Poll: What would you do if you found a brand new insect?
- Thread starter dlharp2
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I'm call it the "Simm-Farrel Feminine Waist-Chan Sempai Kun", as both an honour to my mother and 4Chan (though the two are very synonymous) After we've learned everything we could about it, and made a few thousand offspring to release into its habitat, I suppose I'd eat it to see if I'd die. Or try to figure out its favourite genre.
Hmm...don't know enough about bugs to be able to tell if it's a new species or not.
Anyhoo, it depends...
If it's bright and colorful, then it's getting SMASHED. Could have been poisonous.
If it's big and menacing, then it's getting SMASHED...or I'd probably just run away.
If it's disgusting and dull, then it's getting SMASHED. Ewww.
If it's relatively normal looking, then it'll probably end up getting SMASHED...just for the lulz.
In all seriousness, I just don't like bugs.
Anyhoo, it depends...
If it's bright and colorful, then it's getting SMASHED. Could have been poisonous.
If it's big and menacing, then it's getting SMASHED...or I'd probably just run away.
If it's disgusting and dull, then it's getting SMASHED. Ewww.
If it's relatively normal looking, then it'll probably end up getting SMASHED...just for the lulz.
In all seriousness, I just don't like bugs.
Blue beetles are a lot more common than blue bees, I think. But the difference is easily spotted - bees have a sort of waist and thin, gauzy wings, while beetles have a hard shield and are more round to oblong, but usually oval, but not with a waist.dlharp2 said:
I would try to keep it alive and call local Entomologists to see if they wanted it. If they didn't want it, I would set it free of course.
Well since there is no other option, picked the closest one that fits.
"Kill it with fire until nothing is left".
No, I don't give a F about balance, I just can't stand insects (except for bees, they are cute, maybe also butterflies but I haven't seen one in ages).
I wouldn't say it's a fear of insects, but I behave irrationally like those who have some insane phobias from insects.
I just need to see them and I can already feel them crawling all over me.
"Kill it with fire until nothing is left".
No, I don't give a F about balance, I just can't stand insects (except for bees, they are cute, maybe also butterflies but I haven't seen one in ages).
I wouldn't say it's a fear of insects, but I behave irrationally like those who have some insane phobias from insects.
I just need to see them and I can already feel them crawling all over me.
trap it and take it to proper authorities so they can do a study on it and see if its indigenous. If its totally brand new, never before seen and I'm given the option I'll name it something, probably somethinga long the lines of dealing back to Artemis because she's one of the first things I think of when I think blue.
Personally, I'd name it after someone I didn't like.Aerosteam said:
My revenge plans are...Weird.
As a biologist here's my advice.
Unfortunately there's a good chance it's not a new species at all. And the only way to be sure is by checking if it matches any known species. So if you want to do that, here's some steps.
First, try googling for pictures using the insect's most interesting features. Like "blue bee." If it looks exactly like any of the pictures you find, chances are you'll find the name (both Latin and English) by just visiting the page the picture is on.
If that fails, you can try determining it yourself using a determination table like this one: http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-key.asp
Unfortunately these tables often ask really daft questions like the number of hairs on the third segment of the insect's hind legs. So you're likely going to need some help from someone with some experience, if only because you need a good magnifying glass. Good places to get this help would be any bug collector, park ranger or nature guide you know. If you don't you can also try to get some help on bug enthousiast websites. There's plenty of those and they're usually pretty helpfull, this is kind of their jam after all. In the amazing scenario where it actually is a new species they'll also be able to help you with what to do next. Keep in mind though, you can't name species you discovered after yourself.
One final note: ideally you shouldn't kill it until you know for sure it's not an endangered species. However, there's this nasty catch 22 where you often can't determine what species it is without killing it. So basically: don't kill it if you don't have to. BUt if you have to, take comfort in the thought it was very likely not the only one of it's kind.
Unfortunately there's a good chance it's not a new species at all. And the only way to be sure is by checking if it matches any known species. So if you want to do that, here's some steps.
First, try googling for pictures using the insect's most interesting features. Like "blue bee." If it looks exactly like any of the pictures you find, chances are you'll find the name (both Latin and English) by just visiting the page the picture is on.
If that fails, you can try determining it yourself using a determination table like this one: http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-key.asp
Unfortunately these tables often ask really daft questions like the number of hairs on the third segment of the insect's hind legs. So you're likely going to need some help from someone with some experience, if only because you need a good magnifying glass. Good places to get this help would be any bug collector, park ranger or nature guide you know. If you don't you can also try to get some help on bug enthousiast websites. There's plenty of those and they're usually pretty helpfull, this is kind of their jam after all. In the amazing scenario where it actually is a new species they'll also be able to help you with what to do next. Keep in mind though, you can't name species you discovered after yourself.
One final note: ideally you shouldn't kill it until you know for sure it's not an endangered species. However, there's this nasty catch 22 where you often can't determine what species it is without killing it. So basically: don't kill it if you don't have to. BUt if you have to, take comfort in the thought it was very likely not the only one of it's kind.
Since I don't have any "expertise" with insects in the first place, I would probably:
1. Ignore it, if it's just flying around in the room
2. Smash it, if it looks like a bee/wasp or any other bugs with sharp ends.
3. Catch it, If I rarely see it in person, and just let it go after, because I have better things to do.
The chances of actually finding a new species is just small and too much of a hassle to actually care about it if you can't determine it fast enough.
1. Ignore it, if it's just flying around in the room
2. Smash it, if it looks like a bee/wasp or any other bugs with sharp ends.
3. Catch it, If I rarely see it in person, and just let it go after, because I have better things to do.
The chances of actually finding a new species is just small and too much of a hassle to actually care about it if you can't determine it fast enough.