/r/Entomology
Entomology: the branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects
All insect and science related posts are welcome!
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, as well as arachnids, myriapods and crustaceans. All are welcome!
Rules:
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- No bug hate. Calling for unwarranted harm to our leggy friends can result in a ban. Discussion about the ethical destruction of invasive species and certain pests is permitted.
- No bite identification requests. Due to the low success rate of IDing bites and the danger of misdiagnoses we ask that you seek professional assistance instead of posting here.
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/r/Entomology
240,451 Subscribers
use of 'instar' vs 'larva'
I work in butterfly conservation, and the team of interns I work with has adopted the habit of using the term 'instar' rather than 'larva' or 'caterpillar'. For example, after a day of field work they will say "we observed 5 instars today", meaning they saw 5 different caterpillars/larvae (possibly of different instar stages). Is this.... correct? It sounds weird to me, but also feels nitpicky to correct them about it.. My understanding is that you would say 'we saw 5 larvae' or 'we saw 5 3rd instar larvae' etc (for example if you wanted to use the word 'instar' in that sentence). In other words, that the word instar refers to the stage of development but doesn't mean 'caterpillar' literally. Am I wrong? Doesn't really matter, but curious about the correct usage of the term.
23:13 UTC
The beauty of an Orchid Praying mantis
20:59 UTC
Pregnant praying mantis
20:51 UTC
Which especies do these larvae attacking my mushrooms belong to? How do I deal with them?
(The second shot, halfway into the video, seems a bit clearer)
Recently I started growing Agaricus Blazei mushrooms, but been having a lot of trouble with larvae eating them from the inside. Does anyone know which especies they belong to? Is it possible to raise those larvae in a controlled ambiance to see how they turn out? Does anyone know how to keep them away?
Additional details:
Idk whether it's noticeable on the video, but I found it very curious that the larvae are almost transparent;
To make the scale of things clearer, those shrooms have around 5cm to 7cm and the larvae seem to be much smaller than the housefly ones;
This is located in southeastern Brazil;
Although I can't tell whether it's obvious or not, since I really don't know a thing about entomology, I suspect the culprits to be some sort of fly laying its eggs upon the mycelium;
Near the sacks in which I raise the shrooms there usually are a lot of those mosquitoes you see flying around bananas, but sometimes I notice some larger flies too;
Many shrooms don't even show signs of being breached, you only notice the infestation when you cut them open, although there are some few cases in which you can identify the problem by sight alone.
14:48 UTC
A male Magellan Birdwing (Troides magellanus) in all its opalescent glory
13:03 UTC
Ant Jenga🐜
Manawatu, New Zealand🇳🇿
07:00 UTC
🌼Employee of The Month🐝
Manawatu, New Zealand🇳🇿
06:43 UTC
Guys is this bug dangerous?
So I know there is a species that can carry a disease called chagas disease, and it's pretty dangerous but not sure if this bug is the one.
the one on the bottom is the bug that I found in my bedroom and those on the top are the spices that can carry the disease . So should I be concerned?
06:35 UTC
Fireflies in San Diego - not in a mountain area?
06:26 UTC
Is it completely necessary to spray for bugs every year?
Hi all! I am an insect lover with roommates who are not as nonchalant about sharing a living space with insects as much as I am. I rent a house that does not currently have any prominent bug issues (a roach here and there, sometimes ants get in the house, but nothing that bothers me too much), but temps are dropping and bugs come in when it’s cold. My roommates are wanting to get pest control to come spray, but i feel very against the idea. I’ve never lived in a house/apartment that didn’t get sprayed regularly — is it 100% necessary? Are there any alternatives I can pitch to my roommates that won’t make me sound unreasonable?
00:54 UTC
Genera of this ants??
They are from Yucatan, Mexico, collected close to the coastal line, like 100m away
23:32 UTC
Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii Spiny Flower mantis
23:10 UTC
A dead leaf praying mantis
22:50 UTC
Choeradodis stalii praying mantis
22:02 UTC
What bug is this?
18:59 UTC
Where can I go to handle insects?
Hi,
Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask! I have a phobia of insects and cockroaches and the like and I think that handling them would help me get over it sort of like exposure therapy. Are there like insect zoos where they let insects crawl on your hand? Sorry if it's a dumb question - I just read an article where about three hours of that cured people of their spider phobia and I really want that for me.
Edited to add that I'm located in Mississippi!
18:06 UTC