insect mating and pinning etc

insect pinning

only dried before pinning, can last dried for 100s of years

chitin exoskeleton wont break down

softer bodied species are preserved in ethanol

different conventions for different species

insect labels

below pinned specimen

lists country, province, location - descriptor or gps, full date of collection, name of collector

determination label added when identified

insect label conventions

can add labels but never take off

pen ink fades, pencil is better, laser printers used today

why pin insects

important for a lot of specimens for each species as there is a ton of variability

rearing insects

common for experiments or thesis

sauce containers, to go containers are used often

screened cages, growth chambers, depends on research question

insect growth chambers

controls climate, light (day length), and humidity

can observe growth and development, ex of pests

enabled by insect size

flight tunnels

record flight patterns, speed, etc

end to end mating

mate guarding

as observed by tiger beetles

male holds on to female to ensure no other males mate with her

his mandibles have a unique shape corresponding to a unique groove in the female

females spermatheca holds sperm until fertilization

tarrsomeres

adhesive additions to appendages, suction cups to attach to back of female under water

as seen on male diving beetle

expanded forelegs

large and patterned goes over the eyes of females when mating

eggs

most insects lay eggs

as seen by scarab beetle

larvae

scarab beetle

spiracles,

spiracles

passive openings to the respiratory system

trachael breathing tubes branch into system and connect to

exarate pupa

legs and other appendages are not tightly connected to the body

phase can be underground, or appendages hold onto tree, etc

holometabolous/complete

obtect pupa

legs and antennae are not visible

can vaguely see spiracles, wings, head, etc

holometabolous/complete

cornicles

structure coming from the abdomen in aphids which produce toxic chemicals

prolegs

non jointed sort of leg structures found in caterpillars

horn

a hardened bump found in a sphinx moth caterpillar

NO

sucking mouthpart, and non-elbowed antennae means no

its the larvae of a bug

is this an ant?

case bearing caterpillar

defense mechanism

who would bother to eat this

contortionist moth

abdomen is able to flip upwards

tree hoppers

unique pronotum shapes, wide range and diversity

largest insect

the larvae of a tropical rhino beetle

weighs 205.1 grams

leaf miner caterpillar

small enough to live entire life inside a single leaf

composition of bugs

protein (muscle), chitin (polysaccharide, exoskeletion, indigestible)

fat (lipid), defense compounds, etc

arthropod ecology

fly parasitizing ants, ants feeding on wasp larvae, wasp larvae parasitizing a caterpillar, and the caterpillar eats plants

field tools

nets and vials, aerial nets can sweep through air, aspirator, close focussing binos, hand lens, various traps

beating nets

heavy duty sweep net is able to get bugs from within plants when they are disturbed

wash up

searching the edge of a waterbody to find beetles which are washed up after falling into water - easy sampling

aspirator

a device in which you suck in to collect bugs into a smaller container

have to assume the filter keeps the bug out of ur mouth

hand lens

generally 10-20X

inexpensive optic, look for triplet construction

average insect size

~ 3 mm

night time sampling

set up a UV light and a white sheet in the night and observe

UV trap

black light (usually led now - 390 nm) attached to a bucket for easy sampling

insects keep their backs towards the light which gets them trapped

dorsal light response

insects keep their backs towards the light which gets them trapped

malaise trap

inside out tent like trap which can be used in various circumstances

screen catches bugs and they make their way into the top jar

bait traps

holds fruit or carrion in the bottom and bigs get stuck inside

bald faced hornet nest

built on a door

hornet larvae

feeding larvae, silk casing around pupa

dissecting/stereo microscope

generally 20x to 70x

for observing and identification of insects

spreading and pinning board

pinning insects

setting a specimen to dry in the desired position, legs and antennae visible but not extended to much as to be broken