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For those who saw the FOX interview with MSU entomologist Dr. Cognato (OK, for those who didn’t, here it is), you will be interested to hear his side of the story. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7f52y4Nq4E&feature=player_embedded] Take the time to register (sorry, it’s annoying but I couldn’t find it anywhere else) and read a response to the interview by . . . → Read More: And now you know the rest of the story Share this!I came across the full-text PDF of the amphibious moth article and extracted the tree showing the radiation of this species group and probable evolution of the amphibious traits. Interesting to note the case shape, and each moth is endemic to its own volcano in the Hawaiian archipelago. This is a Bayesian analysis of . . . → Read More: Aquamoth part 2 Share this!For all those who abstained from voting (I want to assume some readers must have known the identity of our mystery caterpillar, but were too lazy to comment), here is the answer (after the break).
. . . → Read More: Answer to last week’s Genius of the Press Share this!Another amazing animal from Hawaii – a completely amphibious caterpillar (published in the March 22 PNAS). While there are a few aquatic Lepidoptera, all of them have gills that keep them restricted to the water (mind you, we are talking only about the larval stage). If their stream dries up, so does the caterpillar. . . . → Read More: Aquamoth! Share this!Spring has come to northern California and moths are on the wing. I took a quick trip up to the Sierra foothills over the weekend and hiked up the steep slopes above the American River. Above is pictured Xanthothrix ranunculi f. albipuncta (Noctuidae: Stiriinae). It happens to be sitting on a beautiful california . . . → Read More: California Spring Share this!Yet another installment of my favorite series, the genius of the press. This article comes from ABC news, who can identify this caterpillar? It is decidedly NOT a gypsy moth. Fellow entomology blogger Myrmecos had a similar story last week. Share this!(photo credit) The monarchs have started their spring migration north and you might even see one soon (not exciting if you live in FL or HI where there are year-round residents, or in CA where there are separate overwintering spots). Reports from their winter locations in Mexico however are dismal; with possibly the lowest . . . → Read More: Off with their heads! Share this! 2 comments - (Comments are closed)  Entomology  Barcoding, Butterflies, Conservation, DNA, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Monarch Published in the Santa Barbara News Press, Winter 2009. Who can tell me what’s wrong with these captions? Page scan credit: Stuart Wilson. Share this! 2 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Bad Science, Butterflies, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Media Not the typical butterfly – but this is the protein folding structure from a South American hemorrhagic fever – the Machupo virus. The article was found on Science Daily. A striking resemblance to a butterfly, maybe even a Hesperiidae (photo from Butterflies of America). . . . → Read More: Butterfly of the week Share this!Because I would have been subjected to this. Talk about animal cruelty! OK, just kidding, but this story is a bit ridiculous. The article states that the scientists had used the voice of Limbaugh because it was “readily available”, not because they hated him. Well that turns out not to be true, they chose Rush . . . → Read More: Thankfully, I’m not a beetle Share this! |
Skepticism |
