Kinky Bug Found in Museum's Gardens

I just got this e-mail from our Curator of Entomology, Brian Brown.

"I asked Entomology Volunteer Franesca Zern to concentrate on identifying true bugs from the North Campus Malaise trap. She just identified (through her own research) a new record for Los Angeles County, a mirid plant bug called Coridromius chenopoderis. This tiny, 2 mm long Australian bug feeds on plants, including beets and spinach, but is considered unlikely to be a pest. According to our colleagues at L.A. County Agriculture, this is the first report from here, although it is also known from farther south in California."

Photos of the bug taken by Inna Strazhnik:

 

But that's not all! Brian left Museum staff with this interesting tidbit:

"One interesting thing about these bugs is that they have traumatic insemination, like bed bugs. I won't broadcast the details, but yes it is as kinky as it sounds!"

Although Brian won't broadcast the details, I will! Traumatic insemination, aka hypodermic insemination, is a mating practice employed by some kinky invertebrates, bed bugs being the most notable. The male insect pierces the female's abdomen with his sword-like penis and injects sperm into the abdominal cavity. The sperm diffuses through the hemolymph (insect blood) and eventually reaches the ovaries. Hey presto, we've got fertilization! As you can imagine this process is no cake walk for the female insect in question. It creates open wounds which often lead to infection, thus shortening life expectancy. There we have it folks, another post about kinky InSEX.

Q: What are Those Miniature Spiky Puffballs? A: Brown Widow Egg Sacs

Earlier this week, staff found some small circular egg cases on a gate in the North Campus. Upon closer inspection we realized they were brown widow, Latrodectus geometricus, egg sacs. But how did we know this?

Two egg sacs, each containing about 100 eggs,

notice the geometric design.

Differences between brown widows and western black widows:

Brown Widows

Egg sacs are pale yellow and spiky (BINGO)

Egg sacs contain upto 150 spiderlings (best word ever)

Can lay 20 sacs over their lifespan

Adult females are USUALLY tan with an orange hourglass design on the underside of the abdomen

Lower incidence of medically significant spider bites

Western Black Widows

Egg sacs are pale yellow and smooth

Egg sacs contain upto 300 spiderlings

Can lay 10 sacs over their lifespan

Adult females are black (duh!) with a red hourglass design on the underside of the abdomen

Higher incidence of medically significant spider bites

Visit UC Riverside's Center for Invasive Species Research site for more information on identifying Brown Widows.

Check out this video Sam Easterson made of a brown widow tending her egg cases:

If you want to meet a brown widow up close and personal, all you have to do is visit our Spider Pavilion. The pavilion opens to the general public Sunday September 23. We have both a brown widow and western black widown on display in tightly shut enclosures! Stop by and say hello.

Oh My, What Lovely Saddlebags You Have!

Quick Dragonfly Update!

I've documented another dragonfly visiting our pond. It was a Black Saddlebags, Tramea lacerata. My phone's camera couldn't capture a picture of this fast-flying critter, but I was able to send myself an e-mail documenting the find. Here's the e-mail:

"Saw a saddlebags by pond
August 22, 2012
3:00pm"

This brings our total number of dragonflies and damselflies to six species! Check out this recent post to see the the other five.

Black Saddlebags perching

Photo courtesy of JerryFriedman