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Black-footed Drone Fly
''Eristalis hirta'', the black-footed drone fly, is a common Western North American species of syrphid fly, first officially described by Loew in 1866. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies as they are commonly found on and around flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. The larvae are aquatic filter-feeders of the rat-tailed type. Distribution This species is found in Western North America and Northern Europe in raised bogs, ditches and temporary pools. Description For terms see Morphology of Diptera ;Size: Length: ;Head: The frons are a shiny black with light brownish yellow pile. The face and frons of female is unusually broad. The pile of the face is light brownish yellow except the facial stripe (tubercle) and the cheeks which are a shiny black. The antennae are very dark brownish black. The arista is slightly plumose basally. The eyes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hermann Loew
Friedrich Hermann Loew (19 July 1807 – 21 April 1879) was a German entomologist who specialised in the study of Diptera, an order of insects including Fly, flies, mosquitoes, gnats and midges. He described many world species and was the first specialist to work on the Diptera of the United States. Biography Early years Hermann Loew was born in Weissenfels, Saxony a short distance south of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Germany). The Loew family, though not wealthy, was well-placed. Loew's father was a functionary for the Department of Justice of the Duchy of Saxony who later became a ''Geheimer Regierungsrath'' of Prussia. Between 1817 and 1829 Loew attended first the Convent School of Rossleben, then the University of Halle-Wittenberg, graduating in mathematics, philology and natural history. Teacher, tutor and husband Recognizing his abilities as a mathematician, the university, on his graduation, appointed him as a lecturer in the same subjects. In 1830 he went to Berlin and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Montgomery Hull
Frank Montgomery Hull (November 3, 1901 – July 19, 1982) was an American naturalist who specialized in entomology, especially Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance .... Works * * * * See also * :Taxa named by Frank Montgomery Hull References American entomologists 1982 deaths 1901 births People from Coahoma, Mississippi Dipterists Mississippi State University alumni University of Mississippi faculty Texas A&M University faculty New Mexico State University faculty Ohio State University alumni Harvard University alumni Scientists from Mississippi 20th-century American zoologists {{US-entomologist-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Gustaf Thomson
Carl Gustaf Thomson (13 October 1824, in Malmöhus – 20 September 1899, in Lund) was a Swedish entomologist. Thomson became a student at the University of Lund Lund University () is a public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially founded in 1666 on the ... in 1843, graduated in 1850 and became associate professor of zoology there in 1857. In 1862 he became the curator of the entomological department of the Zoological Museum and in 1864 became a lecturer in entomology as well. An 1872 scholarship enabled him to travel to the continent for scientific study. He was offered the post of Director of the Entomological Museum in Berlin, but he declined. Carl Gustaf Thomson was the author of ''Coleoptera Scandinaviae'' (ten volumes, 1859–68), ''Skandinaviens inseckta'' (1862), ''Scandinavia Hymenoptera'' (five volumes, 1871–79 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoverfly
Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae ( maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, specifically detritivores, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores, preying on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. Insects such as aphids are considered crop pests, so the aphid-eating larvae of some hoverflies are economically and ecologically important. The larvae are potential agents for use in biological control, while the adults are pollinators. About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described. Hoverflies are common throughout the world and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Hoverflies are harmless to most mammals, though many s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nectarivore
In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal which derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Nectar as a food source presents a number of benefits as well as challenges. It is essentially a solution of (as much as 80%) the simple sugars sucrose, glucose and fructose, which are easily ingested and digested, representing a rich and efficient source of nutrition. This solution is often diluted either by the plant that produces it or by rain falling on a flower and many nectarivores possess adaptations to effectively rid themselves of any excess water ingested this way. However, nectar is an incomplete source of nutrition. While it does contain proteins and amino acids, these are found in low quantities, and it is severely deficient in minerals and vitamins. Very few organisms consume nectar exclusively over their whole life cycle, either supplementing it with other sources, particularl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palynivore
In zoology, a palynivore /pəˈlɪnəvɔːɹ/, meaning "pollen eater" (from Greek παλύνω palunō, "strew, sprinkle", and Latin, vorare, meaning "to devour") is an herbivorous animal which selectively eats the nutrient-rich pollen produced by angiosperms and gymnosperms. Most true palynivores are insects or mites. The category in its strictest application includes most bees, and a few kinds of wasps, as pollen is often the only solid food consumed by all life stages in these insects. However, the category can be extended to include more diverse species. For example, palynivorous mites and thrips typically feed on the liquid content of the pollen grains without actually consuming the exine, or the solid portion of the grain. Additionally, the list is expanded greatly if one takes into consideration species where either the larval or adult stage feeds on pollen, but not both. There are other wasps which are in this category, as well as many beetles, flies, butterflies, and mot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rat-tailed Maggot
Rat-tailed maggots are the larvae of certain species of hoverflies belonging to the tribes Eristalini and Sericomyiini. A characteristic feature of rat-tailed maggots is a tube-like, telescoping breathing siphon located at their posterior end. This acts like a snorkel, allowing the larva to breathe air while submerged. The siphon is usually about as long as the maggot's body ( when mature), but can be extended up to about . This organ gives the larva its common name. The most commonly encountered rat-tailed maggot is the larva of the drone fly, ''Eristalis tenax''. It lives in stagnant, oxygen-deprived water, with a high organic content. It is fairly tolerant of pollution and can live in sewage lagoons and cesspools. Commercial use These larvae, commonly called "mousies", are cultured and sold as fish bait. They are especially popular in ice fishing. Infection Occasionally, cases have been documented of human intestinal myiasis caused by the rat-tailed maggot. Symptoms can r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raised Bog
Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombrotrophy) and from mineral salts introduced from the air. They thus represent a special type of bog, hydrologically, ecologically and in terms of their development history, in which the growth of peat mosses over centuries or millennia plays a decisive role. They also differ in character from blanket bogs which are much thinner and occur in wetter, cloudier climatic zones. Raised bogs are very threatened by peat cutting and pollution by mineral salts from the surrounding land (due to agriculture and Industrial sector, industry). The last great raised bog regions are found in western Siberia and Canada. Terminology The term ''raised bog'' derives from the fact that this type of bog rises in height over time as a result of peat formation. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vernal Pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a unique type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species unable to withstand competition or predation by fish. Certain tropical fish lineages (such as killifishes) have however, adapted to this habitat specifically. Vernal pools are a type of wetland. They can be surrounded by many communities/species, including deciduous forest, grassland, lodgepole pine forest, blue oak woodland, sagebrush steppe, succulent coastal scrub and prairie. These pools are characteristic of Mediterranean climates, but occur in many other ecosystems. Generation and annual development During most years, a vernal pool basin will experience inundation from rain/precipitation, followed by desiccation from evapotranspiration. These conditions are commonly associated with a M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morphology Of Diptera
Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader insect morphology, morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse Order (biology), order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound eyes on a mobile head, and (at most) one pair of functional, membraneous wings, which are attached to a complex mesothorax. The second pair of wings, on the metathorax, are reduced to halteres. The order's fundamental peculiarity is its remarkable specialization in terms of wing shape and the morpho-anatomical adaptation of the thorax – features which lend particular agility to its flying forms. The filiform, stylate or aristate antennae correlate with the Nematocera, Brachycera and Cyclorrhapha taxa respectively. It displays substantial Morphology (biology), morphological uniformity in lower taxa, especially at the level of genus or species. The configuration of integumental bristles is of fundamental importance in their taxonomy, as is wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eristalis Hirta, Head View
''Eristalis'' is a large genus of hoverflies, family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. Several species are known as drone flies (or droneflies) because they bear a resemblance to honeybee drones. Drone flies and their relatives are fairly common generalist pollinators, the larvae of which are aquatic, and breathe through a long, snorkel-like appendage, hence the common name rat-tailed maggots. ''Eristalis'' is a large genus of around 99 species, and is subdivided into several subgenera and species groups (''Eristalomyia'', ''Eristalis'', ''Eoseristalis'' etc.). Scientific name and grammatical gender The scientific name was proposed by Pierre André Latreille in 1804. He placed seven species in his new genus, but listed the names as combinations with ''Syrphus'', so it remained unclear what gender he attributed to the name (the gender of the name ''Syrphus'' is masculine). In the two centuries following its publication, ''Eristalis'' was sometimes considered to be of feminine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holoptic
Holoptic refers to one of the ways in which the arthropod eye develops, particularly the eyes of various species of insects. Unlike dichoptic and cycloptic eyes, holoptic eyes meet along the median dorsal line of the head, in many species nearly covering the exterior of the head. Holoptic eyes are typical of several Dipteran males, in particular some Syrphidae, Tabanidae, Pipunculidae, and Acroceridae. Some other insect orders that include species with holoptic males and some in which the females are holoptic as well, include the Coleoptera, Anisoptera, and Archaeognatha The Archaeognatha are an order of apterygotes, known by various common names such as jumping bristletails. Among extant insect taxa they are some of the most evolutionarily primitive; they appeared in the Middle Devonian period at about the sa .... References * {{Insect-anatomy-stub Insect anatomy Eye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
