Skip to main content

#2: Beetle Elytra




Litinsects #2: Beetle Elytra

Beetles, like this ladybug here, come in all shapes and sizes but have one basic thing in common: hardened (sclerotized) forewings, named ELYTRA, which cover and protect their bodies. In flight, the elytra are lifted up and the hindwings are extended so, functionally, beetles actually only use one pair of wings to fly.

Now for some FACTS about beetle wings...🐞
  • The scientific name for beetles is COLEOPTERA, which comes from the Greek koleos, meaning sheath, and pteron, meaning wing
  • Elytra are not “used in flight” per se but do have an effect on lift and drag. They also serve to TRAP MOISTURE and keep the hindwings from dehydrating
  • Beetles’ hindwings are usually much longer than their elytra. At rest, they are FOLDED longitudinally (the long way) and then transversely (across) and tucked under the elytra (see second picture)
  • Most insects fly with their legs tucked against their bodies to reduce drag but beetles fly with outstretched legs (kind of like a Superman pose). A recent study found that beetles actually use their legs to help make fast maneuvers during flight
  • Some species of beetles have lost the ability to fly, in which case their elytra have FUSED together to form a solid shield over their abdomen
  • Remember when I said “all beetles have elytra”? Well there’s aaaalways an exception... in this case they are called glow worms. These families of beetles are bioluminescent and have adult LARVIFORM females, meaning the adult stage looks very much like the wingless larval stage
Next time you see a beetle flying, see if you can spot its lifted elytra or, once it’s landed, watch as it folds and tucks its wings back underneath!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

#13: Insect Legs

Litinsects #13: Insect Legs Insect legs can be as diverse as the animals themselves. Some are long and slender like a crane fly’s, some are short and hefty like a mole cricket’s. But what all insects share is the number and layout of those legs. Hexapods have 6 LEGS, a pair each of fore, mid, and hind legs that are made up of the same basic units. Starting closest to the body, they are:  (1) the coxa, which attaches the leg to the thorax  (2) the trochanter (3) the femur, which is oft en the thickest segment  (4) the tibia, often covered in tiny hairs (5) the tarsus, which contains 5 “pseudo-segments”  (6) the pretarsal claws, of which most insects have 2 on each leg The basic units of the leg always occur in this order but may be reduced or highly modified in some species to fit certain tasks such as running, digging, swimming, grasping, or jumping. This photo sums it up perfectly: from < https://wiki.bugwood.org/File:Insect...
Post a Comment
Read more

#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...
Post a Comment
Read more