Molluscs

The Mollusca, common name molluscs or mollusks, is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. This is the second largest marine phylum, comprising about 17% of all the named marine organisms, behind 19% for the Crustacea. Numerous molluscs also live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Molluscs are highly diverse, not only in size and in anatomical structure, but also in behaviour and in habitat.

The mollusc is a soft-bodied, usually shelled INVERTEBRATE belonging to one of the largest animal phyla (Mollusca) with some 100 000 living and about 35 000 FOSSIL species. Molluscs are found on land and in salt and fresh water, and include SNAILS, ABALONE, CLAMS, MUSSELS, octopuses and squid. Molluscs range from some of the smallest invertebrates (snails and clams, measured in millimetres) to the largest (giant squid, up to 15-20 m long). The group is characterized by a muscular foot on which the animals creep; a calcareous shell secreted by the underlying fleshy mantle; and a feeding structure, the radula, consisting of a membrane, bearing sharp cusps, thrusting out from the mouth (found in all major groups except Bivalvia).

Eumenid Wasp

Scientific Name: Hymenoptera; Eumenidae

Common Name: Eumenid Wasp

 

Four species of eumenids, Ancistrocerus adiabatus (Saussure), A. antilope (Panzer), A. catskill (Saussure), and Euodynerus leucomelas (Saussure), accepted and provisioned trap-nesting blocks placed in a spruce-fir forest of Maine. The wasps preferred open habitats with abundant floral forage to dense spruce-fir stands. Two species, A. catskilland E. leucomelas, preyed on late instars of Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) and on other lepidopterous defoliators of northeastern hardwoods and softwoods. Spruce budworm comprised 3 to 38% of the total observed prey in strip clearcuts. Nest associates included parasites of provisioned prey larvae and both parasites and predators of eumenids.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Atelocerata

Class: Hexapoda (including Insecta)

Infraclass: Neoptera

Subclass: Pterygota

Order: Hymenoptera

Suborder: Apocrita

Superfamily: Vespoidea

Family: Vespidae

Subfamily: Eumeninae

 

Digitaria longiflora

Annual or sometimes short-lived perennial, varying from a prostrate creeper to a leafy upright plant; culms 10-60 cm high, ascending from a stoloniferous base. Leaf-blades 1-9 cm long, 1-5 mm wide, the blades and sheaths usually glabrous but occasionally hirsute.

Inflorescence composed of 24 (typically 2) digitate racemes; racemes 1-10 cm long, the spikelets ternate on a ribbon-like winged rhachis with low rounded midrib; pedicels terete, smooth, with discoid or cupuliform tip. Spikelets narrowly ovate-elliptic, 1.2-1.8 mm long; lower glume a minute hyaline rim; upper glume as long as the spikelet, 5-nerved, with short appressed verrucose hairs between the nerves (sometimes glabrous between 1st and 2nd lateral nerves); lower lemma as long as the spikelet, 7-nerved, pubescent with verrucose hairs or these appressed and barely visible (sometimes glabrous beside midrib and between 2nd and 3rd nerves); fruit ellipsoid, pallid, light brown or light grey.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Cooperi’

Scientific Name: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Cooperi’

Common Name : Variegated Hibiscus / Checkered Hibiscus

Vibrant red, single Hibiscus blooms bring elegance and poise to the chaos of color brought on by the brilliantly variegated foliage which is randomly splashed in shades of burgundy, red, pink, white, and green. A vigorous growing Tropical Hibiscus. Makes a wonderful tree standard.

Outdoor Light: Full sun, Part sun, Part shade, Light shade.

Blooming Time: Summer. The red flowers appear at the tips of side branches and are up to 4 inches across.

Culture: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis “Cooperi” plants need a well-drained compost consisting of 2 parts peat moss to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand. The plants need full sun to partial shade with intermediate to warm temperatures. Water the plants freely during the growing season. Fertilize the plants twice monthly with a balanced fertilizer from April through September. To keep mature plants growing vigorously, prune out about 1/3 of the old wood in the spring. Pinching out tips of stems in spring and summer increases flower production. They may be grown outside in zone 7, but should be treated as annuals.

Propagation: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis “Cooperi” are propagated by cuttings or layers.

 

Platycladus orientalis

Scientific Name: Platycladus orientalis
Common Names: oriental arborvitae, oriental thuja, biota
Family: Cupressaceae (cypress Family)

Oriental arborvitae is a densely branched evergreen conifer that can get as much as 50 ft (15.2 m) tall with a spread of 20 ft (6.1 m), but in cultivation usually grows as a smaller, bushier shrub. It tends to have several to many stems, but can be trimmed to a single leader stem creating a treelike form. The overall shape is conical, with the crown becoming more irregular and spreading with age. The bark is rusty-brown and fibrous. The numerous slender ascending branches support shoots that spread out in flat, vertical planes. The leaves are like little scales overlapping and tightly packed on the shoots. The oblong cones are about 1 in (2.5 cm) long, held upright, and blue-green with a grayish waxy bloom. The cones are fleshy at first, becoming woody as they mature, and each of the 6-8 scales that cover the cone has a recurved, fleshy hook. Under the scales are wingless seeds.

Usage

Use Oriental arborvitae for formal hedges and as specimen shrubs. This is a neat shrub with tight, compact foliage held in dense, fanlike vertical sprays. Even mature specimens keep their dense foliage all the way to the ground, making oriental arborvitae a good choice for screens and windbreaks. They are used to anchor doors or foundation plantings (but plan for ultimate size!). The smaller cultivars are good in rock and succulent gardens. Oriental arborvitae is a good choice for chalky or alkaline soils that usually mean slow death for most cultivated plants. They do well on dry, rocky sites, and flourish even on crushed coral and sea shell “soils”, although they are not very salt tolerant.

Alternanthera philoxeroides

Common name: Alligator Weed

Botanical name: Alternanthera philoxeroides

Family: Amaranthaceae

Size: Height =0.5m Width =4m

Alligator Weed is regarded as one of the world’s worst weeds. It grows as a floating aquatic or as a rooted terrestrial plant. It is a rhizomatous herb. The plant spreads from rhizomes and from stem fragments. Stems are hollow. Leases are opposite, 2 to 7 cm long and 5 to 40 mm wide, gently tapering to the tip and base. The rhizome develops with very close nodes in soil, but longer inter-nodes in water. Flowers 1.2 1.4 cm in diameter, are white and paper-like, on 2 to 7 stalks from the leaf axil. Rarely if even seeds.

Problem:

Very invasive. Can completely choke waterways, deoxygenating water and excluding light. Death of aquatic life can result. Can seriously restrict navigation. Occasionally planted in the belief that is the herb Mukunawanna, otherwise known as Ponankaarni. Mukunawanna is legal, tastes much better and does not have side effects as does Alligator Weed.

Galinsoga quadriradiata

Scientific Name:

Galinsoga quadriradiata

Common Name: Quick-weed

Family: Asteraceae

Galinsoga parviflora is a herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It has several common names including Guasca (Colombia), Galinsoga (NZ), gallant soldier (USA). It is also known by the taxonomic name Tridax parviflora.

Native:

Galinsoga parviflora was brought from Peru to Kew Gardens in 1796, and later escaped to the wild in Britain. In Britain its name Galinsoga is sometimes popularly rendered as “gallant soldiers”, and then sometimes altered to “soldiers of the Queen”.

Uses:

In Colombia it is used as a spice herb in the soup Ajiaco. It can also be used as an ingredient in leaf salads.

Mimosa pudica/Semalu

Scientific Name: Mimosa Pudica

Common name: Pokok Semalu

Family: Leguminosae

Small, weedy plant, with fern like leaves that almost instantly close upon touch. The leaves reopen within a few minutes.

Description:

Small tropical, bushy or ground dwelling plant. Often found in roadsides or fields and in such cases, rarely exceed 3-6″ in height.

Hardiness:

Plants are tender to frost, but can become weedy in tropical regions.

Native Range:

Native to Brazil

Growing Environment:

They enjoy full sun, warm temperatures, and moderate water. Easily container grown, and commonly done so as an ornamental oddity.

Pipit

The pipits are a cosmopolitan genus, Anthus, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Along with the wagtails and longclaws, the pipits make up the family Motacillidae. The genus is widespread, occurring across most of the world, except the driest deserts, rainforests and the mainland of Antarctica.

They are slender, often drab, ground-feeding insectivores of open country. Like their relatives in the family, the pipits are monogamous and territorial. Pipits are ground nesters, laying up to six speckled eggs.

 

Taxonomy and evolution

The genus has more than forty species, making it the largest genus in terms of numbers in its family. The exact species limits of the genus are still a matter of some debate, with some checklists recognising only 34 species. For example, the Australasian Pipit, Anthus novaeseelandiae, which is currently treated as nine subspecies found in New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea, once also included the Richard’s Pipit and Paddyfield Pipit of Asia, and the African Pipit of Africa. In addition it has been suggested that the Australian and New Zealand populations be split, or even that New Zealand’s subspecies found on its outlying Subantarctic Islands be split from the mainland species. In part the taxonomic difficulties arise due to the extreme similarities in appearance across the genus. Two species have been identified comparatively recently in South Africa, the Long-tailed Pipit in 1996 and the Kimberley Pipit in 2002.

Morphology

The plumage colour of the Long-billed Pipit is typical of the genus, although this subspecies lacks the extensive streaking many other pipits, including other subspecies, have on the breast

The pipits are generally highly conservative in appearance. They are generally between 16–21 cm (6.3–8.3 in) in length, although the smallest species, the Short-tailed Pipit, is only 11.5–12.5 cm (4.5–4.9 in). In weight they range from 15–38 g (0.53–1.3 oz). Like all members of the family they are slender, short necked birds with long tails, long slender legs with elongated (in some cases very elongated) hind claws. The length of the hindclaw varies with the habits of the species, more arboreal species have shorter, more curved hindclaws than the more terrestrial species. The bills are generally long, slender and pointed. In both size and plumage there is little differences between the sexes. One unusual feature of the pipits, which they share in common with the rest of their family but not the rest of the passerines, is that the tertials on the wing entirely cover the primary flight feathers. This is thought to be a feature to protect the primaries, which are important to flight, from the sun, which causes the feathers to fade and become brittle if not protected.

Behaviour

The pipits are active terrestrial birds that usually spend most of their time on the ground. They will fly in order to display during breeding, while migrating and dispersing, and also when flushed by danger. A few species make use of trees, perching in them and flying to them when disturbed. Low shrubs, rocks and termite nests may also be used as vantage points. Like their relatives the wagtails, pipits engage in tail-wagging. The way in which a pipit does this can provide clues to its identity in otherwise similar looking species. Upland Pipits, for example, flick their tails quite quickly, as opposed to Olive-backed Pipits which wag their tails more gently.In general pipits move their tails quite slowly. The Buff-bellied Pipit wags its tail both up and down and from side to side. The exact function of tail-wagging is unclear;^[1] in the related wagtails it is thought to be a signal to predators of vigilance.

Diet and feeding

The diet of the pipits is dominated by small invertebrates. Insects are the most important prey items; among the types taken include flies and their larvae, beetles, grasshoppers and crickets, true bugs, mantids, ants, aphids and particularly the larvae and adults of moths and butterflies. Outside of insects other invertebrates taken include spiders and, rarely, worms and scorpions. They are generally catholic in their diet, the composition of their diet apparently reflecting the abundance of their prey in the location (and varying with the season). The diet consumed by adults may vary to that of the young birds; for example adult Tree Pipits take large numbers of beetles but do not feed many to their chicks. Species feeding on the seashore are reported to feed on marine crustaceans and molluscs. A few species have been reported to feed on small fish, beating them in the manner of a kingfisher having caught them. A few species also are reported as consuming berries and seeds.

Icterus galbula/Burung kunyit besar

The Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) is a small icterid blackbird that averages 18 cm long and weighs 34 g. This bird received its name from the fact that the male’s colors resemble those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. At one time, this species and the Bullock’s Oriole, Icterus bullockii, were considered to be a single species, the Northern Oriole.

The Baltimore Orioles, a Major League Baseball team in Baltimore, Maryland, were named after this bird. It is also the state bird of Maryland.

Description

Adults have a pointed bill and white bars on the wings. The adult male is orange on the underparts, shoulder patch and rump. All of the rest of the male is black. The adult female is yellow-brown on the upper parts with darker wings, and dull orange on the breast and belly.

Distribution and ecology

The breeding habitats of these birds are the edges of deciduous and mixed woods across eastern North America. The range of this bird overlaps with that of the similar Bullock’s oriole in the midwest, and the two species are sometimes considered to be nonspecific under the name Northern Oriole because they form fertile hybrids.

These birds migrate in flocks to southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Some birds may remain near feeders in winter.

The Baltimore Oriole’s nest is a tightly woven pouch located on the end of a branch, hanging down on the underside.

The Baltimore Oriole is a rare vagrant to western Europe.

Baltimore Orioles forage in trees and shrubs, also making short flights to catch insects. They mainly eat insects, berries and nectar, and are often seen sipping at hummingbird feeders. Oriole feeders contain essentially the same food as hummingbird feeders, but are designed for orioles, and are orange instead of red and have larger perches. Baltimore Orioles are also fond of halved oranges, grape jelly and, in their winter quarters, the red arils of Gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba).

The male sings a loud flutey whistle that often gives away the bird’s location before any sighting can be made.