The Hindu Science Quiz The world of insects
1 / 10 |
How many species of insects are there on Earth, approximately?
- 1 million
- 5.5 million
- 30 million
There are approximately 1.5 million species of beetles and 7 million species of terrestrial arthropods. Read more.
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2 / 10 |
Two of the following butterflies resemble each other. Which is the third one that looks different from the others?
- Papilio Memnon — Great Mormon
- Danaus plexippus — Monarch butterfly
- Limenitis archippus — Viceroy butterfly
The similarity between the Viceroy and the Monarch is seen as one based on Müllerian mimicry — when two unrelated noxious organisms resemble one another, with each mimetic benefiting. Read more.
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3 / 10 |
Camouflage among insects is when it blends with the background because of its appearance. Mimicry is when it tries to look like something else so that predators are cheated. Which of the following insects has adopted mimicry and not camouflage?
- Stick insect – Carausius morosus
- Robber fly – Zosteria species
- Leaf insect – Phyllium
Robber fly (Wyliea mydas) mimics lethal spider wasps (Pepsis formosa and Pepsis thisbe) known as tarantula hawks. Read more.
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4 / 10 |
The cockroach is an ovoviviparous animal. What does this mean?
- Reproduction can be sexual or asexual
- Eggs are laid by the female but hatched by the male
- Eggs develop entirely within the female and hatch as soon as they laid
Most insects fall in the category of oviparous animals which lay eggs and their embryos develop outside of the mother's body. Read more.
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5 / 10 |
In honey bees, males develop from unfertilized eggs and females develop from fertilized eggs. Therefore, while females have both sets of chromosomes from father and mother, males are haploid and have only the mother’s chromosomes. This has the following effect:
- Males are all infertile
- Males have no father or son; but can have grandfathers and grandsons
- Females are closer in relatedness to the males than the females
About 20% of animal species use a haplodiploid mode of reproduction. Read more.
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6 / 10 |
How do insects breathe?
- Through lungs
- Through pores in their skin below the head
- Through tracheae or holes in their abdomen
The respiratory system of insects (and many other arthropods) is separate from the circulatory system. Read more.
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7 / 10 |
This species is often spoken of as an insect but it belongs to a different family. Which one is it among the following?
- Spider
- German wasp
- Moth
Spiders, ticks, mites and scorpions belong to class Arachinda , while insects belong to class Insecta. Both belong to Phylum Arthropoda. Read more.
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8 / 10 |
Insects are known to have compound eyes. But some insects, such as bees and wasps, also have simple eyes co-existing with them. What is the term for such simple eyes?
- Ocelli
- Globuli
- Vistas
Insects’ eyes are of two kinds , simple eyes, or ocelli, and compound eyes. In the adults of higher insects both types are present. Read more.
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9 / 10 |
Which of the following insects are not eaten by people anywhere in the world?
- Grasshoppers
- Sago palm weevil
- Indian Jezebel butterfly
Silkworm pupae, weaver ants and bamboo caterpillars are also popular food items. Read more.
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10 / 10 |
Recently, an Australian bee fly species has been named after a Game of Thrones character. Name the species.
- Paramonovius nightking
- Paramonovius aryastark
- Paramonovius johnsnow
Paramonovius nightking was originally discovered in 2012 by a pair of “citizen scientists” in Wandoo National Park. Read more.
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