Por Chris Grinter, on March 25th, 2010 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 a three gene phylogeny constructed with EF1-alpha, CAD and COI. If anyone wants a copy of the paper, send me a note. Pulled from: Rubinoff D., Schmitz P., Várias invasões aquáticas por uma endemia, terrestre, Radiação Hawaiian mariposa. PNAS Março 2010.
Por Chris Grinter, on March 25th, 2010 UR6FVJ2S3B8H
Nothing wrong with established religion…
You can read all about his story from the NY Times. I think the scariest thing about this whole abuse scandal (scandalsssss) is that the church actually believes that this is the work of satan – not the twisted minds of individual humans. Sim, “the Devil is at work inside the Vatican”, so why punish a man who just needs the devil vanquished? Oh wait, they don’t even exorcise priests because it is just a “temptation” with young, deaf, boys. Then how is it that these priests who are so easily tempted left in positions of power? The answer is easy… just like any government, the Catholic church is profoundly incompetent.
Por Chris Grinter, on March 25th, 2010 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).
Continue reading Answer to last week’s Genius of the Press
Por Chris Grinter, on March 24th, 2010 
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. The novel adaptation in these insects is the ability to live comfortably, and apparently indefinitely, on dry land ou submerged in fresh water – a trait distinctive to these 12 new species of Hyposmocoma (Cosmopterigidae). This is unique not only to Insects, but to all known animals. Tem, é claro, amphibians. But unlike these caterpillars they require moisture to survive and often desiccate rapidly. Hyposmocoma thrive in desert like conditions, or submerged for weeks. Not only were 12 different species discovered (that are also the first known caterpillars to eat snails), but it even appears as if this amphibious ability has evolved three separate times. Clearly the selective pressures on small lepidoptera in these areas are extreme.
The Lepidoptera as a whole have evolved a full range of adaptations, including species that are parasitic, detritivorous, fungivorous, endophagous, carnivorous (also on Hawaii), aquatic and now fully amphibious. Hummm, sounds like a bad song (to this music). Clearly, leps are cooler than any other order.
Perhaps if I were Rubinoff I may have named one moth Hyposmocoma aquamana. Of course, Aquaman was pretty worthless on the land… so maybe it should have been H. potioaquamana (potio- coming from the Latin for superior or more effective).
Por Chris Grinter, em 22 de março, 2010
A primavera chegou ao norte da Califórnia e mariposas estão na asa. Eu tomei uma rápida viagem até o sopé da Serra no fim de semana e de subir as encostas íngremes acima do rio americano. Above is pictured Xanthothrix ranunculi f. albipuncta (Noctuidae: Stiriinae). It happens to be sitting on a beautiful california poppy. The hostplant, contudo, é Coreopsis stillmanii and grows in small patches of serpentine soils on southern facing slopes along the central valley. Here is a Xanthothrix sitting on the host.
This moth was originally described as a form of X. ranunculi em 1925 (form roughly equals subspecies today), and then completely forgotten about and unseen until 1990. It was left out of a major revision of the subfamily, so the legitimate status as a subspecies or full species remains unknown. Stay tuned.
Por Chris Grinter, em 19 de março, 2010 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 NÃO a gypsy moth.
Fellow entomology blogger Myrmecos had a similar story last week.
Por Chris Grinter, em 19 de março, 2010  (crédito da foto)
Os monarcas começaram sua migração ao norte da primavera e você pode até ver uma breve (Não excitante se você vive em FL ou HI onde há moradores durante todo o ano, ou no CA onde há manchas hibernação separados). Relatos de seus locais de inverno no México, porém, são sombrio; possivelmente com o tamanho da população mais baixo desde as colônias foram descobertos na década de 70. Algumas tempestades ruins em e ao longo da rota do borboleta, juntamente com a fragmentação do habitat e exploração madeireira, tem provavelmente mortos 50-60% da população monarca mexicano (de acordo com relatos abaixo).
 (crédito)
É este nada de especial para se preocupar? Eu particularmente não penso assim. O tempo foi o jogador-chave na população de baixa recorde deste ano, e eu posso imaginar as borboletas têm visto um número como esta ruim antes de nós seres humanos estavam em torno de contá-las. Eu aposto qualquer coisa sobre a população fazer uma recuperação nos próximos anos, não há necessidade de correr gritando, o monarca estará em seu jardim neste verão e no próximo.
Reis são bonitas e as crianças adoram-los, por isso não é preciso um esforço de imaginação para descobrir o porquê de tanto esforço é colocado em monitorá-los. Mas como um lepidopterista, nada é tão chato como mais um relatório sobre a “apuro” dos monarcas ZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Eu tendo a acreditar que há questões mais urgentes para se preocupar, como a taxa de aceleração de perda de biodiversidade em face da ignorância científica. Monarchs desempenham um papel importante como um mascote público e até mesmo como uma espécie figurativos que ajudam a preservar o habitat precioso – mas vamos usá-los como um pé na porta para a educação. Sim, o Fundo da borboleta monarca, está se esforçando para proteção do habitat e sustentabilidade. Uma coisa boa. Eu entendo que isso alcança um resultado positivo, mas por que só em nome do monarca? Esta parece ser uma oportunidade espetacular para a educação científica que é apenas arredondado para “salvar o monarca”. Estas florestas servem como muito mais do que um abrigo para uma espécie de borboleta e ainda mais do que “um importante sumidouro de carbono e gerador de oxigênio”.
Minha interpretação.
Em vez disso, sugiro este. É, de longe,, ordens de grandeza, mais interessante:
[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGYAMDGMraA&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Por Chris Grinter, on March 13th, 2010 Published in the Santa Barbara News Press, Winter 2009. Who can tell me what’s wrong with these captions?
Page scan credit: Stuart Wilson.
Por Chris Grinter, on March 13th, 2010 As if educational standards weren’t bad enough in this country, Texas has decided to make them worse. A recent push from a conservative school board has re-written history, literally. The logic may be a bit difficult to follow, but they have attempted to “balance” history by injecting more conservative ideals (mind you, no one is a historian on the board). What is to be changed:
- Adding confusion on separation of church and state – (sim, we know it’s not literally in the constitution. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.)
- Discussing how christian ideals helped to found our country.
- Conservative resurgence in the 80’s and 90’s, including the Moral Majority and the NRA.
- Discussing the violent nature of some civil rights movements and republican support of congressional civil rights votes.
- Adding that Germans and Italians were interned as well, not just the Japanese during WWII.
- Adding how senator McCarthy was correct in being paranoid over communism.
- Replacing the word “capitalism” com “free-market enterprise”.
- Removal of Thomas Jefferson from sections of the book.
This entire change is ghastly. I don’t have a problem mentioning some republican presidents and their positive role in history, or the role of the GOP. History may be written by the victors, but it should strive towards fair and balanced. The alterations made above are absolute bullshit and only serve to further their conservative, religious, agenda. What really pisses me off is the alteration of the civil rights movement and Japanese internment. Just because a bunch of old, fat, white men in congress realized they better pass civil rights laws does not mean they should deserve credit for it. And, are they really expecting us to believe that internment was not focused on the Japanese? That entire chapter in our US history is undeniably horrible and shameful, it was also fueled by racism. I do not understand how supporting bigotry and racism is considered a conservative value. Why must they unashamedly, and ignorantly, re-write history to further their agenda? The poisoning of the GOP and conservative values by religion is all to clear in this case. The bread and butter of religious fundamentalism is inculcating the youth. This strategy is very successful when you encourage large families and insane devotion. Now that the majority of conservatives are religious they are spinning their webs onto our children (well, your children).
The worst is yet to come. Texas and California are the largest textbook markets in the country. If they pass legislation mandating the alteration of texts then the publishing companies must fall into line. Since printing different versions of books for different states is financially unfeasible, then only ONE book gets printed for US schools. If Texas successfully adds this BS to the history books then every public school in the US gets force fed (or as republicans like to say – rammed down our throats) these books.
What is a conservative today if not religious? What is coming next: insertion of more “balanced” ideals of global warming, cloning and evolutionary biology. Stay tuned.
Fail to Texas.
Por Chris Grinter, on March 10th, 2010 I post someone else’s. Came across this series in a PZ Myers lecture, pretty entertaining and you should go check out Mr. Deity yourself.
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