The Weekly Flypaper

Another week, another batch of entomophilic blogs, inspirational photographs, and spare-time diversions.

General Entomology

Are you an entomologist looking for a rustic home perfect for insect collecting? Then the Onion has a deal just for you!

Entomologists aren’t always invited into ecosystem monitoring projects, but Chris Buddle shares his experiences with the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Plan.

Diptera

The spring edition of Fly Times, the biannual newsletter for the North American Dipterists Society, is out and absolutely full of interesting information. Everything from cheap ideas for high-quality specimen photography to research updates, and even a technique for reconstituting eye colour patterns in dead & dried flies! I look forward to this newsletter every spring and fall, and my only disappointment with this edition is I have to wait another 6 months until the next!

Like CSI: Crime Scene Investigators and imagine a glorious life fighting crime in high fashion? Think again. The BBC has an excellent interview with leading UK forensic entomologist Dr. Martin Hall about his work and thinking like a maggot.

The entomologists I know, including me of course, aren’t exactly the most fashion-conscious people out there (seriously, it can be pretty bad). But even I think these insect-repellent high fashions are attractive, especially as a great way to raise awareness about malaria!

What’s upside down and fuzzy all over? This great photo of a bee fly by Ted MacRae! Also cool, the photo was identified by bee fly aficionado and recent University of Guelph PhD graduate Joel Kits. I <3 the internet for cool connections like this!

Apparently this week was the week to feed deer flies, as Brian Cutting also sacrificed his body for a chance to photograph a pangonine!

Coleoptera

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) was discovered in Guelph last summer, and this year, the University of Guelph will be taking proactive steps to help protect the ash trees on campus and in the arboretum.

There’s something soothing about watching fireflies in the summer, and photographer Kevin Adams has a nice piece detailing the behaviour, biology and biochemistry behind these little beasts. Now that you know a little more about them, he’s got some excellent tips for photographing their dazzling shows this summer!

Hymenoptera

Bug Girl has been handed the keys to the Scientopia Guest Blogge this week, and she’s taken the opportunity to explain why bees have it rough, what is and isn’t CCD, and of course, bees & STDs.

Of course, bees can’t have it too rough if they have time to interrupt a baseball game with some of the best seats in the house…

Other Insect Orders

Speaking of baseball (or softball in this case), find out how a youth spent hitting home runs helped the Dragonfly Woman prepare for a career as an entomologist.

Pollination biology has been attracting a lot of research attention in the past few years. Of course thrips were into it way before any of us (105 million years ago actually), making them total thripsters.

I told myself I wouldn’t link to any of the photos Alex Wild posted from Brazil, because he was in Brazil and I wasn’t (nope, I’m not jealous at all), but he’s too damn good and these tree hoppers are just too damn cool. You win this round Myrmecos…

Arachnida

Chuck Norris is on to ticks and the diseases they spread. In response, the IUCN listed the Ixodida as extinct and the WHO celebrated the eradication of Lyme Disease.

Since Chuck Norris has taken care of them, I suppose I shouldn’t be afraid of ticks and their ability to induce meat allergies in unknowing victims, but my worst nightmare is a life without bacon. Here’s the original study if you need further proof that ticks are devil spawn.

This spider photo by Jason Hogle of Xenogere blew. My. Mind.

Everyone knows about the red hourglass identifying female black widow spiders, but the males are pretty spectacular in their own right! Check out the pedipalp photo by Alex Webb.

Pop quiz hot shot: How many mites can you fit on a size 12, Times Roman typed period? Macromite has the answer with an awesome poster (and the answer might surprise you).

Taxonomy/Phylogenetics

Finally, someone has explained how the Linnean Classification system works. Sort of. Well, at least it’s fun.

This discussion of the “controversy” surrounding Triceratops by io9 is actually a pretty good primer on the science of taxonomy, with the only important missing piece being the principle of priority (which actually takes most of the controversy out of the story). Good thing Brian Switek was on it.

Sure he was known for Lolita, but this photo of Vladimir Nabokov hunting for butterflies with his wife belies his true love: Lepidoptera taxonomy.

Know why I love social media? Because how else would you get this discussion about the differences between phylogenetics and phenetics from such a diversity of researchers!

Science Communication

Science Blogs and social media made it into peer-review twice this week. First, a scientific paper about science blogs which discuss and report on scientific papers. Meta.

Then, Christie Wilcox had a great editorial published on the obligation scientists should have for communicating their research to the public, with an emphasis on social media.

If you’re unsure of Twitter (or know someone who is), I highly recommend you check out this great post by Ruth Dawkins explaining what makes Twitter such a valuable resource for pretty well anyone!

Photography

Ch-ch-ch-Chia! Growing your own photographs.

You’ve probably seen photos of star trails before, but I doubt you’ve seen a photo of star trails AND Earth trails. An amazing photograph by Don Pettit, an astronaut stationed on the International Space Station.

Want to see beautiful people turn into over-exaggerated caricatures right before your eyes? Then check out this crazy optical illusion spotted by Why Evolution is True.

 

Further Reading & Link Collections

Your Wild Life Blog’s Biodiversity Roundup

Bora Zovkovic’s Scienceblogging Weekly

Ed Yong’s Missing Links

David Winter @ The Atavism Sunday Spinelessness New Zealand Link List