The strange dominion of the insects

[Kyriakos]

Recently i wrote a short story involving the Draco constellation, some ancient astronomers and a type of ant common in this region, called Cataglyphis Nodus.

The Cataglyphis Nodus is blessed with having a name consisting of one Greek and one Latin term. Cataglyphis means cavity-creator. Nodus has the meaning of bond or knot.

The fourth star of the Draco constellation is called Nodus Secundus (Second bond). The story was about a man lost in his imagination.

However this thread is just about posting the strangest/ugliest/most intimidating, or just local insects

Here is the Cataglyphis Nodus, which is a type of mostly red ant:

It is one of the commonest types of ants in the rural areas of Macedonia (probably southern Greece too), along with the all-black, smaller ant. This red ant is capable of biting quite hard, at least as much that its bite will be surely felt. It is not dangerous however, and although it does behave agressively if it senses something near it, it can do no harm to a human in almost any circumstance (well you wouldn't want to let a number of them climb to your eye though ). The Cataglyphis is a very impressive runner and climber, and can easily move upwards rapidly on a human body.

I will find more insects to post later

 

[Kyriakos]

This is the AntLion larvae:

Antlion larvae, on the other hand, are deadly insect predators, and just like Arachnocampa, they have developed a most amazing trick to capture prey. They live in sandy places, where they dig a funnel-shaped pit, cleverly designed so that no insect can climb its steep walls. The antlion then buries itself in the bottom of the pit. Whenever an unfortunate insect (usually an ant) steps on the edge of the pit, the sand collapses and the victim falls to the bottom, and into the antlion larva’s deadly jaws.

Sometimes, an ant will escape the larva and attempt to climb the walls of the pit; in this case, the antlion has another trick up its sleeve; it throws jets of sand to the ant, so that it slips back into the pit’s bottom. Once the antlion larva has secured its prey, it sucks its body fluid with the tooth-like projections of its jaws, and then throws the dry carcass out of the pit.

From http://listverse.com/2010/08/09/10-formidable-predatory-insects/

A very creepy being, lethal to ants and everything else that it can suck into its quick-sand trap.

 

[Leonel]

More insects! These are really neat!

 

[Kyriakos]

Well, there is the Praying Mantis:

This insect is quite large in regards to most other insects. It is also a very ruthless hunter and killer of many types of insects, also some spiders and even small snakes and birds...

The Praying Mantis is found in most of Southern Europe where it originates, including Greece (i had seen one near a mountain at summer, it is not a particularly rare being). It hides in its environment, in camouflage, and suddently attacks with the help of its long hook-shaped arms. It eats its prey either when it dies or even if it is still alive.

More alarmingly the Praying Mantis is a known cannibal. Not only will newborn Manteis feed on their smaller siblings if there is no other source of food, but frequently the female of the species will decapitate the male as part of the sexual act. Later she will just devour the remains.

Although not dangerous to humans, the Praying Mantis can be quite irksome if it appears nearby, because it is not very subtle as a presence. Most of the time though it will not abandon its position in the grass or sand it hides in.

Interestingly the folk-name for the Praying Mantis in Greek is the rather bizarre "Alogon tes Panagias" which means "Horse of the Virgin Mary". It does echo a bit that passage in the Apocalypse, where it is mentioned that the hordes of death will be riding monstrous horse-sized insects, and number hundreds of thousands

 

[Borachio]

Insects are great! Nothing spooky or ugly about them. That's sharks you're thinking of.

 

[Kyriakos]

Well some insects have attacked and eaten humans. Although i am pretty sure those are confined at rain-forest areas, where humans should not really be in the first place even if they escape the insects around...

 

[Borachio]

Exactly.

The elegant wasp:

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

The common fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a work horse of genetics. Other than insects involved in agriculture, I would say no other insect has benefited mankind more.

 

[Borachio]

Monarch butterfly.

Looking like a stained glass window.

 

[Kyriakos]

Butterflies are easily the best looking of the insects. Their common name in English is ugly though...

In Greek the common name for them is Petaloudes (plural), which is of no known etymology, but i like to think it comes from petao/peto (flying) and louloudi (one of the terms used for flower, although this particular term strikes me as probably latin in origin). Flying Flower is a beautiful name

The original Greek name for the final stage of this insect (when it becomes a butterfly) was Psyche. The same term used for "Soul". It appears this originated in a myth of a woman called Psyche, who was delivered from Hades with the help of Zeus.

Interestingly the intermediate form of the insect, where it is inside its place of metamorphosis, was Nekydallo (Νεκύδαλλ&#959, which means "container of a dead being".

 

[Borachio]

The word is an interesting inversion from Flutter By.

Stag Beetles:

 

[Antilogic]

I remember going to school early in the morning and these Luna moths would be chilling on our garage doors:

 

[Borachio]

Dragonfly.

 

[Leonel]

Cicada's can be pretty cute when they're not driving you nuts

 

[Chukchi Husky]

The Cataglyphis Nodus is blessed with having a name consisting of one Greek and one Latin term.

One animal that I know with a name that has both a Latin and Greek part is corvus corax.

More alarmingly the Praying Mantis is a known cannibal. Not only will newborn Manteis feed on their smaller siblings if there is no other source of food, but frequently the female of the species will decapitate the male as part of the sexual act. Later she will just devour the remains.

The sexual cannibalism tends to only happen to mantises in captivity.

 

[Kyriakos]

One animal that I know with a name that has both a Latin and Greek part is corvus corax.



The sexual cannibalism tends to only happen to mantises in captivity.

Interesting

Corax indeed is Greek for Raven. I am not sure if i have ever seen a crow here, given that they are described as quite smaller and about the size of a pigeon, while the ravens i have seen are a bit larger than that.

I think that the female Mantis, which is considerably larger than the male Mantis, decapitates it on the wild as well, although not on every sexual act. Maybe she just does not eat it while not captive.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Cicada's can be pretty cute when they're not driving you nuts

Is there a louder insect than cicadas? Having one of them outside the window was deafening.

 

[Leonel]

Is there a louder insect than cicadas? Having one of them outside the window was deafening.

Try living next to a practically untouched jungle in the tropics during cicada season. Ooooh man oh man.

 

[Lillefix]

Butterflies are easily the best looking of the insects. Their common name in English is ugly though...

In Greek the common name for them is Petaloudes (plural), which is of no known etymology, but i like to think it comes from petao/peto (flying) and louloudi (one of the terms used for flower, although this particular term strikes me as probably latin in origin). Flying Flower is a beautiful name

I like flying flower better, but Butterfly is not a bad name. The meaning makes no sense, but the word itself flows very nicely. It's quite melodious imo, especially if you pronounce the double t very softly almost like a d.

In any case. Bees are my favourite insects. They're useful to both nature and humans. They can hurt but are generally easy going and harmless(our good old European bees at least, not those aggressive African immigrants). It's those insects we can most easily identify with(they have communities, they work, they dance and talk). Very human insects. Much like ants, but bees are bigger with more character and are more more important for the ecosystem(from a layman's perspective at least).

In case you don't know how one looks like.

 

[Angst]

Spoiler :

Link to video.

EDIT: Seriously though, I know plenty of people that don't want to watch the above link. Just a fair warning. Larvae can be creepy creatures.