Sweetpotato bug (Physomerus grossipes)

Kutu ketela or sweetpotato bug (Physomerus grossipes) is an insect species in Coreidae, brown with black legs, adults growing about 2 cm long, oval shaped, segmented antennas, heavily veined membranes, metathoracic odor glands and enlarged rear tibia.

P. grossipes generally live in Leguminosae and Convolvulaceae especially sweet potato (Physomerus grossipes), pink morning glory (Ipomoea carnea), purple beans (Vigna unguiculata), Asian pigeonwings (Clitoria ternatea) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).

Sweetpotato bugs suck liquid from the stem which causes plants to wither and disrupt fruit production. P. grossipes places eggs at the bottom of the leaves or stems or grass around them. Females are very protective of their children, keeping eggs and nymphs from predators as the most famous example of maternal care in Coreidae.

Even so, about 20% of eggs are eaten by predators such as ants and 13% are lost by parasitoid predation by chalcid wasps which lay eggs in eggs of P. grossipes. The surviving eggs will hatch in about 15 days. Sweetpotato bugs pass five nymph stages starting from 85-88 days before adulthood.

Mothers continue to care for gregarious nymphs and feed them food that suggests social dimensions. Some mothers working together to care for their children or unmarried females will help raise a child who is not his.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Coreidae
Subfamily: Coreinae
Genus: Physomerus
Species: P. grossipes

Liverwort (Marchantia)

Liverwort ( Marchantia ) is a genus of plants in the Marchantiaceae, growing vines and attached to the soil surface, soft, dark green, upright phallus like a cup, grows in colonies on slopes and vertical soil that is moist and shady. Marchantia has elongated strands, rounded ends, branched, flat margins and a black vein in the middle. The strands formed a circular formation, growing widely and forming new formations around it. Sexual reproduction involves sperm from antheridia in male plants to fertilize ova in archegonia in female plants. The zygote develops into a small sporophyte which remains attached to the larger gametophyte. The sporophyte produces spores which develop into free-living male and female gametophytes. Asexual reproduction via gemmae in the cup-like structures on the upper surface of the plant. Asexual reproduction can also occur when older plant parts die and new, surviving branches develop into separate plants. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Marchantiophyta Class: ...

Black potato (Coleus rotundifolius)

Black potato ( Coleus rotundifolius ) is a species of plant in Lamiaceae, herbaceous, fibrous roots and tubers, erect and slightly creeping stems, quadrangular, thick, and slightly odorous. Single leaves, thick, membranous, opposite and alternate. Leaves are oval, dark green and shiny on the upper side, bright green on the lower side. Up to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, slightly hairy and pinnate leaf veins. Leaf stalks up to 4 cm long. Small, purple flowers. Star-shaped petals, lip-shaped crown, dark to light purple with a slightly curved tube shape. Flowering from February-August. Small tubers, brown and white flesh and tuber length 2-4 cm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Nepetoideae Tribe: Ocimeae Subtribe: Plectranthinae Genus: Coleus Species: Coleus rotundifolius

Wild durian (Cullenia exarillata)

Wild durian ( Cullenia exarillata ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae, a tall tree with smooth, greyish-white bark, peeling on older trees, a straight trunk, horizontal branches and often with a series of knob-like tubercles for flower and fruit attachment. C. exarillata has young branches and the underside of the leaves is covered with golden brown peltate or shield-like scales. The leaves are single, alternate, glabrous, glossy green on the upper side and covered with silvery or orange peltate scales on the underside. Hermaphroditic flowers are tubular and also covered with golden brown scales, 4-5 cm long and cream or reddish brown in color. Flowers have no petals, formed of tubular bracteoles and tubular calyxes, 5-lobed. Fruit is round, 10-13 cm in diameter, covered with thorns and clustered along the branches. Many seeds, reddish brown, 4-5 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The seeds are enclosed by a fleshy, whitish aril. The fruit splits open when ripe and dries to release the s...

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