Accueil / Albums / Natural History / Insects 209
- Poison apparatus of a honey bee
- Piophila casei
- Pigeon tick
Pigeon tick ( Argas reflexus ) seen from the back and from the ventral side, enlarged. The top is rusty yellow, the bottom is yellowish-white (as is the edge of the body and legs), unless the food channel is filled with a colored substance. - Pharyngeal syringe or salivary pump of Fulgora maculata
Accessory to the salivary apparatus there is on the ventral side of the head, underneath the pharynx, a peculiar organ which the Germans have called the "Wanzenspritze," or syringe. The accompanying figure of the structure in Fulgora maculata shows its relation to the ducts of the salivary glands and to the beak. It is made up of a dilatation forming the body of the pump, in which there is a chitinous piston. Attached to the piston is a strong retractor muscle. The function of the salivary pump is to suck up the saliva from the salivary ducts and to force it out through the beak. - Pediculus vestimenti 2
- Pediculus vestimenti
- Pediculus showing the blind sac (b) containing the mouth parts (a) beneath the alimentary canal (p)
- Pediculoides ventricosus, female
- Otiobius (Ornithodoros) megnini, male. (a) dorsal, (b) ventral aspect
- Otiobius (Ornithodoros) megnini, head of nymph
- Ornithodoros moubata
(a) Anterior part of venter (b) second stage nymph (c) capitulum (d) dorsal aspect of female (e) ventral aspect of female (f) ventral aspect of nymph (g) capitulum of nymph Ornithodoros moubata, the carrier of African relapsing fever, or "tick-fever," is widely distributed in tropical Africa, and occurs in great numbers in the huts of natives, in the dust, cracks and crevices of the dirt floors, or the walls. It feeds voraciously on man as well as upon birds and mammals. Like others of the Argasidæ, it resembles the bed-bug in its habit of feeding primarily at night. Dutton and Todd observed that the larval stage is undergone in the egg and that the first free stage is that of the octopod nymph. - Oral and digestive system of Deinacrida megacephala
Oral and digestive system of Deinacrida megacephala 1, mandibles 2, maxillæ 3, labrum 4, labium 5, maxillary palpi 6, labial palpi 8, œsophagus 9, crop 10, gizzard 11, pancreas 12, stomach 13, biliary vessels 14, ilium 15, colon 16, anus. - On the Watch
Bird watching a butterfly - Of the Eyes and Head of a Grey drone-Fly
I took a large grey Drone-Fly, that had a large head, but a small and slender body in proportion to it, and cutting off its head, I fix'd it with the forepart or face upwards upon my Object Plate (this I made choice of rather then the head of a great blue Fly, because my enquiry being now about the eyes, I found this Fly to have, first the biggest clusters of eyes in proportion to his head, of any small kind of Fly that I have yet seen, it being somewhat inclining towards the make of the large Dragon-Flies. Next, because there is a greater variety in the knobs or balls of each cluster, then is of any small Fly.) Then examining it according to my usual manner, by varying the degrees of light, and altering its position to each kinde of light, I drew that representation of it which is delineated in the 24. Scheme, and found these things to be as plain and evident, as notable and pleasant. - Notœdres cati, male and female
- Newly hatched young of Cimex lectularius
- Newborn Cicada
Although Cicadas abound most upon the oaks, yet there seem to be no trees or shrubs that are exempt from their attacks, unless it be the various species of pines and firs. The punctured limbs languish and die soon after the eggs are laid, and as often happens are broken off by the winds; but when this is the case the eggs never hatch, for the moisture of the living branch seems necessary for their proper development. The eggs are one-twelfth of an inch in length, and one-sixteenth of an inch through the middle, but taper to an obtuse point at each end. They are of a pearl-white color. The shell is so thin and delicate that the form of the inclosed insect can be seen before the egg is hatched. One writer claims that fifty-two days, and others that fourteen days, constitute the period required for the hatching of the egg. When it bursts the shell the young insect is one-sixteenth of an inch long, and is of a yellowish-white color, excepting the eyes and the claws of the fore-legs, which are reddish. It is clothed with small hairs. In form it is grub-like, larger proportionally than the parent, and provided with six legs, the first pair being very large, shaped like lobster-claws, and armed beneath with strong spines. Little prominences take the place of wings, and under the breast is a long beak for suction. Its movements, after leaving the egg, are very lively, and nearly as quick as some of the ants. - Nest of Lasius
Neuters About Their Work. It was on an occasion while exploring a neighboring thicket for the objects of his search, that he discovered, underneath a large flat stone which he had raised, a nest of a small red ant, which he took to be the Lasius flavus of the books. The ground was covered all over with pits, and divers communicating roads, and round about were hundreds of ants, larvæ in various stages of development, pupæ and eggs, and innumerous flocks of a white aphis, all of which were being tenderly cared for by a large army of thoughtful nurses. - Neglecta Butterfly
Larva Feeding on Central Florets of Actinomeris, and Guarded by Ants. - Mygale Hentzii
MYGALIDÆ This family includes the largest known spiders. The body is usually very hairy and dark-colored. Most species have only four spinnerets; and one pair of these are long, and are turned up behind the abdomen. They have four air-sacs under the front of the abdomen, instead of two, as other spiders. Their mandibles are very large, and work up and down, instead of sidewise. The eyes are collected together on the front of the head. They live only in warm countries. Specimens from South America are exhibited in every natural history museum. The figure represents Mygale Hentzii, a species living in Arizona and Texas. - Muscina stabulan
- Mouth-parts of Honey Bee
In the Honey Bee nearly all the mouth-parts of the Cockroach are to be made out, though some are small and others extremely produced in length. The mandibles (Mn) are not much altered, and are still used for biting, as well as for kneading wax and other domestic work. The mandibular teeth have proved inconvenient, and are gone. The lacinia of the maxilla (Mx′) forms a broad and flexible blade, used for piercing succulent tissues, but the galea has disappeared, and there is only a vestige of the maxillary palp (Mxp). In the second pair of maxillæ the palp (Lp) is prominent; its base forms a blade, while the tip is still useful as an organ of touch. The paraglossæ (Pa) can be made out, but the laciniæ are fused to form the long, hairy tongue. This ends in a spoon-shaped lobe (not unlike the “finger” of an elephant’s trunk), which is used both for licking and for sucking honey. - Mouth appendages of cockroach
Mouth appendages of Periplaneta (magnified). A Mandible B First maxilla 1 cardo 2 stipes 3 lacinia 4 galea 5 palp C Right and left second maxillae fused to form the labium 1 submentum 2 mentum 3 ligula, corresponding to the lacinia 4 paraglossa, corresponding to the galea 5 palp (From Latter.) - Mourning-Cloak Butterfly
Larva Feeding on Willow Leaf, and Chrysalis Suspended from Twig. - Mosquito
Anopheles punctipennis. Female - Mosquito
Anopheles crucians. Female - Mandible of Scolopendra cingulata showing venom gland
- Lucilia cæsar
- Louse of the Cat
- Longitudinal section of Female Cockroach
Longitudinal section of Female Cockroach, to show the position of the principal organs. Oe œsophagus S.gl, salivary gland S.r salivary reservoir Cr crop G gizzard St, chylific stomach R rectum Ht heart N.C nerve-cord Uses Of the uses to which Cockroaches have been put we have little to say. They constitute a popular remedy for dropsy in Russia, and both cockroach-tea and cockroach-pills are known in the medical practice of Philadelphia. Salted Cockroaches are said to have an agreeable flavour which is apparent in certain popular sauces. - Long-tailed thread scorpion
With the Scorpions ( Thelyphonidae)) the three last abdominal members are narrow and form a short tube, which ends in a long, multifaceted thread with a stink gland. The whip is relatively short and 8-membered. The jaw gauges are thick, stocky and scissor-shaped at the end. The depicted species inhabits Java and Timor and is 32 mm without the tail. - Long-armed Tarantel Scorpion
Long-armed Tarantel Scorpion ( Phrynus lunatus ) - a) Front part of the head bust enlarged to show the arrangement of the eyes. - Locust
There has already been talk of the plague of the intestinal worms and their expulsion by Kusso; the higher standing insects occur in the highlands in large quantities only in the warmer season, but are driven back into the lower lying areas by the cold rains. The locusts , Amharic Anbasa, often cause great damage, as in the other Nile countries. - Linguatula. (a) larva; (enlarged). (b) adult; (natural size)
- Life cycle of the malarial parasite
- Lepismas at Work
Living in chinks and crannies of ranges in our homes, and occasionally in bookcases and closets where glutinous and sugary matters abound, but which has probably not been met with elsewhere, is a strange but beautiful little creature which, as far as can be determined, goes through the brief round of its existence without a name to distinguish it from its fellows. Few entomologists have given any special attention to its family relationships. The possession of certain bristle-like appendages which terminate the abdomen, and which are no doubt comparable with the abdominal legs of the Myriopods, or Thousand Legs, classes it with the Bristle-tails, or Lepismas. In general form, a likeness to the larva of Perla, a net-veined neuropterous insect, is manifest, or to the narrow-bodied species of Blattariæ, or Cockroaches, when divested of wings. - Left spiracle of nymph of Argas persicus
- Left hand stigmata of the larvæ of muscoidea
- Leaf-Cutter Bee at Work
Two Tunnels Being Filled With Leaf-Cells. You should see the little creature in her never-tiring work of preparing material for her nest. In and out among the roses she goes, examining each leaf with the most critical care, and only desisting from her labor when a suitable one has been chosen. She scans it over and over, and at last from a position on its upper or nether surface proceeds to cut a piece just fitted for her work, which, heavy as it seems, is seized between the legs and jaws and carried on swiftly-agitated wings to her burrow. Ten pieces or more, each differing in shape, are cut and borne away, which the ingenious insect tailor twists and folds, the one within the other, until is formed a funnel-like cone, whose end is narrower than its mouth. So perfectly joined are the parts, that even when dry they have been found to retain their form and integrity. A cake of honey and pollen, for the use of some yet unborn Leaf-cutter, is deposited within, and on this, in due time, is laid a single small egg. Nought now remains but to wall up the cell. A circle of leaf, of the size of the opening, is cut, and this is closely adjusted within the wall of rolled-up leaves. Sometimes as many as four pieces are thus utilized. A second cell, similarly built, is fitted to the first, and this is succeeded by eight or ten others. When all is completed, the eggs being laid and the cells all victualled, the hole of the shaft is closed with the earth that was thrown out, and so carefully, too, that not a trace of her doings remains to tell us the story. - Larva of Xenopsylla cheopis
- Larva of Simulium
- Larva of Pulex irritans
- Larva of Forficula
Larva of Forficula - Larva of Fannia scalaris
- Larva of Auchmeromyia luteola
The whitish larvæ on hatching are slightly flattened ventrally, and each segment bears posteriorly three foot-pads transversely arranged. At night the larvæ find their way into the low beds or couches of the natives and suck their blood. - Larva of Anopheles
- Larva of a flesh fly (Sarcophaga) - Caudal aspect - Anterior stigmata. Pharyngeal skeleton
Sarcophagidæ—The larvæ of flies of this family usually feed upon meats, but have been found in cheese, oleomargerine, pickled herring, dead and living insects, cow dung and human feces. Certain species are parasitic in insects. Higgins (1890) reported an instance of "hundreds" of larvæ of Sarcophaga being vomited by a child eighteen months of age. There was no doubt as to their origin for they were voided while the physician was in the room. There are many other reports of their occurrence in the alimentary canal. We have recorded elsewhere (Riley, 1906) a case in which some ten or twelve larvæ of Sarcophaga were found feeding on the diseased tissues of a malignant tumor. The tumor, a melanotic sarcoma, was about the size of a small walnut, and located in the small of the back of an elderly lady. - Ixodes ricinus; male, ventral aspect
- Insect Frame 4
- Insect Frame 3
- Insect Frame 2
- Insect frame
- House-builder Moth
Young in House, Winged Male, Young Suspended and Bag-like Female in Longitudinally-Split Cocoon. During the winter the curious weather-beaten bags of these worms may be observed hanging from the tree-branches, apparently without a trace of the odd-looking creatures that hung them there the autumn before. If a number of these bags are gathered and cut open at this time, many of them will be discovered to be empty, but the greater portion will be found partly full of yellow eggs. Those which do not contain eggs are male bags, and the empty chrysalis of the male will be found protruding from the lower extremity. Upon close examination these eggs will be observed to be obovate in form, soft and opaque, about one-twentieth of an inch in length, and surrounded by more or less fawn-colored silky down. If left to themselves, they hatch sometime in May, or early in June. - House spider
House spider ( Tegenaria domestica ): - a) Male (below, on an enlarged scale, eyes seen from the front). b) Female - Head of a spider showing poison gland (c) and its relation to the chelicera (a)
- Head and pronotum of (a) dog flea; (b) of cat flea; (c) of hen flea (d) Nycteridiphilus (Ischnopsyllus) hexactenus
- Harvest mites. (Larvæ of Trombidium)
- Harlequin Spider
Harlequin Spider ( Salticus scenicus ): a) Female, b) Male, both enlarged. c) Female, full size, d) Front part of the head bust, seen from behind to show eye placement (enlarged). - Garden spider
Garden spider ( Epeira diadema ): - 1) Female. 2) Male. 3) Spider pipe. 4) Spinnerets with the vent opening (top) and the “strainer” (bottom). 5) Jaw blades and eyes. 6) Left jaw blade, the ground member of which is cut longitudinally to show the venom gland as a whole. 7) Top of the foot lid. 3–7 strongly enlarged. - Freshly hatched larva of Julus multistriatus
Freshly hatched larva of Julus multistriatus? 3 mm. long: a, 5 pairs of rudimentary legs, one pair to a segment.