I hereby apologize to all venomous caterpillars for comparing them to Donald Trump.

They are genuinely fascinating and/or beautiful and enticing and I meant no slander.

Cicada emerging from its pupal form

Hearing a constant buzzing outdoors this time of year? If it’s not road construction, it’s probably the cicadas. They derive their name from the Latin cicada, meaning “tree cricket”, but their means of sound production - using a “tymbal” on their thorax, rather than the rasping hind legs that crickets use - means that when a number of males get together to call mates, they can reach over 100 decibels. That’s as loud as a low-speed chainsaw, a jet engine at 1000 feet, or a motorcycle you’re riding.

There are large populations of cicadas that emerge only every 13 or 17 years in the United States, but both the US and Europe, there are also sizable populations of annual cicadas that come out every summer, and buzz at us until it’s cold enough to wear sweaters.

Brehms Tierleben, Allgemeine Kunde des Tierreichs. Dr. Otto zur Strassen, 1915.

Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas)

The Atlas moth is the largest moth in the world (measuring over 10 inches across), but that doesn't mean it's long-lived; once it emerges from its cocoon, its sole purpose is to breed - like many butterflies and moths, it doesn't even have a mouth! After about a week outside the cocoon, they die.

De uitlandsche kapellen: voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen Asia, Africa en America. Pieter Cramer and Caspar Stroll, 1779.

Atlas Moth on Wikimedia Commons

Meet my new friend! I have named it Rory.

I believe this is at least the second generation of house centipede (Scutigera coleoptera) to live near my computer. It lives behind my whiteboard calendar. The first generation (to me) lived in the windowsill, though I have reason to believe it has since died and been replaced by its progeny. Rory was a tiny scamp just a year ago, but has since grown to a lovely 1.75 inch (~4.5 cm) body length (excluding legs/antennae).

Centipedes are difficult to gender without dissection, but Rory is a good centipede name, I think. I already have one named Legs. I am astounded that Rory made it to adulthood since my cat has taken to hunting wall-bugs.

House centipedes have a very long lifespan for arthropods, especially those in regular contact with humans, often living for 3-7 years. Rory will probably be here long after I have moved on.

Also, they have purpley-blue blood! This is due to having their bodies transport oxygen via the non-iron-containing hemolymph, rather than iron-containing hemoglobin, which is red, and what almost all vertebrates have.

I do not like their creepy legs or their crazy proportions or their speed, but house centipedes are harmless - they mostly come about as a result of you having spiders or ants about, which they feast on, and which are much more likely to try and bite you...unless you swat a house centipede or hurt it for no reason, they almost never bite humans - and when they do, their venom is nothing compared to their jungle relatives.

[More on House Centipedes]

Red Locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata)

The red locust is a sub-Saharan grasshopper in its gregarious phase. Unlike desert locusts, red locusts have not caused any devastating crop destruction since the 1940s. However, the last mass gregarious infestation lasted from 1930-1944 in Chad, the Sahel, and almost all of southern Africa, and was as devastating as the Rocky Mountain locust was in the United States in the 19th century.

Fabre's Book of Insects. Illsutrated by E. J. Detmold, 1921.

Hyperparasitism: Parasites that are parasitic to parasites!

The wonderful world of entomology - parasites within parasitoids all over the place! Though parasites are found throughout the natural world, insects have some of the most interesting examples found between (and sometimes within) the families of the order, including many hyperparasites.

At top, you can see the parasitoid (a parasite that generally consumes or intentionally leads to the death of the host - long-term survival within the host is not the goal) burrowing-wasp parasitizing the rhinoceros beetle larva. Once the female burrowing-wasp "smells" out the location of the larva, she burrows down to it and lays an egg on the body. After her egg hatches, it feeds on the larva. When the beetle larva is consumed, the burrowing-wasp pupates, and forms a chrysalis underground. After metamorphosis, it digs its way up and out, and feeds on pollen or nectar while searching for a mate.

But the insect world does not always let one get away with that sort of parasitoid behavior for free! Many members of the Hymenoptera, including the burrowing-wasps, are in turn parasitized by Strepsiptera, formerly known as the "twisted-winged parasites". This parasitism of parasites (or parasitoids) is known as hyperparasitism, and is mostly found in entomophagous (insect-eating) insects.

As larva, Strepsiptera are free-roaming insects, looking for a host. Once the appropriate host is found, the larvae will enter the insect (using various mechanisms) and take up residence in its abdomen, as can be seen in the image on the bottom-right. Both sexes go through the last instars (moults) of their larval stage within the host. After this stage, there is a vast difference between the females and the males - the males pupate, go through a complete metamorphosis, and emerge from the host as adults (of course, killing the host in the process). The females become neotenous adults (adults capable of reproduction, but with juvenile forms - axolotls are another example), and stay within the host for their entire life. The male mates with them while they're within the host, and their eggs hatch inside their bodies.

Fun fact: When the Strepsiptera larvae emerge from the host, the brood canal they come out of is generally at the top of the abdomen, just below the head, so the host ends up having babies coming out of its "neck". This doesn't kill them, and some hosts end up sustaining three or more broods of its parasite. Cool stuff!

Top: Burrowing-wasp parasitizing rhinoceros beetle. Marvels of Insect Life. Edward Step, 1916. Bottom Right: Adult male Strepsipteran (Stylos dalii), free of host. British Entomology. John Curtis, 1823-1840. Bottom Left: Adult female Strepsipteran and adult female Strepsipteran within host. Applied Entomology. H.T. Fernald, 1921. 

Hitler Beetle - Anophthalmus hitleri Scheibel, 1937

This blind cave beetle, exclusive to a system of five Slovenian caverns near the town of Celje, was named after Adolf Hitler by a Slovenian entomologist who admired him. Though many people would find it somewhat questionable that an eyeless cave beetle had taken their namesake, Hitler was delighted for the honor of having an entire species named after him, and took the time to actually hand-write Oscar Scheibel a thank-you note expressing his gratitude. 

Seven decades later, the beetle is paying the price for its fascist namesake. Highly sought after (to the tune of over a thousand pounds, for one half-centimeter-long, bland-colored bug), the insect is one of the must-haves for a complete "Hitler memorabilia" collection. Though strict laws are in place to protect the beetle, Slovenia (and the earlier Yugoslavia) isn't particularly known for its enforcement of insect poaching laws, and the few caverns in the Balkans where it lives are still frequented by tourists, some being innocent visitors to the region, some being not-so-innocent collectors of critically endangered beetles.

Though the Slovenian entomology community insists that completely closing and blocking off the caverns is the only way to possibly save this beetle, the fact remains that to do so would likely dry up the majority of the meager tourism dollars. With no live populations with breeding success outside the cavern system, it looks like this unassuming little beetle (who would have doubtless rarely been noticed if not for the name) is on its way out.

Image from NHM Department of Entomology Photostream

Information from journalist Rose George