Woolly Bear Caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella)

This November, I recently traveled to the city of Eugene, Oregon for a family get-together. It was a bit chilly, so I didn't expect to see much insect life. My cousin and I were hiking on Spencer Butte, and I was surprised to find this caterpillar.

Commonly called a "woolly bear," this larva of Pyrrharctia isabella is a species of moth (known as the Isabella Tiger Moth) with a wide distribution across North America. As the weather gets cooler this caterpillar will go dormant for the winter beneath leaf litter and loose tree bark. During dormancy, when temperatures drop, this species produces a cryoprotectant that insulates their tissues to prevent ice from forming in the hemolymph (circulatory fluid). A combination of dehydration and cold acclimation drive the synthesis of the cryoprotectant compounds.

I'm usually hesitant to pick up fuzzy caterpillars if I don't know what they are. My cousin, Sarah, has more experience with these and picked it up right away. Sometimes the setae (the little fuzzy spines) of caterpillars can irritate the skin or even cause severe pain in some instances. This species, however, is perfectly safe to handle.

As you can see in the photo, the caterpillar has curled up. They will respond this way to a disturbance, staying still in order to appear dead.

The woolly bear caterpillar draws a huge crowd in Vermilion, Ohio every year. According to The Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, it is the biggest one-day festival in Ohio. For 41 years this fall festival and parade has brought people together to celebrate the caterpillar and its role in predicting the weather. Much like Punxsutawney Phil, the famed Groundhog who predicts the end of winter, the woolly bear is said to predict the winter weather based on the size of its orange-colored band in the middle of its body. However, like the lore of Punxsutawney Phil, this is not an accurate way to get a weather forecast. The size of the band is actually determined by the developmental stage, or instar, that the larva is in.

More reading and references:
Encyclopedia of Life:  http://eol.org/pages/863046/details
Discover Life ID Guide: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Caterpillars
Triggering of cryoprotectant synthesis in the woolly bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). Jack R. Layne Jr., Diane K. Kuharsky: http://tinyurl.com/lk3lug5
Stinging Caterpillars: A Guide to Recognition of Species Found on Alabama Trees. L. L. Hyche: http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/caterpillar/caterpillar.htm
Woolly Bear Festival: http://tinyurl.com/n6dcdvz and http://vermilionchamber.net/festivals/woolybear/

Mantid Color Variation in the Uintah Basin

I spent last week walking transects in search of cacti in the Uintah Basin near Ouray, UT. There was tons of insect life out there! I was also able to see a few cool arachnid species as well. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the work, I didn't have much time to stop and get as many photos as I wanted. I did, however, get acquainted with some mantids!

This one was found near the Green River. The habitats we were searching were typically dry with no trees. However, there was one section where the river meandered through and cottonwood trees gave some cover from the hot sun. That is where I was able to find this bright green mantis.

I grabbed her up as soon as I saw her gangling through some weeds on the ground. She eventually crawled up my arm, onto the top of my hat, where she groomed her self for a minute or two and then flew away.

Another mantid I found was a mile or two away from the river, on top of a large hill where no trees were present. Notice the difference in color! These appear to be the same species but even in the same species they can have different coloration.

I would hypothesize that natural selection plays a part in the area where the color variation is typically found. For example, the green mantid would probably not fare well in the high and dry habitat where I found the above (and one other) brown mantid. Its bright green exoskeleton would be a giant, neon, "eat me" sign for predators in the area. However, the brown mantids would probably be just fine in the riverside habitat as there are still plenty of things in that area (it is completely surrounded by desert, after all) that it could blend in with.

Oh how I wish I was getting paid to search for these awesome insects instead of cacti!

Avicularia Spiderling in the Ecuadorian Amazon

I am finally digging my way through the stacks of pictures I took on my recent trip to Ecuador this past May. I recently started sorting through the photos from the Amazon. That means TONS more bug photos!

Here is one of the first species I encountered. It's a small spiderling in the genus Avicularia, also known as "pink toe" tarantulas. They are recognized by their pink-colored toe pads and are commonly kept as pets.

The genus Avicularia contains the first species described in the infraorder of Mygalomorphae. The species was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1818. The history of the taxonomy of the genus is an insight to the changing of the scientific understanding of arachnids through the last two centuries.  

Species in the genus are arboreal, and they build their webs in trees and vegetation as well as human-built structures. They are distributed throughout Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

I am unsure of which instar this spiderling was, but it was about 3-5 cm across. It was scurrying along a wooden foot bridge between the Sacha Lodge boat dock and canoe dock near the banks of the Napo River. The spiderling didn't seem too spooked by me, so I got to take my time with it and get some good shots.

In the near future I'll be adding in some photos of adults too, as there were plenty of them in the Amazon!

Moth Week: Syngamia florella

In May I visited The Galapagos Islands with a group of fellow college students. It was in the highlands, on the island of Santa Cruz, that I encountered this little beauty. With spread wings measuring only about 1 inch or so across, this Red-waisted Florella Moth (Syngamia florella) was photographed while foraging on an Indian Heliotrope (Heliotropium indicum). Syngamia florella is a moth in the family Crambidae. This species was likely introduced to the islands in 1906 on plants in the family Rubiacea. 

A special thank you goes to my friend Heather for helping me sleuth out an identity of this moth and to my cousin Alison for helping me id the plant. If anyone has additional info for this particular species I would love to learn more!

New Adventures in Mealworm Husbandry

I unintentionally started a mealworm farm. This is a video of some of the worms (Tenebrio molitor) I have already. I didn't realize I'd get so many from just a few darkling beetles. Wow! I'll be moving them into a bigger home this evening and making plans on just what kind of meal I'll be turning them into. I haven't intentionally eaten bugs before, I guess it's time to start!

Here's a link to some additional information on Tenebrio molitor:
http://insected.arizona.edu/mealinfo.htm

Welcoming any suggestions for future recipes!

Lola Lives On

Last week I was saddened to find my pet black widow, Lola, dead at the bottom of her jar. I had caught her on the edge of my bathtub one evening in the fall of 2012. At the time I was taking an entomology class. We were making collections of insects and the professor said he would give credit for one arachnid if we found a cool one. I was stoked to have such a beautiful specimen!

Lola: The Instagram Version

After getting Lola in the jar and observing her I was at a loss as to what to do. I wasn't looking forward to transferring her to a vile of ethanol. She was so pretty. I watched her for a while and then set the jar aside. 

A few weeks later I still didn't have the heart to kill her, but I was also starving her. I obtained some crickets and fed them to her. The first time I watched her drop down and immediately start to throw her web around her prey I knew I was in love. It was fascinating to watch her.

This is a video of Lola building a new web in a new jar after I decided to give her a little more than an empty jar to live in. 

Lola produced two egg sacs. One in the old jar and one in the new. The sac in the old jar never produced anything. It eventually dried up and fell to the bottom of the jar. Shortly after her move to the new jar she produced another sac. I didn't expect it to produce anything either, but I kept a stocking over the lid just in case. 

After Lola died I disregarded the eggs, thinking they were unfertilized. It wasn't until today that I found dozens of tiny spiderlings! 

Lola is now lovingly preserved in ethanol and her progeny will live on to carry her genes as far as they can go. I plan to find some open space nearby where I can free the little spiders and send them on to compete in the world. I'm so happy that her DNA will continue for at least one other generation. :)

Early Emergence of Louisiana's #1 Soybean Pest: The Red-Banded Stink Bug

Warm winters may be troublesome for soy crops. It has been reported that red-banded stink bugs (Piezodorus guildinii) are being found earlier than usual this year. In Louisiana, this species is the primary pest to soybean crops.

To deal with these agricultural tests, researchers will study 2 aspects of the problem. The first is to examine whatever traits may make soy beans undesirable to the pests. The second is to examine how the bugs survive in the winter and how they distribute into the fields with the crops:

“Clover appears to be a bridge species that harbors stink bugs until soybeans are growing,” Davis said. “Farmers who use clover as a cover crop should be aware that killing the clover could cause stink bugs to move into a soybean field.”

According to the LSU AgCenter's website, overlapping generations, the high mobility of the stink bugs, and the range of the host-plant are important things to consider as we try to control their populations. For example, up to about 8 generations can occur in one season. If spraying insecticides for adults doesn't affect the eggs, more pesticide would have to be applied at a later date.

Another possible solution could be to eliminate other host plants that stink bugs use to increase their numbers. One instance, in 2004, showed that destroying other host-plants, like clover, along ditches and field margins gave some control. More questions in this area need to be addressed.

http://tinyurl.com/jwnw8rj
http://tinyurl.com/nvkthbt
http://tinyurl.com/lzjhu7g

Photo: http://tinyurl.com/k2l4dx4

Pest Control Efforts for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

From the order, Hemiptera, the hemlock woolly adelgid, or HWA (Adelges tsugae) is an invasive species wreaking havok on hemlock stands in the eastern United States. The nymphs of this species (pictured below in an S.E.M.) feed on tissues of the young twigs of the trees. This damages the tree by depriving it of the stored starches the young tissue would provide. The HWA gets its name from the woolly-looking substance that covers the insect and its eggs as it matures.

Management efforts to control this pest include selectively applying pesticides as well as introducing predatory beetles as a biological control.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/c5a74vz
http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/hemadelgid.html
http://www.nps.gov/neri/naturescience/hwa.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemlock_woolly_adelgid

Photo: http://www.nps.gov/neri/naturescience/hwa.htm

Insect Grooming Improves Olfactory Function

Researchers at NC State University set up experiments to explore insect grooming. They compared cleaned American cockroach antennae to antennae that was not cleaned. It was found that the uncleaned antennae accumulated volatile and non-vola...tile chemicals as well as waxy secretions that protect the cockroaches from water loss.

It was found that the groomed antennae were more able to detect sex pheromones and other odors. The bugs with the groomed antennae were able to respond to these odors faster.

This research could be useful in insecticide application and other studies using insects.

Full Story: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130204153603.htm

Photo: http://tinyurl.com/akr42ue

           http://tinyurl.com/byf47kh

 

Fuel for Insects, Fuel for Cars: Using Gut Microbes and Enzymes as a Catalyst to a New Future of Biofuel

Creating efficient biofuels is a challenge. Lignin, a component of the cell wall of plants, is leftover as waste when other molecules in the plant are converted to ethanol. Breaking down lignin and using it in the production of fuel could a...dvance biofuel production as well as keep more greenhouse gasses from being released when the lignin is burned as waste.

The key to converting lignin to ethanol may be in the guts of insects. Herbivorous insects host an array of microbes and enzymes in their guts that break molecules, like cellulose and lignin, down. A recent study compared the genome of microbes found in grasshoppers, cutworms, and termites and linked the diversity and ability to break down those components to the diet of the species. In the words of the corresponding author, Joshua Yuan, "The study reveals that insect gut microbes evolve to adapt to different food types."

A grant from The U.S. Department from Energy will help Yuan and his fellow researchers at Texas A&M University explore enzymes found in termite guts and microbes as a way of using lignin for biofuel.

Story: http://tinyurl.com/abnwdwz
Photo: http://tinyurl.com/a66d4aq

Sex Ratios in Social Insect Colonies

In social insect societies of ants, bees and wasps, sterile, female workers help their mother by caring for the young. In these insects, sex determination is based on a genetic system of haplodiploidy. Larvae hatching from unfertilized eggs are haploid (have one set of chromosomes, from the mother only) and are male. Young hatching from fertilized eggs are diploid (with a set of chromosomes from both mother and father) and are female. In these colonies, the number of males is usually limited, and they typically leave the colony after reaching maturity. Their lives are short and focused around mating only. In contrast, the females stay with the colony to help raise the young, and to protect, build, and maintain the nest.

In termite societies this is not the case. The males and females share the work, and therefore the sex ratio is more or less even. This suggests that the sex ratio of social insects is biased towards the sex of the species that helps the colony.

Read more: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-babies-insect-sociality.html
http://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/group/gardner/publications/GardnerRoss_InPress.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplodiploidy

Photo: http://tinyurl.com/a7uxsck
http://tinyurl.com/ajwocvb

Researchers Find Dung Beetles Are Able to Use The Milky Way for Orientation

For the first time, researchers have shown that an insect, the dung beetle, navigates using starlight.

Male dung beetles roll animal feces into balls in order to attract females. The dung serves a purpose as well, food for the young larvae when the female accepts her gift and mates with the male. Like many other animals, the males have competition: other males. Competitors will steal a ball of dung before the hard-working male can deliver it to his potential mate. 

To avoid having the smelly gift stolen, a male needs to make a quick getaway from the dung pile. This involves moving in a straight line. Researchers observed that on moonless nights the beetles were able to travel in a straight path.

Experimenters set out to study this observation and found the beetles were able to use the milky way, rather than individual stars, as well as the moon, to navigate. They also found that navigation was more difficult in overcast conditions or if the insects were otherwise hindered by sight.

Full Story: http://tinyurl.com/a6rgums
Photo Credit: http://tinyurl.com/acxfbfc
Summary, figures & tables: http://tinyurl.com/akqjec6

Lucy the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Lucy is my pet cockroach. She mostly hides under her peat moss all day. Every few days I spray down the moss and sides of her terrarium with water. She's been responding more quickly lately and actually walking around and taking drinks off the sides while I'm watching. One day I grabbed my phone to take some video. Enjoy!

YouTube Video: Structural Colour, Soap Films, & Nanotech Security From Butterflies

Developments in Sleeping Sickness Research

According to the CDC, about 10,000 cases of sleeping sickness are reported in Africa yearly. Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is caused by the zooflagellated protozoa, Trypanosoma brucei. Trypanosoma is a single celled parasite that splits its life cycle between a tsetse fly host and a mammalian host. Two subspecies of the parasite are transmitted to humans by the bite of tsetse flies, in the genus Glossina, when the flies take a blood meal. The first subspecies T. b. rhodesiense, is responsible for what is known as East African sleeping sickness, and the second T. b. gambiense is responsible for West African sleeping sickness. The tsetse fly is found only in Africa, and the disease is rarely reported in other countries besides African countries. The few cases in other countries are found in African immigrants or returning travelers from Africa.

Up until recently, doing mechanistic studies of the development of Trypanosoma brucei has been difficult due to the expense and effort of rearing a large enough tsetse fly colony in the lab. After the tsetse fly bites an infected mammal, the trypanosome differentiates from its infective form to a non-infective form inside the midgut of the fly. As the parasite develops, divides, and moves from the fly midgut to its salivary glads, it, once again, becomes infectious to humans. Though this developmental process has been illuminated for a long time, the molecular mechanisms of this development has been difficult to study in the flies themselves.

In December, researchers reported in Science, about a new development in producing the infectious form of the protozoan (metacyclics), in vitro, from the non-infectious form using an overexpression of a single RNA-binding protein, TbRBP6. In the experiment, the metacyclics produced by this method successfully infected lab mice. The trypanosomes that were not induced with RBP6, were not detected in the blood of the mice inoculated with with these (and other) controls. With an effective means of metacyclogenesis, mechanistic research of trypanosome development can progress, hopefully uncovering new ways to control transmission of sleeping sickness.

More recently, in a newly published study, researchers suggest that animal reservoirs of Trypanosoma may be more important than previously thought. This means that even if sleeping sickness is eradicated in the human population, it could resurface again because of its persistence in other animal populations. Researchers say that human treatment programs may not be the reason why trypanosomiasis cases are in decline, but rather, loss of wildlife habitat may be cited as the cause.

Eastern African sleeping sickness has been known to be transmitted from cattle to human hosts. However, this particular form of the disease makes up only about 2% of the total cases of HAT. The other 98% of cases are Western African sleeping sickness, caused by the subspecies, T. b. gambiense. It was previously thought that this form was only found in wild and domestic animals more rarely and that other animals did not transmit the West African form of the disease.

Using blood data from humans, domestic animals, and wild animals over a span of 6 years, scientists built a model revealing that it is likely that more than just humans are playing a role in transmission of the infective parasite. This makes it possible for the disease to be revived, even if eliminated from the human population. Though much ambiguity remains, this knowledge can be useful for future elimination efforts.



Sources:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/338/6112/1352.full.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/sleepingsickness/index.html
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2012/12/05/338.6112.1369-b.DC1/SciencePodcast_121207.pdf
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/01/a-wake-up-call-in-the-fight-agai.html?ref=hp

Photo credits:
http://news.yale.edu/2012/02/09/eye-tsetse-fly
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/sleepingsickness/biology.html
http://www.phsource.us/PH/HELM/PH_Parasites/Trypanosomiasis_African.htm

Understanding How Temperature Changes Affect Biological Clocks in Fruit Flies

In order to understand how temperature affects circadian clocks, researchers subjected fruit flies to daily temperature changes that mimic warmer or colder climates. They found that, in warmer temperatures, a group of cells on the dorsal si...de of the brain were important for clock-synchronization. In colder temperatures, however, a group of cells on the ventral side of the brain were more important. It was also found that without the light-receptor, Cryptochrome, the flies were more sensitive to changes in temperature. Research in this area can help further our understanding of the environment on our internal clocks, as well as help develop treatments of sleeping disorders.

Full story: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-jet-lagged-fruit-flies-clues-body.html
Picture credit: http://www.sajo-art.de/Neue%20Website/mainpages/underpages/brennesselgarten_artikel_en.htm

Biodiversity Affects Pollination Efficiency in Honey Bees

New research suggests that when other species of bees are present, honey bees change their behavior which, in turn leads to more efficient pollination of almond crops. Lead author, Claire Brittain, of the study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, says that "these findings highlight the importance of conserving pollinators and the natural habitats they rely on." California's biggest export, almonds, can see bigger yields when pollination efficiency is increased.

Abstract: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/280/1754/20122767.abstract
Story: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-honey-bees-effective-pollinating-almonds.html
Picture credit: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4226

Symbiosis of Gut Bacteria in Cotton Stainers

Dysdercus fasciatus is the species pictured below. These are known as cotton stainers in the family Pyrrhocoridae. A recent study set out to answer the question of how these bugs could survive on cotton seeds, which have high levels of secondary metabolites that are toxic, and lack in some essential nutrients.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology discovered the bugs cultivate a community of symbiotic bacteria. These bacteria are transferred to the eggs of these insects via the female and taken up by young larvae when they hatch. Experiments show that without the bacteria, the mortality rate of these insects is very high. Another experiment demonstrates that the bacteria are species specific. When the communities of bacteria were switched in different species, the bugs experienced a decrease in fitness.
In addition to learning more about symbiosis and the ecology & evolution of insects, research in this area can lead to better biocontrols for these destructive insects.

Read the full story here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130109081155.htm
Picture credit: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2211/2190175112_c8be50ede7.jpg