#beetle-like fly

[golbiey]

happy long weekend!!! i wanted to compile all of my sonic prints in one post...theyre available on my shop!

[normal-about-the-dca]

They look like they're having an allergic reaction....

[infinitystation]

literally in tears over this picture. he's giving me a hug,,,,,,,,

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Arthropoda

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Arthropoda is a phylum of animals that have segmented bodies, possess a chitin exoskeleton, and have paired segmented appendages. They are colloquially called “bugs” though this is often only used for terrestrial arthropods, and sometimes only used for insects specifically.

After Nematoda, this is the most successful phylum, and it is far more diverse, with up to 10 million species! Arthropods account for 80% of all known living animal species. The three major subphyla include the Chelicerates (sea spiders, horseshoe crabs, arachnids, and the extinct eurypterids and chasmataspidids), the Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes), and the Crustaceans (shrimps, prawns, crabs, lobsters, crayfish, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, opossum shrimps, amphipods, mantis shrimp, entognaths, and insects).

Arthropods are so diverse in fact that it is next to impossible for me to describe a model arthropod. They are important members of marine, freshwater, land, and air ecosystems and are one of only two major animal groups that have adapted to life in dry environments, the others being chordates. All arthropods have an exoskeleton and must molt as they grow, replacing their exoskeleton. Some arthropods go through a metamorphosis in this process. They have brains, a heart, and blood (called hemolymph, though some crustaceans and insects also use hemoglobin). They sense the world through small hairs called setae which are sensitive to vibration, air currents, and even chemicles in the air or water. Pressure sensors function similarly to eardrums. Antennae monitor humidity, moisture, temperature, sound, smell, and/or taste, depending on species. Most arthropods have sophisticated visual systems ranging from simple eyes (ocelli) which orient towards light, to compound eyes consisting of fifteen to several thousand independent ommatidia capable of forming images, detecting fast movement, or even seeing polarized or ultra-violet light. Some arthropods are hermaphroditic, some have more than two sexes, some reproduce by parthenogenesis, some by internal fertilization, some by external, some have complex courtship rituals, some lay eggs, some give live birth, some have prolonged maternal care. The first arthropods are known from the Ediacaran, before the Cambrian era.

Propaganda below the cut:

Insects are the first animals to have achieved flight

The smallest arthropods are the parasitic crustaceans of the class Tantulocarida, some of which are less than 100 micrometres long. The largest arthropod is the Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) with a legspan of up to 4 metres (13 ft) long. The heaviest is the American Lobster (Homarus americanus), which can get up to 20 kilograms (44 lb).

Many arthropods are popular pets, including various species of crab, shrimp, isopod, crayfish, mantis shrimp, millipede, centipede, tarantula, true spider, scorpion, amblypygid, vinegaroon, mantis, cockroach, beetle, moth, and ant! Some are even domesticated, including silk moths and honeybees.

Many arthropods are eaten by humans as a delicacy, and farming insects for food is considered more sustainable than farming large chordates. These farmed arthropods are referred to as “minilivestock.”

Arthropods feature in a variety of ways in biomimicry: humans imitating elements of nature. For example, the cooling system of termite mounds has been imitated in architecture, and the internal structure of the dactyl clubs of mantis shrimp have been imitated to create more damage tolerant materials.

Spider venoms are being studied as a less harmful alternative to chemical pesticides, as they are deadly to insects but the great majority are harmless to vertebrates. They have also been studied and could have uses in treating cardiac arrhythmia, muscular dystrophy, glioma, Alzheimer's disease, strokes, and erectile dysfunction.

Shellac is a resin secreted by the female Lac Bug (Kerria lacca) on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze, natural primer, sanding sealant, tannin-blocker, odour-blocker, stain, and high-gloss varnish. It was once used in electrical applications as an insulator, and was used to make phonograph and gramophone records until it was replaced by vinyl.

One of the biggest ecosystem services arthropods provide for humans is pollination. Crops where pollinator insects are essential include brazil nuts, cocoa beans, and fruits including kiwi, melons, and pumpkins. Crops where pollinator insects provide 40-90% of pollination include avocados, nuts like cashews and almonds, and fruits like apples, apricots, blueberries, cherries, mangoes, peaches, plums, pears, and raspberries. In crops where pollinators are not essential they still increase production and yield. Important pollinators include bees, flies, wasps, butterflies, and moths.

Many arthropods are sacred to humans. In Ancient Egypt, scarab beetles were used in art, religious ceremonies, and funerary practices, and were represented by the god Khepri. Bees supposedly grew from the tears of the sun god Ra, spilled across the desert sand. The goddess of healing venomous bites and stings, Serket, was depicted as a scorpion. Kalahari Desert's San People tell of a legendary hero, Mantis, who asked a bee to guide him to find the purpose of life. When the bee became weary from their search, he left the mantis on a floating flower, and planted a seed within him before passing from his exhaustion. The first human was born from this seed. In Akan folklore, the cunning trickster figure Anansi/Ananse is depicted as a spider. Western astrology uses the crab constellation, called Cancer, and the scorpion constellation, called Scorpio. Dragonflies symbolize pure water in Navajo tradition. In Anishinaabe culture, dreamcatchers are meant to represent spiderwebs and are used as a protective charm for infants. They originate from the Spider Grandmother, who takes care of the children and the people of the land in many Native American cultures. The Moche people of ancient Peru often depicted spiders and crabs in their art. In an Ancient Greek hymn, Eos, the goddess of the dawn, requests of Zeus to let her lover Tithonus live forever as an immortal. Tithonus became immortal, but not ageless, and eventually became so small, old, and shriveled that he turned into the first cicada. Another hymn sings of the Thriae, a trinity of Aegean bee nymphs. Native Athenians wore golden grasshopper brooches to symbolize that they were of pure, Athenian lineage. In an Ancient Sumerian poem, a fly helps the goddess Inanna when her husband Dumuzid is being chased by galla demons. In Japanese culture, butterflies carry many meanings, from being the souls of humans to symbols of youth to guides into the afterlife. Ancient Romans also believed that butterflies were the souls of the dead. Some of the Nagas of Manipur claim ancestry from a butterfly. Many cultures use the butterfly as a symbol of rebirth. And the list goes on…

cute crab eat a strawbebby:

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

We are in peak bug-finding season - I have taken over 800 photos so far this month! At least this horrible hot and humid weather is good for something...

(From top to bottom: Say's mantidfly (Dicromantispa sayi), marsh fly (Tetanocera sp.), and firefly (Photuris sp.)

[candlecanoe]

hold like burger please

[gifti3]

random inquiry....im wondering how asmos wings work

like how do they flap, do they kinda move like the average birds or more like a butterflys?? maybe a beetle? a bats???

theyre kinda small and dont seem to have the joints a birds would so im thinking butterfly/bats.... however, though they give bat, they look more like a stylized version of a bats wings but not with the same mobility so leaning way more towards butterfly...or humming bird perhaps?? like i feel like theyre supposed to be moving faster than a butterflies consider the wing to body ratio....but the position fits more of a butterflies?? or maybe a dragonflies since he has four separate wings?? dragonflies top and bottom wings dont really flap at the same time hmmm

beels moves like a beetle (cause fly wings)

tbh the thought of hearing beels wings buzzing at such a loud volume makes me want to scream lol

lucifer would be like the birds...there would be so much wind due to them haha

mammons would move like a bats obviously but his wings are kinda positioned in a peculiar way, so i cant picture how hed look flying in my mind 🤔

im only really stuck on the specifics of how mammon would balance and stuff,,,,i feel like his wings hang down when resting but he can change the position if he wants...so they could perhaps go up to usual upper position when flying?

[meeks-beas]

Bug post (real) (closeups below)

This all stemmed from having to read the (very long) short story The Metamorphosis in my english class. We love inspiration <3

So yeah bugs 👍

[bluespiritshonour]

Idea for a Batman vs Superman story: surprise! Batman is actually wrong for once this time. Not that he always isn't, but narrative always makes exceptions for him.

Lois and Clark pursue Batman for both child abuse and idk—everything else, how about that? I think it'd make for a very interesting plot: it goes into how you see things clearly when you're the third party. That it's very easy to say what's right or wrong when you're not the one involved.

But when it's one of your colleagues/friends who has a habit of taking orphans/abusing them or basically being a one man fascist deep state—then what do you do? He works with you. You're supposed to be a hero. When Lex Luthor does it, it's not okay? But if Bruce Wayne does it, it is? Think Clark, think. You saw he kicked Dick out, Clark. You've seen the way he treats the kids, you've seen the way he treats the League. You've seen his attitude towards the poor and marginalised. You're someone who understands him deeply and knows what makes him tick and you know why he is the way he is. But if you let him roam free and abuse everyone around you, what kind of hero do you call yourself? Do you make excuses for him because it's “not that simple?”

So, yeah. Batman vs Superman that actually makes sense.

P.S. the child abuse I'm talking about isn't the “Robin is child endangerment” argument. It's [waves hand] everything else.

P.P.S: I hate that panel of Wally tearing Bruce a new one concerning “children superheroes”. I mean, it makes sense. Wally grew up with Dick, he knows what kind of parent Bruce was. And they have the entire Justice League hissing through their teeth and going all “he did not say that. Lol.” and they think they're revolutionary or cool or any of these things.

But they're not.

What is the Justice League if it condones abuse within its circles. What is the Justice League when it sees a hero mistreating their sidekick and does nothing about it? Because they know him?

Either don't bring it up at all and I'll somehow suspend my disbelief (the way I do with really good comics like Grimm and BtAS) or if you're bringing it up make sure the narrative doesn't condone it but NOPE! DC and dudebro writers of the medium only know how to half arse things.

[fiishboowl]

Bug poll time NOW

[sunny-m00n]

gang I am DYING OUT HERE trying to find explorer tokens for the monthly creature in CoS. I just want my boy but now I’m trying to fill up the swamp shrine to get a chance at the token sniffing buff for a long time

[mourky]

look at this cool beetle I met today (Aromia moschata)

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

Figuring out Adams' new team because it's killing me and I make charts to cope:

Confirmed: Irey West, Jai West, Maxine Baker

Strongly hinted at: Cerdian of Shayeris, Robert Long

Very likely: Lian Harper, Mar'i Grayson, Kathy Branden

Potentially one of: Maps Mizoguchi, Mara al Ghul, Maya Ducard, Tiffany Fox, Sin Lance

Potentially one of (but unlikely): Tai Pham, Keli Quintela, Milagro Reyes

Potentially (but unlikely): Otho-Ra & Osul-Ra OR Chris Kent

Unlikely: Colin Wilkes, Johnny Tyler, Helen Jordan, Rani Carter

(Reminder: the # of kids will likely be 6-8)

[smoothriverrocksrock]

Being an Insecticon fan is hilarious while reading any transformer fic because a bomb can explode in the story and my first reaction will always be: “When tf did Shrapnel get here?” Before I have to remember that he isn’t, in fact, in the story and the writer meant the actual word word ‘shrapnel’

[navyinks]

dynamic sketching week 5 - insects, reptiles, etc

First time painting with gouache. It was fun and I’m keen to do more

[snekdood]

i both love and hate that i keep finding different moths in my house. why are they here? i dont want them to get caught on the sticky traps i put out for the flies. but also, very fun to see so many different varieties and knowing my garden probably plays a role somehow.