Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscenses Page: 23
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TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 23
contraction and expansion of its
flexible body-similar to the shed-
ding process of a snake-frees
itself entirely of all its former
hulls. The latter are nicely seen
on this photograph-about half
way stripped of its new anatomy
-the lower dark outlines with the
characteristic hairy integumental
covering (a) and (b) being grad-
ually peeled off and folded up at
the base part (ab) of the new
beetle's abdomen, when the thus
"newborn" little fellow is about
"ripe" to escape into the world-
after further evolution of its tho-
racic organs, the wing parts and
other of its anatomy. Some out-
line of the (ringed) abdomen of
this maturing tobacco beetle are
quite plainly seen through the
dark outlines of the old hull (b)
and the developing feet (c) and
two antennal appendages-thejointed and curved organs (d) at
the head parts (e) with both dark
eyes with lens, and the thoracic
outlines (f) are quite consnicuous.
The entire process resembles some-
what the shedding process of cer-
tain hairy caterpillars (larval
butterflies) and other forms of
insect life, including the vast
numbers of all genera of beetles.
When I first detected this speci-
men it showed life, but its move-
ments were very feeble and hard-
ly perceptible, mainly from ex-
posure, perhaps. It was found
snugly imbedded between some of
the cigar foldings, in a furrow
similar to the larvae found and
described and illustrated by the
writer in the June issue of The
Guide to Nature, but it is a much
further advanced pupal state than
the one seen in the previous speci-
men of the single cigar specimen.The Texas "Devilshorse" or Mantis Insect and Its
Breeding NestIt is a noteworthy axiom in in-
sect life that all insects, even
those minute species hardly visi-
ble to the naked eye, develop from
ova or (eg4gs, each ovum undergo-
ing a regular cycle of develop-
ment, typical to its sex : and thesects, but it was only of late that
I became aware of the manner in
which this mantis insect, breeds
and develons its offspring.
It was in the summer of 1911
that a friend, a farmer from the
Olmos settlement, north of San-f-
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1ovNc ; MANTIS AND Ova--(Magnified one-third)genesis of the devilshorse or man-
tis insect makes no exception. It
is but little generally known how
this peculiar insect does develop.
The writer is quite familiar with
the breeding history of most in-Antonio, brought a small, square
paper box to my office contain-
ing the peculiar breeding nest of
a devilshorse and its contents-
hundreds of small and slender
shaped young ones, in various sta-i-
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Menger, R. Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscenses, book, 1913; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth143558/m1/27/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.