Lovebug (Plecia nearctica)

Distribution: Native to Central America and the Southeastern USA (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas). Most common in Texas and Louisiana.

Habitat: Can be found in almost all habitats, but most common in grassy areas; most common around fresh-cut lawns, animal pastures and areas with decaying vegetation. Found at altitudes of over 450 metres.

Diet: Larvae feed on decaying vegetation; adults feed on the nectar of plants such as sweet clover, goldenrod and Brazilian pepper.

Description: This insect is called the lovebug because mated pairs often stay together for days at a time during and after mating, with flights of mating lovebugs sometimes numbering into the millions. These flights can be quite a nuisance to drivers, as they easily splatter onto windshields and hoods at highway speeds. The acidic body chemistry of dead bugs, left for even just a handful of hours, makes them incredibly difficult to scrape off car parts; what's more, they also have a tendency to cause pits in automotive paint when left untouched for too long, or can cause radiators to overheat. Because they're attracted to fresh paint, lovebug corpses are also a common sight in the dried paint on buildings.

There is many myths surrounding lovebugs, perhaps due to how common they are. One myth claims that these insects were genetically engineered by the University of Florida in order to control mosquito populations (disregarding the fact that they're herbivorous, and thus would make poor pest control!). Another myth claims that lovebugs escaped from the University of Florida after being transported there by scientists; while their original range includes only Louisiana and Mississippi, populations naturally spread north- and southward. For some reason, this insect has many University of Florida-related conspiracies!

Images by Judy Gallagher and Chris Rorabaugh.

Daily fish fact #578

Devils Hole pupfish!

The most well-known species of pupfish, these fish have their entire population confined to a single 130 meter deep hole, and more specifically a single partially submerged rock shelf in the hole. The conditions in the Devils Hole are very extreme, but the Devils Hole pupfish has many adaptations that help it survive: the pupfish can, for example, stop using oxygen for up to two hours!

Green Lynx Spider (Peucetia viridans)

Distribution: Mainly found in the southern USA, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and Venezuela.

Habitat: Most common on low shrubs and herbaceous plants; prefer open areas like fields, prairies, xeric scrub, yards and gardens.

Diet: Carnivorous generalists; feed on many crop pests, such as moths of the Noctuidae, Geometridae and Pyralidae families, but also on beneficial insects such as honeybees, wasps, syrphid flies and tachnid flies.

Description: The green lynx spider earned its common name due to the cat-like way it pounces on its prey. Unlike many other spider species, lynx spiders are active predators who hunt during the day. They usually sit on plants in order to blend in while hunting; in fact, females have been known to change colors to better match their background, a process that lasts around 16 days. Color changes also happen late in the season, where individuals will shift from a bright green to a pale yellow, likely due to the degradation of tetrapyrrole pigments in their blood.

After constructing her egg sac, the female guards it actively until her spiderlings are ready to emerge. She hangs from the sac and fiercely attacks anything that comes near, spitting venom at potential threats to distances of up to a foot. Despite being fairly common, lynx spiders rarely bite humans—their bite is however very painful (though not fatal), causing swelling that may last a few days.

(Images by Gerardo Aguilar Anzures and Eric Isley)

RIP: The Blue Death-Feigning Beetle

Also known as the desert ironclad beetle, the blue death-feigning beetle (Asbolus verrucosus) is a species of darkling beetle native to the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. Within this environment, the desert ironclad beetle can often be found near vegetation like sagebrush or palo verde trees, or hiding under fallen logs or rocks. However, it's not uncommon to spot it trundling along out in the open.

While the blue death-feigning beetle's coloring might make it stand out against the dull desert background, it actually serves a useful purpose. The color is a result of a heavy coating of wax that covers the beetle's body; this wax helps reduce evaporation and preserves precious moisture. It also helps that A. verrucosus is a small species, no more than 8–21 mm (0.71–0.83 in), and as they are most active at dawn and dusk they are easy to overlook. Males and females are virtually identical; the most reliable way to tell the difference is by the antennae, as males have long bristles on the underside while females don't.

Despite their small size-- or perhaps because of it-- desert ironclad beetles are a popular snack for many other desert dwellers, including lizards, snakes, birds, small rodents, and foxes. When threatened, blue death-feinging beetles live up to their name: they drop to the ground, roll onto their backs and play dead. This state can last anywhere from a few seconds to 45 minutes. Once the predator is gone, they are able to use their long legs to easily right themselves and continue with their business. Like most other darkling beetles, this species is an omnivorous scavenger, feeding on dead insects, fruits, lichen, and other plant matter.

The desert ironclad beetle can mate year round, given optimal conditions such as good rainfall and plenty to eat, but they're most active during the summer months. Once a male encounters a female, he courts her by 'tickling' her back with his antennae. If she is receptive, the two mate and then part ways. The female digs a burrow and lays a clutch of eggs in moist soil, where they take 2-3 weeks to hatch. Once larvae emerge, they immedietly begin to seek out organic matter to feed on. Over the next several weeks, they can grow from 2-3 mm (0.07-0.11 in) to 50 mm (2 in)! When they get big enough the larvae burrow into rotting wood and pupate for about a month before emerging as adults. Individuals can go on to live for up to 10 years in the wild.

Conservation status: The IUCN has not evaluated the blue death-feigning beetle, but it's believed that populations are currently stable. The species' primary threat is collection for the pet trade.

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Photos

Mason S. via iNaturalist

Bruce D. Taubert

Hartmut Wisch

The Beautiful Blue Catfish

Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) are members of the bullhead catfish family, native to the drainages of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio river basins and the Gulf of Mexico. Because of their popularity as game fish, this species has also been introduced to freshwater systems throughout North and South America, and is considered invasive in these areas.

Like many catfish, I. furcatus is a bottom dweller. They can often be found near complex structures such as rocky outcroppings, fallen trees, or sunken structures that provide both food and shelter. The blue catfish is an opportunistic predator, consuming any fish or aquatic invertebrates it can find, as well as eggs, small amphibians, and injured or recently deceased animals. Adult I. furcatus are seldom prey for other species due to their size, but hatchlings and juveniles are often food for cormorants, willets, osprey, pelicans, and bald eagles. To deter predators, this species has serrated barbs along their dorsal and pectoral fins, each laced with a particularly painful toxin.

Though they can be difficult prey for other animals, the blue catfish is a popular target for fishermen, and for good reason; they're the largest species of catfish in North America. Adults can easily reach a length of 65 in (170 cm) and a weight of 165 lb (75 kg). As indicated by their name, most individuals are grey or blue, with a lighter underbelly. This species also lacks scales, a common characteristic of catfish, and the face is framed by long whisker-like barbels that help it detect nearby food.

While generally solitary, blue catfish aren't territorial, and tend to ignore each other until the mating season. Reproduction begins in April and continues until June, during which time males attract a female by building a nest and releasing attractive pheromones. Once a female has selected a male, she lays between 4,000-8,000 eggs per kilogram of bodyweight in his nest (i.e. if the female weighs 2 kg, she may lay between 8,000-16,000 eggs). The male then disperses sperm over the eggs. Following fertilization, the male chases away the female and guards the nest for about a week, at which time the eggs hatch. The hatchlings, also known as fry, stay close together in schools for several weeks before growing large enough to disperse. It will take them a further 5 years for them to reach maturity; on average individuals live about 10 years, but can live as long as 25.

Conservation status: The blue catfish is considered Least Concern by the IUCN. Within its native range, populations face minor threats from dams and droughts. Where it has been introduced, the species is considered invasive due to its voracious appetite.

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Photos

Missouri Department of Conservation

NOAA

Earl Nottingham