Insectary at Ohio State University

I had the opportunity to tour the Insectary at Ohio State University and found it to be very educational. I was able to see insects from around the globe and learn about some of their unique characteristics and habitats. Below are some of the photos I took during my tour.

Click on images to enlarge.

Northern Walkingstick - Diapheromera femorata

The Northern Walkingstick lives in deciduous forest of Canada and the United States including Ohio. This gentle insect can be found with colors from brown to green which helps them hide in the foliage of trees and shrubs. They can grow to about 3-4 inches in length and the male is usually smaller than the female.


Australian Stick Insect - Extatosoma tiaratum

The Australian Stick Insect, also known as the Giant Prickly Stick Insect, can be found in Australia and New Guinea. The larger female has small flightless wings, spines on her body and large lobes on her legs. The smaller male can have smaller spines but is able to fly due to large wings as seen in the fourth photo below. Though they are harmless, the female can resemble a scorpion as she can curl up her tail to ward off predators..


Peruvian Black Velvet Stick Insect - Peruphasma schultei

The Peruvian Black Velvet Stick Insect is named due to their velvety appearance. They live in a very small area in the mountains of Peru. They possess a defense where they can spray a strong smelling substance from a gland at the rear of their head.  Though the spray is harmless, it can cause irritation to the eyes.


Blonde Tarantula - Aphonopelma chalcodes

The Blonde Tarantula can be found in the southwestern United States. Their temperament can vary between individual species though they are mostly a docile tarantula. They can be found living in burrows under rocks or deserted rodent homes. They will eat insects such as beetles, crickets, cicadas and certain lizards. When the tarantula molts, they lie on the back and work their way out of their outer skin which stays in one piece. During molting, the tarantula must be left alone as it may result in death.


Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula - Grammostola rosea

The Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula is from the northern Atacama Desert region in Chile which is a very hot and dry habitat. They hunt at night on insects such as grasshoppers, crickets and locusts. They are a docile spider that can grow to about 5” across and have been found to have a few different color forms.


Vietnamese Orange-legged Centipede - Scolopendra dehaani

The brightly colored Vietnamese Orange-legged Centipede can be found in Vietnam and through-out Southern Asia and can grow up to 8 inches in length. They are a hardy centipede but can be aggressive and deliver a painful bite. A bite can be similar to a bee sting as it can affect people differently but there is no substantiated proof of death from this centipede.

After starting video, click at lower right to enlarge it 
Cameroon Black Train Millipede - Mardonius parilis acuticonus

The shiny, black Cameroon Black Train Millipede loves to climb and can grow to about 9 inches in length. They like to eat fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, oranges and bananas. Millipedes have two sets of legs per segment (centipedes only have one set per segment) and the male has gonopods on the seventh segment instead of legs.


Leach's Millipede - Euryurus leachii

The Leach's Millipede, native to North America, can be found around decaying hardwood logs and stumps near water. They are a species of the flat-backed millipede which means there body segments have wide lateral keels known as paranota. They glow a green/blue fluorescent color under UV light due to a chemical in their exoskeleton.


Emperor or Lobster-Claw Scorpion - Pandinus imperator

The Emperor Scorpion is the largest (not the longest) of the scorpions that range in color from dark blue/green to black. They have sensory hairs on the pincers and tail to help them detect prey through air and ground vibrations which is needed since they have poor eye sight. They eat insects, other arachnids, small rodents and lizards. Scorpions can glow a green/blue color under a UV light (black light) or natural moonlight which comes from a substance in the hyaline layer which is part of the exoskeleton called the cuticle.  It is not fully understood why they do this.


Striped Bark Scorpion - Centuroides vittatus

The Striped Bark Scorpion is the most common scorpion in the United States and found in the crevices of rocky areas, forests and human structures. They will climb and can be found in the attic of homes. It can inflict a painful sting but the venom is not as potent as other scorpions. It can grow up to around 3 inches in length.


Whip Scorpion - Mastigoproctus giganteus

The only whip scorpion found in the United States is also known as vinegaroon or grampus. They do not have the venom stinger found in most scorpions or the venom bite found in most spiders, but they have a long, thin caudal appendage which gives them the name, whip scorpion. The name, vinegaroon, comes from their ability to spray acetic acid from base of whip like tail. They can be found in grasslands, pine forests, scrub and barrier islands.

After starting video, click at lower right to enlarge it


Tailless Whip Scorpion - Damon diadema

Tailless Whip Scorpion, from east coast of Africa, live near cave entrances in large groups. They can grow through-out their life but molt more at a younger age. After molting they will have a white appearance and quickly turn a greenish color after a few hours. It is during these times when they are highly vulnerable. After a few days they return to their normal appearance and lifestyle. 


Madagascar Hissing Cockroach - Gromphadorhina portentosa

One of the largest species or roaches, the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is found on the forest floors of Madagascar. They do not have wings but are able to climb smooth surfaces due to pads and hooks on their feet. The males have large bumps behind their head which are smaller on the female. These are known as pronatal humps.


Large or Greater Milkweed Bug - Oncopeltus fasciatus

The Large or Greater Milkweed Bug is found through-out the United States in fields with milkweed or dogbane and feed off the seeds, stems and leaves of the milkweed. The adult males have a black band on the ventral side of the fourth abdominal segment and the adult female has two black spots in that location


Eastern Subterranean Termite - Reticulitermes flavipes

The Eastern Subterranean Termite is the most common termite in North America and considered a pest due to the amount of wood it destroys. A colony can range from 20,000 to 5 million workers which can cause an economical disaster. Termites use pheromones to communicate with each other. A chemical in ink mimics these pheromones. The termites are attracted to the pheromones and start to follow the ink trail but what they are actually doing is following the “false” pheromones trail.

After starting video, click at lower right to enlarge it


Flesh Fly - Sarcophaga bullata

We tend to think of flies as an insect with no purpose and the planet would be better without them. Flies do eat decaying matter and use it to lay their eggs. But flies are also food for other animals. The Flesh Fly has been used in forensic entomology as the maggots in decaying bodies can be used to determine time of death of a person.