Insect enthusiast. :-)
4 posts
Insectizoid - Hello - Tumblr Blog
Adult mayfly showing off their beautiful wings and super long tail. Mayflies are yet another "dinosaur bug" with traits that may have been present in the first insects to evolve. For example, they can't fold their wings and instead hold them upright. Adults are very short-lived, and their sole purpose is to mate and lay eggs. The larvae live in fresh water and are an indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem.
unidentified species, order Ephemeroptera Northeastern Pennsylvania, US
As an entomologist who runs a public-sector mosquito control program: thank you for helping with tying to educate people on why mosquitoes are important to the environment and should *not* be completely eradicated. Yes the populations of certain species should be controlled in certain areas, but with over 3000 different species worldwide (all occupying different habitats and ecological niches) complete elimination of mosquitoes in general both cannot and should not be done. Only a comparative handful of mosquito species are a concern re: spreading disease, the rest of them either don’t bite humans at all and/or they are not competent vectors.
And now because I can never resist plugging my faves: one example of how cool and unique mosquitoes can be is the species Uranotaenia sapphirina. Not only do they have beautiful metallic sapphire markings, they’re also the only currently known species to specialize in feeding on invertebrates! They will bite mammals and birds a bit, but they overwhelmingly prefer taking blood from earthworms and leeches!
Anyway, this ask is getting long so I’ll stop yapping. Your blog is cool and keep up the good work!
(P.S. can confirm that the photo you found was indeed an Aedes aegypti - another fascinating species in its own right not least because it’s one of the few invertebrates besides honeybees one could make the case to say is domesticated)
I have to sincerely thank you for not only your very kind words but also the gift of knowledge about several bugs that I will very much be falling down the rabbit hole to learn about. I have to admit I am in awe of her
Semioptila fulveolans, Semioptila torta Butler, and Semioptila banghaasi (Long-Tailed Burnet)
These three moths are classified as long-tailed burnets of the Himantopteridae family, which includes 56 species total. They are native to the continents of Africa and Asia. The larvae for this family can be communal, sometimes living in masses of thousands on a single host tree.