Sonorensis contents Sonoran Desert Insects Introduction Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Our Volume 30, Number 1 Winter 2010 Christine Conte, Ph.D. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Cultural Ecologist, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Co-founded in 1952 by 1 Introduction Arthur N. Pack and William H. Carr Craig Ivanyi Christine Conte, Ph.D. photo by Executive Director Alex Wild Christine Conte, Ph.D. The real voyage of discovery consists Cultural Ecologist 2-7 Insects: Six-Legged Arthropods that Run the World not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Richard C. Brusca, Ph.D. Wendy Moore, Ph.D. & Carl Olson Senior Director, Science and Conservation —Marcel Proust Linda M. Brewer Editing 8-11 Plants & Insects: A 400-Million-Year Co-Evolutionary Dance Wendy Moore, Ph.D ach year, Sonorensis brings the Museum’s It is little wonder that in almost every culture, photo by Alex Wild E Entomology Editor Mark A. Dimmitt, Ph.D. & Richard C. Brusca, Ph.D. conservation science team and its colleagues in throughout world, insects have played a prominent Martina Clary the community to your doorstep with thoughtful, role in philosophy, psychology, and religion. Design and Production engaging, and informative perspectives on the They have been portrayed as symbols of gods and 12-17 Fit to Be Eaten: A Brief Introduction to Entomophagy Sonorensis is published by the Arizona-Sonora Desert natural and cultural history of the Sonoran celebrated in stories, songs, literature, and art. Here Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona 85743. Marci Tarre ©2010 by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Inc. All rights Desert Region. in the Sonoran Desert, the ancient Hohokam reserved. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part depicted insects on pottery and used the resinous without prior written permission by the publisher. Often inspired by comments and questions Sonorensis is published as a benefit to the Arizona-Sonora 18-19 Insect Art & Architecture from members and visitors, we’ve explored a range secretion of a lac insect to adhere turquoise and Desert Museum membership. It is intended to further our of topics over the past decade, including large-scale shell mosaics to shell jewelry. A traditional Tohono members’ understanding of the Sonoran Desert Region and Wendy Moore, Ph.D photo by Alex Wild Green fig beetle (Cotinus mutabilis) shape their sense of stewardship. conservation challenges like invasive species, O’odham story tells how the Creator made butter- Visit us at www.desertmuseum.org ecosystems of the Santa Cruz River and the Sea of flies from all the beautiful colors of nature to Cover: Flame skimmer (Libellula saturata). Photo by Katja 20-24 A Web of Life: Insects, Birds, and Mammals Cortez, the gustatory pleasures and health benefits brighten the hearts of children. Schulz. Karen Krebbs of local foods (and production techniques that Insects also underscore the uniquely maritime Back cover: Oak leaf grasshopper (Tomonotus ferruginosus). photo by Alex Wild Photo by Alex Yelich. support a healthy environment), and an in-depth nature of our Sonoran Desert. Almost all of our look at the charismatic jaguar and the people monsoon moisture originates as evaporation off Thanks to all the photographers who contributed photos for this special issue of Sonorensis, especially 25-27 Bug Biology in Your Backyard working on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to the surface of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) Alex Wild and Katja Schulz. Robin Kropp & Jesús García ensure its survival in the wild. during the summer cyclonic wind pattern in the Special thanks to The Wallace Research Foundation In this issue, we focus on insects of the Sonoran Sonoran Desert Region. Our most spectacular for their support of this issue of Sonorensis, and to Desert Region. Though small in body size, their insect emergences coincide with these summer The Schlinger Foundation for its support of arthropod 28-29 More Insects of the Sonoran Desert biodiversity research at the Arizona-Sonora Desert impacts on the ecosystem and on us are enormous. monsoon rains, and many species have their life Museum. Life as we know it would not be possible without cycle closely tied to this unique wet season. Special thanks to the University of Arizona's Photos: Milkweed longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae); ox beetles (Strategus them. In these pages, you’ll become acquainted We hope you enjoy this encounter with insects Department of Entomology and Insect Collection for sp.), female (left) and male; male giant water bug (Abedus sp.) with eggs with their astounding diversity, stunning beauty, you are likely to meet here in the Sonoran Desert and significant contributions of articles, text review, and on his back. Cut out photo: Major and minor workers of the Arizona turtle unique attributes and adaptations, and the many that this issue of Sonorensis helps you appreciate them photo by Bernard Siquieros photos. photo by Larry Jon Friesen ant (Cephalotes rohweri). ways they benefit plants, wildlife, and people. for the miniature marvels they are. S Tohono O’odham basket Sonorensis | winter 2010 1 photo by Alex Wild photo by Alex Wild All other animals photo by Alex Wild photo by Michael C. Thomas 13% Left page: Adult horse lubber grasshopper. Upper left: Purple pleasing fungus beetle (Gibbifer californicus). Lower left: Grant’s hercules beetles (Dynastes granti), male (top) and female. Center: Beyer’s scarab (Chrysina beyeri). Right: Robber fly (Megaphorus sp.). Non-insect Arthropods 10% Number of Staggering Diversity Described nyone with a passing interest in natural history has heard that an enormous preciated but essential function in the Animal hulz A number of insect species inhabit the Earth. That is true, of course, but the regeneration of life. (Without decom- Species abstraction “enormous number” falls far short of capturing the staggering posers, the soil would lack nutrients that diversity of insects. Imagine it this way. There are approximately a million plants need to grow, and dead organic Insects photo by Katja Sc 77% described species of insects compared with 58,000 described species of matter would quickly accumulate.) Some Wendy Moore, Ph.D. vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) combined. Even insect species, like honey bees and silk moths, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Arizona; the tremendous diversity harbored in the world’s seas is surpassed by the have been domesticated for many centuries, Curator, University of Arizona Insect Collection diversity of insects alone in the terrestrial world. In fact, more than three providing human societies with treasured delicacies. But the services insects Carl Olson Associate Curator, University of Arizona Insect Collection, fourths of all animals on Earth are insects! provide don’t stop there. In most terrestrial food webs, insects are the most Department of Entomology, University of Arizona In many ways, insects literally run our world. Not only are insects the most important herbivores and the most abundant food for higher-level carnivores in important pollinators of plants, gracing our landscape with flowers and critical to the ecosystem. Without insects, most land-based ecosystems would collapse into the yield of most of our food crops, they also aerate the soil and are the most something unrecognizable. In fact, without insects, life as we know it would cease significant animal decomposers of dead plants and animals—a much underap- to exist. And yet, they are too often and too easily taken for granted. 2 Sonorensis | winter 2010 Sonorensis | winter 2010 3 Glorious scarab (Chrysina gloriosa) Tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) EDI photo by Alex Wild Those with Six Legs Insects comprise the most diverse class of a broader group known as arthropods, offspring. Among the million or so known species of insects in the world, there is con- which also includes spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, and crustaceans. siderable variability in the length of time it takes to complete this life cycle. Most insect Rather than having a skeleton of internal bones to support their bodies, arthropods species complete their life cycle in 12 to 24 months, but many have much shorter life have a very tough outer skin, called an exoskeleton. Because the exoskeleton is hard cycles (only one or two weeks), while others have much longer life cycles (such as the and inflexible, in order to grow they must molt. That is, they must shed that tough 17-year cicadas). But, on average, the insect life cycle is relatively short compared with outer skin and pump themselves up with air to expand their newly exposed skin those of other animals. The short time it takes for insects to produce a new genera- until it hardens. After the new exoskeleton is firm, the insect expels the air, leaving tion is another factor in their success, because it speeds up the process of natural room for growth inside its new casing. selection; they evolve quickly, adapting to new or changing environmental conditions. Insects are unique among arthropods in that they have three pairs of legs. In Small Size Compared with vertebrates, insects are relatively small. photo by Katja Schulz other words, an arthropod with six legs is an insect; if it has more or less than six, Because of their small size, insects can subdivide and utilize the environment Green fig beetle (Cotinus mutabilis) eating prickly pear fruit. it is not. Insects can be found almost everywhere, from the highest mountains to in many more ways than larger animals, and there is a much broader range of the edge of the oceans, at the bottom of rushing streams, and in the high canopy ecological niches available to insects. For example, some insects spend their of rainforests. A few species even live on the ocean surface, far from land. They bur- entire adult lives on the body of other, larger insects! Almost any specialized row through the ground, hop and sing in the trees, and dart and dance in the air.