A short nature quiz to complement the Claws, Wings and Other Things column today in The Patriot-News.
Question No. 1: True or false? Mantids, of which there are more than 2,000 species worldwide, are all shades of green or brown.
|The Patience of a Mantis|
Question No. 2: Guess the reason that mantids usually begin eating prey they captured at the neck.
Question No. 3: True or false? The brown marmorated stink bug, an introduced species first collected in eastern Pennsylvania in fall 1998, has not yet been located west of the Susquehanna River.
Question No. 4: Stinkbugs typically emerge in a home A. from cracks around baseboards, B. along plumping fixtures, C. around window and door trim or D. around exhaust fans or lights in ceilings.
Question No. 5: Is it the male or female cricket that produces the mate-attracting chirp?
Question No. 6: A cricket's eardrum is located on its A. Front leg, B. Antennae, C. Abdomen, D. Wings.
Answer No. 1: False. Although the three main types of mantids in the eastern U.S. - the native Carolina mantis, and the introduced European and Chinese mantises - are green and brown there also are the brightly colored, tropical flower mantises. Some of the flower mantises resemble flowers so closely that insects land on them, expecting to take nectar.
Answer No. 2: They usually bite their prey at the base of the neck to immobilize it, and eating first at the neck tends to reduce any remaining resistance by the prey.
Answer No. 3: False. As of spring 2008, the stinkbug has been recorded in 26 counties, including several west of the Susquehanna.
Answer No. 4: All except B.
Answer No. 5: The male.
Answer No. 6. A. Front leg, in an organ known as the tympanum.