Trying to figure out the exact species of the JATGP bugs (and also cool bug facts!)
(Warning: pictures of bugs)
I’m gonna start with ya boi:
Mr. Grasshopper:
First of all, I love him and I wanna be him
Grasshoppers are the only herbivores of the 6 bugs. Uh. Yeah.
Grasshoppers have camouflage! And they can fly just a little bit, but their strong hind legs do most of the work.
Since Mr. Grasshopper is green and British I’m going to infer that he is a Omocestus viridulus, AKA the common green grasshopper
Literally the same guy.
The common green grasshopper is from Britain, and, like the name suggests, common. Very common, in fact. I think they’re like the second most common grasshopper in Britain (most common one isn’t green)
Mrs. Ladybug!
She’s so sweet msmfjrjgjggjjgfjf
FIRST OF ALL, IN BRITAIN LADYBUGS ARE CALLED “LADYBIRDS”
WHICH IS STUPID BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT FUCKING BIRDS
In related news, ladybugs are actually a type of beetle. Sorry for ruining your life.
Ladybugs eat aphids and scale insects (little tiny insects idk) and also pollen and nectar. Not peaches though.
Anyways considering the fact that she is red and has black spots, I’m gonna say she’s probably a Coccinella septempunctata AKA the Seven-Spotted Ladybug. They are just THE ladybugs of all time.
Very cool. Also easy asf. These ladybugs can play dead when threatened and also they are real pretty.
Mr. Centipede:
Silly billy he’s always been my favourite especially in the book he has a goofy little smile
Centipedes are venomous and carnivores. They eat anything they can overpower with their venom. Centipedes are nocturnal, because they dry out VERY easily in the daytime. They usually either don’t have eyes or have shit eyesight. They also have no ears. They “hear” by sensing vibrations in the ground.
This one was a little bit difficult because centipedes don’t vary all that much, but I’m thinking Lithobius forficatus, AKA the garden/brown/stone centipede.
They have many names. They are also very common, especially in North America and the UK. Garden centipedes are born with 7 pairs of legs, and grow legs throughout their life, maxing out at 15 pairs of legs (they always have an odd number of leg pairs) They live under rocks, and if someone lifts those rocks, these centipedes are in luck, because they’re also very good at running. I THINK they have eyes, but if they do, their eyes can only discern light from dark.
Stone centipedes mostly eat flies, springtails, and, uh. Earthworms. But us JATGP Musical fans knew that
Mrs. Spider:
Y’all know spiders I will not explain them. Also I’m scared of spiders so I will NOT show many pictures of them *shudder*
Mrs. Spider could be literally any spider in France. The only spider that’s black with white stripes like this is a zebra spider (Salticus scenicus) and they don’t actually look like her that much. But they’re cute as fuck❤️
I wish I could show you a picture but mobile Tumblr has a maximum of 10 photos per post, but they’re really cute and fluffy.
Anyways, I feel like she’s more likely to be a Steatoda grossa, AKA Cupboard Spider, but they look more scary so I’m not gonna show photos.
But only the males are black and white.
Fuck uhh
Okayy she’s possibly an Araneus nordmanni, AKA Nordmann’s Orbweaver. They’re really scary and I wanna cry but I’ll try to describe them. Black with brown legs, weird white pattern, giant ass. These spiders do exist in France, but they are very rare. (Not just in France, but in general.) They are VERY GOOD at climbing and tend to build webs high on trees (like in a dead peach tree. Maybe with their mate.) They eat insects like gnats, flies, and wasps. Good for them. I’m still terrified.
Also female Araneus nordmanni are apparently the dominant party in the relationship so…
…yeah she’s definitely a Nordman’s Weaver.
(Edit: user @my-favorites-suffer said she looks like she could be a species of wolf spider!)
Mr. Earthworm:
OH THANK GOD I CAN STOP LOOKING AT SPIDERS AND LOOK AT THESE CUTIE PIE WORMS!!!!
Earthworms are boneless, muscleless, eyeless silly billies. They’re also hermaphrodites (male AND female at the same time) and they can regenerate parts of their bodies (not always so please don’t go around cutting worms in half) They eat fruit, fungi, and anything decaying.
So, I don’t remember the whole movie or the book, but in the musical, Earthworm speaks Spanish sometimes, and his song is vaguely Latin-esque (our director gave him a mariachi jacket for Plump & Juicy. It might not actually be Latin-esque that’s just what I’ve been told if it isn’t then oopsies) so I always thought he was from like Central America, maybe Mexico?
How did a worm get from Mexico to Britain? Guess what: Most earthworms in Mexico are invasive and from other places! Which means it could happen the other way around, but also it means that doesn’t narrow down what species of worm Earthworm is! Fuck!
He’s probably supposed to be a Lumbricus terrestris (The common European Earthworm.)
They are the most common worms. Everywhere. But other than species and location, nothing connects this earthworm to THE Earthworm.
So I propose a much funnier idea: That he is some species of Amynthas.
There isn’t enough info about the Amynthas for me to figure out exactly which species of Amynthas he probably is, but look it has a smooth white clitellum like Earthworm!!
So there are 3 reasons why I feel like Earthworm is an Amynthas. 1. Appearance. 2. They are part of the family Megascolecidae, which are the largest family of earthworms (They do say he is a big worm, although that’s probably because he’s literally human-sized)
And 3. These worms are also called Jumping worms. Because they. Uh.
They jump. When they are scared. It’s REALLY funny.
Most Amynthas are from Asia, but somehow a bunch ended up in Mexico. And now I guess one ended up in Britain. And then New York. Invasive species behaviour. (Actually a lot of the JATGP insects are invasive)
Take your pick of worm!
(Also Glowworm is a Lampyris noctiluca, AKA common glow-worm. If you even care. Nobody cares abt Glowworm. How dare you. And James is probably a human boy.)
And that is all thanks guys heart emoji
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