Thursday, November 10, 2011

Insect of the Week - What Am I?

This week's insect is a mystery! Take a look at the amazing images below by Alex Wild (http://www.alexanderwild.com) and see if you can figure out what the mystery insect is (all photos shown are the same type of insect). We'll have the answer in next week's "Insect of the Week" posting. Following the photos are a few hints!



The tube-like insect on the right is the insect in question!



Helpful Hints:

  • These insects have complete metamorphosis.
  • They taste, smell, and feel with the hairs that cover their bodies.
  • These insects vomit on food before eating it, so as to soften the meal up.
  • This insect may have sponging, lapping, or piercing mouthparts, depending on the species.
  • They walk on smooth surfaces using sticky soft pads that act like glue.
  • And here's the giveaway: This insect has only two wings as an adult; the hindwing has been reduced to small knobs, called halteres (see last image above).

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