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Vertebrates & Invertebrates Fall 2011 Vertebrates • Backbone to which protects nervous system • Enlarged brain • Gills or Lungs Vertebrates • • • • • Fish Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals • Let’s brainstorm some vertebrates we might find on our school’s property… Invertebrates • No backbone • Primarily Worms and Arthropods • Majority of these are Arthropods – Over 1 million known species – Have an exoskeleton • Why are we interested in Invertebrates? Benefits of Beneficial Insects • Help to manage insect “pests” – Mosquitoes and other biting insects – Aphids and other insects that harm gardens • Reduce the need for pesticide sprays • Attracted by shelter & food supply – Hedge rows – Plants of different heights – Flowering plants Types of Beneficial Insects • • • • • Praying Mantid Lady Beetles Green Lacewings Assassin Bugs Pollinators – Bees – Wasps – Butterflies/Moths • Spiders* Praying Mantids • Three species of Mantids in KY – Chinese – Carolina (only native) – European • Wait for insects to get too close then grab them with their front legs Carolina Mantid – reaches about 2 ½” in length Lady Beetles • Beneficial Beetles – Seven-spot Lady Beetle – Pink Lady Beetle – Convergent Lady Beetle • Pest Beetles Pink Lady Beetle – Mexican Been Beetle – Squash Lady Beetle – Asian Lady Beetle • Some are predators of Aphids Lady Beetle Larva Green Lacewings • Two types of Lacewings – Brown – Green • Predators of Aphids & Insect Eggs • Their eggs are food for other insects such as lady beetles, larger lacewings, as well as spiders Lacewing Eggs Lacewing Larva Eating Aphids Assassin Bugs • Dark Colored – Green – Gray – Black Spined Assassin Bug • Hunt prey and use front legs to capture prey • Inject poison into prey to paralyze them Wheel Bug Bee Assassin Zelus Assassin Pollinators • Bees & Wasps – Typically have 4 transparent wings – Some wasps & bees live in colonies – Most are solitary – Bees are special types of wasps that evolved to gather pollen & nectar – All bees have branched hairs • Butterflies & Moths – Coiled mouth parts – Large, scaled wings • Color patterns are made by overlapping scales – Typically butterflies fly during the day, moths fly at night – Antennae differentiate • Butterfly antennae are straight with a knob end • Moth antennae are straight and bare or feathery Wasps • Two categories of wasps Paper Wasps – Hive wasps – Solitary wasps • Many different species in each category • Two common beneficial wasps – Paper Wasps (Hive) – Potter Wasps (Solitary) Potter Wasp Bees • Hive Bees – Honey Bees – Bumble Bees • Solitary Bees Honey Bee Bumble Bee – Carpenter Bees – Halictid Bees (“sweat”) • Help flowering plants pollinate Carpenter Bee Halictid Bee Butterflies • Common KY Butterflies – Swallowtails • Black/yellow or Black/blue colors Black Swallowtail Pink-edged Sulphur – Sulphurs, Whites • Some are considered pests – Fritillaries • Common in fields/meadows – Monarch Checkered White Monarch Meadow Fritallary • Dark-orange wings with black or dark-brown veins and dark borders with white spots Moths Carolina Sphinx • Common KY Moths – Sphinx • Heavy, football shaped bodies • Relatively narrow wings • Thickened antennae at the tips – Hummingbird White-lined Sphinx Caterpillar • Common to KY – Snowberry Clearwing – Hummingbird Clearwing • Mimic Bumblebees Hummingbird Clearwing Spiders (Arachnids) Flower Spider • Numerous different types of spiders • Focus on Crab Spiders – Flower Spiders – Running Crab Spiders Flower Spider Eating Fly Running Crab Spider • Predators for flies, bees, etc. • Ambush prey by hiding in flowers or leaves Let’s go find some beneficials!