Mantidae (part 2)

Thanks to Student Doctor Inna, I now have the female counterpart of the European Mantis. I thought I would post the photos in comparison, as well as provide more information about this species. The female is more drab colored, a golden brown/olive green almost - most likely for better camouflage. Also, she is about twice the size of the male mantis. I waited a day before preparing her for pinning, and the jar became coated with a slick pungent liquid - possibly pheromones. This is the first non-Lepidopteran I am pinning using the spreading board, so hopefully she will come out looking fantastic!

Mantodea; Mantidae; Mantis religiosa (female)
Common Name: European Mantis

M. religiosa originated in southern Europe, hence the common name. It was accidentally introduced to North America on nursery stock. They are now found across the United States, and are most easily identified by a dark spot on the inner side of their fore coxae. The female's spot is entirely black, but the male's has a white spot with a black outline. M. religiosa is the state insect of Connecticut. It is also good to note that when in Europe, it is simply called a praying mantis, in the same way that Brazil nuts in Brazil are simply called nuts.

Noctuidae

Even though I have never posted about Noctuidae, I have several specimens - and this is the newest. Turns out it is a rather distinct, easily identifiable specimen - its copper-pink-orange hind wings are diagnostic of one or two Copper Underwing species. There is some disagreement. Many sources identify a second Copper Underwing as A. berbera. A. berbera and A. pyramidoides are very similar in appearance, but A. pyramidoides is found primarily on the east coasts of the US whereas A. berbera is common on the west coast. Also, A. berbera has a more uniform color on the hindwing, while A. pyramidoides has a dark margin. and a pale center The subfamily Amphipyrinae is not extremely diverse, containing only one genus Amphipyra, and four or five species: A. berbera (?), A. brunneoatra, A. glabella, A. pyramidoides, and A. tragoponiginis. It used to be a larger subfamily, but the other genera were transferred to Hadeninae and Noctuinae. The genus Amphipyra feeds on leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs, including Sycamore Maple, Oak, and Willow. It is most commonly seen at night from July-September.

Lepidoptera; Noctuoidea; Noctuidae; Amphipyrinae; Amphipyra berbera / Amphipyra pyramidoides
Common Name: Svensson's Copper Underwing

The family Noctuidae, or Owlet Moths, are medium-sized, bulky moths with mottled brown-gray colorations. They are common across the US and are the largest family of Lepidoptera, with at least 4,200 genera. The adults feed on nectar and sugary compounds, flying mostly at night. The larvae inhabit a variety of environments. Some, the "cutworms" inhabit soil and feed on plant roots, proving to be pests. Others are unusual in their ability to feed on plants containing normally toxic chemicals, like Solanaceae, the family of flowering plants that includes nightshade, tomatoes, and tobacco.

Mantidae

Finally I have a member of the order Mantodea! There are only two North American families: Mantidae, which contains the majority of the species, and Mantoididae with one species, Mantoidea maya - a small mantid (15-17mm long) with a square-like pronotum; it is only found in southern Florida in the United States. Needless to say, this specimen, found in California and exceeding 40mm, is a member of Mantidae. Also, there are only 16 species within Mantidae, in North America, so identification to the species level was rather simple. Based on its size, color, location, the time of year, and the distinct black and white circular marking on the inside of its frontal femur, it is Mantis religiosa. I also suspect it is a male because it seemed to be carrying a spermatophore, a protein/carbohydrate rich gift that some crickets, katydids, mantids, and other insects present to a female as a nuptial gift. Unfortunately for male mantids, females do not stop at the spermatophore...

Mantodea; Mantidae; Mantinae; Melieae; Mantis religiosa
Common Name: European Mantis (male)

Mantids are large, elongate, rather slow-moving insects that have distinct, modified front legs. Their fore femurs are raptorial, modified so as to facilitate hunting. The head is very mobile, and they prey on any insects they can catch. The larger species have even been known to stake out hummingbird feeders to catch the small birds when they come to feed. Mantids overwinter in the egg stage and the eggs are deposited in an egg case on twigs or grass stems; it may contain over 200 eggs. If confined, the nymphs will consume one another unless there is ample food. The female also consumes the male after or during mating. Mantids have been used as biological pest control, but it is not recommended because mantids do not discriminate between useful and harmful insects. They have also been known to stake out beehives and consume bees going to and from the hive.

Vespidae

I haven't had a chance to do much collecting, what with medical school starting and all, so I'll pull one out of the old collection box. On campus, there are a seemingly endless number of paper wasps of some kind, so I shall do an entry about the family of which they are a member. Paper wasps, in this case Polistes dominula, are members of Vespidae, which includes paper wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, mason wasps, and potter wasps. These insects are very common and well-known, most being black and yellow. The social vespids, such as the paper wasp, build a nest out of a papery material that results from the chewed up wood and foliage of the insect. They feed the larvae on insects and other carrion that is scavanged.

Hymenoptera; Vespoidea; Vespidae; Polistinae; Polistes dominula
Common Name: European Paper Wasp

The subfamily Polistinae contains eusocial vespids including paper wasps. The three genera are Polistes, Mischocyttaris, and Brachygastra. Some literature describes two other genera: Polybia and Ropalidiini. One method of identifying the European Paper Wasp is by its largely orange antennae, distinct among Vespidae. Also, to differentiate it from the familiar yellow jackets (genus Vespula) by its longer legs which hang noticeably when it flies.

Elateridae part 2

I already did an entry about the family Elateridae, but I received a very recognizable click beetle from Kit's mom in Virginia. It is the species Alaus oculatus, or the Eyed Click Beetle. Unlike the tiny brown click-beetles we find here on the west coast, which are barely 1/2 inch long, the Eyed Click Beetle is 25-45mm long, and is decorated by white specks and eye spots: large black circles outlined in white. It is commonly found in deciduous forests and woodlands. It can be found most of the year, but most commonly in the spring and summer. The larvae are predatory, feeding on the larvae of other insects, particularly boring beetles like Cerambycids. The adults may feed on nectar and plant juices, are winged, and are attracted to lights.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Elateroidea; Elateridae; Agrypninae; Alaus oculatus
Common Names: (Eastern) Eyed Click Beetle, Eyed Elater

I always liked click beetles as a kid - they were harmless, flicked their bodies interestingly...I had never imagined they could get as large as this. It truly is a remarkable insect. The one pictured above is approximately 40mm long, and is actually the largest species of click beetle. Most elaterids are mottled-gray/brown/black and reach lengths of 12-30mm.

Sesiidae

I received a clearwing sphinx moth from Kit's mom in Virginia and felt like doing a post about a similar-looking family of moths - the clearwing sesiid moth. The first moth pictured below is of the family sphingidae, of which I have already done an entry. The second moth is of the family sesiidae. Both moths are similar in that they have areas of their wings which are devoid of scales. The way one differentiates a sesiid moth from other moths with clear spots on their wings is that in sesiids, the front wings are long and narrow, at least four times as wide, and they appear wasp-like (mimics).

Lepidoptera; Bombycoidea; Sphingidae; Macroglossinae; Dilophonotini; Hemaris thysbe
Common Name: Clearwing Hummingbird Moth



Lepidoptera; Sesiidae; Sesiinae; Synanthedonini; Synanthedon resplendens (?)
Common Name: Clearwing Sycamore Borer

As for the family itself, sesiidae have a wing-coupling mechanism similar to Hymenoptera, with extra hooks along the wing margins to keep the wings together. Many species are brightly colored, and virtually all are diurnal. The two sexes are usually different colors, and the larvae bore into the roots, stems, canes, or trunks of plants or trees. Some serious pests are the peach tree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa, and the squash vine borer, Melittia cucurbitae. Sesiid sex pheromones have been synthesized to help capture males of sesiid pests, and they are capable of attracting almost all male sesiids. They often mimic wasps and bees, and their tail is described as lobster-like. The sesiid above lost a fair few scales in the pinning, so it is not in its prime condition.

Insect Festival

Here are a few pictures from the insect festival at Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, CA. The collections were amazing - some of the displays had great colors and variety of insects! There were also a few large live insects, spiders, and other arthropods. I thought I overheard the woman talking about this giant stick insect say that they were becoming an invasive species here, but somehow I doubt it...I can't find any information about it online at any rate.

The spider-like creature is a sun spider, or Solpugid. The beetle collections mostly contain Cerambycidae and Scarabaeidae. The millipede isn't an insect, but I still think they're neat. The blue wasp is a member of Sphecidae, thread-waisted wasps. Blue wasps are among my favorite of Hymenoptera - they just look so cool. Anyway, hopefully one day I will be able to display a collection nearly as impressive.