Mushroom ants have the particularity of feeding exclusively on a Basidiomycete fungus, which they grow on a substrate fed by the collection of pieces of
Étiquette : evolution
A beetle that is not lacking in spiciness: Onychocerus albitarsis
Anatomical structures whose role is venom injection have appeared independently in several orders of arthropods. They can thus be found in Chelerates (scorpions and spiders),
Phylogeny of Dictyoptera: origin of cockroaches, termites and mantis religions
Cockroaches, termites and mantis, despite obvious morphological and behavioural differences, share a common ancestor and belong to the order Dictyoptera. The small quantity of fossils
Cryoprotection: the art of surviving extreme cold
In the Arctic and subarctic regions, living organisms must, during winter, survive extreme temperatures sometimes reaching -60°C. There are two strategies for this: Protect from
Morpho’s blue colour: a structural origin
Color is not an intrinsic characteristic (own to) of living objects and organisms. It depends on the type of receivers and the information processing process
Mechanisms at the origin of defensive spraying in beetle bombers
Threatened, the bombardier beetles spray from their abdomen an irritating defensive liquid by a succession of very fast jets. This phenomenon begins in the pygidial
Weta: giant insects from New Zealand
Regions of the world, geographically isolated from other continents for millions of years, have allowed the appearance of unique, rare and incredible animal and plant
Publication in the journal Nature/Heredity of some of my results on Heliconius butterflies
Heliconius within the « Institute of Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity » of Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris (UMR 7205-CNRS) and on the Gamboa site (Panama) of
Insect wings are also gyroscopes!
Insects have flying capabilities far beyond what robotics engineers can produce. However, the control of manoeuvres and posture during the flight remains to this day
Revision of lepidopteran (butterfly) phylogeny
The discovery of a new lepidopteran family, unpublished since the 1970s, was made with the capture of a small butterfly on « Kangaroo Island » (Australia). An
