Category: #Biodiversity150
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140/150: Don’t Let the Scabies Mite Bite!
Animalia: Arthropoda: Arachnida: Sarcoptiformes: Sarcoptidae: Sarcoptes: Sarcoptes scabiei (Linnaeus, 1758) Unfortunately, bite isn’t all that they do. Sarcoptes scabiei is a type of mite that burrows into the epidermis of the skin in humans and multiple other animals. In order to penetrate the skin, scabies mites secrete a pool of what is presumably saliva around…
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139/150: The Longnose Gar – Freaky Fish!
Animalia: Chordata: Actinopterygii: Lepisosteiformes: Lepisosteidae: Lepisosteus: Lepisosteus osseus (Linnaeus, 1758) The longnose gar can be found along the east coast of North and Central America. It resides in freshwater lakes where there is plenty of vegetation, trees and stone outcrops. The species is defined by its long snout, sharp teeth, elongated body and earthy colours…
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138/150: Lonchopteridae – Flies without fathers
Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Diptera: Lonchopteridae: Lonchoptera: Lonchoptera bifurcata (Fallen, 1810) Lonchoptera bifurcata is known as a pointed-winged or spear winged fly with a Holarctic distribution. This means the species is found in all non-tropical regions across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa! The fly can be distinguished from similar species due to the pale-coloured bristles…
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137/150: Lonely Since 1989
Animalia: Arthopoda: Arachnida: Araneae: Linyphiidae: Gibothorax tchernovi (Eskov, 1989) Spiders that belong to the group of Linyphiidae are made up of small spiders with more than 4,300 species globally. They are more commonly known as money spiders in the United Kingdom and Australia because they were linked with having good luck. New spiders within this…
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136/150: Poach Eggs Not Whitefish
Animalia: Chordata: Actinopterygii: Salmoniformes: Salmonidae: Coregonus: Coregonus huntsmani (W. B. Scott, 1987) The Atlantic whitefish (Coregonus huntsmani), is native to Nova Scotia, Canada residing in the Tusket River and Petite Riviere. If you see this species, consider yourself lucky. In 1970, under the federal Fisheries Act, the fishing for the species was prohibited. Habitat loss…
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135/150: This tiny mite can cause massive damage!
Animalia: Arthropoda: Arachnida: Trombidiformes: Tetranycinae: Tetranychinae: Tetranychus: Tetranychus urticae (C. L. Kock, 1836) The two-spotted spider mite is of economic importance as it is a common pest worldwide. It has been found to feed on more than 1,100 different species of plants! Including important crops such as maize, soy, citrus, apples, tomatoes, strawberries, and peppers.…
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134/150: A soaring hawk of the prairies
Animalia: Chordata: Aves: Accipitriformes: Accipitridae: Buteo: Buteo regalis (Gray, 1844) The Ferruginous Hawk is the largest hawk native to North America and is a specialist predator, feeding on specific rodent species. It is classified as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) due to the loss and fragmentation of…
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133/150: Arctic Isopods – Cold and Calculated
Animalia: Arthropoda: Malacostraca: Isopoda: Arcturidae: Arcturus baffini (Sabine, 1824) Arctic isopods are unique crustaceans living in the Arctic Ocean, with over 50 species. Most are small, ranging from 0.5-1.5 cm in length, but some, like Arcturus baffini, can grow beyond 10 cm! Making them large organisms in a cold environment. These isopods are poor swimmers,…
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132/150: What’s green, marine and a potential killing machine? Sea Lettuce!
Plantae: Chlorophyta: Ulvophyceae: Ulvales: Ulvaceae: Ulva: Ulva lactuca Linnaeus 1753 Although it resembles terrestrial salad greens, Ulva lactuca (sea lettuce) is a species of aquatic green algae. The bright green ruffled edge “leaves” are composed of 2 layers of cells, found free floating or attached to surfaces in areas with exposed rocks and tide pools.…
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131/150: What has a lion’s mane and lives under the sea? A jellyfish!
Animalia: Cnidaria: Scyphozoa: Semaeostomeae: Cyaneidae: Cyanea: Cyanea capillata (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion’s Mane jellyfish is the largest species of jellyfish in the world. The largest specimen was found in 1870 at Massachusetts Bay, United States with a bell diameter of 2.3 meters and tentacles reaching 37 meters, which is longer than the length of a…