A U.S. entomologist has discovered several new aquatic insect species in Thailand and some of the bugs pack quite a powerful bite.
University of Missouri-Columbia researcher Robert Sites said some of the newly discovered insects have a serious bite.
"It's much, much worse than a bee or wasp sting," said Sites. "I was bitten in the pad of my little finger, and I felt intense pain all the way to my elbow for a good 30 minutes."
Working with researchers from universities in Thailand, Slovenia and the United States, Sites discovered more than 50 new insect species during a three-year study in Thailand's national parks.
Of the discoveries, Sites has formally described 12 of the new insects and prepared written detailed analyses of their physical characteristics. He said six belong to the family Gerridae, commonly referred to as water striders; the remaining are members of the family Aphelocheiridae. Despite the painful bite, none are dangerous to humans, Sites said.
Sites' findings are being published on an on-going basis. His most recently published study appeared in the March issue of the journal Annals of the Entomological Society of America.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
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.
Glow worms glimmer on cue
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Queensland researcher and lecturer Dr David Merritt has discovered Tasmanian cave glow-worms are energy conservationists: they switch their lights off at night-time.
Fighting ash borer: To spray or not to spray?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Perhaps the only good news in the Aug. 4 announcement that emerald ash borers have been found in southeastern Wisconsin is that the invasive pest took its time getting here.
Violent sex acts boost insect's immunity system
The long-held idea that only vertebrates have sophisticated adaptive immune systems that can protect them for life against many pathogens after being infected by them just once has been revised in recent years. It turns out that many insects also have a form of immune memory that protects them against reinvasion by a pathogen they have previously encountered. This was just one of the striking discoveries discussed at the recent conference on Innate Immunity and the Environment, organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF).
Which came first, the moth or the cactus?
It's not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket… unless you're a senita moth.
Biting Discovery: Entomologist Finds Host of New Aquatic Insect Species in Thailand
While in Thailand, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher found a treasure trove of previously unknown information about aquatic insects in the country. In the process, he learned firsthand that a few of these little critters pack quite a punch when they bite.
Research reveals how cells process large genes
Important messages require accurate transmission. Big genes are especially challenging because they combine many coding segments (exons) that lie between long stretches of non-coding elements (introns). During processing, introns are snipped out and exons pasted together to form a template for proteins called messenger RNA (mRNA). Mistakes in RNA processing can reduce the expression of a functional protein or, worse, produce an abnormal protein that interferes with normal cell behavior. But just how a cell's molecular machinery eliminates long introns without making errors has puzzled scientists for years.
Widespread Arctic warming crosses critical ecological thresholds, scientists warn
Unprecedented and maybe irreversible effects of Arctic warming, linked to human intervention, have been discovered by a team of international researchers led by Queen's University biologist John Smol and University of Alberta earth scientist Alexander Wolfe. The researchers have found dramatic new evidence of changes in the community composition of freshwater algae, water fleas and insect larvae (the base of most aquatic food webs) in a large new study that covers five circumpolar countries extending halfway around the world and 30 degrees of latitude spanning boreal forest to high arctic tundra ecosystems.