#EctoParasites

[clockwaysarts]

I knew I wouldn't get this done, but I was hoping to get at least one round of refinement done here before posting it for the event day but, alas, life and time and travel ate me.

Gotta catch those spiritual parasite fish noodlin' style!

[gildedphoenix]

EctoParasites

So what if our cleaner fish blob ghosts friends were not so friendly and instead started being parasites? Danny finally got accepted to college and now blobs are attacking him? He doesn't have time for this. He DOES, however, have time for the cute guy he keeps seeing at the library.

[fieriframes]

[Ectoparasites.]

[mixotrophics]

picked up a 1953 copy of Fleas, Flukes, and Cuckoos by (Dame) Miriam Rothschild and Theresa Clay today.

I love parasites so of course upon seeing the title, I couldn't say no. The book is focused on parasites affecting birds, of all types, internal, external, brood parasites... invertebrates and vertebrates... I do love to see so many walks of life contained in a single-topic book that isn't just a nature guide.

(You may notice the "R U" contained in the repeating motifs on the cover. This book was a book from the Readers Union, which was basically a subscription service for books)

one of the biggest draws was the plates and figures:

Fig 1: "Diagram of passerine bird illustrating the main groups of parasites with their site of infection."

I love this one, a charming crash-course on both bird anatomy and the diversity of smaller-size parasites the book covers. it covers these in a good level of detail, too.

for example, it gives comparisons of morphological differences one may observe between different modes of parasite life. The plates on the left show the mouthparts of different invertebrates which feed in different ways. The figure on the right shows the attachment organs of different intestinal worms, showing the variety of "anchors" these worms use to avoid being washed out of a host's intestines.

That's quite broad. It goes deeper. For many invertebrate species, the only way to identify one species from another is by observing the shape of its genitals under high magnification... and so they provide:

I'll make an effort to go through and snatch up more of these plates and figures, some of them are beautiful.

it is not a purely anatomical text. There is a good amount of discussion of the ecology of parasites, including multi-host life cycles (which are pretty common to see).

Here we have the life cycle of Cryptocotyle lingua, which seems to be lacking in online presence; the second host of inshore fish does make it a parasite of interest to fish farmers, which is apparent when browsing papers on Cryptocotyle flukes. if you know more about these guys, please add on!!

Of course not all parasites are invertebrates. the book has plenty on vertebrate parasites, such as skuas, and of course the beloved cuckoo mentioned in the title.

I quite like the inclusion of the skua here since kleptoparasites need some time in the spotlight. Cuckoos are amazing, they deserve a post of their own.

With old biology books, though, I tend to have reservations about the actual biology facts provided within. some fields of biology, e.g., palaeontology, are so fast moving that something that was the new trendy hypothesis is old within a few weeks. Usually I get these books for the plates, and for the history, namely, the comparison of what the authors knew and what we now know.

The then-now comparison that struck me immediately was in the first paragraph of the preface:

"An object of the New Naturalist series is ... the encouragement of unusual and original developments of [natural history's] forgotten or neglected facets. One such facet is the study of parasites, a study all too long regarded as curiosity about mere curiousness, or as excursions into backwaters. Some popular books that have been written on the subject have stressed the unusual, the mysterious, often the macabre. Few have taken the subject truly seriously."

...I do feel this thinking persists in a lot of circles. Parasites are always weird gross-out animals, or at least, the invertebrate ones are. even people who are animal-lovers or environmentally-conscious tend to be keen to take to the idea of Kill All Ticks, or whatever (this is not the same as not wanting to have ticks on your body). It sucks that this sentiment is so pervasive, but it did also feel like "The Editors" (as they signed the preface) reached across decades of separation to shake my hand and go hey, yeah, that bothers me too! Let's do something about it (write this book).

Oh, and a lot more than write this book, a whole lot more. While Theresa Clay is a subject of scrutiny for her association with a fraudulent scientist, Dame Miriam Rothschild was from a lineage of accomplished parasitologists, as well as being one herself -- one of the most established flea experts of her contemporaries, as well as a lepidopterist with an interest in mimicry. She was a great scientist, and has many other achievements: working at Bletchley Park in WWII with Alan Turing, pressuring the UK govt to accept more German Jewish refugees, personally housing some of said refugees & providing a hospital for wounded soldiers, advocating for gay rights, and funding research into understanding schizophrenia and helping folks w/ it. amazing!!

here she is with her wildflowers, grown at the very same house she housed refugees and treated the wounded. You can order packets of seeds from these wildflowers, proceeds go to research to fight cancer, septic shock, and covid-19. She was a pioneer of wildflower gardens as well, creating the "Farmer's Nightmare" seed mix. yet another gift from her. All of these amazing things amplify the need to read this book in full and more thoroughly record all interesting tidbits.

I wish I could have met her, and asked her about this book, and if there was anything she would add or update, or if there were any fun stories. she seems like a real gem of a scientist and activist.

[labvet]

Time for another installment of

Vet med vs. Hooman med

Featuring: This TikTok

The difference between me and this ER person, I immediately jumped to ectoparasites when she mentioned the “pepper flakes”. Flea bite anemia is not as uncommon as you’d like it to be in vet med.

[cassowary-rapture]

I think we might have bed bugs and I can't bring myself to be that upset about it because 1) I'm still sick and don't want to deal with it yet, 2) if it is bed bugs, they've been around for months, so another day or two won't make a difference, and 3) I legit love ectoparasites

Bed bugs are impressively tough and have been around for thousands of years and have that cute little rhyme about them. I like that they slip out at night to feed on humans like mini vampires

Mosquitoes just drink blood to get the nutrients that they need to produce eggs, so whatever, and it's kind of fun being in a swamp in the summer in long sleeves and pants and a hat with a mosquito net and being able to let them swarm you

Head lice are fucking adorable. They evolved to spend their entire lives on our heads, from their claws to their stumpy little legs. It's very flattering

Ticks are...friendly? Adorably clingy? and tick-borne illnesses are interesting

Demodex mites are so gross. I love that something so horrifying lives on everyone's faces. Like whenever you look at someone really attractive, you're also looking at THEM

Fleas. Flea circuses. The hopping

[gildedphoenix]

I would vote for day 7, but I'm 9k deep on an EctoParasites fic that I started before the prompts were released. (It was one of my submissions to the survey 😅)

Propaganda is very much allowed and encouraged :D (Prompt list below the read more)

Day 1 - Sunday

Trope | Courting Rituals Word | Flickering Situation | Dinner is interrupted by a rogue/gang fight. Dialogue | “Are they gone yet?”

Day 2 - Monday

Trope | Jason Has Magic Word | Ritual Situation | Danny and Jason are abducted by the same cult. Dialogue | “You were never monstrous to me.”

Day 3 - Tuesday

Trope | King Danny & Knight Jason Word | Blood blossoms Situation | Jason and Danny get stuck in a coffin together. Dialogue | “We may have come back wrong but at least we came back.”

Day 4 - Wednesday

Trope | Mistaken Identity Word | Inertia Situation | Love square (Danny/Jason/Phantom/Hood) Dialogue | “Don't call me that name.”

Day 5 - Thursday

Trope | Soulmates Word | Pretend Situation | Jason and Danny were childhood friends. Dialogue | “I never thought I'd see you again.”

Day 6 - Friday

Trope | Ecto-hunger Word | Core Injury Situation | Danny 'rescues' hood from the Bats. Dialogue | “Careful, he bites.”

Day 7 - Saturday

Trope | Accidental Child Acquisition Word | Ecto-parasite Situation | Jason is in Amity Park and meets the mysterious local hero. Dialogue | “I’m starting to understand why you didn’t want me to meet your family.”

Bonus Prompts

Trope | Danny heals the pit rage Word | Fangs Situation | Danny starts a fan blog featuring Red Hood. Dialogue | "Oh, it's probably a terrible idea. But it would be so funny."

[honeyblockm]

At this point writing smut would probably be less weird than some of the fic ideas I've been toying with lately

[arc-77]

"Look at you now, droid killer." The gloom betrays nothing but the steady, pulsing glow of a motion sensor. "You keep a tally, tough guy? Notches on the barrel?"

"Negative. Would've run out of space."

The ARC Captain slowly reaches up to tap a control on the side of his helmet, igniting his cheek-mounted spotlight. It's not enough to fully illuminate the—gunship? starfighter?—but it reveals some more details of the machine's 'face'.

His head turns, studying whatever the cone of light reflects off of. Variable geometry, red photoreceptors. Something about the design says insectoid to him. About the same size as an HMP droid gunship—he's not sure which he'd rather be staring down at the moment. Odd livery, though. Never seen any Separatist war materiel painted white.

Fordo swallows.

"You from Haor Chall? Or the Colicoids?"

If he's about to be smitten by a railcannon, he can only hope that his helmet's recorder gives SO BDE some decent intelligence.

[gildedphoenix]

EctoParasites - Acceptance

I've started a new fic and posted a little blurb and got a decent response so I'm going to start posting unedited chapters/scenes. Hoping that the sweet sweet dopamine will also motivate me to KEEP writing. So here's some good-mom Maddie Fenton and her sweet obsessed Ghost son.

Gotham U Acceptance Letter

“Mom! I got accepted! I got the scholarship! With a full ride! They loved my submission. remember the competition they ran for the ISS for experiment submissions and I told you all about the way that the Zone acts a lot like the minimal gravity of space and how that really messed with my proprioception when I first started spending long spans of time in the zone and then coming back? So I thought that maybe it might be an issue for the astronauts too! So I submitted that thought, but you know, leaving out the stuff about the Zone because that’s not really common knowledge, I just reframed it as a hypothetical situation, so I proposed some exercises that the astronauts could do on earth, and then - Are you listening mom?” 

Maddie nodded as she continued recalibrating an ecto-gun to be a little more non-lethal. “Yes, dear. I remember you telling me all about it. What did the Wayne Enterprises Scholarship board say about the idea?” She looked up from the blaster briefly to see that Danny was pacing back and forth about 4 inches off the ground. Even though they now knew about his powers, Danny still defaulted to trying to hide his powers. He just….got worse at it. Being able to unmask had made a huge difference in his mental health but the mask couldn’t quite be put all the way back on anymore. 

“Oh yeah. I couldn’t remember if i’d told you. But yeah! They loved it. I actually got a response letter from one of the Canadian astronauts. Chris Hadfield? He's done a lot of the elementary school kids’ experiments and he usually films them and uploads them to ViewTube. His channel is super popular. Him. I got a letter from Hadfield that is was really well thought out experiment and he’s going to personally do it along with a couple others who are scheduled to go up on the next trip, I’m gunna frame that letter. It’s going on my wall forever. He didn’t say when that was.” Danny had continued his pacing around the lab. He had been just phasing through the tables in his excitement but after knocking over phase proof equipment about 7 times, he was now pacing above the tables. “and. um… Oh yeah, the scholarship! They loved it and the scholarship board is going to send over the enrollment paperwork for Gotham U and then all the stipulations and conditions of the scholarship. I’ve gotta keep at least a 3.2 average or I’ll lose my scholarship and-”

Danny’s voice went quieter as he started mumbling to himself and Maddie just shook her head. She’d reel him back in before dinner time but for now he was just happily spiraling, both mentally and physically near the ceiling.

[givingyouarandompathogen]

Pathogen assigned: Hypoderma tarandi

Cause of ophthalmomyiasis, type of warbler fly

(Image from here)

Spread via: Laying of eggs in skin

the existence of "maybe", "perhaps", "perchance", and "mayhaps" suggests there should also be "maychance" and "perbe"

[alzerin]

My new worldbuilding idea is fruity pebbles summoners war and I'm going insane over it

[heilsaacare]

What Are the Most Common Veterinary Ectoparasites Found on Pets?

Veterinary ectoparasites are small organisms that live on the outside of animals, like fleas, ticks, and mites. They can cause discomfort and health problems for pets and livestock. These parasites feed on blood or skin, leading to itching, irritation, and sometimes even diseases like Lyme disease or mange. Proper prevention and treatment are crucial to keep animals healthy and happy. Veterinary professionals often recommend regular inspections, grooming, and using appropriate medications to control ectoparasites and protect animals from their harmful effects.

Read more: Veterinary Ectoparasites

[epic-dragon-hell-99]

now time 2 spend the next couple weeks or so second-guessing whether a parasitic worm is categorically worse than the five thousand entomopathic fungus-based skins or not :thumbsup:

[givingyouarandompathogen]

May I suggest LICE where you give them a bunch of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) as punishment

(Image from Wikipedia)

Spread via: Direct contact

How to survive the holidays with fatphobic friends and family

By Amanda Martinez Beck and J Nicole Morgan, Cohosts of the Fat & Faithful podcast

When someone says, “you look great, have you lost weight?”

NICE: No — I choose to focus on other things than weight. Good to see you, though!

SPICE: Nope! Still fat! There are so many more interesting things to talk about than weight.

ICE: Hi. Please do not comment on my body. Thin ≠ happy or better.

When someone comments on something you put on your plate

NICE: I didn’t drive all this way to spend today eating salad :)

SPICE: Oh, I’m sorry — did you think my food choices were any of your business? Because they’re not.

ICE: (Stare) RUDE. (Continue loading plate.)

When someone jokes about the holidays making us fat

NICE: Oh, stop it. One day of feasting is not going to make anyone fatter than they already are.

SPICE: And…? Nothing wrong with being fat.

ICE: Why is fatness a punchline for you? Do you think my body size is funny or to be mocked?

When food is moralized

NICE: Oh, stop… Food is morally neutral and today is about feasting. Let it go!

SPICE: Bad for you? Is it crawling with maggots? ‘Cause that’s the only way I see pie being bad.

ICE: Stop moralizing food. It is harmful to talk and think about food this way and I will not let you talk this way around me and my children.

Whether you chose NICE, SPICE, or ICE, don’t be afraid to voice your boundaries and push back against diet culture and fatphobia during the holiday season.

❤️, Amanda & Nicole

[nevadancitizen]

moved house recently and the movers literally destroyed my insect display case and the specimens inside so i drew the sillies with the insects i think would represent them best to soothe the pain. explanation below the cut (be warned, it’s long and so so fucking nerdy)

(+ sanford bombardier beetle follow-up)

okay so first is doc with a madagascar hissing cockroach. despite cultural connotations, cockroaches are some of the smartest insects (up there with bees, wasps, and termites (which they share an order with — blattodea)), and doc is nothing if not the brains of SQ. madagascar hissing cockroaches are some of the few insects that stay with their offspring for a long while, therefore protecting them. doc is also protective of his men in a somewhat similar fashion, albeit from a distance and behind a cold, stern demeanor. also these roaches can’t fly, and doc can’t drive. there’s a joke in there somewhere but i can’t find it.

then we’ve got hank with an assassin bug. there’s not really any notable species within the family, so it’s just supposed to be a general insect within reduviidae (but not an ectoparasite). some assassin bugs transmit chagas disease, which is mostly always unwanted and detrimental, much like hank’s presence to anyone outside of SQ (or within the SQ, because hank’s loyalty mostly just faults to his own bloodlust). assassin bugs also have one of the most painful insect bites but, unlike hank, they use chemicals (injected via proboscis) to induce pain rather than ripping and tearing. still, the end result is the same.

obviously, what else would sanford have other than a hercules beetle? they’re one of the strongest insects (as evidenced by the horns on their head and prothorax), and sanford is, unarguably, the strongest grunt of the SQ. male hercules beetles use their horns to grapple and fight (both for territory and mates), and sanford also uses very melee-heavy tactics while fighting. they also use their horns to leverage and throw their opponents, and sanford uses his hook with similar tactics. these beetles are very hardy (due to their exoskeleton and hardened elytra) just like sanford, despite his usual lack of clothing and armor.

lastly, there’s deimos and the australian tiger beetle. they’re known as the fastest species of tiger beetle (up to 9 km/h or 5.6 mph) and — not sure if this is canon or a universally accepted headcanon — deimos is the fastest grunt of the SQ. these beetles run so fast and hunt so aggressively that their sensory system literally can’t keep up and their eyes shut off, so they have to stop often (for just a fraction of a second) to regain their faculties, which gives their prey several chances to escape. this reflects in deimos through his jokey demeanor and tendency to not take things seriously until it’s too late. thankfully, the australian tiger beetle is only listed as “near threatened” on the red list, unlike deimos, who is totally fucking dead.

thank you for coming to my ted talk which is just me smushing my two special interests together like a child mixing play-doh