Tag: Insects
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Rare Jurassic-era insect discovered at Arkansas Walmart
A Penn State teacher discovered a rare Jurassic-era insect at a Walmart store in Arkansas. The insect, identified as Polystoechotes punctata, has excited scientists who believed the species had disappeared from large swathes of North America in the 1950s. The original finding took place in 2012 for Michael Skvarla, director of Penn State University’s Insect…
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The Picasso bug, where art and nature collide
You can’t beat the brushstrokes of nature. Native to tropical and subtropical Africa, the oval-shaped Picasso Bug or Zulu Hud Bug is truly nature’s work of art. The Picasso Bug (Sphaerocoris annulus) is a shield-backed bug species with a vibrant carapace that does more than illustrate its aesthetic beauty. The mosaic markings serve as a…
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Owlflies: The oddball of an insect
Want to see a strange insect? Look no further than Owlflies. These flying insects look like a mix of butterflies and dragonflies, possessing strange rainbow-mirrorball eyes and knob-like antennas. An unusual group of insects part of the Ascalaphidae, a family in the order Neuroptera, these colorful creatures also make deadly aerial predators of other flying…
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How your wealth attracts more insects
A recent study links higher income to the diversity of bugs inside homes. Called the ‘luxury effect,’ wealthier people tend to have more bug types hanging out indoors. This may not seem obvious at first, but the reason is simple. The richer you are, the more likely you are to own a bigger house and maintain a…
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Nature’s flying jewels
If you liked the video of the dead leaf butterfly, then you’ll want to check out this video of the beautiful Archduke (Lexias pardalis dirteana) butterfly in its baby caterpillar state. Full of spines, its next stage will be chrysalis before shedding and breaking into a restless butterfly.