Arthro-Pod

Arthro-Pod EP 163: A Dip into Strepsiptera

 Today's episode is a twisted one! After meeting one of our listeners a while back, there was a request for a deep dive into the world of strepsiptera, aka the twisted wing parasites. This order of insects may not be a big one, but they do hold a lot of surprises. Mike leads Jody and Jonathan through a tour of their biology, taxonomy, and why they are so useful for students who are in an insect collection course. Tune in!Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEntoGet the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 162: The Insect Head

Hello bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang will be taking you on a journey through the first section of an insect's body, the head. This magnificent center for information gathering and processing has many wonderful adaptations of internal and external anatomy that it's truly a marvel to dissect and consider. Tune in to hear all about how the insect head came to be, what important processes occur in the head, and how fun it is to have your esophagus run through the middle of your brain! Show notesJoro spider: https://jorowatch.org/  Link to 1975 Head Problem Paper Antennae Compound eyes How bees see
flowers: https://photographyoftheinvisibleworld.blogspot.com/2007/10/simulated-bee-vision-ii.html Treehopper heads: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/treehoppers-bizarre-wondrous-helmets-use-wing-genes-grow-180973713/  
 Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEntoGet the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 161: Insect Decline with Dr. Eliza Grames

 Hello bug lovers and welcome back to Arthro-Pod! On today's show, the gang sits down with Dr. Eliza Grames of Binghamton University to talk about insects in decline. Terms like "insect apocalypse" are used in the media often and people have been asking Extension professionals about the gradual disappearance of things like fireflies and monarchs, Eliza helps to unpack what we know is happening with bug populations across the world. Plus, learn how scientists dissect huge stacks of data to better understand these declines and what fewer bugs might mean for things like birds. Tune in for all of it!Show noteshttps://elizagrames.github.io/https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118 Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEntoGet the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod 160: Malaria History and Eradication

Hello bug lovers and mosquito haters! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, Michael and Jonathan delve into the long history between malaria and humanity. You won't believe the most famous folks taken down by this disease/pathogen! Plus we track the trail of malaria to the Americas and conclude the show with a discussion on the saga of malaria eradication in the United State's southern region. Tune in won't you?? Show notes-Humphreys, Margaret. Malaria Poverty, Race, and Public Health in the United States. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. Print.How four once common diseases were eliminated from the American South by Margaret Humphreyshttps://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301065?journalCode=ajph  Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEntoGet the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 159: The Basics of Malaria

Welcome back to Arthro-Pod! On today's episode, we begin a deep dive into the long history of malaria and its interactions with humanity. World Malaria Day was last month on April 25th, which is a global day of recognition for the many efforts under way to try and eliminate one of our species' oldest foes. In this episode, you can join you can join Jonathan and Jody in listening to Michael elucidate the biology of malaria and the types that afflict humans.  Show notes-https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/malaria/symptoms-causes/syc-20351184#overview https://www.paho.org/en/topics/malaria  Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEntoGet the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 158: The Bugs of Fallout

Hello vault dwellers and bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang dips their toes into the cultural zeitgeist to talk about the video game/television show "Fallout" and more specifically about the horrible mutated arthropods that exist in that universe. Tune in to hear about the biology of giant "radroaches", feel the sting of the "stingwing", and maybe befriend your own mothman. It's a lot of fun to look at the entomological basis and designs of these critters and hash out which of them are the best from our buggy perspective. Show notes-These notes will be most helpful since we are talking about some visual material in this episode! Look below for some pics of each monster we discuss. RadroachesRadroach from Fallout 4. Via Fallout Wiki.Radroaches as seen in Fallout: New Vegas. Via Fallout Wiki.Radroaches as seen in the Fallout television series (Season 1, episode 5: The Past). Via the Fallout Wiki.BloatflyBloatfly as seen in Fallout 3. Via the Fallout Wiki.Bloatfly as seen in Fallout 4. Via the Fallout Wiki.Bloatfly as seen in Fallout 76. Via the Fallout Wiki.AntsGiant ant as seen in Fallout 2. Via the Fallout Wiki.Giant ant workers as seen in Fallout 3. Via the Fallout Wiki.Giant ant queen as seen in Fallout 3. Via the Fallout Wiki.Giant fire ants in action, as seen in the Fallout 3 quest "Those!". Via the Fallout Wiki.Giant ants as seen in Fallout 76. Notice how the design has changed between games. Via the Fallout Wiki.RadscorpionRadscorption as seen in Fallout (1). Via the Fallout Wiki.Radscorpion and albino radscorpion as seen in Fallout 3. Via the Fallout Wiki.Radscorpions as seen in Fallout 4. Via the Fallout Wiki.Various radscorpions as seen in Fallout 76. Via the Fallout Wiki.BloodbugExamples of bloodbugs as seen in Fallout 4. Via the Fallout Wiki.Bloodbug as seen in Fallout 76. Via the Fallout Wiki.StingwingStingwings as seen in Fallout 4. Via the Fallout Wiki.Details of a stingwing tail. Note how it is a stinger instead of clasping organs as in normal scorpionflies. Via the Fallout Wiki.Stingwing nests, with a yellow honey-like substance. This is not based on real scorpionflies whatsoever. Via the Fallout Wiki.Stingwings in Fallout 76. The design seems to have suffered quite a bit. Via the Fallout Wiki.MirelurkA mirelurk, as seen in Fallout 3. This design is kind of a bipedal crab thing. Via the Fallout Wiki.A mirelurk king, as seen in Fallout 3. This design is more fishman than bipedal crab. Via the Fallout Wiki.A mirelurk as seen in Fallout 4. This design is more crab centaur. Via the Fallout Wiki.A mirelurk hunter as seen in Fallout 4. Obviously based on a mantis shrimp, this is somehow the same species as the more crab-like mirelurks. Via the Fallout Wiki.A mirelurk king as seen in Fallout 4. Another fishman design for the king. Via the Fallout Wiki.Giant hermit crabA giant hermit crab, as seen in Fallout 4: Far Harbor.  One of the most realistic designs we've encountered. Via the Fallout Wiki. HoneybeastA honey beast, as seen in Fallout 76. This is a pretty disappointing design considering the other arthropod-based creatures across the series. Via the Fallout Wiki.Cave cricketA cave cricket, as seen in in Fallout 76. Via the Fallout Wiki.MothmanClassic mothman in Fallout 76. Spot on design. Via the Fallout Wiki.Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, as envisioned in Fallout 76. Via the Fallout Wiki.Various mothman designs. The wing patterns appear to be inspired by real moth species. Via the Fallout Wiki."I am the night". Via the Fallout Wiki. Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEntoGet the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 157: The Cicadas of North America with Alie Kratzer

Welcome bug lovers to our latest episode! Asa vast swath of the eastern US prepares for the "double brood" emergence of the various Magiccicada species, we here at Arthro-Pod got to meet up with engineer, entomologist, and author Alie Kratzer to talk about her new book, "The Cicadas of North America". See below for pre-ordering information. We talk all about how cool these bugs are, the inspiration for the book, and just how exactly Alie was able to draw all those wonderful cicada illustrations. Tune in to learn more!Alie KratzerShow notesCheck out Alie's company OwlflyTrack down her other book "The Social Wasps of North America"And finally, make sure you preorder the cicada book!!Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 156: Nuptial Gifts, the Packages of Love

 Hello lovers of bugs, as well as bugs who are in love! In today's episode, we take a journey through the world of nuptial gifts within the arthropods and find out why sometimes it is best to wrap a gift before trying to go on a date. Tune in to learn the basics of why nuptial gifts exist and how they can help facilitate the mating process and generation of the next generation. This one is a bit "spicy" so if you listen with kids, prepare for some biological talk!Crickets preparing to mate after the exchange of a nuptial gifts (Photo by Biz Turnell, via https://entomologytoday.org/2020/02/14/nuptial-gifts-romantic-gestures-bug-insect-arthropod-world-valentines-day/)Show notesInsect (Order, Family)Nuptial GiftPurposeDung beetles (O: Coleoptera, F: Scarabaeidae)Food in the form of a dung ballhttps://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/21/2/424/323090Part of courtship display, dung ball is used for food source to help her and the offspringFireflies (O: Coleoptera, F: Lampyridae) some speciesSpermatophore contains sperm and nutrientshttps://now.tufts.edu/2016/12/22/firefly-gift-giving-composition-nuptial-gifts-revealedVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P8vKghAoh8 To obtain nutrients and fertilization occurs this wayGiant water bug (O: Hemiptera, M: Belostomatidae)Small aquatic animals as prey (fish)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eth.12416Part of the courtship ritual, males carry the eggsAphids (O: Hemiptera, F: Aphididae)“mating drop” droplet of nutrient-rich fluidTo obtain nutrients essential for reproductionCrickets (O: Orthopera, F:Laupala cerasinaSeveral nuptial gifts before transferring genetic materialhttps://www.mpg.de/9686444/nuptial-feeding-female-crickets https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-019-2705-9Nuptial gifts improve the amount of genetic material successfully transferred from the final spermatophore to the femaleLong-tailed dance flies (O: Diptera, F:Rhamphomyia longicaudaNutrientshttps://www.jstor.org/stable/23734479Females do not hunt so they relay on the nuptial gifts. They fill their abdomens with air to look like their eggs are more mature so males will seek them outImported cabbagworm butterflies (O: Lepidoptera, F:Nitrogenhttps://www.thegraphicleader.com/opinion/columnists/the-changing-rules-of-romance-for-the-cabbage-white-butterfly Scorpion flies (O: Mecoptera, F: Panorpidae)Dead prey itemhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/4536380https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22830480-100-heres-my-nuptial-gift-a-dead-planthopper-now-can-we-mate/ To appease the female and increase chances of successful matingQuestions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 155: Double Wormy- Jumping worms and Hammerhead Worms

Welcome back bug lovers! Today we venture into the world of worms, both segmented and unsegmented, to talk about jumping worms and hammerhead worms. While neither of them are arthropods, entomologists have been fielding inquiries on both over the last few years. We try to dispel some of the myths surrounding these wiggly wonders and discuss the possible negative effects they could have in the environment. So grab a bag of gummy worms and tune in!Jumping worms are unique in color and textureHammerhead worms are captivating and oddShow notesQuestions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 154: Talking Scale Insects with Scott Schneider

Howdy bug lovers! Scale insects are simultaneously fascinating and sort of uninteresting. They are notoriously immobile for much of their life, making them the insect of equivalent of couch potatoes. But, with that comes intriguing questions about how they live, thrive, and survive. Today, Mike is flying solo to interview Scott Schneider all about this particular group of true bugs! Tune in!Scott Schneider, scale expert extraordinaire and our interviewee for this episode.  Scott hard at work in the field.Hard scales on the underside of a leaf. Note the hard covering ("test") that covers the insects and the diversity of sizes and life stages.Pine needle scales (Chionaspis pinifoliae) are another kind of hard scale and show some of the diversity in test shape and color between hard scale species.  Soft scale on a Rubus. Note how the waxy covering appears softer than that of hard scales.  Lac scales, from which products like shellac are produced.Xenococcid scale insect that is associated with Acropyga ants.  Acropyga queen holding a xenococcid scale in her mandibles before her nuptial flight. Photo by Jonghyun Park via iNaturalist, used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.Acropyga worker moving a xenococcid scale. Photo by Jonghyun Park via iNaturalist, used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. All photographs by Scott Schneider and used with permission unless otherwise noted.  Show notesSodano et al. 2024. Scale insect (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) morphology is transformed under trophobiosis.  Annals of the Entomological Society of America 117(1): 49–63, https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saad033Schneider et al. 2018. Molecular phylogenetics of Aspidiotini armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) reveals rampant paraphyly, curious species radiations, and multiple origins of association with Melissotarsus ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 129: 291-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2018.09.003Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!