The Wheel Bug is an impressive assassin bug. It's the only one of its kind found in the US. It ranks among North America's largest terrestrial true bugs, sizing up to 1.5 inches.
Username: Ekpolok Published on 2024-12-12 15:51:30 ID NUMBER: 126729
The European honey bee, also known as the Western honey bee, holds a unique place in history. This insect was domesticated some five millennia ago. To this day, beekeepers maintain this species for honey production and pollination. Thanks to human aid, it now thrives on every continent, Antarctica aside.
The European mantis, commonly known as the praying mantis, displays interesting gender characteristics. Male mantises have larger antennae and eyes than their female counterparts, and they're more agile and active.
The Fruit Fly, specifically the wild type, boasts a yellow-brown body. It's marked by black rings across its abdomen - the characteristic leading to its species name, melanogaster, or "black-bellied." These flies are noted for their distinctive brick-red eyes. Sexual dimorphism is evident as males are marginally smaller, exhibiting darker backs.
The mosquito, an insect with distinguishable scales on its long and slender wings, has a swift lifecycle. In warmer climates, they reach maturity within a mere five days. After a single union with a male, females feed on blood for egg development and repeat this cycle their whole life, which can span a few weeks under the right conditions.
Leaf beetles form a diverse group known for their ovular or rounded bodies. Uniquely, their antennae aren't overly long, and their eyes exhibit no notching. Their exterior displays various aesthetics, from dull hues to bright, patterned displays or metallic tones.
Scarab beetles exhibit usual antennae, ending in three club-shaped plates. These beetles, identifiable by their front legs adapted for digging, come in various sizes, from a diminutive 0.2 inch to a bulky 4.7 inches for some African species.
The Monarch butterfly, famous across North America, is an essential pollinator. Distinguished by vibrant black, orange, and white patterned wings, it's hard to miss.
The Atlas moth inhabits tropical and subtropical rainforests, with a significant presence in Southeast Asia. They have an impressive wingspan of nearly 10 inches and rank among the world's largest moths. Size variations exist between genders, with females tending to be larger.
Periodical cicadas, like clockwork, surface the ground together every 13 or 17 years. These types of bugs keep time quite uniquely, living as nymphs beneath the ground for almost 99.5% of their lives. These nymphs find nourishment in xylem fluids from forest tree root9.
The Wheel Bug is an impressive assassin bug. It's the only one of its kind found in the US. It ranks among North America's largest terrestrial true bugs, sizing up to 1.5 inches.
The American cockroach stands out as the largest among common cockroach species. With a reddish-brown hue and a yellowish margin, it measures around 1.6 inches in length. This insect undergoes 6-14 molts, often 13, and lives about 700 days - the longest life cycle in its class5.
Dragonflies are predatory insects that thrive on every continent except Antarctica. They start their lives as aquatic nymphs, a stage that lasts up to five years in some species. After maturing, they may fly for about ten weeks but often live just five weeks or less, depending on the species.
Damselflies, easily confused with dragonflies, hold a distinct place in the world of odonates. Their slim bodies and resting posture, wings folded together over their back, set them apart from dragonflies.
Yellow jackets are a common sight in the Northern Hemisphere. Naming them is a bit deceiving, given not all bear yellow and black markings. Instead, some display white, black, or even red patterns. Distinctive from other wasps, they settle in rest by folding their wings lengthwise.
Crickets are small to medium-sized insects with cylindrical bodies that are somewhat vertically flattened. They possess spherical heads and are characterized by long antennae and large compound eyes. Depending on the species, their wings can be small or absent and lie flat on the body.
Dobsonflies, typically large, span several continents from North to South America to Australia, Asia, and Africa. Possessing four similarly sized, net-veined wings, which vary from grayish to translucent among species, these insects belong to nine recognized genera.
Found worldwide except Antarctica, termites' species diversity peaks in South America. Misconstrued as "wood ants" or "white ants" in older texts, they are not actually ants.
Lice are tiny, wingless parasites. They divide into two groups: chewing lice, typically infesting birds and mammals, and sucking lice, feeding off mammals exclusively. Their body color ranges from whitish and yellow to brown or black.
The Wheel Bug is an impressive assassin bug. It's the only one of its kind found in the US. It ranks among North America's largest terrestrial true bugs, sizing up to 1.5 inches.
A type of protea, this flower is perhaps the most attractive member of the group of fireworks pincushion flowers. While you may think the elongated portions are petals, they are actually individual flowers. This protea species is considered endangered in its native South Africa.
The Wheel Bug is an impressive assassin bug. It's the only one of its kind found in the US. It ranks among North America's largest terrestrial true bugs, sizing up to 1.5 inches.
This fun flower looks more like a carnival toy than a creation of nature. Also known as the Catherine-wheel Pincushion, this is the most exquisite of the “firework pincushion” flowers. Not many flowers can compare to a bed of blooming Protea Pinwheels. The coolest fact about this flower is that it’s interconnected with fire. In the wild, Protea Pinwheels are perfectly suited to adapt to harsh climates. The best time for Protea Pinwheels to bloom is after a fire, when the adult plants, rodents, and other insects that would impede their growth have been destroyed. Protea Pinwheels ensure their continued existence by producing little fruit that is collected and eaten by ants. The ants do not eat the seeds, which remain dormant underground until there is a fire at which time the seeds are cued to begin germination.
An easy way to describe an aerial cartwheel would be a cartwheel with no hands. However, when you go to learn how to do an aerial cartwheel, you quickly realize that doing an aerial cartwheel is much different than doing a cartwheel. The first reason is that an aerial cartwheel gets its power from the gymnast’s legs, whereas the cartwheel uses the gymnast’s arm muscles. So in order to learn how to do an aerial cartwheel, the gymnast has to strengthen and use different muscles.
Another reason why an aerial cartwheel is much different than a regular cartwheel is that it is much more difficult to learn. While the aerial cartwheel is no longer in a compulsory floor routine, it can be used to fulfill the Level 6 Floor requirement of a salto or aerial element. Many gymnasts also use it in their routines at more advanced levels.
