Curiosity Corner Mimicking a Chandrayee G. Bhattacharyya

1. The picture shown here is 5. It is the only genus Heliconia of the family Heliconiaceae, an , its scientific name with approximately 120 in tropical America and is inachus, which the western Pacific. The appears exactly like a pair large perennial herbs have of dry . What is its brightly coloured ______popular name? (leaf-shaped structures) and (a) Dry-leaf insect bear numerous flowers. The (b) Dead-leaf insect fruit is bluish (c) insect (a) Sepals (d) Leaf-insect (b) Petioles (c) Bracteole 2. It’s named for the (d) Bracts characteristic leaf rolling habit of its larvae. Its bell moth name arises from the 6. The tendrils found in Garden pea plants are actually shape of the adult’s folded, a kind of modification that squarish forewings, which appears very much leaf-like, appears very much like which part of these plants yellowing old-leaf. mimic this role of leaves? (a) Archips sp (a) Stipule (b) Cacoecia sp (b) Petiole (c) Both a and b (c) Bract (d) Only a (d) Phyllode

3. Find the popular name of the weird reptile the tail of 7. The name leaf fish is applied specifically to this which is exactly like a leaf South American species particularly resembling a that is known for its fallen dark-wood or rich soil close resemblance in both coloured old leaf. appearance and swimming (a) Leaf-tailed gecko behaviour to a dead, drifting (b) Leaf-tailed monitor leaf. (c) Girdle-tailed lizard (a) Pterois species (d) Leaf-tailed anole (b) Monocirrhus polyacanthus (c) Alepisaurus richardsoni 4. Katydids, also called long-horned grasshoppers, (d) Alepisaurus borealis derive their name from the unique chirping sound, like the syllables “ka-ty- 8. Ceylon leaf insect, belongs to the order Phasmatodea. did”, they make by rubbing The female has large leathery their wings together. They forewings (tegmina) that lie mimic leaves in fine detail, edge to edge on the abdomen even markings that resemble and resemble, in their vein leaf veins and decay spots. pattern, the midrib and veins (a) Ceratophyllum species in a leaf. (b) Epiphyllum species (a) Philium species (c) Microcentrum species (b) Physalis species (d) Phasmatidae species (c) Rhynchosia species (b) Physalium species

56 | Science Reporter | August 2019 9. This unique insect, 14. This is a small twig of the plant named Acacia Amazonian leaf-footed bug, moniliformis. These are not has weird legs, having leaf- actual leaves, but phyllode. like portions attached to Which part of the plant you their hind legs. think is mimicking the leaf (a) Diacystis bilatus lamina like shape? (b) Didaictylus bieneatus (a) Petiole (c) Diactor bilineatus (b) Stipule (d) Diadyllis biliniaris (c) Bract (d) Blade 10. Sea Lettuce belongs to a genus of green algae usually found growing between high & low tide marks 15. Stinging Coral are invertebrate marine on rocky shores. Fragments comprising the order Milleporina of phylum Cnidaria, may be washed ashore by common in shallow tropical seas to depths of 30 metres. wave action, it grows also Unlike true corals, these in brackish water rich in are closely related to hydra; organic matter or sewage, some species form finely- thallus somewhat resembles branched form others form a lettuce leaf: massive and shapeless or (a) Hydrodictyon sp leaflike growths. (b) Ulva sp (a) Arrow-head (c) Ulothrix sp (b) Falcate (d) Spirogyra sp (c) Lyrate (d) Lanceolate 11. This seaweed is also known as Sea Holly because of its highly branched thallus with hollow, berrylike 16. Here is cladode of the orchid also called leaf-cactus floats (pneumatocysts) and (Epiphyllum). The stem does many leaf-like sawtooth- not bear leaves but rather edged blades. It is used as becomes flattened and leaf- fertilizer in New Zealand and like, assuming the plant’s as a component of soups and photosynthetic functions. soy sauce in . (a) Repand (a) Ulva sp (b) Serrate (b) Lactuca sp (c) Retroserrate (c) Sarsatum sp (d) Entire (d) Sargassum sp 17. This is a kind of 12. These invertebrates, the flukes, have symmetrical respiratory organ found in certain air-breathing arachnid body, which is covered with a noncellular cuticle. Most (scorpions and some spiders). Each consists are flattened and leaf-like or ribbon-like. of a series of plates that are (a) Trematodes highly vascular (i.e., richly (b) Lineus supplied with blood vessels), (c) Nereis parallel and leaf-like. (d) Polychaete (a) Book lung (b) Grill lung 13. Shrimp plants are about 45 centimetres tall, (c) Grill gills bearing clusters of white, spotted purple, tubular, two- (d) Book gills lipped flowers enclosed or accompanied by numerous reddish-brown leaf-like Answers : bracts that suggest the shape (1) a (2) c (3) a (4) c (5) d (6) a (7) b (8) a (9) c and colour of shrimps. (10) b (11) d (12) a (13) c (14) a (15) d (16) a (17) a (a) Xerophytic (b) Mesophytic Contributed by Ms Chandrayee G. Bhattacharyya, B-23, (c) Justicia brandegeana Birla Colony, Porbandar-360576, Gujarat. (d) Saprophytic Email: [email protected]

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