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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NASA launches the next space shuttle on November 16th, and within its payload will be three late instar monarch caterpillars. The caterpillars will be placed aboard the International Space Station inside a small rearing chamber and an incubator. Still and video images of the experiment will be available online.

Monarch butterflies are headed to the International Space Station.
Photo: Courtesy of NASA

Monarch Watch is looking for 20 classrooms to help monitor the development of the butterflies in space. To be eligible, your school must be in the U.S., east of the Rockies (sorry West Coast schools!). If you would like to participate, you must contact Monarch Watch at monarch@ku.edu no later than 5 pm on November 6th.

Monarch Watch will send a special monarch larva kit to participating schools. The monarch kit costs $17.95 and the overnight shipping will be an additional $26 for a total of $43.95. BioServe Space Technologies will send participating classrooms a kit that includes a rearing chamber (similar to the one going into space) with instructions.

For additional information, email Monarch Watch at monarch@ku.edu.

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I seem to be on a bit of a Diptera kick lately (there's your first hint). For those of you new to the Bug of the Week challenge, each Wednesday I post an image of a mystery insect. Your job is to uncover its identity. Post your answer here in a comment, and if you're correct, I'll give you a shout out in next week's post. I always provide a few clues in the forum, should you need a little extra help.

Last week's winners are weirdbuglady, Mobugs41, Moni, and Mike, all of whom recognized the mystery critter as a vinegaroon or whipscorpion. These arachnids are known for their defensive behavior - they flick their tails and spray acetic acid (essentially vinegar) at their attackers.

Photo: Flickr user motleypixel (CC-by-SA license)

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