Letters Home from the 2004 International Congress of Entomology in Australia
Editor’s note: The author, Tom Sappington, attended four different International Congresses of Entomology, from 1996-2008, and sent hand-written letters home during each of them. The following, the third part of […]
Who, What, and Where Do Mosquitoes Bite?
By Cameron Webb Mosquitoes bite. They need to bite. Female mozzies require the nutritional hit of a bloodmeal to develop eggs. The blood can come from many different animals. Some […]
A New Genus of Plant Bug, Plus Four New Species from Australia
A new genus of plant bug and four new species have been discovered in Australia. The newly discovered insects, which belong to the family Miridae and the subfamily Phylinae, are […]
Eleven New Digger Wasp Species Discovered in Australia
After being mostly neglected for more than a hundred years, a group of digger wasps from Australia has been given a major overhaul in terms of species descriptions and identification […]
Four New Bee Species Discovered in Australia
Four new native bee species have been recognized as part of the largest Australian nature discovery project, called “Bush Blitz.” The South Australian bee specialists used molecular and morphological evidence […]
New Species of Gall-Inducing Insect Found in Australia
A University of Queensland graduate has identified a previously unknown species of insect living within reach of Australian suburbia. Thomas Semple investigated the insect responsible for bush coconuts in South […]
Three New Millipede Species Discovered in Australia
A tiny new millipede — just one centimeter long — has been found which is only known to occur within the city of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It was discovered in […]
New Primitive Moth FAMILY Discovered in Australia
It’s pretty cool when a new insect species is discovered. It’s even more exciting when scientists find a new genus. But a new family? That’s pretty amazing and doesn’t happen […]
Blind Cave Beetles Lack Eyes but Still Have Sight Genes
University of Adelaide researchers have made a surprising discovery which seems to challenge the traditional Darwinian view of evolution. A team led by Dr. Simon Tierney discovered that a species […]
Entomology 2014: Portland, Oregon
This post is by Dr. Cameron Webb, a medical entomologist from Australia who is on has already begun the long journey to Portland for Entomology 2014. In it, he lists some cool things to see in the city of Portland and some upcoming highlights from the meeting in the field of medical entomology and public health. Follow him on Twitter at @Mozziebites, and follow his blog at http://cameronwebb.wordpress.com.
Insect Leaders Benefit from Followers, and Followers Benefit from Leaders
Scientists in Australia have shown for the first time that when insect larvae follow a leader to forage for food, both leaders and followers benefit, growing much faster than if […]
Big-headed Ants Are Biggest in Australia Due to Competition
The big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala) is considered one of the world’s worst invasive ant species. As the name implies, its colonies include soldier ants with disproportionately large heads. Their giant, […]
Urbanization can be Beneficial for Orb-weaving Spiders, Study Finds
A common orb-weaving spider may grow larger and have an increased ability to reproduce when living in urban areas, according to a study published recently in the journal PLOS ONE. […]
What if We Fit Thousands of Mosquitoes with Tiny Sensors?
A post from last week called “Australia Fits Thousands of Bees with Sensors to Monitor the Environment” described a project where as many as 5,000 bees were being fitted with […]
Australia Fits Thousands of Bees with Sensors to Monitor the Environment
Up to 5,000 sensors measuring 2.5mm x 2.5 mm are being fitted to the backs of bees in Hobart, Tasmania, before being released into the wild. It’s the first time […]