Bugs Exam #2
Holometabolous
(of an insect) undergoing complete metamorphosis
How can you tell the difference between Asian Longhorn Beetle and Whitespotted Sawyer?
ALB- striped antennae and black spot between where the wings meet, ¾ - 1 ½ inch long, shiny black, bright white spots, long antennae, banded black and white, and black scutellum. Whitespotted- ¾ - 1 inch long, dull or bronzy-black, may be mottled with whitish patches, long faintly banded antennae, white scutellum.
Tiger beetles are active hunters, and can be beautifully colored. In addition, which of the following is not true about these amazing creatures?
All species lack wings
How do Antlions hunt their prey?
Ambush prey. Some species produce funnel traps that prey "fall" into and then are consumed by buried larvae.
Ootheca-
An ootheca is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species including mollusks, mantises, and cockroaches.
How are termite and ants different genetically?
Antennae are straight and bead-like for termites versus elbowed for ants. Winged termites have equal-sized wings, versus winged ants where wings are diff sizes. Ants have strongly constricted waist, versus termites that have broad waists.
How do ants communicate?
Ants communicate with pheromones and hydrocarbons to identify nest-mates/enemies
How do Army ants differ from other ants?
Army ants do not form permanent colonies, workers transport queen and all larvae with them. Two phases 1)nomadic where a new "nest" is formed everyday by workers linking together 2)stationary where the linked workers remain stationary while the queen lays eggs.
Soldiers:
Between 1 to 15% of a colony are soldiers. Soldiers are both sterile males and females, lack eyes and wings (like workers) but have enlarged heads and mandibles. Some species use their hardened heads as a "shield" to prevent entry into nests, require workers for food.
How do backswimmers( light on top/dark bottom)and water boatmen(dark on top/light bottom) control their buoyancy(float)?
Both have highly modified limbs that allow them to swim through the water. Both groups hold air bubbles under their wings, and can use them for oxygen for several hours.
Secondary reproductives:
Both males and females that can reproduce and provide additional workers/soldiers for the colony.
What is different about how Bumble Bees and Honey Bees overwinter?
Bumble Bees: nests include wax pots in which larvae are reared and pollen or nectar stored. BB live primarily in temperate regions and are adapted to colder climates. BB "buzz pollination" required by tomatoes and peppers- very important pollinator species. Honey Bees: nest in tree cavities with 15-75 L of space and a small opening. Colonies are perennial with up to 50,000 bees in a colony-queens and workers overwinter. Nest are built with vertical wax chewed into hexagonal shapes.
what disease is transmitted by Kissing Bugs?
Chagas Disease- most people are symptom free or have fever like symptoms, swollen glands, and/or local swelling where the parasite entered the body. 20-40% of infected will develop chronic Chagas (life threatening heart and/or digestive disorders)
What are the loudest insects?
Cicadas
Praying mantids get their name from the greek work for "prophet." Mantids are closely related to this much less elegant group of insects.
Cockroaches
What Order of insects has the most Described species?
Coleoptera. Means "sheated" and "wing" in Greek. 350,000 describes species, ⅓ of all described insect species.
What are predators of Mantids?
Commonly eaten by birds, mammals, and other larger vertebrates. Bats hunt mantids at dusk (when they are most likely to be flying)
How do Honey Bees communicate? How is this different than ants?
Communicate with "waggle dances" while ants communicate with pheromones
While most species of mantids are cannibalistic -- females especially -- not all females will decapitate males during mating. For those that do, which of the following is true?
Decapitate males are more likely to successfully fertilize eggs
Which taxonomic group is the most important for breaking down dead plant material?
Decomposers, termites are the most important
What are the different casts in Termite and Ant colonies?
Distinct casts: reproductives (queen and king) secondary reproductives, winged reproductives (future queens and kings) workers (most members of a colony) soldiers.
What is different about where subterranean and drywood termites nest?
Drywood nest IN WOODS, very resistant to drying out and acquire moisture from metabolizing wood products. SMaller colonies than subterranean, produce "wood pellet" waste. Much more difficult to control bc nests are IN building. Subterranean build colonies in damp soil and tunnel looking for buried wood (fallen branches or construction debris) and wood in contact w soil (fallen trees/ branches or house footings)
Polyphagous
Eating many types of food. (of an herbivorous insect) Having many host plants.
Tymbal
The tymbal is the corrugated exoskeletal structure used to produce sounds in insects.
Why do male Dobsonflies have larger mandibles than females?
Their mandibles are sickle-shaped and used to hold onto females during mating.
In one of the most famous quotes in science, the geneticist J.B.S. Haldane noted an "inordinate fondness for beetles." Why was this?
There are more species of beetles than any other multicellular animal order
How do bed bugs mask their feeding?
They inject saliva that has anesthetics to prevent their host from knowing they've been bitten.
Antlion larvae have a very interesting method for catching prey. Which of the following is it?
They make funnel traps that are lined with loose sand, insects that all into the traps then fall into their waiting mandibles.
Colony collapse disorder is affecting millions of honey bees and as a result the agricultural output of thousands of farmers who need honey bees to pollinate their crops. Which of the following is not true about colony collapse disorder?
This is the first time that honey bee colony collapse has been observed
Members of the Hemiptera are among the most important (I'm biased) plant pests. While today many of these plant pests are introduced to the US from Asia, this wasn't always the case. In the 1860's an aphid that feeds on native grape plants in North America (Phylloxera) was accidentally introduced to Europe causing almost complete losses to the European wine industry. What was the solution?
European grape vines were grafted to North American grape roots
How do water striders skate?
Tiny hairs on legs allow water striders to "skate" across the surface of the water
what happened to the American Burying Beetle?
Was once found in 35 states, now only in a handful. Captive rearing programs introductions have been attempted in MA and other Northeastern states. Reasons for decline are unknown, though habitat destruction, and reductions in small mammals possible.
What type of ant has been promoted in agriculture for almost 1,000 years?
Weaver ants- nest in trees and are very aggressive, chinese farmers have promoted weaver ants in agriculture for 1000 years to control pests.
Which of the following is not true about termite queens?
When colonies get too large and resources are scarce, a new queen is born and the old queen will leave to start a new colony somewhere else
What medical problems are caused by the Paederus Beetle?
When crushed against (usually by accident) acute dermatitis is caused after 24-36 hours. Heavily blistering usually follows, with symptoms clearing after 2-3 weeks. They produce toxic chemicals.
What animals do Mantids feed upon?
Feed on insects, reptiles, rodents, small birds, and fish.
How are termite and ant queens different (morphologically)?
While both species have four wings, termite wings are uniform in size. Winged ants have noticeably larger wings in the front than the pair in the back.Termites antennae are almost straight where the ant's antennae is elbowed. Termite wings are twice as long as their body.
How is Emerald Ash Borer spread?
First noted in Detroit in 2002 but likely invaded in the 1990s. Has killed 100 million ash since introduction. Primarily moved in infested firewood.
The cotton boll weevil had which of the following distinctions:
For almost 70 years more insecticides have been applied for its control than any other insect
After a brief swarming flight (that may include thousands of winged termites) a hopeful termite queen will locate a suitable site to build her nest. After which she might do all of the following except?
Forage for food after building the nest.
Where is Asian Longhorn Beetle a problem in Massachusetts?
Found in Worcester, MA. 35,000 trees killed in Worcester County. No wood products are allowed to in or out of worcester County w/o certification.
Haplodiploidy
Haplodiploidy is a sex-determination system in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, and females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid.
Praying mantids have long spiny forelegs used to capture prey. Which of the following is not a mantid adaptation to help capture prey?
Hardened Tegmina to protect hind-wings
Winged Reproductives:
future queens and kings that will leave the nest to form new colonies.
What are the functions of a gall (for the insect)?
galls provide nutrients and protection for developing larvae
Elytra
hardened forewing of certain insect orders, notably beetles and a few of the true bugs
Hypermetamorphosis
is a term used in entomology that refers to a class of variants of holometabolism, that is to say, complete insect metamorphosis, but where some larval instars are distinct from each other.
Quorum Sensing
is the regulation of gene expression in response to fluctuations in cell-population density. Quorum sensing bacteria produce and release chemical signal molecules called autoinducers that increase in concentration as a function of cell density.
Workers:
most individual termites in a colony are workers. Responsibilities include- foraging, nest construction, care for young (and the queen). Workers do not have eyes or wings, soft bodied (compared to soldiers), are equal proportions of sterile males and females, may live up to 1-2 years, some species are nymphs and then become soldiers or reproductives based on colony needs.
Super Organisms
most often to describe a social unit of eusocial animals, where division of labour is highly specialised and where individuals are not able to survive by themselves for extended periods.
Shelter Tubes
or working tubes are the most common tubes that termites use to travel from soil to wood. They're about ¼ to ½ inch wide and vary in length.
Eusocial
organism population in which the role of each organism is specialized and not all of the organisms will reproduce
Spittle
saliva/bubbles which covers spittlebugs, providing them with protection from predators and air if needed
Boring insects
serious pests that can severely endanger tree health and kill a tree. ... Many of the boring insects that attack trees are in the insect order Coleoptera or beetle family of insects
Kin Selection
the idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection
Conservation Biological Control
various means to modify or manipulate the environment to enhance the activities of natural enemies of pests
The stationary phase
which lasts about two to three weeks, begins when the larvae pupate. From this point on, the prey that were previously fed to the larvae are now fed exclusively to the queen.The abdomen (gaster) of the queen swells significantly, and she lays her eggs. At the end of the stationary phase, both the pupae emerge from their cocoons (eclosion) and the next generation of eggs hatch so the colony has a new group of workers and larvae. After this, the ants resume the nomadic phase.
What life stage of ladybugs is must beneficial to have in gardens?
Larvae are most effective predators for gardens/farms (they can't fly away)
What distinction does the Boll Weevil have?
Larvae lack legs. Native to Northern Mexico, invaded the southeastern US in the 1890s. Population decimated cotton fields until beginning of the 1970s.
Why has Sirex noctilio become such a problem in the Southern Hemisphere?
Larval feeding and associated fungus can kill stressed pine trees. Has become a major problem in pine plantation.
How is Spotted Lanterfly transported?
Lay eggs on sides of trailers, trucks, logs, stones, etc (items easily moved by people)
Why do leaf cutter bees cut leaves and mason bees collect mud?
Leaf cutter :make semicircle cutouts from leaves, and place leaves inside cylindrical holes in wood. "Bee houses" can be put up to promote leafcutter bees, they are fantastic native pollinators. Mason bees: use mud to make individual "cells" for each egg. Bee "homes" of different sized tubes can be made to attract leafcutter and mason bees.
What are magnetic termite mounds? How are they different from "tower" mounds?
Magnetic: colonies are built above ground to avoid flooding. Characteristic north-south orientation to provide heating/cooling. Tower mounds: colonies are below ground, w mound ("towers" built for ventilation. COlonies of 800 mounds per hectar can be found in African savannahs. They are constructed facing north and south so that the temperature is drastically different on either side of the mound due to the location of the sun throughout the day
Praying mantids have a number for offensive and defensive behaviors including all but which of the following?
Male mantids are larger than female mantids, and are more aggressive.
How do female cicadas signal their approval of a courtship song?
Male starts a "courting song" and Females use wing gestures to signal approval.
How do all Hemiptera obtain food?
Mandibles modified to allow "sucking" of food
How do fireflies of different species communicate?
Many (but not all) produce brilliant flashes of light. Flashes used for finding mates (or prey). Firefly flash displays are species specific. Different patterns, and in different places. "Flash" comes from a 2 step process : 1)the catalyzation of Luciferin by Luciferase with ATP. 2) addition of oxygen. Nearly 100% efficient reaction (no heat loss)
How do fungus tending ants and termites differ?
Members of the macrotermitinae cultivate fungal gardens, and the fungi breakdown plant material (they feed on the breakdown plant material, not on the fungus) "external digestive system"
Which is more effective at reducing the abundance of Emerald Ash Borer, introduced or native parasitoids?
Native parasitoids and Woodpeckers bc they are starting to provide substantial EAB mortality.
What are some reasons for Colony Collapse Disorder?
Neonicotinoid pesticides, diseases (11 known honey bee "diseases" in US) reproduce forage and poor nutrition, stress from inter-state transportation, cell phones (no proof)
Symbiotic Organisms
Organisms that can survive without living together. They both benefit from each other.
Parasitoids
Parasites that develop in or on their hosts, and kill their hosts in the process.
Many species of Hymenoptera are parasites of other organisms (often other insects or plants). These include species known as parasitoids that have a diversity of interesting adaptations except which of the following?
Parasitoids are non-lethal to their hosts
Hyper-parasitoid
Parasitoids of parasitoids
Caddisflies have a rather unique way of protecting themselves as larvae and feeding, which of these is not one of them?
Part of their larval stage is spent on land to avoid aquatic predators.
How did the aphid Phylloxera nearly wipe out the European wine industry?
Pest introduced from the US to Europe in the 1860s nearly wiped out industry. Grape phylloxera forms galls on grape leaves and roots.Leaf galls cause little harm, but root galls can kill the plant.
cyclical Parthenogenesis
Populations consist of females that reproduce clonally throughout most of the year, but at certain times males are produced, and sexual reproduction occurs.
What are the positives and negatives of Dermestides in museums?
Positive: feed on dead animals, used in museums to clean dead animals. Negative:
What are ways to keep subterranean termites out of your home?
Preventions: Keep wood from coming into contact w soil, Keep wood piles at least 20ft from house-clear dead wood/trees within 20ft as well, Divert water away from house using downspouts on gutters/french drains/sump-pumps, Fix leaking faucets and pipes. Treatment: Insecticide baits (external) Insecticide injections (internal)
Hymenoptera in the family Cynipidae lay their eggs inside plants (mostly species of oak trees), and as a result form a structure called a "gall". Which of the following is not a function of a plant gall?
Produces a waxy substance that worker gall wasps uses as forage in their nests to build honeycombs.
Reproductive casts:
Queen and king form a colony together and will mate for life (can live up to 10+ years).
What are the different Honey Bee Casts?
Queens- reproduce and establish colonies, will mate during a single "mating flight" with up to two dozen males, store 5 million sperm which she will use to fertilize eggs the rest of her life. Drones- male reproductives Workers- infertile females (the majority of the colony) perform all colony maintenance and foraging.
What insect is responsible for the most number of stings?
Red fire ants- stings can cause allergic reactions and death to humans and livestock.
What species of Tiger Beetle(ambush predator that can run at amazing speeds) is conservation work currently underway for?
Researchers are using tiger beetle hunting as a way to train missile guidance systems. Include many endangered species due to habitat loss, such as the Puritan Tiger Beetle.
Dobson flies are ferocious looking predators due to what distinct characteristic?
Sexually dimorphic "pincer" mandibles
The majority of bee species live in colonies or are solitary?
Solitary
Bombardier beetles have which of the following unique adaptations?
Special glands that allow them to instantaneously combine reactive chemicals that can be expelled and directed at prey/predators at near boiling temperatures
What sex are termite workers? What sex are ant/bee/wasp workers?
Termite workers are equal proportions of sterile males and females. Ant/bee/wasp : in ants mostly female, bees females, and wasp females.
Termites are most closely related to what other group of insects?
cockroaches
Ectoparasitoid-
develop outside of their hosts body
Endoparasitoid
develop within of their hosts body
Classical (or Introductory) Biological Control
Introducing one species in an attempt to limit (or eradicate) the species so that it is of less harm to the ecosystem
How do Hunting Wasps differ from Parasitic Wasps?
Hunting Wasp use venom to paralyze prey, then bring prey item back to nest larvae to feed on while they develop. Family Pompilidae:Only feed on spiders, produce the most painful insect stings. Family Sphecidae: feed mostly on insects, but also on spiders. Parasitic Wasps increasingly used in agricultural pest control as they themselves do little or no damage to crops. Farmers buy these parasitic wasps for insect control in their fields. The adult parasitic wasps themselves do not get any nutrients from their prey.Parasitic wasps are extremely varied in their habits. Many lay their eggs in inert stages of their host If the prey is a caterpillar, they paralyze it by injecting it with venom through their ovipositor. Then they insert one or more eggs into the host or deposit them upon the host externally. The host remains alive until the parasitoid larvae are mature, dying later when the parasitoids pupate, or when they emerge as adults. Basically, the hosts are eaten alive.
Most animal groups (including insects) have a greater number of species in the Tropics than in Temperate regions (FYI we're in a Temperate region). However, for years it was thought that Hymenoptera were more diverse in Temperate regions than Tropic regions. Why was this?
Hymenoptera have long been studied by researchers, who are mostly in Temperate regions
Altruism long puzzled evolutionary biologists. If survival of the fittest is the name of the game, then why would some individual forego reproducing to help their siblings, sometimes at the cost of their own lives?
If siblings (or extended families) are highly related to each other, then they can effectively "reproduce" by helping their family members reproduce
What is an example of paternal care observed in Giant Water Bugs?
Inject toxins into prey that paralyze them and begins to digest their body contents (exo-digestion). Use "sit and wait" ambush strategy to attack fish, insects and snails. Use large forelimbs to grab prey.
Where is Colorado Potato Beetle native to, and where has it been introduced?
It is native to western North America and originally fed on buffalo bur, a wild plant of the potato family abundant in the Rocky Mountain region. It began feeding on cultivated potatoes when they were introduced into western North America.
How do termite and ants differ in regards to how a queen founds a colony?
Termites queen and king form from colony together. will pair and together find a suitable place for a new colony. Winged males and females "shed" their wings, begin excavating a new colony, once ready they seal the nest and neither the queen or king will ever leave the new nest. Queen begins to lay eggs and will help workers in nest construction unti; she is too large to continue helping.Termite colony growth is slow initially (50-100 in the first year, 200 in the second) but quickly grow to sizes of 50,000 (native) to 1 million (invasive) are typical in the US backyard colonies. Termites are more organized and more skilful animals than the ants; hence, they are referred as eusocial insects whereas the ants are not. The ant colonies have only one queen, and sometimes two queens. In the case of termites, there may be different pairs of kings and queens according to the genetic studies.
Secondary Reproductives
Termites that are light in color, but they are larger than workers and never develop wings. Can develop in mature colonies even though there is still a producing queen present.
Cornicles
The cornicle is one of a pair of small upright backward-pointing tubes found on the dorsal side of the 5th or 6th abdominal segments of aphids.
The Order Hemiptera (True bugs, aphids, scales, etc.) means "half" and "wings" in greek. What about these insects makes their wings "half"?
The fore-wing has been modified so half of it is hardened (like in crickets and earwigs, etc.) and the outer half is membranous
Traumatic Insemination
The mating practice in some species of invertebrates in which the male pierces the female's abdomen with his aedeagus and injects his sperm through the wound into her abdominal cavity.
Super-Colony-
The most extreme species form extensive cooperative units called supercolonies with the capacity to expand their nest sites over large areas, in some cases thousands of square kilometers
Why is Cottony Cushion Scale important for the study of Biological Control?
The overwhelming success "started" the study of biological control.
The nomadic phase
The period of time when army ants move their bivouac every day.begins around 10 days after the queen lays her eggs. This phase will last approximately 15 days to let the larvae develop. The ants move during the day, capturing insects, spiders, and small vertebrates to feed their brood. At dusk, they will form their nests or bivouac, which they change almost daily. At the end of the nomadic phase, the larvae will spin pupal cases and no longer require food. The colony can then live in the same bivouac site for around 20 days, foraging only on approximately two-thirds of these days.Among the army ants are some species that venture out only at night, but no adequate studies of their activities have been made.
How are yellowjacket colonies different from ant or termite colonies?
Yellowjacket colonies: Queen overwinters, and forms colony in spring. After one month, non-reproductive females take over colony maintenance chores. Queen continues to lay eggs, some nests include. In fall reproductive females and males emerge, mate and disperse. Mated females overwinter all other colony members. Colonies are often founded by multiple queens that work "together." Paper wasps nest in small cavities. Paper wasp queen can identify individual face markings and establish a hierarchy for space/resources. Two methods for colony formation: 1) mated queens will find new site for nest and start colony 2) workers seek out new location for site using "Quorum Sensing." Termite colonies: Most individual termites in a colony are workers. Worker termites search out and collect food for the termite colony. Termite workers are also responsible for building and maintaining termite mud tubes and nests. They feed on cellulose, which is an essential component found in wood and grass. In nature, they're helpful in the breakdown of dead and decaying materials.
Citrus Greening
a bacterial plant disease that destroys citrus (orange, lime, lemon) trees, spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid.
Lacewings are common (and very beneficial) predators in gardens. Which of the following is not a feature of this group?
a. Larvae are commonly called "Aphid lions" due to the large number of aphids they can consume b. Green lacewings lay their eggs on the end of long silk stalks c. Species are very hard to tell apart morphologically, but can have distinct "songs" d. Mandibles have a "blood groove" to allow a prey's body fluids to be drains quicker
Termites are often mistaken for ants. What are some features that can be used to quickly separate these two?
a. Termites have straight antennae, while ants have "elbowed" antennae b. Winged termites have fore-wings that are equal in size to their hind-wings, while winged ants have fore-wings that are larger than their hind-wings. c. Termites have no clear distinction between their thorax and abdomen, while ants have a clear constricted "waist" between the two.
"All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs." What makes "true bugs" different from other insects?
a. They have "half" hardened, "half" membranous forewings b. Their mouth parts are modified to form a "beak" that is used for piercing plants or other animals c. They are in the sub-order Heteroptera
Many species of termites are considered eusocial. What makes these "truly" social animals? (sorry for the anthropomorphisms)
a.Distinct reproductive and non-reproductive casts b. Care for young by individuals in the "community" other than the parents c. Individuals from multiple generations living together at the same time
Proboscis
an elongated sucking mouthpart that is typically tabular and flexible.