Microscopic monsters
2012-06-08 05:54:14 GMT2012-06-08 13:54:14(Beijing Time)
SINA.com
The agitated-looking dung beetle (Canthon) has a very good reason for looking so grumpy; it will spend most of its life feeding on animal feces. The small, undigested bits of food found in droppings act as nutritious food for the dung beetles.
The ichneumon wasp (Hymenoptera) is a parasitoid, which means that its larvae feed on their host organism. Using her long, stinger-like ovipositor, the mother wasp injects her eggs into a host's dwelling or body — sometimes even into their larvae. When the wasp's larvae hatch, they will devour their host, which include butterfly pupae and moth caterpillars.
The green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carner) is another beneficial predator because its larvae feed on insect eggs, mites, spiders, aphids and small arthropods such as leafhoppers and whiteflies. Adult green lacewings are also known as "stink flies" because of their ability to produce a foul-smelling odor when threatened by a predator.
Another helpful beetle, the soft-winged flower beetle (Collops vittatus) feeds on whiteflies, which helps to naturally control the pest's population in cotton fields. Soft-winged flower beetles also eat soft-bodied insects such as mites, aphids and caterpillars.
Insects chosen for the 2011 Ugly Bug Contest feature some pretty frightening contenders, including the parasitic ichneumon wasp, which lays larvae that kill their host.
(Agencies)
