Tonight’s challenge: actual questions from the IB109 Insects & People final exam. How well do you know general entomology?
1. Arthropod exoskeletons are composed primarily of:
a. sericin & fibroin
b. formic & tannic acids
c. deoxyribonucleic acids
d. chitin & sclerotin2. Dipterans are unique among insects for their in-flight stability and maneuverability. Why?
a. They have halteres that act like gyroscopes
b. They have descending contralateral movement detectors
c. Their ocelli can detect polarized light
d. Their wings are linked with hamuli3. What does a plastron do?
a. it anchors the honey bee sting in place
b. it shields the flight wings in beetles
c. helps lice grasp the hairs of its host
d. retains air to help aquatic insects breathe4. How are parasitoids are different from parasites?
a. They are smaller
b. They usually kill their host
c. They prefer to attack aphids
d. all of the above5. Choose the Muellerian mimic:
a. a hover fly that looks like an aposematic bee
b. a hemipteran that resembles a thorn
c. a toxic viceroy butterfly that looks like a toxic monarch butterfly
d. an ant-eating spider that looks like ants6. Locusts are defined as grasshoppers that:
a. cause extensive crop damage
b. have a seventeen-year life cycle
c. shift between solitary and gregarious forms
d. are polyphagous7. Which insect and region of origin are correctly associated?
a. India — lac scale
b. Africa — Aedes albopictus
c. Australia — cochineal scale
d. Mexico — silkworm8. What is an instar?
a. A discrete developmental stage between molts
b. a young life stage of a hemimetabolous insect
c. a parasite of plant-galling insects
d. a disc of tissue in holometabolous larvae that develops into the adult appendages9. In which order of insects are all species carnivorous?
a. Hymenoptera
b. Coleoptera
c. Phasmida
d. Odonata10. Why are giant, 10-foot tall insects thought to be impossible?
a. when they evolve they are immediately killed by the U.S. military
b. their cuticle is incapable of retaining enough moisture
c. their respiratory system is incapable of delivering enough oxygen to their tissues
d. they require more food than is possible for them to catch
I will award one point per question to the first correct answer for each.
The cumulative points winner for the month of December will win their choice of 1) any 8×10-sized print from my photo galleries, or 2) a guest post here on Myrmecos.
Good luck!
A personal blog by Illinois-based biologist and photographer Alex Wild.
I’m going to start with these two, and post as I go along:
1. d. chitin & sclerotin
2. a. They have halteres that act like gyroscopes
3. d. retains air to help aquatic insects breathe
4. b. They usually kill their host
5. c. a toxic viceroy butterfly that looks like a toxic monarch butterfly
6. c. shift between solitary and gregarious form
7. a. India — lac scale
(But b. Africa — Aedes albopictus is an introduced species there, but it is not its region of origin).
8. a. A discrete developmental stage between molts
9. d. Odonata
10. c. their respiratory system is incapable of delivering enough oxygen to their tissues
d a d b c a b a d c
d a d b c c a a d c?
I prefer answer A for #10, tho.
Darnit! Slow again— but:
D A D B C C B? A D C
And I agree with Ainsley. Giant insects would totally be awesome (and a military target).
dadbacaadc
I feel pretty good about most of my answers, even if I’m late in getting them: 1d, 2a, 3a, 4b, 5a, 6c, 7a, 8a, 9d, 10c
I admit I have no idea what a plastron is.
8/10 after zero classes in entomology. I’ll consider that a kind of victory and award myself 3 points, which I will spend on beer.
1. D
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. C
7. A
8. A
9. D
10. C
dadbacaadc
correction: dadbccaadc
Oh no I over slept! This is just like real tests at school!
c, c, c, c, c, c, c, c, c, c,
d,a,d,b,c,c,d,b,d,b
Dadbccaadc
I think? Entomology very rusty?
Answers were already given but the test is amazing. I’ll keep in my record to use one day with students!!
DACBDCDADC
A couple of complete guesses in there!
Ah, fond memories of taking and teaching entomology courses. (Is there a wistful smiley?)
By the way, I suggest we bring back the “Hyperoxygenic”, so we wouldn’t even have to ask #10!
Oh yeah, and:
11. (Fill in) What are the Latin and American and Canadian English names of the organism at the top of the page? (Extra credit for the French one. Extra,extra credit if you know a Spanish one)
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
X_____________________________________
XX____________________________________
Latin : Locusta migratoria
)
American : Migratory locust
Canadian English name : ??
French : Criquet migrateur (easy for me
Tagalog: Tipaklong
Cebuano: Lukton
Tired of waiting:
Dissosteira carolina
Carolina (grass)hopper, black-winged grasshopper (Can.)
I was hoping to learn the French and Spanish names, but no such luck, I guess.
[...] After some delay, here at last is the answer key to Monday’s Mystery: [...]