Next to my front door today, what the heck is this guy? - @callmegallifreya
Hey! Thank you for your submission and sorry for the long wait.
At first glance I could see you have a Weevil of some type (ゾウムシ、”Zoumushi”, Elephant Bug), but it took some digging to find precisely which one. Japan has around 1000 species of weevils (!).
I always love when I stumble across something in the most roundabout way, like searching for “Black long horn beetle with yellow spots and white and black antenna that lives in Honshu” and it turns out to be called a “yellow spot Longhorn” or something. It always makes me facepalm because I should honestly remember people name insects with simplicity. Today I should have taken that lesson to heart because you have a
Description: Like other weevils, its proboscis is long and curved downward, giving it the charming Japanese name of “Elephant Bug”. The entire exoskeleton is textured with bumps. A newly-emerged weevil has a fine brown powdery texture over its entire body like velvet, but this is eventually worn away, with older individuals showing more black ‘background color under the paint’, as it were. Bold black streaks along the mottled brown body distinguish this weevil from others with similar brown coloration.
Distribution: Indonesia, Philippines, China, Taiwan, Korea, Kyushu to Hokkaido.
Behavior: It is known to be drawn to lights at night, and can be found on fallen trees in forests where stag beetles also hang out. These weevils will play dead if harassed, and Japanese Wikipedia also notes they have sharp claws that cling tightly to surfaces such as trees or a human hand, and they are difficult to pull off of a surface. They will continue to cling to a tree so tightly you can pull their legs off before they’ll let go! :o Weevils place their eggs in weak and dead trees and the larvae burrow inwards to feed on trees such as pines, chestnuts and elms. It is considered a pest in lumberyards because it prefers to lay its eggs in dead wood. (Well, it seems a very logical mistake to make, on the weevil’s part.)
A couple of tiny weevils making the most of a sunny spot along the Comber Greenway in Dundonald today. They were only about 4mm long so weren’t going to shock anyone
When it comes to insect pollination, flowering plants get all of the attention. However, flowers aren’t the only game in town. More and more we are beginning to appreciate the role insects play in the pollination of some gymnosperm lineages. For instance, did you know that many cycad species utilize insects as pollen vectors? The ways in which these charismatic gymnosperms entice insects is absolutely fascinating and well worth understanding in more detail.
Cycads or cycad-like plants were some of the earliest gymnosperm lineages to arise on this planet. They did so long before familiar insects like bees, wasps, and butterflies came onto the scene. It had long been assumed that, like a vast majority of extant gymnosperms, cycads relied on the wind to get pollen from male cones to female cones. Indeed, many species certainly utilize to wind to one degree or another. However, subsequent work on a few cycad genera revealed that wind might not cut it in most cases.
It took placing living cycads into wind tunnels to obtain the first evidence that something strange might be going on with cycad pollination. The small gaps on the female cones were simply too tight for wind-blown pollen to make it to the ovules. Around the same time, researchers began noting the production of volatile odors and heat in cycad cones, providing further incentives for closer examination.
Subsequent research into cycad pollination has really started to pay off. By excluding insects from the cones, researchers have been able to demonstrate that insects are an essential factor in the pollination of many cycad species. What’s more, often these relationships appear to be rather species specific.
By far, the bulk of cycad pollination services are being performed by beetles. This makes a lot of sense because, like cycads, beetles evolved long before bees or butterflies. Most of these belong to the superfamily Cucujoidea as well as the true weevils (Curculionidae). In some cases, beetles utilize cycad cones as places to mate and lay eggs. For instance, male and female cones of the South African cycad Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi were found to be quite attractive to at least two beetle genera.
Beetles and their larvae were found on male cones only after they had opened and pollen was available. Researchers were even able to observe adult beetles emerging from pupae within the cones, suggesting that male cones of E. friderici-guilielmi function as brood sites. Adult beetles carrying pollen were seen leaving the male cones and visiting the female cones. The beetles would crawl all over the fuzzy outer surface of the female cones until they became receptive. At that point, the beetles wriggle inside and deposit pollen. Seed set was significantly lower when beetles were excluded.
For the Mexican cycad Zamia furfuracea, weevils also utilize cones as brood sites, however, the female cones go to great lengths to protect themselves from failed reproductive efforts. The adult weevils are attracted to male cones by volatile odors where they pick up pollen. The female cones are thought to also emit similar odors, however, larvae are not able to develop within the female cones. Researchers attribute this to higher levels of toxins found in female cone tissues. This kills off the beetle larvae before they can do too much damage with their feeding. This way, the cycad gets pollinated and potentially harmful herbivores are eliminated.
Beetles also share the cycad pollination spotlight with another surprising group of insects - thrips. Thrips belong to an ancient order of insects whose origin dates back to the Permian, some 298 million years ago. Because they are plant feeders, thrips are often considered pests. However, for Australian cycads in the genus Macrozamia, they are important pollinators.
Thrip pollination was studied in detail in at least two Macrozamiaspecies,M. lucidaandM. macleayi. It was noted that the male cones of these species are thermogenic, reaching peak temperatures of around 104 °F (40 °C). They also produce volatile compounds like monoterpenes as well as lots of CO2 and water vapor during this time. This spike in male cone activity also coincides with a mass exodus of thrips living within the cones.
Thrips apparently enjoy cool, dry, and dark places to feed and breed. That is why they love male Macrozamia cones. However, if the thrips were to remain in the male cones only, pollination wouldn’t occur. This is where all of that male cone metabolic activity comes in handy. Researchers found that the combination of rising heat and humidity, and the production of monoterpenes aggravated thrips living within the male cones, causing them to leave the cones in search of another home.
Inevitably many of these pollen-covered thrips find themselves on female Macrozamia cones. They crawl inside and find things much more to their liking. It turns out that female Macrozamia cones do not produce heat or volatile compounds. In this way, Macrozamia are insuring pollen transfer between male and female plants.
Pollination in cycads is a fascinating subject. It is a reminder that flowering plants aren’t the only game in town and that insects have been providing such services for eons. Additionally, with cycads facing extinction threats on a global scale, understanding pollination is vital to preserving them into the future. Without reproduction, species will inevitably fail. Many cycads have yet to have their pollinators identified. Some cycad pollinators may even be extinct. Without boots on the ground, we may never know the full story. In truth, we have only begun to scratch the surface of cycads and their pollinators.
(I’ve posted the Rex and Weevil designs before! Just not here, so I’m adding them!) I’ve been making designs for Yugioh side characters that’s around teenage-college! Really happy with these, I adore how Noah turned out. I’ve always had this headcannon for some reason, that like if Noah was raised with Seto and Mokuba (you know… without like… getting hit by car and getting uploaded into a super computer) he’d eventually mellow out and turn out to be pretty kind. Kinda similarly to Mokuba, with his little evil phase before he eventually becomes a good little boy, but with a bit more resistance towards Seto. Idk if any of that makes sense lol
Spoilers galore! These are some of the highlights of the Ontario Science Centre’sBug Lab Exhibition. This travelling exhibition was created by Te Papa, the museum of New Zealand in collaboration with Weta. It’s mostly geared towards children but there’s quite a bit here for all to enjoy, and I’m very grateful I was able to go. Yesterday was actually its last day in the OSC. This is an exhibition that I really think people should go to see when it arrives to their neck of the woods, so I won’t be sharing everything I’ve seen. Since these are exhibitions created by others, I’ve labelled them with the mantis logo and only take credit for the photography; the hard work and effort of this collaboration deserves all the spotlight it can, especially with all the wondrous displays! There are even interactive elements to enjoy such as magnifying glasses, touch screens and game parts. For myself, it’s all about the insects and what we can learn from them. I begin this showcase with the tribute to the Māori people that highlights how all life is connected and how insects have inspired them. You’ll have to discover those inspirations and life for yourself, but I can promise you they are all beautiful.
The showcase mentions that insects were created alongside “ugly things” by the gods, and so have included an insect native to New Zealand: the Weta, which often has a reputation for being called “ugly”. It may not be as traditionally appealing like other winged Orthopterans, it brings something more primal, powerful and wild to the fold; not something angry, but more like a old friend to the more temperature Grasshoppers. Important as that display is, children and visitors may be more drawn to the insect displays on showcase containing pinned insects and models. The pinned insect exhibits highlight the most prominent parts of the insect world to us: their biodiversity (including differences within even an order such as with Coleoptera), their beauty as seen with the showcase of winged insects, their evolutionary trajectory (as seen with an ancestor of modern day Odonates: the Griffinfly; 70cm wingspan) and how they can be used to benefit humanity. Insect wings were lighted as a marvel of design for flight technology and for the financial sector using Butterfly wing iridescence as inspiration (yay nanoholes). Swarming of insects even provides inspiration for drone movement and coordination with themselves! With all ideas, it’s amazing how inspiration can strike!
My favorite displays here are definitely the large models* of insects in their natural environment! The level of detail and story-telling is astonishing, especially with the Hymenopterans which is what I’d like to share! While a bit terrifying, we have a realization of how the Jewel WaspcapturesRoaches for its offspring. We call it brain surgery and the Waspcalls it incubation! Next to that, an intruder has found a hive and is marking it for the swarm! Fortunately, the hive’s defenders are ready for this scout and mobilize. There’s no secret to the power of the Asian Giant Hornet (and is the first true Hornet to grace this blog), but the Honeybees that live alongside it have adapted against it: they swarm the large intruder in coordination, form a Bee-ball and vibrate their bodies to generate heat to roast the Hornet. This exhibit even includes an interactive element to help generate heat to help the brave Bees! Though a few workers may fall defending their home, the colony lives in gratitude. Not yet safe however, the worker Bees also have to clean up the pheromone markers left by the scout so that other Hornets don’t pick up the trail. These are all astonishing feats of the natural world!
*Note: Other large models featured include displays of Dragonflies in flight and the camouflaging abilities of the Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus). You have to discover those for yourself.
Pictures were taken on February 20, 2022 at the Ontario Science Centre using a Google Pixel 4. Thank you for the Bugs!
Played in Clip Studio Paint for the first time yesterday on my Twitch stream. CSP may have won my heart with the lace brush alone! <3 enjoy this little weevil illus. they’re so cute I had to draw!
As someone who watches Veronica Mars on a biannual schedule, the new season is literally everything I could ever hoped and dreamed of… as long as they keep Veronica and Logan together. They can annihilate the entirety of Neptune if they want; I just need Veronica and Logan to be happy!
Also if we could save Weevil from whatever is happening I would really appreciate it!
Maybe give Father Mars some happiness in his life too!
If Wallace could also be present and accomplished I would also sincerely love that!
Perhaps some Mac with her continued self confidence and lesbian vibes flourishing also!
Also consider the return of Duncan and his daughter from Australia too!
I don’t think I’m asking for too much, just copious fan service to fuel my endorphins! Thanks xo
The first of my Kamen-Rider inspired insect Kaijin, the terrifying mutant Wieval-Man! After joining the cult of HELGOGG, he was sold to the PEST foundation and transformed into the evil WIEVAL-MAN, now carrying out the organization’s orders to perform discreet kidnappings in the mines nearby.
