Portal:Insects
The Insects Portal
Insects (from Latin insectum) are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species. (Full article...)
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Calliphora vomitoria, known as the blue bottle fly, orange-bearded blue bottle, or bottlebee, is a species of blow fly, a species in the family Calliphoridae. Calliphora vomitoria is the type species of the genus Calliphora. It is common throughout many continents including Europe, Americas, and Africa. They are fairly large flies, nearly twice the size of the housefly, with a metallic blue abdomen and long orange setae on the gena.
While adult flies feed on nectar, females deposit their eggs on rotting corpses, making them important forensic insects, as their eggs and timing of oviposition can be used to estimate time of death. (Full article...)Did you know -
- ... that the penis of the lesser water boatman Micronecta scholtzi creates mating calls of 99.2 decibels, making it the loudest animal on earth, scaled for its size?
- ... that when the extinct forester moth Neurosymploca? oligocenica was described, a second fossil was known but unavailable for study?
- ... that the fontanellar gun is a type of specialised weapon used by North American termites to ward off enemy insects?
- ... that the extinct Eocene butterfly Prodryas persephone from the Florissant Fossil Beds is the best preserved fossil lepidopteran discovered to date?
- ... that Hydriomena? protrita was the first geometer moth to be described from the American fossil record?
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Gryllotalpa brachyptera is a mole cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae), native to Australia. Mole crickets are thick-bodied insects about 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) long, with large beady eyes and shovel-like forelimbs highly developed for burrowing and swimming. The adult mole cricket may fly as far as 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) during the mating season, is active most of the year, and spends the winter in hibernation.
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