The evolutionary ancestry of arthropods dates back to the
Cambrian period. The group is generally regarded as
monophyletic, and many analyses support the placement of arthropods with
cycloneuralians (or their constituent clades) in a superphylum
Ecdysozoa. Overall, however, the
basal relationships of animals are not yet well resolved. Likewise, the relationships between various arthropod groups are still actively debated. Today, arthropods contribute to the human food supply both directly as food, and more importantly, indirectly as
pollinators of crops. Some species are known to spread severe disease to humans,
livestock, and
crops. (Full article...)
Prionomyrmecini is an
anttribe belonging to the subfamily
Myrmeciinae established by
William Morton Wheeler in 1915. Two members are a part of this tribe, the extant Nothomyrmecia and the extinct Prionomyrmex. The tribe was once considered a subfamily due to the similarities between Nothomyrmecia and Prionomyrmex, but such reclassification was not widely accepted by the scientific community. These ants can be identified by their long slender bodies, powerful stingers and elongated mandibles. Fossil Prionomyrmecini ants were once found throughout Europe, possibly nesting in trees and preferring jungle habitats. Today, Prionomyrmecini is only found in Australia, preferring old-growth mallee woodland surrounded by Eucalyptus trees. Nothomyrmecia workers feed on nectar and arthropods, using their compound eyes for prey and navigational purposes. Owing to their primitive nature, they do not recruit others to food sources or create pheromone trails. Nothomyrmecia colonies are small, consisting of 50 to 100 individuals. (Full article...)
Image 2
The deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) is a
species of
woodboring beetle that sometimes infests the structural timbers of old buildings. The adult
beetle is brown and measures on average 7 mm (0.3 in) long. Eggs are laid in dark crevices in old wood inside buildings, trees, and inside tunnels left behind by previous larvae. The larvae bore into the timber, feeding for up to ten years before pupating, and later emerging from the wood as adult beetles. Timber that has been damp and is affected by fungal decay is soft enough for the larvae to chew through. They obtain nourishment by using
enzymes present in their gut to digest the
cellulose and
hemicellulose in the wood.
The larvae of deathwatch beetles weaken the structural timbers of a building by tunneling through them. Treatment with insecticides to kill the larvae is largely ineffective, and killing the adult beetles when they emerge in spring and early summer may be a better option. However, infestation by these beetles is often limited to historic buildings, because modern buildings tend to use
softwoods for
joists and
rafters instead of aged
oak timbers, which the beetles prefer.
To attract mates, the adult insects create a tapping or ticking sound that can sometimes be heard in the rafters of old buildings on summer nights; therefore, the deathwatch beetle is associated with quiet, sleepless nights and is named for the
vigil (watch) being kept beside the dying or dead. By extension, there exists a superstition that these sounds are an omen of impending death. (Full article...)
Image 3
Insects, such as this
scorpionfly, have a three-part body: head with large
compound eyes and
antennae, a
thorax with three pairs of legs and often
wings, and a segmented abdomen.
The insect
nervous system consists of a
brain and a
ventral nerve cord. Most insects reproduce
by laying eggs. Insects
breathe air through a system of
paired openings along their sides, connected to
small tubes that take air directly to the tissues. The blood therefore does not carry oxygen; it is only partly contained in vessels, and some circulates in an open
hemocoel. Insect vision is mainly through their
compound eyes, with additional small
ocelli. Many insects can hear, using
tympanal organs, which may be on the legs or other parts of the body. Their
sense of smell is via receptors, usually on the antennae and the mouthparts.
Nearly all insects hatch from
eggs. Insect growth is constrained by the inelastic exoskeleton, so development involves a series of
molts. The immature stages often differ from the adults in structure, habit and habitat. Groups that undergo
four-stage metamorphosis often have a nearly immobile
pupa. Insects that undergo
three-stage metamorphosis lack a pupa, developing through a series of increasingly adult-like
nymphal stages. The higher level relationship of the
insects is unclear. Fossilized insects of enormous size have been found from the
Paleozoic Era, including
giant dragonfly-like insects with wingspans of 55 to 70 cm (22 to 28 in). The most diverse insect groups appear to have
coevolved with
flowering plants. (Full article...)
Image 4
Worker ant
The jack jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula), also known as the jack jumper, jumping jack, hopper ant, or jumper ant, is a
species of venomous
ant native to
Australia. Most frequently found in
Tasmania and southeast mainland Australia, it is a member of the genus Myrmecia, subfamily
Myrmeciinae, and was formally described and named by British entomologist
Frederick Smith in 1858. This species is known for its ability to jump long distances. These ants are large;
workers and males are about the same size: 12 to 14 mm (0.47 to 0.55 in) for workers, and 11 to 12 mm (0.43 to 0.47 in) for males. The queen measures roughly 14 to 16 mm (0.55 to 0.63 in) long and is similar in appearance to workers, whereas males are identifiable by their perceptibly smaller
mandibles.
Jack jumper ants are primarily active during the day and live in open habitats, nesting in bushland, woodlands, and dry open forests, surrounded by
gravel and
sandysoil, which can be found in
rural areas and are less common in
urban areas. They prey on small insects and use their barbless
stingers to kill other insects by injecting
venom. Other ants and predatory invertebrates prey on the jack jumper ant. The average worker has a
life expectancy of over one year. Workers are
gamergates, allowing them to reproduce with
drones, whether or not a queen is present in the colony. The ant is a part of the Myrmecia pilosulaspecies complex; this ant and other members of the complex are known to have a single pair of chromosomes.
Their sting generally only causes a mild local reaction in humans; however, it is one of the few ant species that can be dangerous to humans, along with other ants in the genus Myrmecia. The ant venom is particularly
immunogenic for an insect venom; the venom causes about 90% of Australian ant
allergies. In endemic areas, up to 3% of the human population has developed an allergy to the venom and about half of these allergic people can suffer from
anaphylactic reactions (increased heart rate, falling
blood pressure, and other symptoms), which can lead to death on rare occasions. Between 1980 and 2000, four deaths were due to anaphylaxis from jack jumper stings, all of them in Tasmania. Individuals prone to severe allergic reactions caused by the ant's sting can be treated with
allergen immunotherapy (desensitisation). (Full article...)
Image 5
Theridion grallator, also known as the Hawaiian happy-face spider, is a
spider in the
familyTheridiidae that resides on the
Hawaiian Islands. T. grallator gets its vernacular name of "Hawaiian happy-face spider" from the unique patterns superimposed on its abdomen, specifically those that resemble a human
smiling face. T. grallator is particularly notable because of its wide range of
polymorphisms that may be studied to allow a better understanding of evolutionary mechanisms. In addition to the variety of color polymorphisms present, T. grallator demonstrates the interesting quality of diet-induced color change, in which its appearance temporarily changes as it metabolizes various food items. (Full article...)
Anopheles (/əˈnɒfɪliːz/) is a
genus of
mosquito first described by
J. W. Meigen in 1818, and are known as nail mosquitoes and marsh mosquitoes. Many such mosquitoes are
vectors of the parasite Plasmodium, a genus of protozoans that cause
malaria in
birds,
reptiles, and
mammals, including people. The Anopheles gambiae mosquito is the best-known species of marsh mosquito that transmits the Plasmodium falciparum, which is a malarial
parasite wet day deadly to human beings well well,we no get any kin other mosquito genus wey day cause vector to human beings.
The genus Anopheles diverged from other mosquitoes approximately 100 million years ago (
mya), and, like other mosquitoes, the eggs,
larvae, and
pupae are
aquatic. The Anopheles larva has no respiratory siphon through which to breathe, so it breathes and feeds with its body horizontal to the surface of the water. The adult mosquito hatches from the surface and feeds on the nectar of flowers; the female mosquito also feeds on blood, which animal diet allows them to carry and transmit parasites between hosts. The adult's feeding position is head-down, unlike the horizontal stance of the culicines. Anopheles are distributed almost worldwide, throughout the tropics, the subtropics, and the temperate regions of planet Earth. In hot weather, adult Anophelesaestivate, which is a state of dormancy that enables the mosquito to survive in hot dry regions, such as the
Sahel. (Full article...)
Image 7
Worker with cocoon
The banded sugar ant (Camponotus consobrinus), also known as the sugar ant, is a species of ant native to
Australia. A member of the genus Camponotus in the subfamily
Formicinae, it was
described by German entomologist
Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson in 1842. Its common name refers to the ant's liking for sugar and sweet food, as well as the distinctive orange-brown band that wraps around its
gaster.
The ant is
polymorphic and relatively large, with two different castes of workers: major workers (also known as soldiers), and minor workers. These two group of workers measure around 5 to 15
millimetres (0.2 to 0.6
in) in length, while the queen ants are even larger. Mainly nocturnal, banded sugar ants prefer a
mesic habitat, and are commonly found in forests and woodlands. They also occur in urban areas, where they are considered a household pest. The ant's diet includes
sweet secretions that are retrieved from
aphids and other insects that it tends. This species is a competitor of the
meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus), and food robbery and nest-plugging is known to occur between these two ants. Workers prey on insects, killing them with a spray of
formic acid. Banded sugar ants are preyed upon by other ants, echidnas, and birds. The eggs of this species were consumed by
Indigenous Australians. (Full article...)
Image 8
Polistes exclamans, the Guinea paper wasp, is a
socialwasp and is part of the family
Vespidae of the order
Hymenoptera. It is found throughout the United States, Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica and parts of Canada. Due to solitary nest founding by queens, P. exclamans has extended its range in the past few decades and now covers the eastern half of the United States, as well as part of the north. This expansion is typically attributed to changing global climate and temperatures. P. exclamans has three specific castes, including males, workers, and queens, but the dominance
hierarchy is further distinguished by age. The older the wasp is, the higher it is in ranking within the colony. In most P. exclamans nests, there is one queen who lays all the eggs in the colony. The
physiological similarities between the worker and queen castes have led to experiments attempting to distinguish the characteristics of these two castes and how they are determined, though males have easily identifiable physiological characteristics. Since P. exclamans live in relatively small, open combed nests, they are often subject to predators and
parasites, such as Chalcoela iphitalis, Elasmus polistis, and birds. P. exclamans have defense and recognition strategies that help protect against these predators and parasites. (Full article...)
Image 9
Adult male
The housefly (Musca domestica) is a
fly of the suborder
Cyclorrhapha. It possibly originated in the
Middle East, and
spread around the world as a
commensal of
humans. It is the most common fly species found in
houses. Adults are gray to black, with four dark, longitudinal lines on the thorax, slightly hairy bodies, and a single pair of membranous wings. They have red
eyes, set farther apart in the slightly larger female.
The female housefly usually mates only once and stores the
sperm for later use. She lays batches of about 100 eggs on decaying organic matter such as
food waste,
carrion, or
feces. These soon hatch into legless white
larvae, known as
maggots. After two to five days of development, these
metamorphose into reddish-brown
pupae, about 8 millimetres (3⁄8 inch) long. Adult flies normally live for two to four weeks, but can hibernate during the winter. The adults feed on a variety of liquid or semi-liquid substances, as well as solid materials which have been softened by their
saliva. They can carry
pathogens on their bodies and in their feces, contaminate food, and contribute to the transfer of
food-borne illnesses, while, in numbers, they can be physically annoying. For these reasons, they are considered
pests.
Houseflies, with short life cycles and ease with which they can be maintained, have been found useful for laboratory research into aging and
sex determination. Houseflies appear in literature from Ancient Greek myth and Aesop's "
The Impertinent Insect" onwards. Authors sometimes choose the housefly to speak of the brevity of life, as in
William Blake's 1794 poem "
The Fly", which deals with mortality subject to uncontrollable circumstances. (Full article...)
Image 10
Dyspanopeus sayi is a
species of mud
crab that is native to the
Atlantic coast of North America. It has also become established outside its native range, living in
Swansea Docks since 1960, the
Mediterranean Sea since the 1970s, the
North Sea since 2007 and the
Black Sea since 2010. It can reach a
carapace width of 20 mm (0.8 in), and has black tips to its unequal claws. It feeds on
bivalves and
barnacles, and is in turn eaten by
predators including the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Eggs are produced from spring to autumn, the offspring reach sexual maturity the following summer, and individuals can live for up to two years. The closest relative of D. sayi is D. texanus, which lives in the
Gulf of Mexico; the two species differ in subtle features of the genitalia and the last pair of
walking legs. (Full article...)
Image 11
Five anatomical images of a Drosophila subobscura (male) on a rotting squash, located near Christchurch Park, Ipswich
Drosophila subobscura is a species of fruit fly in the family
Drosophilidae. Originally found around the
Mediterranean, it has spread to most of Europe and the Near East. It has been introduced into the west coasts of Canada, the United States, and Chile. Its closest relative is Drosophila madeirensis, found in the
Madeira Islands, followed by D. guanche, found in the
Canary Islands. These three species form the D. subobscura species subgroup. When they mate, males and females perform an elaborate
courtship dance, in which the female can either turn away to end the mating ritual, or stick out her
proboscis in response to the male's, allowing
copulation to proceed. D. subobscura has been regarded as a
model organism for its use in evolutionary-biological studies. (Full article...)
Whale barnacles passively filter food, using tentacle-like
cirri, as the
host swims through the water. The arrangement is generally considered
commensal as it is done at no cost or benefit to the host. However, some whales may make use of the barnacles as protective armor or for inflicting more damage while fighting, which would make the relationship
mutualistic where both parties benefit; alternatively, some species may just increase the
drag that the host experiences while swimming, making the barnacles
parasites.
After hatching, whale barnacles go through six molting stages before searching for a host, being prompted to settle by a chemical cue from the host skin. The barnacle creates a crown-shaped shell, and in most instances, deeply embeds itself into the skin for stability while riding a fast-moving host. The shell plates are made of
calcium carbonate and
chitin. (Full article...)
Image 13
Abantiades latipennis, known as the Pindi moth, is a species of
moth in the family
Hepialidae. It may also be referred to as a swift moth or a ghost moth, as this is a common name associated with Hepialidae. Endemic to
Australia and identified in 1932, it is most populous in
temperate rainforest where
eucalypti are prevalent, as the larvae feed primarily on the roots of these trees. Females lay eggs during flight in a scattering fashion. The larvae live for over eighteen months underground, while adult moths survive for approximately one week, as they have no mouthparts with which to feed. The moths are preyed upon by a number of predators, including bats and owls. Brown in colour overall, males are paler and the identifying silver bars of the male's wings are more prominent than those of the female's, with dark margins. Male adults are generally smaller.
Established clearfelling practices have been shown to favour the Pindi moth, and could lead to it being considered a pest due to opportunistic proliferation of the species. The resulting damage caused to the trees on which it feeds may be considered significant. (Full article...)
Industrial melanism is widespread in the
Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), involving over 70 species such as Odontopera bidentata (scalloped hazel) and Lymantria monacha (dark arches), but the most studied is the
evolution of the peppered moth, Biston betularia. It is also seen in a beetle, Adalia bipunctata (two-spot ladybird), where camouflage is not involved as the insect has conspicuous
warning coloration, and in the seasnake Emydocephalus annulatus where the melanism may help in excretion of trace elements through
sloughing of the skin. The rapid decline of melanism that has accompanied the reduction of pollution, in effect a
natural experiment, makes natural selection for camouflage "the only credible explanation".
Other explanations for the observed correlation with industrial pollution have been proposed, including strengthening the immune system in a polluted environment, absorbing heat more rapidly when sunlight is reduced by air pollution, and the ability to excrete trace elements into melanic scales and feathers. (Full article...)
The spotted lanternfly's
life cycle is often centered on its preferred host, Ailanthus altissima, but L. delicatula can associate with more than 173 plants. Early life stages (
instars) of the spotted lanternfly are characterized by spotted black and white
nymphs that develop a red
pigmentation and wings as they mature. Early life instars have a large host range that narrows with maturation. Adult spotted lanternflies have a black head, grey wings, and red hind wings. Adults do not have any specialized feeding associations with
herbaceous plants but cause extensive damage to
crops and
ornamental plants. The piercing wounds caused by their mouthparts and the
honeydew waste they excrete are harmful to the health of host plants. Spotted lanternflies lay egg masses containing 30–50 eggs, often covered with a grayish mud-like coating.
The species was
introduced into South Korea in 2006 and Japan in 2009, and has since been considered a
pest. In September 2014, L. delicatula was first recorded in the United States, and it is an invasive species in much of the
Northeastern United States and is rapidly spreading south and west. L. delicatula's egg masses are the primary
vector of spread, with Ailanthus altissima populations seen as a risk factor for further infestation globally. Ongoing
pest control efforts have sought to limit population growth, due to the threat L. delicatula poses to global agricultural industries. (Full article...)
... that the venom of the "lesser Asian scorpion", Mesobuthus eupeus, (pictured) contains proteins that are toxic to Plasmodium falciparum, a parasite that causes
malaria in humans?
Image 3Reconstruction of Mollisonia plenovenatrix, the oldest known arthropod with confirmed chelicerae (from Chelicerata)
Image 4Formation of anterior segments across arthropod taxa based on gene expression and neuroanatomical observations, Note the chelicera(Ch) and chelifore(Chf) arose from somite 1 and thus correspond to the first antenna(An/An1) of other arthropods. (from Chelicerata)
Image 5 Honeybee larvae have flexible but delicate unsclerotised cuticles. (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 8Some of the various hypotheses of myriapod phylogeny. Morphological studies (trees a and b) support a sister grouping of Diplopoda and Pauropoda, while studies of DNA or amino acid similarities suggest a variety of different relationships, including the relationship of Pauropoda and Symphyla in tree c. (from Myriapoda)
Image 10The fangs in spiders' chelicerae are so sclerotised as to be greatly hardened and darkened (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 11 This fully-grown
robber crab has tough fabric forming its joints, delicate
biomineralized cuticle over its sensory
antennae, optic-quality over its eyes, and strong, calcite-reinforced chitin armouring its body and legs; its
pincers can break into coconuts (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 18The
house centipedeScutigera coleoptrata has rigid sclerites on each body segment. Supple chitin holds the sclerites together and connects the segments flexibly. Similar chitin connects the joints in the legs. Sclerotised tubular leg segments house the leg muscles, their nerves and attachments, leaving room for the passage of blood to and from the
hemocoel (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 23Decapods, from Ernst Haeckel's 1904 work Kunstformen der Natur (from Crustacean)
Image 24This
Zoea-stage larva is hardly recognisable as a crab, but each time it sheds its cuticle it remodels itself, eventually taking on its final crab form (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 25Mature queen of a termite colony, showing how the unsclerotised cuticle stretches between the dark sclerites that failed to stretch as the abdomen grew to accommodate her ovaries (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 26In
honeypot antrepletes, the abdomens of the workers that hold the sugar solution grow vastly, but only the unsclerotised cuticle can stretch, leaving the unstretched sclerites as dark islands on the clear abdomen (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 30Body structure of a typical crustacean – krill (from Crustacean)
Image 31Ghost crab, showing a variety of integument types in its exoskeleton, with transparent
biomineralization over the eyes, strong biomineralization over the
pincers, and tough chitin fabric in the joints and the bristles on the legs (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Image 32Crab larva barely recognisable as a crab, radically changes its form when it undergoes ecdysis as it matures (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
A nest of the tropical Asian
giant honey bee, which consists of a single exposed honeycomb, an array of densely packed
hexagonal cells made of
beeswax. Honeycombs store food (
honey and
pollen) and house the "brood" (eggs, larvae, and pupae).
A European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) heating a bubble of
regurgitated fluid in the sunlight. This is a common practice among many winged
insects, and it is believed to be a way to facilitate
digestion or to cool themselves off.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
The light blue soldier crab (Mictyris longicarpus) inhabits
beaches in the
Indo-Pacific region. Soldier crabs filter
sand or
mud for
microorganisms. They congregate during the
low tide, and bury themselves in a
corkscrew pattern during high tide, or whenever they are threatened.
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.
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.
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.
A
honey bee extracts
nectar from a flower using its
proboscis. Tiny hairs covering the bee's body maintain a slight
electrostatic charge, causing
pollen from the flower's
anthers to stick to the bee's hairs, allowing for pollination when the bee moves on to another flower.
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.
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.
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