{"id":22988,"date":"2018-06-27T22:37:30","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T04:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/?p=22988"},"modified":"2018-06-28T22:21:52","modified_gmt":"2018-06-29T04:21:52","slug":"bugbytes-by-bug-standards-these-are-some-good-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2018\/06\/bugbytes-by-bug-standards-these-are-some-good-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"BugBytes: By bug standards, these are some good parents"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Louis\"<\/a>

The common desert centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha) guards her eggs by coiling her sinuous self around the precious clutch. Illustration by Billings-based artist, photographer and illustrator Louis Habeck.<\/p><\/div>\n

Happy June, bug fans! Last month\u2019s column<\/a> explored the world of baby bugs through the lives of two ludicrous larvae, both of which used their butts to some awesome ends. This month, it\u2019s all about the parents.<\/p>\n

Compared to what\u2019s expected of human progenitors, insects get off pretty easy, with the bar for good parenting set very low, indeed. After all, arthropod fathers tend to peace out after conception \u2014 before the eggs are even laid, while the mothers often abandon their eggs after oviposition.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>So when these creatures exhibit even perfunctory parental discretion \u2014 laying eggs near food so hungry hatchlings won\u2019t starve, for example \u2014 entomologists get all mushy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my god, oh my god … that Elasmucha laterallis<\/a><\/em> is guarding<\/em> her nymphs. Squee!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh. Cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCool? Listen, friendo, long-term maternal care is super rare in insects, and this little bug is guarding her babies like a boss. I\u2019m not sure you appreciate how cute this is\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUgh. Mom-of-the-Year stinkbug. Got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, despite the relative rarity of parental care among arthropods, examples abound, thanks, in part, to the creatures\u2019 sheer number and diversity. Two such critters in our area include the crab spider (family Thomisidae) and the common desert centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Crab Spiders<\/h4>\n

Crab spiders get their name from their squat, crablike form and behavior. Like their crustacean cousins, crab spiders use their much longer, often spiny, front legs to capture and hold ambushed prey. The arachnids can also scuttle sideways and have a habit of raising their forelegs over their heads when teased (as crabs charmingly do \u2026 snap<\/em>, snap<\/em>!).<\/p>\n

\"Items\"<\/a>

M.L. Kirst<\/p>

Flower crab spiders, like this female goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia), puncture prey with small, strong jaws; vomit digestive fluid into the victim\u2019s body; and then suck out the viscera. To accelerate the process, the spiders often exploit gravity by raising prey items over their heads as they eat.<\/p><\/div>\n

Of North America\u2019s 130 crab spider species, Montanans are likely most familiar with flower crab spiders from the genus Misumena<\/em> and ground crab spiders (genus Xysticus<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia<\/em>) is particularly hard to miss as it\u2019s our largest crab spider and is ubiquitous in meadows and gardens. Their lives are short but sweet; the spiders\u2019 ephemeral existence (most live less than a year) is spent in the scented shelter of Montana\u2019s most beautiful blooms; sego lilies (Calochortus nuttallii<\/em>) and arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata<\/em>) come to mind.<\/p>\n

Female goldenrod crab spiders are various shades of white or yellow and are often streaked pink at the sides. They\u2019re remarkable, though, for their ability to reversibly<\/em> change color, from white to yellow and back again, in order to match the blooms in which they wait for prey (pollinators, mostly).<\/p>\n

Only the females do this and the change \u2014 a complex process powered by the production and destruction of special pigments called ommochromes \u2014 takes about three days. What\u2019s more, these pea-sized predators possess small, strong jaws and relatively potent venom (especially to bees, though it\u2019s harmless to humans), which allow them to take down prey many times their own size.<\/p>\n

\"Elley\"<\/a>

Male goldenrod crab spiders are much smaller (and darker) than the females. These diminutive dudes are best observed when mounted atop the females prior to copulation. It\u2019s a lovely living tableau, as illustrated here by local artist Elley Swan.<\/p><\/div>\n

Male goldenrod crab spiders look almost nothing like the females (a condition known as sexual dimorphism). They\u2019re about half the females\u2019 size with reddish brown forelegs and a banded abdomen. I often only notice the minuscule males when they\u2019re mounted atop females, which they do to determine the female\u2019s sexual status.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm … excuse me. I don\u2019t mean to be rude but are you by any chance \u2026 (cough ) \u2026 a virgin?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ground crab spiders live below this floral fray and so are much less colorful. Their earthy patterns and hues help camouflage the small shy spiders as they hunt prey from hiding spots amidst the earth\u2019s scraps and stones.<\/p>\n

And while they differ in habitat and hue, the females of both spiders share a similar parental impulse: guard your babies with your life.<\/p>\n

Generally, after mating, male crab spiders depart quickly so as to avoid being quickly departed by the tired and testy females, who switch their focus to egg laying and \u201cbrooding\u201d \u2014 a maternal behavior in which the moms stand guard during the eggs\u2019 incubation period.<\/p>\n

Flower crab spiders lay their eggs on leaves, which are then folded over and wrapped, protectively, with silk. Ground crab spiders, on the other hand, lay their eggs in circular, silken purses that are then attached to the underside of logs or stones. Both then proceed to guard their precious parcels until their own death, which \u2014 barring enemy attack or early starvation \u2014 usually occurs once the eggs hatch.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate to observe this motherly devotion firsthand, during a Montana Master Naturalist<\/a> field trip to Yellowstone River State Park<\/a> last month. My job was to scrounge up some cool invertebrates to show the class. So, cue the warm fuzzies when, upon flipping over a rotting log, I spotted two crab spider mamas, each literally clutching her silken sac of eggs to her chest. Overcome with thoughts of my own little \u201cspiderling,\u201d I nearly squeed<\/em> my pants.<\/p>\n

Common desert (or tiger) centipede<\/h4>\n

Wonderfully, it was during this same field trip that I found (again under a log) another of Montana\u2019s impressive invertebrate parents: the common desert centipede (order Scolopendramorpha).<\/p>\n

\"Birds\"<\/a>

M.L. Kirst<\/p>

Scolopendrid centipedes don\u2019t use their last pair of legs for locomotion but, rather, as sensory \u201cfeelers.” These antenna-like legs contribute to a back-end that looks strikingly similar to the centipede\u2019s front-end, a modification that scientists believe protects the animal by confusing potential enemies like birds.<\/p><\/div>\n

These amazing animals can reach lengths of more than five inches (making them one of Montana\u2019s largest arthropods) and, though common, are rarely encountered. This is due, in part, to the creature\u2019s nocturnal habits but also to the fact that, unlike insects and arachnids, centipedes lack a protective waxy cuticle, rendering them highly susceptible to desiccation. Consequently, centipedes are almost always found under things; stones, logs, cow patties (the mighty cow pie: literal shitty shacks for the mini and many-legged).<\/p>\n

But, despite its dependence on moist microhabitats, the desert centipede is still one of the top invertebrate predators in its ecosystem, feeding primarily on other arthropods but also \u2014 if the centipede is old and big and badass \u2014 on small reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Interestingly, centipedes don\u2019t rely on mouthparts for prey capture and venom injection. Instead, they dispatch their dinner using their front legs (insert JPEG of Sonya from Mortal Kombat here), which are equipped with venom glands and modified to act like fangs.<\/p>\n

But these formidable beasts have a softer side. When females lay eggs, the mamas protect their young by curling their bodies around the clutch and diligently licking each egg to keep it clean and fungus free.<\/p>\n

Bear hugs be damned. It\u2019s all about the centipede snuggle.<\/p>\n

Outro<\/h4>\n

Sadly, with the unfortunate, but understandable, suspension of Last Best News, this is the final installment of BugBytes until the column finds a new home.<\/p>\n

I want to thank my fantastic BugBytes\u2019 readers; Adam Rozett for creating our excellent logo; the column\u2019s illustrators \u2014 Danielle McCracken, Elley Swan<\/a>, Logan Hendricks<\/a> and Louis Habeck<\/a> \u2014 for their gorgeous renderings of various BugBytes\u2019 beasts; and my (super patient) friends and family, many of whom I referenced (or lovingly poked fun at) during the column\u2019s run.<\/p>\n

And what a run it was! In three short seasons, we managed to talk about everything from real-life Pokemon<\/a>, to terrifically fast beetles<\/a>, to fugitive tarantulas<\/a>. We even managed to school folks on the art of \u201cGandalfing,\u201d<\/a> a useful skill when your bug net is not immediately at hand.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, though, I want to thank Ed Kemmick, who believed in and supported this admittedly odd little project from the get-go. I\u2019m so honored that BugBytes found a home with a publication as interesting, well written and locally focused as Last Best News. <\/em><\/p>\n

Keep buggin\u2019 and, as always, remember: when it comes to insects and their kin, the truth is stranger than fiction!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy June, bug fans! Last month\u2019s column explored the world of baby bugs through the lives of two ludicrous larvae, both of which used their butts to some awesome ends. This month, it\u2019s all about the parents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":22989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[5578,7052,7051,7050],"class_list":["post-22988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diversions","tag-bugbytes","tag-centipedes","tag-crab-spiders","tag-marian-kirst-lyman","prominence-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22988"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23040,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22988\/revisions\/23040"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}