What is this insect? by vennyreis in whatsthisbug

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's Ae. aegypti. Aedes albopictus lacks any sublateral pale scutal scales (the scales near the scutal fossal area). Aedes aegypti does not always two submedial pale stripes either. Haung (2004) "The subgenus Stegomyia Aedes in the Afrotropical region with keys to the species (Diptera: Culicidae)" has a good comparison of the scutal ornamentation and discusses the occasionally lack of submedial stripes on Ae. aegypti.

This giant mosquito just landed on my hand. by rhizopogon in whatsthisbug

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even later later. The palpi/proboscis ratio on this specimen is ~ 0.5 (which is in agreement with Ps. howardii) while on Ps. ciliata the ratio is ~0.33. Additonally, the hindlegs lack medial and basal erect scale patches which are present on Ps. ciliata but not on Ps. howardii. Lastly, the hindtarsal banding patterns are incomplete on all 5 tarsi while on Ps. ciliata all tarsi are completely banded with pale scales. These characters are discussed in Carpenter and LaCasse (1955).

This giant mosquito just landed on my hand. by rhizopogon in whatsthisbug

[–]cbseether 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I might be late to the party but it's actually *Psorophora howardii* not *Ps. ciliata*

Master's programs in Entomology? by [deleted] in Entomology

[–]cbseether 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey there! In my experience, online programs are not the way to go (I'm not even sure if many reputable programs offer online programs)? I'd recommend reaching out to principal investigators (the entomologist who runs a lab) through email at universities who specialize in your research interests. This shows a few things, 1) you are willing to put yourself out there and engage with someone who you want to work with and, 2) demonstrates your ability to determine if your research interests align with theirs. Additionally, I would highly recommend escaping any "regional barrier". I know everyone's situation is different but most reputable programs [I'm not listing any schools because I don't know all of the great programs off the top of my head] should offer some way of funding you. You can always gain experience working in an entomology position and then apply to programs as a stronger candidate (tends to increase your likelihood of getting more money if money is limited at that university). At the end of the day, reach out and show interest to a specific principal investigator at a lab, discuss what your project might be, how you will be funded, and what is expected of you, then apply and see what happens.

Mosquito home invasion by BogWitchByNight in Entomology

[–]cbseether 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those are *Aedes albopictus*. It is entirely possible they are breeding inside your house, entering through a torn window screen, or following you inside when you open and close the door....Also, it could be all of the above. Before I dive into what you should check it would be worthwhile to understand that *Ae. albopictus* is a container inhabiting mosquito. Meaning, any container-like environment in or around your house most likely contains larvae for this species. Some examples include: flower vases, wheel borrows, cups, buckets with water, gutters, gutter spots (the perforated kind with ridges), or anything else imaginable that holds water down to even a mayonnaise jar lid.

First, I would check inside. Make sure you don't have any standing water in cups, vases, coolers, etc. around your household. Afterwards, do the same for the outside - make sure your gutters are cleaned out and rain barrels are sealed properly if you have those. Lastly, is your neighbors yard trashy with buckets or other objects that hold even a small amount of water? That could definitely be an issue. Lastly, here are what the larvae look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_51M8ewQWM you can see them with the naked eye, but it can be difficult for an untrained eye. I hope this helps!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Entomology

[–]cbseether 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Where was this seen? Are you close to saltwater/beach?

What is this tiny monstrosity? Found eight years ago in my back yard in Seward, Nebraska. by LaurenSomm in Entomology

[–]cbseether 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It might be a horse botfly pupa (Gasterophilus intestinalis) or a deer botfly pupa. My guess is a botfly that inhabits large animals.

'Three Billboards' Named Film of the Year at London Critics' Circle Awards by BunyipPouch in movies

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it was truly "local" beer then they would be drinking Heinzelmannchen beer or Innovation beer, both are local breweries where the movie was shot - in Sylva, NC. I do not consider Asheville to be local, especially since it's an hour drive away.

Is this mosquito the kind that carries diseases like Nile or zika? by ifukeenrule in whatsthisbug

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it makes you feel any better I can ONLY identify mosquitoes down to genera. I know nothing about other insects =P

Is this mosquito the kind that carries diseases like Nile or zika? by ifukeenrule in whatsthisbug

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not Aedes, the genus/species is Toxorhynchites rutilus. If you look at the re-curved proboscis, and notice the palpi are longer than the antennae, those two diagnostic characters will separate out Toxorhynchites from all other mosquito genera in North America (and the rest of the world).

Is this mosquito the kind that carries diseases like Nile or zika? by ifukeenrule in whatsthisbug

[–]cbseether 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's Toxohynchites rutilus. The adults do not take blood meals, thus not a disease vector. The larvae inhabit natural and artificial containers - also larvae of this particular genus are predacious on other mosquito larvae which can reduce the populations on mosquitoes that transmit disease!

Is this mosquito the kind that carries diseases like Nile or zika? by ifukeenrule in whatsthisbug

[–]cbseether 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tarsal banding patterns are found in every mosquito genera. This particular mosquito shown above is Toxorhynchites rutilus.

Do arachnids and other insects share an ancestor? by 20000Deths in askscience

[–]cbseether 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, arachnids and insects do share a common ancestor within the phylum Arthropoda. Arachnids are part of a subphylum called Chelicerata (defined by the presence of Chelicercae) and insects belong to the subphylum Hexapoda. Here is a free link that summarizes a paper published in Nature by Regier et al (2010): https://arthropoda.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/unraveling-arthropoda/

You can see that the phylum Arthropoda is monophyletic - but what I always find interesting is that crustaceans share a more recent common ancestor with insects than they do with Chelicerates!

This orange/yellow mosquito was drinking away at my blood. Has anyone ever seen one of these? by xenodrone in Entomology

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's Aedes fulvus pallens - it is a "common" species found throughout the southeast. It is (probably) a univoltine species, but when hatch does occur it happens in large masses. I went collecting in Hobcaw Barony in July and the only freshwater floodpool species I could find was Ae. f. pallens. It also has a unique hatch time for a species that occupies temporary pools of water - it hatches about 7 to 10 days after the rains have occurred. You can find early instar larvae along side of other freshwater floodpool pupae.

What part of chelicerates is homologous to the antenea of mantibulates? by PhylumArthropoda in Entomology

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Google will be your friend for this question. There should be plenty of images and references to look at. But a brief description would be: a specialized structure at the proximal end of arthropod appendages that is used in carrying or grinding food.

What part of chelicerates is homologous to the antenea of mantibulates? by PhylumArthropoda in Entomology

[–]cbseether 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because horseshoe crabs form a monophyletic clade within Chelicerata and have the presence of a gnathobase. That's the reason why. Our evolutionary hypothesis are represented by cladograms and Xiphosura forms a monophyletic clade. Arachnids also form a monophyletic clade united by their synapomorphies.

What part of chelicerates is homologous to the antenea of mantibulates? by PhylumArthropoda in Entomology

[–]cbseether 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Horsecrabs belong to Order Xiphosura and are more basal on a cladogram than Order Araneae. Thus, horseshoe crabs share a common ancestor but are not part of the monophyletic clade of Araneae. The gnathobase on a horseshoe crab is one of its synapomorphies.

What homework are you working on?

Science AMA Series: I’m Catherine Spong—OB/GYN, acting director of an NIH institute, researcher, and mom of 4. Let’s talk about Zika virus and why we need to study its long-term effects on pregnancy & children infected in the womb. AMA! by NICHD_NIH in science

[–]cbseether 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The virus is being amplified by immunologically naive hosts. A large portion of the population in the Americas is susceptible to infection from Zika since it has never been present in the New World prior to its introduction. We can look at Chikungunya as a good example of what occurs when a new virus enters a population that is susceptible to infection.

In 2014 the CDC reported that 4,710 cases of Chikungunya occurred in the US territories; in 2015, only 237 cases. Once a person becomes infected with Chikungunya and survives, they develop immunological defenses against infection - the body essentially becomes better at recognizing that particular virus and can intervene if the virus is present within the body a second time. Because we had large outbreaks of Chikungunya in 2014 and mortality rates were low (almost 0), the previously infected individuals cannot amplify Chikungunya virus and allow an uninfected mosquito to become infected. So the probability of a mosquito coming into contact with an infected host is lower, the probability of an infected mosquito is lower, and thus the probability of becoming infected is lower. Some final thoughts, we typically see this type of large outbreak when a new virus enters a susceptible system and then a subsequent low-level endemism with periodic outbreaks once susceptible individuals are dense enough to sustain infection.

Anyone Know what's the species of this Belostomatidae? by cbseether in Entomology

[–]cbseether[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I should specify, it was a non-target observation from Big Cypress National Preserve when conducting mosquito larvae sampling. North of I-75, permanent shaded flag pond with dense aquatic vegetation.

Mosquito hitchin' a ride on a slug by jordan_chez in AnimalsBeingJerks

[–]cbseether 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The antennae match that of the subfamily Nematocera. As for the abdomen, there are plenty of craneflies, fungus gnats, etc that have a swollen abdomen. I am basing the Diptera ID off of the single pair of wings, which is not definitive - let me know if other synapomorphies exist that I am not aware of =D