Here’s your 13th edition of Expiscor. Some curious discoveries from the past week – from bugs to biology, field shirts to ecosystem services: it’s all here:
- It’s a holiday today in Quebec – St. Jean Baptiste day – lots of fireworks and celebrations this past weekend! Did you know Quebec has a Provincial insect? By public vote… here’s the winner! It’s time for the rest of Canada to get with the program.
- OK, never mind the insects –> back to Arachnids: Check out this rather stunning Opiliones! (aka Harvestmen)
- Some great (spidery) papers out this past week – this one describes an orb-web spider that ‘hides’ during the day by staying very, very still (so the Ants don’t notice it…).
- Spider implicated in carbon exchange: the ‘fear’ induced by spiders (on herbivores) can affect carbon flux. Scary, indeed.
- Spider sex is pretty dangerous business… in this case, the male enters a coma after the big event. Reminds me of work from a few year ago in which spontaneous male death occurs DURING copulation. Sheesh.
- Spiders: They are so middle class (thanks Simon for that link!)
- Taxonomic palindromes. There is one for spiders.. Anelosimus sumisolena (thanks to Morgan Jackson & Joseph Brown for that!)
- Do spiders scream? I got an email about this… and thought it was bogus. However, spiders can make various sounds (e.g., see this courtship video!), and there are reports of Theraphosa blondi making defensive hissing sounds. (thanks to Catherine Scott for useful information about this!)
- Curious creature… what is it? (mystery solved, thanks to Twitter!). Big thanks to Daniel Llavaneras for allowing me to post the image here)
And it’s an Endomycidae beetle!
- Will your holidays be productive? In this paper, a new species of Silphidae beetle from the Solomon Islands was discovered (in a museum) while one of the authors was on holiday on Hawaii. Impressive! I’m not usually that productive when I’m on holiday.
- Speaking of museums, herbarium specimens reveal the footprint of climate change… another reason to data-base museum specimens!
- Work-life balance? A fantastic ecological story of Ants and Peonies and more (from Malcolm Campbell)
- Buzz buzz: National Pollinator Week was last week! To celebrate, check out the beetle-bee mimic by Adrian Thysse. And, don’t forget that mosquitoes pollinator flowers too..
- speaking of our favourite flies…Homeopathic mosquito repellant (Mozi-Q). No, folks, it doesn’t work.
- More on mosquitoes: this well known mosquito scientist (Dr. Cameron Webb) has other interests (I LOVE this!): Making music from environmental sounds.
- Trilobites everywhere! Indeed!
- Mutant silkworms spin fluorescent silk in 3 colours. Great title… and great images, too.
- The Tweet of the week goes to….Steven Hamblin. My interpretation is seasonal, as summer is upon us here in Montreal. I recall being bored in the summer, and sometimes wish that feeling could return. It seems boredom doesn’t occur in adulthood (at least for me):
- The ever-so-interesting E.O. Wilson: advice for future scientists.
- Stowaway snails? Snails as food? Regardless, this story tells of how these molluscs point to the trails of ancient seafarers. Outstanding. (thank Sam Evans, for the link)
- The life cycle of an old beloved field shirt. (spoiler: now people sit on it…) – thanks Jamin for the link!
- How to turn your cellphone into a dolphin. WHAT!!!!???
- Speaking of the ocean, some good news: right whales spotted off BC coast – first time in 62 year. Hmm – did the crew of the Starship Enterprise have something to do with that?
- Grab me a double-double, you hoser. 11 Canadian words that most Americans don’t understand.
- Summertime – Swedish style. All you want to know about Swedish midsummer. Pickled herring, beer, singing, dancing (like a frog) oh my. (thanks, Staffan, for the link – MOST enjoyable!)
- What are ecosystem services? …sometimes a difficult concept to explain. Thankfully, Ecosystem Services Montreal has a video to help us. Superb.
Arthropod Ecology 