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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-34--106042435 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi Steve, While there are a number of species of Membracidae found in the Maritimes, there are no Gelastocords here. Cheers, Chris On 24-May-07, at 8:32 PM, Steve Shaw wrote: > I've had a request for info about the possible availability of > Toadbugs from a colleague from UK who will be visiting here for a > couple of weeks in early August, see below. He's currently doing a > comparative survey of insect jumpers and has the present world > record, or rather his UK spittlebug does (this is defined I think > by height achieved or maybe initial acceleration, per unit mass at > take-off; earlier, fleas held the record). Several biologically > important high speed animal movements like the locust/grasshopper > jump or mantid-shrimp strike are much too fast and powerful to work > by contacting any known muscle in real time -- the power needed is > too great. Where the solution is known in one or two cases, the > rapid movements happen instead by the animal slowly winding up > tension over time with a big muscle, and storing energy as > deformation at a joint in a rubber-like compound (resilin), but > protected by a physical catch, much like that on a crossbow. Then > at the appropriate time when danger approaches, a smaller muscle is > used to flip the catch like a trigger, whereupon a large force can > be released quickly to power the jump or whatever. He takes > really high speed digital images of them jumping, from which one > can get info about acceleration and therefore about the initial > force at take-off. > > Does anyone know anything about these toadbugs, if they live in > Nova Scotia, where to get them and what date they appear on the > scene? I'm thinking that Angus or Bev Wigney may have run into > them with a camera, or Chris might know. The two sites he quotes > below have good pics of the ugly little beasts, but maybe beauty is > in the eye... > Any info on toadbugs would be useful. > Steve > ****************************************** > Begin forwarded message: >> Dear Steve >> I was reading about another group of Heteropteran bugs that jump. >> They occur in N America and I was wondering if they occurred near >> you. They are toad bugs and belong to the family Gelastocoridae >> http://bugguide.net/node/view/158 >> I think you might have a beast called Gelastocoris oculatus >> http://www.stephencresswell.com/s/5525.html >> If it seems likely that we could get some of these bugs or the >> ones I previously mentioned (eg Membracids) then I will certainly >> bring the high speed camera. I attach a PDF that is all about >> staining or seeing resilin in insects. It would be great if this >> would work in froghoppers. >> > _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 (902) 424-6435 Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. --Apple-Mail-34--106042435 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Steve,<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>While there are a number of = species of Membracidae found in the Maritimes, there are no Gelastocords = here.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Cheers,</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Chris</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV= >On 24-May-07, at 8:32 PM, Steve Shaw wrote:</DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New Roman">I've had a request for info about = the possible availability of Toadbugs from a colleague from UK<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>who will be visiting here for = a couple of weeks in early August, see below.<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>He's currently doing a = comparative survey of insect jumpers and has the present world record, = or rather his UK spittlebug does (this is defined I think by height = achieved or maybe initial acceleration, per unit mass at take-off;<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>earlier, fleas held the = record). <SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Several = biologically important high speed animal movements like the = locust/grasshopper jump or mantid-shrimp strike are much too fast and = powerful to work by contacting any known muscle in real time -- the = power needed is too great.<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 = </SPAN>Where the solution is known in one or two cases, the rapid = movements happen instead by the animal slowly winding up tension over = time with a big muscle, and storing energy as deformation at a joint in = a rubber-like compound (resilin), but protected by a physical catch, = much like that on a crossbow.<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 = </SPAN>Then at the appropriate time when danger approaches, a smaller = muscle is used to flip the catch like a trigger, whereupon a large force = can be released quickly to power the jump or whatever. <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>He takes really high speed = digital images of them jumping, from which one can get info about = acceleration and therefore about the initial force at take-off.<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 =A0</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times New = Roman; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT = face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New = Roman">Does anyone know anything about these toadbugs, if they live in = Nova Scotia, where to get them and what date they appear on the = scene?<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>I'm thinking that = Angus or Bev Wigney may have run into them with a camera, or Chris might = know.<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>The two sites he = quotes below have good pics of the ugly little beasts, but maybe beauty = is in the eye... <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Any info on toadbugs would be = useful. <SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Steve<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New Roman"><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN>********************************= **********</FONT></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Begin forwarded = message:</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT = face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Comic Sans = MS">Dear Steve</FONT></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans = MS" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Comic Sans MS">I was reading about = another group of Heteropteran bugs that jump.=A0 They occur in N America = and I was wondering if they occurred near you.=A0 They are toad bugs and = belong to the family Gelastocoridae</FONT></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT = face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New = Roman"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN><A = href=3D"http://bugguide.net/node/view/158">http://bugguide.net/node/view/1= 58</A>=A0<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV= style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D"3" style=3D"font:= 12.0px Comic Sans MS">I think you might have a beast called = Gelastocoris oculatus</FONT></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT = face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times New = Roman"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN><A = href=3D"http://www.stephencresswell.com/s/5525.html">http://www.stephencre= sswell.com/s/5525.html</A>=A0<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D"3" style=3D"font:= 12.0px Comic Sans MS">If it seems likely that we could get some of = these bugs or the ones I previously mentioned (eg Membracids) then I = will certainly bring the high speed camera.=A0 I attach a PDF that is = all about staining or seeing resilin in insects.=A0 It would be great if = this would work in froghoppers.=A0</FONT></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: = normal normal normal 12px/normal Times New Roman; min-height: 15px; = "><BR></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Times New Roman; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV> = </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px = 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT = face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">Christopher Majka = - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: = 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Times">1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>B3H 3A6</FONT></P> <P = style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">(902) 424-6435 <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Email <<A = href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</A>></F= ONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times"= size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>= --Apple-Mail-34--106042435--
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