Arthro-Pod

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Arthro-Pod EP 156: Nuptial Gifts, the Packages of Love

Hello lovers of bugs, as well as bugs who are in love! In today's episode, we take a journey through the world of nuptial gifts within the arthropods and find out why sometimes it is best to wrap a gift before trying to go on a date. Tune in to learn the basics of why nuptial gifts exist and how they can help facilitate the mating process and generation of the next generation. This one is a bit "spicy" so if you listen with kids, prepare for some biological talk!

Crickets preparing to mate after the exchange of a nuptial gifts (Photo by Biz Turnell, via https://entomologytoday.org/2020/02/14/nuptial-gifts-romantic-gestures-bug-insect-arthropod-world-valentines-day/)

Show notes

Insect (Order, Family)	Nuptial Gift	Purpose
Dung beetles (O: Coleoptera, F: Scarabaeidae)	Food in the form of a dung ball	https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/21/2/424/323090 Part of courtship display, dung ball is used for food source to help her and the offspring
Fireflies (O: Coleoptera, F: Lampyridae) some species	Spermatophore contains sperm and nutrients	https://now.tufts.edu/2016/12/22/firefly-gift-giving-composition-nuptial-gifts-revealed Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P8vKghAoh8 To obtain nutrients and fertilization occurs this way
Giant water bug (O: Hemiptera, M: Belostomatidae)	Small aquatic animals as prey (fish)	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eth.12416 Part of the courtship ritual, males carry the eggs
Aphids (O: Hemiptera, F: Aphididae)	“mating drop” droplet of nutrient-rich fluid	To obtain nutrients essential for reproduction
Crickets (O: Orthopera, F: Laupala cerasina	Several nuptial gifts before transferring genetic material	https://www.mpg.de/9686444/nuptial-feeding-female-crickets https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-019-2705-9 Nuptial gifts improve the amount of genetic material successfully transferred from the final spermatophore to the female
Long-tailed dance flies (O: Diptera, F: Rhamphomyia longicauda	Nutrients	https://www.jstor.org/stable/23734479 Females do not hunt so they relay on the nuptial gifts. They fill their abdomens with air to look like their eggs are more mature so males will seek them out
Imported cabbagworm butterflies (O: Lepidoptera, F:	Nitrogen	https://www.thegraphicleader.com/opinion/columnists/the-changing-rules-of-romance-for-the-cabbage-white-butterfly
Scorpion flies (O: Mecoptera, F: Panorpidae)	Dead prey item	https://www.jstor.org/stable/4536380 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22830480-100-heres-my-nuptial-gift-a-dead-planthopper-now-can-we-mate/ To appease the female and increase chances of successful mating

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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Arthro-Pod EP 155: Double Wormy- Jumping worms and Hammerhead Worms

Welcome back bug lovers! Today we venture into the world of worms, both segmented and unsegmented, to talk about jumping worms and hammerhead worms. While neither of them are arthropods, entomologists have been fielding inquiries on both over the last few years. We try to dispel some of the myths surrounding these wiggly wonders and discuss the possible negative effects they could have in the environment. So grab a bag of gummy worms and tune in!

Jumping worms are unique in color and texture

Hammerhead worms are captivating and odd

Show notes

Questions? Comments?

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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Thursday, February 29, 2024

Arthro-Pod EP 154: Talking Scale Insects with Scott Schneider

Howdy bug lovers! Scale insects are simultaneously fascinating and sort of uninteresting. They are notoriously immobile for much of their life, making them the insect of equivalent of couch potatoes. But, with that comes intriguing questions about how they live, thrive, and survive. Today, Mike is flying solo to interview Scott Schneider all about this particular group of true bugs! Tune in!

Scott Schneider, scale expert extraordinaire and our interviewee for this episode.

Scott hard at work in the field.

Hard scales on the underside of a leaf. Note the hard covering ("test") that covers the insects and the diversity of sizes and life stages.

Pine needle scales (Chionaspis pinifoliae) are another kind of hard scale and show some of the diversity in test shape and color between hard scale species.

Soft scale on a Rubus. Note how the waxy covering appears softer than that of hard scales.

Lac scales, from which products like shellac are produced.

Xenococcid scale insect that is associated with Acropyga ants.

Acropyga queen holding a xenococcid scale in her mandibles before her nuptial flight. Photo by Jonghyun Park via iNaturalist, used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Acropyga worker moving a xenococcid scale. Photo by Jonghyun Park via iNaturalist, used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

All photographs by Scott Schneider and used with permission unless otherwise noted.

Show notes

Sodano et al. 2024. Scale insect (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) morphology is transformed under trophobiosis. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 117(1): 49–63, https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saad033

Schneider et al. 2018. Molecular phylogenetics of Aspidiotini armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) reveals rampant paraphyly, curious species radiations, and multiple origins of association with Melissotarsus ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 129: 291-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2018.09.003

Questions? Comments?

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Arthro-Pod EP 153 Turkestan Cockroaches with Dr. Andrew Sutherland

Hello bug lovers and welcome to a roach filled Valentine's edition of Artho-Pod! Jody and Jonathan meet up with Dr. Andrew Sutherland of University of California Extension. Andrew is an urban entomologist and an area IPM advisor for UC who serves the San Francisco area. As for today's topic, the Turkestan cockroach is an intriguing invasive species that is competing with other roaches, such as the oriental roach, for space. Due to a variety of factors, the Turkestan roach seems to be spreading and is also being noticed by people in the western US. All of that adds up to an interesting podcast episode filled with cockroach facts, thoughts on how the Turkestan roach is spreading, and possible management strategies.

Love is in the air

Our guest, Dr. Sutherland

Show Notes

Green Bulletin

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/pdf/pubs/greenbulletin.2019.summer.pdf

Pest World Magazine

https://www.pestworldmag-digital.com/npmas/0419_july_august_2019/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1498660#articleId1498660

Pest Notes

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7467.html

Scientific Papers:

Paper by Kim & Rust

https://academic.oup.com/jee/article/106/6/2428/813184

Residual Insecticides:

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/8/477

Biological control parasitoid wasp

https://academic.oup.com/jee/article/116/4/1128/7179677

Questions? Comments?

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Arthro-Pod EP 152: Artificial Intelligence, Entomology, and Extension

Hello bug lovers and our new machine overlords and welcome to a new episode of Arthro-Pod. Today, Jody, Jon, and Mike, decide to swerve a bit out of their lane and discuss their thoughts about artificial intelligence, specifically the intersection of AI and entomology/Extension. There is a lot of clamor over what AI means for the future and what it means ethically. Extension is one area of the academy that seems like AI may have a profound impact on. The gang tries to slice through the hype and share their feelings as well as some reporting on artificial intelligence. Tune in to hear more and share your thoughts with the crew as well!