ENTM010 Part 3

Jewel beetle characteristics – Beetles with shiny, often metallic bodies; many are wood-borers.

Larvae and adults in Diptera – Fly larvae (maggots) look very different from adult flies.

Leaf beetle – Colorful beetles that often feed on plant leaves.

Leaf-cutter bee – Bees that cut leaf pieces to build nests.

Leafcutter ant biology – Ants that cut leaves to grow fungus, which they eat.

Leishmaniasis – A disease spread by sandflies that causes skin sores.

Lycaenidae biology – A butterfly family including blues and coppers; many have ant interactions.

Maggot therapy – Using fly larvae to clean infected wounds by eating dead tissue.

Mayfly characteristics – Aquatic insects with short-lived adults and long nymph stages.

Medico-legal forensic entomology – Using insects in legal cases to determine time or cause of death.

Mimicry – When insects copy the look of something else (e.g., a toxic species) to stay safe.

Mosquito and diseases – Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, Zika, and West Nile virus.

Moths vs. butterflies – Moths fly at night, have fuzzy bodies; butterflies are day-fliers with clubbed antennae.

Natatorial leg – A swimming leg, adapted for moving through water.

Nesting habits in wasps – Vary by species; some dig holes, others build paper nests.

Neuropteran feeding habit – Lacewing larvae are predators, often eating aphids.

Nymphalidae leg – Front legs are reduced in some butterflies in this family, like monarchs.

Ocelli – Simple eyes on top of the head that detect light.

Ommatidia – Units of compound eyes, each working like a tiny eye.

Onychophora characteristics – Velvet worms; soft-bodied animals related to insects.

Osmeterium – A forked, stinky organ that caterpillars (like swallowtails) use to scare off predators.

Parasitoid vs. predators – Parasitoids kill their host slowly (like laying eggs inside), predators kill and eat right away.

Pentatomidae characteristics – Stink bugs; shield-shaped and produce foul smells.

Pheromones – Chemicals insects use to communicate (e.g., for mating or trail marking).

Phorid flies and ants – Some phorid flies lay eggs in ants, and the larvae kill them.

Pollen basket – A part of a bee’s hind leg used to carry pollen.

Problems caused by invasive ants – Outcompete native species, damage crops, and bite or sting people.

Proleg – Stubby, unjointed legs found on caterpillars.

Proventriculus – A part of the insect digestive system that grinds food.

Puparium – The hard shell formed from the last larval skin in flies, protecting the pupa inside.

River blindness – A disease caused by worms spread by blackflies.

Robber fly biology – Predatory flies that catch other insects mid-air.

Royal jelly – A special food fed to bee larvae to make them queens.

Sandfly and disease – Tiny biting flies that transmit leishmaniasis.

Scansorial leg – A leg adapted for climbing.

Scopae – Brush-like hairs used by bees to carry pollen.

Scorpionfly – Insects with long faces; males have tails that look like scorpion stingers (but don’t sting).

Seed-collecting in ants – Some ants gather seeds for food and storage.

Silkworm moth – The insect used in silk production; domesticated.

Simuliidae – The blackfly family; includes disease vectors.

Sleeping sickness – Another name for African trypanosomiasis, spread by tsetse flies.

Spermatheca – A sac in female insects that stores sperm.

Spermatophore – A sperm packet transferred during mating.

Stable fly feeding – These flies bite and drink blood from animals.

Startle response – A defense behavior meant to scare off predators (e.g., flashing eyespots).

Stridulation mechanism – Making sound by rubbing body parts together (e.g., crickets).

Structural coloration – Colors made by light bouncing off structures, not pigments (like iridescent beetles).

Subimago – A stage in mayflies between nymph and adult; they still need to molt once more.

Swallowtail – Large butterflies with tail-like extensions on their hind wings.

Sweat bee – Small bees that are attracted to human sweat.

Tabanidae – Horseflies and deer flies; females are blood feeders.

Thrip characteristics – Tiny insects with fringed wings that feed on plants.

Tiger beetle larvae – Live in burrows and grab prey with strong jaws.

Tipulidae – Crane flies; long-legged, harmless insects.

Tsetse fly and disease – Spreads sleeping sickness in Africa.

Tsetse fly reproduction – Females give birth to live larvae, not eggs.

Tympanal organ locations – Hearing organs found on legs, abdomen, or thorax depending on species.

Use of insects in forensic investigations – Insects help estimate time and place of death.

Use of stingers in ants – Used for defense or hunting; only some species sting.

Usefulness of insects and time of death – Insects arrive in a predictable order after death, aiding investigations.

Water strider characteristics – Insects that skate across water using surface tension.

West Nile virus – A virus spread by mosquitoes that can cause flu-like symptoms or worse.

Yellow fever – A viral disease spread by mosquitoes; causes fever and jaundice.

Yellowjacket – Aggressive wasps that sting and scavenge sugary foods.

Yucca and yucca moth – A mutual relationship: moths pollinate yuccas while laying eggs in the flowers.