Final bug class

Lecture 18

  1. What are the 4 main feeding habits of beetles?
  • The four main feeding habits of beetles are: predators, scavengers, herbivores, and wood borers.
  • Adult and larval beetles are found in the same habitat but their feeding habits vary.
  1. Explain the Bombardier beetle chemical defense.
  • The Bombardier beetle secretes hot, noxious gas/liquid to deter predators. The chemicals are made of hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide. It is combined in a mixing chamber and the release reaction is exothermic (vaporizes).
  1. What is the unique adaptation of the diving beetle for its aquatic lifestyle?
  • The diving beetle adapted to water with air bubbles and natatorial legs. Their legs aid them in flotation and swimming.
  1. What are the anti-predator defenses that lady beetles use?
  • The lady beetles reflex bleeding to deter predators.
  1. For dung beetles, what is the difference between rollers, dwellers and tunnellers?
  • In dung beetles, the rollers shape pieces of dung into balls and roll them into the dung pile for mass provision for the developing larvae. Tunnellers bury their items by tunneling into the pile. The dwellers are the beetles that live in the dung pile.
  1. What are a few different examples of mass provisioning insects we’ve learned throughout the course? What do these insects share in common?
  2. Why do hercules beetles fight?
  • The hercules beetles fight for the purpose of winning a female mate. The fights are male-male competition.
  1. Why are carrion beetles important for humans?
  • Carrion beetles are important for humans because they provide ecological responsibilities for the environment: recycling nutrients. They also are helpful in forensic importance/entomology.
  1. What is one adaptation that wood boring beetles have for their lifestyle?
  2. What are two examples of beetle pests?
  • Two examples of beetle pests are: leaf beetles (major crop pests) and weevils (serious pests with narrow host range).
  1. What types of diseases do beetles spread?
  • As some beetles are disease vectors, they can spread: Dutch Elm Disease, Fusarium dieback.
  1. What is luciferase?
  • Luciferase is an enzyme causing the light production reaction as seen in nocturnal fireflies. There is a luminescent organ on their abdomen.

Lecture 19

  1. What are halteres?
  • Halteres can be seen on Diptera’s body next to the wings. They are balanced organs needed for flight.
  1. What types of mouthparts do flies have?
  • Flies have diverse mouthparts: piercing/sucking (proboscis), sponging, slashing and lapping.
  1. What are the two dipteran larval forms?
  • The two dipteran larval forms are: culicform-type larvae - “primitive” flies with well-developed head & vermiform-type larvae - “advanced” flies with reduced heads, generally called maggots.
  1. What are the 3 Dipteran courtship and mating strategies?
  • The 3 Dipteran courtship and mating strategies are: (1) sound: males can hear females wingbeat frequencies, (2) vision: swarms of males fly and gather around food resources, (3) leks: males gather in places that are not associated with resources.
  1. Why are Dipteras so successful?
  • Diptera are so successful because (1) adults and larvae in separate niches, (2) adults are excellent dispersers, some fly up to 450 km, (3) larvae adapted to nutritious decay, (4) short generation time for many species (7-10 days), (5) common worldwide, but become dominant insect group in cold climates.
  1. For the following Diptera families, list their (1) common names, (2) common diet item, and (3) ecological service/diservice.
  • A) Tipulidae: (1) Common name - Crane Flies, (2) common diet item - grass, roots, decaying matter, (3) ecological service: food source to other species, helps with decomposition and pest control
  • B) Ceratopogonidae: (1) common name - midges, (2) common diet item - nectar, sap, juice, (3) ecological service - clean aquatic environment by consuming and recycling organic debris
  • C) Psychodidae: (1) common name - sandflies, (2) common diet item - females feed on blood, and males do not. They can also snack on nectar or honeydew. (3) ecological diservice - they can vector human diseases
  • D) Tabanidae: (1) common name - horse flies & deer flies, (2) common diet item - females feed on blood, and males feed on nectar, (3) ecological service - pollinators but they also have a painful bite with blood loss and are vectors of diseases
  • E) Asilidae: (1) common name - robber flies, (2) common diet item - flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies (3) ecological service - they are predatory so they eat a lot of other species that is either good for the environment or can be harmful
  • F) Muscidae: (1) common name - Tsetse fly (2) common diet item - blood from humans and other mammals or reptiles, (3) ecological diservice - can cause sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis
  • G) Calliphoridae: (1) common name - blow flies, (2) common diet item - adults feed on nectar, and larvae are scavengers of carrion and dung, (3) ecological service - can locate dead flesh within minutes so they are helpful in forensic importance, and they are also occasional pollinators
  • H) Simuliidae: (1) common name - black flies, (2) common diet item - flower nectar, females can also feed on blood, (3) ecological service - the larvae has organic matter that other species can use, and they are prey for other species
  • I) Culicidae: (1) common name - mosquitoes, (2) common diet item - blood (females), flower nectar

*ALSO: the blood that females feed on is used for egg development which is why males do not feed on blood..

  1. What is maggot therapy?
  • Maggot therapy aids in wound healing as it is maggot debridement therapy. The maggots break down the infected tissue into liquid and then consume it.
  1. True or false: the oldest colonized insects should give the best estimate of post mortem interval (PMI).
  • True.
  1. What makes an insect good for forensic entomology? Are the insects that undergo complete metamorphosis best or worst and why?
  • The characteristics that make an insect good for forensic entomology include having predictable and short development times that are temperature dependent, such as the blow fly life cycle (130 hours at 70 degrees). Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis are the best for forensic entomology because they have predictable life stages.
  1. What are the steps necessary to determine the PMI?
  2. What are phorid flies, how do they interact with ants?
  • Phorid flies are visually similar to fruit flies, they are parasitoids of ants and can be used in biocontrol. The phorid fly can lay an egg into a fire ant, and if they are successful, the larvae will hatch in the ant’s head, leading to an incapacitation, and the ant dies.
  1. Why do mosquitoes suck blood? Do males or females do it?
  • Female mosquitoes suck blood as it is used for egg development. Male mosquitoes do not feed on blood.
  1. What are 5 ways you can prevent mosquito bites?
  • 5 ways you can prevent mosquito bites are: (1) covering skin, (2) sleep in mosquito nets, (3) eliminate containers of standing water to prevent breeding sites, (4) use insect repellent, (5) use screens or mosquito nets in windows and doors to reduce contact.
  1. What are 3 characteristics of Culex mosquitoes?
  • 3 characteristics of Culex mosquitoes are: (1) lay eggs in boat-shaped clusters (rafts), (2) prefers to lay eggs in water rich in organic content, (3) active at night (nocturnal habit)
  1. What are 3 characteristics of Aedes mosquitoes?
  • 3 characteristics of Aedes mosquitoes are: (1) black and white stripes on body and legs, (2) bite during the day, (3) vector of disease: dengue, yellow fever
  1. What are 3 characteristics of Anopheles mosquitoes?
  • 3 characteristics of Anopheles mosquitoes are: (1) host specificity: variable, (2) difficult to control as they bite indoors, outdoors, during night or dawn, (3) vector of mammalian malaria, canine heartworm, various viruses.
  1. What are 3 differences between Anopheles and Culex?
  • 3 differences between Anopheles and Culex: (1) POSTURE: Anopheles has a body in one axis, and Culex has body in two axes, (2) MOUTHPARTS: Anopheles has long palps, and Culex has short palps, (3) WINGS: Anopheles has spotted wings, Culex has transparent wings

Lecture 25:

54) The needed info for PMI is: 1) species; 2) temperature (lab/field); 3) development time (lab/total)

55) no sense

56) bloodstain patterns are used in forensic entomology to distinguish between fly tracks, fly specks, and regurgitation, from real blood

57) if a corpse is puffy it is in the bloated stage

58)

Lecture 24:

46) Forensic entomology is the use of the insects, and their arthropod relatives that inhabit decomposing remains to aid legal investigation.

47) one case in which forensic entomology was used was the grasshopper in a radiator.

48) what we can learn from forensic entomology is an estimation of time since death

49) PMI is based on the time required for a specific species to develop, and the comparisons of assemblages of insects present on the remains

50) the types of insects collected at crime scenes are necrophages, omnivores, parasitoids and predators, and incidentals

51) The five stages of decomposition are fresh, bloated, decay, post-decay or butyric fermentation, and dry or skeletal. The time frame for each stage is as follows: (1-2 days); (2-6 days); (5-11 days); (10-25 days); (25+ days)

52) Insects found during the freshest stage of decomposition are blowflies, then the least freshest, follow as is: burying beetles; cheese skipper flies; ham beetles; hide beetles

53) accumulated degree hour represent the energy required for an insect to complete development, which can represent an entire lifespan or specific stages

Lecture 23:

41) some ways people are trying to combat malaria are vaccines, third-generation insecticides, and education.

42) 30 different sand fly species are the vector for leishmaniasis. Some prevention methods are to sleep under nets treated with insecticides, and treatments depend on the species, parasite, and where contracted.

43) 5 diseases caused by insect vectored diseases are the West Nile virus, dengue virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus, and the chikungunya virus.

44) As of 2016, the West Nile virus has been reported in the United States. People are controlling it by using repellents—CDC recommends DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus

45) Yellow fever is a viral disease vectored by yellow fever mosquito. Symptoms are classified by muscle aches, fever, vomiting, liver damage, and coma/death. Populations in South America, and Africa are affected

Lecture 22:

30) 4 types of methods for mosquito control are ultra low volume and cold fogging pesticide application, elimination of habitat, sterile male releases (SIT).

31) a vector is an organism that transmits a pathogen. An example of a vector are mosquitoes.

32) a pathogen is a casual agent. An example of a pathogen is virus

33) transmission is how a pathogen spreads from one host to another

34) virulence is the harmfulness of the disease to the host

35) transmission should affect virulence. If it is easy to get to a new host, a pathogen can cause serious damage to host.

36) filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by ringworm. Some ways to avoid it are

37) the x steps of the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis are 1) stop the spread of infection; 2) alleviate suffering

38) the black fly vectors river blindness

39) African trypanosomiasis is a disease caused by parasite

40) the causal agent for malaria is a protozoan, while the vector for malaria are mosquitoes