Looking for a challenge? Here are a few questions from the midterm examination of my current Entomology course.
29. Which of the following animals’ life cycles is most likely to include a puparium?
a. house fly
b. silkworm moth
c. monarch butterfly
d. rove beetle
30. Sclerotization is the process by which:
a. spiracles close to prevent water loss
b. coremata release pheromones as a sexual attractant
c. the exocuticle hardens following ecdysis
d. the wax layer is formed as a barrier to water loss
31. Which of the following insect structures are not made from cuticle?
a. foregut
b. midgut
c. hindgut
d. all of the above
32. Pick the group that is extinct:
a. Archaeognatha
b. Paleoptera
c. Ephemeroptera
d. Paleodictyoptera
33. Which of the following is the best explanation for why insect hemolymph is not red like vertebrate blood?
a. Insects lack a heart
b. Insects do not transport oxygen using the red pigment hemoglobin
c. Insects have a closed circulatory system, and their arteries and veins hide the red blood inside
d. Unlike vertebrate bone marrow, the bone marrow of insects doesn’t produce red blood cells
34. ZW & Haplodiploidy are two examples of:
a. chromosomal sex determination systems
b. male mating strategies
c. mechanisms regulating ecdysis
d. genetic differences between insects and myriapods
35. A Praying Mantis tries to grasp a grasshopper, but the grasshopper manages to jump out of danger’s way. This could be considered a victory of ______________ legs over _______________ legs. (2 points)
a. natorial, saltatorial
b. fossorial, raptorial
c. cursorial, natorial
d. saltatorial, raptorial
e. geniculate, plumose
44. Describe two functions of insect wings other than flight, and provide an example for each (4 points)
45. Two ants fall from the top of the UT clock tower. One lands on dry asphalt, the other in a rain puddle. Which is most likely to survive, and why? (4 points).
c, c, d, d, b, a, d, no idea and neither?
B c d d b c b dont know & both
29 a, 30 c, 31 b, 32 d, 33 b, 34 a, 35 d, 44 armor – beetle elytra, sound production – cricket scrapers, 45 asphalt – the fall doesn’t hurt them, but one might get trapped by the surface tension of the water and drown
C C D D X B D X SOUND CICADA MIMICRY MOTH DRY ASPHALT
A, C, D, D, B, A, D, Sound and threat display (mantids), neither die but there is a chance the one that lands on the puddle might not be able to escape.
a, c, b, d, b, a, d, mate calling and protection, both survive.
That was fun!
a, c, d?, d, b, a, d, sound production – cricket, protection – beetle elytra, dry asphalt…not sure why but I think they’d both live
a,c,d,?,b,a,d,protection (elytra in beetles) and mimicry (butterfly wings), Neither will survive because they’re separated from nest (don’t think the fall would harm either) but I’d give the edge to the asphalt one because it’d have a better chance of getting to soil.
If you’d have dropped a turtle ant instead would it glide back to the tower?
Herewith, the answers:
A C B D B A D
44. Communication (audio like crickets, visual like butterflies), or armor (beetles)
45. Asphalt ant most likely to survive because water surface tension is hard to overcome at small sizes.
The answer to 45 is interesting… can you explain it further? I understand how the ant wouldn’t be able to break the surface of the water because it’s too small to do so, but it wouldn’t exactly be breaking through the surface of the asphalt either. Wouldn’t they either both live or both survive? Not counting the ant drowning in the water or something.
What about cooling/heating for 44? Bees use their wings to get the honey around larva cells to just the right viscosity – I assume they are doing one of those two things. Thanks for the quiz!
Please bear in mind I never had Any entomological education so most of these are guesses, a few slightly educated, I’ve read a few books, but many are complete stabs in the dark!
29 b
30 c
31 d
32 d
33 b
34 a
44 iirc Grasshoppers chirp using their wings against their legs? Can’t think of another!
45 surely both ants are almost certain to survive. They’re so small that their terminal velocity is not harmful to them. I guess the puddle one could drown?
I deliberately didn’t check the comments as I didn’t want to cheat so I didn’t notice that you’d posted answers, sorry!
Perfect score thanks to taking ENY3005 at UF back in 2011. Guess I retained a few things. Great class and good textbook: The Insects by Gullan and Cranston.
b,c,,c,d,b,a,d Elytra (protection) Coleoptera, Sound production (orthoptera), water. might act like a trampoline.
A, C, B, D, B, A, D ?
Thank you. Nice Blog.