Todd Telander - Bugs & Slugs

Copyright 2014 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Illustrations 2014 Todd Telander

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, 246 Goose Lane, Suite 200, Guilford, CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Illustrations: Todd Telander

Project Editor: Staci Zacharski

Text Design: Sheryl P. Kober

Layout: Sue Murray

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-0-7627-8494-3

To my wife, Kirsten; my children, Miles and Oliver; and my parentsall of whom have supported and encouraged me through the years.

Contents

Introduction

Bugs & Slugs may be a catchy title for this pocket field guide, but it explores the lives of many more kinds of invertebrate animals and is designed to help the novice make sense of how these little creatures are organized into groups. For many of us, the term bug is used, often disparagingly, for any small invertebrate that creeps, slithers, burrows, climbs, or flies. But technically, true bugs are only one group of the vast diversity of insects. In addition, we will cover arachnids (including the spiders, ticks, mites, and scorpions), crustaceans (including the sowbugs and crabs), gastropods (including the snails and slugs), annelids (including the earthworms and leeches), and myriapods (including the millipedes and centipedes). The majority of species presented in this book can be found in your backyard, so with some patience, and perhaps a magnifying glass, you can easily learn about and acquaint yourself with a fascinating world that is most often overlooked and misunderstood. You may also find that creatures that were once feared are, when given respect, quite sociable and harmless, and essential components to a healthy ecosystem.

Notes about the Species Accounts

Names

The common name as well as the scientific name are given at the beginning of each entry. Of the two, the universally accepted scientific name of genus and species is the more reliable identifier, because common names tend to vary regionally and sometimes there is more than one, as may be noted in the Description section (see page viii). For those familiar with Latin, scientific names can also provide valuable clues about the species in question. The Dogbane Tiger Moths scientific name, Cycnia tenera , is a good example. Cycnia signifies a kind of swan, and tenera means soft or delicate. The translation suggests a moth with soft, swan-like coloring, which in fact is the case.

Orders and Classes

Insects and other invertebrates are grouped into orders and classes based on similar structures, behaviors, and common ancestry. In the Order or Class section youll find both the scientific name and the common one for each animals group. Once you are familiar with the more common orders and classes and their shared characteristics, you can often place an unfamiliar animal into an order, which will reduce your search to a smaller group.

Size

Sizes given refer to the length of the body, without legs, wings, or antennae. For some winged species, length of wingspan is given, from forewing tip to forewing tip with the wings outstretched. Use these measurements as a general guide to give a sense of the relative size of your subject, noting that there can be quite a bit of variability between different individuals of the same species, and in many cases, between the male and female.

Habitat

Habitat is the general description of the land, climate, and vegetative features within an animals range. Some are restricted to a very specific habitat, often tied to a certain food plant or climate, while others are quite general in their requirements.

Range

Range is the geographic area where a species exists. It can be very broad, such as the worldwide area inhabited by the Indian-Meal Moth, or quite limited, like the comparatively much smaller area of Southern California, home to the Desert Tarantula. Range is a helpful diagnostic tool because you can quickly note the species that you are likely to encounter in your area. But also be aware that there are cases when individuals carried by winds, or in migration, are found far from their normal range.

Description

The descriptions give plain-language lists of the general features and lifestyles of adults and larvae, though if scientific terms are needed for better accuracy, theyll be included. (Diagrams of scientifically labeled insect parts are provided on page ix.) Within each description youll find attributes such as body shape and color, style of antennae, hairiness, number of legs, wing shape, general behavior, and feeding habits. In many cases the eggs, larvae, and pupae may also be described.

Illustrations

The illustrations show the upper side of an average specimen of each species. Use them as a visual guide to overall shape, color, and patterning, bearing in mind that there may be considerable variation in appearance among individuals, particularly between males and females, or for species that have distinct forms in different ranges. For some large groups, such as the earthworms or millipedes, only one representative species is illustrated.

INSECTS

MAYFLIES

Mayflies (many species)

Order: Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

Size: 181" (without tail filaments)

Habitat: Freshwater streams, ponds, shallow lakes, and nearby habitats

Range: Throughout North America

The mayflies comprise a very large group of small, soft-bodied, delicate insects that are active not only in May, but throughout the summer as well. Adults have two pairs (seldom one pair) of thin, triangular wings, with the hindwing substantially smaller than the forewing, and both held closed high over the back when at rest. The abdomen is long and thin, and ends in two or three tail filaments that are up to two times as long as the body. They are generally plainly colored shades of yellow and brown with clear wings (darker in subadults). The nymphs are entirely aquatic, living under submerged rocks and logs for up to four years, molting into terrestrial forms that molt one more time to the mature adults. Adults do not feed and typically live for only one day or less. They are an important food source for many freshwater fish; indeed, many artificial flies used by anglers are made to look like mayflies. The Golden Mayfly adult is illustrated.