Invertebrate Diaries

Secrets of the Flea Circus

2012-01-18T14:51:00.001Z

What Natural History Museum people do in their spare time......

In the News: 'The Hoff' crab is new ocean find

2012-01-10T14:16:00.001Z

From BBC News: 'The Hoff' crab is new ocean find

UK scientists have found prodigious numbers of a new crab species on the Southern Ocean floor that they have dubbed "The Hoff" because of its hairy chest.
The animal was discovered living around volcanic vents off South Georgia.

The One Show: UK Naturalised Stick Insects

2012-01-07T12:29:00.001Z

Cockroach Tea

2012-01-03T08:54:00.000Z

via Cabinet of Orthopteroid Curiosities: Cockroach Tea

Mantis Ice Sculpture

2012-01-03T08:47:00.000Z

via Cabinet of Orthopteroid Curiosities: Mantis Ice Sculpture

Science Uncovered 2011

2011-09-14T10:43:00.002Z

Shameless publicity of an event I'm doing something at.

South-East Asian Sea Life

2011-08-08T15:09:00.001Z

http://xkcd.com/928/

Cockroach Film Trailer

2011-07-26T16:15:00.000Z

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be killed in a tragic accident, come back as a cockroach and then try to continue your romantic endeavours with your partner?

If so, then wonder no longer.....

(Thanks to Charlotte again!)

Cave Cockroaches

2011-07-26T16:11:00.000Z

Thanks to Charlotte Coales (my Natural History Museum colleague) for pointing this one out.

Charlotte and I are doing Nature Live this Friday on Cockroaches: From the Beginning (sadly without my perennial sidekick David Nicholson).

In the News: Beehives stop elephant crop-raids in Kenya, Africa

2011-07-21T11:45:00.000Z

From the BBC: Beehives stop elephant crop-raids in Kenya, Africa

Innovative beehive fences have helped a community in Kenya to successfully protect crops from elephants, according to research.

Scientists found the hives to be a very effective barrier; elephants turned away from them in 97% of their attempted raids.

Conservationists suggest that elephants' natural fear of bees could settle ongoing conflicts.
The hives' honey also produced additional profits for farmers.

In the News: Stick insects survive one million years without sex

2011-07-21T07:01:00.000Z

From BBC News: Stick insects survive one million years without sex

Stick insects have lived for one million years without sex, genetic research has revealed.
Scientists in Canada investigated the DNA of Timema stick insects, which live in shrubland around the west coast of the US.

They traced the ancient lineages of two species to reveal the insects' lengthy history of asexual reproduction.

The discovery could help researchers understand how life without sex is possible.

In the News: 'Singing penis' sets noise record for water insect

2011-07-19T07:16:00.000Z

From BBC News: 'Singing penis' sets noise record for water insect

Scientists from France and Scotland recorded the aquatic animal "singing" at up to 99.2 decibels, the equivalent of listening to a loud orchestra play while sitting in the front row.

The insect makes the sound by rubbing its penis against its abdomen in a process known as "stridulation".

Researchers say the song is a courtship display performed to attract a mate.

Micronecta scholtzi are freshwater insects measuring just 2mm that are common across Europe.

PSG Meeting (Demo Recording)

2011-07-03T09:52:00.000Z

I have been thinking about recording some of the talks at the Phasmid Study Group meetings, this is a demonstration recording, the talk by Ian Bushell & Ian Abercrombie starts about 5 minutes in, following the tail end of the Q&A session.

Meditation on Odonata

2011-06-22T08:20:00.000Z

Meditation on Odonata from Irene Moon on Vimeo.

"Artist Irene Moon (aka Katja Seltmann) with help (and specimens) from the North Carolina State Insect Museum (insectmuseum.org). An informative but strange introduction to the order Odonata. Video created using AfterEffects software, NCSU Insect Museum specimens, and footage from the Sandin Image Processor located at Alfred University."

Insect Art

2011-06-14T17:32:00.000Z

This Tumblr has loads of great images: Scientific Illustration

Bed Bugs & Homeopathy

2011-06-14T15:08:00.000Z

The Rentokil deBugged blog has an article on how pest insects are often used in homeopathy: Bed Bugs Are Used in Homeopathy.

Given that horrific stories relating to invertebrates seem to be the order of the day on DeBugged at the moment, I thought I would float the suggestion of ingesting bed bugs to cure pain in your left ovary. No, this isn’t a new horror film, this is Homeopathy.

Read more

Of course, my personal view of homeopaths is that they are fraudulent and/or ignorant (and sometimes the basis for good comedy).

Australia's Largest Insects

2011-06-14T14:17:00.003Z

Over at BunyipCo David Rentz has made a post about the largest insects in Australia.

David is a well-known Australian entomologist with an interest in the orthopteroid insects (among others).

Scorpion babies at Elmwood Park Zoo

2011-06-11T19:57:00.000Z

"Our emperor scorpion just had a bunch of scorplings! Scorpions have live babies instead of laying eggs!"

See the original post on twitpic.

More info over at ZooBorns: Friday Surprise... Scorplings! (Baby Scorpions)

In the News: Orlando Fringe Festival review: ‘archy & mehitabel’

2011-06-08T17:47:00.000Z

Image from DonMarquis.com: Archy

From the Orlando Sentinel: Orlando Fringe Festival review: ‘archy & mehitabel’

Jeff Culbert skitters across the stage, blinking nervously as a spotlight finds him. He’s a cockroach, you see, Archy by name, in this quirky one-man (but two animal) show.
Archy the cockroach was created in 1916 in a series of newspaper columns by Don Marquis. He and his feline friend, Mehitabel, have also featured in a Broadway musical and animated film.

But here, Culbert takes on both parts himself with mild good humor and light-on-his-feet movement.

Mehitabel, a friendly female cat who can’t figure out why she ends up with so many kittens, sashays around trash piles and slinks across the stage to the sounds of cool jazz.
Archy gets more worked up, over the foibles of humanity, but even at his biggest roar, he seems more politely concerned than truly angry.

It’s a cozy show, with plenty of chuckles — and the chance to make two unlikely friends in Culbert’s endearing performance.

In the News: Stick insects destroy 24ha of forest

2011-06-07T13:33:00.002Z

From Viet Nam Mews: Stick insects destroy 24ha of forest

HAI PHONG — Stick insects destroyed nearly 24ha of forest in Cat Ba National Park of the northern city of Hai Phong during the past week.

The insects appeared in the park in 2007. They have six long legs and can move quickly, making them difficult to catch. The insects' density in the park is as high as dozens of thousands on each tree.

The Hai Phong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has sprayed plants to prevent the insects from spreading.

I've been working on a paper surveying this sudden population explosions of stick insects, but have found it quite hard to find contact details for anybody in Vietnam who might be able to provide more info - any ideas gratefully received, either leave a comment or e-mail me.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

2011-06-07T11:07:00.000Z

The exhibition is currently at the Natural History Museum, London. The winning photograph is below.

NHM: Identify a Cockchafer

2011-06-06T08:58:00.000Z

The Natural History Museum has a guide to identifying the Cockchafer (or Maybug) along with a video and lots of interesting facts.

In the News: Jumping cockroach heads new species list

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000Z

From The Sydney Morning Herald: Jumping cockroach heads new species list

Some scientists peer into ocean depths and explore jungles in search of new species. South African scientist Mike Picker made his discovery - a new species of cockroach - in the middle of a top tourist destination.

Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park is home to the world's only jumping cockroach, which this week was named one of the top 10 species discoveries of the year by an international panel of experts.

In a telephone interview on Thursday, Picker, a co-author of the Field Guide to Insects of South Africa and a zoology professor at the University of Cape Town, said his discovery shows how little is known about the world's insects and other animals.

Read more

There are a few more links to this story:

Tehran Times (via AFP): Leaping roach, 'T-rex' leech among new species
Associated Press: New cockroach found in popular S. Africa reserve

However, some people seem to think that looking for new species is a bit of a distraction from more important things: SA Freezes To Death While Capetonians Name Their Cockroaches (NewsTime).

In the News: Smallest Insect Filmed in Flight

2011-06-05T12:46:00.000Z

From ScienceDaily: Smallest Insect Filmed in Flight

The Flight Artists team from Wageningen University, the Netherlands, has been the first to make high-speed camera footage of parasitic wasps of about 1 mm wingspan. The team made films of the tiny flying insects at 22,000 frames per second. That is almost 900 times faster than a TV-screen can show. In the time between two TV images, the wasp has beaten its wings 14 times.

This is the first time the flight behaviour of the parasitic wasp is observed, which is used as biological crop protector that kills the eggs from which harmful caterpillars grow. It was known that parasitic wasps hitchhike on top of larger insects, such as butterflies, but until now nobody had seen how the wasps were able to fly to the butterflies and their eggs.

In the News: Money eating Termites

2011-06-05T12:32:00.001Z

From Helium: Termites devour piles of cash in Uttar Pradesh bank

How safe is your money in banks anyway? Not very, it seems, if the bank in question happens to be the Fatehpur branch of State Bank of India where termites have reportedly feasted on currency notes worth more than ten million Indian rupees. That is equivalent to $225,000 or £137,000 worth of money turned to dust.

Read more

A few years ago there was a similar case of termites eating money in an Indian bank: Termites feast on trader's money (BBC News).

Sexual Nature stick insects: Volunteer Report

2011-06-02T11:43:00.000Z

A report by one of the volunteers looking after our Sexual Nature stick insects at the Natural History Museum, London. Click on the image to go to the Phasmid Study Group site where you can download a PDF.

In the News: Ants found living inside girl's ears

2011-06-02T08:09:00.001Z

From The Mirror: Ants found living inside girl's ears

DOCTORS have found almost 30 ants living in the ears of a teenage girl who loved snacking in bed.

Fallen crumbs from the 16-year-old’s night-time treats tempted the insects into nesting in her ears.

Medics found six in her left ear and more than 20 in her right after she went to a hospital in Taiwan with pain and itching.

The ants were successfully removed and doctors said she was lucky to have no permanent damage. They also told her to stop eating in bed.

Link to Article

The first comment on this article is priceless:

Thank goodness she had them removed. I recently read that Kevin Maguire and Jason Battie had the same problem a couple of years ago. Unfortunately they weren't treated in time and the ants ate most of their frontal lobes. They both now write for The Mirror under the Care In The Community Program.

Although in at least one study ants were not in the top six arthropods removed from ears. The 'winners'? Cockroaches.

Cicada Emerging

2011-05-25T07:26:00.000Z

Brood XIX Periodical Cicada 2011 from Mark Dolejs on Vimeo.

Explanatory blog post: Periodical Cicadas.

Via Myrmecos: Periodical Cicada Time-Lapse.

Identification key to the European genera of bees

2011-05-23T10:48:00.000Z

As a bit of house-keeping I have just moved this website from the old ICZN (= NHM hosted sites) server and into a Scratchpad. It can now be found at: http://alarm.myspeecies.info.

In the News: Making art is a bug’s life

2011-05-23T07:05:00.000Z

From the Norwich Evening News: Making art is a bug’s life

Close up, out of context, they look like highly decorative pieces of jewellery. Except these sparkling pieces of gold, pearl and gem stones aren’t the work of a jeweller, rather they have been produced by a particularly industrious insect who will draw on whatever it finds to create a cocoon.

Caddis fly larvae are known to incorporate bits of whatever they can find into their cocoons, be it fish bone or bits of leaves. However when placed in a tank with flakes of gold and gemstones, the caddis flies simply create their protective sheaths from these materials instead.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

2011-05-19T07:35:00.000Z

This looks like a must-see film: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (it's a documentary). I think I'll order myself a copy......

Chronophage Clock

2011-05-18T09:19:00.000Z

Clock built using a grasshopper escapement on display at the Science Museum. The "demonic" creature on the top represents a time-eating grasshopper.

The Midsummer Chronophage from Ed Baker on Vimeo.

Originally posted at Cabinet of Orthopteroid Curiosities: The Midsummer Chronophage where there are also links to other information about the clock.

Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa)

2011-05-17T20:15:00.001Z

As part of the eMonocot project's outreach activities Paul Wilkin (Kew), Ian Kitching (NHM) and I led two monocot walks as part of the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival.

As well as finding around 30 different monocot species in the undercliffs, there were a few invertebrate finds as well.

The bloody-nosed beetle is a large (for the UK) chrysomelid beetle that can often be seen walking rather clumsily along the ground. When disturbed it puts of potential predators by exuding a bright red/orange secretion from its mouthparts (seen here staining my hand).

In the News: How a book about flies cost $23.7 million on Amazon

2011-05-17T17:58:00.000Z

From Digital Life on Today: How a book about flies cost $23.7 million on Amazon

If you were shopping for a new copy of Peter Lawrence’s The Making of a Fly — a classic work on developmental biology — on Amazon recently, you might've gotten quite a shock. The book was priced at $23,698,655.93 (plus $3.99 shipping)! What happened?

Michael Eisen, an evolutionary biologist at UC Berkeley, first noticed the strangely high book price.

In the News: Bryozoans may look like coral but the similarities end there

2011-05-16T15:34:00.000Z

From the Star Advertiser: Bryozoans may look like coral but the similarities end there

During the recent marine debris conference in Honolulu, I overheard an artist explain to a student that coral grew on drifting plastic. The piece they were examining had a splotch of cementlike growth stuck to it. That white stuff, however, was not coral.

"Those are bryozoans," I said.

As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't because the artist, of course, said, "What's a bryozoan?" And I didn't have a good answer.

Even as I write, with three zoology textbooks, a field guide and the Internet in front of me, I'm still struggling with how to describe the little creatures called bryozoans.

Part of the problem in describing these animals is the variety of forms and lifestyles they take. Bryozoans can be upright and branching, thin and encrusting, lacy and fragile, tangled and bushy. A few bryozoans walk on sand using rowing movements of whiplike appendages. A freshwater, jellylike species creeps over plants like a snail.

"And God Was A Fly"

2011-05-16T15:14:00.001Z

Surreal artwork by Joe MacGown

Maybe we have it all wrong, perhaps the great mother is a fly. why do we always consider ourselves to be the dominant species anyway?

See on the artist's site: "And God was a Fly"

In the News: Wasp hounds to beat bed bugs

2011-05-16T14:32:00.000Z

From ajc: Georgia scientists prove wasps best bed bugs

Toothpaste? Check.

Pajamas? Check

Wasps? Say what?

Two South Georgia scientists have invented the Wasp Hound, a carry-along bedbug detector that relies on stinger-less wasps to determine whether the malicious mites have infested a hotel’s beds, pillows or sheets. All they need is $500,000 to bring the Wasp Hound to market.

In the News: U.S. states braced for invasion of cicadas as they hatch after 13 years underground

2011-05-16T13:51:00.000Z

From The Daily Mail: U.S. states braced for invasion of cicadas as they hatch after 13 years underground

Their haunting chirrup strikes fear into the heart of every gardener.

For thirteen years this cicada hoard has lain dormant in its underground lair, awaiting the right time to strike. And it appears that that time has come.

Even at this very moment, billions of the winged insect are crawling from their exoskeleton cages, ready to suck the sap out of every plant, tree and bush that gets in their way....

Pretty Orthopteroid Pictures

2011-05-12T14:14:00.000Z

Preparing to jump

View more presentations from Renny

More random orthopteroid/polyneoptera stuff at: Cabinet of Orthopteroid Curiosities.

Links to scientifically useful Orthopteroid Internet Resources.

Entomophagy: Ants

2011-05-12T13:51:00.000Z

From globalpost: In northern Colombia, a hunt for gourmet big-butt ants

IBA, Colombia — Emerging from the soil this time of year is something Colombian farmers covet more than anything they can grow: big-butt ants.

Known in Spanish as "hormigas culonas," the brown, cockroach-size insects are roasted, salted and eaten like peanuts. Considered a delicacy, they can fetch more than 10 times the price per pound of Colombia’s world-famous coffee.

In northern Santander department, about the only place in Colombia where they flourish, the ants are sometimes used as pizza topping. One enthusiastic chef serves beef tenderloin and pork cutlets drizzled in ant sauce.

The notion of eating ants may trigger the gag reflex so first-timers are advised to instead focus on their earthy, nutty taste and day-old-popcorn texture.

“The more you eat, the more you want to eat,” said farmer Miguel Angel Paez, 25, who has been gathering ants since he was a boy. “The butt is the best part.”

Parasite Song

2011-05-12T10:05:00.000Z

Fruit flies 'swim' through the air

2011-05-11T10:30:00.000Z

From physicsworld.com: Fruit flies 'swim' through the air

"Physicists studying the flight of the fruit fly have concluded that the tiny creature's wing motions are much closer to the movement of swimming organisms than previously thought. This surprising result lends credence to the controversial suggestion put forward by some evolutionary biologists that flight could have evolved gradually from swimming as life left the oceans.

The wings of birds and insects are structurally quite similar to the fins and paddles of aquatic animals. However, flying and swimming seem to involve completely different physical processes. Flying organisms propel themselves using the lift forces generated as a wing slices through the air, while swimming organisms paddle forward using the viscous drag of water. As a result, some biologists have doubted that flight could have evolved from swimming."

Taxonomy Fail

2011-05-11T08:44:00.000Z

via Myrmecos: How to identify your local trilobites

Lego Leafcutters

2011-05-10T08:42:00.001Z

Found at the Lego store in Bluewater shopping centre.

Invertebrates in Ancient Egypt

2011-03-24T13:07:00.005Z

This site has some references for people who may be interested in finding out about insects in Ancient Egyptian culture: Invertebrates in Ancient Egypt.

Attenborough on Mantids

2011-03-22T15:48:00.002Z

AES Exhibition 2011

2011-03-22T08:31:00.000Z

This years AES Exhibiton will be on Saturday, 1st October. Put it in your diary now.

A couple of photographs from the 2009 exhibition here.

Some cockroach curios

2011-03-15T21:44:00.000Z

As a bit of a side project I have created the Cabinet of Orthopteroid Curiosities. Partly because whenever I find polyneoptera paraphernalia I have a habit of not being able to find it again, partly because it's interesting in its own right.

It's pretty sparse at the moment, but I will ad to it over time. If you have anything you wish to add then feel free to e-mail me or sign up for an account.

A few interesting cockroach items:

More to come.....

USC Cockroach Webcam

2011-02-26T11:12:00.000Z

The University of South Carolina cockroach webcam.

Cockroaches on the radio

2011-02-26T10:45:00.001Z

Judith Marshall talks cockroaches on XFM with Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington.

Shame they got her name wrong.....

Orthopteroid Internet Resources

2011-02-22T19:49:00.000Z

I have made an Orthopteroid Internet Resources page on my website. This is based on a list I wrote a while ago that was published in the AES Bulletin and Metaleptea.

If there is anything missing then give me a shout - either leave a comment on the blog, on Facebook or use the contact form.

Preserving Orthopteroids using Borax

2011-02-21T21:36:00.000Z

I had an e-mail exchange with a few colleagues this morning about the use of Borax powder to preserve the green colour of some orthopteroid insects. This was (I think) first described in Rentz, 1985, and has been reported subsequently by various authors (including in Marshall & Haes).

The basic procedure is as follows:

Dissect the majority of the internal organs, being careful not to scrape the cuticle as the outer layers are transparent.
Dust the inside with Borax crystals and stuff with cotton wool to retain shape.

Judith Marshall offered some pointers to do with the dissection:

With slim phasmids the abdomen may have to be slit to remove gut etc., but with saltatorial orthopteroids and chunky phasmids the best appearance is maintained by slitting behnd the headcapsule and removing contents from there.

As well as some changes to the method suggested by Rentz:

I find the talc too fine and dusty so use only boracic acid crystals, which are easily brushed off after stuffing.

So there you go - hopefully of use to somebody.

There are also methods involving the use of 'embalming' fluids - which are pretty nasty cocktails of chemicals and probably best avoided.

Music Ant Anatomy

2011-02-20T16:16:00.000Z

Thanks to Rolf for the link.

Not Devon.....

2011-02-17T08:32:00.000Z

I was rather surprised to see that this insect (it's Acrophylla wuelfingi) was found in Torquay: Monster insect invades Torquay.

It turns out however that there is another Torquay, in Australia. Which makes a bit more sense given that this species is known from Australia.....

Man arrested on charges of purchasing 500 illegal exotic roaches online

2011-02-09T08:46:00.000Z

Man arrested on charges of purchasing 500 illegal exotic roaches online - The York Daily Record

Female Guyana Orange-spotted Cockroach - Blaptica dubia

The topic of sending non-US native species to the states (or across state borders) comes up regularly on a variety of mailing lists.

The laws against this are there for the protection of the native ecosystems and should be respected. I have had several arguments with people over the years about how stick insects are harmless and should be allowed free transit. In fact they can cause a huge amount of damage (I have been compiling a list of the damage they can do for publication in a future Phasmid Studies).

Don't do it!

The "Terrible Hairy Fly"

2011-01-10T08:46:00.000Z

In another link to another blog (hey, I might actually write something soon) Erica McAlister at the Curator of Diptera's Blog has some interesting news about a rather unusual fly that may cling to bats to disperse itself: The Terrible Hairy fly.

Red-eyed Devil

2011-01-10T08:31:00.000Z

Over at Beetles in the Bush Ted MacRae has some great photographs of threat displays in the orthopteran Neobarrettia spinosa. Well worth going to take a look: Red-eyed Devil « Beetles In The Bush.

Nice art, bad spelling

2010-11-13T15:05:00.004Z

Some cool artwork at Creative Review - although their spelling of entomology is pretty terrible....

Virtual Cockroach Anatomy

2010-11-05T15:32:00.002Z

The pest control company Orkin have made a virtual cockroach anatomy tool. It's quite neat - check it out.

An editorial issue......

2010-10-31T16:14:00.003Z

A few months ago there was a publication I wrote on phasmid foodplants in Practical Reptile Keeping magazine: The Food Plants of Phasmids. I supplied a few photos of plants, but the editor added a few other photographs, one of them of a procsopid grasshopper. Particularly embarrassing as I wrote this blog post earlier in the year: Not a phasmid.....

The motto of this story is to always insist on seeing final page proofs!

Species of the day: Lord Howe Island Phasmid

2010-10-29T11:01:00.001Z

A piece I wrote on the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, Dryococelus australis, has been published as species of the day on the Natural History Museum website: Dryococelus australis.

Some endangered orthopteroids

2010-10-20T07:04:00.005Z

The IUCN Grasshopper Specialist Group (that also covers other orthopteroid insect orders such as stick insects and mantids) has contributed a number of pages to the IUCN Red List Species of the Day. For a list so far please visit the GSG Species of the Day page.

How to make a human-cockroach hybrid... (aka strange cockroach porn)

2010-10-17T14:05:00.004Z

This was sent to me by an esteemed colleague at a major institution, somewhere in the world, to follow up on some strange things on cockroaches and snails I found down the back of the internet.

Non-safe version here

It seems there may be quite a market for invertebrate-human pornography of various kinds.

Indeed the photograph above is taken from a post discussing some historical Japanese erotica, which is perhaps not for the faint of heart.

Just in case you think this is a new thing then check out this rather old example of inter-species love:

It turns out that people have desired, or at least thought about intimate relationships with impressive looking invertebrates for centuries.

Which doesn't make it OK, or less weird......

Eddie Izzard: Beekeeping

2010-09-26T18:31:00.001Z

Something nice and light-hearted for a Sunday evening.

NHM Science Uncovered

2010-09-23T14:12:00.006Z

Cockroach in Baltic amber
Originally uploaded by edwbaker

At tomorrow night's Science Uncovered event at the Natural History Museum David Nicholson and I will continue our quest to make people like cockroaches.

Come along and say hi, will be around fairly early on but I will be doing some more things with cockroaches at the end of the night with Vince Smith (who will be talking about parasitic lice).

You can also read a blog post I write for the event: Long live cockroaches, man's uninvited fellow travellers.

2010 AES Exhibition and Trade Fair

2010-08-22T14:03:00.003Z

From the AES website (AES Annual Exhibition 2010):

"Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the the Amateur Entomologists' Society at our annual Annual Exhibition and Trade Fair.

This is the entomology show to attend. The show takes place at Kempton Park Racecourse near London and exhibitors and traders pack two floors of exhibition space.

The exhibition is open to members of the public and not just members of the AES. Should you wish to join the AES then you can do so on the day but you don't have to be a member to attend. Ticket prices are yet to be confirmed but are likely to be similar to the 2009 prices: £3 per adult and £1 per child. Tickets can be bought on the gate.

Traders include those selling books, equipment, livestock, specimens and food plants. In addition, the show is attended by most of the major invertebrate societies and organisations within the UK."

This is the best UK insect show for the general entomologist, and there will be lots of people selling live and dead specimens, equipment, books, etc. I plan to be there, and will probably be found at the Phasmid Study Group table.

NHM Volunteers

2010-08-22T11:32:00.002Z

One of Erica's volunteers has written a post on her Curator of Diptera's blog. Since then we have been to Exmoor on fieldwork, I have put a few photos up on Flickr but there are more to come.

Some moths from Windsor

2010-08-21T18:27:00.002Z

A list of moths found in Windsor by my friend and colleague Alessandro Giusti.

Apamae monoglypha

Idaea dimidiata

Crambus pascuella

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Idaea rusticata

Heteropteryx Creation

2010-08-20T08:42:00.001Z

A creation from Lisa Wood's Curiosities. The stick insect is an adult female Heteropteryx dilatata.

A pest of Hawthorn

2010-08-12T19:49:00.001Z

IMG_7508
Originally uploaded by edwbaker

This photo (and there are a few more on the Flickr stream) is of a Hawthorn bush that was infested with caterpillars of a moth from the family Yponeumetidae. Commonly called Ermine moths there are hundreds of species, and many of them form communal webs. When this photo was taken the caterpillars had already pupated.

The best guess at species is Yponomeuta padella.

Beetle Tea

2010-07-18T12:30:00.004Z

Thanks to Max Barclay for posting the link to this on Facebook: Unusual Tea Additive. (Max thinks the beetle is liekly to be Gametis jucunda.)

It's always worth checking your food for insects, you might find something even better than this!

Insect Week

2010-07-03T11:56:00.002Z

I have blogged about my National Insect Week activities over at the Pestival blog: Insect Week by Ed Baker.

Alexandra Palace BioBlitz

2010-07-03T10:24:00.003Z

On Saturday, 5th June Heather Bonney and myself met up with colleagues Max Barclay and Conrad Gillet at the Alexandra Palace BioBlitz.

For those unfamiliar with the BioBlitz concept the idea is that scientists and the public descend en masse on a given area and identify as many species as possible. This event was organised by OPAL and was paqrt of BBC Springwatch's Wild Day Out festival.

Scientists from the Natural History Museum were there to identify species that other people had found, and lots of national and local wildlife charities and projects had interesting stands.

We found lots of species of beetle (hardly surprisng given we had Max and Conrad with us), hundreds of grasshopper nymphs, several damselflies and the odd newt.

There are some more photographs in my Flick set: Alexandra Palace BioBlitz

Mantids of the Euro-Mediterranean Area

2010-07-02T07:09:00.002Z

Just a brief post to announce that my Natural History Museum and Phasmid Study Group colleague Judith Marshall has co-authored this new book on the Praying Mantids of Europe and the Mediterranean. I have a copy and while I haven't had the time to get beyond the introductory chapters it is excellent (and lavishly illustrated with line drawings and photographs).

A must for anybody with a serious interest in this enigmatic order.

Nature Live: Insects Rule the World

2010-06-19T16:02:00.004Z

I have a huge backlog of stuff to write about, although this is reasonably recent it is quick to get on here. This is a video of David Nicholson and I doing a Nature Live event at the Natural History Museum called 'Insects Rule the World', perhaps it should have been called 'Cockroaches Rule the World', but never mind!

Insects Rule the World from Ed Baker on Vimeo.

David and I will be doing the talk again on Monday: Insects Rule the World 21/06/2010.

I have details of my past and present talks online: Talks by Ed Baker.

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival

2010-06-12T20:02:00.005Z

I have been appallingly bad at keeping things up-to-date here, so this post comes from the distant past (the end of April this year could be a century ago in the blogosphere).

Lyme Regis is famous for its association with many fossils and fossil collectors. Among the collectors the most famous is Mary Anning, whose grave is in the village and can be visited (the organisers of the festival left a wreath on her grave).

As an unofficial delegation to the Fossil Festival (our frieds were more directly involved) we managed to spend a day collecting fossils with Phil from the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre (a friend of ours who used to work at the NHM).

Walking along the beach from Charmouth to Lyme Regis we collected various ammonites, belem

nites, a bivalve and what is (possibly) a fish skull.

Meanwhile in the marquee there was a hive of activity, stalls selling various fossils and minerals, art and craft activities for children, and a whole bunch of scientists and science educators from the NHM.

As well as various palaeontological activities Alessandro and Martin from the NHM's Entomology Department were there talking about insects alongside members of Butterfly Conservation.

There are some more photos of the event in my Flickr set Lyme Regis 2010.

Pestival Blog

2010-05-31T15:30:00.004Z

I was recently asked to blog on the Pestival website, an offer that I have accepted. But don't worry, Invertebrate Diaries will stay here, but in addition I will be blogging at ttp://pestival.org/blog/author/Ed%20Baker/.

Sao Paulo Collection Destroyed

2010-05-17T21:27:00.004Z

Throughout the world many millions of natural history specimens are stored in flammable liquids. Just occasionally something incredibly tragic happens.

The Butantan Institute in Brazil is a leading research centre, which had over 85,000 specimens of snakes and nearly half a million spider and scorpions. Unfortunately it seems the building had no fire alarms or extinguishing systems.

X-raying Goliathus Beetle

2010-04-14T19:30:00.002Z

This is a bit of a 'dump all the links in one place' page for people who may be interested in the specimen of Goliathus goliathus that has most probably been shot.

The original article by Conrad Gillet is available in Scarabs:

"The obvious puncture marks and cracks breaching its armour are, I believe, tell-tale signs that the last thing this particular beast saw was the wrong end of a Victorian big game hunter’s blunderbuss!"

Max Barclay (Twitter) had pointed this out to me a while ago, and I introduced Max and Heather Bonney (Twitter) one evening in The Queen's Arms. Then the BBC got involved and the story became a bit of a hit (even if I have not been mentioned to date, anywhere!). Eventually we will write up a more scientific account of the story for publication.

It should be pointed out that there are some extra points that have not been published anywhere to date, and we would like to (and plan to) do some further investigations.

There are some Flickr photos I took while Heather and I figured out the best settings for the x-ray machine.

The Natural History Musuem's press release can be downloaded here: Who Shot Goliath.

Further press coverage is available here:

Metro
New Scientist - has stupid URL structure, you will need to go back to 11th March 2010 if they have added new images since I made this post.

We like publicising our science, and Twitter is great. Although sometimes I can't help thinking I should have paid more attention to Twitter at the time!

Please leave links to any missing resources as a comment!

Cafe Scientifique

2010-04-07T15:33:00.002Z

Cafe Scientifique
Originally uploaded by edwbaker

On the 6th April I gave a talk as part of the Cafe Scientifique series at the Photographers' Gallery in London, chaired by radio presenter and psychologist Claudia Hammond.

The main topic of the talk was the mimicry complex of phasmids mimicking leaves and twigs, their eggs mimicking seeds, the eggs being taken into ants nests to protect them from parasitic wasps that may mimic ants, and the hatchling phasmid nymphs mimicking ants.

We know very little about this system (even less than we know of the ecology of the stick insects and wasps), but I am keen to find out. (More about this later).

After the talk there was a question session which addressed some further points about mimicry, the danger of studying species in isolation from the species they interact with, and a bit about cockroaches (with some help from David Nicholson who I am doing some Nature Live talks with in May).

There are some more photographs of the event on my Flickr set Cafe Scientifique.

Discovery News Stick Insect Fail

2010-04-05T17:45:00.002Z

The video about the Giant Prickly stick insect on Discovery News has one major problem. Adult stick insects cannot regrow lost limbs.

Nymphs are capable of regrowing lost limbs, and over a period of moults it may even reach the same size as the normal adult legs. As adult phasmids no longer moult, they can no longer regrow shed limbs.

The Milk

2010-04-03T15:30:00.001Z

The Milk
Originally uploaded by edwbaker

Several groups of people club together to purchase milk, coffee, biscuits etc. We have traditionally labelled everything 'Orth.' after orthopteroid insects. Looks like the hymenopterists have shamed us with this artisitic creation.

Bad Science Journalism

2010-03-25T08:32:00.002Z

It's amazing how much science journalism doesn't quite cut the mustard (I love that phrase). I haven't even read the paper Geographic parthenogenesis and the common tea-tree stick insect of New Zealand yet - but I have some doubts about this article on Voxy: Sex? Female Stick Insects Can Take It Or Leave It.

For a start they have illustrated the article with a photograph of a praying mantis.

Douglas Adams

2010-03-22T11:45:00.002Z

Not much to do with inverts but a great and passionate communicator of science.

Giardia or Diardia?

2010-03-18T09:42:00.003Z

I quite often get asked for information about insects that look like sticks but aren't stick insects. I rarely get asked about protozoans.

I recently got an e-mail asking for help controlling Diardia in somebody's water supply. Of course they don't actually have stick insects in their water supply (see The Myth of Semi-Aquatic Phasmids), but instead have the protozoan parasite Giardia.

Names are important, correct names more so!

Dressed Ants

2010-03-11T11:31:00.001Z

ballerina ants
Originally uploaded by Tony Irwin's pics

Dressed fleas are quite a well known curiosity - but dressed ants?

Praying Mantids and Hummingbirds

2010-03-07T13:30:00.000Z

formspring.me

2010-03-07T13:23:00.001Z

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/edwbaker

Coming soon: Museum of Life

2010-02-24T08:01:00.004Z

A documentary about the Natural History Museum, London: Museum of Life.

Well worth a watch, I imagine.

The 'Of the day...' initiatives

2010-02-21T15:59:00.003Z

As part of the 2010 Year of Biodiversity a number of institutions have started a 'Species of the Day' project to highlight biodiversity and their work. This is a partial list:

In addition the Scratchpads project has created Taxon of the Week.

Not a phasmid...

2010-02-21T13:57:00.008Z

Although it may seem superficially stick-insect like, this is not a phasmid, but a proscopid (a kind of grasshopper). They are found in South America, and unlike true stick insects they can jump. Other distinguishing characters are the forward-facing head, head-shape (eyes are situated well above the body) and the relatively long rear legs.

Although the differences are quite clear, a lot of people who should probably know better have been caught out over the years.

Although the cover of C. A. Ealand's book is beautiful, his knowledge of what makes a stick insect a stick insect is sadly flawed.

The close-up photo of the head of the stick insect is clealry actually a proscopid grasshopper: Head forward-facing (or vertical), eyes well above the body.

Despite this in the text the head of the Phasmidae is described as "nearly horizontal, generally quadrangular".

Some other inaccuracies are "they moult but twice" - in fact five is about average, between 4 and 7 common. I have never had confirmed reports of less than 4, but more than 7 is not that unusual - especially when the insects are poorly nourished.

I might write more about Ealand's account of the Phasmidae another time.

More recently in the first issue of the magazine Practical Reptile Keeping a photograph of a proscopid was used to illustrate an article on stick insects.

My final example is Slim from A Bug's Life - phasmid or proscopid?

Account denied

2010-02-19T10:11:00.002Z

My application to join the Phasmid Forum has been declined becuase I don't meet the membership criteria.

Perhaps I just don't know enough about them......

Incidentally the Phasmid Study Group forums have recently had a bit of a make over - and I'll be able to answer any queries you may have there.

Reef Tank interviews Deep Sea News

2010-02-17T19:21:00.002Z

Kevin Zelnio (from Deep Sea News) is interviewed by The Reef Tank.

Bug Chicks: Final Part

2010-02-14T15:04:00.000Z

Snail Cartoon

2010-02-14T13:39:00.002Z

I found this is the Continental Airlines magazine last April, apparently it's been reprinted from the New Yorker.

The bad condition comes from its trip around Champaign, Illinois and the jungles of Costa Rica.

Bugfest 5

2010-02-14T12:30:00.002Z

A shout-out to you UK types living in the South-West, the next BugFestSW is on the 20th February. For more details check out the BugFest website.

The Bug Chicks Part 2: Spiders

2010-02-13T15:02:00.000Z

The Bug Chicks

2010-02-13T15:00:00.002Z

First of a new YouTube series... pretty basic stuff, but a good introduction (with lots of energy).

Mantis tries to catch mouse pointer

2010-02-13T14:01:00.001Z

You have to feel slightly sorry for it really....

Invertebrate Rearing

2010-02-10T10:31:00.003Z

Last month I published the first issue of a new journal dedicated to invertabrate rearing, called (surprisingly) Invertebrate Rearing. The journal covers all aspects of keeping inveretbrates in captivity, whether it is for research or pleasure.

The first issue has articles on the Lesser Stag Beetle, Marmorkrebs and Portia, a fascinating Australian spider. Check out Volume 1 Issue 1.