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Lights out? Experts fear fireflies are dwindling
(AP) -- Preecha Jiabyu used to take tourists on a rowboat to see the banks of the Mae Klong River aglow with thousands of fireflies. These days, all he sees are the fluorescent lights of hotels, restaurants and highway overpasses. He says he'd have to row a good two miles to see trees lit up with the magical creatures of his younger days.
A new species of predatory bagworm from Panama's tropical forest
University of Panama and Smithsonian researchers report the discovery of a new Bagworm Moth species, in the
Annals of the Entomology Society of America. Unlike nearly all other Bagworms,
Perisceptis carnivora have predatory larvae. Strangest of all, according to Annette Aiello, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the adult moths wrap their eggs individually in beautiful cases fashioned from golden abdominal hairs called setae, a behavior unique among insects.
Masters of disguise: Secrets of nature's 'great pretenders' revealed
A gene which helps a harmless African butterfly ward off predators by giving it wing patterns like those of toxic species, has been identified by scientists who publish their findings today.
Oil palm research in context: Identifying the need for biodiversity assessment
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) cultivation has expanded dramatically in recent decades and is frequently cited as a major threat to tropical biodiversity. This is because oil palm is grown in lowland tropical regions and so impacts on the most biodiverse terrestrial habitats: tropical rainforests. Analysis of the published literature by scientists led by Edgar Turner at the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge has revealed significant changes in the focus of oil palm research over the last 30 years. The findings are published in
PLoS ONE on February 13.
After more than 100 years apart, webworms devastate New Zealand parsnips
What could be lower than the lowly parsnip, a root once prized for its portable starchiness but which was long ago displaced by the more palatable potato? Perhaps only the parsnip webworm gets less respect. An age-old enemy of the parsnip, the webworm is one of very few insects able to overcome the plant’s chemical defenses. The tenacious parsnip webworm has followed the weedy version of the parsnip in its transit from its ancestral home in Eurasia to Europe, North America and – most recently – New Zealand.
Parasite morphs ant into ripe red berry
A newly discovered parasite so dramatically transforms its host, an ant, that the ant comes to resemble a juicy red berry, ripe for picking, according to a report accepted for publication in
The American Naturalist. This is the first example of fruit mimicry caused by a parasite, the co-authors say.
New species of butterfly discoverd
A team of London-based explorers discovered a new species of butterfly in the northern reaches of the Andes mountain range in South America.
New research provides better understanding of the birds and the bees
Researchers from Indiana University Southeast and the University of Florida have discovered important information about the origin of flowering plants and how they reproduce.
