Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata)

Keprok or mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) is plant species in Rutaceae, erect, sessile-elliptic leaves and do not have wings or small, small flowers, fruit has a medium size, the skin is easily speeled, the membrane is easily removed, the tip sometimes has a bun, small seeds, polyembrioni, cotyledons and green.

C. reticulata has a height of 2-8 meters, the stem has a round or half round shape, has a branching and has no thorns. Leaves have a stem with a length of 0.5-1.5 cm, have very narrow wings or no wings at all.

The leaves have an elongated, elliptical or lancet shape with a blunt base and a pointed tip like a spear. The upper surface is dark green and shiny, the lower surface is light green, 4-8 cm long and 1.5-4 cm wide.

Flowers have a diameter of 1.5-2.5 cm and a white crown. Ball-shaped fruit with a pressure of 5-8 cm long, 0.2-0.3 cm thick skin and orange flesh. Flowers are pollinated with the help of bees, self-pollinating or parthenocarpy.

Mandarin orange grows in the tropics and subtropics, optimal temperature is 25-30C, optimum humidity is 70-80%, altitude is 100-1300 m, fertile soil, loose, contains a lot of organic matter, high porosity with pH 5-6, rainfall 1500- 2,000 mm/year with 4-7 months rainy season and 4-6 months dry season.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species: Citrus reticulata

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Red costate tiger moth (Aloa lactinea)

Red costate tiger moth ( Aloa lactinea ) is an animal species in the Erebidae, a moth with a wingspan of 40 mm, a yellow belly, black antennae with red basalt joints, dark red palpi on the sides and white below, black terminal joints, living in forests and agriculture in the lowlands to mountainous areas. A. lactinea has a white head with a red stripe on the back. Thorax is white. The wings are predominantly white in color with black dots on each corner of the cells and a red margin. The wings have branched pulse lines and a starchy surface. The wing-covered upper abdomen is black with large elliptical plots and is colored yellow forming cells. The lower abdomen is white and has fine hairs that fall out easily. A pair of antennas is black. The forelegs are red, white and black. The other legs are white on the top and black on the bottom. The final joints are white and black which form alternating rings. Tip and sole black all over. The larvae are black in color with a lateral crest ...

Takenoshin Nakai swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nakaianum) replaces V. magnificum and C. magnificum

NEWS - Researchers reported an erect herbaceous species distributed in the eastern part of Honshu Island, Vincetoxicum magnificum (Nakai) Kitag. based on Cynanchum magnificum Nakai, nomen nudum. Therefore, they named this species Takenoshin Nakai swallow-wort ( Vincetoxicum nakaianum K.Mochizuki & Ohi-Toma). Vincetoxicum Wolf (Asclepiadeae) is the third largest genus in the Asclepiadoideae consisting of about 260 species geographically extending from tropical Africa, Asia and Oceania to temperate regions of Eurasia. A total of 23 species are known from Japan, including 16 endemic species. Molecular phylogeny divides Japanese Vincetoxicum into four groups: the “Far Eastern” clade consisting of 11 endemic species and 4 more widespread species, 1 sister species to the “Far Eastern” clade, the “subtropical” clade consisting of 2 species and the “Vincetoxicum s. str.” clade consisting of 5 species. V. magnificum (Nakai) Kitag. (Japanese: tachi-gashiwa) is closely related to V. macro...

Dlium