| Welwitschia bug | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adult on Welwitschia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Pyrrhocoridae |
| Genus: | Probergrothius |
| Species: | P. angolensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Probergrothius angolensis | |
| Synonyms | |
Odontopus angolensis [2] | |
Probergrothius angolensis, sometimes known as the Welwitschia bug, is a species of true bug found in the Namib desert and nearby regions.
They are best known for their association with the unusual plant Welwitschia mirabilis , also endemic to the area, but it is in doubt whether they actually serve a role in pollination or only drink Welwitschia sap. [3] In addition, they may spread a fungus, Aspergillus niger , in the process, which is harmful to developing seeds.[ citation needed ]
The species has been recognized under a misattributed name, Probergrothius sexpunctatus, for several decades, but P. sexpunctatus is a separate species that occurs farther to the north. [4] P. angolensis is yellowish with four black markings on its wings, while P. sexpunctatus is more reddish, and the anterior spots are separate, so the wings have six black markings.
Welwitschia is a monotypic gymnosperm genus, comprising solely the distinctive Welwitschia mirabilis, endemic to the Namib desert within Namibia and Angola. The plant is commonly known simply as welwitschia in English, but the name tree tumbo is also used. It is called kharos or khurub in Nama, tweeblaarkanniedood in Afrikaans, nyanka in Damara, and onyanga in Herero. Welwitschia is the only living genus of the family Welwitschiaceae and order Welwitschiales in the division Gnetophyta, which contains three genera altogether. Informal sources commonly refer to the plant as a "living fossil".
Thrips are minute, slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are predators. Entomologists have described approximately 6,000 species. They fly only weakly and their feathery wings are unsuitable for conventional flight; instead, thrips exploit an unusual mechanism, clap and fling, to create lift using an unsteady circulation pattern with transient vortices near the wings.
Friedrich Martin Josef Welwitsch was an Austrian explorer and botanist who in Angola discovered the plant Welwitschia mirabilis. His report received wide attention among the botanists and general public, comparable only to the discovery of two other plants in the 19th century, namely Victoria amazonica and Rafflesia arnoldii.
Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Because of this, the plant on which the caterpillar is found does not indicate its species.
Welwitschiaceae is a family of plants of the order Gnetales with one living species, Welwitschia mirabilis, found in southwestern Africa. Three fossil genera have been recovered from the Crato Formation – late Aptian strata located in the Araripe Basin in northeastern Brazil, with one of these also being known from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Akrabou Formation of Morocco.
Osmia lignaria, commonly known as the orchard mason bee or blue orchard bee, is a megachilid bee that makes nests in reeds and natural holes, creating individual cells for its brood that are separated by mud dividers. Unlike carpenter bees, it cannot drill holes in wood. O. lignaria is a common species used for early spring fruit bloom in Canada and the United States, though a number of other Osmia species are cultured for use in pollination.
Papilio polymnestor, the blue Mormon, is a large swallowtail butterfly found in south India and Sri Lanka. It is the "state butterfly" of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
The Angolan genet or miombo genet is a genet species endemic to Southern Africa. It is considered common in this region and therefore listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. Little is known about its ecology.
The hairy-breasted barbet is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae. It is found throughout the Africa tropical rainforest.
Anania hortulata, the small magpie, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is found in Europe and North America.
Agriades glandon, the Arctic blue or Glandon blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It in found in Eurasia and North America.
Zygoballus sexpunctatus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the southeastern United States where it can be found in a variety of grassy habitats. Adult spiders measure between 3 and 4.5 mm in length. The cephalothorax and abdomen are bronze to black in color, with reddish brown or yellowish legs. The male has distinctive enlarged chelicerae and front femora. Like many jumping spiders, Z. sexpunctatus males exhibit ritualized courtship and agonistic behavior.
The eight-spotted skimmer is a dragonfly of the skimmer family.
Zygaena purpuralis, the transparent burnet, is a moth of the family Zygaenidae.
Liocoris tripustulatus or the common nettle bug is a species of plant bug belonging to the family Miridae, subfamily Mirinae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781.
P. angolensis may refer to:
Megachile campanulae, known as the bellflower resin bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. Described in 1903, these solitary bees are native to eastern North America. Studies in 2013 placed them among the first insect species to use synthetic materials for making nests. They are considered mason bees, which is a common descriptor of bees in several families, including Megachilidae. Within the genus Megachile, frequently also referred to as leafcutter bees, M. campanulae is a member of the subgenus Chelostomoides, which do not construct nests from cut leaves, but rather from plant resins and other materials. Females lay eggs in nests constructed with individual cell compartments for each egg. Once hatched, the eggs progress through larval stages and subsequently will overwinter as pupae. The bees are susceptible to parasitism from several other bee species, which act as brood parasites. They are medium-sized bees and the female adults are typically larger than the males. They are important pollinators of numerous native plant species throughout their range.
Probergrothius is an Old World genus of true bugs in the family Pyrrhocoridae. The genus was previously referred to as Odontopus, but that name was already in use for a genus of weevils, and was therefore replaced by Probergrothius in 1904. Members of this genus are reported to feed mainly on members of the plant order Malvales, including Sterculia, baobab (Adansonia), and kapok, but will feed on others as well. The welwitschia bug, Probergrothius angolensis, feeds on Welwitschia seeds, which is a gymnosperm, unlike the Malvales, which are angiosperms.
Probergrothius sexpunctatus is a species of true bug found in West-Central Africa. The name has been misattributed for many decades to a related species, Probergrothius angolensis, a species that occurs farther to the south, and which feeds on the Welwitschia plant.
Leptoglossus gonagra, known as the passionvine bug, citron bug or squash bug in different parts of its range, is a species of leaf-footed bug in the family Coreidae. It is found in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, North America, South America, Southern Asia, the Pacific Ocean and Oceania.
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