Important stuff Flashcards
what information can we get from insects off transportation vehicles
- they represent a record of the travel route of the vehicle because they burst on impact
- can show if they were parked under trees (honey dew falls and insects get stuck in it)
are there aquatic specialist insects
no, just opportunists
what will we find with carcasses in riffle zones (water)
high proportion of scrapers and predators than surrounding region
what will we find with carcasses in pool zones (water)
more collector-gatherers and shredders
are there city and rural insects
yes
should you use cyanide as a killing agent
no
adults should be stored in what
75-80% ethanol or ethyl alcohol
labels for insects should be done how
- in pencil in the bottle
true/false pinning is needed for identification of collections from corpses
- false
- only done for reference collections
when and how should maggots be killed
- on site
- boil water and drop in for a few seconds
true/false we should always shade thermometer from sunlight when taking temperatures
true
how do sticky traps work
- place them 3 feet/ 1m away from body
- label them and place in containers to bring to lab
- at lab flies are removed and washed w thinner and placed in ethanol
what is the best colour of net
white (lit says dark green but they lie)
how many maggots should you take from a body
- 20-100 of the largest ones to preserve
- a second collection to rear
what is a berlese funnel
- a light bulb held over soil
- they wanna get away from the light so they go down the funnel bt then die in the collecting jar
why do we pin this will be a question
to collect and preserve a specimen without altering data
how do we pin
- pin through thorax
- or white glue/clear nail polish to attach to side of pins
what should go on the labels for a pinned specimen
- your name
- place
- date
- identification
- ecological info
what are the diff pupal stages
- pre pupal
- pupal
- pre emergence
mites are in what class and subclass
- class: arachnida
- subclass: acari
larval mites have how many legs
6
nympths and adult mites have how many legs
8
how many types of mites are there
- 2
- designated by body shape
what are the nymph mite stages
- protonymph
- deutonymph
- sometimes have a third tritonymph
what are trombiculidae normally called
chiggers
what family are scabies mites
sarcoptidae
how are scabies mites spread
by direct contact or exchange of infected clothing
true/false scabies mites are parasitic
- true
- on humans (feed on skin)
where are straw itch mites found
- in hay, straw, grain
- so theyre found on humans after they have had contect w straw hay and grain
where are fowl mites found
- on all birds
- humans are not the host, but they can be infested temporarily
where are dust mites found
- in bedding, carpet, stuffed toys, furniture etc
- feed on dead skin
- love humidity, so turning it down all the way can get rid of them
what is a sign you might have dust mites
red rash around the neck, headaches, fatigue, depression
where do we find house mouse mites
in rodent nests, worldwide. will attack people
what does clearing an insect mean
the process of preparing and preserving insect specimens for analysis
how do we collect mites
- heat extraction or floatation
- store in alcohol
what is the most common way of heat extraction
berlese funnels
do we pin mites
no, we put them on a microsope
true/false insects are associated w cannabis sativa L
true
can be useful to identify the source
true/false the ingredients made by plants that make them fun for humans are often made by plants to act as insecticides
true
true/false poisons often act on the nervous system, targeting receptors in the brain
true
true/false specialized insects associated w plants have evolved mechanism =s to bypass toxins
true
where are scatopsidae found
- in outhouses
- maggots live in decaying plant and animal tissue
- live around the world, associated w humans
where are sciaridae found
in organic decaying matter (dead leaves, moss fungi)
where are stratiomyidae found
- outhouses
- rotting vegetation
- human cadavers
- inside of humans if eggs or larvae are ingested
where are drosophilidae found
rotting vegetation (fruit flies)
where are phoridae found
rotting vegetation
where are milichiidae found
rotting vegetation, manure, dung sewage. urinals, butcher shops
are coleoptera attracted to food?
- yes
- often grain
how do you calculate variance
standard deviation squared
a variance/ mean=1 means what (“around one”)
random distribution pattern
a variance/ mean<1 means what
regular distribution pattern
a variance/ mean>1 means what
aggregated/ clumped distribution pattern
what is VMR
variance to mean ratio
true/false aggregation favours the more common species
- false
- favours the less common
what happens if a species reduces aggregation with high vs low numbers
- high reduces intraspecific competition
- low risks extinction
what happens if a species increases aggregation with high vs low numbers
- high increases intraspecific competition
- low stop extinction
how long does the wandering stage last
1-3 days
what does alive blow fly larvae on corpses suggest
recent submersion, perhaps moved from another site
do maggots crawl different horizontal distances if the ground in flat or undulated
yes. (same total distance but in a horizontal line its diff)
true/false heavier larvae are pupae are found closer to the carcass
true
does decomposition take longer when theyre burried
yes (worms and stuff help but theyre not as good)
the presence of blowflies on buried corpses indicates what
that a corpse has been on the surface for a period of time before burial
corpses in water’s body heat is lost _____ as fast as on land
2x
true/false decay is delayed in water bodies
true
what are the 6 stages of completely submerged corpses
- fresh submerged
- early floating
- floating decay
- bloated deterioration
- floating remains
- sunken remains
when can mummification occur
in high temps and dry conditions
will burnt bodies have more or less insects
less
true/false food affects the growth of insects
true
what do flies grown on brains look like
- poor survival
- small flies
what do flies grown on liver look like
- good survival
- large flies
what do flies grown on muscle look like
- good survival
- large flies
true/false each fly species is distinct, with distinct behaviours
true
true/false surveys are often based on trapping flies in a region, without understanding the trap response
true
describe how flies smell bodies
- odour hits the fly
- they fly in that direction bak and forth until they get a new odour packed
- keep zig zagging like this until it sees corpse
true/false you can avoid bias altogether through good trapping methods
- false
- every trapping method has bias
true/false as more flies are caught, the nature of the trap changes
true
what are intrinsic factors of variability
- timing of colonizing
- distance
- number of colonizers
- competition
what are extrinsic factors of variability
- moisture
- sun vs shade
- species that arrive
- distance to nearest corpse
- predators/ parasites/ disease
- the carcass size, health of individual, exposure of organs etc
true/false maggots moult between each stage
true
pupae get _______ darker/ lighter with age
darker
if the maggots in the genital area were flesh flies, would truscott be innocent or guilty?
innocent (early morning colonization)
if the maggots in the genital area were blowflies, would truscott be innocent or guilty?
guilty (late afternoon colonization)
what do height traps with choices decide
flies get to pick their optimal height
what do height traps without choices decide
are flies willing to go outside of their optimum height
what does it mean if the person who named smth is in brackets
the name has since been changed
what is the goal for immature insects
to obtain lots of food quickly
what is the goal for adults
to find mates, disperse, and find new carcasses
true/false flies are ectotherms
true
what are 2 words to describe the life history of flies
- holometabolous
- complete metamorphosis
what order are flies
diptera
what order are mites
acari
true/false spiders are predatory
true
true/false pseudoscorpions are predatory
true
when do pseudoscorptions typically show up
late stage decay
when do malacostraca typically show up
all stages
true/false sow/pill pubs are predatory
false
true/false centipedes are predatory
true
true/false millipedes are predatory
false
what do springtails indicate
top soil and turf
what do silverfish indicate
dried remains, indoors
what do millipedes indicate
location
what do cockroaches indicate
late stage
true/false earwigs are predatory
true
true/false cockroaches are predatory
false
what order are beetles
coleoptera
when are beetles present
all stages (diff species at diff times tho)
what is the trick with the names of flies he taught
- 2 words is a fly: blow fly, house fly, dragon fly
- one isnt: dragonfly, butterfly
which are quicker to arrive in cooler climates: calliphoridae, sarcophagidae
calliphoridae
which are quicker to arrive in warmer climates: calliphoridae, sarcophagidae
sarcophagidae
where do cheese skippers indicate
stored products, dried foods, slaughter houses etc
what is simple or ametabolous development
- immature look like adults
- ex. silverfish
what is incomplete or hemimetabolous development
- larvae similar to adults, but missing structures
- ex. earwigs
what is complete or holometabolous development
- distinct immature stage
- ex. flies, beetles
what is the slowest organ to decompose
uterus
what are the 6 stages of decomp
- fresh
- bloated
- active
- advanced
- dry
- remains
what are the 5 stages of decay
- initial
- putrefaction
- black putrefaction
- butyric fermentation
- dry decay
“dae” means what
family
“nae” means what
subfamily
whatre the 2 subfamilies of silphidae
- nicrophorinae
- silphinae
true/false silphinae have parental care
false, little to none
true/false nicrophorinae have parental care
true
true/false silphids will pretend to be wasps or bees
true
which subfamily can be identified by their maculations
nicrophorinae
what is the term for immature beetle
grub
what are the diff categories of insects associated w carcasses
- necrophageous
- predatory
- omnivorious
- accidental/ adventive
what order should you put the labels on the pin for pinning stuff
-
top
ecological label
collecting data
identification label
