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Coincidentiaoppositorum
deep psychedelic


Registered: 10/27/14
Posts: 1,965
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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fascinating facts about tree crickets (cicadas)
#22223193 - 09/11/15 05:36 PM (8 years, 4 months ago) |
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Magicicada is the genus of the 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas of eastern North America.
After 13 or 17 years, mature cicada nymphs emerge at any given locality, synchronously and in tremendous numbers.
Most cicadas are cryptic.
In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an organism to avoid observation or detection by other organisms. It may be either a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation, and methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle, transparency, and mimicry.[1] The word can also be used in the context of eggs[2] and pheromone production.[3] Crypsis can in principle involve visual, olfactory or auditory camouflage
Predator satiation (less commonly called predator saturation) is an antipredator adaptation in which prey occur at high population densities, reducing the probability of an individual organism being eaten.[2] When predators are flooded with potential prey, they can consume only a certain amount, so by occurring at high densities prey benefit from a safety in numbers effect. This strategy has evolved in a diverse range of prey, including notably many species of plants, insects, and fish. Predator satiation can be considered a type of refuge from predators.
Some periodical cicada (Magicicada) species erupt in large numbers from their larval stage at intervals in years that are prime numbers, 13 or 17.[4] At high density sites, research finds that the number eaten by birds does not increase with the number of cicada individuals and the risk of predation for each individual decreases.
In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis (hemimetabolism) before reaching its adult stage.[1] Unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult. In addition, while a nymph moults it never enters a pupal stage. Instead, the final moult results in an adult insect.[2] Nymphs undergo multiple stages of development called instars.
was hypothesized that the emergence period of large prime numbers (13 and 17 years) was a predator avoidance strategy adopted to eliminate the possibility of potential predators receiving periodic population boosts by synchronizing their own generations to divisors of the cicada emergence period.
This hypothesis was subsequently supported through a series of mathematical models, and stands as the most widely accepted explanation of the unusually lengthy and mathematically precise immature period of these insects.[17] The length of the cycle was hypothesized to be controlled by a single gene locus, with the 13-year cycle dominant to the 17-year one.,[18] but this interpretation remains controversial and unexplored at the DNA level. - -------------------------- Everything above was sourced from wikipedia -----------------------------------
These insects fascinate me, Plus I love all the seemingly alchemical language involved, with MAGICicada's, nymphs, and so on...
Their ability to only occur on large prime number cycles (13 or 17 year cycles) is specially intriguing as well...as well as their strategy to avoid predation.
Fascinating creatures.
-E. Borodin
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Coincidentiaoppositorum
deep psychedelic


Registered: 10/27/14
Posts: 1,965
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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One of the largest types of praying mantis, the Devil’s Flower Mantis is also one of the strangest. And that’s saying a lot when you’re talking about praying mantids. Females of the species can measure up to 5 inches (13 cm) long, and have developed a range of natural coloring that allows them to mimic the Devil’s Flower, a type of orchid-http://listverse.com/2013/03/10/10-insects-that-belong-in-an-alien-world/
This link has some crazy insects!
The devils flower mantis specially.
the Brazilian Treehopper looked awesome too, it looks like an alien, but in the text it says that picture is a model, though I did Google some pictures, they all have that crazy appendage on their head.
This caterpillar design is a trip!
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Coincidentiaoppositorum
deep psychedelic


Registered: 10/27/14
Posts: 1,965
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Coincidentiaoppositorum
deep psychedelic


Registered: 10/27/14
Posts: 1,965
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Bocydium globulare
 Members of the genus Bocydium are found only in the northern half of South America. The various species range from 4.6 to 7.5 mm in length (Godoy et al., 2006).
The purpose of the balls on the pronotal extensions has not been definitively explained.
Bocydium globulare is a solitary species. These hoppers are most often found feeding on the undersides of Glory Bush leaves (Miconia spp.) a couple of meters above the forest floor. The species is also attracted to lights. http://www.americaninsects.net/h/bocydium-globulare.html
These things are crazy, but there's not very much information out there on them.
A very trippy creature....
-E. Borodin
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Sun King



Registered: 02/15/14
Posts: 4,069
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This is what it was like when I was in a locust swarm in the 60s.
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OrgoneConclusion
Blue Fish Group



Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 45,414
Loc: Under the C
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Re: fascinating facts about tree crickets (cicadas) [Re: Sun King]
#22228576 - 09/12/15 07:10 PM (8 years, 4 months ago) |
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That's why they are called a murder of crows.
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Sun King



Registered: 02/15/14
Posts: 4,069
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Re: fascinating facts about tree crickets (cicadas) [Re: OrgoneConclusion]
#22228812 - 09/12/15 08:08 PM (8 years, 4 months ago) |
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Edited by Sun King (09/12/15 08:18 PM)
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