Insects Exhibition of the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

It can also be called Cabbage Bug. It can be found in most of the US In agricultural areas. Tt feeds on the juices of cruciferous plants such as cabbage and on other plants such as beans and grapes. It is not to be confused with the Harlequin Bug of Australia. Harlequin bug is a southern insect ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is hard to find in the northern part of the world like Pennsylvania or Colorado. It usually regenerate in about 50 - 80 days. The life cycle consists of three stages: egg, nymph and adult. less ↑

The Prodoxidae are a family of moths, generally small in size and nondescript in appearance. They include species of moderate pest status, such as the currant shoot borer, and others of considerable ecological and evolutionary interest, such as various species of "Yucca Moths".They have a remarkable biology. They are famous for an old and intimate relationship with Yucca plants and are their obligate pollinators as well as herbivores (Pellmyr et al., 1996). Interactions of these organisms range from obligate mutualism to commensalism to outright antagonism. less ↑

The Hymenoptera are one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. Over 150,000 species are recognized, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν: membrane and πτερόν : wing. The hind wings are connected to the fore wings by a series of hooks called hamuli. Hymenoptera originated in the Triassic, the oldest fossils belonging to the family Xyelidae. Social hymenopterans appeared during the Cretaceous. less ↑

Pogonomyrmex is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North and South America. Harvester ants is a common name. The genus name originated from the Greek language and refers to a beard-like structure, the psammophore, below the head, which can be found in most species of the subgenus sensu stricto. The psammophore is used for gathering small seeds, helping to increase the efficiency of transportation of fine sand and pebbles during nest. Harvester ants increase seed dispersal, protection, and provide nutrients that increase seedling survivorship of the desert plants. In addition, ants provide soil aeration through the creation of galleries and chambers, mix deep and upper layers of soil, and incorporate organic refuse into the soil. less ↑

The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-coloured dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti in the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients. The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other insects. Carminic acid, typically 17–24% of dried insects' weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs then mixed with aluminum or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal. Carmine is today primarily used as a food colouring and for cosmetics, especially as a lipstick colouring. less ↑

Cercopidae are the largest family of Cercopoidea, a xylem-feeding insect group, commonly called froghoppers . They belong to the hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Traditionally, most of this superfamily was considered a single family, Cercopidae, but this family has been split into three separate families for many years now: the Aphrophoridae, Cercopidae, and Clastopteridae. These families are best known for the nymph stage, which produces a cover of frothed-up plant sap resembling spit; the nymphs are therefore commonly known as spittlebugs and their froth as cuckoo spit, frog spit or snake spit. less ↑

The oldest beetle fossils are from the Lower Permian; since then the group has diversified into many different forms. They range in size from minute featherwing beetles (Ptiliidae), adults of which are as small as 0.3 mm long, to the giant Goliath and Hercules beetles (Scarabaeidae), which can be well over 15 cm. The Coleoptera /koʊliːˈɒptərə/ order of insects is commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek κολεός, koleos, meaning "sheath"; and πτερόν, pteron, meaning "wing", thus "sheathed wing", because most beetles have two pairs of wings, the front pair, the "elytra", being hardened and thickened into a sheath-like, or shell-like, protection for the rear pair, and for the rear part of the beetle's body. The superficial consistency of most beetles' morphology, in particular their possession.
They have many classes of ecological effects; particular species are adapted to practically every kind of diet. Some are nonspecialist detritus feeders, breaking down animal and plant debris; some feed on particular kinds of carrion such as flesh or hide; some feed on wastes such as dung; some feed on fungi, some on particular species of plants, others on a wide range of plants. less ↑

The Green Darner or Common Green Darner (Anax junius), after its resemblance to a darning-needle, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. One of the most common and abundant species throughout North America and it ranges south to Panama. It is well known for its great migration distance from the northern United States south into Texas and Mexico. It also occurs in the Caribbean, Tahiti, and Asia from Japan to mainland China. Females oviposit in aquatic vegetation, eggs laid beneath the water surface. Nymphs (naiads) are aquatic carnivores, feeding on insects, tadpoles and small fish. Adult darners catch insects on the wing, including ant royalty, moths, mosquitoes and flies. less ↑

Snakeflies are a group of insects comprising the order Raphidioptera, consisting of about 210 extant species. They can be quite common throughout temperate Europe and Asia, but in North America occur exclusively in the Western United States Together with the Megaloptera they were formerly placed within the Neuroptera, but now these two are generally regarded as separate orders. Snakefly larvae are much longer than wide and are rather flattened. The head and 1st thoracic segment are smooth, more scleroterized, and generally darker and more uniformly colored than the 2nd & 3rd thoracic and abdominal segments. They have strong and relatively unspecialised mouthparts, and large compound eyes. Some species also have ocelli. less ↑