Fresh Sheet – February 12, 20012

If you love Paper Kite butterflies, and who doesn’t, you’re going to love this week’s shipment. We’ve received 152 of them along with 413 other pupae from the Philippines. They’re all now emerging you-know-where.


Philippines

44 - Papilio rumanzovia (Crimson Swallowtail)
12 - Papilio palinurus (Banded Peacock)
60 - Papilio lowii (Sunset Swallowtail)
152 - Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
27 - Pachliopta kotzeboea (Pink Rose)
40 - Doleschalia bisaltide (Autumn Leaf)
50 - Parthenos sylvia philippensis (The Clipper)
30 - Papilio polytes (Polite Swallowtail)
30 - Cethosia biblis (Red Lacewing)
20 - Ideopsis juventa (Wood Nymph)
100 - Hypolimnas bolina (Blue moon)

Total = 565

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


Read more!

Cockroach Spit

Caution: The following article is about whether cockroaches are spitting or vomiting. You may wish to proceed with caution.

If you have ever visited Pacific Science Center’s Insect Village, you may have had an opportunity to handle a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa). Many people have learned a new appreciation for insects from this contact. Some have overcome longstanding fear of bugs. But few know that the cockroaches have to learn not to fear us, too.



While many legends exist about the ability of cockroaches to survive nuclear disaster, microwave ovens, and other dire fates, the experience of our Life Sciences staff has been that these insects are not invulnerable. They enjoy being treated well and show signs of stress when times get tough, just like any other animal.


Roaches show stress in several ways. Most commonly they hiss (hence their common name) the first few times we handle them, before learning we are safe. We also look for loss of muscle tone, and fighting as signs that the animals need more rest and less work.

But there is another sign of stress that has been observed recently, that got us concerned. A couple of people have seen our roaches emitting bubbles of clear liquid from their mouths during handling. Life Sciences manager Sarah Moore had seen this behavior before. It happened once while treating the roaches for mites, something they really hate. It occasionally happens when a roach is accidentally dropped, or when brand new animals are introduced. But it has been uncommon, and when it happens it is of note.


The usual modes of inquiry turned up very little information about this phenomenon, but we did learn this: The liquid is not vomit, but saliva, which roaches produce in large amounts to help mobilize and digest food. German and American roaches are known to use pheromones in their saliva to attract others of their species and also to communicate danger. Depending on the pheromone, other roaches will either approach or flee from this secretion. It is possible that our roaches are doing the same thing.

At any rate, it was clear that the insect doing this was unhappy, and he was moved out of the handling schedule. We are training staff to report this behavior, which we hope will be as rare in the future as it has been up till now.


Photographer’s note: The clear liquid in the photographs is water. No cockroaches were harmed in the making of this story.


Read more!

Fresh Sheet – February 5, 2012

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


El Salvador

20 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
30 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
10 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
06 - Doxocopa laure (Silver Emperor)
10 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
04 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
20 - Lycorea cleobaea (Large Tiger)
60 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
30 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
15 - Papilio cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail)
20 - Parides photinus (Queen of Hearts)
20 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
30 - Prepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)

Total = 275

LPS-LLC

10 - Argema mimosa (African Moon Moth)
10 - Athyma perius (Common Sergeant)
06 - Cethosia biblis (Red Lacewing)
04 - Cethosia cyane (Leopard Lacewing)
16 - Charaxes brutus (White-barred Charaxes)
20 - Charaxes castor (Giant Charaxes)
20 - Charaxes cithaeron (Blue-spotted Charexes)
11 - Charaxes protoclea (Flame-bordered Charexes)
10 - Charaxes varanes (Pearl Charexes)
10 - Doleschalia bisaltide (Autumn Leaf)
10 - Euphaedra neophron (Gold-banded Forester)
10 - Hypolimnas bolina (Blue moon)
10 - Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
30 - Papilio constantinus (Constantines's Swallowtail)
30 - Papilio dardanus (Mocker Swallowtail)
23 - Papilio memnon (Great Memnon)
30 - Papilio nireus (Blue-banded Swallowtail)
10 - Tirumala limniace (Blue Tiger)

Total = 270

Grand Total = 545

Read more!

New Beetles

Have you ever noticed a big, shiny black beetle wandering about in your garden, and been surprised that Seattle was home to such a large, handsome insect? If you visit the southwest, you might see one three times its size, walking down the sidewalk like it owned the place and you were just a guest. Or one that looked just like ours, only sort of like its shell had been installed inside out. Meet Eloedes , better known as the Clown Beetle or a Stink Beetle, and it’s relative, Embaphion muricatum, the Dish-backed Beetle, both relatives of our native darkling beetles, and new residents in the Insect Village.

The Dish-backed Beetle is one of those insects that are so different as adults and larvae that they have two different names. Many people don’t realize that they are the same insect. Adults are about an inch long. Notice how their wing covers (elytra and pronotum) are upturned, giving these insects’ abdomens a dish-like, concave appearance.


In their larval stage, these beetles are called False Wireworms and are a grain crop pest. In the wild, they also eat the seeds and plants of wild grasses but we’ll most likely feed the adults rat chow.


The other new beetles are from genus Eloedes, large black beetles from the desert. Also known as Stink Beetles or Clown Beetles, these showy beetles eat grains and plant material and are gentle and easygoing. They don’t need to move fast. When threatened, they lower their front end and elevate their rear, thus, the “Clown Beetle” moniker. However, this should be seen as a signal to stay back or prepare to be sprayed! Stink Beetles can emit a smelly chemical that repels potential predators. Animal Caretakers however, are careful around them.

Read more!