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See this Bug. What survival advantage could have been conferred by resemblance to a human face (when viewed either way) ?

These are the photographs of a strange bug I came across during my stay in Manipur state of North East India. The dorsal view of the insect resembles a human face.  This semblance to human face doesn't appear to be by chance. What evolutionary advantage could have favored such an adaptation.

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  • Asked by vinigma
  • on 2010-02-25 17:45:21
  • Member status
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Last edited on: 2010-02-25 17:53:48

Categories: Domestic Science.

Tags: unanswered, insect, evolution, survivaladvantage.

 

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Jon-Richfield says:

That is a very pretty bug, with a very charming caricature of a human face each way! I think it must be a "shield" or "stink" bug, a member of the family Pentatomidae. You don't mention its size, though I would guess it to be 1- to 2-cm long. Some Pentatomid bugs have vivid coloration a bit like that one, though most are a camouflage green or brown.

One way or another, the basis of that pattern is typical of many of the Heteroptera, the suborder of bugs that includes the Pentatomidae; also, spots like those that represent the "eyes" in the caricatures on that bug, commonly  are conspicuous on the fore-wings of the Heteroptera, or on the corresponding parts of the young, before their wings grow long enough to cover the back.

Another relevant observation is that such loud colouring is aposematic, meaning "away-signaling". It acts as a "keep-away" warnng that this beast bites or is poisonous or bad-tasting, or hard to catch, or the like. Your bug specimen might bite if caught, but the warning probably is backed up by its bad smell and taste if hurt or frightened. That is why we call them stink bugs.

Such aposematic  warnings normally take the form of bright colours, but sometimes there also are vivid or alarming patterns. However, I do not for a moment believe that the fanciful  appearance of the human face has much to do with the aposematic function. No enemy of the bug is likely to say to itself: "Whoops! A man! Better leave him alone!" 

At the same time, if the bug is largish, the eye-like spots might look threatening as such too. Certainly many aposematic patterns lok eye-like, and many animals avoid eye-threats. But I am sceptical. I think it is just a vivid pattern in vivid colours, and that warns many enemies away anyway. A dimmer enemy might not be clever enough to avoid the pattern immediately, but will recognise the next one it finds after it has tasted the first bug!

Best stick to photographing them without tasting them first!

All the best,

Jon

 

 

 

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Tags: unanswered, insect, evolution, survivaladvantage, aposematic, Pentatomidae.

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posted on 2010-03-02 19:44:17 | Report abuse


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Paul_Pedant says:

As insects have been around for 400 million years, this bug is unlikely to have evolved in the last 4 million years. Therefore, it predates Man, probably by a rather wide margin.

Therefore, you might as well ask: what was the benefit to Man of evolving to look like this bug?

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Tags: unanswered, insect, evolution, survivaladvantage.

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posted on 2010-03-08 22:26:13 | Report abuse


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