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Dear Bug Girl....

Originally posted by espritch

Why are there no insects that live in the ocean? Given how plentiful they are in every other imaginable habitat (including fresh water), why have they never managed to return to the sea?
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Interesting question!

Part of the explanation may lie in the insects' close evolutionary history with that of flowering plants which underwent an explosive evolution in the Cretaceous. Many insects are pollinators and are entirely dependent on flowers for food.
 
bug_girl said:


Clarification question: assasin bugs??
were these by any chance orange and black boxelder bugs, or milkweed bugs?
Assasin bugs are predatory, and very rarely go walkabout in people's houses.
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No orange coloration......mainly black/shades of brown. It was not the variety known as a wheelbug with that spiny looking thing on it's thorax.


Most of them were outside the house---occasionaly though I'd get one flying around inside the house.......

Nasty things---I know they're predators and eat lots of other pests----but I don't like them....my wife hates them.

I have no problem with spiders. It's live & let live as far as they go-----but these things are creepy......
 
Capsid said:

Part of the explanation may lie in the insects' close evolutionary history with that of flowering plants which underwent an explosive evolution in the Cretaceous. Many insects are pollinators and are entirely dependent on flowers for food.
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I think you are probably right about that. Also that insect respiratory systems would have difficulty in a salty aquatic environment. But primarily, i'd say Capsid has the main reason with his link to Angiosperms. (Or whatever the new name is for flowering plants. Botanists are the biggest splitters ever!:p )
 
Don't know what the theoretical upper size limit on bugs is, but they used to be a lot bigger. There are fossil creepy crawlies from the Carboniferous at least a foot across (Dragonflies) and some big spiders too.
A big bug is a vulnerable bug though. As other beasties got bigger, faster and smarter and moved into more habitats, bugs became dinner for many of them. Becoming smaller and better camouflaged may have been a positive step.
I suspect they found life tricky when dinosaurs took to the wing, for instance. I wonder if any night flying bugs can jam bat sonar??
 
Soapy Sam said:
Don't know what the theoretical upper size limit on bugs is, but they used to be a lot bigger. There are fossil creepy crawlies from the Carboniferous at least a foot across (Dragonflies) and some big spiders too.
A big bug is a vulnerable bug though. As other beasties got bigger, faster and smarter and moved into more habitats, bugs became dinner for many of them. Becoming smaller and better camouflaged may have been a positive step.
I suspect they found life tricky when dinosaurs took to the wing, for instance.
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Actually, the big bugs were mostly gone by the time of dinosaurs. There was a lot of speculation that the atmospheric concentrations of water and/or oxygen was greater in the past, allowing bugs to get bigger. However, evidence has been mixed on this so far.
Being small is just a much more efficient way to live for an animal. (oh dear, physics again:D )
 
Aoidoi said:
Any recommendations on how to keep earwigs out of a house? :)
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get a dehumidifyer. Seriously.
They like things damp.
Oddly enough, southern earwigs don't ever seem to actually pinch, but northern earwigs will grab your finger and hold on tight.
When i first moved up north, I didn't know this and picked one up in class. Free entertainment for my students :D
 
bug_girl thanks for that. The Tree Of Life link is amazing.

Another question – can insect wings repair themselves if torn?
 
bug_girl said:


Actually, the big bugs were mostly gone by the time of dinosaurs. There was a lot of speculation that the atmospheric concentrations of water and/or oxygen was greater in the past, allowing bugs to get bigger. However, evidence has been mixed on this so far.
Being small is just a much more efficient way to live for an animal. (oh dear, physics again:D )
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That´s why I asked about the size...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/3517980.stm

I know, its not an insect, lol. But is more massive than the meganeura. I wonder how agile it could have been. Easy protein source, possibly.

Still, given my usual feeling towards spiders:
[high pitched voice mode]
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKK!
[/high pitched voice mode]

Q: Why am I always the one who finds the spider (EEEEEEK!) and why they seem to be attracted by me (EEEEEEEEK)?

No, I have not ordered any pherormones, LOL! :p
 
shoot, correa, there isn't any info on just *how* big this spider fossil actually is on that page...do you happen to know?
 
Correa Neto said:

Q: Why am I always the one who finds the spider (EEEEEEK!) and why they seem to be attracted by me (EEEEEEEEK)?
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Just like Cats, spiders know who does and doesn't like them.

They are energized by the high frequency of your squeals, and seek individuals out that are known shriekers. One good scream can reduce the egg maturation time of an orb weaver by 2-3 days.

In order to find you more effectively, I'm afraid spiders have posted your name and address on their website.

(ba dump bump!:D )
 
bug_girl said:
shoot, correa, there isn't any info on just *how* big this spider fossil actually is on that page...do you happen to know?
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According to a friend of mine who digs spiders, a diameter (leg-to-leg, IIRC) of 0.5m.

Oh, found also this-
http://www.amonline.net.au/spiders/diversity/what/largest.htm

Even if its just a spider-like arachinid...
[bass voice mode]
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!
[/bass voice mode]

See? Followed your tip again.

Funny, and I do like scorpions and pseudoscorpions... Go figure...
 
i hate to tell you this, but a bass voice promotes sperm production in spiders.




:D :p :D
 
JSFolk said:
Aerocontrols, you might be interested in the book "Plagues and Peoples " that discusses the effects of various diseases on human history. (Many of these diseases are insect-borne)
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That is a very cool book, and i would add "Yellow Fever, Black Goddess."
Tremendous at both teaching about history and disease, and giving you a feel for the human suffering involved.

Edit to add: Yellow Fever, Black Goddess: The Coevolution of People and Plagues.
by Christopher Wills
 
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