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   kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 22-Nov-2023 04:47:47 JST kho

   • kho
   The Japanese spider crab is a giant crustacean that can grow up to 12.5 feet that is most commonly found on the Pacific side of Japan.
   
   At first glance, they look like ancient monsters that have crawled straight out of a sci-fi movie. However, in the marine community, they are known to be gentle giants.
   
   As a species of marine crab, these crabs are often found inhabiting holes and pits on the ocean floor between 160 – 2,000 feet in depth.
   
   Living at such deep depths and covered in a thorny protective exoskeleton, with 10 giant legs – these animals have few natural predators.
   
   They are omnivorous, and they diet on dead and decaying animals and plant matter on the sea bed. They may at times also eat live fish that come there way.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 23-Nov-2023 00:57:09 JST kho

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     Dorylus ants, members of the Formicidae family, contain over 61 different species and are the most aggressive ants on the planet. Aside from their hostile nature, fierce bite, and piercing sting, they overtake their prey in large numbers.
     
     These ants are known for their nomadic existence and their manner of hunting in massive swarms that are known to carpet the forest floor. As they creep across the land, insects and other mammals flee from the armies. The unfortunate animals that are too sick or injured to move may be consumed by the ants. But the majority of the driver ant diet consists of insects and earthworms.
     
     Driver ants not only swarm the ground but can cross water, scale walls, and cliffs, and climb trees. They do this by creating bridges or tunnels with their bodies. The columns they create are flanked by the larger soldier ants, while the smaller workers can pass through safely.
     
     The ants are found in Central, Eastern, and South Africa and tropical Asia. Their habitats are rainforests, grasslands, and scrublands. The ants are nomadic and live in temporary underground nests, which they relocate often.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 24-Nov-2023 08:39:54 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Tachinids are the most important of the parasitic flies that provide biological control. Adults range from 1/12 to 4/5 inch (2–20 mm) long, and most are 1/8 to 1/2 inch (3–12 mm) long, varying by species.
     
     Tachinid flies fall squarely into the category of beneficial insects when it comes to the role they play in our gardens. But it isn’t the adult fly that’s the harbinger of death. Instead, it’s the larval fly.
     
     Larvae are pale maggots that occur inside hosts. Because mature larvae of many species exit their host to pupate, the oblong blackish to dark reddish puparium (covering of the pupae) of tachinids can sometimes be observed, such as near a host pupa that was killed and has a distinct emergence hole of the parasitoid.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 25-Nov-2023 01:27:55 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The Puss Moth, Cerura vinulais, is well recorded through most of the southern half of the British Isles becoming less common in the north.
     
     This distinctive nocturnal moth flies in a single generation between May and July when it is attracted to light.
     
     It can be found in a wide range of habitats including moorland, gardens and open woodland.
     
     The caterpillars are dark brown at first with a pair of small horn like protuberances on the dorsum behind the head.
     
     A pair of red tipped, modified rear claspers, over half the body length long, are raised to warn off predators when disturbed.
     
     Within 7 days the caterpillars have changed into a third instar – the subtle shades of brown, yellow and green designed to blend in with the foodplant leaves.
     
     The caterpillars continue to feed on top of leaves as they grow. In strong sun light their dark silhouette on the upperside of a leaf may at times be seen when looking up from below.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 25-Nov-2023 01:28:50 JST kho

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     • Soy_Magnus
     @Soy_Magnus :shrug_akko:
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     Soy_Magnus (soy_magnus@detroitriotcity.com)'s status on Saturday, 25-Nov-2023 01:28:52 JST Soy_Magnus

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     @kho bad taje thats a golden fly they suck shit they bite you, leave MASSIVE holed in thr bite in comparison to other bugs, and theyre alot more smart and faster than horseflys. Fuck those things and fuck you for liking them they tortured me and my dog
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 26-Nov-2023 05:08:01 JST kho

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     Lysiosquillina maculata, the zebra mantis shrimp, striped mantis shrimp or razor mantis, is a species of mantis shrimp found across the Indo-Pacific region from East Africa to the Galápagos and Hawaiian Islands. At a length up to 40 cm, L. maculata is the largest mantis shrimp in the world. L. maculata may be distinguished from its congener L. sulcata by the greater number of teeth on the last segment of its raptorial claw, and by the colouration of the uropodal endopod, the distal half of which is dark in L. maculata but not in L. sulcata. A small artisanal fishery exists for this species.
     
     Lysiosquillina maculata display social monogamy with maternal egg care, meaning the females are the ones taking care of the eggs. Social monogamy is usually attributed to the large and costly to construct burrows of these species. These burrows are used for protection, and as a place to hide and wait for prey. In addition, there is a large risk associated with finding mates. Lysiosquillina maculata also displays sexual dimorphism, with males having larger raptorial appendages, although males and females have similar overall body sizes.
     
     The zebra mantis shrimp is an example of a "spearing" mantis shrimp.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 27-Nov-2023 06:29:34 JST kho

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     The House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is a yellowish grey centipede with 15 pairs of legs. Originally native to the Mediterranean region, the species has spread to other parts of the world, where it usually lives in human homes. The House Centipede is an insectivore that kills and eats insects.
     
     In an act of defence, when one of the house centipedes legs is held down, it drops that leg in hopes that the attacker will be distracted by the temporarily twitching appendage. Unlike most other centipedes, House Centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed, faceted eyes.
     
     Outdoors, house centipedes prefer to live in cool, damp places. Most live outside, primarily under large rocks, piles of wood and especially in compost piles.
     
     Within the home, these centipedes are found in almost any part of the house, most commonly, they are encountered in basements, bathrooms and lavatories, where there is a lot more water, but they can also be found in dry places like offices, bedrooms and dining rooms.
     
     Because they eat household pests, house centipedes are considered among the most beneficial creatures that inhabit human dwellings, but because of their alarming, frightening appearance and painful bite, few homeowners are willing to share a home with them. They do not cause damage to food or furniture.
     
     The house centipede is capable of biting a human, but this seldom occurs. When it does, it is no worse than a minor bee sting. The worst one can usually expect from a house centipedes bite is some pain and a slight swelling at the location of the bite.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 28-Nov-2023 02:16:17 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Triops longicaudatus is commonly known as a tadpole shrimp, because the body superficially resembles a frog larva. Triops longicaudatus is a fairly large tadpole shrimp, with a length of 10 to 40 mm long, a width of 3 to 8 mm, and a mass of 2 to 2.5 g. The body of T. longicaudatus tends to be a brown or grayish-yellow color, and is segmented into a head, thorax, and abdomen.
     
     Triops longicaudatus can exhibit several different reproductive methods. While T. longicaudatus may reproduce sexually, it is very rare, and the majority of populations are female-dominated. As such, parthenogenesis is the most common method of reproduction. A third reproductive strategy is selfing (self-fertilization), which can exist in a population that is largely composed of hermaphrodites. In all cases, fertilization is external.
     
     Triops longicaudatus has three eyes that are most likely used to identify food and potential partners (if reproduction for the population is sexual). Posterior to the eyes is a dorsal, nuchal organ that is most likely used for chemoreception.
     
     These small crustaceans use appendages called phyllopods to push themselves forward in the water. They are constantly moving during the day and are found swimming in the water column. These crustaceans possess exopods which allow them to dig in the mud in search for food.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Nov-2023 03:42:39 JST kho

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     Nearly the same size as the emperor scorpion, the Javanese jungle scorpion is much harder to find, and as a result it’s highly-sought after. It’s native to the rainforests of Indonesia, and as such it likes a humid, wet environment. They’re somewhat aggressive, but they prefer to pinch rather than sting.
     
     These venomous arachnids are native to the tropical rainforests of Java, Indonesia, where they can be found hiding under logs and rocks, or burrowed in the ground. Javanese Jungle Scorpions, also known as Heterometrus javanensis, are part of the family Scorpionsidae. They belong to the same genus as the popular pet species, the Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus imperator). However, Javanese Jungle Scorpions are generally larger and more robust in size, with a distinctive orange coloration on their pincers and tail. They can reach lengths of up to 8 inches, with a lifespan of 5-7 years in captivity.
     
     Javanese Jungle Scorpions are easily recognizable by their large size and orange coloration on their pincers and tail. They have eight legs and two pincers, or pedipalps, which they use for grasping and tearing apart their prey. They also have a venomous stinger on their tail, which they use for self-defense and capturing prey.
     
     Like all scorpions, Javanese Jungle Scorpions undergo a process called metamorphosis, where they go through several stages of development from birth to adulthood. When they are first born, they are called “scorpionids” and are tiny, translucent versions of adult scorpions. They will molt, or shed their exoskeleton, several times as they grow and develop.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 30-Nov-2023 00:16:02 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Nephrops norvegicus, known variously as the Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, shlobster (shrimp-lobster), langoustine (compare langostino) or scampi, is a slim, coral colored lobster that grows up to 25 cm (10 in) long, and is "the most important commercial crustacean in Europe". It is now the only extant species in the genus Nephrops, after several other species were moved to the closely related genus Metanephrops. It lives in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, and parts of the Mediterranean Sea, but is absent from the Baltic Sea and Black Sea. Adults emerge from their burrows at night to feed on worms and fish.
     
     A carapace covers the animal's cephalothorax, while the abdomen is long and segmented, ending in a broad tail fan. The first three pairs of legs bear claws, of which the first are greatly elongated and bear ridges of spines. Of the two pairs of antennae, the second is the longer and thinner. There is a long, spinous rostrum, and the compound eyes are kidney-shaped, providing the name of the genus, from the Greek roots νεφρός (nephros, "kidney") and ὄψ ("eye").
     
     Their shells are a light shade of orange and, unlike lobsters’ shells, they don’t change color when they are cooked. The smaller langoustines caught are particularly prized for the sweet meat found in their tails, which you might see being advertised as “scampi” on restaurant menus. The larger specimens might not be quite as tasty, but they do offer up more meat from the body and claws.
     
     You might also see langoustines being sold as Dublin Bay prawns or Norway lobster.
     
     The langoustine has become hugely important to the Scottish fishing industry, which was decimated by a ban on herring fishing in the 1970s, and Scotland now provides more than half of the amount of langoustines eaten around the world.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 30-Nov-2023 23:37:29 JST kho

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     Clymene moth (The Blessing Moth) is an Erebidae moth indigenous to the eastern parts of North America. English naturalist Peter Brown first described this species in 1776.
     
     When opened, the wings appear creamy-yellow, partially bordered in a dark brown line extending inward from the margin lying close to the anal angle. When closed, the color and pattern remain unchanged, with the brownish-black markings forming a cross.
     
     The larvae are brownish-black, with a yellow stripe on the mid-dorsal region. Their bodies are covered with spines.
     
     The Clymene moth is said to have immense spiritual symbolism. The name Clymene holds great significance in Greek mythology, as it was the name of many people like a Cretan princess, a water nymph, an Orchomenian princess, and so on. Moreover, the wings form a pattern similar to the Holy Cross, especially when closed. Thus, seeing these moths is considered a good omen and a blessing indeed.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 02-Dec-2023 03:33:10 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The Common Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) is brown above. The forewing features two orange bars and two large black eyespots outlined in orange. The hindwing has two eyespots, with the upper one being the largest and containing a magenta crescent.
     
     Their name is because the eyespots on these butterflies resemble the shoots of the buckeye (also known as horse chestnut), a type of tree that mostly thrives in North America and Eurasia.
     
     It cannot live in freezing temperatures, but moves quickly northward in the spring to most of the United States and south Canada. The population swells in the fall during the southward migration.
     
     The Common buckeye caterpillar has a predominantly black thorax. It has light-colored spots that pepper the entirety of the black surface. As the caterpillar grows, the spines become less pronounced.
     
     Adults feed mainly on nectar, and occasionally on mud from the edge of puddles (probably for salts and other minerals).
     
     These creatures feed on plant matter rich in a bitter-tasting chemical compound called ‘iridoid glycoside’, since predators including wasps, birds, ants, and other small animals prefer consuming caterpillars poor in this compound over those that have a rich concentration of it in their bodies.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 03-Dec-2023 05:21:32 JST kho

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     Northern shrimp are protandrous hermaphrodites – they begin life as males and sexually mature at roughly 2½ years old. They transform to females at about 3½ years old. They start spawning in late July in offshore waters, mainly in deep mud basins in the southwestern Gulf of Maine. By early fall, most adult females have pushed their eggs out onto their abdomen. They prey on plankton (tiny floating plants and animals) and bottom-dwelling invertebrates.
     
     Northern shrimp are found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. On the U.S. Atlantic coast, northern shrimp are mainly found in waters off of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
     
     Fishermen mainly use otter trawls to harvest northern shrimp, although some Maine fishermen use traps. Northern shrimp are harvested over soft mud bottoms, which are more resilient to the impacts of trawling compared to structured habitats such as corals. Also, the small mesh in the shrimp otter trawls creates more drag than a groundfish net and can’t be towed as fast for the same size net, reducing the potential impact on shrimp habitat.
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     Sexy Moon (moon@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 03-Dec-2023 05:23:47 JST Sexy Moon

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     @kho > They transform to females at about 3½ years old.
     
     :shraggot:
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     your new favourite fungus (duponin@udongein.xyz)'s status on Sunday, 03-Dec-2023 05:29:30 JST your new favourite fungus

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     • Sexy Moon
     @Moon @kho :sparkles_trans: 🦐 :sparkles_trans:
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 04-Dec-2023 05:06:07 JST kho

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     The lovebug (Plecia nearctica) is a species of march fly found in parts of Central America and the southeastern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. It is also known as the honeymoon fly or double-headed bug.
     
     As for lovebugs looking strange when flying together attached, they are actually mating. During the mating process, the male lovebug attaches to the female lovebug and only disengages during the daytime while resting on vegetation never during flight or at night, Fasulo said. Successful mating takes as much as 12 hours, and the female lovebug dies within 86 hours of laying eggs.
     
     Lovebugs' larvae feed on partially decayed vegetation in the landscape and, in this respect, are beneficial to humans. Adults primarily feed on nectar from various plants, particularly sweet clover, goldenrod, and Brazilian pepper. The lovebug is considered a nuisance by many motorists, especially in Florida, due to its swarming behavior during the species' mating season.
     
     Love bug swarms can become so dense that they can reduce visibility for drivers on the road. It’s important that you take particular care when driving in May and September, which are their main breeding months. Some areas may have signs warning you that bug swarms are possible.
     Sexy Moon repeated this.
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     retard online (6equj5@freespeechextremist.com)'s status on Monday, 04-Dec-2023 07:20:59 JST retard online

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     @kho BUG SEXO OOOUUOOHJJ
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 05-Dec-2023 08:13:55 JST kho

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     Executioner wasps are a species of social wasp found in Central and South America, mostly being spotted in Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Though they’re not commonly found in the United States, they are sometimes discovered in Texas.
     
     Nicknamed the King of Sting, the executioner wasp is considered the most venomous wasp in the world with the most painful sting of them all. The pain encountered once stung is due to the histamine (inflammation, dilates blood vessels, affects muscle contractions) and norepinephrines (increases heart rate) properties in their venom that break down living cells and tissues around the sting site. It has a near unparalleled burning and throbbing sensation that can leave the effected area swollen and painful for days following the initial sting. Chances are, you would be okay if you got stung. But, if you’re allergic to insect stings, or if you’re a child or elderly individual, this would be one of the very worst insects to get stung by and it could certainly lead to your death.
     
     Executioner wasps mainly feed on caterpillars before they turn into moths and butterflies. This gnarly insect often times decapitates its prey, much like that of a praying mantis.
     
     They have an impressive longevity to them, generally living between 6-and-18 months, which is just astounding when considering the lifespan of other insects.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 06-Dec-2023 03:53:11 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The cuckoo wasp is a beautiful insect that is very complex. Its colors include beautiful blues and greens, and they are often spotted when trying to become parasites to other insects. However, they have a tough exterior body structure that makes it difficult for other insects to sting and paralyze them.
     
     To lay their eggs, they have the ability to change their smell, so other insects don’t always know what they’re doing. They also can curl their body into a ball, which is unlike other varieties of wasps. They can complete this maneuver when they are being threatened by a host of other insects.
     
     The cuckoo wasp is also known as the emerald wasp from the family Chrysididae. There are more than 3,000 different species of Cuckoo wasp, and they are unique because of their very brightly colored body and wings.
     
     Cuckoo wasps are solitary in nature, so they don’t build large nests with other wasps of their kind. The females hide in various spots nearby where they’re able to watch their eggs/larvae. They know when the host wasp has come and gone from the nest, and they will wait until the coast is clear.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 07-Dec-2023 03:36:02 JST kho

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     The spider species Phrynarachne ceylonica, commonly known as Bird-dung Crab Spider, belongs to the genus Phrynarachne, in the family Thomisidae.
     
     This spider has one of the most effective camouflages of all animals; its body is covered on blobs and warts that give it the appearance of a fresh piece of bird excrement; it often produces a small thread of white silk and sits on it so that it looks like the white stains caused by bird droppings falling onto leaves. And as if this was not amazing enough, it also smells like poop. This camouflage has a double function; it makes the spider a rather unappetizing prey for most animals (especially birds themselves), and it serves as a lure for the small, excrement-loving insects which are the spider’s favorite prey. These spiders are found in Asia, from Indonesia to Japan.
     
     “Birds, almost all with good eyesight, will not go for what appears to be their own turd for food,” says Joseph K.H. Koh of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore.
     
     The spider’s body has a glossy surface that gives it a “wet” look of fresh faeces, says Koh. “The nodules on the body and rough-edges of the legs further reinforce the ‘shitty’ look – pardon the rudeness,” he says.
     
     When the spider moves, the illusion disintegrates. “The ‘walking poop’ no longer looks like a piece of dropping, especially with its legs spread out,” Koh says.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 08-Dec-2023 04:16:34 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) is a species of krill that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is an important component of the zooplankton, providing food for whales, seals, fish and birds. (In the Southern Ocean, Antarctic krill Euphausia superba fills a similar role.) M. norvegica is the only species recognised in the genus Meganyctiphanes.
     
     The morphology of M. norvegica (Northern krill) was first described by M. Sars (1857) as follows:
     
     "Whitish translucent, spotted above with red. Cephalothorax equalling a third to three-eighths of the whole body in length; with the forehead very short and truncated, not reaching the slender stalks of the very large eyes, with the median anterior edge angular (rostrum rudimentary), with a sharp spine on both sides of the triangle….only seven pairs of gills with none on the first pair of feet."
     
     Historically, much of what we have learnt about Northern krill has been obtained through the deployment and analysis of trawled-nets. Net sampling remains the standard method with which to determine the size-structure of krill populations and to obtain specimens for incubation and experimentation.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 09-Dec-2023 05:35:15 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Achrioptera fallax is a stick insect species found in Madagascar.
     
     The males are a bright electric blue (with greenish tints) and have two rows of reddish orange spines along the edges of the femur. There are also dark colored spines going along the sides and underneath the thorax. Males are brachypterous (incapable of flight) and have small reduced wings. The forewings are a bright yellow; the hind wings have a yellow ridge and are primarily red with a black center.
     
     The 7th and 8th tergum (abdominal segments) both extend outwards along the sides, giving it the gradual shape of a hexagon. The 9th tergite is like the rest of the abdomen but has a pair of cerci for mating. Cerci are like claspers (as seen in dragonflies) that help the male grasp the female during copulation. Females have a duller coloration. They are a light brown with red spines covering the entire thorax, as well as the top of the head, where males lack spines.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 10-Dec-2023 07:58:12 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Icerya purchasi (common name: cottony cushion scale) is a scale insect that feeds on more than 80 families of woody plants, most notably on Citrus and Pittosporum. Originally described in 1878 from specimens collected in New Zealand as pests of kangaroo acacia and named by W.M. Maskell "after the Rev. Dr. Purchas who, believed, first found it", it is now found worldwide where citrus crops are grown. The cottony cushion scale originates from Australia.
     
     This scale infests twigs and branches. The mature hermaphrodite is oval in shape, reddish-brown with black hairs, 5 mm long. When mature, the insect remains stationary, attaches itself to the plant by waxy secretions, and produces a white egg sac in grooves, by extrusion, in the body which encases hundreds of red eggs. The egg sac will grow to be two to three times as long as the body. Newly hatched nymphs are the primary dispersal stage, with dispersion known to occur by wind and by crawling.
     
     Males are rare in hermaphroditic species of Icerya. Males are haploid while females are diploid. Females have an ovitestis that is capable of producing both sperm and oocytes which fertilize internally to produce diploid offspring (females) through a form of hermaphroditism. The cells of the ovitestis are haploid and are derived from excess sperm during matings with males. This has been termed as 'parasitic tissue' and theoretical studies have examined this as a form of sexual conflict and have examined the possible fates and fitness consequences since females can produce daughters by mating with males or using their parasitic male cell lines.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 11-Dec-2023 03:39:54 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The blue-fronted dancer (Argia apicalis) is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae, native to parts of North America. This damselfly ranges in length between about 33 and 40 mm (1.3 and 1.6 in). Most males have a blue thorax, the plates being separated by a few black lines, and also have a color-tipped abdomen, segments eight, nine and ten being bright blue. The remaining segments are dark brown. However the color of the thorax of Argia apicalis is variable and some males can be greyish-black rather than blue. They can change from one phase to the other and back again over the course of several days, with several intervening variations on the way; neither color phase seems to be particularly related to age or sexual maturity.
     
     Adults are on the wing from mid-summer onwards. Males often patrol small territories over water but females only visit water when ready to mate. Copulation soon follows the arrival of the female, and the pair flies around the pond in tandem, investigating sites for egg-laying. The female begins ovipositing while still linked to the male and often continues to lay after he has flown off. The eggs are laid in mats of willow roots, among floating driftwood, on bits of floating board and on living, but horizontal, Helenium stems. By this time, the male is no longer aggressive towards other males, and several females use the same sites for egg deposition.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 12-Dec-2023 07:28:25 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Although it has a ferocious appearance, the hickory horned devil is harmless. This worm starts as a tiny caterpillar after hatching from one of hundreds of eggs laid by a regal moth. Over a matter of weeks, it grows and molts until it reaches its amazing mature size (almost 6 inches!). The fully-grown hickory horned devil has a brown head, dark green body, black prolegs and numerous spines. Each body segment has four or more short, black spines around in a row around it. The two body segments toward the front have four long projections each that are brown at the base, black at the tip and curve back. These are the "horns" that give the caterpillar its ferocious appearance and name. The "horns" are sometimes 3/4 inch long. Mature hickory horned devils crawl to the soil and dig in to form a subterranean cell in which they molt into a pupal stage. The shiny, dark-brown pupa is about two inches long (or even longer) and is somewhat cylindrical. The fall, winter and spring is spent as a pupa in the soil. Next summer, the insect molts into the regal moth. Regal moths are large and have stout bodies. Females (wingspan up to 6 inches) are larger than males. The head and body are orange-red and yellow spots and markings.
     
     One reason that hickory horned devils are such a surprise is that they are actually kind of rare. In spite of their large and forbidding appearance, birds are apparently fond of them for food. Not only that, but parasites and diseases also kill a portion of the population. Consequently, very few of the hundreds of eggs laid by regal moths successfully develop and produce offspring of their own.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 13-Dec-2023 04:29:03 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Dictyopharidae is the 6th largest family of planthoppers worldwide, with 156 genera and 720 species at present (Bourgoin 2016). Dictyopharidae is represented north of Mexico by 14 genera and 85 species. The southwest includes nearly all species known from the contiguous United States.
     
     Dictyopharids feed on a variety of plants with adults and nymphs both found on above-ground portions of plants. Most species are associated with dicots in a variety of plant families, and are most often reported as monophagous (Wilson et al. 1994).
     
     The species seen in these images is nicknamed the cross-eyed planthopper, and is listed as found in Indonesia.
     
     > In the time between hatching and becoming full-grown adults, tiny planthopper nymphs put on a flashy show. The planthoppers can secrete a waxy substance from their abdomen that results in strange, fiber optic-like tails. These decorations serve at least two purposes: to encourage predators to "ooh, ahh" instead of eating them, and to help them glide as they fall.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 14-Dec-2023 04:16:29 JST kho

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     Atrax sutherlandi is a species of Australian funnel-web spider found in forests on the far southern coast of New South Wales and in eastern Victoria. It was named after Struan Sutherland, whose work resulted in a successful funnel-web spider antivenom.
     
     Normally, A. sutherlandi has a glossy black back and chelicerae ("fangs"), as well as a deep-brown or plum-colored underbelly. An adult grows to a length of 2 inches (5 cm).
     
     Its legs are powerful and covered in fine, black hairs, making it an impressive sight to behold. As a funnel-web spider, Atrax sutherlandi constructs a burrow in the ground and waits for prey to wander too close before striking with lightning-fast reflexes.
     
     Despite its venomous bite, Atrax sutherlandi is a fascinating and highly valued species for arachnid collectors. With proper care and attention, this spider can live for several years.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 15-Dec-2023 04:30:48 JST kho

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     Also called crab lice or “crabs,” pubic lice are parasitic insects found primarily in the pubic or genital area of humans. Pubic lice infestation is found worldwide and occurs in all races, ethnic groups, and levels of society.
     
     The adult pubic louse resembles a miniature crab when viewed through a strong magnifying glass. Pubic lice have six legs; their two front legs are very large and look like the pincher claws of a crab. This is how they got the nickname “crabs.” Pubic lice are tan to grayish-white in color. Females lay nits and are usually larger than males. To live, lice must feed on blood. If the louse falls off a person, it dies within 1–2 days.
     
     Pubic lice move by crawling, because they cannot hop or fly. They usually spread through sexual contact. Occasionally, they may spread through physical contact with a person who has pubic lice, or through contact with clothing, beds, bed linens, or towels that were used by a person with pubic lice. You cannot get pubic lice from animals.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 16-Dec-2023 08:48:47 JST kho

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     Also known as buffalo gnats because of their humpbacked appearance, black flies (Simuliidae) are small (up to one-eighth of an inch long) dark flies that typically appear in late spring and early summer when they swarm and bite birds and mammals, including domestic animals and people.
     
     Males and females feed on nectar. Male black flies do not bite, but females of most species must feed on blood to produce eggs. Some prefer to bite one type of host. Some species bite people in certain locales, but do not bite in other parts of the species’ range.
     
     Like horse and deer flies, black flies bite using their mouthparts like scissors to cut into skin and lap up the blood. This results in painful bites that can produce bleeding, itching, inflammation and swelling, as well as allergic reactions that can be life-threatening. The flies may enter noses, ears and mouths, causing further discomfort. Domestic animals, especially poultry and exotic birds, can be killed by black fly attacks.
     
     Black flies are aquatic insects that typically prefer clean, fast-running water. Females lay hundreds of triangular eggs in or near the water. Some crawl beneath the surface to deposit eggs on submerged objects such as rocks. The worm-like larvae hatching from these eggs are typically less than half an inch long and shaped like an hourglass.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 17-Dec-2023 03:36:50 JST kho

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     Umbonia spinosa can be distinguished from other members of its genus by the appearance of its elongated pronotum, or dorsal horn. The dorsal horn is located between or just behind its humerals and they possess a short metopidium. The dorsal horn itself is straight and the base of the plate is yellow, testaceous or pale green, with red or yellow vittae (stripes) at each side, though sometimes U. spinosa can be characterized by black vittae. It also has an interesting egg survival technique, where “females dig the nest during the nesting cycle”. The dorsal horn gradually tapers to a point from base to summit, similar to a thorn in appearance.
     
     Umbonia spinosa has been found in South and Central America, Mexico, and southern Florida. In general, they tend to reside in more subtropical environments. In Central America, they congregate on the branches of the Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) for mating and overwintering, and are also found on the bean tree (Inga edulis). Female Umbonia spinosa uses those trees to lay their eggs in by making round holes in them. The trees are also used as a source of food, the Umbonia spinosa uses its mouth parts to ingest sap from the trees.
     
     The juvenile form of Umbonia spinosa is historically considered edible by the indigenous peoples of South America, while their spines are still soft after molting.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 18-Dec-2023 09:31:14 JST kho

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     The dragon mantis (Stenophylla lobivertex) is a rare, leaf-mimicking insect found in the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru that measures about 1.6 inches long. This species’ name comes from its flattened body that looks like a dragon.
     
     Its wings, unlike other mantids, are transparent enough to let sun rays pass through. They are mostly gray-green in color, with distinctive bright yellow markings and a mottled body that changes from pale green to light brown.
     
     Despite their small size, Stenophylla lobivertex are quite active creatures and are characterized by their fast movements. They have short legs that squeeze together at different angles and a long, curved abdomen. They also have powerful forelegs that are serrated and end in a pincer-like shape, which they use to grab and hold onto prey.
     
     Dragon Mantises have large compound eyes that are surrounded by a fringe of small spines.They also have three simple eyes, two located above their compound eyes and one on the top of their head.When disturbed, the Dragon Mantis spreads its wings wide and turns bright shades of yellow and green.It can also extend its rear legs to make itself look larger, as a defense mechanism against predators.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 19-Dec-2023 03:26:50 JST kho

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     Trichonephila clavipes females are among the largest non-tarantula-like spiders in North America and are perhaps the largest orb-weavers in this country. Females range from 24 mm to 40 mm in length. The female color pattern, consisting of silvery carapace, yellow spots on a dull orange to tan cylindrical body, brown and orange banded legs, plus the hair brushes (gaiters) on the tibial segment of legs, I, II, and IV, make this spider one of the most easily recognized. The males, on the other hand, are rather inconspicuous dark brown, slender spiders averaging 6 mm in length which would often go unnoticed if not for the fact that they are often found in the webs of females.
     
     Special behaviors and body features have evolved in Trichonephila to protect against overheating. The silvery carapace reflects sunlight, while the long, cylindrical body may be pointed directly at the sun, thus reducing the area of exposed body surface. Force evaporative cooling may be employed by manipulating a drop of fluid with the chelicerae. Cooling responses generally occur above 35°C. The web does not have to be perpendicular to the sun in order for the spider to employ orientation; in fact, webs are generally placed so as to capture the most insects regardless of the sun's position, and the spider's orientation movements can be quite complex.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Dec-2023 02:58:08 JST kho

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     At 8 to 11 millimeters in length, jagged ambush bugs (Phymata species) are small and mighty garden predators. Adults have an angular, greenish yellow, white, and brown bodies with small wings that leave the jagged sides of their abdomens exposed. Their forelegs are thickened with muscles and resemble the raptors of a praying mantis; like mantids, those legs are used to snatch and hold prey. Ambush bugs have short beaks that pierce into their prey and secrete saliva to dissolve the insect’s internal organs. The final segment of their antennae is slightly clubbed.
     
     Jagged ambush bugs can be found throughout North America in southern Canada, most of the United States, and northern Mexico. They can often be seen in open meadows and gardens on the flowers of prairie plants like goldenrod and aster, where their body coloring will keep them hidden from potential prey.
     
     Although smaller than their wheel and assassin bug cousins in the Reduviidae family, jagged ambush bugs are still voracious predators. As the name implies, they ambush their prey by sitting motionless and waiting for the right insect to pass by. These can be flies, small moths, beetle larvae, and other soft-bodied true bugs who are attracted to the plants the Phymata species sit on. They are also capable of catching prey much larger than themselves like bumble bees and butterflies.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 21-Dec-2023 05:40:02 JST kho

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     The beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is found in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. It is often found along fast-flowing waters.
     
     The male usually has much more extensive pigmentation on the wings than other Calopteryx species in its range. In the southeast of its range (the Balkans and Turkey), the wings are entirely metallic blue. In other areas, the wings have clear spots at the base and the tip. Immature males have brown wings, as the metallic blue wing color develops only with age. They have metallic blue-green bodies and blue-green eyes.
     
     The female has dark brown iridescent wings, a white patch near the tip of the wings (called a pseudopterostigma) and a metallic green body with a bronze tip of the abdomen.
     
     Mating takes place in a way that for the genus Calopteryx and is typical of an eye-catching advertising behavior precedes. The females fly over the water, always in search of suitable nesting places and fly it through the territories of males. The males who recognize the females to the reflections of the moving wings, fly towards it, once they have crossed the border area. They use a striking Schwirrflug that only in the courtship will be shown, and demonstrate the underside of its abdomen raised high. The last three segments of it are much brighter and are referred to as a "lantern" that will be presented.
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     Sexy Moon (moon@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 21-Dec-2023 05:43:12 JST Sexy Moon

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     @kho good one
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 22-Dec-2023 06:33:19 JST kho

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     Christmas beetle is a name commonly applied to the Australian beetle genus Anoplognathus, which belongs to the subfamily Rutelinae. They are known as Christmas beetles because they are abundant in both urban and rural areas close to Christmas. Christmas beetles are large (20–30 mm long) members of the scarab family that are noisy and clumsy fliers, similar to the cockchafers of Europe. They typically have elytra that are dark or light brown, or green, while some species have a green-yellow iridescence.
     
     The genus includes 35 species, several of which have been implicated in dieback of eucalypts. Anoplognathus pallidicollis is the species most commonly observed and associated with the name of Christmas beetle. However, there is a tendency for the name Christmas beetle to be used more ambiguously to refer to other metallic beetles not in this family, such as the stag beetle genus Lamprima. The smaller Argentine lawn beetle, Cyclocephala signaticollis, is prevalent in December and may also be referred to as a "Christmas beetle", labelled by the Australian Museum as an "impostor".
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 23-Dec-2023 03:22:06 JST kho

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     Thunder flies or thrips, or thripids as they're also known, are small black insects with long bodies and stings in their tails, which they use to puncture plants and other insects they consume. Thunder flies can be annoying in your house and yard because they destroy your garden plants and food.
     
     Thrips are small hemimetabolic insects with a distinctive cigar-shaped body plan. They are elongated with transversely constricted bodies. They range in size from 0.5 to 14 mm (0.02 to 0.55 in) in length for the larger predatory thrips, but most thrips are about 1 mm in length. Flight-capable thrips have two similar, strap-like pairs of wings with a fringe of bristles. The wings are folded back over the body at rest. Their legs usually end in two tarsal segments with a bladder-like structure known as an "arolium" at the pretarsus. This structure can be everted by means of hemolymph pressure, enabling the insect to walk on vertical surfaces. They have compound eyes consisting of a small number of ommatidia and three ocelli or simple eyes on the head.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 24-Dec-2023 07:21:30 JST kho

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     A. virginiensis is a rather striking and, with a length of at least 5 cm (2 in), fairly large millipede found all around the eastern side of North America.
     
     Like other millipedes the world over, A. virginiensis prefers dark and damp places where the musty air carries the thick scent of moss and fungus, shed leaves and rotting wood.
     
     And, like other millipedes the world over, A. virginiensis feasts on the very same decaying plant matter. They're like vultures for plants, except we don't see it that way because we've never gotten round to taking the plant experience seriously.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 25-Dec-2023 02:05:25 JST kho

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     The name, cellar spider, comes from the location where they are often found: damp cellars, basements, and crawl spaces. They have very long, thin legs and are often confused with the harvestmen or daddylonglegs.
     
     The origin of tinsel on Christmas trees comes from an old folk legend about common house spider webs:
     
     A poor but hardworking widow once lived in a small hut with her children. One summer day, a pine cone fell on the earthen floor of the hut and took root. The widow's children cared for the tree, excited at the prospect of having a Christmas tree by winter. The tree grew, but when Christmas Eve arrived, they could not afford to decorate it. The children sadly went to bed and fell asleep. Early the next morning, they woke up and saw the tree covered with cobwebs. When they opened the windows, the first rays of sunlight touched the webs and turned them into gold and silver. The widow and her children were overjoyed. From then on, they never lived in poverty again.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 26-Dec-2023 03:58:22 JST kho

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     The Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) is a land crab famous for its epic annual mass migration to the sea to spawn.
     
     Christmas Island red crabs are large crabs with bodies measuring 4.6 inches in width. Males tend to be larger than females, with larger claws and a narrower abdomens. They have claws of equal size, unless one has been damaged and has regenerated. The crabs are usually bright red, but orange or purple crabs sometimes occur.
     
     The crabs are omnivorous scavengers. They feed on fruit, seedlings, fallen leaves, flowers, human rubbish, the giant African land snail, and dead animals. They also cannibalize other Christmas Island red crabs.
     
     Christmas Island red crabs reach sexual maturity around 4 and 5 years of age. At the beginning of the rainy season (October to November), the crabs increase activity and travel to the coast for spawning. The timing is linked to the phase of the moon.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 27-Dec-2023 05:19:26 JST kho

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     The peacock pansy butterflies are recognized by their striking eyespots. The fascinating butterflies are native to South Asian countries. The upperside of peacock fansy’s wings are yellowish brown in color with brown edges. There are also distinct costal bars and attractive ‘peacock eyespots’ on the wings. The eyespots on the lower part of the wings become more prominent and attractive. The patterns on underside peacock pansy’s wing’s changes with season. Unlike dry season more brightfull patterns and eyespots form on the wings in wet season. Compare to upperside the costal bars on the edges of underside of their wings are appears to be dull and less attractive.
     
     It takes 3 – 5 days to hatch the eggs of peacock pansy. The leaves of host plant become main food of caterpillars. It also takes another 5-6 days for development as a butterfly from pupa. The adult peacock pansy has a wingspan between 54-62 mm. They mainly prefers to live in gardens and open areas.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 28-Dec-2023 03:42:44 JST kho

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     Four-lined plant bug (Poecalocapsus linectus) is a piecing/sucking true bug that can cause unsightly damage to perennials, herbs, woody shrubs and some leafy vegetable plants, but damage is generally cosmetic and no control measures may be necessary. These insects are very small and are usually only discovered because of their tell-tale feeding damage.
     
     Spots where feeding has occurred are small, somewhat circular and uniform with smooth edges. Contributing to the illusion of disease is the fact that these insects are fast moving, frequently dropping to the ground, and hiding under foliage or flying away when disturbed, so they may not be seen on.the plants. A third reason people might think this is a disease is that dead plant tissue may drop out, leaving a shot hole. Many leaf spot diseases also have this symptom.
     
     As the common name suggests, adults of this true bug have four black longitudinal stripes surrounded by yellow to yellow-green on the leathery part of the wing covers. Beyond this, the membranous part of the wings is black. The head and body are a golden yellow with yellow-green legs that have black markings. Antennae are black. Adults are one-quarter inch in length. Nymphs are smaller, wingless, brightly-colored yellow to red, with black spots in rows on the segments of the abdomen. Mouthparts of adults and nymphs are piercing-sucking.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 29-Dec-2023 05:16:06 JST kho

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     Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.
     
     Unlike some insects, blister beetles don’t have stingers, nor are their jaws strong enough to break human skin.
     
     The welts or blisters on your skin are a reaction to cantharidin, an odorless, colorless chemical the beetle releases to protect itself against its enemies.
     
     Although cantharidin is highly toxic and dangerous to a blister beetle’s enemies, it’s not toxic to human skin. Contact with the substance, however, can cause a local reaction.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 30-Dec-2023 04:35:34 JST kho

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     The mature pinktoe tarantula has a dark-colored body and pinkish feet, hence its name. Juvenile specimens, however, have pinkish bodies and dark-colored feet and undergo a reversal in their coloration as they approach adulthood at 4–5 years. A fully grown Pinktoe tarantula can grow up to six inches in length. They have a short lifespan, with males living 2–3 years, and females living between 6–9 years.
     
     Dimorphism has been shown in the mature stages of males and females, with males having uniformly barbed urticating hairs, while females are found only at the proximal end. Mature males also exhibit a pair of hooks on the last segment of the pedipalps, used during construction of "sperm webs" and courtship behaviors.
     
     They are an ambush predator, using webbing as a trap and to sense movement from prey. With an enriched environment, they can display an array of behaviors such as active hunting, foraging, and even construction such as nest and tunnel building with nearby debris. The pinktoe tarantula consumes mostly insect prey and is an aggressive feeder. Some of its prey includes crickets, wax moths, grasshoppers, cockroaches and small tree frogs. They sometimes consume small lizards such as Anolis, but vertebrates usually are not a major contributor to its diet.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 30-Dec-2023 04:42:34 JST kho

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     which one of you did this "crab of the day" on mati today :alex4:
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 31-Dec-2023 04:50:02 JST kho

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     Aenigmatinea glatzella: The moth is small, about the size of a five cent piece when its wings are outstretched, and looks more like a caddis-fly than a moth. Although tiny, they are very beautiful: males look as though they’ve been sprinkled with gold dust, females are metallic purple, and both have feathery edges fringing their wings.
     
     The genus name, Aenigmatinea, is well-chosen (it contains the word 'enigma'): there are several puzzling things about this moth that made it difficult to place in an evolutionary framework. Its wings and genitalia showed it to be primitive. The question was how primitive. Even the most primitive moths have jaws, and one of the first steps in the evolution of ‘advanced’ moths and butterflies is the development of a tongue. Aenigmatinea’s mouthparts are almost entirely reduced; it has neither jaws nor tongue.
     
     It lives on Southern Cypress-pine trees (Callitris gracilis), a very ancient element of our flora dating back to the supercontinent Gondwana.
     
     The adult moths are short-lived. In just one day they emerge from their cocoons, mate, females lay their eggs, and then die.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 01-Jan-2024 10:46:35 JST kho

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     Oh shit almost forgot today!
     
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     This species of bug (Pselliopus barberi) is identified by its mostly orange body. Its round elongated body has black lines and black stripes across its legs. These bugs may appear slightly amber in certain regions.
     
     Orange Assassin Bugs are part of a few hundred types of species of assassin bugs found in the US.
     
     It’s often found around trees, especially on the bark where it may not be as easy to spot by its prey. Orange Assassin bugs consume a wide range of insects that come in their range.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 02-Jan-2024 03:47:39 JST kho

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     Empusa Fasciata, aka Conehead Mantis, holds a significant place within the taxonomy of the mantis order. It belongs to the Mantodea order, a diverse group of insects commonly referred to as praying mantises. Within this order, Empusa Fasciata finds its home in the Empusidae family, which distinguishes itself with unique characteristics.
     
     In their natural habitat, Empusa Fasciata can be found across regions spanning from North-East Italy to Westasia. These captivating creatures thrive in dry meadows, particularly favoring areas with small bushes and grasses. They demonstrate a strong preference for direct sunlight and dry conditions, reflecting their adaptation to warm and arid environments. Camouflaged expertly to blend seamlessly with their surroundings, they often perch on vegetation, patiently awaiting the arrival of flying insects that make up their specialized diet.
     
     With an average size ranging from 5cm to 8cm, it boasts a slender and elongated body, adorned with striking stripes and patterns along its thorax and abdomen. Its coloration varies from shades of brown and green, enabling it to blend seamlessly with its dry meadow habitat. The most prominent feature is its large, protruding compound eyes that provide excellent vision for detecting prey. Empusa Fasciata’s elongated, spiky forelegs enable it to be a highly efficient and agile predator, specialized in catching flying insects.
     
     Empusa Fasciata’s aerial hunting techniques showcase its prowess as an accomplished predator. With lightning-fast reflexes, it deftly snatches flying insects from mid-air, exhibiting remarkable agility and precision. Its elongated forelegs act like deadly spears, ensuring a swift capture of its airborne prey. This specialized skill makes Empusa Fasciata an aerial marvel within the mantis world, with its hunting prowess matched by few other insects.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 03-Jan-2024 08:11:24 JST kho

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     Soldier beetles are a common outdoor insect that can be abundant accidental invaders as either larvae or adults. Soldier beetles are nicknamed leatherwings because of their soft, clothlike wing covers, which when brightly colored are reminiscent of uniforms. The beetles are elongate, soft-bodied and about 1/2-inch long. Colors vary from yellow to red with brown or black wings or trim. Soldier beetles resemble lightning bugs but do not have light-producing organs.
     
     Both adults and larvae are predacious and feed on other insects. The adults eat caterpillars, aphids, and other soft-bodied insects and can be important predators. As they lie in wait for prey on flowers such as goldenrod they may feed on nectar and pollen but they do no damage to the plants.
     
     These black and orange flying insects are often seen flying around flowers and can be easily mistaken for wasps.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 04-Jan-2024 04:18:15 JST kho

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     Linguatula serrata can be found in several countries in Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and the Americas. Although the distribution of this pentastomid is almost global, it is predominantly prevalent in warm subtropical and temperate regions.
     
     As an adult, Linguatula serrata lives in the nasal airways or frontal sinuses of dogs, wolves, foxes, felines or other carnivorous mammals. The parasite's eggs are transferred when coughed or sneezed out from the lungs to the external environment. If swallowed by the definitive host, the eggs are passed through the feces to the external environment.
     
     After being ingested by an herbivorous intermediate host from an aqueous environment, eggs hatch into their first larval stage, looking superficially like a mite. Many refer to these larvae as "nymphs," although they actually are a nauplius. The larvae use leg-like appendages for movement through the intermediate host. The first larval stage of L. serrata tunnels through gut wall with a stylet, as the host elicits an immune response. The immature larvae are then encysted. Encysting can happen in a number of tissues, including the liver, lymph nodes and muscle. This stage of infection is typically asymptomatic. After a series of molts in these cysts, the third stage larvae lose the leg-like appendages and can travel in between the abdominal cavity and the abdominal wall. While the larvae are encysted, many of them die and calcify after about two years, but if the definitive, carnivorous host feeds upon the intermediate host when the larvae are in their third stage, the carnivore acquires the parasite. The larvae develop to their adult stage in the nasopharynx of the carnivorous mammals and mate.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 05-Jan-2024 01:58:35 JST kho

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     The tarantula hawk, scientifically known as Pepsis, is a formidable wasp species found in the Southwestern United States, distinguished by its striking metallic blue or black body and vibrant orange wings.
     
     Its notoriety extends beyond its appearance to its unique and somewhat macabre reproductive strategy. Females seek out tarantulas, engaging in fierce battles to paralyze the spiders with potent venom. Subdued tarantulas are then dragged to burrows, where the wasp lays an egg. The hatching larva feeds on the still-living host, strategically avoiding vital organs. While tarantula hawks play a crucial role in ecosystem balance by controlling tarantula populations, their sting is infamous for its intensity, ranking among the most painful insect stings.
     
     Despite their formidable appearance, tarantula hawks are generally non-aggressive unless provoked, offering a fascinating glimpse into the intricate dynamics of predator-prey relationships and a reminder of their potential danger to humans.
     Sexy Moon repeated this.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 06-Jan-2024 03:50:09 JST kho

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     The adult ornate bella moth is a rather small moth (wingspan 3.0 to 4.5 cm). The more common "bella" form has the front wings yellow with white bands each containing a row of black dots, and the hindwings bright pink with an irregular marginal black band. The paler form originally designated "ornatrix" is restricted to southern Florida and southern Texas.
     
     The bella moth has two generations northward
     but may breed continuously in the southernmost parts
     of its range. Eggs are laid in clusters on the foliage.
     Upon hatching, the young larvae feed on the foliage,
     but later move to the pods which they bore into to
     feed on the seeds. Upon reaching maturity, larvae migrate from the host plant to pupate in sheltered
     situations under loose bark on nearby trees, in thick
     vegetation, or in debris.
     
     Adult bella moths live approximately three
     weeks and females mate on average four to five times
     -- each time receiving additional nutrients and
     alkaloids via the spermatophores. The additional
     nutrients and alkaloids allow the female to lay a
     larger number of eggs than would otherwise be
     possible and also to continue to invest sufficient
     amounts of alkaloids in the eggs.
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     AngryWraith (angrywraith@poa.st)'s status on Saturday, 06-Jan-2024 07:48:12 JST AngryWraith

     in reply to
     @kho >live three weeks
     Well... that was better than one of my last relationships.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 07-Jan-2024 05:31:45 JST kho

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     The Tasmanian giant crab, also called the Bullcrab,Pseudocarcinus gigas (sometimes known as the giant deepwater crab, giant southern crab or queen crab) is a very large species of crab that resides on rocky and muddy bottoms in the oceans off Southern Australia. It is the only species in the genus Pseudocarcinus.
     
     The Tasmanian giant crab is one of the largest crabs in the world, reaching a mass of 17.6 kg (39 lb) and a carapace width of up to 46 cm (18 in).
     
     Male Tasmanian giant crabs reach more than twice the size of females, which do not exceed 7 kg (15 lb). Males have one normal-sized and one oversized claw (which can be longer than the carapace width), while both claws are normal-sized in the females. This crab is mainly whitish-yellow below and red above; the tips of the claws are black.
     
     The Tasmanian giant crab feeds on carrion and slow-moving species, including gastropods, crustaceans (anomura and brachyura) and starfish. Cannibalism also occurs.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 03:43:50 JST kho

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     Eumastacidae are a family of grasshoppers sometimes known as monkey- or matchstick grasshoppers. They usually have thin legs that are held folded at right angles to the body, sometimes close to the horizontal plane. Many species are wingless and the head is at an angle with the top of the head often jutting above the line of the thorax and abdomen. They have three segmented tarsi and have a short antenna with a knobby organ at the tip. They do not have a prosternal spine or tympanum. Most species are tropical and the diversity is greater in the Old World. They are considered primitive within the Orthoptera and feed on algae, ferns and gymnosperms, the more ancient plant groups.
     
     This colorful Monkey Grasshopper with the scientific name Eumastax vittata napoana in the family Eumastacidae is common in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador.
     Sexy Moon repeated this.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Jan-2024 07:12:20 JST kho

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     Flannel moths have been known to feed on many trees and shrubs, like elms, maples, hackberries, hollies, oaks, and sycamores, according to the NC State Extension. They are commonly spotted in oak and elm trees. Since these plants are frequently found in parks, gardens, and backyards, children are most likely to come in contact with the caterpillars. If you care for children, make sure you teach them about these caterpillars and warn them not to touch them. Basically, if you see a caterpillar wrapped in a stylish fur coat and munching on a tree, shrub, or anything else, it's best to keep your distance.
     
     Given their appearance and resemblance to soft, fluffy pets, it's easy to understand why people would want to touch the southern flannel moth caterpillar. Unfortunately, the "fur" is nothing like a cuddly, feline friend. It actually contains venomous spines. Coming into contact with these spines will cause extremely painful reactions in the skin. Caterpillars that are more advanced in the larval stage have the most potent defense.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Jan-2024 05:13:58 JST kho

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     The Australian Walking Stick is a large insect that can reach up to seven inches in length. These bugs have a distinct twig-like appearance. This helps them blend in with their surroundings and avoid predators.
     
     Adults can release a defensive odor that humans might not find offensive as it “is rather reminiscent of peanut butter, vinegar or toffee”.
     
     This stick insect is sexually dimorphic; that is, the male and female look very different.
     
     Female adult are covered with thorn-like spikes for defense and camouflage. Their long, rounded bodies grow to about 8 inches (20 cm) long. The males are small and thinner, growing only about 11 cm in length and have three ocelli. Males lack the thorny growths except for spikes around their heads. They have long wings and are good flyers who readily take to the air if disturbed or in search of females.
     feld and Sexy Moon repeated this.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 11-Jan-2024 06:24:35 JST kho

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     Known by various names, including Pacific cleaner shrimp, scarlet cleaner shrimp, and skunk cleaner shrimp, these shrimp play a vital role in coral reef ecosystems. Their common name is derived from the fact that a large portion of their diet is made up of dead tissue and parasites they remove from fish. They will set up a cleaning station on coral or a rock and wait for fish to stop by to be cleaned of dead tissue and parasites. These brightly colored shrimp have a red band on each side of their body separated by a white band down the middle of the back. As with members of the Order Decapoda, they have ten legs.
     
     Pacific cleaner shrimp have developed a symbiotic relationship with many marine fish, being compensated for their cleaning services with edible parasites and dead tissue from the mouths of their patients.
     
     Some scuba divers return to spots with cleaner shrimp to have their teeth cleaned by them regularly.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 12-Jan-2024 09:52:16 JST kho

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     If ever there was a beetle made for a circus, it would be the Luminescent Click Beetle. It may look like any other brown beetle to most, but this humble-looking insect can do a myriad of tricks other insects can't. Look for its long brown body and two yellowish-white spots, one each on the outer edges of the thorax, when trying to identify it.
     
     Like Fireflies, this beetle has light-producing organs. These organs are under the insect and give it a blue-green glow. Bioluminescence is not widespread in the insect world, so having it makes the Luminescent Click Beetle special. Because it is a member of Elateridae, it is able to snap a spine-like appendage against its chest which creates a 'click' or snapping noise as well as elevation. This feature allows the beetle to flip itself should it ever get turned onto its back. It also helps it quickly move away from threats like predators. The 'jump' can be quite high (about 10cm, or 6 inches) for such a small creature. This beetle can also fly, like all beetles. This collection of abilities makes the Luminescent Click Beetle extraordinary.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jan-2024 05:22:29 JST kho

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     The common green lacewing is a lime green, delicate insect, with translucent, intricately veined wings.
     
     There are 14 species of green lacewing in the UK and 29 species of brown lacewing. Probably the most familiar is the Common green lacewing, which is lime green, with large, delicately veined, translucent wings. It is commonly found in gardens and helps to keep pests under control as adults and larvae both feed on aphids. Lacewings are also widespread in parks, woods and meadows. Female lacewings lay their eggs on a thread of hardened mucus attached to a leaf, so they are suspended in the air. Adults will hibernate over winter, often in buildings.
     
     The Common green lacewing is a familiar garden insect with copper eyes, green, lacy wings, and a green body. It turns pinkish-brown in the autumn. However, the different species of green lacewing are very difficult to tell apart.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jan-2024 05:53:56 JST kho

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     The Vampire Crab (Geosesarma dennerle) is a small, very colorful, semi-terrestrial species that is native to Java, Indonesia. It inhabits forest areas near streams, rivers, and ponds. It spends most of its time on land, but also often submerges in freshwater, including when it molts. It is communal with its own species, and males typically are larger than females, and also have much larger claws.
     
     Like most crabs, the Vampire Crab is an omnivorous scavenger and an opportunistic hunter on occasion. It feeds on filamentous algae and detritus in the paludarium and will also readily accept high-quality dry foods that are rich in plant matter. Fresh and dried vegetables are also excellent food sources, as are insects, worms, and other invertebrates.
     
     Like most Geosesarma species, Vampire crabs are nocturnal and shy. However, from time to time you will also see them at dusk or even during the day.
     
     Their spectacular colors (bright purple claws, yellow eyes and violet purple to purplish- brown carapace with cream to yellowish-white spot on the back) explain their attraction to aquarists.
     
     Vampire crabs do not live long. They usually achieve a life expectancy of 2 years or slightly more.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 15-Jan-2024 03:35:26 JST kho

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     True to its name, the citrus flatid planthopper, Metcalfa pruinosa (Say), is found on citrus, but can be found on a wide variety of woody plants, many of which are used in the ornamental trade. This planthopper seldom causes economic damage to most plants except to those weakened by some other factor such as freeze damage.
     
     Usually, adults of Metcalfa pruinosa are 5.5 to 8 mm in length and 2 to 3 mm in width at the widest point. This species, along with certain other flatids, might be mistaken for a moth at first glance. Flatids have broadly triangular front wings that are held close to the body in a vertical position and give the insects a wedge-shaped, laterally compressed appearance from above. The front wings (tegmina) have a well-developed, transversely veined costal cell and a granulate clavus; the hind tibiae normally have two lateral spines in addition to those at the apex.
     
     Metcalfa pruinosa is common in eastern North America, ranging from Ontario and Quebec to Florida, west to the Great Plains states, south to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Mexico.
     Sexy Moon repeated this.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 16-Jan-2024 04:56:43 JST kho

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     Oribatid mites are a suborder of mites (Acari) found around the world; there are about 9.000 species described. Oribatids are considered mesofauna, due to their body size of 0.1 to 2 mm. Most species feed on fungi or dead plant material and detritus (saprophages). A few are necro-/coprophageous) and some (opportunistic) predators.
     
     Most adult oribatid mites are brown, but species range in color from nearly white, to yellow, to reddish-brown, to almost black. Males and females look very similar in most species, but the young mites rarely look like the adult mites. The females lay eggs and when the eggs hatch, the young mites (larvae) grow through three more stages before becoming adults. At each stage, they shed their outer body covering, called the exoskeleton. The external skeleton that supports and protects an animal’s body, in other words, the animals’ outer body covering. In can be very hard in oribatid mites as their bodies get bigger. Some oribatid mites carry this old exoskeleton around on their backs as a form of camouflage to protect them from predator mites.
     
     Oribatid mites occur from the tropics to the Antarctic in almost all terrestrial habitats and have even colonized the marine littoral, bogs and fresh waters. Numerous species are adapted to life on tree trunks, bark and lichens on trees.
     
     Many of the families have the ability to tuck their legs underneath their protective armour, called ptychoidy. This renders them immune from most predation, apart from being eating wholesale. The ability earned them the common name of box mites- like a closing box.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jan-2024 04:43:18 JST kho

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     The goliath beetles consist of 6 separate species, all found in Africa. Though the species differ slightly in size and diet, they are all generally large and sturdy beetles, with some form of black and white striped colouration across their body.
     
     Though the adult beetles are not particularly massive they can grow up to around 12cms (4.5 inches), and their larvae are considered the heaviest insect by weight in the world. Goliath beetle larvae can reach weights of up to 100 grams (3.5 oz) and grow up to 10 inches (250mm) in length.
     
     Thought to be one of the strongest insects in the world, goliath beetles can lift and move over 800 times their own body weight.
     
     Male goliath beetles use their fork shaped horns to wrestle one another, especially during the breeding season.
     
     Females lack these horns, and have more of a wedge shaped head which helps when burrowing to lay eggs.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 18-Jan-2024 06:17:36 JST kho

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     Curculio Occidentis, sometimes known as the filbert weevil, is a kind of weevil in the genus Curculio. Because of the harm they inflict to acorns, weevils are considered a pest by many kinds of oak trees. He’s barely 1/4 inch long and 1/8 inch wide when he’s dressed in “fur,” with huge black eyes, a long narrow nose, and elbowed antennae.
     
     Curculio Occidentis is indigenous to western North America. It is found in British Columbia, Canada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah in the United States, as well as Mexico.
     
     In a growing acorn, the female Curculio Occidentis lays little batches of two to four eggs. The larvae that form feed on the kernel and, when fully formed, tunnel out of the nut, fall to the ground, and excavate a little chamber for themselves. They may not pupate for one or two years.
     
     The filbert weevil is a common pest of oak acorns. The larvae of these insects live and feed in the acorn and can cause significant losses. There are currently no effective methods for control of these pests. Insect damaged acorns may also get secondary bacterial infections that cause drippy oak disease.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 19-Jan-2024 05:58:25 JST kho

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     Ant-nest beetles, which belong to the genus Paussus, are among the most bizarre and fascinating insects in the animal kingdom. By hacking the complex communication systems of ants, the beetles are able to not only live among the colony as royalty but simultaneously prey on its members and trick the ants into raising their young.
     
     Over the past few million years, these beetles have rapidly diversified in response to adopting new ant hosts, in a process known as adaptive radiation. Remarkably, this symbiosis has proved to be among the swiftest and most sophisticated examples of adaptive radiation in the animal kingdom.
     
     Ants communicate with one another through a complex system of stridulation (noise making by rubbing together different parts of their body) combined with chemical messaging. Paussus beetles also stridulate and produce chemicals. Their stridulation may mimic that of their host ants, and the chemicals they secrete from their antennae are powerfully attractive to ants. Somehow, the beetles are able to use these traits to interfere with the ants' own chemical communications and hijack the normal functioning of ant society.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 20-Jan-2024 09:04:28 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Ichneumonoidea Anomaloninae have slender bodies with the thorax generally coarsely punctate and the areolet of the forewing absent. Their faces are usually at least in part yellow. Anomaloninae characteristically fly with antennae forward, the gaster slightly raised, and back legs outstretched. Tasmanian species are medium to large-sized. Female Trichomma have noticeably hairy eyes and the ovipositor at near to, or around, the length of the hind tibiae. In other genera the ovipositor is around half the length. All Tasmanian species are internal parasites of lepidopterous larvae including some orchard pests.
     
     Ichneumon wasps differ from the wasps that sting in defense (Aculeata: Vespoidea and Apoidea) in that the antennae have more segments; typically 16 or more, whereas the others have 13 or fewer. Their abdomen is characteristically very elongated, unlike in their relatives the braconids.
     
     Simply but ambiguously, these insects are commonly called "ichneumons," which is also a term for the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon); ichneumonids is often encountered as a less ambiguous alternative.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 21-Jan-2024 06:10:40 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The comet moth belongs to the family Saturniidae, which encompasses a diverse group of silk moths. Discovered by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1847, it was named after Algernon Graves, a British collector, who named it comet moth due to its long and trailing hindwing tails that resemble a comet.
     
     The comet moth boasts remarkable physical features that contribute to its allure. With a wingspan of up to 20 centimeters, it is one of the world’s largest silk moths. The males possess elongated hindwing tails, reaching lengths of up to 15 centimeters, while the females have shorter and broader tails. These tails serve a purpose beyond aesthetics, as they play a role in mating rituals and defense against predators.
     
     Both males and females showcase vibrant colors on their wings, adorned with shades of golden yellow, brown, and maroon. Intricate patterns resembling eyespots and decorative lines help them blend into their natural surroundings, providing camouflage and protection from potential threats.
     
     The lifespan of the comet moth is relatively short, typically lasting only 10 to 12 days. This brief timeframe is due to their lack of functioning mouthparts. Consequently, adult comet moths do not feed at all, relying solely on the energy reserves accumulated during the larval stage.
     
     The comet moth’s silk cocoons are highly prized for their strength and durability. Local communities in Madagascar collect the cocoons and use the silk fibers to create various products, including textiles and fine art.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 22-Jan-2024 06:43:41 JST kho

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     Leafcutter ants practice advanced methods of sustainable agriculture, and operate under one of the most studied social caste systems in the natural world. Naturalist E.O. Wilson offered that leafcutters have perfectly evolved to address every small need necessary for their survival over their 50 million years in existence. Different ants are responsible for each step in the process of cultivation of fungi. According to their size, ants fulfill specific roles such as defenders of the colony, caretakers of the young, gardeners, foragers and leafcutters. Incredibly, there are even tiny ants that straddle the backs of larger worker ants and defend them from carnivorous flies. No survival task is left unassigned. Researchers marvel at the complex form of sustainable agriculture that the ants practice. Careful not to overuse a single vegetation source, leafcutters gather fragments from different plants and trees, minimizing the vegetation’s tendency to build up its defenses. Some ants are equipped with a bacterium that acts as a pesticide on a particular mold, the largest threat to their fungus gardens. The ants sparing use of this protectant has kept the mold from developing a resistance, allowing the bacterium to remain an effective defense over time.
     
     Found principally in Latin America and the Caribbean, leafcutter ants inhabit the forest floor and construct an underground web of chambers where they “farm” and harvest their staple food, fungus. They create underground fungus “gardens” by clipping and gathering fresh vegetation and injecting the pieces with a fungal secretion that digests the often poisonous plants into an edible and nutritious mushroom form.
     
     These ants consume more vegetation than any other animal group. Their own fungal secretion, which they inject into the leaves, can change poisonous plants into a nutritious meal.
     
     https://youtu.be/qE20FJINg1I?si=3i73zhg2gnbRIIUd
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 23-Jan-2024 10:57:11 JST kho

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     Found in three subspecies, the Fiery Skipper butterfly has a unique look in the sense that they are often mistaken for having only two wings, instead of four, because of their posture of sitting on their host flowers. These are small creatures with a body length of only about an inch or so.
     
     The mature larva is about 0.5 inches in size, with a white body marked with black spots and long spines. The orange head has two black horns, while there is also a yellow anal plate. They remain solitary or form small groups of 2 to 3 individuals.
     
     When the wings are open, the males show orange or yellow wings having dark spots all over, while the females have a dark brown base with yellow to orange spots. When the wings are closed, the same patterns are displayed, but in a much fainter contrast.
     
     These are common lawn pests: As a caterpillar, the fiery skipper creates brown spots in lawns that are about 2 inches long. Infestations may occur, showing multiple spots that link together in an irregular patch. Eggs are laid under grass leaves.
     Sexy Moon repeated this.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 24-Jan-2024 03:55:52 JST kho

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     Deinopis spinosa, commonly known as an ogre-faced spider or gladiator spider, is in the net-casting spider family (Family: Deinopidae) found in the southeastern United States, the Caribbean, and South America. Deinopis spinosa is strictly nocturnal, mimicking a dead twig during the daylight hours. After sunset, Deinopis spinosa uses a unique ‘net-casting’ foraging strategy to capture prey.
     
     The ogre-faced spider is a medium-sized spider (total body length of approximately 10-17mm) that gets its common name from its remarkably large forward-facing posterior median eyes. These eyes are the largest eyes of any spider, with huge photoreceptors (the parts of the eye that capture light) that provide exceptional sensitivity to help them hunt at night. The posterior median eyes of Deinopis spiders absorb about 2000 times more light than Phidippus jumping spiders, who are also known for their unusually large eyes but hunt during the day.
     
     At nightfall, Deinopis spiders abandon their sticklike camouflage to construct a non-sticky frame of silk from which they hang upside down. With their front three pairs of legs, they hold a rectangular capture web made from cribellate (woolly) silk. They actively manipulate this web and use it like a net to capture both walking and flying prey, which is successful about 50% of the time. Deinopis spinosa visually recognizes walking insects and subsequently captures them by propelling the capture net downward to entangle the prey.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 24-Jan-2024 09:29:53 JST kho

     in reply to

     • $k313t0n :archlinux:
     @sk313t0n no
     Sexy Moon likes this.
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     $k313t0n :archlinux: (sk313t0n@social.linux.pizza)'s status on Wednesday, 24-Jan-2024 09:30:03 JST $k313t0n :archlinux:

     in reply to

     @kho can you please mark any spiders as 'sensitive media'? i didn't really wanna see these tbh

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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 25-Jan-2024 06:20:10 JST kho

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     Lots of fly species are from the Midwest. One of these is the blue bottle fly, a fly that we commonly find inhabiting our home.
     
     The Blue Bottle Fly (Calliphora vomitoria) is an oval-shaped insect with a distinctive metallic blue or green hue. Colonizing both urban and rural areas, it is commonly found near decaying matter. They play a crucial role in decomposition as they lay their eggs in rotting organic matter. Blue Bottle Flies are often used in forensic entomology to estimate time of death.
     
     Adaptively, they have a strong sense of smell to locate carrion from a distance. Their larvae, or maggots, exhibit resistance to a wide range of temperatures, ensuring their development in various conditions.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 26-Jan-2024 10:25:20 JST kho

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     Sally Lightfoot crabs are brightly-coloured coastal scavengers, found in the Galapagos Islands and across the western coast of South and Central America. They have an extremely generalist diet, feeding on anything from sea lion placenta to other crabs. This makes them an important part of the ecosystem, as they provide services such as keeping the shore clean of any organic debris and eating ticks off marine iguanas. They are rumoured to have been named after a Caribbean dancer, due to their agility in jumping from rock to rock, their ability to run in four directions and their capacity to climb up vertical slopes. This extreme agility makes them very difficult to catch. Adult crabs show characteristic intense blue and red colouring on their shells, with a white or pale blue underbelly. Younger crabs have darker colouration with red spots, providing a higher degree of camouflage. Every time the crabs moult their shell, the spots become gradually larger, until they obtain the adult colouring.
     
     Female Sally Lightfoot crabs carry their eggs around with them on their stomachs until they hatch into the water. The larvae then swim out to deeper waters, where they consume phytoplankton and undergo a rapid series of moults. Eventually they undergo metamorphosis to become juvenile crabs and swim to shore, where they start to scavenge, becoming bigger and more colourful with each moult. These juveniles tend to travel in large groups until they reach maturity, after which they become largely solitary when not mating. When they are not mating or feeding, the crabs spend their time hiding in cracks in rocks. If they are disturbed, they may spray water or shed one of their legs as a defence mechanism.
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     Rusty Crab (rustycrab@clubcyberia.co)'s status on Friday, 26-Jan-2024 11:56:20 JST Rusty Crab

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     • binkle
     @binkle @kho my nigga
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     binkle (binkle@clubcyberia.co)'s status on Friday, 26-Jan-2024 11:56:21 JST binkle

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     • Rusty Crab
     @kho thoughts on this @RustyCrab
     kho likes this.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jan-2024 10:10:34 JST kho

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     Whiteflies are soft-bodied, winged insects closely related to aphids and mealybugs. Whiteflies are not true flies although they look fly-like. They actually belong to the same order of insects as scales, aphids, and mealybugs: the order Homoptera.
     
     Whitefly adults resemble tiny moths and are covered with a whitish powder. Species identification can be made by examining the wing markings. The first instar nymphs resemble scales, but they become a transparent yellow-green and settle once they reach the second and third instar stages.
     
     Whiteflies are “true bugs” (Hemiptera) that feed on plant sap, much like aphids. Adults are very small (1/16 - 1/10 inch) with powdery white wings. Females lay eggs directly on the undersides of plant leaves. The eggs hatch into tiny “crawlers” that walk a short distance before settling at a feeding location. These nymphs lose their ability walk, and remain in the same location for the rest of their development until they pupate and emerge as winged adults (Figure 1). The entire whitefly life cycle takes about 3 weeks under favorable conditions, allowing populations to build quickly. Whiteflies do not have a dormant stage that can withstand freezing temperatures. In climates that have winter freezes, such as Kentucky, whiteflies are year-round pests only in greenhouses.
     Sexy Moon repeated this.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 28-Jan-2024 03:41:03 JST kho

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     The Six Eyed Sand Spider (Sicarius hahni) is a medium-sized spider found in deserts and other sandy places in southern Africa. It is a member of the Sicariidae family and close relatives of this spider are sometimes found in both Africa and in South America. Its nearest relatives are the Recluse spiders (Loxosceles) which are found worldwide.
     
     The Six Eyed Sand Spider is also known as the six-eyed crab spider due to its flattened stance and laterigrade legs. The venom of this spiders bite is said to be the most dangerous on record.
     
     The Six Eyed Sand Spider is covered in small hairs, called setae (a stiff hair, bristle or bristle-like process or part of an organism), which serve to hold particles of sand. This provides effective camouflage even when the spider is not buried.
     
     The Six Eyed Sand Spider does not roam in search of prey, it simply lies in wait for an insect or scorpion to pass by. When one does, it seizes the prey with its front legs, kills it with venom and eats it. The Six Eyed Sand Spiders do not need to feed very often, an adult Six Eyed Sand Spider can live without food or water for a very long time.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 29-Jan-2024 03:56:10 JST kho

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     Braconid wasps are Mother Nature's way of keeping pests like hornworms under control. These parasitic wasps disrupt their host insect's development, effectively stopping the pest in its tracks. Braconid wasps are parasitoids, meaning they eventually kill their hosts.
     
     Although we're probably most familiar with the larger braconid wasps that live on hornworms, there are actually thousands of braconid wasp species throughout the world, each infecting and killing certain types of host insects. There are braconids that kill aphids, braconids that kill beetles, braconids that kill flies, and of course, braconids that kill moths and butterflies.
     
     Braconid wasps use a remarkable weapon to disable the defenses of their host insects – a virus. These parasitic wasps coevolved with polydnaviruses, which they carry and inject into the host insects along with their eggs. The polydnaviruses have no negative affects on the braconid wasps, and reside within cells in the wasp ovary.
     
     When the braconid wasp deposits eggs in a host insect, she also injects the polydnavirus. The virus is activated in the host insect, and immediately goes to work disabling the host's defenses against intruders (the intruders being the braconid wasp eggs). Without the virus running interference, the wasp eggs would quickly be destroyed by the host insect's immune response. The polydnavirus allows the wasp eggs to survive, and the wasp larvae to hatch and begin feeding inside the host insect.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 30-Jan-2024 05:15:57 JST kho

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     Arctia plantaginis, the wood tiger, is a moth of the family Erebidae. Several subspecies are found in the Holarctic ecozone south to Anatolia, Transcaucasus, northern Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan. One subspecies is endemic to North America.
     
     Wood tiger moths have coloring reminiscent of the tiger and are found in many parts of the world. In this new effort, the researchers took a closer look at how they ward off predators by collecting multiple specimens and bringing them back to the lab for study.
     
     Prior research had shown that the moths excreted fluid from glands on the backs of their necks—a good location for warding off birds, their main predator. Birds eat moths and catch them by grabbing them by the back of the neck. Anecdotal evidence had suggested that when birds grab a wood tiger moth, they tend to let it go, and have been seen trying to clean their beaks afterwards. Other anecdotal evidence also suggested that ants tend to avoid the moths, likely due to fluid excreted from the moth's anus.
     
     The moths produce different fluid deterrents to ward off different types of predators.
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     Rehn (rehnsturm256@shota.house)'s status on Tuesday, 30-Jan-2024 06:13:46 JST Rehn

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     @kho stinky moth :kannaPoint:

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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 31-Jan-2024 04:26:38 JST kho

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     Easter egg weevils are flightless beetles native to the oceanic islands of Southeast Asia, with their highest concentration of biodiversity in the Philippine archipelago. While they are found in a wide variety of ecosystems—from coastal forests to cloud forests at elevations up to 3,200 feet (1,000 meters)—their flightlessness restricts populations to their immediate environment. In places where multiple Pachyrhynchus species are present, they evolve to mimic each other.
     
     This type of mimicry, known as Müllerian mimicry, occurs when multiple unpalatable species evolve to share similar external characteristics to deter predators. And though these weevils do not secrete any toxins, their hard exoskeletons are nearly impenetrable to predators (and are even known to break or bend the pins scientists use to collect them.)
     
     While many insects get their warning hues from various pigments—which tend to fade over time—Easter egg weevils have structural coloration, or colorful scales embedded in their cuticles. These brightly colored patterns are made up of layers of tiny, angled discs that reflect light in different directions.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 01-Feb-2024 06:25:06 JST kho

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     The male and female Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) look very different from one another. The adult female has short wings and is big and heavy. The male has long wings and is small, light and active. The male is able to fly and will do so readily, but the female is unable to fly.
     
     In an 1886 observation from the journal "Science," entomologist Leland Ossian Howard noted that on placing a male mantis with a female, the female systematically proceeded to eat the male's left leg, left eye and right leg, and then decapitate and eat his head. The male, keep in mind, was attempting to mate with her the whole time -- which she eventually acquiesced to, with her headless and mostly legless partner. While Howard stressed that he'd never seen it before, he also rather breathlessly stated, "It seems to be only by accident that a male ever escapes alive from the embraces of his partner"
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 02-Feb-2024 03:37:21 JST kho

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     Melanoplus viridipes, the Green-legged Locust, is a species of spur-throated grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in North America.
     
     
     
     This is a short-winged grasshopper. The body length of males ranges from 17.5 to 18.5 mm. Females are larger, ranging in length from 21.5 to 25.5 mm.
     
     Adults are characterized by solid green forelegs and midlegs; black lateral stripe running the full length of the pronotum; and short wings covering less than half of the abdomen (this combination of characteristics is diagnostic). In addition, the lower half of side of the pronotum is white and the top of the pronotum is either all black or black with white patches.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 03-Feb-2024 03:58:52 JST kho

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     Biting midges can be a nuisance to campers, fishermen, hunters, hikers, gardeners, and others who spend time outdoors during early morning and evenings, and even during the daytime on cloudy days when winds are calm. They will readily bite humans; the bites are irritating, painful, and can cause long-lasting painful lesions for some people.
     
     A common observation upon experiencing a bite from this insect is that something is biting, but the person suffering cannot see what it is. Biting midges are sometimes incorrectly referred to as sand flies. Sand flies are insects that belong to a different biological group and should not be confused with the biting midges.
     
     Biting midges, primarily the species Culicoides sonorensis, are responsible for transmission of bluetongue virus to sheep and cattle in the U.S. Bluetongue is a serious disease of ruminants. Bluetongue viruses are found world-wide and are transmitted by different Culicoides species in different regions. Many countries that are bluetongue free prohibit the movement of livestock from bluetongue endemic regions. The annual economic damage in lost trade is in the millions of dollars.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 04-Feb-2024 12:26:38 JST kho

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     The samurai wasp is native to northeast Asia where brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) comes from. It was not intentionally released in North America, but got introduced accidentally, likely the same way as BMSB by being stowed away in shipping containers, planes or any other means of transportation.
     
     The samurai wasp is adapted to parasitize stink bugs only. It cannot attack any other species.
     
     These wasps are tiny, only 1/8 of an inch, about the size of a sesame seed. They cannot sting people and most people will never see them in nature. They track BMSB eggs flying around in tree canopies, hiding among leaves of crops or taking shelter under barks of trees. They are hard to find and see with the naked eye.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 05-Feb-2024 13:01:32 JST kho

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     The white-lined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata, is a common sphingid moth that occurs throughout most of North America, from southern Canada down to Central America. It does not survive our harsh winters but moves up from the south most springs.
     
     This is a large, stout-bodied moth with a furry brown body crossed by six white stripes. It has long, narrow, triangular forewings and shorter hindwings, with a wingspan of 2½ to 3½ inches. Each dark olive brown-colored forewing has a broad tan band going from the base to the tip of the wing, crossed by a series of thin white stripes along the wing veins. The black hindwings are bright reddish-pink in the middle.
     
     The adults are primarily nocturnal fliers but are sometimes seen during the day, too. With their large, plump bodies and relatively small wing surfaces, they must beat their wings very fast, compared to butterflies, in order to stay aloft. By beating their wings rapidly, these agile fliers are able to hover like a hummingbird in mid-air.
     
     In poor light they can easily be mistaken for hummingbirds as they hover at tubular flowers, sipping nectar with a long proboscis. They are especially attracted to scented flowers.
     
     The caterpillars are quite variable in color but all have a pointed horn at the back end. This horn may be yellow or orange, sometimes with a black tip. This is not a stinger and the caterpillar is harmless to humans.
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     Senator_Armstrong (senator_armstrong@seal.cafe)'s status on Monday, 05-Feb-2024 23:52:01 JST Senator_Armstrong

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     @kho sky whales
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 06-Feb-2024 04:27:47 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The banded woollybear, Pyrrharctia isabella, is famous for predicting the harshness of the coming winter weather (the wider the black bands, the harsher the winter). It is informally known as the woolly bear, woolly worm, weatherworm, black-ended Bear, and fuzzy wuzzy. The banded woollyworm is also the main feature of a Woollybear Festival each fall in Vermilion, Ohio and a Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk, North Carolina.
     
     Mature caterpillars are a little over an inch long and are covered with stiff hairs. Middle segments of the abdomen are covered with rusty red hairs and with black hairs at either end. As the caterpillars grow, black hairs are replaced with orange hairs so that the rusty red band is widest in mature banded woollybears. In fall, these caterpillars seek overwintering shelter under bark, leaf litter or a log, and can survive temperatures as low as -90 F. They overwinter either as caterpillars or they spin flimsy cocoons inside of which they overwinter as pupae.
     
     Male Isabella moths are buff with small black spots. Female Isabella moths have lovely pink hind wings.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 07-Feb-2024 03:39:39 JST kho

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     The Australian tiger beetle, Cicindela hudsoni, was clocked running at a remarkable 2.5 meters per second. That's the equivalent of 5.6 miles per hour and makes it the fastest running insect in the world. Running a close second is another Australian species, Cicindela eburneola, which ran an impressive 4.2 miles per hour.
     
     On its lower back, the larva has a pair of large, forward facing hooks, used to anchor the organism to the substrate. Further, it has mandibles for prey capture which originate below its eyes.
     
     The beetle's forewings are hardened to form a protective layer known as the elytra and are fused to the hindwings. The species has two large eyes that together make the head wider than the thorax, underneath which a pair of filiform antennae are attached. Surrounding the mouth is the labrum, onto which sharp projections and maxillae are attached next to a pair of sickle-like mandibles with both compound and simple teeth arranged along its length.
     
     It has been observed that at high speeds, tiger beetles experience temporary blindness when chasing prey. This is because the beetle cannot gather enough photons that reflect its prey to form an image of it, resulting in a stop-start mode of hunting made affordable by its high speeds. As a predator living in dry, saline environments, the C. hudsoni eats almost anything it can capture such as other beetles, caterpillars and ants while also taking advantage of other, larger meals as scavengers.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 08-Feb-2024 10:05:23 JST kho

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     Lauriea siagiani, also known as the pink hairy squat lobster or the fairy crab, is a species of squat lobster in the family Galatheidae, genus Lauriea. Despite its name, L. siagiani is not really a lobster, but instead belongs to a group of crabs called the Anomurans.
     
     They live on Giant Barrel Sponges and don’t usually like to get their photo taken. They’re a little bit shy. These squat lobsters are remarkably colored, with their intense pink body, purple spots, and bright yellow hairs that protrude in all directions. Lauriea siagiani has been recorded from Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
     
     Hair squat lobsters also use their tiny stature for mischief and steal their food from anemones – a risky affair, considering anemones wield toxins and are aggressively defended by their clownfish residents. They also instinctually wrap their tails up under themselves for protection, which gives them their distinctly squat appearance.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 09-Feb-2024 06:02:41 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Notonecta glauca, the common backswimmer, any of a group of insects (order Heteroptera) that occur worldwide and are named for their ability to swim on their backs, which are shaped like the keel and sides of a boat. The backswimmer uses its long oarlike legs for propulsion and has an oval-shaped head and an elongated body, generally less than 15 mm (0.6 inch) in length. It is a good example of countershading, as its light-coloured back, seen from below, blends into the water surface and sky. The rest of the body is darker and, when seen from above, blends with the bottom of the body of water in which it lives.
     
     Because the backswimmer is lighter than water, it rises to the surface after releasing its hold on the bottom vegetation. Once at the surface, it may either leap out of the water and fly or get a fresh supply of air, which is stored in a bubble under its wings and around its body, and dive again. The backswimmer is often seen floating on the water surface with its legs extended, ready to dart away if disturbed. It preys on insects, small tadpoles, and fishes, sucking their body fluids through its strong beak.
     
     When the backswimmer pierces his prey he emits a toxic saliva that subdues the prey, enabling him to suck out the prey's bodily fluids. When he attacks a human, or a dog, there is a painful reaction combined with a burning sensation, comparable to that of a bee sting.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 10-Feb-2024 03:53:16 JST kho

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     Joro spiders are big spiders about the size of the tip of your thumb. Their long skinny legs can reach a span of 3-4 inches. Instead of being all black or all brown like most spiders, their females are very colorful. Their backs are black with yellow stripes and a red splotch, there are red markings on the stomach as well. Joro spiders have striped legs, with bands of yellow and blue. Besides their color what makes them stand out is their giant golden webs. They are part of the orb-weaver family and can weave large intricate 3-D webs.
     
     In 2014 people reported seeing this unusual spider and their enormous webs in Georgia. Scientists confirmed that it was the East Asian Joro spider. It is unlikely they ballooned across the ocean to get here. Scientists think it is most likely that these spiders hitched a ride on a shipping container and started reproducing here. It is likely that they used the ballooning technique to disperse through Georgia and South Carolina.
     
     The majority of ballooning is done by spiderlings. A few days after hatching, large groups of baby spiders will take to the air. Their main purpose is to spread out and find new places to live but they also do it to avoid cannibalism from other spiders and to increase the availability of resources.
     
     Ballooning spiders operate within the planetary electric field. When their silk leaves their bodies, it typically picks up a negative charge. This repels the similar negative charges on the surfaces on which the spiders sit, creating enough force to lift them into the air. And spiders can increase those forces by climbing onto twigs, leaves, or blades of grass. Plants, being earthed, have the same negative charge as the ground that they grow upon, but they protrude into the positively charged air. This creates substantial electric fields between the air around them and the tips of their leaves and branches—and the spiders ballooning from those tips.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 11-Feb-2024 16:49:58 JST kho

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     Lol woops my pets got in the last one but whatever
     
     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Bull ants, a native of Australia, are unquestionably one of the world’s most remarkable ants and as far these species of ants go, they are the giants in every sense of the word. Being the largest in the country, there are not many ant species that can match up to bulldog ants.
     
     Aside from their striking size, the behavior is one of the things that make bull ants differ from other species. Being exceptionally aggressive, they are known to attack large ants and sink their teeth into humans for defending themselves. Their eyesight is simply incredible, and it lets them hunt their prey from distances up to 3 feet.
     
     Bull ants or bulldog ants are immensely known for their aggressive behaviour. Their sting is extremely powerful. And, the venom produced by them has the potential to cause anaphylactic shock in the victims that are allergic to ant stings. If the allergic reaction is severe, it can prove fatal, if left untreated.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 12-Feb-2024 13:18:06 JST kho

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     The Southern hawker is a large hawker dragonfly that is on the wing from the end of June through to October. A common dragonfly of ponds, lakes and canals in the lowlands, particularly near to woodland, it can be seen patrolling a regular patch of water when hunting, or often 'hawking' through woodland rides. Hawkers are the largest and fastest flying dragonflies; they catch their insect-prey mid-air and can hover or fly backwards.
     
     The Southern hawker is mostly black in colour. The male has lime green spots all along the body, pale blue bands on the last three segments of the abdomen, blue-green eyes, and large green patches on the thorax. The female is paler, with pale green spots and brownish eyes.
     
     This dragonfly is found in England and Wales, but slowly spreading into Scotland.
     
     They mate mid-flight before laying their eggs somewhere close by, ideally in the water. There are also proofs that show female hawkers fake their death to avoid male hawkers that they don’t consider worthy for mating.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 13-Feb-2024 08:08:49 JST kho

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     The zebra longwing butterfly or zebra heliconian, Heliconius charithonia, is unmistakable with its long narrow wings, which are striped black and pale yellow. This species is common in Mexico and Central America and it is also found in most of Florida and in some areas of Texas, where it can be seen year round. Occasionally it wanders farther north as far as South Carolina and some of the central states, although it is not likely to survive the cold. Florida designated this striking creature as its state butterfly in 1996.
     
     They fly slowly and gracefully and are not easily startled. They gather in roosts to spend the night returning to the same place daily; all this making it easy to observe them. After mating the female lays eggs on one of several species of passion flower plants Passiflora. The caterpillars feed on these plants and acquire some of their toxins; this makes them distasteful to predators. The striking colors and pattern of the adults advertise their toxicity.
     
     Most butterflies can only sip fluids with their specialized mouth parts, but the heliconian butterflies take some pollen as well as nectar. Their saliva enables them to dissolve the pollen and to take their nutrients. Pollen is very nutritious, rich in proteins, unlike nectar which contains almost no proteins, just sugars. This diet allows the butterflies to prolong their lives and also enables them to continue producing eggs for several months.
     
     Zebra longwing and other heliconians have a reputation for being very intelligent insects. They have a social order when roosting; the oldest ones choose the best places. They also gently nudge the others early in the morning to get going. Another interesting characteristic of heliconian butterflies is that they can remember their food sources and return daily to the plants where they fed previously, a behavior known as trap lining.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 14-Feb-2024 08:17:44 JST kho

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     Fulgora laternaria, also known by the name of alligator bug, peanut-headed lantern fly, peanut headed bug, lantern fly, jequitiranaboia, machaca, chicharra-machacuy, and cocoposa, Is a large species of neotropical plant-hopper.
     
     The insect has a very distinctive appendage on the head Which resembles a peanut in shape and is lined up with markings that resemble a grin. The appendage also has two prominent false eyes suggesting that it may allow the insect to mimic a reptile. F. Laternaria generally spends a majority of it’s time beautifully camouflage on a tree bark during the day.
     
     The appendage on the forehead likely resembles a reptile specifically a caiman, acting as a form of mimicry. Another related suggestion is that the elongate structures of lanternflies distract predators away from the true head, something that is also aided by the presence of large eye spots on the edges of the peanut-headed lanternfly’s wings, predators usually strike the head-fist.
     
     In order to attract a mate, the insect bops its head against the bark of a tree, creating vibrations which are perceived by any potential mates.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 15-Feb-2024 07:46:42 JST kho

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     Myrmarachne formicaria is an elongated jumping spider that takes the appearance of a small ant. The spider has long and slender legs just like those of an ant, and the banded forelegs are slightly thicker to resemble antennae. The cephalothorax has a depression to echo the segmentation in ants separating head from thorax. The abdomen is long with a narrow connection to the cephalothorax, reminiscent of an ant’s petiole. Surprisingly, in this species the pedipalps (normally a distinguishing character between males and females) are swollen in females, a trait usually seen only in males. Males on the other hand have enormous toothed chelicerae that stick right out of their faces.
     
     A recent study looked into the locomotion of Myrmarachne formicaria jumping spiders and found that they do not move like their peers. First of all, instead of jumping like most salticid spiders, they move forward in a series of short sprints. But they also move in a pattern that resembles the movement of ants following a pheromone trail, back and forth in a winding wave motion, instead of random strolling and stopping often we see in other spiders.
     
     Myrmarachne often wave their forelegs in the air to mimic the ants’ antennae, but the legs also hide their most recognizable feature, the bulging front eyes. Females seem to do a better job at this than males, transforming into ants right before our eyes.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 07-Mar-2024 08:08:17 JST kho

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     The Pale Tussock moth is a common species throughout much of the southern half of England, becoming scarcer in northern regions.
     
     The species is also recorded in Northern Ireland and throughout much of continental Europe.
     
     The moths are nocturnal and fly in a single generation from late spring to early summer when mainly the males in are attracted to light.
     
     Males have a wing length of up to 22mm and have comb-like antennae.
     
     When settled the moths extend their hairy front legs out in front.
     
     The caterpillars are between 40-45mm in length and feed on a wide variety of deciduous trees as well as many other plants such as bramble and hops.
     
     They were once commonly found on hops growing in the south east of England where the pickers referred to them as Hop Dogs. The hairs of the caterpillars were reputed to have caused quite severe allergic skin reactions among the pickers.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 07-Mar-2024 08:08:18 JST kho

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     Gribble - any of the approximately 20 species of wood-boring, marine crustaceans constituting the genus Limnoria, in the order Isopoda. They feed on algae, driftwood, and the submerged wood of docks and wharves and sometimes attack the nonwoody insulation of submarine cables.
     
     Limnoria lignorum, which occurs throughout the seas of the Northern Hemisphere, grows to 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length and has a gray body consisting of 14 clearly defined segments. It burrows about 12 mm into wood. L. tripunctata occurs in the Atlantic Ocean from New England (U.S.) to Venezuela and in the Pacific Ocean from California to Mexico. It even penetrates wood that has been impregnated with creosote, an offensive chemical that repels most wood-boring invertebrates. L. pfefferi is found in the Pacific and Indian oceans; L. saseboensis is found on the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States and on the coast of Japan.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 07-Mar-2024 08:08:18 JST kho

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     Thwaitesia argentiopunctata known as the sequined spider, mirror spider, or twin-peaked Thwaitesia is a species of spider found in all the states of Australia. Body length is around 3 mm (0.12 in) for males, 4 mm (0.16 in) for females. The abdomen is attractively patterned with cream, green, yellow and red.
     
     The scales look like solid pieces of mirror glued to the spider's back, but they can actually change size depending on how threatened the spider feels. The reflective scales are composed of reflective guanine, which these and other spiders use to give themselves color.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 07-Mar-2024 08:08:24 JST kho

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     The jewel moth is a member of the family of Dalceridae moths. Caterpillars of these moths are known for their beauty, which is comparable to a jewel, thus nicknamed ‘Jewel Caterpillar’.
     
     Feeding on different types of plants such as those in the citrus family, Jewel Caterpillars are native to Central America.
     
     They live in or around moist forests of Mexico, or Guatemala and they can be abundant by not necessarily truly harmful to their host trees or plants.
     
     When the wings are opened, they are buff with a narrow brown submarginal line. When the wings are closed, there is a brown mix between the outer margin and the inner brown line.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 07-Mar-2024 08:08:27 JST kho

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     Arthropods missed while SPC was down:
     
     Clown Isopods
     Sawfly
     Man-faced Stinkbug
     Lily Leaf Beetle
     Death-head Hawkmoth (silence of the lambs)
     Mountain Katydid
     Owl Butterfly
     Indian Domino Cockroach
     Steel-blue Cricket Hunter Wasp
     Tailed Emporer
     Porcelain Crabs
     Rhododendron Leafhopper
     Crystal Red Shrimp
     Triatomine (Kissing) Bugs
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 07-Mar-2024 08:09:09 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF YESTERDAY 🚨
     
     The peekytoe crab, otherwise known as the Atlantic rock crab, is a cold-water species. It is named as such because of its brown coloration with purple spots on its shell. “Peekytoe” is a nickname given to the crab because of the pointed shape of its legs.
     
     This crab is moderately sized with a diameter of about 5.25 inches (2.4 meters) long.
     
     Peekytoe crabs used to be considered pests by fishermen, getting caught in the nets of lobster fishermen. They were thrown back as annoying bycatch until about 1997 when they became a common crab sought after by cooks.
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     Ricotta :windmilloffriendship: (ricotta@yggdrasil.social)'s status on Thursday, 07-Mar-2024 08:26:42 JST Ricotta :windmilloffriendship:

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     @kho UOOOOOHHHH KANI! 😢 😢 😢
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 08-Mar-2024 11:30:06 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Schizodactylidae is a family of orthopteran insects found in Asia and southern Africa, known as dune crickets or splay-footed crickets. They are usually found in desert and sandy areas.
     
     Entomologists who first came across this insect in the early 19th century categorised it as just another species of the cricket family. It was years later that detailed studies were undertaken that established that although it belonged to the order Orthoptera (which includes the grasshoppers and crickets), it was not of the ‘true’ cricket family, as thought earlier.
     
     Schizodactylus monstrosus, although known to very few, is among the most common in India. When noticed, the most frequent reaction the insect invites on itself is a stomp of the shoe. Not unlikely because manhandled, it bites ferociously.
     
     These insects have an important role in the desert ecosystems. The adults as well as the nymphs are exclusively carnivorous, preying on beetles, grasshoppers, and other small insects for food. Survival of the fittest is the operant principle in the life of these ferociously cannibalistic creatures, which are even seen to pounce on each other when they come out of their burrows in search of food. In the desert food chain, these crickets are fodder for reptiles like snakes and lizards and birds such as partridges (chukar), falcons and whistling ducks.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 09-Mar-2024 06:39:36 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Spike-headed katydid, or Panacanthus, is one of the conehead katydids. With a length of just 3 inches, it is considered one of the most fearsome animals on the planet among the 6,500 species of katydids.
     
     There are about 7 types of spiny devil katydid. The common feature of these types is that their bodies are covered with spikes, from their head to their thorax to their legs. These spikes help them easily blend into their environments to hide from predators.
     
     In the Ecuadorian Amazon region near Puerto Misahualli, you can find spike-headed katydids residing in the lush tropical rainforest.
     
     These insects are equipped with formidable mouthparts that allow them to feed on their food, despite the absence of teeth. Their jaws are so powerful and sharp that they can easily pierce your skin. But don’t worry, they do not pose any significant harm.
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     pivo (pipivovott@post.ebin.club)'s status on Saturday, 09-Mar-2024 08:26:36 JST pivo

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     @kho video game boss looking ass
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 10-Mar-2024 03:41:01 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Trapdoor Spiders are a medium-sized mygalomorph (an infraorder of spiders), spiders that construct burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation and silk.
     
     Trapdoor spiders make up the family Ctenizidae of the order Araneae. The species is common in the southwestern United States.
     
     A Trapdoor spider does not have a web like other spiders do. It has a trapdoor on top of a burrow. A Trapdoor spiders burrow is around 30 centimetres deep and 5 centimetres across. Sometimes they like to make their burrows beside creeks or rivers so they can catch little fish.
     Trapdoor spider colony - Image source
     Trapdoor spider colony – Image source
     
     The trapdoor that these spiders construct is difficult to see when it is closed because of the plant and soil materials that effectively camouflage it. The trapdoor is hinged on one side with silk.
     
     The spiders, who are usually nocturnal, typically wait for prey while holding onto the underside of the door with the claws on their tarsi (the cluster of bones in the foot between the tibia and fibula and the metatarsus).
     
     Prey is captured when insects or other arthropods venture too close to the half-open trapdoor at night. The spider detects the prey by vibrations and when it comes close enough, the spider jumps out of its burrow and captures it. Female Trapdoor spiders never travel far from their burrows.
     
     A Trapdoor spiders enemies include wasps, scorpions and people. If a wasp finds the burrow it will quickly run into the spiders burrow and sting the spider. The only way to save itself is for the spider to hold the door with its fangs.
     
     The wasp usually wins, because it cuts the lid of the burrow with its sharp fangs. When they have stung the spider the wasps lay their eggs (usually one per spider) on its body. Other predators of Trapdoor Spiders can include birds, bandicoots, centipedes, scorpions, parasitic wasps and flies.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 15-Mar-2024 07:07:01 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The red-spotted purple, Limenitis arthemis astyanax (Fabricius), is a beautiful forest butterfly that is also commonly seen in wooded suburban areas. It is considered to be a Batesian mimic of the poisonous pipe vine swallowtail, Battus philenor (Linnaeus), with which it is sympatric.
     
     The wing spread of adults is 3.0 to 3.5 inches (Daniels 2003). The upper surface of the front wings are black with thin marginal white dashes and submarginal, rows of oblong white and orange spots. The upper surfaces of the hind wings are black with iridescent blue patches and spots on the distal half. The undersides of the wings are brownish black with iridescent blue areas and with large orange basal spots, a row of bright orange spots, and two rows of curved iridescent blue dashes near the margins of the wings. The undersides of both wings have a row of curved marginal white dashes.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 16-Mar-2024 10:02:58 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Pulchriphyllium bioculatum, Seychelles leaf insect, Javanese leaf insect, or Gray's leaf insect, is a leaf insect of the family Phylliidae native to tropical Asia as well as Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles. It was first described by George Robert Gray in 1832 and was the first phasmid he discovered. Leaf insects have extremely flattened, irregularly shaped bodies, wings, and legs. They are usually about 5–10 cm long (2–4 in long). They are called leaf insects because their large, leathery forewings have veins that look similar to the veins on the particular type of leaves they inhabit. Its scientific name bioculatum means "two-eyed" and refers to the two dots located on the abdomen just in this species.
     
     Both females and males occur in shades of green, yellow, and orange. Males range from 2.6 to 3.7 inches (66 to 94 mm). The organism's forewings and camouflage are used for defense. The species also has hind wings which are used for flying by males, but are unused by females. Young Pulchriphyllium bioculatum are about 2 cm (0.79 in) long, dark red in colour and have reflex immobility. The species molts 5–6 times in a lifetime.
     
     They are slow-moving herbivores and rely on their camouflage and fore wings for defense from predators including birds, amphibians and reptiles. The females live from 4 to 7 months and males from 3 weeks to 1 month.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 17-Mar-2024 06:29:16 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     In terms of size, there are only very few species of jumping spiders that come close to the Hyllus Giganteus. Although the regal jumping spider also features an intimidating size, it is still a few inches smaller than the Hyllus Giganteus.
     
     To put things simply, the Hyllus Giganteus measures between 15 to 25 inches in length.
     
     Like other jumping spiders, Hyllus Giganteus are brilliant hunters who can effectively fend for themselves in the wild.
     
     And because they can jump almost eight times their average body length, our furry friends can stalk and take out their prey with precision jumps.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 17-Mar-2024 07:22:51 JST kho

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     • perfect brains
     @perfect_brains
     
     https://spideranatomy.com/largest-jumping-spiders/
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     perfect brains (perfect_brains@social.freetalklive.com)'s status on Sunday, 17-Mar-2024 07:22:52 JST perfect brains

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     @kho

     "To put things simply, the Hyllus Giganteus measures between 15 to 25 inches in length."

     I don't see any evidence they get that large. Do you have a link?

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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 17-Mar-2024 10:11:32 JST kho

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     • perfect brains
     @perfect_brains sorry you are right!!! Thanks for catching
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     perfect brains (perfect_brains@social.freetalklive.com)'s status on Sunday, 17-Mar-2024 10:11:33 JST perfect brains

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     @kho

     :Their large size can range from 18 to 25 millimeters (0.71 to 0.99 inches) in length.:

     you wrote inches.
     but it is really millimeters
     big difference

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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 17-Mar-2024 23:51:16 JST kho

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     • m0n5t3r
     @m0n5t3r yeah lol the source I copied it from had inches and I just fired it off without noticing. Was rushed lazy posting while on vacation sry
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     m0n5t3r (m0n5t3r@ps.m0n5t3r.info)'s status on Sunday, 17-Mar-2024 23:51:17 JST m0n5t3r

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     @kho wrong unit of measurement, lol (it's 15-25 mm, not inches - 25 inches would make it the size of an average dog, and their jumping mechanics don't work at that size)
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     m0n5t3r (m0n5t3r@ps.m0n5t3r.info)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 00:41:54 JST m0n5t3r

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     @kho a 25 inch jumping spider would be intimidating, ngl :D
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 07:30:53 JST kho

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     **correction to yesterday's post: the Hyllus Giganteus measures between 15 to 25 MILLIMETERS in length.
     
     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The holly blue is a tiny blue butterfly that has a scattered distribution around Ireland. It is largely confined to the relatively scarce patches of native woodland that still support both holly and ivy. It is also found in urban and suburban gardens or parkland where these plants feature prominently.
     
     This attractive little insect exhibits a pronounced north-south divide when it comes to its life-cycle. From Dublin southwards populations of the holly blue are double brooded, producing two generations in a single summer. Females from the spring brood lay their eggs at the base of the developing flowers and fruits of holly trees, while those of the summer brood lay their eggs in similar locations on ivy. North of Dublin holly blue populations are single-brooded and produce only a single generation in a season. In these single-brooded populations holly is generally the sole food plant for caterpillars.
     
     Adults feed on the nectar from flowers of both holly and ivy, oozing sap, aphid honeydew and carrion juices. They are most likely to be seen sunning themselves high up near the tops of holly and ivy bushes.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 11:51:44 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The diabolical ironclad beetle is like a tiny tank on six legs.
     
     This insect’s rugged exoskeleton is so tough that the beetle can survive getting run over by cars, and many would-be predators don’t stand a chance of cracking one open. Phloeodes diabolicus is basically nature’s jawbreaker.
     
     The diabolical ironclad beetle, which dwells in desert regions of western North America, has a distinctly hard-to-squish shape. “Unlike a stink beetle, or a Namibian beetle, which is more rounded … it’s low to the ground [and] it’s flat on top,” says David Kisailus, a materials scientist at the University of California, Irvine. In compression experiments, Kisailus and colleagues found that the beetle could withstand around 39,000 times its own body weight. That would be like a person shouldering a stack of about 40 M1 Abrams battle tanks.
     
     This toughness makes the diabolical ironclad beetle pretty predator-proof. An animal might be able to make a meal out of the beetle by swallowing it whole, Kisailus says. “But the way it’s built, in terms of other predation — let’s say like a bird that’s pecking at it, or a lizard that’s trying to chew on it — the exoskeleton would be really hard” to crack.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 22-Mar-2024 01:55:07 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE YESTERDAY 🚨
     
     Calappa calappa, also known as the smooth box crab or red-spotted box crab, is a tropical marine species of crab with an Indo-Pacific distribution, and showing great variability in its patterning and colouration. First described as Cancer calappa by Linnaeus in 1758 from a specimen originating from Ambon Island, and later in 1781 as Cancer fornicatus by Fabricius, it was finally placed in the genus Calappa by Lancelot Alexander Borradaile in 1903. The name calappa is associated with kelapa, the Malay word for 'coconut'.
     
     Occurring in the intertidal zone to a depth of 50 m, this species has a carapace of about 15 cm, indistinctly rugose on the anterior half, with wavy lines edging the posterior. It is active during the night hours, and is able, when threatened, to swiftly burrow beneath the sand. It feeds mainly on mollusks such as clams, steadying them with its legs and then, using its pincers, either prising the valves apart or breaking them.
     
     This species can be found in Mombasa, Seychelles, Aldabra Island, Madagascar, Mauritius, Andamans, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Palau, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Shark Bay, Abrolhos Islands, New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands, Marquesas, Society Islands.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 22-Mar-2024 01:55:35 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The dietary habits of most spiders don’t help their creepy reputation. They eat by injecting venom and digestive enzymes into their prey, waiting for the insides to dissolve and sucking it out.
     
     But not this guy. The feather-legged orb weaver is a member of the Uloboridae family, the one North American spider family without any venom at all.
     
     Its webs resemble cotton candy, and entangles prey rather than traps it with a sticky glue, Bradley says. The orb weaver uses the silk and its powerful legs to squeeze dinner to death, then sticks its hollow fangs inside, spits digestive enzymes with its mouth and sucks the emulsified insides back out.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Sunday, 24-Mar-2024 03:57:43 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Leptoglossus clypealis, the western leaf-footed bug, is a species of leaf-footed bug in the family Coreidae. It is found in Central America and North America. Adult L. clypealis are 18–19 millimetres (0.71–0.75 in) in length. They are brown with flared, leaf-like expansions near their feet and a pale band across their wings.
     
     L. clypealis is commonly found on juniper, but can be a pest to agricultural crops. In the 1980s, Hasan Bolkan discovered that the leaf-footed bug was a cause of lesions on commercially produced pistachio crops.
     
     The common name "Western Leaf-footed Bug" is confusing, as it is also sometimes applied to L. zonatus, and the Latin name for the "Western Conifer Seed Bug" is L. occidentalis actually means "western"; moreover, this species is not limited to the "West".
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Monday, 25-Mar-2024 11:45:37 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     They are known as processionary caterpillars as the form a long, nose to tail procession, in search of soft ground to bury themselves in, and pupate into moths. These processions are formed when they leave their cocoon, high in a host pine tree. They are common throughout warmer areas of Southern Europe.
     
     During their search for soft ground, they form processions with up to 300 caterpillars, nose to tail. Their natural defense system is in the very fine hairs, which contain an extremely potent irritant, that can cause severe rashes on human skin. When threatened, they can also eject these hairs which have a tiny hook on the end making them difficult to dislodge.
     
     Dogs and Cats can be particularily curious, both by the caterpillars appearance and their bittersweet smell and contact with the caterpillars can cause severe reactions - and even death.
     
     Studies show that during these head to tail processions, stimuli associated with setae found on the tip of the abdomen of the precedent caterpillar serve to hold processions together and such stimuli take priority over those associated with either the trail pheromone or silk. A caterpillar can be readily induced to follow a model made by attaching the integument of the abdomen of a killed caterpillar to a wooden dowel .
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Tuesday, 26-Mar-2024 08:36:54 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     The Golden Birdwing, or Troides aeacus, is a sizable butterfly that's part of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae. These are found throughout East, South, and Southeast Asia tropical forests and reside in various regions, which include Northern India, Nepal, Burma, China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, peninsular Malaysia, and Indonesia, usually in the range of 300 to 2000 meter above the sea level. In most areas, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categorizes them as Least Concern species. Recently dubbed India's largest butterfly with a wingspan of 194mm, the Golden Birdwing dethroned the former record holder that had been documented by British army officer Brigadier Evans in 1932.
     
     As a large species, they tend to favor open or sparse areas within the forest, which allows for ample room during flight. They can fly very high and are seen flying above the forest canopy. They also fly close to the ground too for nectarine. These striking butterflies can often be spotted near a flower's corolla where they blend in with fluffy pollen-covered hairs. This helps them with pollination. They feed on plants without causing significant disturbance. However, if you notice their numbers growing rapidly, it's essential to treat it with some gravity.
     
     Both the caterpillars and adults of the Golden Birdwing species are generally toxic. They primarily feast on plants from the Aristolochia genus which contain aristolochic acid—a substance notoriously carcinogenic and nephrotoxic. This toxin can accumulate in adult worms and make them poisonous. However, humans shouldn't worry too much; these toxins mainly affect their prey and predators. Though ingesting such toxins could still harm humans on some level.
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     kho (kho@shitposter.club)'s status on Wednesday, 27-Mar-2024 06:50:59 JST kho

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     🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨
     
     Helophilus latifrons, the Broad-headed Marsh Fly, is a species of syrphid fly observed throughout the United states, in lower Canada and the mountains on Mexico. Hoverflies can remain nearly motionless in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found on flowers from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein rich pollen. The larvae are aquatic feeding on decaying vegetation.
     
     The soft fuzz and black-and-yellow stripes of this flower fly help it mimic bees and wasps.
     
     It was once very common, but its numbers have declined significantly, as much as 80% to 90%. However, it is still widespread and relatively common. It is the most common Helophilus species in Minnesota. The larvae, known as rat-tailed maggots, are aquatic and feed on decaying vegetation.