unnamed 53Assassin insects are common in North America and around the world and many are beneficial insects because they eat other insects which has drawn interest to them from researchers, but a lot about their biology is not known, Scott Bundy entomology professor at New Mexico State University said. (Courtesy photo)It was another normal day of collecting and examining insect eggs in the lab for New Mexico State University grad student Danielle Lara and entomology professor Scott Bundy. On this particular day though, something happened that caused Lara to distrust her own eyes.

An assassin bug that the duo had collected earlier had laid eggs over the weekend. Bundy collected the eggs and placed them in a petri dish and told Lara to take a look at the egg mass the assassin bug had laid.

“I placed the eggs under the microscope and noted the eggs looked similar to other assassin bug egg masses I had seen,” Lara said. “Upon further examination, I realized the tops of the egg masses all started to open up like flowers, in sync”

Doubting her eyes and sanity, Lara asked Bundy to look at the eggs to check to see if he was seeing the same thing.

“Sure enough, he saw them react the same way,” Lara said.

Bundy explained that assassin insects are common in North America and around the world and many are beneficial insects because they eat other insects. This has drawn interest to them from researchers, but a lot about their biology is not known.

“When we first witnessed these tiny eggs reacting in such a bizarre manner, we thought surely this has been researched or written about before,” Lara said. “We were only able to find one paper on the subject matter, but we got excited because we knew we could expand on what was going on with the eggs. The paper we found was rather brief but it gave us a starting point on where to begin our research.”

Bundy said that’s when the detective work started.

“The fact that the top part of the egg moved while the rest of it stayed still is so fascinating,” Bundy said. “We had to figure out the mechanism. The way it moved, we thought it had to be something that’s living that was causing it, but we had eggs that were about two years old that were also moving the same way. So, we looked at them up close, used lasers to reflect off of their structures, and started putting the pieces together.”

The researchers initially thought it could be light that was causing the top of the eggs to react.

“I think we both thought the eggs were reacting to light, especially since when we first observed the eggs moving, they were under a microscope light. We ran a few trials to test this theory and soon realized this wasn’t the case,” Lara said.

After many test trials to rule out potential causes of movement, they finally found their answer.

“When we finally figured out water was the mechanism behind the movement of the eggs, I remember feeling relieved and excited. I thought: ‘Yes! Finally, an answer!’” Lara said.

Images from a microscope helped Lara and Bundy to see what the cell was doing and how the water was traveling through the egg.

“The flower-like part of the egg is called the corolla. The cells there receive the water and funnel it through the egg and allow water to be sucked in and out of the egg,” Bundy said. “The fact that an egg that was two years old was still moving shows that this is a physical property of the egg, which is so interesting.”

Bundy explained that other assassin bugs have unusual eggs, but nothing like this, as it is only a certain genus of the assassin bug’s eggs that does this.

Bundy’s and Lara’s research appeared in the April issue of Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Bundy said he would like to look more into the evolutionary reasons of why this mechanism evolved, but doesn’t have any immediate plans to work on it now.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.