WELCOME: Social Distancing Entomology Course

All week I’ve been seeing videos and posts of the creative stuff people have been doing while social distancing, all the while thinking, what could I contribute to all the people sitting at home on social media all day?? Well this morning it hit me. I will do what I do best! And that is... drop some nerd knowledge on you all 🤓

Welcome to my social distancing ENTOMOLOGY COURSE!

Every day I will post an insect photo, most of which I’ve taken through my microscope, and explain about the insect group or the feature pictured. My hope is that you might learn something new about insects and maybe, just mayyyyybe, be a bit more fascinated and a bit less grossed out by the most diverse and arguably most successful group of animals to ever live... thanks for reading, stay tuned 🦋🦟🦗🐞🐜🐛

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#4: Simple Eyes

Litinsects #4: Simple Eyes Yesterday I talked about compound eyes, the multi-faceted structures that most insects use to see the world 👀 But insects actually have another visual system as well, composed of simple eyes or OCELLI. Unlike compound eyes, ocelli are composed of only one structure which makes them comparatively “simple” although they are still very important. These are light-detecting organs consisting of a single lens with sensory cells. They can detect movement but don’t form complex images. “Ocellus” comes from the Latin word oculus, meaning eye. So these structures are literally “little eyes” Ocelli are located on the insect’s head, usually between or adjacent to the compound eyes. They are usually dome-shaped, somewhat shiny structures In most flying insects (such as flies, dragonflies, bees, etc.) there tend to be three ocelli in a triangle arrangement (see photo). Some terrestrial insects (like cockroaches) have only two ocelli ...

#51: Mayflies

Litinsects #51: Mayflies Mayflies are aquatic freshwater insects and belong to one of the most primitive winged insect lineages! First off, what’s in a name? Mayflies’ common name comes from the fact that some species start “hatching” from the water in May. But their scientific name is much more interesting and accurate; this order is named EPHEMEROPTERA from the Greek “ephemera” for “lasting one day / temporary” and “pteron” for “wing”. A more fitting name would be dayfly, considering their adult lifespan... Most live less than 24 hours after emerging, the shortest adult lifespan of any insect! -Mayflies have triangular-shaped wings that are held upright over their bodies when at rest (sort of like a butterfly) and have three long tail-like filaments. These characteristics, both of which make them easily recognizable, are probably traits that were present in the most primitive flying insects -They are HEMIMETABOLOUS insects, meaning they go through incomplete metamorphosis, with multi...

#39: Leaf cutter ants

© Gail Sumway Litinsects #39: Leaf cutter ants You’ve likely seen them in nature documentaries; countless individuals on a trail with abstract leaf cut-outs on their backs... these are LEAF CUTTER ANTS. They can carry impressively heavy loads on their backs, up to 20 times their body weight. But have you ever wondered what they do with all these leaves that they carry back to their nests? You might assume that they eat them but they don’t! What they actually do is way cooler than that. Leaf cutter ants participate in a MUTUALISTIC SYMBIOSIS with fungi, a close relationship that benefits all parties. Ants cultivate underground fungus gardens in their nests and it’s actually the fungi that eat the leaves as they decompose. The fungus in turn serves as food for the ant colony! Because the fungus needs the ants to stay alive, it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Ants actively groom the gardens by removing parasites and even secrete anti-microbial substances to prevent growth ...

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