Chico State Entomology Collection

Tomorrow! Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve’s 2nd 10th Annual Butterfly Count scheduled for Thursday, June 2, 2016, 8:30AM - 4PM. Email [email protected] to let us know you're coming.

The adult Gulf Fritillaries are already out and about! Kristen, I'd love to borrow some caterpillars for the butterfly workshop next Thursday (June 9). Also, we're running a butterfly count this Thursday, June 2, at BCCER, if anyone's interested.

Gulf fritillary caterpillars have been found! We had these gorgeous adults around last fall and we were unsure if they would survive the winter, but Kristen Quigley recently found these caterpillars feeding on her passion flower locally. Looks like we will be seeing these guys around soon.

Help to capture and learn to identify moths, the butterflies of the night, during Moth Night at the Big Chico Creek Ecological reserve on Sunday, May 15, 2016... from 7 10 PM. Join Chico State Entomologist Dr. Don Miller for an exciting evening of moth baiting, observing, identifying, and collecting. Participants will assist with the set-up of moth-attracting lights on the 3,950 acre Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. Moths are generally more active at night and are therefore less well-known to us than their daytime counterparts the butterflies. As the evening darkens and moths are lured to the lights, we will discuss diagnostic field marks of each and keep a list of species and numbers observed. Moth Night is part of a national effort to develop an annual moth survey throughout the country. Families with well-supervised children encouraged; not appropriate for children under 6. This free outing is limited to 20 participants. For more information, or to reserve a spot, contact Jon Aull at [email protected] Photo: Hyalophora cecropia, giant silk moth. Photo by Todd Pusser. One of the many species we could possibly see at the BCCER.

Spotlight Species: Flatidae This special insect was found by one of our undergraduates, Karen Galvan, in Thailand at Chiang Mai University this semester. In Thailand, the nymphs of the family Flatidae (planthoppers) are commonly mistaken for fungus with their white, filamentous body covering until the viewer notices movement. They mimic the appearance of leaves, flowers, or lichen and fungal growth. The insect starts off as a nymph as a waxy, white, fuzzy mass and grows ...into its more insect-like form with the appearance of its head and legs. They are dubbed planthoppers due to their ability to hop for quick transportation, though they generally walk slowly as to not attract attention. They can be seen throughout Thailand and have been eaten as a delicacy in some parts of the country. It is believed that one of their main defenses is that of using a chemical waxy repellent against birds. They can be found worldwide.

Here's a great article by Don Miller, who will be leading our Moth Night excursion at the BCCER this Sunday evening. Email jaull@csuchico for details or to sign up!

Spotlight Species: Plusiotis woodii, now Chrysina woodii Chrysina woodii, the jewel scarab (not to be confused with jewel beetles, which are a different family), is a large genus of brightly colored, often metallic iridescent species, ranging from the southwestern edge of the United States as far south as Ecuador. They are most diverse in countries such as Honduras, where as many as 15 species can be found in a single location. There are only 4 species which occur in the Unit...ed States. These beetles are very popular among collectors; many species are polymorphic, with rare color variants that can command high prices. The biggest threat to these scarabs is not insect hobbyists, but loss of habitat as tropical forests are converted to farms. C. woodii is diurnal, but frequently attracted to light. The pupae remain underground, while the larvae live in rotting logs and the adults eat the foliage of walnut, pine, juniper, and oak trees most commonly between 1000-3000m elevation. The journey to scarab habitat weeds out all but the most determined. Many South American cloud forests are a strenuous trek away; others require a helicopter.

We recently went to Table Mountain to look for the large marble. We didn't find it but we had a great time anyway. Going back this week for another look.

Spotlight Species: Iris oratoria Iris oratoria, The Mediterranean mantis, is a widespread species of praying mantis native to Europe and introduced in the Middle East; invading southern California in the 1930s. It is distinctive in having two large violet-brown eyespots on its hind wings, which are revealed when the wings are unfolded. Females are capable of parthenogenic reproduction when males are scarce, that is, development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg. I.ora...toria is known for 2 distinct behaviors, sexual cannibalism and deimatic or threat displays. When the mantis is under attack, it sets in motion a complex series of actions which combine to form a startling deimatic display to ultimately exhibit the large brightly colored eyespots on the hindwings and stridulates making noise by scraping the edge of the hindwings against the leathery front wings. See more

Spotlight Species: Automeris io io Much of the eastern two-thirds of North America is home for Automeris io io. Young caterpillars feed together as a group and move in long "trains" while older caterpillars feed alone, while the adults do not feed. The larva may "sting" if handled by predators or humans; the larger the caterpillar the more intense the stinging sensation caused by the urticating spines. From May to September, adults emerge during late morning or early afternoon and mate in the late evening. They too, have a defense mechanism. When threatened, adults flip their forewings forward exposing the large eyespots on the hind wings, which have white highlights resembling the glint (reflections) of vertebrate eyes. Large eyespots in butterflies have been shown to startle predatory birds.

Spotlight Species: Romalea micropterum Micro meaning small and pteron meaning wing keep this species from flying, while the common name, Lubber means a clumsy or lazy person yet, they are anything but! R. micropterum flap their brightly colored, aposematic (warning), hindwings, secrete a noxious fluid from its spiracles, and may even his as they try to hop away if they feel threatened! In addition, like most grasshoppers, they can also regurgitate a dark brown liqui...d (commonly called tobacco spit) as a defense. One of the largest and slowest moving grasshoppers, the Lubber Grasshopper can attain 3 inches (7.5 cm) in length at maturity, and cause a great deal of damage to low-growing or ground-level vegetation. Their larvae are found in clusters and can devastate a wide variety of greenery by eating through it entirely in their moist Southern United States habitat. Because most species are fairly slow moving and all are harmless to humans, they can be handpicked from a favored plant or netted.

The Chico State Entomology Collection website is finished! Check it out http://www.csuchico.edu///entomology-collection/home.shtml Special thanks to Becki Brunelli and Jenifer Kovacs