Did you know...

An ant-eating assassin bug found in Java lures its prey with the promise of a sweet treat. The assassin bug will block the path between the ants and their aphid herd. When an ant approaches, the assassin stands up and flashes its abdomen, revealing a red spot that oozes sticky goodness. If the ant takes a taste, it falls paralyzed by a special tranquilizing agent, and the assassin bug enjoys an easy meal.

_{Source: The Handy Bug Answer Book, Dr. Gilbert Waldbauer}

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Here's an unusual critter! Do you know what it is? Each Wednesday, I post an image of a bug for you to identify. Leave your answer in a comment, and next Wednesday, I'll let you know if you were right. You can also pop over to the forum to see the hints I've left for you.

As for last week's challenge, Christy identified the mystery insect correctly to species - Golden Buprestid, Buprestis aurulenta. Spirula, Moni, and Mike also knew this shiny beetle is a Buprestid. Kudos to all of you!

_{Photo: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org}

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When the space shuttle Atlantis launches today, thousands of young insect enthusiasts in classrooms nationwide will be watching. Tucked away in the shuttle, which is headed to the International Space Station, is a precious cargo of caterpillars that students will be monitoring from the Web.

Painted ladies will be aboard the space shuttle Atlantis when it launches today.
Photo: © Flickr user jpockele

The insect payload will carry two butterfly habitats - one for painted lady larvae, and the other for monarch caterpillars - with enough nectar and other food to support their development while in space. About 100 lucky classrooms chosen to participate in the NASA project will simultaneously raise butterfly larvae in their schools. The experiment is designed to compare the growth and development of butterfly larvae in the weightless environment of space with those raised in an environment with gravity.

Once the habitats are transferred to the International Space Station, images of the larvae will be taken every 15 minutes, and transmitted daily to viewers via the Web. You can view the butterfly images online at bioedonline.org, a science support and teacher training site of the Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Education Outreach.

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As busy as a bee? Do you need a way to keep track of your schedule? The Xerces Society is happy to offer the 2010 Native Bee Calendar, which was created by Celeste Ets-hokin and produced in partnership with The Great Sunflower Project.

All sales of the 2010 Native Bee Calendar support invertebrate conservation.
Photo courtesy The Xerces Society

With magnificent close-up photos by Rollin Coville, this calendar takes you on a tour of twelve commonly encountered types of native bees. Each month features a full-page pin-up of a different bee genus, accompanied by a brief summary of its preferred plants, nesting needs, and notes on how to identify it--and of course, a complete day-by-day calendar for each month.

But wait! There's more! All monies raised from the sale of the 2010 Native Bee Calendar go toward the Xerces Society's invertebrate conservation programs. You can purchase your 2010 Native Bee Calendar for just $14, including postage and handling. All orders must be received online by Monday, November 30, 2009. Calendars will be shipped to arrive by the holidays.

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According to BBC News, Brazilian authorities nabbed a British man attempting to smuggle some 900 bird-eating spiders out of the South American country. Lee Ardern is believed to run a UK shop that sells spiders to collectors and hobbyists.

Bird-eating spider.
Flickr user liangjinjian (CC by SA license)

Authorities randomly screened Mr. Ardern's luggage, which arrived at the Rio airport on his incoming flight from Paraguay. When officials x-rayed the two suitcases and discovered the spiders, Ardern was immediately arrested for attempting to export Brazilian wildlife without authorization.

Though Ardern faces a possible penalty of six months to a year in prison, the BBC reports that he has already been fined £452,136, or over $750,000 for the violation. Had he successfully smuggled the spiders back to London, Mr. Ardern might have netted a profit of about $40,000 for his efforts. Clearly, his gamble didn't pay off.

I am the staunchest supporter of any efforts made to stem the flow of illegally collected wildlife to the exotic pet market. That being said, I'm a little puzzled by how Brazilian authorities can claim the right to prosecute Mr. Ardern for spiders that came into Rio on a plane from Paraguay. Shouldn't this fall under Paraguay's jurisdiction?

More About Tarantulas:

• 5 Questions You Should Ask Before You Buy a Pet Tarantula
• Popular Pet Tarantula Species - Pictures and Care Sheets
• 10 Cool Facts About Tarantulas

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Did you know...

Some ants use tiny pebbles or soil pellets as weapons against their competitors.

Certain species of ants attempt to take out their competition by dropping things on their heads. Ants in the genus Messor were observed dropping pebbles down the nest entrances of other ant colonies, effectively preventing them from foraging. Tetramorium ants hit ground-dwelling bees with soil pellets, an aggressive action that sometimes triggered a full-scale attack resulting in the bee's death.

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Another Wednesday, another mystery insect challenge. This week's bug of the week shouldn't be too tough to identify. Do you recognize it? If you can name this bug, leave a comment with your answer. Next Wednesday, I'll reveal its identity and give any readers who answered correctly a round of applause. Need some help? I've left some clues in the forum for you.

Now for last week's challenge. That's one spiny fly, isn't it? I know this fly by the common name hedgehog fly, so named for its resemblance to the spiny hedgehog. Spirula called it a bristle fly, and noted it is a parasite of caterpillars. Mobugs, Mike, and Sharon correctly placed this fly in the Tachinidae family. Well done, everyone! I don't have a definitive species ID for this one, but if I had to guess I'd say it might belong to the genus Pararchytas, perhaps Pararchytas apache.

Photo: Scott Tunnock, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

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Laid back male water striders mated with more females than did groups of highly sexually aggressive males, according to a study led by Omar Tonsi Eldakar of the University of Arizona. The study suggests that, at least in the water strider world, nice guys do indeed get the girl.

Past studies on water strider breeding concluded just the opposite - that the more aggressive males succeeded in mating more often. But Eldakar and his co-author John W. Pepper recognized a flaw in the earlier research. Females were unable to leave areas populated by sexually aggressive males.

The Aquarius remigis water strider on the right, identified by the blue-red-white dot sequence, is a highly aggressive male who is trying to break up a mating. The low-aggression water strider with the white-yellow-blue dots is mating with the female beneath him. The female, who has green dots near her head, is almost completely covered by the male on top of her.
Photo: Omar Tonsi Eldakar

To mitigate this lack of free will on the part of the female water striders, the research team created a water tank 12 feet by 4 feet, with six chambers. The chambers were designed with gates that opened, so females could move throughout the tank as they wished during parts of the experiment.

The team collected specimens of Aquarius remigis from the wild during the breeding season. To tell the individuals apart, the researchers marked each one with a unique combination of colored dots by using toothpicks dipped in model airplane paint.

When females were confined in chambers with both aggressive and non-aggressive males, the aggressors monopolized the females. When researchers opened the chamber gates, it allowed females to choose the singles bar of their liking. Females left areas of the tank where they were being harassed, and moved to chambers with only non-aggressive males. As a group, those males had significantly more successful matings than did the hyperaggressive males.

A lesson to be learned here, guys.

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Have you voted in the Ugliest Bug Contest yet? For a second year, Arizona State University is inviting bug enthusiasts to vote online to crown a champion ugly bug. Voting is open until December 15th, so vote early and vote often for your favorite finalist.

This year's bug contestants include Xylocopa "The Hammer" Carpenter Bee, Periplanta americana "La Cucaracha" Cockroach, Polistes "The Shocker" Paper Wasp, and seven other ugly nominees. You can view their mugshots, taken with a scanning electron microscope, and read their bios on the Ugliest Bug Contest website.

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Did you know...

Females of some stink bug species care for their eggs.

The mother stink bug will stand guard over her eggs, protecting them from predators and parasites, until they hatch. Don't start thinking stink bug mom's deserve Mother of the Year awards, though. These caretakers have a tendency to stand guard facing in the same direction all the time, leaving the eggs near her rear vulnerable to attack.

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