Friday, November 4, 2011

Life in a Cubic Foot: Bug Analysis



Spodoptera praefica
Western Yellow Striped Army Worm
Native to the western regions of America.
The worms are a brown color, with a white-yellow/ yellow stripe running down both sides. They typically have a pinkish colored belly. The female can lay between 200 to 500 eggs on the underside of leaves. In the larva stage the worm can grown from 2.0 mm to 35 mm. They eat just about any plant in sight making them a serious threat to crops and agriculture. They then bury themselves into the ground and pupate until they are mature. The adults emerge fully grown with a wing span of 34 to 41 mm. They live for up to 17 days, spending the time reproducing more eggs restarting the whole cycle once again. The worms are vicious little eaters starting on the leaves nearest to them, managing to only skeletonize them. As they grow they disperse over the land consuming whole leaves, fruits, stalks, and plants. These worms can cause serious threat to a crop if not taken care of quickly.
Common enemies are Rogas laphygmae which is a type of wasp that eats the army worms, is a very fast acting and effective species that can quickly take care of these pests and are often bought for crops that are threatened.



Polydesmus Angustus
Flat-backed Millipede
Native to North Western Europe
Such as the name describes, these millipedes are flat with at least 20 sections and from 14 to 25 mm. The most common colors for this species is black or dark brown so that they may blend in with their surroundings. They commonly live under rock, logs, and thick flat piles of dead leaves. Their diet consists of rotting plants and vegetation. They are able to reproduce all throughout late spring to mid fall, creating bunches in the thousands. Though these species are non-native, they are not invasive or threatening to any ecosystem.



Sparganophilus (most likely)
Common Name: Earth Worm
These helpful little guys live in the ground but prefer moist damp soil, which keeps their skin healthy. If it dries out they will die. They love composting plants and vegetables as a big part of their daily diet, eating there body weight's worth. The worm above is not yet mature as his clitella has not formed yet. Clitella is the reproductive system on a worm.



Blapstinus Aciculus
Darkling Beetle
These guys may vary in color from a dark brown to a black or grey coloring. While they are very small they are a common snack to enemies like birds, lizards, and spiders. Their larva are known to most as meal worms, which one can find in just about any pet store. Like butterflies these insects make a cocoon in which they stay in until they have matured into their beetle form. They are able to lay between 400- 500 eggs in the 2 month life span (give or take)that they live.

No comments:

Post a Comment