Brown Centipede

Brown Centipede

Phylum : Arthropoda
Subphylum : Myriapoda
Class : Chilopoda
Order : Lithobiomorpha
Family : Lithobiidae
Genus : Lithobius
Species : L. forficatus

Length : Up to 2in (5cm)

IUCN Status : Not Listed

The Brown Centipede is a very common species of Myriapod that can be found most often in Europe, though their distribution extends outside that range.They are a reddish-brown color, have large antennae, and live in a variety of different habitats.

As adults, Brown Centipedes have 15 pairs of legs, giving them thirty overall. You can tell a juvenile from an adult by counting up the digits. Less than 30 legs means that it still has some growing to do. Brown centipedes are born with 7 pairs, and they have to molt their exoskeletons as they age. Each molt grants them a new set of legs!

Females have an interesting way of laying their eggs. They dig a hole and deposit one egg. Then they dig another hole for another single egg, and so on. Eggs are laid in summer, and Brown Centipedes can live as long as 6 years!

Brown Centipedes are nocturnal carnivores, and they have a couple of neat features that help them to hunt and devour prey. First off, they have two venomous claws they they use to paralyze their targets. Secondly, their back set of legs is much longer than any other set, which allows them to hold on to and carry around meals. Humans should not be fearful of Brown Centipedes. They may try and attack with the venom if threatened, but they rarely break skin. Even if they do, the injury is more mild then your average bee sting.

Brown Centipede

Brown Centipede

Phylum : Arthropoda

Subphylum : Myriapoda

Class : Chilopoda

Order : Lithobiomorpha

Family : Lithobiidae

Genus : Lithobius

Species : L. forficatus



Length : Up to 2in (5cm)



IUCN Status : Not Listed



The Brown Centipede is a very common species of Myriapod that can be found most often in Europe, though their distribution extends outside that range.They are a reddish-brown color, have large antennae, and live in a variety of different habitats.



As adults, Brown Centipedes have 15 pairs of legs, giving them thirty overall. You can tell a juvenile from an adult by counting up the digits. Less than 30 legs means that it still has some growing to do. Brown centipedes are born with 7 pairs, and they have to molt their exoskeletons as they age. Each molt grants them a new set of legs!



Females have an interesting way of laying their eggs. They dig a hole and deposit one egg. Then they dig another hole for another single egg, and so on. Eggs are laid in summer, and Brown Centipedes can live as long as 6 years!



Brown Centipedes are nocturnal carnivores, and they have a couple of neat features that help them to hunt and devour prey. First off, they have two venomous claws they they use to paralyze their targets. Secondly, their back set of legs is much longer than any other set, which allows them to hold on to and carry around meals. Humans should not be fearful of Brown Centipedes. They may try and attack with the venom if threatened, but they rarely break skin. Even if they do, the injury is more mild then your average bee sting.

American Lobster

American Lobster

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Malacostraca
Order : Decapoda
Family : Nephropidae
Genus : Homarus
Species : H. americanus

Length : 8-24in (20-61cm)
Weight : 2-9lbs (1-4kg)

IUCN Status : Not Listed

The American Lobster, as its name might suggest, can be found in the waters of the Atlantic, running from Canada down to the Carolinas. They do not swim, instead they move about by crawling thanks to four pairs of walking legs. The fifth pair, (or rather, the first if going from head to tail) makes up the large claws.

Molting is a very important activity in the life of a Lobster. As they grow towards adulthood, juvenile Lobsters will molt their carapace multiple times a year. They essentially grow a whole new shell under their old one, and then seek out a safe place to shed. The Lobsters are vulnerable for a time after their old shell has been discarded, because the new one is still soft. It will harden over time, and adult Lobsters molt about once a year.

Molting has a big part in Lobster reproduction, as females can only mate when their new carapaces are soft, right after molting. They can lay thousands of eggs at once, which are carried on the underside of the female's tail for as long as a year!

American Lobsters are opportunistic feeders. They dine on Plankton, Mollusks, Fish, Algae, Worms, and even other Lobsters. They have also been known to consume their own recently molted shells!

The harvesting of American Lobster is a $300,000,000 industry, and overfishing exists in some areas of southern New England. Measurements are in place by the NOAA that outline the protection of breeding females, the minimum size a Lobster must be at to be caught, and what types of traps can be used. The largest American Lobster ever caught weighed 44lbs (20kg).

American Lobster

American Lobster

Phylum : Arthropoda

Class : Malacostraca

Order : Decapoda

Family : Nephropidae

Genus : Homarus

Species : H. americanus



Length : 8-24in (20-61cm)

Weight : 2-9lbs (1-4kg)



IUCN Status : Not Listed



The American Lobster, as its name might suggest, can be found in the waters of the Atlantic, running from Canada down to the Carolinas. They do not swim, instead they move about by crawling thanks to four pairs of walking legs. The fifth pair, (or rather, the first if going from head to tail) makes up the large claws.



Molting is a very important activity in the life of a Lobster. As they grow towards adulthood, juvenile Lobsters will molt their carapace multiple times a year. They essentially grow a whole new shell under their old one, and then seek out a safe place to shed. The Lobsters are vulnerable for a time after their old shell has been discarded, because the new one is still soft. It will harden over time, and adult Lobsters molt about once a year.



Molting has a big part in Lobster reproduction, as females can only mate when their new carapaces are soft, right after molting. They can lay thousands of eggs at once, which are carried on the underside of the female's tail for as long as a year!



American Lobsters are opportunistic feeders. They dine on Plankton, Mollusks, Fish, Algae, Worms, and even other Lobsters. They have also been known to consume their own recently molted shells!



The harvesting of American Lobster is a $300,000,000 industry, and overfishing exists in some areas of southern New England. Measurements are in place by the NOAA that outline the protection of breeding females, the minimum size a Lobster must be at to be caught, and what types of traps can be used. The largest American Lobster ever caught weighed 44lbs (20kg).

Giant Huntsman Spider

Giant Huntsman Spider

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Arachnida
Order : Araneae
Family : Sparassidae
Genus : Heteropoda
Species : maxima

Legspan : 12in (30cm)
Body Size : 2in (4.7cm)

IUCN Status : Not Listed

The Giant Huntsman Spider is a newly identified species that was first discovered in the Mekong region in 2001. It has the largest legspan of any spider species yet uncovered (though since 2001 we've found over 1,000 new species in the Mekong alone, so who knows!)

Despite its scary huge size, the Giant Huntsman Spider is not dangerous to humans. They get their name from the fact that they stalk and hunt down their prey (insects, small vertebrates); they are also quite fast on their long, gangly legs.

Giant Huntsman Spiders are not venomous, and a bite from them will just give you a regular old spider bite.

Antlion

Adult Euroleon nostras

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Neuroptra
Family : Myrmeleontidae

Wingspan : 1-6in (2.5-15cm), varies by species

If we want to get technical, the term "Antlion" most commonly refers to the larvae of the family Myrmeleontidae, but it has come to be a collective term for the 2,000 different species as well. Antlions can be found in sandy and arid habitats worldwide.

Antlion Larvae

In North America these insects are also referred to as Doodlebugs, due to the the tracings that they leave in the sand when building their pit traps. Larvae build pit traps by creating spiraled funnel in loose soil. They then sit at the bottom of the trap with only their head exposed, waiting for prey to fall in.

The Antlion name comes from the fact that their larval form primarily hunts and consumes ants. Antlions spend a majority of their life in larval form, sometimes up to three years! Once they cocoon and become winged adults they live only for about a month, which is enough time to find a mate and reproduce.

Melon Aphid

Melon Aphids

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Hemiptera
Superfamily : Aphidoidea
Family : Aphididae
Genus : Aphis
Species : gossypii

Length : 2-3mm

The Melon Aphid also goes by the name Cotton Aphid, and is found in tropical and temperate regions around the world. They are one of literally thousands of Aphid species, tiny sap-sucking insects that can cause huge amounts of crop damage.

Melon Aphids have some strange reproductive habits. During the spring, winged females in certain areas fly over to suitable host plants and give birth to live young through parthenogenesis (development without fertilization). In other areas, females lay eggs after mating. Regardless of their conception, the nymphs take between 4 and 10 days to mature, depending on the overall temperature. Most adults will not grow wings. However, if there is overcrowding or a limited food supply, some Aphids will grow wings in order to fly to newer, more favorable locations.

Melon Aphids can be disastrous to certain plants. Not only do they consume several dozen different plant species, but they are also carrier of a handful of devastating plant viruses. Melon Aphids have many natural predators, including Ladybugs, but they can still be quite tricky to manage. Insecticides can help, but some bugs grow immune. Crop rotation and eradication of infected plants are also methods of Aphid control.

Giraffe Weevil

Male Giraffe Weevil

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Coleoptera
Family : Attelabidae
Genus : Trachelophorus
Species : giraffa

Body Length : 1in (2.5cm)

I chose today's animal based entirely on its looks, as it is otherwise a relatively unremarkable creature. Giraffe Weevils can be found on the Island of Madagascar, inhabiting forested areas.The are one of the longest Weevil species.

Giraffe Weevils are sexually dimorphic. Though both males and females have the striking red body coloration, the males have much, much longer necks than the females. Male use these long necks to fight over females when it comes time to breed, they also use them to create rolled up leaf nests, which the females lay only a single egg in. The leaf then serves as a meal for the larvae upon hatching.

Viceroy Butterfly

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Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Papilionoidea
Family : Nymphalidae
Subfamily : Limenitidinae
Genus : Limenitis 
Species:  archippus 

Length : 2.5-3.5in (6.5-9cm) wingspan

IUCN Status : Not listed

I mentioned mimicry briefly in my Butterfly photo post, so I figured I would expand upon it a little more with today's animal. There are actually two ways that butterflies mimic other butterfly species. The first of these is known as Batesian mimicry, and this is when a non-toxic species looks like a toxic species in order to stay safe. The second type, Muellerian mimicry, is when two equally toxic species mimic each other, benefiting one another. The Viceroy Butterfly is a Muellerian mimic, and if you couldn't already tell, their partner in crime is the Monarch Butterfly.

Viceroys and Monarchs looks incredibly similar, with the small difference being a black bar that runs horizontally across the Viceroy's lower wings. The two species are not closely related, and belong to different subfamilies. However, both are toxic when consumed, so the similar coloration keeps predators from eating both of them.

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Viceroys and Monarchs share a great deal of their range. They are both found through North America, inhabiting fields, swamps, and marshes. They often live near Willow, Cottenwood, and Poplar trees, as these are where they lay their eggs. Caterpillars eat the leaves of these trees upon hatching, and their coloration camouflages them to look like bird droppings. Adult Viceroy Butterflies feed off of nectar, and have modified mouth parts that can reach down into plans in order to feed.

Viceroy Butterflies are the state Butterfly of Kentucky.

Arthropleura

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Phylum : Arthropoda
Subphylum : Myriapoda
Class : Arthropleuridea
Order : Arthropleurida
Family : Arthropleuridae
Genus : Arthropleura

Length : Up to 8.5ft (2.6m)

Status : Extinct for about 280 million years!

Arthropleura lived in forests during the Carboniferous Period between 340-280 million years ago. At this time oxygen levels were much higher than they are now, which allowed for insects to reach much larger sizes. Another contribution to their hugeness was a lack of large vertebrate predators. Arthropleura had a long, flat, segmented body with as many as thirty sets of legs. They were distant relatives of the millipedes that we have today, and they have the designation of being the largest land invertebrates of all time!

We've found a whole mess of fossilized Arthropleura footprints, as well as many fossils of the animals themselves. Scientists aren't completely sure of Arthropleura's diet, since we don't have full jaws left to study, but it was most likely a herbivore based on plant materials found in coprolites (fossilized excrement).

Near the end of the Carboniferous Period the world began to dry out and the forested habitats of Arthropleura begin to shrink. This in turn caused a decrease of oxygen in the atmosphere, and Arthropleura could no longer maintain its large body size. They eventually died out, along with their entire Class. Other myriapods exist in their place today, though they are of minuscule size by comparison, with the largest measuring up to 1 ft (30cm).

Japanese Spider Crab

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Japanese Spider Crabs are the world's largest living arthropod, with a legspan that stretches nearly 13ft (4m). Their actually body, however, reaches only about 15in (37cm) across. These Crabs are found on the seafloor in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Japanese archipelago. They are found at depths of 150-800m, though 200m is very typical. Females will move to even shallower depths in order to lay their eggs.

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The body of the Japanese Spider Crab is made up of a body with eight legs and two long feeding arms that, in males, exceed the length of the legs. These arms are shorter in females. They are reddish-orange in color, with white spots. The eyes are located at the front of the body, and two horns protrude between them.

Japanese Spider Crabs hang out on the sea floor where they feed off of other crustaceans and material of dead animals that has floated downwards. They reportedly can live up to 100 years, making them a very long-lived species.

Japanese Spider Crabs have not been evaluated by the IUCN, but they are fished for consumption purposes. However, the number caught has gone down in recent years due to protection programs. Fishing continues in Saruga Bay, but overfishing in that area has caused fishermen to look deeper and deeper for these large crustaceans.

Chan's Megastick

Phobaeticus chani is a Phasmid, a type of insect that mimics its surroundings by looking a lot like a stick. This particular species, found in the treetop canopies of Borneo, is one of the longest. Only three specimens have ever been collected, but the longest, a female, has a body length of 14in (37.5cm). When you toss the legs in there, it reaches 22.5in (56.7cm).

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Chan's Megastick (named for it's discoverer, Datuk Chan Chew Lun) is also notable for its strange eggs, which have wing-like flaps on the cases to help them float and disperse.

This entry is a short one, unfortunately, because so very little is actually known about this amazing insect. Its habitat is so high up that they are extremely difficult to locate, and with the loss of rainforest areas, who known how many other species like this will never actually be discovered?

Giant Isopod

Of the nine members of the genus Bathynomus, B. giganteus is the largest. These crustaceans, closely related to shrimp, look like something out of science fiction, but they are in fact real, living creatures that crawl around in the deep sea of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Giant Isopods live at depths of over 2,000 feet and can grow to nearly a foot and a half in length!

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Like the Giant Squid and the Giant Tube Worm, Giant Isopods are an example of deep sea gigantism, which causes animals on the sea floor to grow far larger than their near-surface counterparts. One thought on why this happens is that the large size helps compensate for the huge amount of water pressure that is placed on the creatures by their deep habitat. Giant Isopods have a rigid exoskeleton that also lets them roll up into a ball to avoid danger.

Giant Isopods are opportunistic, carnivorous feeders, and they have to be! They live in an area where food is scarce, and so they will gorge on whatever they can find. This often includes parts of dead fish and larger marine creatures, and it is believed that they may also hunt slow moving deep sea dwellers as well. They are also capable of surviving for weeks without food, and adaptation that helps them to survive.

Another adaptation comes in the form of their reproductive habits. Giant Isopods lay eggs, rather large ones in fact, and these eggs are incubated in a pouch created by the female. When the eggs hatch, the young have already bypassed the entire larval stage, and look like tiny versions of the adults. This helps them to survive easier early in life.

Antarctic Krill

Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba) are the largest of all the krill, small, semi-transparent crustaceans that can be found the world over. They grow up to two inches long, and have a slight hint on red on their backs.

It is estimated that there are over 500 million tonnes of Krill in the ocean, and that that biomass is the most for any multi-celled creature on the entire planet. They swim in dense swarms that can contain 10,000-30,000 individuals per square meter.

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Antarctic Krill feed on phytoplankton, which is abundant due to updrafts of nutrients from the cold waters. Phytoplankton feed from nutrients and the sun, and Krill feed on them, meaning they lose very little energy as they are so close to the source on the chain. This make Krill a desirable meal for larger animals because they too will lose very little energy. Baleen Whales feed almost exclusively on Krill, scooping up these swarms in a mouthful. Good thing female Krill lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time!

Unfortunately, Antarctic Krill numbers, and the numbers of other Krill species, have dropped nearly 80% since the 1970s. Increased Carbon Dioxide levels have already proven to be a huge detriment to the species. A continued downward trend could have drastic implications for the large marine animals that depend on them for food.

Backswimmers

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Insects of the family Notonectidae are often known as Backswimmers because of the fact that they swim upside down, both on the surface, and under the water. There are eight total genera, with species commonly found ponds, lakes, and rivers across Europe and North America.

Backswimmers range in size between .5 to 1.5 cm. They have large eyes, back legs with log hairs that help them to swim, and a convex dorsum (back). Backswimmers also have wings that allow them to get up and find a new body of water to hunt in. Because it is difficult for them to actually distinguish between types of water, they are often seen in swimming pools.

Backswimmers prey on other insects and sometimes even small vertebrates, like tadpoles. As nymphs, they will consume each other. They are actually a quite beneficial group of insects because they consume mosquito larvae. So if you find one in your swimming pool, scoop it up and let it go!

Sacred Scarab Beetle

Ah... back to normal. Though I just might splice in some more famous animals into the daily routine, Animal A Day is pretty open ended after all.

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Anyway, today I present to you the Sacred Scarab Beetle, a curious little bug that was likened to a god. Scarabaeus sacer is one many, many species found within the Dung Beetle superfamily,  Scarabaeoidea. One of its families alone, Scarabaeinae, contains over 5,000 species.

But we're going to talk about just one! The Sacred Scarab is a dung beetle native to the Mediterranean region and central Europe. Like all dung beetles, Sacred Scarabs consume dung, locating it with their sense of smell. Oftentimes they will roll the dung into balls to transport it to burrows for safekeeping, and these balls can become larger than the beetle itself! Females will also lay their eggs within these dung balls, and the larvae will hatch and consume their "nest."

The Sacred Scarab's dung rolling and egg-hatching activities are what created the link between them and the gods. In Egyptian mythology, Kheperi, the god of the rising sun, rolls the rising and setting sun in the same way the beetle pushes the dung. Sacred Scarabs were further associated with rebirth due to their emergence from the dung as young.

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Sacred Scarabs are portrayed in Egyptian art, sculpture, heiroglyphics, and in jewelry.

Black Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail Butterflies (Papilio polyxenes) are found in many regions of both North and South America, and have a handful of subspecies that reflect different areas. They are an abundant, secure species within low numbers found only on the fringes of the range. Black Swallowtails have a wingspan of between three and four inches.

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These Butterflies get their name from their predominantly black body which is outlined with yellow spots or bands. Males and females can be distinguished based upon the prominence of the yellow. Females have a more spotted yellow and a more obvious band of blue across their lower wings. It is believed that the coloration of Black Swallowtails is intended to mimic that of Pipevine Swallowtail, which is bad tasting.

Larvae of the species are banded black and white with yellow spots. The eggs are typically laid on plants belonging to the Apiaceae plant family, which are consumed by the larvae upon hatching. Adults feed on nectar and can be attracted to your garden by growing the types of plants that they lay their eggs on, including dill, carrots, and Queen Anne's Lace.

Caterpillars have a rather interesting defense mechanism. They have an organ on their necks known as an Osmeterium, which raises when threatened and produces and extremely distasteful odor.

Black Widow

Black Widows are spiders that belong to the genus Latrodectus. Species of within this genus can be found in tropical and temperate climates around the world. In the United States, Latrodectus hesperus is one of the best known. It lives in the western parts of the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

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All species of widow are venomous, with the females being more potent than the males, and having much larger venom glands. The bite of a Black Widow  is 15 times more potent than that of a Rattlesnake and is responsible for the condition known as Latrodectism (named for the genus.) Females are also larger than the males, and often have a red, hour-glass shaped mark on their abdomen. Both males and females range from brown to black in overall color.

Widows are so named because of the cannibalistic behavior that they exhibit during the mating process. After mating is complete, the male is sometimes killed and consumed. Cannibalism is further witnessed in the spiderling stage. Females will lay hundreds of eggs, but very few young will hatch and actually survive to adulthood due to consumption of one another.

Black Widows typically feed off of other insects, capturing them in their extremely strong webs and then injecting the prey with enzymes that will liquefy their insides. The spiders are then able to drink up the fluids.

Large Blue Butterfly

Large Blue Butterfly is both a common name and a description for Phengaris arion (sometimes also called Maculinea arion). It is a species of butterfly that lives in 37 countries throughout continental Europe, and was reintroduced to Southern England after going extinct there in 1979 due to habitat loss. They  are found in warm, dry locations which are often also home to Thyme and Marjoram, plants that are important to the reproductive process. Large Blue Butterflies have wingspans of about 2in, and are blue with black spots.

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Large Blue Butterflies have an interesting life-cycle. Eggs are laid on the aforementioned Thyme or Marjoram plants and when they hatch, the caterpillars will consume the plant that they hatched upon, molting 3 times. After the third molt, the still-small caterpillars drop to the ground where they attract Myrmica sabuleti red ants with a sweet secretion from their body. The ant will feed on the secretion, and after it is finished the caterpillar will inflate the skin behind its head. The ant mistakes the caterpillar for one of its own larvae, and carries it back to the nest, where the caterpillar then proceeds to eat all of the ant larvae, hibernate, and eventually pupate.

Adult Large Blue Butterflies emerge in June and have sadly short lives. While a caterpillar may live 9 months or longer, adults typically only hand on for a few weeks at the very most. This is just long enough for them to find a mate and reproduce.

Large Blue Butterflies are listed as Near Threatened.

Firefly

Fireflies or Lightning Bugs are not actually flies at all! They are actually beetles within the order Coleoptera and the specific family Lampyridae. There are over 2,000 species of Firefly, and they can be found across the planet in both tropical and temperate climates, typically in areas are have a more moist habitat.

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So how do fireflies glow? Bioluminescence! They have organs dedicated to the production of light situation under their abdomens. Difference species produce different types of light flashes, and the lights are used for both finding mates and for defense. Even firefly larvae glow! Interestingly, the light that they emit produces no heat, making the light 100% efficient. Fireflies are even used for scientific purposes to study energy conversion.

As larvae, Fireflies consume other insects, including other species of Firefly. As adults however... well, no one really knows what they eat. Scientist suspect that they feed off of pollen and nectar, though they may not eat at all. Fireflies are adults only long enough to find a mate and produce eggs, so eating may not even be necessary.