Ten famous insects in the Amazon that many people know
Insects in the Amazon are among the most sought-after animal species for research purposes.
The Amazon rainforest is renowned for its rare animal species, and insects constitute a significant portion of these creatures. Most of the insect species in the Amazon are widely recognized and popular, known to many people. Let’s delve into this article to discover more about these insects.
1. Subterranean Ant
Subterranean Ant is a species of ant in the Amazon rainforest that is considered a direct descendant of the first ant species to appear in the world. Due to its early appearance, this ant species is highly aggressive and dangerous.
They frequently engage in raiding small ant colonies to turn them into their own territories. They enslave the captured ants, forcing them to forage food for their colony.
2. Reduviidae
Reduviidae, is a parasitic insect that specializes in blood-sucking from other animals. This bug is known for its painful bite, and if its saliva comes into contact with its prey, the fluids within the prey’s body will be completely sucked out.
This bug has a strong and rigid mouthpart, capable of piercing through the exoskeleton of its prey. It injects a toxic substance to paralyze the prey and proceeds to suck out its body fluids. Its main prey includes ants, termites, bees, and other insects.
3. Amazon Jungle Mosquito
Amazon Jungle mosquito is a small but highly dangerous insect, causing people to be cautious of this mosquito species. If bitten by the Amazon Jungle mosquito, individuals may experience symptoms such as malaria or dengue fever.
Although this insect is small in size, if not treated promptly after being bitten by the Amazon Jungle mosquito, it can potentially result in death. According to statistics, within just 5 minutes, the number of cases bitten by the Amazon Jungle mosquito surpasses the number of deaths caused by shark bites. Such a simple comparison demonstrates the level of danger posed by this mosquito species.
4. Peanut head bug
Peanut head bug is widely known in countries within the Central and South American regions, such as Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, With a strange shape resembling an unshelled peanut, this insect is quite common in the Amazon.
This bug has a rough and dry skin texture, with a length of about 10 to 12 cm. Apart from its distinctive appearance, this insect is also known for its strong defensive capabilities. When needing to deceive enemies, the Peanut head bug releases toxic substances for self-defense. Its eyes mimic a yellow color, while the hind wings secrete a highly unpleasant odor to attack and repel threats.
5. Melipona Bee
Melipona bee is an insect species belonging to the Apidae family, officially discovered in 1836. This insect species is commonly found in the coastal regions of Southeast Brazil.
These insects often attack enemies by biting them with their jaws. They do not have the task of staying at home to care for the hive, so many scientists describe their living spaces as intricately designed bee nests. The honey produced by these bees is deliciously fragrant, but it is rare and difficult to purchase.
6. Cicada
Cicada is a super insect with a large head and two large wings with prominent veins. Currently, there are about 2,500 species of cicadas worldwide.
The Cicada produces a distinctive sound by vibrating its two sound-producing organs, which are thin membranes located in its thorax and have internal ribs. The cicada shakes its body to create a rhythmic up-and-down motion for the sound to be emitted.
7. Hercules Beetle
Beetle is one of the largest groups of insects in the world, and the Hercules species itself is a relatively large species found in South and Central America. This insect is often taken to participate in competitions with other insects.
Hercules Beetles are primarily active during the night and they have extraordinary strength. Compared to other beetle species, the Hercules Beetle is capable of carrying objects that are 800 times heavier than its own body weight.
8. Moth
Moths are a type of insect closely related to butterflies in the Lepidoptera family. Among this family, moths make up the majority. It is known that there are between 150,000 to 250,000 different species within the moth family.
Moths typically have two pairs of wings covered in scales, compound eyes, and a proboscis for sucking nectar from flowers. Depending on the species, they come in various sizes and colors. Most harmful moth species tend to have brown and red colors.
9. Golden Ladybug
Golden Ladybug, also known as Charidotella sexpunctata, is found and thrives in North America. They are relatively small, measuring only about 0.5 cm in size.
These bugs have black spots on their bodies, approximately 28 spots. They frequently feed on leaves, causing damage to plants, particularly certain plants like gourds, pumpkins, rice, and some fruit-bearing plants such as durian and cucumber….
10. Florida Bark Scorpion
Florida Bark Scorpion, also known as the Bark Scorpion or Brown Bark Scorpion, is commonly found in North and Central America, including countries like Florida, Mexico, Ecuador, Jamaica, Cameroon, and the Canary Islands.
These scorpions have a light brown color with yellowish patterns on their bodies. They typically live in tree barks and underneath rocks. They are known as skilled predators in the insect world.
These are the pieces of information we can provide about the insects in the Amazon. Hope that with the information provided, you have gained a better understanding of the animal kingdom in general and the insect species in the Amazon in particular. If you know any other unique insect species in the Amazon, please feel free to share with everyone!