4
I I 63 MANTIDS Iris aratoria « Geomantis larvoides ~. , 1\'~¥//~' 'ItPN)' . ,'- I/f /\¥ \ ""~ , "\/'/ rr/V~-" ~",J(.'lF. \ ...•. ! '. '-." \, ' \ ) .~ / d ( .. "..- Praying Mantis Ameles spallanzania Ameles decolor .'" '. ,-1"'1\ "'Jt ,i,f';''''" "'~ I---J~~ \ , /'(/i,~~ i'.I. ", " "" ,/~, '( 'W) j / d ' ..... 1 / \. " " , A male Mantis has already lost his head, but continues to pump sperm into the female as she devours him MANTIDS Order Dictyoptera: Sub-order Mantodea Predatory insects related to cockroaches, with thickened, leathery forewings (tegmina) and a long neck, They usually lie in wait for their prey with the front legs folded in front of the face, The highly mobile head turns to face any movement, and when prey comes within range the spiky front legs shoot out to impale it. Females of the larger species often eat the males during copulation, starting with the head - quite an efficient arrangement, for the male then helps to nourish the eggs as well as fertilising them, Eggs are laid in frothy 'souflees' which harden into horny cases. There may be several hundred eggs in each case, Most European species pass the winter in the egg stage. There are some 2000 known species, Most are tropical, but about 18 reach S & CEurope. They feed on a variety of other insects, including grasshoppers. None lives in B. Praying Mantis Mantis religiosa Mantidae. The commonest Euro- pean species: green or brown. Male much more slender than female. Both sexes fly well in warm weather. When disturbed, it puts on a threat display, raising front legs to reveal dark eye-spots on their insides and making a hissing sound by rubbing abdomen against the partly raised wings. Rough grassland, scrub, and gar- dens.7-11.5&C. Rivetina baetica. Truncated forewings immediately identify female: male forewings reach end of abdomen. Pronotum has strongly toothed edges, especially in female, and usually has a dark stripe down the centre. Hindwing with large apical eye-spot. Hot, dry places. 6-9. Far south . Ameles spallanzania. A small mantid that scuttles over low vege- tation in warm, dry places. Male flies when disturbed, but female is almost wingless. Eyes moderately pointed, especially in male. Not a cannibalistic genus. 6-10. S. A. decolor inhabits the same dry, scrubby habitats as spallanzania and is more common. Generally a little larger, but female lacks the swollen abdomen. Eyes rounded. 7-10. S. Several similar species occur in far south. Geomantis larvo;des. Because of its small size and lack of wings, this species may be taken for a young Ameles. The prothorax, however, is widest near the front and finely toothed along the margins, whereas the Ameles prothorax is smooth-edged and widest in the middle. Runs rapidly on the ground in dry, sunny places. 7-9. 5. Iris oratoria. May be green or brown, sometimes with a rosy tinge. Forewings of male completely cover abdomen. Smaller size and coloured hindwings distinguish it from M. religiosa. Male often comes to light at night. Common on bushes in warm places. 6-10.5. ~ '<ZC!Y head of A. decolor female Mantis laying her eggs head of A. spallanzania hindwing of R. baetica

MANTIDS - University of South Carolinacricket.biol.sc.edu/papers/insects1/insects-chinery-61-71.pdfPraying Mantis Mantis religiosa Mantidae. The commonest Euro pean species: green

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I

I63

MANTIDS

Irisaratoria «

Geomantis larvoides

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Praying Mantis

Ameles spallanzania

Ameles decolor

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A male Mantis has already lost hishead, but continues to pumpsperm into the female as shedevours him

MANTIDS Order Dictyoptera:Sub-order Mantodea

Predatory insects related to cockroaches, with thickened,leathery forewings (tegmina) and a long neck, They usually liein wait for their prey with the front legs folded in front of theface, The highly mobile head turns to face any movement, andwhen prey comes within range the spiky front legs shoot out toimpale it. Females of the larger species often eat the malesduring copulation, starting with the head - quite an efficientarrangement, for the male then helps to nourish the eggs aswell as fertilising them, Eggs are laid in frothy 'souflees' whichharden into horny cases.There may be several hundred eggs ineach case, Most European species pass the winter in the eggstage. There are some 2000 known species, Most are tropical,but about 18 reach S & CEurope. They feed on a variety of otherinsects, including grasshoppers. None lives in B.

Praying Mantis Mantis religiosa Mantidae. The commonest Euro­pean species: green or brown. Male much more slender thanfemale. Both sexes fly well in warm weather. When disturbed, itputs on a threat display, raising front legs to reveal dark eye-spotson their insides and making a hissing sound by rubbing abdomenagainst the partly raised wings. Rough grassland, scrub, and gar­dens.7-11.5&C.

Rivetina baetica. Truncated forewings immediately identifyfemale: male forewings reach end of abdomen. Pronotum hasstrongly toothed edges, especially in female, and usually has adark stripe down the centre. Hindwing with large apical eye-spot.Hot, dry places. 6-9. Far south .Ameles spallanzania. A small mantid that scuttles over low vege­tation in warm, dry places. Male flies when disturbed, but femaleis almost wingless. Eyes moderately pointed, especially in male.Not a cannibalistic genus. 6-10. S.

A. decolor inhabits the same dry, scrubby habitats asspallanzania and is more common. Generally a little larger, butfemale lacks the swollen abdomen. Eyes rounded. 7-10. S. Severalsimilar species occur in far south.

Geomantis larvo;des. Because of its small size and lack of wings,this species may be taken for a young Ameles. The prothorax,however, is widest near the front and finely toothed along themargins, whereas the Ameles prothorax is smooth-edged andwidest in the middle. Runs rapidly on the ground in dry, sunnyplaces. 7-9. 5.

Iris oratoria. May be green or brown, sometimes with a rosytinge. Forewings of male completely cover abdomen. Smaller sizeand coloured hindwings distinguish it from M. religiosa. Maleoften comes to light at night. Common on bushes in warm places.6-10.5.

~

'<ZC!Y

head of A. decolor

female Mantis

laying her eggs

head of A. spallanzania

hindwing of R. baetica

67

I. '--'

K. ftavicolfissoldier x 8

'\~/" ... '\,\:!.~'Y;") soldier

Embiaamadoraex5

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>-r, ..:J worker

K. ftavicolfisworker x 8

Reticulitermesforewing

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TERMITES and WEB-SPINNERS

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Reticulitermes lucifugusheads and pronota

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K. ftavicolfisking x 8

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HBploembiasolieri x 5

Kalotermesforewing

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Order Embioptera

Order IsopteraTERMITES

WEB-SPINNERS

part of a Reticulitermes colony withdeveloping winged forms

Slender insects with first tarsal segment of front leg conspicuously swollen. Malemay be winged in some species: female always wingless and somewhat largerthan male. Female cerci slender and symmetrical: male cerci stronglyasymmetrical. Live among leaf litter and turf, usually under stones or logs, wherethey make silken tunnels with silk from glands in the swollen front legs. Theywriggle rapidly along the tunnels, moving backwards and forwards with equalease. Feed mainly on dead leaves, with some animal matter. Adult females canbe found all year, but they go deeper into ground to avoid desiccation in summer.Adult males occur in spring, but are rarely found. Many females can reproduceparthenogenetically. Nymphs resemble adult females and remain in mother'stunnel for some time. They may build their own tunnels under the same stone,but they do not co-operate like social insects. Most ofthe 300 or so known speciesare tropical, but a few live in S. Europe. Males can usually be identified by theshape of their cerci: females are much harder to separate.

Haploembia solieri Oligotomidae. Very like Embia ramburi but often paler. Best dis­tinguished by 1st segment of hind tarsus, which has two tubercles on lower surfacecompared with just one in Embia (but a microscope is needed to see this feature!).Fairly common throughout 5, often Jiving with E. ramburi.

Embia amadorae Embiidae. One of the few European species with winged male.FemaJe paler. Iberia only. E. ramburi is wingless in both sexes. Male jet black: femalebrownish, often with purplish tinge, and with pale intersegmental membranes. Headmore rounded than in amadorae. 5W. One of the commonest European species.

Soft-bodied, social insects, forming long-living colonies headed by a king and aqueen. Most individuals are juvenile workers: large-jawed soldiers, which defendthe colony, form about 5% of population. Only the reproductive forms havewings. These are very flimsy, with forewings and hindwings almost identical(Isoptera means 'equal wings'). There are over 2000 known species, with just twonative to southern Europe. Both live in tree stumps and other dead wood,chewing out their living quarters and digesting the timber with the aid of hordesof protozoans in their digestive canals. Swarms of reproductive formsperiodically emerge, but they lose their wings after a short flight and, aftermating, some become kings and queens of new colonies.

Ka/otermes flavicoJ/is Kalotermitidae. Small colonies of a few hundred individuals in

dry wood. Workers all youngsters, many of which later grow into soldiers orreproductives. Pronotum rectangular in all castes. Soldiers with toothed jaws. Wingedinsects emerge mainly in early spring. Widespread in 5, mainly near coast.

Reticulitermes lucifugus Rhinotermitidae. Colonies of several thousand insects, usu­ally in damper wood, including building timbers at or below ground level. Workers arejuveniles and remain so all their lives, never turning into other forms. Pronotum of allcastes is more rounded and often heart-shaped. Soldiers' jaws not toothed. Swarmsappear mainly 4-6, usually in the morning. Throughout S: slightly hardier thanKalotermes and extends further from coast. Colonies sometimes become established

in S. England .

66

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EARWIGS

...•.\F. decipiens

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E. annulipesx2

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Pseudoche/idurasinuata x 2

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Order Dermaptera

Female ForficuJaauricularia tending her eggs. Constantlicking keeps them free of mould and bacteria.

EARWIGS

Elongate insects with pincer-like cerci - usually strongly curved in male, slim",,,, '"straighter in female and often just meeting or crossing at tip. Forewings (1I1yl'when present, short and horny, Hindwings, when present, very thin: elah'''''10folded under elytra and often projecting beyond them at rest. Many specill~ IIIhindwings and some lack elytra as well. Even fully-winged species ge,,,,,"11reluctant to fly. Essentially ground-living, nocturnal scavengers of both plall' n"animal matter. Hide under stones and in crevices by day. Many species can be '"""as adults all year, although they hibernate in the coldest months. Females of 11111species guard their eggs, and some prolong this parental care until the YOl"'II'"well grown, Nymphs resemble adults, but have very slender cerci. Newly-molilioindividuals are white or cream, About 34 of the 1300 known species occur in EIIIIII"only 4 are British,

An;solab;s maritima Anisolabididae. Elytra and hindwings absent. Body reddishbrown below. Male cerci asymmetrical. Among debris on seashores and strenrl1banks: also in damp woodlands. 3-9. S: occasionally carried elsewhere by ships.Euborellia moesta. Elytra reduced to minute flaps at sides of thorax. Male cerciasymmetrical: female cerci stout and usually held together. Antennae usually18-segmented. Leaf litter. S. E. annulipes is paler than moesta, with no trace of elytrn.Antennae usually 16-segmented. Under stones in damp places. 6-10. S: sometimo~;carried north in produce.

.•.. Labia minor labiidae. Smallest European earwig. Flies readily. Common near humanhabitation, especially on compost heaps and rubbish dumps.Marava arachides. Hindwings usually very small or absent. Tropical but sometimestemporarily established in bakeries and other buildings in Europe, mainly in S.Giant Earwig Labidura riparia labiduridae. largest European earwig: generallyreddish brown, but sandy grey in some areas. Sandy places, especially seashores andriver banks: makes long tunnels in sand or hides under debris. Also on rubbish dumps.Partly predatory. Mainly S but local in C: not recorded in B for many years.

Nala lividipes. Slightly downy and rather flat. Elytra with markedly parallel marginsand abdomen usually parallel-sided. Pronotum rounded at back. In debris of variouskinds. 6-9. SW.

Family Forficulidae The largest family. 2nd tarsal segment expanded andheart-shaped (see below). Mostly fully-winged, although hindwings oftuncompletely concealed under elytra at rest. Forficula spp are primarily vegetarian::and often found quite high in trees and shrubs in summer.

Chelidura aptera. Elytra form collar-like flaps: no hindwings. Male cerci very long,with no teeth. Female generally much lighter. Under stones on north~facing slopes ofAlps. 7-10. C. pyrenaica is similar but male cerci short and strongly curved: femaleusually dark. 6-10. Pyrenees.Chelidurella acanthopygia. Elytra collar-like: no hindwings. Cerci very thin in bothsexes. On woodland shrubs and in leaf litter. Absent from far N.

Anechura bipunctata. Elytra distinctly longer than pronotum. Male cerci not flat atbase, where they almost form a circle: curving downwards at tip. Female cercidistinctly crossed at tip. Under stones in uplands. 6-10, S & C.

Pseudochelidura sinuata. Elytra equal to or shorter than pronotum: hind margin ofelytra very oblique. In turf and under stones in mountains of SW.

& Apterygida media. Hindwings vestigial. Regularly climbs vegetation and, likeForficula spp, commonly rests in flowers and chews petals.

.• Common Earwig Forficula auricularia. Commonest European earwig and the only onecommonly seen in B. Hindwings project beyond elytra. Male cerci broad and flat atbase, with a tooth at the end of the flat part: a form with much longer cerci is notuncommon.

F. decipiens is similar but hindwings concealed. Flat part of male cerci about one thirdof their length. S & C.F. pubescens is downy: flat part of male cerci over 1'2length. Damp places. S.

8, F. lesnei is smoother and slightly larger: flat part of male cerci about y, length. S & C.

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In the Heteroptera the forewing, when fully developed, is clearly divided into tworegions - a horny or leathery basal area and a membranous tip. The hindwingsare always membranous and all wings are folded flat over the body at rest. Thehead is more or less horizontal and clearly visible from above. The antennaenever have more than five segments and the beak clearly arises from the front ofthe head. The pronotum is very large and the scutellum is generally veryconspicuous as well, sometimes extending back to cover the whole body andmaking the insect appear wingless.

BUGS Order HemipteraAn order of some 80,000 known species of hemimetabolous insects, of whli Iisome 8000 occur in Europe and about 1700 in Britain. The range of form williillthe order is very great, but all species possess a piercing beak (the rostrum) likll 11minute hypodermic needle, with which they suck juices from plants or otl1<11animals. The aphids and many others are serious crop pests, reducing yield"through mechanical damage to the plants and also by transmitting an assortmuillof disease-causing viruses. Two pairs of wings are normally present, the frolllones usually hardened to some extent, but there are many wingless speciUlI.There is also great variation within many species, with fully-wingud(macropterous), short-winged (brachypterous). and wingless (apterous) fornwoften present in the same population. Males and females often differ in winIJlength and other features.

There are two very distinct sub-orders - the Heteroptera (p. 72) and th"Homoptera (p. 88) - with no obvious connection apart from the beak or rostrum:the two are often treated as entirely separate orders.

11""",,, •• rll Ihe forewings, when~esent. are generally of uniform textureI, ",I II11hoOUh they may be either~ornyor membranous. They are usually

I vi"" oVllr the body at rest. The~eadIS commonly deflected backwards, ,.111"" nppears to spring fromilsrear - almost between the front legs in

pllll ••M.

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Hindwi~gof a froghopper, showing the peripheral vein"

A homorler~nbug, showing the roof-likeresting~sltlonof the wings

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1'1" III i~.tlc-like antenna,II 11111ciGllda

"OIlIOpl.llllns are entirely vegetarianand generally far less active than the'I """III hllgs. Many spend virtuallYthe" whole lives sucking sap from a

,I, "0.,1 plant. The sap has a relativelYlow protein content but is very rich in1'" IlIlIIdor to get enough protein,\~e bugs have to take in a large excess ofI II 11111"'051 of this passes straightt~rough the gut and is exuded through the" '0' ho,,,,ydew. The aphids and psyllidsare the most prolific producers of thisI 11I1I1.!rinland infested trees andotherplants become covered with it in the.11111"111105, ants, and many other insectsfeed on it, but much remains on the

"lid is later colonised by a blac~lungus.A heteropteran bug, showing themembranous tips of the forewings

,

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Family classification of the Heteroptera depends on various features, includingthe number of segments in the antennae, tarsi, and rostrum, and the structure ofthe forewing (when present), whose main regions are shown above. All wingedspecies have a claval suture, dividing the toughened area of the forewing into theclavus - which is next to the scutellum when the wings are folded - and thecorium. The corium may be further divided by sutures marking off the emboliumalong the front edge and the cuneus at the tip. The membrane commonlycontains visible veins, whose number and shape are useful in identification.

The heteropterans include both plant and animal feeders, and all the water bugs,both surface-dwelling and submerged. The latter generally breathe in the sameway as the water beetles (p. 255). but the water scorpion and its relatives (p. 86)have solved the problem with a long breathing tube that conducts air down fromthe surface.

clavus

cuneus

,m""",. ~/ \ membrane

corium

Forewing of ananthocorid bug,showing the majordivisions

I wo dlt;linct groupS can be recOgnised within the Homoptera. Members of the/I,,,,hnnorrhyncha generallY haves~ort antennae with a terminal bristle, and, ."\1ll1onted tarsi. Their forewings areoften opaque and brightly coloured, and"'''"Illy quite stiff. Many jump well, end the group as a whole are often calledIII'I'I'UIS. There are many families andthey are not always easy to separate, but11111pi "sence of a peripheral vein justinSide the margin of the hindwing - at leastIII 1iiI) 11Ind part of it _ distinguishest~e froghoppers (p. 90) and the leafhoppersII' '12) from other superficially similar groupS of plant hoppers.

IIIn oilier main group within the HOlT1opterais the Sternorrhyncha, in which the.",I.IIlIWe are relatively long and threed-l1keand the tarsi 1- or 2_segmented. ThisI. II very diverse group containing the aph.ds, psyllids, whiteflies, and scaleIllIIIIets (p. 96). --~ .

Young. Being hemimetabolous, the pUgs do not go through a pupal stage. The

y'"III\J. nymphs mayor may not resemble the adults, but the beak readilyItllIlIlIfles them as bugs. There are usuallY five Instars, during which the young\1' 'I<lually get more like the adults althOUgh the wing-buds are not usually clear.lIllil the 4th instar. It is sometim~s difficult to decide whether a specimen is a

IlIlIy-grown nymph or a brachypterou~ adult, but if the wings meet the scutellumw.lh a well-defined junction the insect 's almostcertatnly an adult- There are oftenc.tIl1siderable colour changes during d~~elopment, especially between the lastIIYlnphal stage and the adult. Nezera v,ndula, for example, has a multicolouredlIymph (p. 74) and an almost plain green adult.

71

70

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