme - September 26 2000

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Home

. 'Emperor Scorpion

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,_: Insects

Order on-line with your credit card by using our Secure Server and the 'Add To Order' link below.

Scorpions an example of the arthropod group called the arachnids. Unlike insects, arachnids have more pairs of legs and do not have three body segments.

Scorpions are found through out the world in topical and subtropical environments. Scorpions are characterized by their large pincer clawed fore limbs and a venomous sting on their tails which are held over their bodies. They vary widely in their size and potency of their venom.

Scorpions are ambush hunters. They attack and kill their food prey by grasping the victim with their pincers and stabbing it with their stings. The venom in the sting quickly kills the food animal. In addition, scorpions vicously fight each other. The combatants grapple with each other and attempt to penetrate their opponents body armor with their sting. This combat continues until a weak point in one combantant's body armor is found and a fatal sting delivered.

The Emperor Scorpion shown here is one of the largest in the world. It lives in the rain forests of West Africa were it will grow up to 8" (20cm) long during its eight year life. Scorpions kill and eat a variety of food animals including insects, frogs, small mice and other small animals.

The Emperor reaches sexual maturity after about four years. Unlike many arthropods, young scropions are born alive rather than hatching from eggs. The young scorpions stay with their mother,

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riding on her back,,· until their first molt. They then leave their mother to fend for themselves:

Although large and looking ferocious, the Emperor is not considered dangerous to humans.

Emperor Scorpion Vinyl, Length: 7.5" (19 cm), $7.80

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Millipedes

Millipedes are often ignored as small, hannless, insignificant critters. It's a mistake to ignore them, however. There are some fascinating millipedes out there. Besides some of the more colorful"animals, there is an entire genus in California that is bioluminescent. Not all millipedes are harmless, either. A few species can produce noxious secretions.

Subscribe to the Millipede and Centipede Mailing List

Orders of Millipedes

Luminous Millipedes

This is a genus of small millipedes found in California. While a few species of centipedes are known to have luminous secretions, these are the only millipedes known to be bioluminescent. What is especially interesting is that these millipedes are blind. Why the luminescence?

Causey, N.B., and D.L. Tiemann. 1969. A revision of the bioluminescent millipedes of the genus Motyxia (Xystodesmidae, Polydesmida). Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 113(1): 14-33.

Davenport, D., D.M. Wootton, and J.E. Cushing. 1952. The biology of the Sierra luminous millipede, Luminodesmus sequoiae, Loomis and Davenport. BioI. Bulletin 102: 100-110. "

"Dangerous" Millipedes

Millipedes are generally considered to be hannless, boring invertebrates. Actually, a number of species are capable of producing noxious secretions (usually containing benzoquinones) which can create superficial "burns" on human skin and can cause damage to the eyes. Most of these species are found in the tropics. The burning effect can range from superficial stains or tanning to blistering. Scarring doesntt occur, but the burn site can be noticeable for up to 14 months. When the secretions enter an eye, they cause a severe pain for up to two days. There can be swelling and discharge from the eye. Species which are known to be injurious include Rhinocricus Iethifer (Haiti), Rhinocricus latespagor (Haiti), Polyceroconas spp. (PNG), Spirostreptus spp. (Indonesia), Iulus spp. (fudonesia), Spirobolus spp. (Tanzania), Orthoporus spp. (Mexico), and

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Tylobolus spp. (California). Severa] of these are "giant millipedes." There are a number of It giant °black millipedes" in the pet trade, but those appear to be harmless species. I should also mention that most "harmless" millipedes do discharge a secretion which can create a mild burning sensation if it gets into a r~cent cut.

Mason, G.H., H.D.P. Thomson, P. Fergin, and R. Anderson. Mysterious lesions: the burning millipede. The Medical Journal of Australia 160(11): 718, 726.

Radford, A.J. 1975. Millipede bums in man. Tropical and Geographical Medicine 27: 279-287.

Radford, A.J. 1976. Giant millipede bums in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Medical Journal 18(3): 138-141.

Shpall, S., and I. Frieden. 1991. Mahogany discoloration of the skin due to the defensive secretion of a millipede. Pediatric Dermatology 8(1): 25-27.

Jumping Millipedes

Hopkin and Read mention a millipede, DiopsiuJus regressus, which is capable of jumping 2 to 3 centimeters when startled. It does this by humping its body and throwing the "loop" forward. The millipede itself is 3 to 4 centimeters long. I don't know where this species is found, but will note that when I fmd out.

Hopkin, S.P., and H.J. Read. 1992. The Biology of Millipedes. New York: Oxford University Press.

Army Recruits

Hopkin and Read m~ntion that several species of polydesmid ~illipedes travel and live with anny ants in South America. They live in the ant nests and scavenge food they come across, helping to clean out organic debris and mold in the ant nest. When the ants move to a new location, the millipedes travel in the center of the ant column, or are even carried by worker ants.

Hopkin, S.P., and H.J. Read. 1992. The Biology of Millipedes. New York: Oxford University Press.

V Dirt-eating Millipedes

Most millipedes feed on decayng vegetation, but Shelley

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mentions one species of semi-aquatic millipede from caves in Italy which has mouthpart "modified to remove organic, clay, and limestone particles from the substrates of rivulets and moist surfaces ofbanks."

Shelley, R.M. 1999. Centipedes and millipedes. Kansas School Naturalist 45(3): 1~16

Keeping Millipedes:

• Keeping the Giant Black Millipede • Steve Bullington's Pet Arthropod Page • Keeping Millipedes

Millipede Links:

• Centre international de Mvriapodologie (elM) • Millipedes as pests - this site has a picture of my

favorite millipede, Narceus • Millipedes as pests II • Millipede Defense: Use of detachable bristles to

entangle ants • Polvxenus lagurus disribution studv • Barbed millipedes • Pacific Northwest Millipedes • Millipede anatomy • The Yellow-Spotted Millipede in the Pacific

Northwest • Yellow-Spotted Millipede Photo • Millipedes: Illinois Natural Ristorv Survey

(Narceus photo) • Desert Millipede Photo • A Pill Millipede from Madagascar • Another Pill Millipede from Madagascar • Le Petit Monde des Invertebres • Introduction to the Myriapoda • Scientific Report ,vith African millipede photos • Developing an IPM strategv for millipedes

(Australian) • A Rainforest Millipede • Zebu-eating Millipede • Millipede - online encyclopedia with pill millipede pic • UK DipIopoda • The Chemical Compound in Millipede's Toxic

Repellant • BiospeJeology Abstracts - includes some myrlapod

papers • Urban Entomologv: Pests in excessivelv damp

locations

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The land hennit crab is formally known as coenobiata clypeatus.

The Stages of a Hermit Crab's Life:

The female holds the eggs (several hundred depending on her size) inside her shell while they mature. The eggs attach themselves to appendal!es on her abdomen until they are ready to hatch. These eggs have to be released in the ocean. When they are ready to hatch, the female moves the appendages and the eggs are released from their grip.

The hatched egg doesn't look at all like a hermit crab. It is long, slender with two large eyes and a pointed snout. At this stage, the hermit crab is mown as a zoea (zo-ee-a). It is less than an 118 inch in length. A zoea grows by molting. It sheds it's outer covering (exoskeleton). A new, larger covering grows in its' place. Each time it molts (3 or 4 times) the zoea enters a stage called glaucothoe (glaw-cotha-wee). His eyes are now on the ends of stalks and two ofhis appendages have become claws. There are two long feelers called antennae and two shorter feelers, called antennules. Hermit crabs are in the glaucothoe stage for about a month. After another molt he's a hennit crab and is ready to find himself a shell to house his soft abdomen. Slowly the hermit crab will not need to go into the ocean anymore and will live on land. It will get water from tidal pools and where rain water has collected. The hermit crab will drown now if submerged in water for too long. Hermit crabs have been mown to live as long as 18 years in captivity. Stoney just passed away Sept. 20th, 2000. I had him for a little over a year. Please say "welcomell to Mr. Jingles, he joins Minnie.

If you notice that your hermit crab's reactions are slower than they used to

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Spider Webs Spiders are classified according to their way of life. .W ~b-;.~pinning SJltdprs ~mg. n:e.hs, to tra insects because their vision ·s not ve ood .. They know when prey is trapped on t elr we y detecting and reacting to the vibrations the line makes from their prey movin~ and trying to get free. !i~nting.Spiders run after insects or lie in wait for them. Some hunting spiders spin simple webs that stretch out along the ground to catch insects. These spiders are grouped as hunters because they run after the insects that land in their webs. This article will deal with silk .of spl~.er webs as well as different types of webs and how various spiders use these webs in their daily lives. Did you know that each spider can produce several different types of silk?

If you need help with eliminating and preventing the formation of spider webs in and around the home, in boats or other vehicles, read about C()bweb Eliminat.or. Other articles of interest, for both spiderJ!QlltrQI needs and general spid~r inf9X.m3.n.QJl:

Spidet:s c.OQt~Q19fNlds.3n~(tSpid~rs. Black.Wi.d.Q.w. Spid~r B.it.es.~.nd Stings Br.QJy._n __ R.e..~ty.s_e.._s..pid.c.rs B(rw,n_.R.e._~.lu.$_e_Bit~

Size, Shape and Purpose of Webs

Webs have different purposes, according to the individual species of spider, how it captures or stores its prey. Spider's silk can be used to help small, young spiders transport to new areas (ludJoQni:qg) or be so strong that it is used to make fish nets, as with the .N~p.hihl~pider w~.b. Other types of spider webs and their silk discussed here:

• IB;ngl~.~ts.pjder webs • Orb web • Sh_~~t.w.~b_s • (ium..:fQo.te{t}y.~hs. • Horizontal Line Webs • B..Qlas .s..p"d_~J:_W e.b • T1.i3.n~Ie..'v~bs

A Spiders Web is made from silk. Spiders are the only animals that use silk in their daily lives. Spiders have seven sil s innin or ans or lands call£!1 "spinnerets ocated either in the middle or at the end of their abdomen. Each spinneret on the spider is different from the other and used for making several kinds of silk: attachment disk silk (leaves a zigzag pattern and gives strength to the dragline), a strong dragline or safety line silk (gives the spider an anchor point), orb web spiral line, {gives the web strength and stretchiness to catch flying prey), glue-like sticky catching silk (traps and keeps captured prey on the web), swathing silk (for wrapping and immobilizing prey), tangling cribellate silk (tangles the bristles, . spines and claws of prey) and a protective egg sac silk (to keep baby spiders safe).

The silk is produced as a liquid, but emerges from the glands as solid silk fibers when the spider moves away from the attachment point. A spider's silk line is only .001-.004 mm thick. Amino acids and protein crystals help the silk maintain its stretchiness, . stiffness and strength. The silk that spiders produce are used for building webs, catching prey, storing food,

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escaping from danger, making egg sacs, sending and receiving vibrating signals and for transportation on silken ropes called "ballooning" as the spider floats through the air on the strand of silk. This ballooning technique ensures that young spiders are scattered about. If all young were to remain in one tight area, many could starve from lack of food for number of spiders and insects in a given area. Some silk strands are stronger than steel strands of the same thickness. The silk of th{,/) Nephila spider is the strongest natural fiber known to man and is used to make tote bags and fish nets. In a specific species, spiders can use their web to capture an air bubble; with this bubble the spider can survive and hunt under water where other spiders and insects would drown.

Web-Spinning Spiders SPIDER WEB PICTURES

Web-Spinning spiders only use the tips of their legs when creating their webs so that their body doesn't come in contact with the web and get stuck. They use a middle claw and the bristles on their leg tips to hang onto a single thread that keeps them balanced until their web is fully made.

An Orb web is the most common type of spider web and looks like a wheel with spokes. It consists of outer frame lines, radial or spoke-like lines and spiral lines. The outer frame is made up of a bridge line and two anchor lines that come together to form an upside down triangle. Three frame threads connect the corners together and from there spoke like lines are made connecting all of the threads together. The spiral lines are created last, starting in the very center of the web and moving outward, so that the spider can use its sticky catching silk heavily throughout the web. Orb webs are created by orange garden orb weaving spiders, banded orb weaving spiders, golden orb weaving spiders, humped or silver orb weaving spiders, arrowhead-shaped micrathenals, bolas spiders, marbled spiders, silk spiders, spiny­body spiders, shamrock orbs and labyrinth spiders, who spins both the orb web and the tangled web.

Tangled Web Spiders

Tangled spider webs consist of a shapeless jumble of threads attached to a support such as the corner of a ceiling. Cobwebs are tangled webs that have collected dust and dirt. Cellar spiders, the comb-footed spiders (included black and brown widow spiders), the ogre-faced stick spiders and common house spiders are spiders that make these types of webs.

Sheet Webs

Sheet webs are flat sheets of silk between blades of grass or branches of shrubs or trees. Spiders that create sheet webs also spin a net of crisscrossed threads above the sheet. When a flying insect hits the net, it bounces into the sheet web. The spider, which hangs upside down beneath the web, quickly runs to the insect and pulls it through the webbing. Sheet webs last a long time because the spider repairs any damaged parts. The bowl & doily spider, the filmy dome spider, and the platform spider form sheet webs.

Gum-footed Webs

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f1 Gum-footed webs consist of tightly woven silk strands attached between two branches. ' The upper strands are dry and built in sheltered areas away from sunlight while the lower strands are built in exposed area and run down to a bottom branch where they are attached. Each of the lower sticky strands are covered in sticky droplets and are

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anacneo weaKly at the bottom. When an insect walks into the sticky silk strands its struggle break the lines movi~g the web upwards and lifting the prey off the ground reducing its chances of escaping. Redback spiders create gum-footed webs.

Horizontal Line Webs

Horizontal Line Webs are made up of one simple line of sticky droplets stretching across low vegetation, bark and leaf litter. Spiders that create this type of web pull the line taut by keeping the slack silk underneath them until an insect hits the line. When that happens, the loose silk whips along the line and tangles the prey. Cribellate spiders and other pea-sized spiders create these webs.

Bolas Spider Web

The Bolas Spider Web is a very simple web designed for their unique method of hunting. In order to hunt and catch male moths, the bolas spider sits on a horizontal line and spins a single line with a sticky silk tip that dangles from its leg. While waiting, this spider will emit a scent similar to a female moth. When the male moth comes toward the spider, the spider swings the sticky strand in a circle and captures the moth, pulling the strand in to feed.

Triangle Webs

Triangle Webs are created in the shape ofa triangle, hence its name. The spider weaves silky strands of spokes and spirals that connect to all three strands. The triangle spider waits at one end of the web for an insect to land. When it does, the spider shakes the web so the insect is caught and cannot escape.

Hunting Spiders

Funnel Web spiders construct large, flat, horizontal webs of non-sticky silk with a funnel at one end in grassy areas. The funnel is open at both ends so the spider can escape if necessary.. When the spider feels the vibration of is prey, it dashes out, bites the insect and carries it back to the funnel. Funnel web spiders are also known as grass spiders.

Nursery Web Spider

The Nursery Web spider is considered a hunting spider because it only builds a web when laying her eggs. She carries her eggs in a silk sac close to her body until just before they hatch. The egg sac is then attached to a leaf and a web is built around it. The female spider then stands guard nearby until spiderlings hatch from their eggs.

Pictures of Spider Webs

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~:,;~j Pest Control Information Pest Control Sup-p-lies TQRics Site M~n S.nidel' InformJltjon s.n.i~t~r..C_Qntl·ol Co.b.web. Elimin~Jj(m PI~cI<1¥i.do_w.Spider~it~s_and Stings 6.r~m'_n_R~clu~e Spider Bite of aro."!n R~cll!s.~ Spider Webs

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,'.".:-': . : C;lf(jpn~t Biological Supply f.:ompany :'.

Madagascan Giant Hissing Roaches Lisa Darmo. Ph.D .• and Fran Ludwig GeneticslLiving Zoology Department, Carolina Biological Supply Company and Lexington Public Schools, Lexington~ Massachusetts 02173

Figure 1: Adult male Madagascan giant hissing roach. Actual size.

Would you invite these exotic animals into your classroom? They are guaranteed to attract a crowd! Madagascan giant hissing roaches, Gromphadorhina portentosa, are spectacular insects that instantly draw the attention and curiosity of students and are very easy to care for and handle. Large and easy to see, Madagascan roaches are ideal for classroom observations and science projects. They are slow moving, wingless, docile, have little or no odor, and do not bite. Known as "living fossils .. " these insects are very similar to the prehistoric cockroaches that lived on Earth long before the dinosaurs. With appropriate supervision, even young students can handle them.

The cockroach family, to which Madagascan roaches belong, is among the most primitive of the winged insects. The nearest relatives to cockroaches include mantids, grass-hoppers, stick insects, and termites (Cornwell 1968). The fossil record shows that roaches were very abundant during the Carboniferous period, 250 million years ago. There are at least 3,500 known species living today, in 450 genera, most of which originate in the tropics.

As a group, cockroaches exhibit a wide diversity of sizes, colors, and habits. Although they have an infamous reputation as household pests, in reality only about half a dozen species (less than one percent of all known forms) have negative associations with humans. Many species are diurnal, some are semi aquatic. others live in the ground or are wood-boring. Some, such as the Madagascan roach, do not have wings. About a dozen or so species live commensally in the nests of ants, wasps, or termites. There are also roach species that inhabit caves with bats or live in the desert. The majority of cockroaches in tropical countries exist as scavengers outdoors, feeding on vegetation and organic matter in an apparently harmless fashion.

Biology and Life Cycle

Figure 2: Side view, illustrating differences in the thorax and antennae in female (top) and male (bottom) Madagascan roaches.

The Madagascan giant hissing roach is a large (adults, 2-3 inches long and 1 inch wide), wingless member of the I'nl'J.,rn!:al'h f!:arnil" (1=io 1 \ Thi~ inc':'l't ic n!:at;",:. tn th,:. icl!:anl'l nf'

M;d~;:;~a~~'~ffth~':~s~~~ ~;:~;·~f·Mri; ~h;r;i~ ;;;~;r~' ~~-to play the ecological role of scavenger on or near rotten logs _ .. in savannah areas. Little is known of its behavior in the wild. (The Madagascan roaches supplied by Carolina Biological are captive bred in the United States and are not collected from the wild.) Recently, these roaches have become very popular in museums, zoos, and classrooms for hands-on explorations of insect morphology and behavior, and as an example of the importance in the web of life (ecosystem) of an "unhuggable" organism.

Madagascan roaches exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning that males and females look or act differently. Sexual dimorphism is common in animals where males and females have distinct roles in mating and courtship (e.g., the male deer with antlers, the colorful male peacock, and the male cricket that chirps loudly to attract females).

Male Madagascan roaches have prominent protrusions, called pronatal humps, on the thorax, which look like horns. Females have a smoother thorax with very small bumps or none at all. Also, the antennae of males are much brushier than those of females (Fig. 2). Fraser and Nelson (1984) have studied communication and behavior in laboratory colonies of these insects, and they observed that male Madagascan roaches establish territories that are defended from other adult males. Aggressive hissing and posturing behavior is used to warn intruders away~ males use their pronatal humps as rams in combat to physically defend territories. These interactions do not seem to result in injury or death. Females are gregarious and do not fight among themselves or with males. Numerous females and nymphs (immature stages) are permitted into male territories, with courtship and mating often occurring within the territory.

The species is unusual among insects in that the females appear to bear living young. Actually, the young emerge from an egg case (ootheca), which has been retained within the body of the mother. This is ~ n known as false ovoviparity. The ootheca is whitish and about an inch long. It is divided into many compartments. each of which contains an egg. Sometimes stressed females release the egg case before the eggs can develop. Gestation is usually about 60-70 days. Normally, a female gives birth to 20-40 babies, known as nymphs, over a two-day period. Each nymph is about 1I4-inch long (about the size of a small watermelon seed) and very flat. The young may remain grouped around the female for some time after emerging as she protects them by raising her body over them (Cornwell 1968).

The nymphs, which resemble miniature adults, grow fairly rapidly. They usually go through six molts, reaching adult size in the seventh instar (or stage). The young Madagascan roach needs to molt (shed its exoskeleton) as it gets larger, since its hard, outside covering does not expand very much to accommodate the growing insect. Grasshoppers, praying mantises, and termites, which are close relatives of the roaches, develop in the same way. When a nymph is about to molt, you see a crack in the lengthwise line on the back of the insect. The exoskeleton has split and a white, black-eyed, larger-sized roach emerges. Within a day, the color darkens as the new exoskeleton hardens. The newly emerged cockroach usually recycles nutrients by eating the shed exoskeleton. Nymphs reach maturity in five to ten months, with faster maturation at higher temperatures. Adults may live for two to three years.

Hissing

The Madagascan giant hissing roach is notable for its unique ability to produce an audible hiss. This sound is produced by pushing air forcefully through a pair of modified spiracles (openings in the abdomen of insects that are normally used for breathing). In the classroom the hissing response is most often n observed when roaches, unaccustomed to being handled, are picked up. This is one of the few defensive behaviors that this harmless insect has to avoid predators. The roach also tucks its small head and

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antennae unaer tne tnorax. 1 ne tnorax tnen resemOles tne large neaa or some aggressIve ana nOISY animal!

Madagascan hissing roaches also use hissing as a means of communication. Hissing in response to a disturbance may signal the presence of danger to other roaches. Adult male roaches hiss during aggressive encounters (defending territories against other males), and during courtship and mating. Females and late-stage nymphs hiss only when they are disturbed or threatened.

Nelson and Fraser (1980) reported that the Madagascan giant hissing roach has evolved a sound-signaling system that appears to serve for communication and maintenance of social structure. They measured the acoustical characteristics of hisses associated with some social displays in the species and described how hissing was incorporated in the social displays.

Nelson and Fraser identified five distinct hisses that were highly correlated with specific interactions, depending on whether defensive signaling, territoriality, or courtship was occurring. Males that were muted so that they were unable to hiss were almost never successful at mating with females. The researchers concluded that, while behaviors other than sound production (such as olfactory clues) are important in courtship and aggressive interactions, sound plays an important role in communication, and it may be necessary at one point in courtship.

Care and Handling

Most of the time (75 percent), Madagascan roaches are not very active. A clear shoebox is fine for a pair ofroaches~ a few holes are needed to provide air. If the lid is not very tight-fitting and secure, tape the lid shut around the edge. If a pet box with a snap-on lid is used for pregnant females, place a square of muslin or light cotton over the top of the cage. Use the lid to hold the covering in place so that newly emerged nymphs will not escape through the openings in the top. Madagascan roaches are strong animals that have been known to escape and wander, and nymphs can fit through small spaces! While they are not adapted to living among humans, as are their more prolific and faster-moving cousins, the German and American cockroaches, Madagascan roaches are potential household pests. Use caution in securing your cage.

Figure 3: Electron micrograph of Madagascan roach limb, showing hooks and sticky pad used in climbing. 50x actual size.

Wood chips or bark are good substrates for the bottom of the cage and provide hiding areas. Gravel, pine shavings, or crushed corncobs are also acceptable coverings for the bottom of the cage. You may also provide half an

egg carton or a cardboard roll from paper towels for hiding spots, and you may add a branch for climbing. In a cage with just a few roaches, the substrate should be replaced about every four to six months as needed. If your roaches have been breeding, the material should be sieved to avoid throwing away small nymphs.

Place the cage in a warm location, as Madagascan roaches are tropical. They seem to do well at room temperature (72-76 degrees F). At higher temperatures (80 degrees F) they are more active and may breed~ and at lower temperatures (66 degrees F) they are sluggish and will probably not breed. Although they survive brief exposure to lower temperatures (above freezing), do not keep Madagascan roaches at temperatures lower than 65 degrees F or higher than 85 degrees F. Unless you plan to breed the roaches or have a poorly heated room, you should not need an additional source of heat.

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Madagascan roaches are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. One way to observe the night-time activities of the insects during the day is to reverse the photocycle (Bell 1981). Outfit a fairly dark room or closet with a 100-watt light and timer that will turn the light on from about 6:00 PM to .n 6:00 AM for 12 hours of light. The roaches will be active from about 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Best results for behavioral observations will be obtained if the terrarium stays in a dark room, with a red light for illumination during daylight hours. A 40-watt red incandescent bulb may be purchased in most stores with a varied selection of lighting supplies. You can see the roaches, but they perceive that it is night and go about their normal nocturnal activities.

Feed your Madagascan roach dry dog, cat, or rodent food supplemented with pieces offresh fruits and vegetables. Good fruits and vegetables for these insects include orange slices, banana peels, carrots, apple, grape, sweet potato peelings, potato slices, etc. Use small pieces (1 inch square or less) and feed moist food sparingly, since high concentrations of fermentation gases are harmful. Remove moldy food regularly. Provide water with a damp sponge in a small cup or dish.

When handling a Madagascan roach, pick up the insect very gently around the thorax (the hard section behind the small head). Be careful not to jerk, since the feet have sticky pads and hooks that grip tightly (Fig. 3). If you pull too hard, you may injure the insect. Let the roach crawl from your hand to another person1s hand. It will not move very quickly, and it will not bite. These insects are not fragile, but you should always be gentle with them.

It is fairly common to see tiny light-colored creatures, called mites, crawling on your roach. Just as dogs get fleas, Madagascan roaches sometimes carry mites. These mites only live on the roaches, and will not harm or live on humans. Mites can be removed by gently shaking the roach in a plastic bag with a small amount of flour (the IIshake and bake ll method). The mites fall off the roach into the flour. Tie off and discard the bag, and gently spray the excess flour off the roach with plain water from a plant mister or 0 wash bottle. Mites may also be removed with a small paintbrush. Repeat the treatment if mites reappear. There is another kind of small mite that occasionally infests food; it can be controlled by discarding old food and changing litter.

Classroom Exercises

Figure 4: With the proper introduction, most children find Madagascan roaches to be fascinating and fun.

An article of this scope can only begin to touch upon the many educational uses of Madagascan roaches. We recommend that for high school to college students, you consult William Belrs excellent book, The Laboratory Cockroach, which includes experiments of varying complexity for the study of the anatomy, morphology, physiology, and behavior of roaches. This book should be available through interlibrary loan from most universities with an entomology department or a fairly extensive library. Since Madagascan roaches are relatively expensive animals, experiments that involve dissection or sacrifice of the specimen may be confined to other large, less expensive genera, such as Blabberus or Periplanata.

Younger students can conduct simple observational experiments using Madagascan roaches (Fig. 4). The our other article on roaches, IIEncounter with an Unhuggable ll was excerpted from a program presented :~ to teachers by Fran Ludwig (K-5 Science Specialist, Lexington Public Schools). The program is designed

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To use this page effectively, children will need a worksheet from books published by Elton P~blicatjons.

Ancient Animals Fossils of animals that look like scorpions show that these animals have been around for more than 400 million years. In all that time, they have not changed very much.

Habitat Scorpions can be found in many countries of the world. Australian scorpions are not as poisonous as those found in Africa or North America. In Australia, these interesting little animals can be found in rainforests, deserts woodlands and even in cities.

They are not seen during the day because they come out in the hours of darkness. During the day, scorpions hide under rocks or logs. In some places like the south-west of Australia, they dig burrows in the soft sand.

Food . At night, scorpions hunt for other small animals. They like spiders and insects the best. The scorpion grasps the animal in its pincers (called pedipalps). Then the poisonous sting bends right over the front of the head and stings the hunted animal.

In turn, scorpions can become food for other nocturnal hunters. Lizards and birds are ueir main hunters.

Vision Scorpions can have between six and twelve eyes. Two of the eyes are in the middle of its back. Even so, they can't see very well. Instead, they can feel the smallest vibrations of other animals moving in the darkness.

Appearance Adult scorpions can be between seven and twelve centimetres long. Some species grow bigger than others and there are many different species in across Australia. Some species are black. Some are dark brown and others are a brown-orange colour. They have eight walking legs and a pair of powerful pincers. The body or carapace of a scorpion is covered with a hard shell. They have no internal bones. The body is divided into seven sections and the tail has five sections.

Pain? Fortunately, Australian scorpions aren't as poisonous as those in other countries. A sting might hurt for a few hours. The victim might need some treatment for pain but there should be no long lasting effects.

Breeding and Babies The male scorpion grasps the female. He lays a sperm packet on a ground or a piece of wood. Then he drags the female over the sperm packet and she draws it into her. In some species of scorpion, by the end of mating, all that is sometimes left of the male -;;corpion is a few pieces of hard shell. The rest is gone. It has been eaten by the

Umale.

The young are not born for many months; often between six and twelve depending on the species of scorpion. The baby scorpions are born alive. There are usually more than a dozen babies. They crawl out of their mother's body through a small opening just behind the mother's head. The babies are white. They cling to their mother's back and are carried around by her until they are old enough to care for themselves, usually

a couple of weeks or until they molt for the first time. Sometimes the mother will eat a few of her babies.

The young will molt about six times until they are fully grown. (Molting means they shed their hard skin. Their skin does not grow with their body, so they shed their skin and grow a new one.) It might take eighteen months or more before they are fully grown and capable of breeding.

Did you I{now'! 1. Scorpions kill over a thousand people a year in Mexico. ") There are over] 500 species of scorpion but only 25 can kill people. 3. Some scorpions can live a year without food or water.

LINKS 1. A1Lftb.Q.lJt~~Qrp.i.QJ1S'.. 2. Scorpion records.

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Texas Agricultural Extension Service The Texas A&M University System

Scorpions

John A. Jackman

Professor and Extension Entomologist

The Texas A&M University System.

Scorpions are arachnids, close relatives of ticks, mites and spiders. They are easily recognized by their characteristic shape. Scorpions prefer dryland habitats but they do occur throughout Texas. They can be a nuisance when they interact with humans because they will sting when disturbed.

VDescription

All scorpions have a long, slender body with a five-segmented tail that can be arched over the back. The tail ends in a bulb-like poison gland or stinger. Scorpions have four pairs of legs and two large pincer-bearing arms (pedipalps) in front. Scorpions are.well equipped to defend themselves or attack prey with their pincers and stinger. Between the last pair of legs is a comblike structure (pectines) that is used to identify surface textures and to detect prey.

Scorpions have two eyes on the top of the head, and usually two to five pairs of eyes along the front corners of the head. They do not see well, however, and must rely on the sense of touch, using their pectines and other organs for navigation and hunting. Their bodies are flat, which allows them to hide in small cracks, under rocks and under bark.

Worldwide, scorpions range in size from Y2 inch·to 7 1/4 inches long (including the tail) depending on the species. The most common species in Texas is the striped bark scorpion, Centruroides vittatus. The adult scorpion is about 2 Y2 inches long, which is typical of the size of all species found in the state.

Biology

Scorpions hide during the day and become active at night. This behavior helps scorpions manage temperature and water balance, important functions for survival in dry habitats. Many species dig burrows in the soil. They detect and capture prey by the sense of touch. They also have a well-developed sense of hearing. j .

UScorpions hide under stones, bark, wood or other objects on the ground where they wait or search for prey. Chief foods are small insects, spiders, centipedes, earthworms, and other scorpions. Once they capture their prey, they use the large pincers to crush and draw it toward the mouth. The body juices of the prey are eaten by the scorpion.

Some species may live for 20 to 25 years, but longevity of the typical scorpion is between 3 and 8 years.

Adult scorpions may have several broods of young. Following an elaborate mating process, which lasts from 24 to 36 hours, the female undergoes a gestation period ranging from 5 months to more than 1 year.

Dorsal view 01 a scorpion.

The young are born alive in semi-transparent sacs. As soon as the young scorpions free themselves from these thin wrappers, they climb onto their mother's back. Already capable of stinging, the young scorpions leave the mother after several days and begin to fend for themselves. Scorpions reach maturity in a year or more, depending on availability of food.

The sting of scorpions may be painful, or even deadly, depending on the species. Of 1,500 species of scorpions worldwide, only about 20 to 25 are regarded as dangerous. Stings from such species may cause paralysis, severe convulsions, cardiac irregularities, or breathing difficulties that may lead to death. Antivenins are available in areas where dangerous scorpions live.

A scorpion's venom is a mixture of compounds including neurotoxins that affect the victim's nervous system. Fortunately, none of the species in Texas are considered deadly. Stings from most of these species are about as painful as a bee or wasp sting, but the severity of the sting is dependent upon the individual scorpion and the person's reaction to the venom. As with any arthropod venom, allergic reactions are possible. In these situations, immediate medical attention would be required. n Habitat

Scorpions may be found in many types of habitats in the United States, including desert flats, sand dunes, desert and mesic mountains, grasslands, pine forests, deciduous forests, and chaparral. Species are most diverse in desert areas.

Taxonomic Status

About 90 species of scorpions have been identified in the United States. Texas has 18 species and only one species, Centruroides vittatus, occurs throughout the state. It is the only species of scorpion found in the eastern part of Texas. The number of species found in the state increases moving west and south. One species has been recorded in the Dallas area, two recorded near Austin, four near Amarillo, three near Abilene, five near Ft. Stockton, eight in the Ft. Davis region, eight near Langtry, and 14 in Big Bend National Park.

Striped Bark Scorpion

The common, striped bark scorpion has two broad, black stripes running the length of its back. Populations in the Big Bend may be only faintly marked or completely pale. The basic color of the scorpion varies from yellow to tan in adults. Immature scorpions may be lighter in color. There is a dark triangular mark on the front of the head above the eyes. In young scorpions, the base of the pedipalps and the last segment behind t4e abdomen is dark brown or black. This species can be easily identified by slender pedipalps (pincer-bearing arms) and the n long, slender tail. The tail is longer on males than females. '

The striped bark scorpion apparently mates in the fall, spring or early summer. Gestation requires about 8 months. Litter size varies from 13 to 47. The average is about 31 young per litter.

Inlmature scorpions molt within 3 to 7 days after birth and remain on the mother for another 3 to 7 days after

that. There are five or six molts to maturity. A striped bark scorpion probably lives for approximately 4 years.

The sting of this species causes local pain and swelling. Deaths attributed to this species have not been substantiated.

Urhe striped bark scorpion is often found under rocks, under boards and in debris. It can be found indoors or outdoors in a wide variety of habitats (pine forests in East Texas; rocky slopes, grasslands, juniper breaks in other parts of the state). Centruroides are active foragers that do not burrow. They are distinctly associated with dead vegetation, fallen logs and human dwellings. It is common for them to climb trees and walls, and many times have been found in the attics of homes. During periods of hot weather, scorpions may move into living areas to escape the high temperatures in attics.

\

Scorpion Stings

When handled or disturbed, scorpions can inflict a painful sting using the poison gland at the end of the tail. Avoiding their habitats helps prevent stings. The stings from Texas scorpions produce only moderate reactions in most people because the poison has little affect on the nervous system. However, a person who is stung by a scorpion should be watched closely for adverse reactions. An ice pack applied to the affected area will relieve some pain. If swelling andlor pain persists or if breathing difficulties occur, immediate medical attention is necessary.

Scorpions as Pets

Scorpions have been kept as pets, but this practice is strongly discouraged. Scorpions should never be kept indoors or around small children. Scorpions with even relatively low poison levels can produce fatal reactions in young children and also in adults allergic to the toxin.

Vontrol

Scorpions are difficult to control with insecticides alone. Therefore, the flrst control strategy is to modify the area surrounding a house.

• Remove all trash, logs, boards, stones, bricks and other objects from around the home. • Keep grass closely mowed near the home. Prune bushes and overhanging tree branches away from the

house. Tree branches can provide a path to the roof for scorpions. • Store garbage containers in a frame that allows them to rest above ground level. • Never bring firewood inside the house unless it is placed directly on the flre. • Install weather-stripping around loose fitting doors and windows. • Plug weep holes in brick veneer homes with steel wool, pieces of nylon scouring pad or small squares of

screen wire. • Caulk around roof eaves, pipes and any other cracks into the home. • Keep window screens in good repair. Make sure they fit tightly in the window frame.

To control scorpions with chemicals, use insecticide products that contain any of the following:

• permethrin (Prelude®, Dragnet®); • cyfluthrin (Tempo®); • cypermethrin (Demon®); • lambda-cyhalothrin (Demand CS®);

u • deltamethrin (Suspend®); • propoxur (Baygon®); • diazinon; • chlorpyrifos (Dursban®); • malathion; • synergized pyrethrins.

Barnacle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A barnacle is a type .of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the Usubphylum Crustacea and is hence distantly related to crabs and lobsters.

Some authorities regard Cirripedia as a full class or subclass, and the orders listed at right are sometimes treated as superorders. Around 1,220 barnacle species are currently known. The name "Cirripedia" means "curl-footed".

Barnacles were first fully studied and classified by Charles Darwin, at the) suggestion of his friend Joseph Dalton Hooker, in his quest to further his ongoing development of the theory of evolution and natural selection.

--··-·-··---·--··--·---·---·--~----·-·-·l

Contents I I

• I Life cycle I • 2 Classification I • 3 Synonyms • 4 References • 5 External links

Life cycle

Barnacles have two larval stages. The first is called the naupIius, which ,spends its time as part of the plankton, floating wherever the wind, waves,

uurrents, and tides may take it, whilst eating and molting. This lasts for about two weeks (and five larval instars) until the second stage is reached. At this point the nauplills metamorphoses into a non-feeding, more strongly swimming cyprid larva. The cyprids settle down in an area where environmental :.!!!?! indicate a SEe and (!!oductive environment. If they don't, the larvae will die.

When an appropriate place is found, the cyprid larva cements itself headfirst to the surface and then undergoes metamorphosis into a juvenile barnacle. Typical barnacles develop six hard armor plates to surround and protect their bodies. For the rest of their lives they are cement"ed to the ground, using

"Cirripedia" from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur (1904). The crab at

the centre is nursing the extema of the Sacculina

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Crustacea

Class: Maxi 1I0poda

Subclass: Thecostraca

Infraclass: Cirripedia Burmeister, 1834

Acrothoracica Thoracica Rlf

Balanus balanoides ! ~ --- .-.. ~,.-.". -.. ~ ""' .......... --- ...... -.~--.... -... ----\

their feathery legs to capture plankton and gametes when spawn ing. They are usually found in the intertidal zone.

Once metamorphosis is over and they have reached their adult form, barnacles will continue to grow, but not molt. Instead, they grow by adding new material to the ends of their heavily calcified Elates. -Like many invertebrates, barnacles are hermaphroditic and alternate male and female roles over time. Barnacles have the longest penis in the animal kingdom, in proportion to their body length [1]. -

'-damacles often attach themselves to man-made structures, sometimes~o the structure's detriment. Particularly in the case of ships, they are classified as fouling organisms.

However, some members of the class have quite a different mode of life. For example, members of.the genus SacculinCi are parasitic on crabs.

The Barnacle Goose gets its name from the ancient European belief that it grew from the gooseneck barnacle, Pollicipes polymerus; eggs and goslings of this bird were never seen because it bred in the remote Arctic. Since barnacles are seafood, the Barnacle Goose was counted as a fish, and could be eaten by Catholics on Fridays, when meat llsed to be forbidden.

Classification

This article follows Martin and Davis in placing Cirripedia as an infraorder of Thecostraca and in the following classification of cirripedes down to the level of orders: [2]

Infraclass Cirripedia Burmeister, 1834

• Superorder Acrothoracica Gruvel, 1905 • Order Pygophora Berndt, 1907 • Order Apygophora Berndt, 1907

• Superorder Rhizocephala MUller, 1862 • Order Kentrogonida Delage, 1884 • Order Akentrogonida Hafele, 19 I 1

• Superorder Thoracica Darwin, 1854 • Order Pedunculata Lamarck, 1818 • Order Sessilia Lamarck, 18 I 8

Synonyms

Other names for this group of crustaceans include Thyrostraca, Cirrhopoda (meaning "tawny-footed"), Cirrhipoda, and Cirrhipedia.

References

I. A Barnacle general biology (http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crustibarnbiol.htmI). Museum Victoria (1996).

Balanidae, Mission Beach National Park, Queensland,

Australia, 2002

Corrosion caused partly by barnacles

2. A Joel W. Martin and George E. Davis (2001). An Updated Classification o/the Recent Crustacea (http://www.nhm. org/research/publications/CrustaceaClassification.pdj). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

External links

1. Rock barnacle (http://www.vattenkikaren.gu.se/faktalarter/crustace/cirripedlbalacren/balacre.html) at Aquascope 2. Barnacles (http://www.mesa.edu.au/friends/seashoreslbarnacIes.html) from the Marine Education Society of

Australasia 3. http://collections.ic.gc.ca/artifacts/kosapsom/images/barnacle.jpg 4. http://www .nhptv .orglnatureworksl graphics/bamacle.jpg 5. Barnacles in Spain (http://www.iberianature.com/material/barnacles.htm) Article on barnacles in Spain, and their

collection and gastronomy.

Retrieved from ''http://en.wikipedia.org/wikilBarnacle''

Category: Crustaceans

• This page was last modified 09:45, 9 January 2007. • All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation

License. (See Copyrights for details.)

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Crayfish Frank Ball

Basic Biology

Crayfish (Crawfish, Crawdad, Freshwater Lobster, etc.). There are some 150 species in North America, over 540 species worldwide.

Color and size varies with species, diet, and age. Most are red, some are green, brown, tan, or blue with black or orange markings in various combinations. Often juveniles will be a light tan color that turns to a deep red as an adult. The coloration depends in part on their diet, and can change with a change in diet. Adult size is 2" to 6" for most US species. Some Australian varieties can be much larger.

They grow by molting, that is they shed their carapace (shell) when they outgrow it, and form a new hard shell. When they first molt they are soft. and very vulnerable to attack by other crayfish or fish. It can take a couple days for the new shell to fully harden. Juveniles can molt every week or so. Adults may only molt a couple times a year, and only under the right conditions. The empty shell should be left in the tank. where it will be consumed over the next few days to recover the lost minerals and help form the new shell.

Lifespan: about 2-3 years. but varies with species. Some live longer.

Water conditions

Not critical. Freshwater, but can tolerate a wide range of conditions. Cool, hard, alkaline, well aerated water is best for most species.

A temperature range of 65-77 F (18-25 C) is best for good growth of most species from the continental United States, but they can survive over a much wider range. Some species are tropical, some require cold water.

If the water is too soft or the pH is too low then there is a risk of calcium deficiency that could inhibit molting. Medium hard or hard water with a slightly alkaline pH. 7.5 - 8.5, is best.

They are normally 100% aquatic. but they can survive out of the water as long as their gills remain wet. They do not need to leave the water. The tank should be covered to prevent them from Climbing out and going exploring around the house. They can climb up between the tank wall and a under-gravel.lift tube, or climb up plants or a heater.

Diet

Omnivorous-fish. shrimp, meat. vegetables (frozen peas. boiled zucchini. carrots. etc.). sinking pellets, table scraps. Don't feed too much fat. Adults do not need a lot of protein. and should be fed primarily vegetables. I feed mostly frozen peas. some Tetra Tabimin pellets. carrots. and they catch the occasional fish. They also like the crickets that drown in my toad tank (the toads won't eat dead crickets).

Since they like vegetables they will eat many plants. They will devour plants that nothing else will eat, like Java Moss. They will uproot the plants they don't eat. I have lots of floating Hornwort (Ceratophyl/um demersum) in my tank. They don't eat that too fast (it grows fast). and they like the cover above them.

4111/01 9: J 8 AM

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Behavior

Nocturnal. They like to hide during the day and need hiding places. Pieces of PVC pipe, rocks, driftwood, etc., can be used. They are cannibalistic if they are crowded or not provided with suitable shelter and lots of food. They can pinch HARD, so be careful.

Compatibility with fish

Crayfish will try very hard to eat your fish. They will lay in wait until a fish swims through their open claws, or if they have their tail curled up they can lunge forward a few inches to try to catch a fish. They may climb up plants to go fishing near the surface. I've seen them watch food that is put into the tank from a few inches away, and wait for fish to start eating it. Then they lunge forward to try to catch one.

I now have a single crayfish in a 10 gallon tank with White Cloud Minnows, feeder guppies, and a Chinese Algae Eater. The crayfish ate some of the guppies but the survivors are keeping out of reach. ' She ate all of my Zebra Danios, and half of my White Clouds. The Chinese Algae Eater is much too fast for her, and It even hides with the crayfish and sucks on her back. I'd recommend feeder guppies, feeder goldfish, or minnows from a bait store (anything cheap).

In the past I kept a crayfish with common (feeder) goldfish, and the crayfish was not able to successfully compete for food against the goldfish. I had to "hand" feed it with a pair of tongs. One day I came home and the four goldfish (about 3" each without the tail) had eaten about half of the 4" crayfish, and they had it well cleaned up by the next morning. I've also seen small goldfish get caught and eaten within a few minutes. Do not keep a crayfish with a fancy goldfish or any fish that is slow moving or has long fins. Do not keep them with Weather Loaches (Oojos), as they will lay on the bottom of the tank and allow the crayfish to walk up and pinch them.

How to get a crayfish

Here in California Crayfish can be purchased from some pet shops or bait shops, or you can catch them in the wild IF you purchase a fishing license or are under 18 years old. There is no season and no limit.

Links with information on Crayfish

http://www.agualink.com/fresh/species.html

http://www.agualink.com/fresh/z-crayfish1.html

http://www.agualink.com/fresh/z-crayfish2.html

http://www.agualink.com/columns/k-crayfish.html

http://www.agualink.com/columns/k-craVfish1.html

http://www.agualink.com/columns/k-crayfish2.html

http://www.outdoortimes.com/1996/04/nale.html

htlp://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/NewCropsNews/91-1-1/crayfish.html

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/NewCropsNews/94-4-1/crayfish.html

4/11/01 9:18 AM

Facts from

Fiction March 1988 Science and Children

Carol Bulzow, a former ttllCher, is a dodoral candidate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. John Butzow is assodate dean of college education at Indiana University. Both are also reading and science consultants. Artwork reprinted from The Grouchy Ladybug, by pennission of Harper and Row publishers.

v I I GOOd morning," said the friendly ladybug.

"Go away!" shouted the grouchy lady­bug. "I want those aphids."

"We can share them," suggested the friendly ladybug.

"No. They're mine, all mine," screamed the grouchy ladybug.

In Eric Carle's picture book, the grouchy ladybug starts her morning by picking a fight over the aphids _ with the friendly ladybug. She spends the rest of the day antagoniz­ing progressively larger and larger animals such as a beetle, a bird, a hyena, an elephant, and finally a whale. Lucky for her, she doesn't have to fight any of them. She ends up "wet, tired, and hungry," sharing the leaf and aphids with the friendly ladybug at the end of the day.

By Carol Butzow and John Butzow

The Grouchy Lndybug is exactly the sort of book that delights and amuses young children. Exactly the kind of book : "),ers assume is only entertaining. '\.....Attion for children isn't taken as seriously as nonfiction is in elementary school. But teachers are missing great edu­cational opportunities when they consider children's litera­ture as supplemental at best. A book like The Grouchy Lndybug, for example, can be the basis of classroom discussion. It can also help a teacher assess her students' comprehension, reinforce their reading and listening skills, increase their

The Grouchy Ladybug, whether she knows

it or not, has a thing or tUJO

to say about entomology,

natural selection, comparative anatomy,

food chains, aphids, and symbiotic relationships.

And that's a lot for a storybook.

vocabulary, and elicit dramatizations. More than that, books like this deal with science and

scientific concepts that can become the basis of a language arts and reading and science program. The strong story line in many of these books enables children to understand and remember more scien tific concepts than they would by using a science textbook. Some of these books can even be used in social studies, math, and art units. Obviously, chil­dren's literature offers more than simple pleasure.

That Silly Ladybug Young children do not think abstractly. If an adult

explains a scientific notion to a child in a realistic, adult manner, the child often grows confused. He simply cannot

. understand the adult's reasoning. Stories and examples, however, that conform to a child's thought processes will have greater meaning to him. For instance, a child realizes that it's silly for the ladybug to challenge the whale to fight. The child recognizes instinctively the discrepancy in the animals' sizes but wouldn't understand that what she was

grasping was comparative anatomy. Using children's literature to teach science is a part of the

present movement to include specific reading and writing instruction in all areas. Reading and writing are as much a part of a science program as they are a part of the language program. Many educators, though, feel that children haven't been given specific lessons in writing and reading. "The idea that reading instruction and subject matter instruction should be integrated," reports the Commission on Reading, "is an old one in education. But there is little indication that such integration occurs often in practice. The most logical place for instruction in most reading and thinking strate­gies is in social studies and science rather than in separate lessons about reading."

000, That Grouchy Ladybug Tire Grouclry Lndybug easily integrates science and language

arts. Aside from the ladybug's belligerence, the book por­trays animals protecting their environment. It even ends on the symbiotic relationship between ladybugs and leaves. "Soon all the aphids were gone. 'Thank you,' said the leaf. 'You are welcome,' answered both the ladybugs .... "

Each picture shows the passing of time with a clock face at the top and the Sun's position as it moves across the horizon. Different animals are categorized and the food chain is outlined in a subtle way. The plot is simple, the concepts realistic and verifiable. If nothing else, the book will stimulate children to learn more about ladybugs.

To create an integrated science and language arts unit with The Grouchy lAdybug means that it will not be used merely as a reading assignment. The children, after all, 'should read for information, ideas, insights, and entertain­ment Simultaneously, not just for the individual words. A well-written fictional book can serve as a source of creative and effective science lessons for all students in the earlv elementary grades. -

Using Tire Grouchy lAdybug as the pivot of an integrated unit, consider the follo"Ving classroom activities.

Science Activities 1. Study the pictures of the ladybug. Draw a large picture

of the ladybug and label the body parts and functions. 2. Set up a sundial on the playground and mark the

shadow length to correspond with the clock faces in the book.

3. How many hours does the book cover? Is that a whole day? Why do we have day and night? Discuss A.M. and P.M. What is the difference between a digital and an analog clock?

4. If the students have not yet mastered telling time, work on those skills.

5. Make bug houses and then sweep-net the school yard or a wooded area to collect insects for studying in the classroom.

6. Keep a log of what the students observe about insects.

7. Discuss the different animals in the book. How do thev protect themselves? How do they move? -

s. Invent animals. Ask the students how their animals~ move and protect themselves. .r )

9. Research each of the anima1.s in the book and make up­descriptive cards, showing each one's size, habitat, and eat-ing habits.

Language Activities 1. Before finishing the book-stop at the whale page­

ask the class to predict the ending. Write down the new endings.

2 List the different words the author uses for meel. 3. Do a choral reading or dramatization of the book. 4. Write poems about the grouchy and the friendly

ladybugs. Use many contrasting adjectives. _ 5. Have the students write about why the grouchy ladybug changed her attitude at the end of the book.

6. Have the students draw personal timelines showing where they are and what they are doing at each time shown on the clocks in the book.

7. Have the students tell the same story from one of the other creature's viewpoints, particularly the aphids'.

Social Studies Activities 1. Discuss why people and animals live in communities

and why there are rules in these communities. Ask the class why there are rules against fighting in school. When do you feel like fighting? What can you do when someone wan ts to fight you?

2. Locate the continents and oceans where the animals in~ the book live.

3. Find and discuss pictures of the different places the ladybug visits.

Art Activities 1. Have the students make ladybugs out of thumbprints

or stones. 2. Have the students make masks or costumes so they

can look like their favorite animal from the book.

Music Activities 1. Listen to the classical music scores Carnival of the Animals

by Saint-Saens, Swan lAke by Tchaikovsky, and Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev.

. 2. Ask the children to do interpretive dances to the music . that reminds them of the way the animals in the book

move.

Resources Anderson, Robert, et al. (1984). Becoming a nation of readers: Tlrt

report of the commission on reading. Washington, DC: U.~ Department of Education. , ,

Bettleheim, Bruno. (1977). The useS of enchantment. New York:-Alfred A. Knopf.

Bybee, Rodger W., and Sund, Robert B. (1982). Piagel for educators. Columbus: Charles Merrill. .

Goodman, Kenneth. (1986). What's whole in whole language. Portsmouth, NH: He~nemann Educational Books.

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Insect investigations Subject SCience.

Science skills Observing. describing. classifying.

Focus

Concepts

There are more insects in the city than any other type of critter. They are easy­to-find examples of antmal adaptation to habitat. Because of their adaptations. insects are often found in very spec1flc places within their habitat. What Insects can you find buzzing, crawling, hopping, or ilylng In great green spaces near you?

Did you know? Insects are found Just about everywhere. but some ~ might be hard to see because they are camouflaged. \' \ '.:\ \ The oleander moth has a color pattern that blends (\ I .~ . , in with the bark of a tree where it rests during I ~~ -.... " ~ ~'~I~~l't'l~,::':"-,. the day. Its coloration makes It hard for ~--~:-.. u.'. ,,~ \'1 daytime predators to see It. Camouflage can 1 . I ~ also help predators hide. The shape and color - ~' ,I rU" . -~ of the praying mantis allows It to blend in with : ~ ... ~ greenery while waiting to snatch an insect ' ''. ,. :\ ~~ that flies by. Habitat adaptations like these ",",''''~ give insects a survival advantage. 7 10 I

! rj?' ~.

What you need Praying mantie with ite prey For each person: Q 2 clear plastic cups (8-oz. size) Q Scissors Q Mesh or netting Q A rubber band Q Pencn Q Insect Investigations ActtVity Sheet Q White sheets (can be shared) Q White plastic tubs (can be shared)

Before you start Q An entomologtst studies insects. All adult insects have: siX legs, three body

parts (head. thorax. abdomen), two antennae. and most have one or two pairs of wings.

Q Be careful when handling insects. Some bite or sting to defend themselves. V Q Many Insects are fragile; take care not to damage legs. wings, or antennae.

Chapter 3

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Two Segments' in Waist (Poneroid Complex)

P(lnIInomv rl11u( harvester tints) ei--:r" ~'. lar~ red·, _. _ .... ants.. usua11y clear v~tation around nest ."

.. beard of long hoirs (psommophore) unmr hMi ......... emonomorphic (workers only come in one si2e) ~----------~ ___ J

, -,. -<. :,' Alia (leaf-cutter ants) " \ . (,:C; .;~:;:: or~;.".': ...• " "" ..... :<..;

l~-'." Lorge to very smell, grow fungus from~cut leaves,' nests otten 1 0-:-20 ft across ~e~ jUst 8S -'. :; deep cannot stinQ ~ -' ~ 9i':~' , " ;',','; ~,:. :.:~:-, '.1 !¥."V''1 ~ '. --:;: ~,' :~Q.J., .

-top of thorax with 3 pairs'of spines ~ '. :';,~ '.'~': '. :;~:' ".,- ". ~ .. .'~ .. " ~':H>' IICOntinuously polymorphicJ workers come in al1 sizes) ~ ~. eentenna with' , segments ~'-- ". '. '. ,.. t#, t 1

~ . Soicnop3i:l (F ire cnts) '.. .", • - . '. ... ... ".

'medium to small ~ized. large eart~en .m~unds, sti(lgS ~~\ HWor~~wlth 10-segmented_~!ennle, ... I '.~'> eoo splnes on bn end of thorax ' .' :,) . e2-segmented entennal club./ \ -:1 econtinuously polymorphic"( workers come in al1 sizes If" s-wlt. - , ... VI ,,-fa. ej

Pheidole t -biQ-~ ants-) , smell to very smell, many species, cermot sting .

Hdimorphic, big-hesBi soldiers and small oormall00king workers, similar to the tropicel fire en! ·in eppeerence except usually smaHer end not continuously polymorphic . 2J·

el2-segmented antenna).3 -~J"'''/\.1e..l·du/' ~,

/fonomorilllll (-little bJ~ ants-) very smtiH, U5ut»l1y bltlCk (except Phm'rOO's tint). usmlly 00 not sting

e12-segmented antenna . ebeclc' of thor~ rounded, without spines emon,omorphic (wa'kers only amle in one si2e)

CremalOfl8SIer ( -bark ants-) often found in w[XXJ or UncEr bark

"petiole joins to top "of gaster ;;;:.~~~ ..gaster som~hot heart-shaped with 0 pointed end & e ~~ ~ emonomorphlc (workers only come in one size) ~

One Segment in Waist (Myrmeciod Comp1ex)

Conomyrml1 (crezy ants) medium-smal1ants,oiten run in rapid loops, nest entrances often have a 2-3 inch pile ~~

di rt around them ,_commonly found aloog tb~ roads! ~nno~ 5t in~ .-- . /? Hsingle cone-I iKe point in m jaUe of b~k _ ~ /" 'y' \ I~ -workers smel11ike blue cheese when crushed ( () ... ~ " emonomorphic (workers only come in one size) ~ '.J --

'{ Fore/ius ("blue cheese ants·)

very small, of tan yellowish, workers usu1511y run quickly along trails in 18r~ numbers, cannot sting eworkers smelllike blue cheese when crushElt ~ .petio.lar segment very small and often hiaEn unOOr gaster . emonomorphic ( worke~ on Iy OJme in one sjze) 0

Pllrolrcchil1l1 ("bristle ants") very small t sim~l~ to Forelius except OOo't smell when crushed, cannot sting

ebcdf covered stout dark bristles .monomorphic (workers only come in one size)

Campono/us (carpenter ants) medium.Jo lerge.~tst many kinds live ~n wood, QIIlnot.sJfng .:

.. top of l~8X is ev~ly roun~ when viewed from the si emntinuously polYmorphic ( workers arne in aJ1si?eS) .

,,/~ .........

' . •• J

... , .... '.

..... . , . .,

4. :

:.' .:,.' ~ i ' ..• : •• :;: '.

•

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Directions: Find each of the numbered traits on several specimens of each spec1es.

Red Imported Fire Ant (SolenoplS Invlcta) Tall distinct mounds In spring and fall Major Workers .

1. Heed of ncrmal ~ end proportions . 2. urania, of petio1e with at most I small r.ctch . \'. 3. four teeth on mandibles tJ \ j ~. No tBeth aboYe base of front lea ~ ~

I1lnor 'Nurkera (9 1. No teeth above ba5e of front lea · 2. Antennal ~ long, reaches or u~ top arner of heed 3. centrel pointed taJIh on c~ ebave mllldlbles". Ii ( ,

Tropical Fire Ant (SOlentJl)SlsgemlnataJ' ~. Similar to red imported fire ant~ except for the large-headed majors and

. mounds are usually lower Major Workers b)

I. Heaj dlsproporU_tv 1~ and bt~H - ~. 2. Undersic2 of petiole with at mast I small notch 3. MandiblesstrmQlvcurvai.blunt .... 'M·wtthout teeth-.., ~. R. irregular teeth ebave base II frant 1egII* 5. Majors with Jf~t red brown hea . ,

t1 tnor Workers . . I. One or two r_lrreoular tEth above base of front 1t!Q** 2. AntennaJ s:epe long, reeches or .,.,. tap ar .. of heed

. 3. no central tmJth on c1ypeus above IDMdIbles . t~~ f,.('o t~ ._J...._~ ~ . ~~,,-~ ~

Southern Fire Ant (Solenops/s XY/(JfII). ~~ &. '-Illa~JI Nests usually lower than the imported species, workers less aggress1ve "ajor Worters

I. Head of normal shepe end proportin ~ 2. Underside of petiole with a distinct tDath*H\:A

. 3. Mendibles with 3 teeth end a small natdl- u.4« ~ 4. No teeth ebove base of front leg '----"'''''~-T ./ J 5. Heed end thorax uniform Wk cnngD bOIl~~ ~

tlinor Worters . . I.

1 .. No teeth ebove be of front leg .JI*I'f.., 2. AntennaJ ~ ~ • DB oot'~ arner It,. 3. no tooth ... an clypill above mandibles ,

Desert Fire Ant (So/enOpsls atria)· .. SmalJlsh untrormJy orange ants. nests small diffuse, orten under workers rather timid, fOUnd only west or Austin ·nljar Worters .

kS,

I. Heed 0( normal shepe end proportlans .. 2. Underside of petfole wn" a keel Itb taJth. /V1 3. Four teeth on mendib1es '- ~ 4. No teeth eboYe base 01 front leg ",,--,'

Black Imported Fire Ant (So/enopslsrIChterl) Not found in Texas .

Very similar to t.be red fmport81 (fre ent except e darker ~ mlcr and 8 dark orange spot on gBSter of major wcrters

Ihe l::Sug -I-hat Changed History

The Bug That Changed History

Surprise Valley. July. You're running sweep on the Tapeats/Thunder RiverlDeer Creek hike. Conversation at the back of the pack is running something like this: "We're surprised all right. We're surprised how hot and dry and stupid it is up here!" Yep, they're suffering from heat frustration, and you're still miles away from the boats at Deer Creek. Resting at the Big Shade Rock, the glum crunching of a granola bar is the only sound. You think: "I need to divert attention away from blistered feet, achy joints, and sunburns. I need a long, entertaining story." Tell them the tale of the cochineal insect, a bug that changed world history.

The cochineal is found in many Colorado River side canyons, appearing on prickly pear cactus pads inside matchhead-sized white fuzzballs. When you fmd some of these, car~fully pull one off. Go ahead and mash it. The brilliant red insect bodies now staining your fingertips have been processed by New World cultures for thousands of years, and used to color everything from warriors' shields to their own bodies. By the 14th century, the Incas and Aztecs both had whole agricultural systems based on cochineal, and apparently valued the dye as much as gold.

At the same time in Europe, the best red colorings were made from another insect, a pest of oak trees called kermes, which was dried, ground up and dissolved in water. Neolithic cave paintings in France, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the wrappings of Egyptian mummies were all tinted with this dye. Compared to cochineal however, kermes tints look dull and faded. So when Cortes invaded Mexico in 1519, he was amazed to fmd Montezuma and other nobles dressed in robes dyed a brilliant, vivid red. He was also amazed to see the native women's hands and breasts painted the same intense color. In Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) he found bags of dried cochineal sent as tribute to Montezuma, which were promptly shipped back to Spain. The dye was so much brighter than kermes it was almost instantly in high demand. By 1600, cochineal was second only to silver as the most valuable import from Mexico.

Around 1630, it was discovered that treating cochineal with an acidic tin solution made it bind much better to fabric and even brighter in color, the first scarlet as we now know it. Because of its expense and scarcity, scarlet cloth quickly became associated with money and power. Roman Catholic Card Cardinals robes were made from it as were the jackets of the British military.

The Revolutionary War in which American colonists fought against these "Redcoats" was brought on not only by British taxes on tea, but also by heavy taxes on cochineal, which could easily have been imported directly from Mexico by the Colonies.

In addition to dye for fabric, cochineal became widely used as a food coloring. Cakes, cookies, beverages, jam, jelly, ice cream, sausages, pies, dried fish, yogurt, cider, maraschino cherries and tomato products were brightened with it as were chewing gum, pills and cough drops. Cosmetic rouge was developed with cochineal as the main ingredient.

, But while ever more diverse uses were found for cochineal, it's origin remained a mystery. V

Most Europeans thought it was extracted from berries or cereals because the dried insects

http://www.gcrg.org/bqr/8-2/bug.htm

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'l'h~ Hug 'I'hat Changed History

looked like grains of wheat. This misconception was promoted by the Spanish, who had launched a brutal cover-up of the dye making process as soon as they realized cochineal's potential. Many New World natives unfortunate enough to have chosen a career in red dye production were simply put to death. Access to cochineal farms was tightly controlled, but eventually French and Dutch adventurers succeeded in smuggling out live cactus pads covered with the insects. Cochineal "ranches" were started in dozens of countries in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Prickly pear and cochineal did particularly well in the Canary Islands where whole farms and vineyards were cleared and converted to cactus plantations. In 1868, the Canaries exported six million pounds of cochineal, equivalent to 420 billion insects.

This time period proved to be the peak of the cochineal industry as new synthetic dyes in a variety of fade-resistant colors rapidly superseded it. By the 1880s cochineal production was in steep decline. A major crisis in Spanish financial markets ensued, as a key 250 ye~-old industry failed within the span of a couple of decades.

Though not in high demand today, cochineal is used in medical tracers, artists' paints' and microscopy stains. It is currently the only natural red food coloring authorized by the FDA. Unfortunately, workers harvesting cochineal now are not much safer than those laboring under the Spanish 200 years ago. The world's primary growing area, Peru, is threatened by ongoing political instability and violence. Conditions are so sketchy that the insects are usually gathered at night. Revealing where his concerns lay, one cochineal importer noted: "There's high mortality in working staff right now, so supplies are a bit tight."

By now, if you've dragged the story out adequately, the boats should be in sight. If so, wrap up your tale on this note: as food producers continue to switch back to natural colorings, more and more of the stuffwe eat and drink will be dyed with dead bugs. But at. least the red color won t have originated as some awful synthetic brew in a General Foods chemistry lab.

Jeff Behan

http://www.gcrg.orglbqr/8-2Ibug.htm

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Shrimp are small animals that live on the floor of oceans and lakes. There are over 2,000 different species of shrimp worldwide. Shrimp are invertebrates (animals lacking a backbone) that have a tough exoskeleton.

" Anatomy: Shrimp range from a small fraction of an inch to 9 inches (a few mm to 23 cm) . long. These crustaceans have a thin, smooth, hard, and almost transparent exoskeleton.

U Shrimp vary Widely in color; tropical varieties are often brightly colored. Shrimp have 5 pairs of jointed walking legs on the thorax, and they have 5 pairs of swimming legs (swimmerets) and 3 pairs of maxillae (feeding appendages) on the abdomen. The body, legs, swimmerets, and other appendages are segmented. Shrimp have two pairs of segmented sensory antennae, a tail fan, and compound eyes.

Diet: Shrimp are omnivores; they eat plants and small animals. The unusual pistol shrimp kills or stuns its prey by making a very loud sound with a huge claw with a moveable, snapping appendage.

Life Cycle: Female shrimp layover a thousand eggs, which are attached to her swimming legs. The shrimp emerge as tiny, floating organisms, a component of zooplankton. After growing, they sink to the bottom, where they will live. As a shrimp grows, it often molts (losing its old shell and growing a new one).

Predators: Shrimp are eaten by many animals, including many fish, many birds (including flamingos and loons), octopi, squid, cuttlefish, and people.

Classification: Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Crustacea (crustaceans), Subclass Malacostraca, Order Decapoda, Suborder Natantia.

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EnchantedLearning.com -CRAB" ;:'S ~ ~ . '; . Name: --------------------------U

Cra,b

® ZoomSchool.com

Crabs are IO-legged animals that walk sideways. There are almost 5,000 different species of \ crabs; about 4,500 are true crabs, plus about 500 are hermit crabs (hermit crabs don1t have a

U·' very hard shell and use other animals l old shells for protection). Most crabs live in the

oceans, but many, like the robber crab, live on land.

The Biggest Crabs: The biggest crab is the Japanese Spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi), which lives on the floor of the north Pacific Ocean; it has a 12 ft (3.7 m) leg span. The biggest land crab is the Coconut crab (Birgus latro), which lives on islands in the Pacific Ocean; it has a leg span up to 2.5 ft (75 ~m).

Diet: Many crabs are omnivores (plant- and meat-eaters), others are carnivores (meat­eaters), and some are herbivores (plant-eaters).

Anatomy: Crabs are invertebrates, animals without a backbone. They have an exoskeleton (also called a carapace), an outer shell that both protects them from predators and provides support. These crustaceans have ten jointed legs, two of which have large, grasping claws (called pincers or chelipeds). They have a flattened body, two feelers (antennae), and two eyes located at the ends of stalks.

Breathing: Marine crabs breathe underwater using gills, which are located in a two cavities under the carapace. True land crabs have enlarged, modified cavities that act like lungs so that the land crabs can breathe air.

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EnchantedLeaming.com

Hermit Crab Label U Me! Printout

:HERMIT ' I • i '. CRAB·" '.'S

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Hermit Crab The hennit crab is a type of crab that doesn't have a very hard shell. Not a true crab, it uses other animals' old shells for protection; they especially like old whelk shells. As the hermit crab grows in size, it must find a larger shell.

The hennit crab is a crustacean; there are about 500 different species of hermit crabs around the world. Most hennit crab species live on the ocean floor, but many live on land. Female terrestrial (land based) hermit crabs must return to the sea to breed.

Hard shell that is An~tomy: Hermit crabs are temporarly used by

the hermit crab @EnchantedLearning.com invertebrates, animals without a U backbone. They have an exoskeleton, an

outer shell that provides support for their body but does not provide much protection from

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, predators. They vary widely in color, from red to brown to purple, with stripes, dots, and other patterns. They have ten jointed legs; the front two legs have large, grasping claws (called pincers' or chelipeds) and the rear pair of legs are very small. They have a flattened body, sensory antennae, two eyes located at the ends of stalks, and a soft, twisted abdomen (which the hermit crab keeps hidden inside its shell). '

Diet: Hermit crabs are omnivores (eating plants and animals) and scavengers (eating dead animals that they fmd). They eat worms, plankton, and organic debris.

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EnchantedLeaming.com ~Crayfish Name: -----------------------------Lon~ antennae

Cephalothor.ax Cra.yfish

®Enchantedl.eaming .com

Crayfish are crustaceans that are also known as crawdads, crawfish, and freshwater lobsters; they are closely related to lobsters, crabs, and shrimp. There are about 150 crayfish species in North America, and over 540 species worldwide.

Crayfish live in streams, rivers, swamps, ponds, and other freshwater habitats. Most crayfish are strictly aquatic but some live in semi-aquatic environments. The semi-aquatic crayfish burrow into the soil to get to water (so that they can breathe).

Anatomy: This crustacean has a hard exoskeleton that protects and supports the body. The crayfish has 8 jointed walking legs, a segmented body, 2 pairs of sensory antennae, and compound eyes. It has 2 large pincers or claws called chelipeds. If a crayfish loses a leg, the leg will regenerate (regrow). The head and thorax are fused, forming the cephalothorax. Using gills, a crayfish breathes oxygen that is dissolved in water. Juvenile crawfish are light tan, but adults are deep red. Their color also depends on diet. As a crayfish grows, it often molts (loses its old shell and grows a new one). It eats the old shell. Crawfish in North America range from 2 to 6 inches (5-15 cm) long; Australian crawfish are larger.

Diet: Crayfish are omnivores; they eat plants, animals, and de~aying organisms. They are nocturnal (most active at night) and eat fish, shrimp, water plants, worms, insects, snails, and plankton. Larval crayfish are very tiny; they eat plankton.

Predators: Many animals eat crayfish, including fish (like eel, trout, pike, chub, perch), herons, mink, otters, snakes, and people. .

Copyright ©2000-2006 EnchantedLearning.conl

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Question: What goes 99 clunk? Answer: A centipede with a wooden leg.

Despite their name (which means" 1 00 legs"), centipedes do not all have 1 00 legs. Centipedes are fast-moving, carnivorous, venomous invertebrates. They have a hard

U. exos~eleton and ~ointed leg~. They ~ive on land in moi~t microh~bitats .(under rocks and . ·logs, m leaf debI'l~~ or occaSIonally m burrows). A common centipede IS the house

centipede, Scutigerajorceps, which is about 2 inches (5 cm) long and has 15 pairs of legs. Some centipedes (like Geophilus electricus) glow in the dark.

Anatomy: Centipedes have a flattened, segmented body, long antennae, and many legs (each leg is slightly longer than the one in front of it). Centipedes have from 15 to about 177 segments (but most have about 15). Each body segment has a pair of legs that stick out from the sides. A member of the genus Geophilus has 177 pairs of legs. When a leg is cut off it will regenerate. The body is divided into two parts, the head and a segmented trunk. They breathe through spiracles, holes positioned along the body.

Diet: Centipedes are carnivores (meat-eaters) that use venom to kill their prey. The venom comes from glands that open near the first pair of modified legs (which act as poisonous fangs). Their bite can be painful to a human but not lethal. Centipedes eat insects, earthworms, spiders, slugs, and other small animals. The largest centipede, Scolopendra gigas (from Trinidad in the West Indies), also eats mice and some small lizards. Scolopendra gigas grows to be about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 1 inch wide.

Enemies: Birds, toads, and shrews eat centipedes, as do some people.

\.JReproduction': The average female centipede lays 60 sticky eggs (which are fertilized

http://members.enchantedlearning.comlsubjects/invertebrates/arthropod/Centipede.shtm1?p 11/3/2006

Drterna]1y). She drops the eggs into a hole she digs in the soil. Some centipedes care for their eggs and the hatchlings.

Classification: Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Arthropoda Gointed legs and an exoskeleton), Superclass Myriapoda ("many-footed" with a2-segmented body, including millipedes, centipedes, etc.), Class Chilopoda (centipedes). About 20 families and 3,000 species of centipedes have been described.

Copyright ©2001-2006 EnchantedLearning.com

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Despite their name (which means "thousand legs"), millipedes do not have 1,000 legs - they have from 47to 197 pairs of legs, depending on the species. Millipedes are invertebrates; they have a hard exoskeleton and many jointed legs.

U Millipedes live on land in moist microhabitats (under rocks, in rotting logs, in leaf debris, or occasionally in burrows). "

Anatomy: Millipedes have a segmented body, short antennae, and many legs. Most body segment have two pairs of legs that stick out from the sides of the body (each segment is really 2 segments fused together). The segments that have two pair of legs are called diplosomites. The frrst few segments have only one pair of legs; they are called somites. The second-to-Iast'segment has no legs. The last segment is called the anal segment; it is where waste (in the form of pellets) leaves the body. Most millipedes have from 25 to 100 segments (47 to 197 pairs of legs). The legs move in a wave-like motion.

The body is divided into two parts, the head and a segmented trunk. Millipedes breathe through spiracles, holes positioned in paris along the body. The top of each segment is called the tergite (or tergum); the underside (between the pairs of legs) is called the stemite (or sternum). Millipedes have poor to no vision. Millipedes range in size from a fraction of an inch to about 9 inches (23 cm) long.

Diet: Most millipedes are herbivores (plant-eaters) that eat dead and decaying plant material, but a few are also carnivores (meat-eaters). Millipedes also occasionally eat moist, living plants. They are often nocturnal (more active at night).

U Enemies: Birds, badgers, and shrews eat millipedes. "When they are in danger, millipedes

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cm1 up in a spir.al, protecting their soft undersides. They can also spray a bad-smeJUng liquid (hydrocyanic acid) that repels ~ predators.

Reproduction-: Millipedes hatch from eggs - hatchlings have only the first three pairs of legs. There is some maternal care of the eggs. Millipedes molt (shed their old exoskeleton) as they grow - with each molt they gain more segments and legs.

Classification: K.in~dom Animalia (animals), Phylum Arthropoda Gointed legs and an exoskeleton), Superclass Myriapoda (tlmany-footed" with a 2-segmented body - millipedes, centipedes, etc.), Class Diplopoda (millipedes). About 7,500 species of millipedes have been described.

Copyright ©200 1-2006 EnchantedLearning.com

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Tht:re are rnany jdnas of bee:s !f1 the vvodd .. One k~nc1 ~:: .. "rh' ~l::. n: ('j.~e·yL..a~ Tnl. e"-e a·r.s::. thr:&,J..fl 'j.·HI'"\oeS ~f n' O~H:"'t1""H:";: I. 1~, f ",,(; ~ iJ~,-". If,,\- .... ~f. - ........ ~.yr.' ~ 'WI, ....... .JJ, ... - .. ~_ ..• l.

qu~~en! wort.;.er, and circtne. The queen is a very ~mportant bee and 051tV one Hves in f;·ac:h hive. The vv{)rker bf.;;€;s ~trlt~ ..

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• Collects pollen and nectar from flowers

• Makes honey for food

• Mates with the Queen

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Honey Bee Hive Observation Log

1. How many bees can you count in 1 square inch? How many bees do you think are in this hive?

2. How many bees do you see doing a "pollen dance"? Why do you think they do that?

3. Do you see bees going in and out of cells? Why do you think they do that?

4. Do you see bees flapping their wings? Why do you think they do that?

5. Do you see bees coming into th~ Why do you think they do that?

.-+ v '\J-<-6. Do you see bees going out of the-eeRe?

Why do you think they do that?

7. Do you see a worker bee?

8. Do you see a drone?

9. Do you see the queen?

10. What do the bees make inside their hive?

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• During a single meal, a female mosquito can drink her own weight in blood.

• Some mayflies live 24 hours or less as adults. • The smallest insect ever discovered is a hairy-winged beetle from the

tropics. It measures 1/100 of an inch (.25 mm) in length. • The longest insect ever found is a tropical stick insect from Asia. Some

of the females get to be over a foot (30 cm) long. • Over one million different kinds of insects have been discovered. This

is twice the total of all other kinds of animals put together. • A swarm of desert locusts (of the grasshopper family), containing over

1000 million insects, has covered an estimated area of 2000 square mil~ (5200 km2). Swarms of locusts have been seen at sea 1200 miles from land (1920 km}.

• Bombardier beetles can shoot a hot, smelly liquid from their abdomen that is 2120 F (1000 C).

• Fireflies aren't the only light-producing insects.' Some click beetles, springtails, and gnats also light up.

. • There is a fly in California called the petroleum fly that lives and breeds in petroleum.

• The largest animal in Antarctica that lives strictly on land is a wingless fly less than 1/4 of an inch (6 mm) long.

• The color a head louse will be as an adult can depend on the color of the person's hair it is living in. For example, a louse living in blond hair would most likely be a light color; one living in black hair would be dark.

• A cockroach can live nine days without its head. . • Fleas can jump 200 times the length of their bodies .

• Some queen termites live as long as 50 years . • The atlas moth of India is one of the world's largest insects.

It measures 12 inches (30 em) from wingtip to wingtip. -. A tiny insect called a biting midge can beat its wings

1000 times a second.

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kiddyhouse.com : All about snails fOT kids and teachers http://www.kiddyhouse.comlSnailS1snail.hrmi

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All About Snails

To print. right click on 'page and click print

Characteristics of snails. Do vou know where the snail's eves are? What and how does a snail eat? How big can the snail grow? How does the snail move? l\tlale or female? Life Historv of the snail The snails have enemies too Pond Snails How do thev breathe in water? Do vou know that Dond snails can be eaten? What does the pond snail feed on ? How does the pond snail reproduce? Related Snail activities & worksheets More snail facts & activities

Garden Snails Characteristics of Snails

Snails can be found in gardens, in ponds and even in the sea. They belong to a group of animals with a soft body called molluscs (mollusks) which are related to oysters, clams, and other shellfish. Characteristically they have soft, unsegmented bodies. Nonnally, their soft bodies are protected by a hard shell. The scientific name for the snail is Helix aspersa. It is a gastropod which in latin means, gastro for stomach and pod for foot. The body of the snail is long, moist and slinlY. It has a shell to protect its soft body. When the snail is disturbed, it sinlply withdraws or pulls itself back into its shell. ft1lie1SfOO!lf!'ilSQ§i~Hiiiw"Hii':i"I'sne];]:{iiiiijf[Seals\lther,~n~iliiY llii:~eatR¢jr,;',t~.Jit(e&~li.ii;i1lf0iii~~-B\¥) A snail is most active at night and on cloudy days. It does not like the sunshine very much. During very cold weather or winter, it hibernates in the ground.

Snai Is have different shaped shells. It can be a single shell that is rounded, spiral high and pointed or it can be flat.

Some people keep snails in aquariums together with their fish. Ho\vever, they must make sure that they control the number because snails reproduce rapidly!!

Snails do not like hot and dry conditions. They like it moist or humid and not too bright. You can collect some snails and put them into a transparent container. Put some leaves in it, keep it Inoist and you can observe and see

4/23/01 9:38 AM

kiddyhouse.com : All about snails for kids and teachers http://www.kiddyhouse.comtSnails sn:lll.hnr.:

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how a snail nloves and also its mouth part.

Do you kno\v \,'here the snail's eyes are '?

Yes. the eye is on the tip of the tentacles. The snails has hvo pairs of tentac les on its head. One pair is longer than the other pair. The eyes are on the longer pair. The shorter pair is used for smelling and feeling its \vay around. The tentacles are very important to a snail.

What and how does a snail eat?

A snail have something called a radula in its mouth for grinding up its food. This radula is like a rough tongue, something like a file \vith rows of tiny teeth which it uses to scrap off leaves and flo\vers to eat. Many people get upset and fanners get angry when snails eat their plants and crops. Snails can cause serious damage to crops. Snat!lsfiitrmo'BtJi'Wiiiiiug'ifd'iiitS

G,@§1W,e!'l%.Q,wd¢C8. ,'nfjilptiiitS&1They also chew on fruits and young succulent

plant barks.

HOlV big can the snail gro\v ?

The largest known land snail nwned Gee Geroninlo was a Giant African Snail collected in Sierra Leone in 1976. It weighed about 2lb (900g) and measured over 15 inches (39.3cm) from snout to tail.

..--If'1~~ Ho\v does the snail move?

The snail moves by creeping on a flat "foot" underneath the body. lliUlISiiiifJkriiiij;mascle$)M!i!_ fifQ,Qt!JcalltraAAf.and:1o:.'expandA81iJ.al:~thlsi:':e~at~:I.~!(lQfl'i1\9)f WiD'li:ngi'rn~;V~~~n~'j'~bAA(PUSheshtliiHmij!lYfQnwarjy The "foot" has a special gland that produces a

slimy mucus to make a slippery track. You can often see these silvery track~ in the garden. The slime comes out from the front and hardens when it comes into contact with air. The snail is able to nlove on very sharp pointed needles, knife, razors and vines without being injured because the mucus-like secretion helps to protect its body.

Look at how the snail wraps its soft body around the branch so that it will not fall off,

Male or female?

The snail is both male and female. Therefore, it can produce sperms and eggs at the same time ! Isn't that incredible? However, to fertilize the eggs, the snails need to exchange sperms with each other. An animal

4/230 I 9:38 AM

kiddyhouse.com : All about snails for kids and teachers . http://www.kiddyhouse.comlSnailslsrml.bmI

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which is both a male .and a female is called a herillaphrodite. The brown garden snail lays about 80 ~pherical shaped white ot yellowish colored eggs at a time into the topsoii of the ground. It can lay eggs up to six times a year.(Stla1:lSytdeiQoilt>2hY@IiSstwffioodimliiIJItw.

Life History of ~he snail

. !)?';"~1~i';;o;;'}:f;~:i:, Snails spend many hours courting before they mate. "c.' ...... They twist themselves around each other and cover

themselves in frothy slime. After mating, each snail will go search for a soft ground to dig and lay its eggs. The snail lay its eggs in a nest, 2.5 to 4 cm deep in the soil. Each snail can lay an average of 85 eggs and theyQiatAA&itt&'Altf01/31kilii-», depending on the temperature and moisture of the soil. The eggs are concealed with a mixture of soil and mucus.

They are then covered with excrement. Low temperatures of less than 12C and low humidity inhibits laying eggs. Snails lay eggs most often during the warm and damp weather. It can be as often as once a month or every 6 weeks. Their most active nl0nths are from February to October.

The first thing that a newly hatched snail does is to find food. It \vill eat \vhatever that is left of its eggshell too. It will also eat any eggs that have not hatched yet. As the snail grows, its shell grows too in a spiral shape. The new shell is added at the opening of the shell. The part of the shell the baby snail was born with, ends up in the middle of the spiral.

The snails have enemies too

Snails have many natural enemies. They are the ground beetles, snakes, toads, turtles, and birds including chickens, ducks and geese.

POND SNAILS

It is fun to play in the country. If you come across a pond in the country, you win find animals like fish, prawns, insects and the pond snail. The pond snail is, in many ways like the garden snail. Pond snails are usually tan or dark brown in color.

How do they breathe in "vater?

Some pondtsnaiIS$a'te}gUtsno breathe in water. Those with gills \vill live at the bottom of the pond. Those that do not have gills, will come up to the surface to breathe. These snails will live on the surface so that they can come up to breathe easily.

Do you know that pond snails can be eaten ?

You can buy pond snails from a fish monger in the city. The flesh of the

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snail is very delicious. The French people especiaIIy, love to eat snails. One important thing .to remember here is to make sure that you clean and rinse the pond snails \vith plenty of clean water to wash away the dirt and mud.

What does the eond snail feed on ?

The ~sni.jllt;\f&miil::majn·l~pUiji"fs'J.;11ikewargaeWjija:rjim.jCifQsc0pj·CKGre8tfijre# that are found on the surface of water weeds. They eat by scraping bits off with their rough tongue just like the garden snails.

Ho\-v does the pond snail reproduce?

The pond snail reproduces just like the garden snail. It is a hermaphrodite. The only difference is that, unlike the garden snail, meI1;oiiiti!'stlatIIrlGam:es\ilt$M'f!mlie; ~m. The baby snail will only leave its mother when it is hatched.

Ho\-v to collect pond snails '?

First of all, you will need a spade, fishing net, a container (to put your snails in). Make sure your container is not air tight so that the snails can breathe. You can do this by nlaking tiny holes on the lid. You need a lid to cover your container because snails can crawl on any texture or surface. Choose a damp spot near the pond and then use your spade to loosen the ground and you will find many snails just beneath the surface.

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Storytime

Clip arts

Teachers

Art & Craft

. Snail Related Actjvities· .. "- --';':-;;",~.;':!--':'-;.:'.":: . .;: .. -~.- ': . .: .... -;--.,;:<- .. ~ ..... -:": .-. ~

An original story ofSlimv the Snail

Books about snails Reviews on each book to get for your children

Original c1iparts of snails

Print out Phonic Chart -ai- (NEW, Oct. 17 . 99)

Bottle Habitat by Jess Lang Students will construct an aguatic ecosystem in a two-liter pop bottle. The stock organisms will be: water plants. snails. and

fish. Snldents will record data concerning the observations they make over a four-week period. Intennediate level.

A Habitat Made by MEr by Kelly Baeth The students will create a journal consisting of observation notes

concerning their aquatic creatures and plants. Appropriate for 3rd and 4th grades.

Make a snail with wool How to draw a snail step-by step

Kid'sAIt Gallery - submit yours too

Snail Alphabet to color. Coloring - Snails in a garden I Coloring - Snails in a garden 2

Name the parts of the snail Phonics. Read the wordlist with -ai- words. Color

Phonics. TItink of words with the -ai- sound. Write it down

VVorksheets ~ Dot-dot snail ~ Added on Sept. 13, 2000

INTERNET BASED WORKSHEETS

Snails - Grades 3 - 6 All About Snails - Grades 2 - 5

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MORE SNAIL FACTS & ACTIVITIES Snai1 Farming (Heliciculture)

Snails with CUrry and Alexander Rodenbach

Some snail facts

Pest Management - SNAILS AND SLUGS

I Adopt an Escargot 'j This site is in French and is for students and teachers I~C="'';;;;'''''='' .~= .. , .. = ..... = ....... ~., ... ::., .... ~ .. -~ .. ~··--~~E~y~e~to~E~ye~W~it~h~-~~ar~-d~-e~-~~··-~~··~~·~~i1S~··~··-~--·-~··'~·-··;:··-···~······=. =..;....;..;;..=~I

11... .. _ .. _. __ .. __ ........ _ ... _ .. __ .. __ Molluscan pictur~.s __ ._. _

l[ Malaysian Snail (Picture)

I Take a look at the insides of a snail L .....

L- Anatomy of a snail

Marine Snail Brief lact<; and nn illustration of snail anatomy

If ___ .. _ Pictures of Hawaiian Tree snails

Facts & Tips about using aquatic snails in an aquarium

Cone Shells - Conotoxins

,1-Snails

How to keep snails in un aquarium

Don't forget to check out our other topics. Click on the house above

2nd Counter added in on 1st May 1999 but starting from the number from myoid homepage put inon 04/22/99

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They are copyright.

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