Nature is messed up!

[pmv]

Butterflies released in Finland contained parasitic wasps – with more wasps inside

Introduction of Glanville fritillary leads to emergence of three new species on to Baltic Sea island

www.theguardian.com

When caterpillars of a beautiful butterfly were introduced on to the tiny island of Sottunga in the Åland archipelago, scientists hoped to study how the emerging butterflies would disperse across the landscape.

But researchers did not realise that their introduction of the Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) led to the emergence of three other species on to the Baltic Sea island, which sprang out of the butterfly like Russian dolls.


Some of the caterpillars contained a parasitic wasp, Hyposoter horticola, which bursts from the caterpillar before it can pupate and become a butterfly.

Living inside some of these small wasps was another even tinier, rarer parasite, a “hyperparasitoid” wasp known as Mesochorus cf. stigmaticus. It kills the parasitic wasp around the same time as the wasp kills the caterpillar, and emerges 10 days later from the caterpillar’s carcass.

Also along for the ride was a bacterium that is carried by the female H. horticola wasps and transmitted to her offspring. By some unknown mechanism, Wolbachia pipientis increases the susceptibility of the parasitic wasp to being taken over by the tiny parasitic wasp M. stigmaticus, which can only live on the H. horticola wasp.

Like those Russian dolls crossed with the Xenomorph from Alien.

 

[nakedfrog]

Bonus points for thread title accuracy.

 

[Captante]

 

[jmagg]

Nature is scary.
I've seen three single instances of Murder Hornet over 2 years on our property in Upstate NY.
I know they are not supposed to be here, but I'm certain, and they're huge.

 

[Captante]

Nature is scary.
I've seen three single instances of Murder Hornet over 2 years on our property in Upstate NY.
I know they are not supposed to be here, but I'm certain, and they're huge.

Asian Giant hornet look-alikes


*(#1 is the prime suspect IMO)

 

[jmagg]

Asian Giant hornet look-alikes


*(#1 is the prime suspect IMO)

Could be. Looked a bit bigger than 1.5 in though. I ran to get a pail to try to capture it, but gone.

 

[lxskllr]

Probably a Euro hornet. They tormented me a couple years in a row a couple years ago by nesting on the house. They're attracted to light, so they bang on the screens and windows at night to intimidate me. Had a couple get in the house too. Super intimidating. They sound like P51s flying around, but they're fairly docile. If you do get stung, it'll hurt like an sob, but they aren't super inclined to sting.

 

[jmagg]

Probably a Euro hornet. They tormented me a couple years in a row a couple years ago by nesting on the house. They're attracted to light, so they bang on the screens and windows at night to intimidate me. Had a couple get in the house too. Super intimidating. They sound like P51s flying around, but they're fairly docile. If you do get stung, it'll hurt like an sob, but they aren't super inclined to sting.

They must be a joy when the temperature drops and get ornery.

 

[lxskllr]

They must be a joy when the temperature drops and get ornery.

They honestly never gave me any trouble aside from scaring me. The last nest was outside my backdoor under the eve, so when I'd go out to change the hummingbird food, or hang laundry or something, they'd buzz by, and startle me, but no issues. Not like yeallowjackets that get in a shit mood when it gets cold. Can't say I miss the Euro hornets, but it could be worse.

 

[jmagg]

They honestly never gave me any trouble aside from scaring me. The last nest was outside my backdoor under the eve, so when I'd go out to change the hummingbird food, or hang laundry or something, they'd buzz by, and startle me, but no issues. Not like yeallowjackets that get in a shit mood when it gets cold. Can't say I miss the Euro hornets, but it could be worse.

Good info.

 

[ElFenix]

not the fucked up butterfly story i expected upon reading the thread title

Milkweed butterflies tear open caterpillars and drink them alive

Milkweed butterflies tear open caterpillars and drink them alive

This is the first time scientists have documented the grisly behavior.

www.livescience.com

 

[pmv]

I see your caterpillar Qanon and raise you cannibal caterpillars

(They should incorporate this phenomenon in a new edition of that "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book ).

When very hungry caterpillars turn into cannibals

Research shows that defensive chemicals emitted by plants cause armyworms to turn on each other

www.theguardian.com

Caterpillars turn into cannibals and eat each other when plants deploy defensive chemicals to make their foliage less appetising, research has revealed.

While it was already known that caterpillars of many species munch on each other, and that plants have a range of defence mechanisms, it was not clear whether the two were linked.



Now researchers say that a chemical commonly leaked from plants when damaged can trigger other plants to defend themselves by producing similarly unappealing substances, and that prompts the pests to turn on each other.

“When the chips are down, eating another caterpillar may not be a bad decision [and] it turns out that the chips can be down if you find yourself on a plant that is heavily defended,” said John Orrock, an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a co-author of the research.

 

[zinfamous]

I mean, this is just really normal in nature.

Tell you what--open up any fig and put it under a microscope. You'll never eat a fig--or probably any fruit--ever again. I imagine the sight of thousands of little nematodes fucking and eating each other inside your fig will turn you off.

(yes, every fig that you would buy in a grocery store. You're welcome)

 

[nakedfrog]

I mean, this is just really normal in nature.

Tell you what--open up any fig and put it under a microscope. You'll never eat a fig--or probably any fruit--ever again. I imagine the sight of thousands of little nematodes fucking and eating each other inside your fig will turn you off.

(yes, every fig that you would buy in a grocery store. You're welcome)

Look, fucking each other inside my food is one thing, that's not on the same level as a parasite within a parasite. Some people pay good money to have their mouths fucked.

 

[IronWing]

Even thirty years ago the researchers should have known not to introduce exotic species into an ecosystem. This study was totally irresponsible.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Even thirty years ago the researchers should have known not to introduce exotic species into an ecosystem. This study was totally irresponsible.

With the sweeping damage we've already done to the environment, not really sure this much matters at this point.

 

[brianmanahan]

(yes, every fig that you would buy in a grocery store. You're welcome)

an average bar of chocolate contains 8 spider legs

 

[Paperdoc]

The butterflies story reminded me of an old poem from the late 1800's:

Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.
And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater fleas to go on;
While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on.

Source and history of this

Siphonaptera (poem) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

And this from Shakespear's Hamlet:

There are more things, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy

 

[zinfamous]

Look, fucking each other inside my food is one thing, that's not on the same level as a parasite within a parasite. Some people pay good money to have their mouths fucked.

Yes, that's why I said all of that is normal stuff. There's hundreds of species of parasitic wasps, and parasites for those wasps, also with their own parasites. It's all just...terribly common. I've done enough work with them that it's just a bit boring. And none of those things impact us humans at all. It's nothing to be concerned about when it comes to nature.

On the other hand, nematode blood orgies going on within every piece of fruit that you shove in your mouth probably does impact you. ....or it would if you knew about it. And now you do! That's what I'm here for.

 

[zinfamous]

an average bar of chocolate contains 8 spider legs

"insect parts," technically. They can't really control for the type of appendages and species that carries through the grinder. I think Chocolate has one of the higher tolerances for insect bits. Peanut butter is another one.

Honey is just straight up bee vomit.

 

[nakedfrog]

Yes, that's why I said all of that is normal stuff. There's hundreds of species of parasitic wasps, and parasites for those wasps, also with their own parasites. It's all just...terribly common. I've done enough work with them that it's just a bit boring. And none of those things impact us humans at all. It's nothing to be concerned about when it comes to nature.

On the other hand, nematode blood orgies going on within every piece of fruit that you shove in your mouth probably does impact you. ....or it would if you knew about it. And now you do! That's what I'm here for.

Doesn't impact me because I'm one of those weirdos that doesn't eat fruit

 

[Captante]

Honey is just straight up DELICIOUS bee vomit.

Fixed.

And whole-grain cereal is the real "winner" when it comes to "added protein"!!


I'll take an EXTRA LARGE helping of fornicating nematodes with mine!