Janey Levy - Tiny Bugs Up Close

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Levy, Janey.

Tiny bugs up close / Janey Levy.

p. cm. (Under the microscope)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-4339-8351-1 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-1-4339-8352-8 (6-pack)

ISBN 978-1-4339-8350-4 (library binding)

1. InsectsJuvenile literature. 2. MicroscopyJuvenile literature. 3. Microbiology

Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: Under the microscope.

QL467.2.L48 2014

595.02dc23

2012047156

First Edition

Published in 2014 by

Gareth Stevens Publishing

111 East 14th Street, Suite 349

New York, NY 10003

Copyright 2014 Gareth Stevens Publishing

Designer: Katelyn E. Reynolds

Editor: Therese Shea

Photo credits: Cover, .

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Printed in the United States of America

CPSIA compliance information: Batch #CS13GS: For further information contact Gareth Stevens, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595.

CONTENTS

Words in the glossary appear in bold type the first time they are used in the text.

THE WORLD OF BUGS

DID YOU KNOW?

It would take more than 6,000 pages in a book to list the scientific names of all the known insect species.

We like to think of humans as the most successful animal on Earth. There are more than 7 billion people on Earth. They live in all sorts of insects on Earthabout 57 million times the number of people!

Scientists have identified more than 1.5 million species, or kinds, of animals. About 1 million of these are insects, and scientists discover thousands more species every year. Some believe there could be more than 10 million insect species. And, like people, insects live almost everywhere on Earth. Only the oceans have small numbers of insects.

Some people collect insects. Since there are about a million insect species that we know of, collections can be quite large!

ADAPTED TO SUCCEED

Insects have adapted to live in any environment where they can find food. They live in tropical rainforests and dry deserts. They live in polar regions, on glaciers, and in caves deep in the earth. You can find them in cold mountain streams and in hot springs. Some even live in pools of raw petroleum, or oil, where they eat other insects that fall in.

Many kinds of fairy flies have wings like the one pictured here.

THE TEENY, TINY FAIRY FLY

Fairy flies are among the smallest insects in the world. Theyre only about 0.01 inch (0.25 mm) long. That means theyre small enough to go through the eye of a needle! There are more than 1,400 species of these tiny insects, and, in spite of their name, they arent really flies. Theyre wasps that lay their eggs inside other insects eggs. When the wasp larvae hatch, they eat the host insect still growing in its egg!

, three main body parts, six legs, and antennae, or feelers. Most have wings, too. Arachnids also have an exoskeleton, but they have two main body parts, eight legs, and no antennae or wings. About 90,000 arachnid species exist worldwide.

When people think of bugs, they often picture creatures such as bumblebees, grasshoppers, butterflies, and large spiders such as tarantulas. But most insects are less than 0.25 inch (6.4 mm) long. And arachnids can be as small as 0.003 inch (0.08 mm) long! The smallest bugs are difficult to see without a microscope. But they can have a big effect on our lives.

DID YOU KNOW?

Insects and arachnids have been on Earth at least 400 million years. That means they were here long before the dinosaurs!

wood tick

MENACING MOSQUITOES

DID YOU KNOW?

Mosquitoes belong to the large group of insects called flies. In fact, mosquito is Spanish for little fly.

No matter where you live, youve probably had experiences with mosquitoesand their bites. Worldwide, over 3,000 mosquito species exist. Most are only about 0.25 inch (6.4 mm) long. But in spite of their tiny size, some can be deadly. Their bite can transmit diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and West Nile virus.

You might be surprised to learn that only female mosquitoes bite. And the blood they drink from their victims isnt food for them. They need it to help the eggs inside their body develop. Food for adult mosquitoes comes from plant juices.

Most of us quickly brush a mosquito away when we hear the hum of its beating wings or feel it bite. But a close look reveals a rather amazing creature.

This illustration shows the three main divisions of a mosquitos body: the head, thorax, and abdomen. All insects have three body sections.

A MOSQUITOS BODY

Most mosquitoes are black, brown, gray, or tan, although a few are bright blue or green. Thin scales and fine, threadlike structures cover the mosquitos body and wings. Veins carry blood to the thin wings and stiffen and support them. Holes called spiracles run along the sides of the body and allow the mosquito to breathe. A pair of claws on each leg lets the mosquito cling to flat surfaces.

This amazing close-up clearly shows the mosquitos compound eyes and the proboscis piercing the skin. OUCH!

GOTCHA!

Different mosquito species prefer the blood of different animals. How do they find their victims? Mosquitoes have many ways. Their antennae can detect the in sweat. Mosquitoes vision isnt very good, but they can easily see movement. In addition, they can detect heat. With all these abilities, its no wonder theyre so good at finding victims!

A mosquitos headthe body section that delivers the annoying biteis fascinating up close. Two huge compound eyes, each made of thousands of lenses, cover most of the head. Between the eyes are two antennae, which the insect uses to hear and smell.

A mosquitos mouth is funnel shaped and lacks jaws. That means a female mosquito cant really bite her victims. Instead, she pierces the skin using a tubelike part called the proboscis that extends down from the mouth. Inside the proboscis are six needlelike parts called stylets. The female mosquito stabs her victims skin with these. Mosquito saliva, or spit, flows into the wound to keep the blood from clotting. Then, the insect uses her proboscis like a straw to suck up blood!