Template:POTD/2004-07-17
A
compound eye is a visual
organ found in certain
arthropods. The compound eye consists of between 12 and 1,000
ommatidia, little dark/bright sensors. The image perceived by the arthropod is "recalculated" from the numerous ommatidia which point in slightly different directions. In contrast to other
eye types, there is no central
lens or
retina. Though the resulting image is poor in resolution, it can detect quick movements and, in some cases, the
polarization of light.
Dragonflies have about 30,000 facets to their compound eyes, giving them nearly a 360° field of vision.
Template:POTD/2004-09-18
The
Polyphemus Moth (Anthera polyphemus) is one the biggest
moths, having a wingspan of up to 15 cm. Usually found in
forests, moths are notable for apparently being attracted to
light, the reason for this behaviour is not known.
Template:POTD/2007-01-01
Template:POTD/2007-02-11
A
macro shot of the head of a
dragonfly, focusing on its
compound eyes. Dragonfly eyes have up to 30,000 facets; each one is a separate light-sensing organ or
ommatidium, arranged to give nearly a 360° field of vision.
Template:POTD/2007-02-13
Template:POTD/2007-03-24
Two
Melangyna viridiceps (called
Common Hoverflies in Australia) mating in mid-air. The male, which can be identified by the eyes meeting at the top of its head, is on top. The term "hoverfly" refers to about 6,000 species of flying insects in the
family Syrphidae. They are often seen hovering at
flowers and are important
pollinators.
Template:POTD/2007-06-13
A
mole cricket, an
insect belonging to the
Gryllotalpidae family. Mole crickets are common insects, found on every continent except
Antarctica, but because they are
nocturnal and spend nearly all their lives underground in extensive tunnel systems, they are rarely seen. This specimen is likely to be
Gryllotalpa brachyptera and is about 3.5
cm (1.4
in.) in size.
Template:POTD/2007-11-30
Image credit: Erbe & Pooley, ARS
Template:POTD/2007-12-29
A male
Roesel's bush-cricket (
Metrioptera roeseli), a European
bush-cricket named after
August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof, a German
entomologist. Its song is very similar to that of
Savi's Warbler. Its body length as an adult insect is 15 to 18 mm. It is brown with a pale margin to the sides of the
pronotum. Its forewings usually reach midway along its abdomen at rest. However there is a
macropterous form of this insect (f.
diluta), in which the wings reach beyond the tip of the abdomen. This form appears predominantly during hot summers and enables the species to extend its geographical range rapidly while conditions are suitable; such migrations may also be in response to local overpopulation.
Template:POTD/2008-05-07
A
fishing spider with two of its legs missing. Most likely some
predator (a bird, or given its habitat a large fish or frog) grasped the spider by the missing limbs which were jettisoned by the spider in response, a process known as
autotomy.
Template:POTD/2008-05-11
The head and
mandibles of an
Australian bull ant.
Insect mandibles grasp, crush, or cut the insect’s food, or defend against predators or rivals. These mandibles move in the horizontal plane unlike those of the
vertebrates.
Template:POTD/2008-08-27
The
monarch butterfly (
Danaus plexippus) is one of the best-known species of
butterfly. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 centimetres (3½–4 in).
Template:POTD/2008-09-22
Template:POTD/2008-10-07
Template:POTD/2008-10-25
The
rose chafer (
Cetonia aurata) is a reasonably large
beetle (20
mm/¾
in long) that has metallic green coloration with a distinct V shaped
scutellum, the small triangular area between the wing cases just below the
thorax. Rose chafers are found over southern and central Europe and the southern part of the UK.
Template:POTD/2008-12-13
A female
subimago of a March Brown
mayfly (
Rhithrogena germanica). Mayflies belong to the
order Ephemeroptera, and the only
insects that have a subimago phase. This stage is a favourite food of many fish, and many
fishing flies are modeled to resemble them. They are
aquatic insects whose
nymph stage usually lasts one year in
freshwater. The adults are short-lived, from as little as thirty minutes to a few days depending on the species.
Template:POTD/2009-01-16
Photo credit: Tom Friedel Two
Eastern Lubber grasshoppers (
Romalea guttata) mating. Native to the southeastern and south central portion of the United States, it is well known both for its size and its unique coloration. During reproduction, the male grasshopper introduces
sperm into the
ovipositor through its
aedeagus (reproductive organ), and inserts its
spermatophore, a package containing the sperm, into the female's ovipositor.
Template:POTD/2009-02-20
An assassin bug belonging to the
Reduviidae family of insects. A
predatory insect so named because of its tendency to wait in
ambush for its prey, the assassin bug uses its long
rostrum to inject a lethal
saliva that liquefies the internal structures of the prey, which are then sucked out.
Template:POTD/2009-05-08
The
Painted Lady (
Vanessa cardui) is a well-known colourful
butterfly, found on every continent except
Antarctica. It occurs in any
temperate zone, including mountains in the
tropics. The species is resident only in warmer areas, but migrates in spring, and sometimes again in autumn.
Template:POTD/2009-06-27
The
Forest scorpion (
Cercophonius squama) is a
scorpion native to southeastern
Australia and
Tasmania. The body is 25 to 40 millimetres (0.98 to 1.57
in) long, and coloured creamy yellow to orange brown with dark brown variegations. The legs are yellow with some dark brown pigment.
Template:POTD/2010-03-08
The
yellow fever mosquito (
Aedes aegypti) is a species of mosquito known for its ability to spread
yellow fever and
dengue fever. The mosquito can be recognized by the white markings on its legs and a marking in the form of a
lyre on its
thorax. Though originally from
Africa, the yellow fever mosquito can now be found in
tropical regions around the world.
Template:POTD/2010-06-17
Template:POTD/2010-07-24
Template:POTD/2010-09-04
The
cryptic mantis (
Sibylla pretiosa) is a
mantid native to southern
Africa. Its
common name comes from its ability to grow asymmetrically to
match the vegetation of its environment. They have unusual leaf-like projections on the joint of their four walking legs and leaf-like wings, generally the only green portion of the insect's otherwise brown and mottled
exoskeleton. Adult females grow to 5–6
cm (2.0–2.4
in) in length while the males are generally about
1 cm smaller.
Template:POTD/2010-09-23
A
Eusthenia species of
stonefly. The
order contains almost 3,500 known species, including the only known insects that are exclusively aquatic from birth to death. Stoneflies are believed to be one of the most primitive groups of
Neoptera and are found worldwide, with the exception of
Antarctica.
Template:POTD/2010-12-03
A
macro view of a
Gonia capitata fly feeding on
honey, showing its
proboscis and
pedipalps (the two appendages protruding from the proboscis), two types of
insect mouthparts. The proboscis actually comprises the labium, a quadrupedal structure, and a sponge-like labellum at the end. Flies eat solid food by secreting
saliva and dabbing it over the food item. As the saliva dissolves the food, the solution is then drawn up into the mouth as a liquid. The labellum's surface is covered by minute food channels which form a tube leading to the
esophagus, and food is drawn up the channels by
capillary action.
Template:POTD/2010-12-13
Template:POTD/2011-01-16
The
Globe Skimmer (
Pantala flavescens) is the most widespread
dragonfly species on the planet, found between about the 40th
parallels of latitude, or where the annual mean temperature is above 20
°C (68
°F), except in
Europe where there are only occasional sightings.
Template:POTD/2011-03-03
The head of a female
Clynotis severus species of
jumping spider. The eyes of a spider are called
simple eyes (as opposed to
compound eyes) because in each eye, a single
lens collects and focuses light onto the
retina. In this spider, the two largest eyes in the middle are the most
acute. The remainder on the sides and on the top of its head are "secondary eyes".
Template:POTD/2011-06-07
The
Meadow Argus (
Junonia villida) is a species of
butterfly native to
Australasia. Its brown wings are each covered with two distinctive black and blue
eyespots as well as white and orange marks that appear on the edge of the wings. Males and females are similar in appearance and size, with females being slightly larger.
Template:POTD/2011-10-25
Template:POTD/2012-01-02
Template:POTD/2012-01-19
Template:POTD/2012-03-24
Squilla mantis, a species of
mantis shrimp, for sale at the fish auction of l'Ametlla de Mar in
Catalonia, Spain. It is native to the
Mediterranean Sea and adjacent warm parts of the Atlantic Ocean, where it burrows into muddy and sandy seabeds. It is the only native
stomatopod to be fished for on a commercial scale in the Mediterranean.
Template:POTD/2012-04-02
Poli's stellate barnacle (
Chthamalus stellatus) is a species of
acorn barnacle common on rocky shores in South West England, Ireland, and Southern Europe. It is named after Italian scientist
Giuseppe Saverio Poli. Depending upon environmental conditions and the amount of food available, it can reach up to 14
mm (0.55
in) in diameter.
Template:POTD/2012-10-21
The
red rock crab (
Grapsus grapsus) is one of the most common crabs along the western coast of the
Americas. Adults are quite variable in color, including brownish-red, mottled or spotted brown, pink, yellow, bright orange and red. It feeds on
algae primarily, sometimes sampling other plant matter and dead animals.
Template:POTD/2012-11-25
Template:POTD/2014-06-02
Template:POTD/2015-05-31
Compound eyes on a
blue bottle fly. Unlike simple eyes, which have a single concave photoreceptive surface, compound eyes consist of a number of individual lenses (called
ommatidia) laid out on a convex surface; this means that they point in slightly different directions. Compound eyes provide a wide
field of view and can detect fast movement, but have low resolution.
Template:POTD/2017-05-02
Template:POTD/2017-12-07
Template:POTD/2018-02-07
Template:POTD/2018-03-24
A lithograph by
Sidney Hall, published in
Urania's Mirror, depicting the constellation
Scorpius. One of the 48 constellations identified by the Greek astronomer
Ptolemy in the second century, Scorpius lies between
Libra to the west and
Sagittarius to the east. It contains 18 main stars, the brightest of which is
Antares. Although frequently identified as a scorpion, this constellation has also been likened to a "leaning coconut tree" (
Java) or "
Maui's fishhook" (
Hawaii).
Template:POTD/2018-09-03
The
western honey bee (
Apis mellifera) is the most common of the 7–12 species of
honey bee worldwide. It is believed to have originated in either Africa or Asia, and spread naturally through Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Following human introduction into the Americas and Oceania, the species is now found on every continent except Antarctica. Humans have been collecting
honey from bees for thousands of years, with evidence in the form of
rock art found in France and Spain, dating to around 7000 BC. Along with other insects, the honey bee is an important
pollinator, with a large number of the
crop species farmed worldwide depending on it.
Template:POTD/2019-06-07
The
European paper wasp (
Polistes dominula or
Polistes dominulus) is one of the most common species of wasps in the genus
Polistes. Originally described in 1791 by German naturalist
Johann Ludwig Christ as
Vespa dominula, it is native to southern Europe and North Africa, as well as temperate parts of Asia as far east as China. It has also been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Americas. The species is common and cosmopolitan due to its exceptional survival features, such as a productive colony cycle, a short development time and a higher ability to endure predator attacks. It generally lives in temperate, terrestrial habitats, such as
chaparral, forest and grassland biomes.
This picture shows a young European paper wasp queen guarding her nest and eggs.
Template:POTD/2019-07-10
Gonepteryx rhamni, also known as the common brimstone, is a butterfly in the family
Pieridae. It lives throughout the
Palearctic zone and is commonly found across Europe, Asia and North Africa. The butterfly relies on two species of
buckthorn as hosts for its eggs and larvae, which influences its geographic range and distribution as these plants are commonly found in wetlands. After spending the summer feeding, adults travel to woodland areas to spend seven months
hibernating. In spring when their host plants have developed, they return to the wetlands to breed and lay eggs. Both the larval and adult forms of the species have protective coloration and behaviour that decreases their chances of being recognised and preyed upon. The adult common brimstone has
sexual dichromism in its wing coloration and
iridescence; the male
(pictured) has yellow wings and iridescence, while females have greenish-white wings and are not iridescent.
Template:POTD/2021-01-18
Sympetrum danae, the black darter or black meadowhawk, is a species of dragonfly found in northern Europe, Asia, and North America. Both sexes are black and yellow, but the abdomen of the male is largely black while that of the female is largely yellow. Breeding takes place in shallow acidic pools, lake margins and ditches in lowland heaths and moorland bogs. The female lays her eggs during flight by dipping the tip of her abdomen into the water. The eggs hatch the following spring, the larvae developing very rapidly and emerging as adults in as little as two months. The male seen here is perched on a frond of
bracken on Warren Heath in Hampshire, England.
Template:POTD/2021-02-19
Planthoppers are insects in the suborder
Auchenorrhyncha. This photograph shows three adult
Phromnia rosea planthoppers on a stem, with three
nymphs underneath; the adults fold their wings in a tent-like fashion, while the nymphs are clad in a dense tangle of white wax threads. Both the adults and the nymphs feed by sucking sap from the
host plant.
Template:POTD/2021-04-07
Danaus genutia, the common tiger or striped tiger, is a species of
brush-footed butterfly found in Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, south-eastern Asia and Australia. It prefers areas of moderate to heavy rainfall, and typical habitats include scrubby jungle, deciduous forests and fallow land near habitations. The insect sequesters
toxins from plants, and advertises its unpalatability by having prominent markings and striking colour patterns. This adult male common tiger, of the subspecies
D. g. genutia, was photographed in
Kerala, India.
Template:POTD/2021-05-17
The
red rock crab (
Grapsus grapsus), also known as "Sally Lightfoot", is one of the commonest crabs along the western seaboard of the Americas.
John Steinbeck wrote of them, "Everyone who has seen them has been delighted with them ... These little crabs, with brilliant
cloisonné carapaces, walk on their tiptoes, they have remarkable eyes and an extremely fast reaction time." He tried to catch them but to little avail. "If you walk slowly, they move slowly ahead of you in droves. If you hurry, they hurry. When you plunge at them, they seem to disappear in a puff of blue smoke."
Template:POTD/2021-05-25
The
Adonis blue (
Polyommatus bellargus) is a butterfly in the family
Lycaenidae, found in Europe and parts of West Asia. This photograph, taken in a chalk meadow at
Yoesden Bank in
Buckinghamshire, England, shows the underside of the folded wings of a male Adonis blue; the upper side is a bright, sky-blue.
Template:POTD/2021-06-07
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the two
sexes of the same
species exhibit different characteristics. Differences may include
secondary sex characteristics, size, weight, color, or markings, as well as behavioral and cognitive differences. In the butterfly species
Colias dimera (also known as the Dimera sulphur), seen here mating in Venezuela, the male on the right is a brighter shade of yellow than the female.
Template:POTD/2021-07-06
Zonocerus variegatus, the variegated grasshopper, is a species of
grasshopper in the family
Pyrgomorphidae native to tropical western and central Africa. It feeds on a wide variety of plant foods and causes damage to crops, particularly
cassava,
groundnuts and vegetables, as well as transmitting diseases caused by
mosaic viruses between plants. This
Z. variegatus grasshopper was photographed in the Bobiri Forest in Ghana.
Template:POTD/2021-07-23
Leptosia nina, known as the psyche, is a species of butterfly in the family
Pieridae (the sulphurs, yellows and whites), found in the Indian subcontinent, southeastern Asia, and Australia. It has a small wingspan of 2.5 to 5
cm (1 to 2
in). The upper side of the otherwise white forewing has a large, somewhat pear-shaped, black spot; this spot is also present on the underside which is scattered with greenish dots and speckles, sometimes arranged in bands. This
L. nina butterfly was photographed in
Kerala, India.
Template:POTD/2021-08-11
The
oriental hornet (
Vespa orientalis) is a
social insect in the family
Vespidae, found in southern Europe, northeastern Africa, and western Asia. This worker, photographed in Sha'ar Poleg Reserve in Israel, is gathering
nectar from a
sea squill; adults will also feed on
honeydew and fruit. They also capture insects such as grasshoppers, flies and honey bees to provide a diet high in protein for the
colony's brood.
Template:POTD/2021-08-24
Argiope trifasciata, the banded garden or banded orb-weaving spider, is a species of arachnid in the family
Araneidae. It is native to North and South America but has spread to other parts of the world. This ventral view of a female
A. trifasciata shows her in the centre of her web, which can reach a diameter of 60
cm (24
in). The function of the zig-zag
web decorations is unclear, but they may serve to make the spider appear larger or to act as a warning sign.
Template:POTD/2021-09-01
Pieris brassicae, the large white, is a species of butterfly in the family
Pieridae, common in Europe, Asia and North Africa. The
larva pictured here, which was found at a market in
Fronton, France, is a serious pest of plants in the cabbage family,
Brassicaceae. The eggs are laid in batches on the undersides of the leaves of plants rich in mustard-oil
glucosides, and consumption of these substances as they chew the leaves makes the larvae distasteful; the bright colouration of the larvae signals to
predators that they taste bad. Additionally, the adult butterflies emit an unpleasant smell and display warning colours.
Template:POTD/2021-09-10
Papilio polymnestor, the blue Mormon, is a species of
swallowtail butterfly found in southern India and Sri Lanka. It is a woodland species, often seen on forest paths and near streams. The larvae feed on trees in the family
Rutaceae, such as citrus. Young larvae are green with white markings and position themselves on the upper surface of leaves, relying on their
cryptic colouring, which resembles bird droppings, for protection. Older larvae seek less conspicuous locations, and have a unique habit of securing their balance by weaving silk on the
substratum. This adult male
P. polymnestor butterfly was photographed in the Indian state of
Kerala.
Template:POTD/2021-11-26
Purana tigrina is a species of
cicada found in Southeast Asia. This adult male was photographed in
Kadavoor,
Kerala, in southern India, and is about one inch (25
mm) in length. The mouthparts are adapted to piercing plant tissues and sucking sap; the male abdomen houses the
tymbal, an organ used in the production of song, while the female abdomen is tipped by a large, saw-edged
ovipositor.
Template:POTD/2021-12-09
Attacus taprobanis is a species of
moth in the family
Saturniidae native to southern India and Sri Lanka. This adult male, photographed in
Kadavoor,
Kerala, developed from a
larva feeding on a
mahogany tree. When ready to pupate, the larva formed a papery cocoon 7.5
cm (3
in) long interwoven with a leaf; before doing this, the larva had attached the leaf to the stem with a silken thread and cut the leaf stalk. The colours of the dying leaf provided camouflage for the pupa, and the adult insect emerged some 24 days later.
File:Saperda carcharias02.jpg
File:Aus soldier Crab.jpg
File:Ozyptila praticola - front (aka).jpg
The
Ozyptila praticola species of
crab spider is found throughout
Europe and the
Middle East. They do not build webs to trap prey, but are active hunters. Crab spiders are so named because of their first two pairs of legs, which are held out to the side giving them a
crab-like appearance. Also, like crabs, these spiders move sideways and backwards more easily than forwards.
File:Xylotrupes socrates (Siamese rhinoceros beetle).jpg
Xylotrupes socrates (Siamese rhinoceros beetle, or "fighting beetle"), male, on a banana leaf. This scarab beetle is particularly known for its role in insect fighting in Northern Laos and Thailand.
File:Odontodactylus scyllarus1.jpg
File:Limule(dD).jpg
File:Pieris brassicae (caterpillar).jpg
File:Stictocephala bisonia qtl4.jpg
File:Marbled_Orb_Weaver.jpg
The
orb-weaver spiders (family
Araneidae) are the familiar builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. The family is a large one, including over 2800
species in over 160
genera worldwide, making it the third largest known (behind
Salticidae and
Linyphiidae). The web has always been thought of as an engineering marvel.