Evolution and adaptation in Rhagovelia bedbugs

Genes at the origin of new traits giving access to a new environment chez la punaise Rhagovelia (Heteroptera, Gerromorpha, Veliidae) Evolutionary innovations result in the appearance of new structures or behaviours during evolution (ex lien), a coloration pattern in butterflies (lien). The theory predicts that these events of appearance are unique to each innovation and…

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The ovipositor of parasitoid hymenoptera: how micro-surgery is inspired by nature’s inventions

By Pascal ROUSSE In the world of parasitoids (lire this article), the ovipositor, also called oviscapte (abdominal appendix with which eggs are deposited), has a crucial role since it allows to locate precisely the egg laying in space and time, which is essential when it has to match the biological cycle of the host. Before…

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Conoderinae: the Brazilian weevil who thinks He’s a fly!

Widespread in Curculionidae beetles, also known as weevils, mimicry offers astonishing models of study in these Species. Two Brazilian entomologists, Sergio A. Vanin (department of zoology-university of Sao Paulo) and Tadeu J. Guerra (department of Biology-federal University of Minas Gerais), have described in 2012 a new remarkable species of weevil that mimics Flies of the…

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But where do the Ornebius of the Indian Ocean come from?

By Sylvain HUGEL The Mogoplistidae are a basal family of crickets, most of whose limbs are covered with flat, scaly bristles. None of them are capable of flying. A genus of Mogoplistidae is particularly diverse: the genus Ornebius which includes more than 100 species, mainly distributed in the Indo-Malaysian, Australian and Oceanian regions. Some species…

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Diptera Celyphidae: when flies mimic Beetles

The world of insects sometimes contains surprising and mysterious species. Diptera (“flies”) Celyphidae are among them. caption id=”attachment_3078″ align=”alignright” width=”301″] Paracelyphus hyacinthus (Source : Anthony KeiC Wong-Flickr)[/caption] The name of this family comes from the Greek word “κέλυφος” which can be translated as “box” or “shell” which characterizes the most striking characteristic of these insects:…

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