Ever wonder how some things get their name? This evening, James and I learned firsthand how this little critter–a glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis)–got its common name of sharpshooter. Take a look at these videos that I took:
According to Bugguide.net, the family's name of sharpshooters (Cicadellinae) "refers to their habit of forcing excess water droplets out of the tip of the abdomen with an audible popping noise." See another video of the behavior here. What do you think about THAT? As usual, I was AMAZED!
UPDATE: Thank you, Carrie M., for sending me this article: "How some insects fling their pee."
No comments:
Post a Comment