123/150: The European earwig may be a pest to us, but at least they have good mothers

Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Dermaptera: Forficulidae: Forficula auricularia (Linnaeus, 1758)

The European earwig is an introduced species, as you may have guessed from its common name. This insect is known as a household pest and with omnivorous eating habits can either be found eating your grains & vegetables, or other smaller insect pests. Despite popular stories, earwigs do not crawl into your ears while you sleep, and they don’t bore into your brain as thought by many people. Unlike most insects, European earwigs display parental care. Once the females lay eggs, they place all of them in a hole and stand over it, protecting them from predators. Females also monitor mold growth and move the eggs around in the hole. Females are known to produce two broods of eggs, the first typically is around 30 to 60 eggs, with the second being around half of that or less. Eggs laid in colder weather typically take around 70 days to hatch, while ones in warmer weather only take around 20 days. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Specimen BIOUG00571-G01 – Point Pelee National Park, Ontario – Malaise Trap. Photo Credit: CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
A female European Earwig guarding her young. Photo Credit: Nabokov goo.gl/s3vioD
A European Earwig residing on a leaf. Photo Credit: Judy Gallagher goo.gl/vC13rQ

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: SIOCN019-10

nucleotide sequence

AACTTTATATTTTGTATTTGGGGCTTGATCAGGAATAGTGGGGACTTCATTGAGCTTGTTGATTCGGGCAGAATTGGGCCAACCTGGAGCTTTAATCGGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATGTAATTGTTACGGCCCATGCTTTTGTAATGATTTTTTTTATGGTAATGCCTATTATGATTGGAGGTTTTGGGAATTGACTGGTACCTTTGATGTTGAGAGCCCCAGATATGGCCTTTCCCCGAATAAACAACATGAGTTTTTGGTTACTACCCCCTTCGCTTATGCTTTTGCTTTCTGGGAGTATGGTAGATAGAGGAGCTGGTACAGGTTGGACAGTTTACCCCCCTTTGTCGGGGGCCATCGCCCACGCAGGGGCTTCGGTAGATTTGAGTATTTTTTCATTGCATTTGGCAGGGATTTCATCAATTTTGGGGGCAATTAATTTTATCACAACGGTGATTAATATGCGCCCATCGGGCCTTAAGCTGGAACGAATACCGTTGTTTGTATGATCCGTAGCCATTACTGCTCTTTTATTGTTGCTTTCTTTGCCAGTATTGGCAGGGGCTATCACTATGCTTTTGACGGACCGGAACTTAAATACATCTTTTTTCGACCCTGCGGGAGGGGGGGACCCCATTCTTTATCAACATTTATTT

amino acid sequence

TLYFVFGAWSGMVGTSLSLLIRAELGQPGALIGDDQIYNVIVTAHAFVMIFFMVMPIMIGGFGNWLVPLMLSAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSLMLLLSGSMVDSGAGTGWTVYPPLSGAIAHAGASVDLSIFSLHLAGISSILGAINFITTVINMRPSGLKLERMPLFVWSVAITALLLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF

Visual representation of DNA barcode sequence for Earwig

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAG9897

71/150: A lesser known truth of giant water bugs

Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Hemiptera: Belostomatidae: Belostomatinae: Belostoma: Belostoma flumineum (Say, 1832)

Happy Father’s Day! Belostoma flumineum is a member of the genus Belostoma, commonly known as giant water bugs. These predatory insects can be found in wetlands, marshes, and ponds across North America, and can grow to be about 2.5 cm long. Though commonly known for their impressive size and painful bite, they’ve also got very dedicated fathers! Continue reading “71/150: A lesser known truth of giant water bugs”

57/150: Providing A Good Start: The unique parental care of Wolf Spiders

Animalia: Arthropoda: Arachnida: Araneae: Lycosidae: Trochosa: Trochosa ruricola (De Geer, 1778)

The Rustic Wolf Spider belongs to the family Lycosidae, and is known for its keen eyesight and skilled hunting. They occur in a wide range of habitats, including grasslands, woodlands, and scrubs across the globe. While many spiders lay their eggs and leave them be, wolf spiders will go the extra mile to protect their young. Continue reading “57/150: Providing A Good Start: The unique parental care of Wolf Spiders”