Indian Fritillary Argynus hyberbius ( continued )

I found some nice info on this beautiful butterfly on Wikipedia and here's the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argynus_hyberbius

They also have some photos of them too.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you all are well. In Hindi: विशिंग यू अल अ हैप्पी सैंट पत्रिच्क्स डे! होप यू अल अरे वेल्ल। In Kannada: ವಿಶಿಂಗ್ ಯೌ ಆಲ್ ಅ ಹ್ಯಾಪಿ ಸೈಂಟ್ ಪತ್ರಿಕ್ಕ್ಸ್ ಡೇ! ಹೋಪ್ ಯೌ ಆಲ್ ಅರೆ ವೆಲ್. In Malayalam: വിഷിന്ഗ് യു ഓള് എ ഹാപ്പി സൈന്ട്ട് പതൃക്ക്സ് ഡേ! ഹോപേ യു ഓള് ആരെ വെല്. In Tamil: விஷிங் யு ஆல் ஏ ஹப்பி செயிண்ட் பற்றிக்க்ஸ் டே! ஹோபே யு ஆல் ஆர் வெள். In Telugu: విశింగ్ యు ఆల్ అ హ్యాపీ సెయింట్ పత్రిక్స్ డే! హోపే యు అరె ఆల్ వెల్.

Bug Of The Month: Blue Tiger Tirumala Halmata

Description
A large butterfly with a wingspan of 75-95 mm. Sexes are similar. At rest, the male can be distinguished from the female by the bell-shaped elevated scent patche located between the first and second veins of the hind wing. The upper side of both wings is black with pale blue markings. These markings are broad streaks at the base of the wings but become smaller and more circular towards the outer margins. The ground color of the under side is a beautiful olivaceous brown. The markings below are similar to those on the upper side.

Beautiful right? I think so. Info from here.

Blue Pansy Junonia atlites

Description
Wingspan of 55-65 mm. A medium sized light gray butterfly with darker coloured wing margins. The sexes are similar. The upperside is marked with a row of post-median ocelli on both wings. There is a series of short wavy bands hanging off the costal margin of the forewing. The underside ground color is much paler, and the hind wing has an oblique line running across the wing. The markings and the intensity of colour on the undersides of this butterfly are quite variable; the dry season forms showing the lightest colour and fewest markings.

Habits
Its behavior is very similar to that of the other pansies except in egg laying. It will often lay eggs on plants above the waterline in rice fields or open water bodies. The larvae are capable of surviving a rise in water levels by moving to high ground or other host plants nearby with relative ease. Like the other pansies, it joins migratory flights.

Info and photo from here. These are also known as "Buckeyes". Never knew there were so many!

Insects Are Kicking Ass!

And I'm afraid that's our asses being kicked.

Go See!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEE!

Yes that's right I've turned 16 and time goes by way too fast. But I'm happy to say that everything went well today. Exceptionally well I must say. And I thank God for that.

You'll be hearing from me again shortly.

Peace!

Bug Of The Month

Yeah I know it's not very colorful but the nymphs of this bug Alydus eurinus look like ants and I'm guessing that has something to do with actual ants. Maybe sneaking into their nests and stealing their food or something. ;)

Any way this is what Bugguide has to say about it ( the photo is also from there ):

Numbers:

One of six species in North America

Size:

11 to 15mm

Range:

Widespread over North America ( That's good because I'll keep an eye out for them during the summer )

Season:

Late Spring to Fall May-frost ( North Carolina )

Food:

Takes plant juices but sometimes on carrion.

The rest can be found here along with this photo and a bunch of others. No copyright infringement intended.

Indian Fritillary

---

Description
A medium sized dark orange butterfly with a wingspan of 60-80 mm. The upper side of both sexes are a dark brownish orange with a large number of black spots. Both sexes have a submarginal band of spots on the hind wing. In the female, the apex is almost back and has a white subapical band. The black area of the apex often carries a bluish sheen, and in some specimens there is a pinkish wash towards the base of the wings. The underside has white, black and olive green markings. This species frequently shows up aberrations.

Similar species
The male resembles the Common Leopard, but is much larger. The female resembles the Plain Tiger.

Status, distribution and habitat
A high elevation species that occurs above 3000 feet. It is not uncommon along the edges of tea fields bordering forests that support its larval food plant violet. It is most abundant in April.

Habits
The male is more abundant than the female and may be seen day after day in the same location. It often settles on gravel roads through tea estates or forests. Its flight is very similar to that of the Common Leopard. However, unlike like the Common Leopard, it does not incessantly move its wings when settled. The female flies slower than the male and mimics the Plain Tiger. It is common to see it fly in and out of tea bushes in neglected weedy plantations in search of violets, its larval food plant. This is a hill topping species and may be seen in fair numbers on top of hills.

Early stages
The eggs are laid singly on the leaves of violet, which is its only known larval food plant in the island.

The one shown here is a male.

Lawn Shrimp

Yes this is true. I find them awfully cute.

Clicky!

Centipede Joke

I nearly fell off my seat when I finished reading this.

A man goes into a pet shop and tells the owner that he wants to buy a
pet that can do everything. The shop owner suggests a faithful dog.
The man replies, "Come on, a dog?"
The owner says, "How about a cat?"
The man replies, "No way! A cat certainly can't do everything. I
want a pet that can do everything!"
The shop owner thinks for a minute, then says, "I've got it! A
centipede!"
The man says, "A centipede? I can't imagine a centipede doing
everything, but okay, I'll try a centipede."
He gets the centipede home and says to the centipede, "Clean the
kitchen."
Thirty minutes later, he walks into the kitchen and it's
immaculate! All the dishes and silverware have been washed, dried,
and put away; the countertops cleaned; the appliances sparkling; the
floor waxed. He's absolutely amazed.
He says to the centipede, "Go clean the living room."
Twenty minutes later, he walks into the living room. The carpet
has been vacuumed; the furniture cleaned and dusted; the pillows on
the sofa plumped; plants watered. The man thinks to himself, "This is
the most amazing thing I've ever seen. This really is a pet that can
do everything!"
Next he says to the centipede, "Run down to the corner and get me
a newspaper."
The centipede walks out the door. 10 minutes later...no
centipede. 20 minutes later... no centipede. 30 minutes later...no
centipede. By this point the man is wondering what's going on. So he
goes to the front door, opens it... and there's the centipede sitting
right outside the door.
The man says, "Hey! I sent you down to the corner store 45
minutes ago to get me a newspaper. What's the matter?"
The centipede says, "I'm going, I'm going, I'm just putting on my
shoes!"

Bug Facts Series #2

Yet more facts! This is something I didn't know about ladybugs ( see bold ).

The Lady Bug (Beetle) was introduced to the
United States by the U. S. Department of Agriculture
as a biological control agent. The tree-dwelling
insect can live up to three years. They are a predator
of aphids and other pests. They do not bite, sting, carry
human disease or feed on wood, clothing or food.

A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth
up to 7 miles away!

Some caterpillars and moths avoid being eaten because
they resemble bird droppings.

A Joke

This was found browsing the older messages on the Yahoo! Group Bug Facts:

Two roaches were munching on garbage in an alley. "I
was in that new restaurant across the street," said one.
"It's so clean! The kitchen is spotless, the floors are
gleaming white. It's so sanitary the whole place shines."
"Please," said the other roach, frowning. "Not while I'm eating!"

LOL!

Bug Facts Series #1

IN THE NEWS
The following article was found at www.spacedaily. com

SUPER SPACE ROACHES!
Cockroaches conceived in space onboard the Russian Foton-M bio
satellite have developed faster and become hardier
than 'terrestrial' ones, a research supervisor said on Thursday. The
research team has been monitoring the cockroaches since they were
born in October. The scientists established that their limbs and
bodies grew faster.

"What is more, we have found out that the creatures... run faster
than ordinary cockroaches, and are much more energetic and
resilient," Dmitry Atyakshin said.

Cockroaches, as well as other types of insects, can give birth
several times after one impregnation, and the cockroaches that
conceived during the bio-satellite' s September 14-26 flight have
since given birth to their second and third batches of offspring.
"The second and third batches did not show these peculiarities of
growth and physiology," the scientist noted.

'Ordinary' cockroaches are already known for their extraordinary
resilience. Some species can last almost an hour without oxygen or a
month without food, and are able to withstand high doses of
radiation.

The September 14-26, 2007 flight was part of an ongoing experiment
into the effects of space flight by the Institute of Biomedical
Problems (IBMP). The creatures were sealed in special containers,
and a video camera filmed them during the flight.

Spoon - Winged Lace Wing - Chasmoptera hutti

I seriously love these. I just found out about them today and I'm going to go crazy looking for more info and hopefully more photos. This is all I could find atm:

Chasmoptera, with seven species, is confined to south-western Australia. Other genera of spoon-winged lacewings occur in Africa, southern Europe and South America. The common name (spoon-wings) alludes to the stalked hindwings with subapical expansions.

One species is still found in bushlands around Perth during November and December. Little is known about the behaviour and life-history of these odd insects. The hind wings of the species pictured measure up to 40 mm in length.

Bug Of The Month Figure Of Eighty - Tethea ocularis

Wingspan 32-38 mm.

This attractive moth adopts a cylindrical posture when at rest, with the wings curled tightly around the body. The white '80' mark on the forewing, from which the moth gets its name, varies in shape and intensity.

Fresh specimens often have a violet or purplish tinge to the brownish ground-colour.

It can be found in woodland, parks and gardens, from Yorkshire southwards, and the larvae feed on poplar (Populus).

It is single-brooded, flying from May to July.

Info from here.

Bug Facts Series

All of the following is from one of the Yahoo! Groups that I'm a member of about insects and spiders. Well one thing you should know before reading the first set of fact is this:

Warning: The following will contain facts that might not be so easy on your stomach. So if you have an uneasy stomach, STAY AWAY FROM THESE POST.

Thank you and have a good day

*Claps hands*

Now on to business!

1. Sex among African bat bugs is a violent affair. During copulation,
males of the species pierce the abdomens of their mates with their
genitals and ejaculate directly into their blood. (OUCH!)

It's true! Look it up if you have to!

2. The Asian Cyprian honeybee kills its nemesis, the Oriental hornet, by smothering with other honeybees as a mob, causing the hornet to asphyxiate.

I shall look these up further.

Bug Property Laws:

If you own a rat take responsibility. Follow the laws.

RAT PROPERTY LAWS:

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If I've peed on it, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If you've got something larger, it's mine.
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it's in my reach, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it
automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken or it tastes bad, it's yours.

More coming! Enjoy! Bug Of The Month coming shortly.

Giant Cockroach

I was just discussing cockroaches on AB and came across this along with the picture posted above. It's incredible! Looks more like a beetle though.

Amazing all the same.

Green Burrowing Bee - Ctenocolletes smaragdinus

This glorious metallic green species is much larger than a honeybee. It is one of 12 species of its genus and, like most of them, is confined to W.A. It is found in heathlands of the southern wheatbelt and southern goldfields and flies during the spring flowering season. It nests solitarily and its nest entrances are very inconspicuous.

I love the color on these!

Rosalia alpina

This is a beautiful Long Horned Beetle. Photo from here. And here are links to more info about them:

From Wikipedia

www.cerambyx.uochb.cz/rosalia.htm

There is also another species R. batesi. I'll go looking for info on that one tomorrow.

Notice

I've been through alot lately which is why I haven't posted in a good while. I just wanted to let my readers ( if any one actually reads this ) that I'm okay. Emotionally I'm not, and the past few days have been absolute hell.

I haven't forgotten about this blog and I'm going to start filling in the "missing posts". This is one of them. :)

Lots of L♥ve!