Lookalike Insects

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Lookalike Insects Lookalike Insects (and how to properly identify them) By Isaac Fox Wasp & Fly Fly Wasp • Antennae typically inconspicuous • Antennae typically conspicuous • One pair of wings • Two pairs of wings Hemiptera & Coleoptera True Bug Beetle • Piercing/sucking mouthparts • Chewing mouthparts • Forewings subdivided and overlap at • Forewings leathery and typically the tip meet in a straight line down the back Butterfly & Moth Moth Butterfly • More robust body • Narrower body • Feathered antennae • Clubbed antennae Ground & Stag Beetles Ground Beetle Stag Beetle • Filiform (threadlike) antennae • Elbowed and clubbed antennae Antlion & Damselfly Damselfly Antlion • Inconspicuous antennae • Antennae conspicuous Damselfly & Dragonfly Dragonfly Damselfly • Usually larger and more robust • Usually smaller and more slender • Rests with wings spread • Rests with wings above the body Mimicry complexes Mimic Real Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Black crossband on the hindwings No crossband Water Scavenger & Predacious Diving Beetles Water Scavenger Beetle Predacious Diving Beetle • Clubbed antennae • Filiform antennae • Conspicuous maxillary palps • Inconspicuous mouthparts • Underside flat (sometimes with a • Underside not flat spinelike keel) Earth-boring & Scarab Beetles Splendid Earth-boring Beetle Splendid Dung Beetle (Geotrupes splendidus) (Phanaeus vindex) • 11 antennae segments • 9 antennae sements True Weevil & Fungus Weevil Fungus Weevil True Weevil • Antennae not elbowed • Antennae elbowed Firefly & Soldier Beetle Firefly Soldier Beetle • Head usually hidden under the pronotum • Head not hidden by the pronotum • Most with a light-producing organ at • Never with a light-producing organ the tip of the abdomen on the abdomen Bostrichid & Bark Beetles Bostrichid Beetle Bark or Ambrosia Beetle • Antenna club loose • Antenna club compact Cuckoo Wasp & Sweat Bee Cuckoo Wasp Sweat Bee • Heavily punctured • Typically not as heavily punctured • Setae usually inconspicuous • Setae usually obvious References • Bugguide.net • Beetles of Eastern North America -- Arthur V. Evans.
Recommended publications
  • Oak Woodland Litter Spiders James Steffen Chicago Botanic Garden
    Oak Woodland Litter Spiders James Steffen Chicago Botanic Garden George Retseck Objectives • Learn about Spiders as Animals • Learn to recognize common spiders to family • Learn about spider ecology • Learn to Collect and Preserve Spiders Kingdom - Animalia Phylum - Arthropoda Subphyla - Mandibulata Chelicerata Class - Arachnida Orders - Acari Opiliones Pseudoscorpiones Araneae Spiders Arachnids of Illinois • Order Acari: Mites and Ticks • Order Opiliones: Harvestmen • Order Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudoscorpions • Order Araneae: Spiders! Acari - Soil Mites Characteriscs of Spiders • Usually four pairs of simple eyes although some species may have less • Six pair of appendages: one pair of fangs (instead of mandibles), one pair of pedipalps, and four pair of walking legs • Spinnerets at the end of the abdomen, which are used for spinning silk threads for a variety of purposes, such as the construction of webs, snares, and retreats in which to live or to wrap prey • 1 pair of sensory palps (often much larger in males) between the first pair of legs and the chelicerae used for sperm transfer, prey manipulation, and detection of smells and vibrations • 1 to 2 pairs of book-lungs on the underside of abdomen • Primitively, 2 body regions: Cephalothorax, Abdomen Spider Life Cycle • Eggs in batches (egg sacs) • Hatch inside the egg sac • molt to spiderlings which leave from the egg sac • grows during several more molts (instars) • at final molt, becomes adult – Some long-lived mygalomorphs (tarantulas) molt after adulthood Phenology • Most temperate
    [Show full text]
  • Photinus Pyralis, Big Dipper Firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Able Chow, Forest Huval, Chris Carlton and Gene Reagan
    Photinus pyralis, Big Dipper Firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Able Chow, Forest Huval, Chris Carlton and Gene Reagan pattern and flight path, which forms a distinct J-shaped courtship flash. This flash is also the basis of the common name. Big dipper firefly larvae are small, six-legged, elongated insects with distinct body segments, each armed with a flat dorsal plate. They have small heads, short antennae and two light-producing organs on the abdomen. Species identification of larvae requires rearing them to adults. The pupae of Photinus resemble a pale white version of the adult Adult big dipper firefly in natural habitat. Lloyd, 2018, used with with the wings folded onto the sides of their bodies. permission. Description Life Cycle Adult big dipper fireflies are small, elongated beetles Fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis, with a life three-eighths to three-fifths of an inch (9 to 15mm) in cycle consisting of four developmental stages: egg, larva, length, soft in texture and densely covered by small hairs. pupa and adult. Photinus females lay small, round eggs about They have large eyes, black wing covers (elytra) with yellow one-thirtieth of an inch (0.8 mm) in diameter in moist margins and large pronota (top surface of thorax) extending crevices. The eggs glow slightly when first laid, but this fades over their heads. The color pattern on the pronotum is over time before hatching within 18 to 25 days. Larvae are variable, but the center is always pink with a black center nocturnal, solitary predators inhabiting a variety of moist dot. The light-producing organs differ between sexes.
    [Show full text]
  • Universidade Federal De Santa Catarina Centro De Ciências Agrárias Departamento De Fitotecnia
    UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA CATARINA CENTRO DE CIÊNCIAS AGRÁRIAS DEPARTAMENTO DE FITOTECNIA Controle biológico com Coleoptera: Coccinellidae das cochonilhas (Homoptera: Diaspididae, Dactylopiidae), pragas da “palma forrageira”. Ícaro Daniel Petter FLORIANÓPOLIS, SANTA CATARINA NOVEMBRO DE 2010 UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA CATARINA CENTRO DE CIÊNCIAS AGRÁRIAS DEPARTAMENTO DE FITOTECNIA Controle biológico com Coleoptera: Coccinellidae das cochonilhas (Homoptera: Diaspididae, Dactylopiidae), pragas da “palma forrageira”. Relatório do Estágio de Conclusão do Curso de Agronomia Graduando: Ícaro Daniel Petter Orientador: César Assis Butignol FLORIANÓPOLIS, SANTA CATARINA NOVEMBRO DE 2010 ii Aos meus pais, por tudo, minha mais profunda gratidão e consideração. iii AGRADECIMENTOS À UFSC e à Embrapa (CPATSA) pelo apoio na realização do estágio. Ao Professor César Assis Butignol pela orientação. A todos que, de alguma forma, contribuíram positivamente na minha graduação, meus sinceros agradecimentos. iv RESUMO Neste trabalho relata-se o programa de controle biológico das cochonilhas, Diaspis echinocacti Bouché, 1833 (Homoptera: Diaspididae) e Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell, 1896 (Homoptera: Dactylopiidae), pragas da “palma forrageira” (Opuntia ficus-indica (Linnaeus) Mill, e Nopalea cochenillifera Salm- Dyck) (Cactaceae), no semi-árido nordestino, atualmente desenvolvido pela Embrapa Semi-Árido (CPATSA) em Petrolina (PE). Os principais trabalhos foram com duas espécies de coccinelídeos predadores, a exótica Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant,
    [Show full text]
  • The Beetle Fauna of Dominica, Lesser Antilles (Insecta: Coleoptera): Diversity and Distribution
    INSECTA MUNDI, Vol. 20, No. 3-4, September-December, 2006 165 The beetle fauna of Dominica, Lesser Antilles (Insecta: Coleoptera): Diversity and distribution Stewart B. Peck Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada stewart_peck@carleton. ca Abstract. The beetle fauna of the island of Dominica is summarized. It is presently known to contain 269 genera, and 361 species (in 42 families), of which 347 are named at a species level. Of these, 62 species are endemic to the island. The other naturally occurring species number 262, and another 23 species are of such wide distribution that they have probably been accidentally introduced and distributed, at least in part, by human activities. Undoubtedly, the actual numbers of species on Dominica are many times higher than now reported. This highlights the poor level of knowledge of the beetles of Dominica and the Lesser Antilles in general. Of the species known to occur elsewhere, the largest numbers are shared with neighboring Guadeloupe (201), and then with South America (126), Puerto Rico (113), Cuba (107), and Mexico-Central America (108). The Antillean island chain probably represents the main avenue of natural overwater dispersal via intermediate stepping-stone islands. The distributional patterns of the species shared with Dominica and elsewhere in the Caribbean suggest stages in a dynamic taxon cycle of species origin, range expansion, distribution contraction, and re-speciation. Introduction windward (eastern) side (with an average of 250 mm of rain annually). Rainfall is heavy and varies season- The islands of the West Indies are increasingly ally, with the dry season from mid-January to mid- recognized as a hotspot for species biodiversity June and the rainy season from mid-June to mid- (Myers et al.
    [Show full text]
  • (Fungi, Entomophthoromycota) Attacking Coleoptera with a Key for Their Identification
    Entomophthorales (Fungi, Entomophthoromycota) attacking Coleoptera with a key for their identification Autor(en): Keller, Siegfried Objekttyp: Article Zeitschrift: Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft = Bulletin de la Société Entomologique Suisse = Journal of the Swiss Entomological Society Band (Jahr): 86 (2013) Heft 3-4 PDF erstellt am: 05.10.2021 Persistenter Link: http://doi.org/10.5169/seals-403074 Nutzungsbedingungen Die ETH-Bibliothek ist Anbieterin der digitalisierten Zeitschriften. Sie besitzt keine Urheberrechte an den Inhalten der Zeitschriften. Die Rechte liegen in der Regel bei den Herausgebern. Die auf der Plattform e-periodica veröffentlichten Dokumente stehen für nicht-kommerzielle Zwecke in Lehre und Forschung sowie für die private Nutzung frei zur Verfügung. Einzelne Dateien oder Ausdrucke aus diesem Angebot können zusammen mit diesen Nutzungsbedingungen und den korrekten Herkunftsbezeichnungen weitergegeben werden. Das Veröffentlichen von Bildern in Print- und Online-Publikationen ist nur mit vorheriger Genehmigung der Rechteinhaber erlaubt. Die systematische Speicherung von Teilen des elektronischen Angebots auf anderen Servern bedarf ebenfalls des schriftlichen Einverständnisses der Rechteinhaber. Haftungsausschluss Alle Angaben erfolgen ohne Gewähr für Vollständigkeit oder Richtigkeit. Es wird keine Haftung übernommen für Schäden durch die Verwendung von Informationen aus diesem Online-Angebot oder durch das Fehlen von Informationen. Dies gilt auch für Inhalte Dritter, die über dieses Angebot zugänglich sind. Ein Dienst der ETH-Bibliothek ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Schweiz, www.library.ethz.ch http://www.e-periodica.ch MITTEILUNGEN DER SCHWEIZERISCHEN ENTOMOLOGISCHEN GESELLSCHAFT BULLETIN DE LA SOCIÉTÉ ENTOMOLOGIQUE SUISSE 86: 261-279.2013 Entomophthorales (Fungi, Entomophthoromycota) attacking Coleoptera with a key for their identification Siegfried Keller Rheinweg 14, CH-8264 Eschenz; [email protected] A key to 30 species of entomophthoralean fungi is provided.
    [Show full text]
  • Dragonflies and Damselflies in Your Garden
    Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. Dragonflies and www.naturalengland.org.uk © Natural England 2007 damselflies in your garden ISBN 978-1-84754-015-7 Catalogue code NE21 Written by Caroline Daguet Designed by RR Donnelley Front cover photograph: A male southern hawker dragonfly. This species is the one most commonly seen in gardens. Steve Cham. www.naturalengland.org.uk Dragonflies and damselflies in your garden Dragonflies and damselflies are Modern dragonflies are tiny by amazing insects. They have a long comparison, but are still large and history and modern species are almost spectacular enough to capture the identical to ancestors that flew over attention of anyone walking along a prehistoric forests some 300 million river bank or enjoying a sunny years ago. Some of these ancient afternoon by the garden pond. dragonflies were giants, with This booklet will tell you about the wingspans of up to 70 cm. biology and life-cycles of dragonflies and damselflies, help you to identify some common species, and tell you how you can encourage these insects to visit your garden. Male common blue damselfly. Most damselflies hold their wings against their bodies when at rest. BDS Dragonflies and damselflies belong to Dragonflies the insect order known as Odonata, Dragonflies are usually larger than meaning ‘toothed jaws’. They are often damselflies. They are stronger fliers and referred to collectively as ‘dragonflies’, can often be found well away from but dragonflies and damselflies are two water. When at rest, they hold their distinct groups.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution and Genomic Basis of Beetle Diversity
    The evolution and genomic basis of beetle diversity Duane D. McKennaa,b,1,2, Seunggwan Shina,b,2, Dirk Ahrensc, Michael Balked, Cristian Beza-Bezaa,b, Dave J. Clarkea,b, Alexander Donathe, Hermes E. Escalonae,f,g, Frank Friedrichh, Harald Letschi, Shanlin Liuj, David Maddisonk, Christoph Mayere, Bernhard Misofe, Peyton J. Murina, Oliver Niehuisg, Ralph S. Petersc, Lars Podsiadlowskie, l m l,n o f l Hans Pohl , Erin D. Scully , Evgeny V. Yan , Xin Zhou , Adam Slipinski , and Rolf G. Beutel aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152; bCenter for Biodiversity Research, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152; cCenter for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Arthropoda Department, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, 53113 Bonn, Germany; dBavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, 81247 Munich, Germany; eCenter for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, 53113 Bonn, Germany; fAustralian National Insect Collection, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; gDepartment of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute for Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; hInstitute of Zoology, University of Hamburg, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany; iDepartment of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Wien, Wien 1030, Austria; jChina National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, 518083 Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; kDepartment of Integrative Biology, Oregon State
    [Show full text]
  • Arthropods of Elm Fork Preserve
    Arthropods of Elm Fork Preserve Arthropods are characterized by having jointed limbs and exoskeletons. They include a diverse assortment of creatures: Insects, spiders, crustaceans (crayfish, crabs, pill bugs), centipedes and millipedes among others. Column Headings Scientific Name: The phenomenal diversity of arthropods, creates numerous difficulties in the determination of species. Positive identification is often achieved only by specialists using obscure monographs to ‘key out’ a species by examining microscopic differences in anatomy. For our purposes in this survey of the fauna, classification at a lower level of resolution still yields valuable information. For instance, knowing that ant lions belong to the Family, Myrmeleontidae, allows us to quickly look them up on the Internet and be confident we are not being fooled by a common name that may also apply to some other, unrelated something. With the Family name firmly in hand, we may explore the natural history of ant lions without needing to know exactly which species we are viewing. In some instances identification is only readily available at an even higher ranking such as Class. Millipedes are in the Class Diplopoda. There are many Orders (O) of millipedes and they are not easily differentiated so this entry is best left at the rank of Class. A great deal of taxonomic reorganization has been occurring lately with advances in DNA analysis pointing out underlying connections and differences that were previously unrealized. For this reason, all other rankings aside from Family, Genus and Species have been omitted from the interior of the tables since many of these ranks are in a state of flux.
    [Show full text]
  • A Baseline Invertebrate Survey of the Knepp Estate - 2015
    A baseline invertebrate survey of the Knepp Estate - 2015 Graeme Lyons May 2016 1 Contents Page Summary...................................................................................... 3 Introduction.................................................................................. 5 Methodologies............................................................................... 15 Results....................................................................................... 17 Conclusions................................................................................... 44 Management recommendations........................................................... 51 References & bibliography................................................................. 53 Acknowledgements.......................................................................... 55 Appendices.................................................................................... 55 Front cover: One of the southern fields showing dominance by Common Fleabane. 2 0 – Summary The Knepp Wildlands Project is a large rewilding project where natural processes predominate. Large grazing herbivores drive the ecology of the site and can have a profound impact on invertebrates, both positive and negative. This survey was commissioned in order to assess the site’s invertebrate assemblage in a standardised and repeatable way both internally between fields and sections and temporally between years. Eight fields were selected across the estate with two in the north, two in the central block
    [Show full text]
  • Hidden Diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest
    www.nature.com/scientificreports Corrected: Author Correction OPEN Hidden diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest: the discovery of Jurasaidae, a new beetle family (Coleoptera, Elateroidea) with neotenic females Simone Policena Rosa1, Cleide Costa2, Katja Kramp3 & Robin Kundrata4* Beetles are the most species-rich animal radiation and are among the historically most intensively studied insect groups. Consequently, the vast majority of their higher-level taxa had already been described about a century ago. In the 21st century, thus far, only three beetle families have been described de novo based on newly collected material. Here, we report the discovery of a completely new lineage of soft-bodied neotenic beetles from the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, which is one of the most diverse and also most endangered biomes on the planet. We identifed three species in two genera, which difer in morphology of all life stages and exhibit diferent degrees of neoteny in females. We provide a formal description of this lineage for which we propose the new family Jurasaidae. Molecular phylogeny recovered Jurasaidae within the basal grade in Elateroidea, sister to the well-sclerotized rare click beetles, Cerophytidae. This placement is supported by several larval characters including the modifed mouthparts. The discovery of a new beetle family, which is due to the limited dispersal capability and cryptic lifestyle of its wingless females bound to long-term stable habitats, highlights the importance of the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest as a top priority area for nature conservation. Coleoptera (beetles) is by far the largest insect order by number of described species. Approximately 400,000 species have been described, and many new ones are still frequently being discovered even in regions with histor- ically high collecting activity1.
    [Show full text]
  • Megalagrion Nigrohamatum Nigrolineatum (Perkins 1899) Blackline Hawaiian Damselfly Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae
    Megalagrion nigrohamatum nigrolineatum (Perkins 1899) Blackline Hawaiian damselfly Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae Photo credit Hawaii Biological Survey Profile prepared by Celeste Mazzacano, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation SUMMARY Megalagrion nigrohamatum nigrolineatum is endemic to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. This subspecies was found historically in the mountain ranges of Koolau and Waianae, and is currently known from 16 stream sites at high altitudes in the Koolau Range. Its limited habitat and small scattered populations may affect long-term stability. The species is susceptible to the effects of habitat loss and introduced species. Research should focus on habitat management and protection, and control of invasive species. CONSERVATION STATUS Rankings: Canada – Species at Risk Act: N/A Canada – provincial status: N/A Mexico: N/A USA – Endangered Species Act: Candidate USA – state status: S2 Imperiled NatureServe: G4T2 Apparently secure; Subspecies imperiled IUCN Red List: VU Vulnerable SPECIES PROFILE DESCRIPTION Megalagrion n. nigrolineatum is in the family Coenagrionidae (pond damsels). Adults are medium-sized, from 35-45 mm (1.4-1.8 in.) in length with a wingspan of 43-50 mm (1.7-2.0 in.). Adults of both sexes can be recognized by the lime green to blue-green coloration on the lower Species Profile: Megalagrion nigrohamatum nigrolineatum 1 half of the face and eyes (Polhemus & Asquith 1996), and the top portion of the eyes is bright red. Males have a dark abdomen with an orange-red tip, and a broad yellow, red, or orange patch on the side of the thorax. Females have a similar pattern but the patch on the thorax may be yellow to light blue, and final segment of the abdomen is dull orange.
    [Show full text]
  • Conspicuousness, Phylogenetic Structure, and Origins of Müllerian
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Conspicuousness, phylogenetic structure, and origins of Müllerian mimicry in 4000 lycid beetles from all zoogeographic regions Michal Motyka1, Dominik Kusy1, Michal Masek1, Matej Bocek1, Yun Li1, R. Bilkova1, Josef Kapitán2, Takashi Yagi3 & Ladislav Bocak1* Biologists have reported on the chemical defences and the phenetic similarity of net-winged beetles (Coleoptera: Lycidae) and their co-mimics. Nevertheless, our knowledge has remained fragmental, and the evolution of mimetic patterns has not been studied in the phylogenetic context. We illustrate the general appearance of ~ 600 lycid species and ~ 200 co-mimics and their distribution. Further, we assemble the phylogeny using the transcriptomic backbone and ~ 570 species. Using phylogenetic information, we closely scrutinise the relationships among aposematically coloured species, the worldwide diversity, and the distribution of aposematic patterns. The emitted visual signals difer in conspicuousness. The uniform coloured dorsum is ancestral and was followed by the evolution of bicoloured forms. The mottled patterns, i.e. fasciate, striate, punctate, and reticulate, originated later in the course of evolution. The highest number of sympatrically occurring patterns was recovered in New Guinea and the Andean mountain ecosystems (the areas of the highest abundance), and in continental South East Asia (an area of moderate abundance but high in phylogenetic diversity). Consequently, a large number of co-existing aposematic patterns in a single region and/or locality is the rule, in contrast with the theoretical prediction, and predators do not face a simple model-like choice but cope with complex mimetic communities. Lycids display an ancestral aposematic signal even though they sympatrically occur with diferently coloured unproftable relatives.
    [Show full text]