Guess the Taxon
What Catches What?
Human and Pop Culture
Bug Interpretation
Guess the Pollinator
100
Name the family.
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Formicidae, ants
100
What wavelength of light is best at attracting nocturnally-active insects?
ultraviolet (UV)
100
In Hebrew culture, flies represent the manifestation of evil and one of the seven Princes of Hell. Which Prince of Hell do they represent?
Beezelbub
100
The "waggle dance" is characterized by an insect wiggling, or vibrating its body in a certain direction for a certain duration to indicate the location of floral resources. What is the name of the insect species that does the waggle dance?
European honey bee, Apis mellifera
100
The elongated corolla of the American trumpet vine makes its nectar resources difficult for most pollinators to reach--that is, if they don't have a tongue long enough to reach it. What native moth family is adapted to reach the nectar of trumpet vine?
Sphingidae, the sphinx or "hummingbird" moths
200
Name the family.
Romaleidae, lubber grasshoppers
200
What is the name of this trap?
Burlese funnel
200
Who is the main protagonist in Hollow Knight: Silksong?
Hornet
200
When checking for a bedbug infestation of a mattress, where should you look and what should you look for?
Along the piping, seams, and tags of the mattress; heavily infested mattresses may be discolored in these areas due to waste from the bedbugs
200
Rattlesnake master has bunches of tiny, white, strong-smelling flowers. What invertebrate pollinator taxa are most commonly attracted to flowers with this description?
Diptera, the true flies
300
Name the order.
Collembola, globular springtail
300
What makes dry ice an effective bait when trying to capture ticks?
When dry ice sublimates, it releases CO2
300
What children’s book by Eric Carle featuring an insect character has sold over 50 million copies?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
300
The male scorpionfly in this image is holding another insect in his mouth. He will attempt to use this snack to woo the female below him. What is the scientific term for his "present"?
Nuptial gift
300
Mistflowers serve a dual purpose for Danaus butterfly species; they provide nectar, and the precursors for essential male pheromones. Give the scientific name for the two Danaus butterfly species that would utilize mistflower in our area.
Danaus gilippus (Queen) and Danaus plexippus (Monarch)
400
Name the suborder.
Apocrita, braconid wasp
400
Name this trap.
Malaise trap
400
Boule de Lille is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In 2013, it was briefly banned from stores in the United States due to the unique way in which it is created. What invertebrates are used in the production of this cheese?
Cheese mites, or flour mites
400
Although rare, the venom of Loxoceles reclusa has the potential to cause severe skin peeling, blistering, and lesions. What is the medical term for this condition?
Dermonecrotic arachnidism
400
This bee is one of the only insects capable of pollinating milkweed plants... that is, they are strong enough not to get stuck in them. What is the genus of this pollinator?
Bombus, bumble bee
500
This wasp has some unwanted hitchhikers lodged between the segments of its abdomen. These parasites belong to order Strepsiptera, which has recently (2024) been assigned to what superorder?
Coleopterida
500
When conducting benthic sampling in a rocky, flowing stream, which of these techniques would you NOT use?
A) Surber sampler, B) Ekman dredge, or C) Kick net
Ekman dredge, these devices are only really good for use in soft sediment.
500
The space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 each carry a golden record with a collection of languages, music, images, and sounds as a message to any extraterrestrial life who may find them. A single image of an insect is on these records. What is the common name of this insect?
The ichneumon wasp (Ophion luteus)
500
You’re hired as a consultant for a sheep farm. When you arrive, you notice that the sheep are showing some strange symptoms: their wool is stained brownish and smells foul, and upon closer inspection, you can see maggots on their hindquarters. What invertebrate group has infested this herd?
Blowflies, or Calliphoridae. This is a case of sheep strike.
500
These two are not native to Texas, but they are famous around the world for their "long distance" relationship. The moth pictured has the longest proboscis of any moth; the orchid has the longest corolla of any plant. What are the moth's and the plant's common names?
Madagascar star orchid, and Darwin's hawkmoth