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——The official micro-platform of the Journal of Plant Protection
When it comes to poop, everyone must be scornful, what is there to talk about? In fact, if it is not like this, it can have a big effect! Today Xiaobian will come to give you some stories of popular science, conscience suggests watching after dinner!
Eat poop collection
Among insects, there will be strange creatures that feed on feces, such as dung-eating golden turtles. Don't think that dung-eating golden turtles are dung golden turtles, they also contain many kinds of insects.
Scarabaeinae, a subfamily of dung beetles of the golden turtle family, and Apodiinae, a subfamily of golden turtles, are both dung-eating golden turtles, and even some scavenger insects occasionally change their taste and eat some poop.
Dung golden turtle
Fecal golden turtles are insects of the family Geotrupidae, and their adults and larvae usually feed on mammalian droppings. Adults make holes under the stool to store the feces and lay eggs.
The most concerned among the dung-eating golden turtles is the dung beetle, which is the collective name of the dung beetle subfamily, commonly known as the shell lang.
Shell Lang is a master of collecting poop. People can use six feet to roll the poop into a big ball, and then push the poop all the way to "cross the mountain, cross the river", and experience all kinds of difficulties to return home. On the way, if you are not careful, you will...
This small dung ball can not be lost, it is a sharp weapon to attract the girl of the shell lang. The male shell lang attracts the female and after mating with her, the female will lay the eggs in the fecal ball, so that the baby can eat the "delicacy" as soon as the baby is born.
The shells are laboriously rolling the dung balls, but they don't know that danger is creeping in. There is an owl that uses feces as bait and waits like "fishing" for the shell to be hooked.
Image source: www.nature.com
In addition to the shell Lang, there are also strange coffees that eat poop, that is, the adult worms of butterflies (Yuki has a very accident). In our impression, butterflies are flower fairies that flutter among the flowers. Are they just beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they are a "big man with a foot"?
Grass yellow butterfly Taractrocera ceramas
Most of the butterflies we see are beautiful and cute, belonging to the "cute girl type", they stay on the flowers to eat nectar.
However, where we are not paying attention, some butterflies have quietly taken aim at bird droppings... Although it is not known how the poop tastes for butterflies, they can ingest the salt from the poop by sucking it.
A flock of butterflies "eating together" next to elephant dung
Borbo cinnara
However, in the wild, bird droppings fall on the leaves and quickly dry out, so when butterflies find poop, they will first discharge urine, let the urine melt the stool and then suck it.
Image source: Taiwan Butterfly Atlas
So, a poop-eating butterfly is the right way to open it? Sigh, Xiaobian feels that I will never be able to look directly at butterflies again!
Load shǐ collection
First, let's take a look at our No. 1 shi player, the Tripartite Nocturnal Moth Caterpillar Harrisimemna Trisignata, look at its body color, that shape, really in the strength of the cos guano!
Why does it have such a peculiar appearance? That's because the head bones of these caterpillar babies are hard, and every time they molt, some exoskeletons will be unclean, and these remnants will be entangled in "hairs" and hang there, growing into bird droppings.
Closer, let's see, is there any urge to remove the lumps from the "hair"?
The following is an introduction to the second seeded player, also a caterpillar, the baby of the butterfly genus Papilio, but the strength to interpret the process of ugly duckling into a white swan.
Citrus butterfly Papilio xuthus young larvae
Not long after birth, the butterfly babies are still very weak, in order to avoid the predator birds, they have to give up their beauty, "dress" themselves into bird poop, increase the chance of survival.
Two pieces of guano?
The white stripes on the butterflies are the essence of their imitation of bird droppings.
Can't see me, can't see me
When the caterpillar has undergone several molting developments, it will change greatly, from bird poop to green baby, and the value of the caterpillar will not rise by a star and a half!
Citrus butterfly Papilio xuthus elderly larvae
After watching the performances of the two contestants above, it is time to invite our number three player, this player is very powerful, it not only imitates the appearance of the poop, but even the posture is well learned.
Chinese large window hook moth Macrauzata maxima
Seeing the Chinese big window hook moth caterpillar, Xiaobian wants to say that this is the real "one lump"! That curved posture is also no one...
Even so closely, it feels like it can still be fake and real, this acting skill must have been studied for a long time!
After watching the caterpillars' amazing imitation ability, the adults expressed disbelief, do not believe you see, dumbbell hook moth Macrocilix mysticata, it is also a master of imitating bird droppings.
The pattern on the wings of the dumbbell hook moth is dumbbell-shaped, which simulates the splashing of bird droppings from a high altitude, and the luster on it also makes the poop more three-dimensional.
The imitation skills of the hedgehog hooked moth Macrocilix maia, which belongs to it, are also quite superb.
From a distance, it doesn't look like two flies lying on a poop? It feels like you can smell it across the screen.
As for whether the pattern of its forewings is simulating a fly, there is still no exact scientific basis to prove it, but its imitation of the poop is still very successful.
Not only are there so many imitation masters in insects, but the spiders' acting skills are not bad!
Cyrtarachne cyrtarachne belongs to the genus Ofguano spiders in the family Orioleaceae, and when it gathers its feet under its body and lies motionless there, it looks very similar to guano, so people use guano to name them.
The guano spider simulates bird droppings, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone, avoiding predators and attracting butterflies that can eat feces.
Sell a cute!
In addition to the guano spider, some spiders of the genus Phrynarachne are also mimicking guano.
Papilloma crab spider Phrynarachne mammillata
I just pooped
The insects mentioned earlier imitate bird droppings, and the following small series will introduce you to a strange coffee that imitates caterpillar poop.
It is the neophyllum, which is covered with uneven pits on its back, far from looking like a black poop?
The nodule not only poops on its own, but also wraps the poop on it when the female lays eggs, so that the larvae hatch with a layer of shell protection.
A larvae of a nodophyllum that wanders on its back
After reading these imitators,
Is there a feeling of three-dimensional remodeling?
At last
Can insist on seeing here,
It's all true love,
Send a heart to you!
The host said enough likes
Only to fish me out
Image credit: Pinterest Google Gaga Insect Network
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Editor of this issue: Shen Huihong
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