Today’s Exhibit of the Day? 🐛🐞🐜 The Museum’s Life on the Forest Floor Diorama. To create this up-close look—full of decomposing debris and hungry critters—Museum artists studied specimens under a microscope. Then, these bugs, weevils, and beetles were enlarged to about 24 times their actual size! Models were made out of clay, wax, and other materials. This archival image, snapped in 1958, depicts a Museum preparator installing models into this scene.
Photo: Image no. 325494 / © AMNH Library
Have you ever seen the magnificent rainbow scarab (Phanaeus vindex)? This colorful dung beetle can be found in parts of the eastern and central United States. While most dung beetles are dull shades of brown or gray, this species is one of a handful adorned in striking iridescent colors. Males also sport large horns on their heads! Like other dung beetles, this insect rolls dung into balls to incubate its young. It also digs dung-filled tunnels nearby to ensure that the newborn beetles will have enough to eat.
Photo: Thomas Shahan, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
Mantises may be some of the most out-of-this-world-looking critters on Earth, but they’re uniquely adapted to life on this planet. These incredible hunters have repeatedly evolved into “ecomorphs”—groups that aren’t closely related, but share incredible adaptations to similar habitats. These dazzling displays of convergence may have something to tell us about evolution.
In the latest episode of Insectarium, join host and Museum Curator Jessica Ware as she visits mantis expert and graduate student Lohit Garikipati at the Towson University Mantis Lab to see how researchers are using high-speed infrared cameras to track the movements of mantis prey capture. The similarities (and differences) in hunting techniques can help reveal how environments shape the animals that live in them.
Brood XIX and Brood XIII are making their way to center stage! Join Insectarium host Dr. Jessica L Ware as she debunks some myths you may have heard and explains what these insects are up to during their time above ground.
Have you started seeing cicadas in your neighborhood? Let us know in the comments!
Insects are critical to the survival of most other animals, including humans. But many insect species, from beetles to dragonflies to butterflies, are declining in abundance due in part to human activity. For Earth Month, Insectarium host Dr. Jessica L Ware gives tips on small things each of us can do to make a lasting impact and help insects thrive for years to come.
Learn more about insects with Museum Curator Jessica Ware in Insectarium on PBS Terra's YouTube channel.
At a glance, you might think you can easily distinguish a butterfly from a moth. But take a closer look. There are colorful moths and day-flying moths that can throw you for a loop! Next time you come across a member of the Order Lepidoptera, use these tips from Insectarium host Dr. Jessica L Ware.
Learn more about butterflies in Insectarium on the PBS Terra YouTube channel.
Summer is in full swing, which means firefly season is officially upon us! There are more than 2,000 known species of fireflies worldwide and most communicate with patterns of flashing light. Like nature’s fireworks, they illuminate the night with their bioluminescence. These signals are used to find and attract mates, deceive other firefly species, and avoid predators. Fireflies produce light by blending a cocktail of two chemicals—luciferin and luciferase—in a specialized organ known as their lantern. Photo: Rodd Lucier, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, flickr #firefly #AnimalFacts #nature #fireflies #fireworks #summer #dyk #bugs #insects #entomology https://www.instagram.com/p/CfpoMvurGPF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
🪰Every 17 years when the weather warms, periodical cicadas become a news event. East of the Great Plains in the northern U.S., millions of seventeen-year cicadas (Magicicada septendecim) burst forth from the ground. Why this mass emergence? It’s an effective adaptation that allows these insects to overwhelm potential predators. But sheer numbers shouldn’t lull cicada fans into complacency, for the insects do face stressors, particularly ongoing forest habitat destruction and pesticides. For now, research into the actual numbers and population dynamics of periodical cicadas is more important than ever. 📸The Museum's latest special exhibition Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril, opens TOMORROW, Wednesday, June 22! It will feature uniquely powerful macrophotography by Levon Biss (@levonbiss), highlighting 40 incredible but imperiled species from specimens in the Museum's world-class research collection, including the seventeen-year cicada, in large-format photographs, some as large as 4.5 by 8 feet! Link in bio for more details. Photo: © Levon Biss #AnimalFacts #cicadas #17yearcicada #bugs #insects #entomology #photography #macrophotography #amnh #nyc #dyk #nature (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfEa8-2Ltb5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
🤔What distinguishes the raspa silkmoth (Sphingicampa raspa) from other silkmoths? While other silkmoth species spin a silk cocoon and attach to branches or plant stems when they transition to adulthood, the raspa silkmoth metamorphoses down in the soil. Underground, it creates chambers by tying pieces of soil and humus together with silk. 🏜️This moth inhabits hot, arid areas in Arizona, West Texas, and in Mexico, where there’s usually very little precipitation. Changing weather patterns and extreme weather events caused by climate change threatens populations of raspa silkmoths and other southwestern moths and butterflies. 📸The Museum's upcoming special exhibition Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril, opens next Wednesday, on June 22. It will feature uniquely powerful macrophotography by Levon Biss (@levonbiss), highlighting 40 incredible but imperiled species from specimens in the Museum's world-class research collection, including the raspa silkmoth, in large-format photographs, some as large as 4.5 by 8 feet! Link in bio for more details. Photo: © Levon Biss #AnimalFacts #NaturalHistory #amnh #photography #macrophotography #silkmoths #entomology #RaspaSilkmoth #bugs #insects #nature #dyk (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce6GQuLLd7E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
🦋Where does the Madeira brimstone (Gonepteryx maderensis) get its common name? Its fiery yellow hues match those of the element sulfur, once known as brimstone! ⛰️This butterfly lives in the steep mountains of the Madeira islands, where it spends much of its time high in the canopy of evergreen laurel forests, called laurisilva. Unfortunately, it’s endangered due in part to urban development that has led to habitat loss. The life cycle of Madeira brimstones naturally limits their population growth: adults can live for several months—a long time for a butterfly—and there is likely only one new generation each year. What’s more? Their caterpillars feed on just one type of tree. But there may be a bit of protection: Madeira has a vast nature preserve, and remaining laurisilva areas are now officially protected in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 📸The Museum's upcoming special exhibition Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril, opens on June 22 and will feature uniquely powerful macrophotography by Levon Biss (@levonbiss) highlighting 40 incredible but imperiled species from specimens in the Museum's world-class research collection, including the Madeira brimstone, in large-format photographs, some as large as 4.5 by 8 feet. Link in bio for more details! Photo: © Levon Biss #AnimalFacts #EndangeredSpecies #insects #bugs #butterflies #Madeira #MadeiraBrimstone #museums #amnh #dyk (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/CelhKWVroyZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Sabertooth longhorn beetles (Macrodontia cervicornis) are one of the longest beetles in the world. Including the serrated jaws of males (like this one), they can reach 7 in (17.8 cm) long!🪲 Living in humid rain forests in the Amazon River basin from Brazil west to Peru and Ecuador, these beetles are at risk. In recent decades, millions of acres of Amazon rain forest have been cut down to make way for cattle ranches, soybean fields, and other uses. The beetles are also a collector’s item—a single specimen can go for thousands of dollars; the practice of collecting these long-lived beetles is another cause of their decline. The Museum's upcoming special exhibition Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril, will feature uniquely powerful macrophotography by Levon Biss (@levonbiss), which highlights 40 incredible but imperiled species from specimens in the Museum's world-class research collection, including the sabertooth longhorn beetle, in large-format photographs, some as large as 4.5 by 8 feet. Check out the link in our bio to learn more about this special exhibition which opens on June 22. Photo: © Levon Biss #AnimalFacts #nature #amnh #beetles #LonghornBeetle #SabertoothLonghornBeetle #insects #bugs #entomology #dyk (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeWAcCYLmO-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Now that spring is here, you might start to see more crawly critters in the air and on the ground. So let us be the first to ease you into the transition of seasons with the Forest Floor Diorama!🐛🐜🪳 This exhibit combines artistry and education to show a precisely designed cross section of forest soil, enlarged to 24 times its actual size. To create this scene, Museum artists studied specimens under a microscope and made models out of clay, wax, and other materials. For example, the acorn weevil larva is molded wax coated with shellac, petroleum jelly, and a latex-like liquid; the daddy longlegs, balsa wood, and wire. Without decomposers like these to “recycle” dead plant and animal matter that covers the forest floor, plants would starve, and debris would block oxygen. Photo: © AMNH #Spring #bugs #insects #museums #nyc #diorama #nature #amnh (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbVMrCXLLnj/?utm_medium=tumblr
Across the world and for millions of years, army ant colonies have been infiltrated by impostors—beetles that pass for ants and make their living as parasites. Army ants are named for their aggressive hunting behavior, and they’re also fierce defenders of their colonies. But this hasn’t stopped several beetle species from the family Staphylidae which have evolved to infiltrate roaming army ant colonies and live in them as parasites. A new study published in the journal Current Biology finds this capacity evolved not just once, but at least a dozen times in beetle species that are only distantly related. Read more about this new research on the blog.
Inspiring fear and fascination alike in humans, insects are capable of incredibly complex behavior like personality, and language. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, behavioral ecologist Marlene Zuk examines the bedroom lives of bugs, showing how six-legged sex lives can be just as interesting as our own.
This SciCafe took place at the Museum on February 1, 2017.
How do butterflies communicate?
Adult butterflies communicate with one another mostly through chemical cues—the males produce chemicals called pheromones to seduce the females. Additionally, a few species communicate with sound. The male Cracker butterfly (Hamadryas) can make loud noises with his wings. Learn more about butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory.
Summer is in full swing, which means firefly season is officially upon us. While these brilliant bugs are lighting up the night all around New York, we want to share a few fast facts about the insects that are such an indelible sign of the season.
Orchid bees are famous for their long tongues, which are ideally suited to sipping pollen from the narrow necks of orchids in the neotropical regions of South America, where both are common. The massive mouthparts are just one of many adaptations born out of the partnership between the orchid family and this group of bees, many of which are distinguished by their bright, metallic colorations that make them look like flying green, gold, or blue gemstones. As orchids and bees have evolved close relationships, certain species of bee have come to prefer certain species of orchid, and vice versa. The flowers even have a specialized way of transferring their pollen via bee.
“Orchids transfer pollen in sticky clumps called pollinia,” explains Jerome Rozen, curator in the Museum’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology. Different orchids have evolved shapes that place these pollinia at specific sites on an orchid bee’s body. “Some pollinia will stick to a bee’s head,” Rozen says. “Others will cling farther back on its body.”
These precise placements of pollen increase the chances that the bee will successfully fertilize another flower of the same species. A pollinia that attaches to a bee’s abdomen, for instance, is unlikely to be knocked off until that bee visits another orchid of the same kind that placed it.
Orchid bees also collect scents from flowers. Scraping up aromatic chemicals using brush-like fibers found on their legs, a male orchid bee will transfer the chemical to a pouch in its abdomen. By visiting a variety of blossoms, males create unique bouquets, which scientists think are used to impress females during mating. “It’s thought that creating a combination of smells demonstrates fitness,” says Scientific Assistant Ely Wyman.
The importance of combining scents is also suggested by the absence of females at traps—males show up in force when a single, strong scent is present, but just one aroma is not enough to draw out females of the species. Researchers use this behavior to their advantage when collecting specimens: Wyman says potent essential oils like eucalyptus and wintergreen tend to be the most effective at attracting male orchid bees, though he has also had success with less savory aromas. “I have a jar of artificial feces smell that I’ve used in the past,” says Wyman. “I don’t travel with that anymore, though. I’m too afraid it will break in my luggage.”
See orchid bee specimens on display in Life at the Limits, now on view at the Museum.
Image: AMNH/R.Mickens
