Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum

The camouflage expert 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 is a stick insect species native to Hong Kong 🇭🇰. Currently, only females of this species have been identified 👩🔍. These herbivorous insects 🌿 reproduce through parthenogenesis, where an embryo develops from an unfertilized egg.

By moving their bodies, the Peter’s elephantnose fish create changes in the direction of electric fields, which encode detailed information about their surroundings. As the viewpoint changes, so does the electric information obtained.

Pursuing an iridescent blue metallic body, these solitary wasps are specialist architects that use mud to build their tube-shaped nests. 🏡🔨 These wasps are spider specialists, hunting down arachnids to paralyze and drag to their mud nests as fresh food for their larvae 🕷️🍽️.

To avoid detection by bees🐝 while raiding their hives, the African death's-head hawkmoth secretes chemicals🧪 that mimic the scent of its victims. Gas chromatography studies🔍 have shown that the similarity between the compounds extracted from bees and moths ranges from 94% to 99%.

It’s not hard to find silverfish as they live pretty much in indoors urban environments and feed mostly on paper, books (as they can digest the cellulose contained in paper), glue, dust and even food crumbs 📰🍴

𝘌𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘺𝘮𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪 can host the bioluminescent bacteria, 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪🦠, in its light organ. While berry bobtail squid are hunting or hunted, they can effectively mimic the ambient light from the moon and stars above, making it nearly invisible to predators lurking below.

Unlike most flies, females give birth to live larvae that immediately pupates and, once they become adults, use their piercing mouthparts to feed on blood 🩸🥤. Their strong claws help them cling tightly to feathers even during flight.

By specializing in this ability, researchers found that the bottle gourd can float in seawater for nearly 1 year, with the seeds inside remaining perfectly viable! The rounded bottle shape could also aid rolling on water, enabling it to travel along currents and disperse overseas.

Instead of building exposed mud-nests like other potter wasps in the Vespidae family, 𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘮 prefers small cavities and hollow stems, transforming them into safe nurseries for their young 🕳️🏡.

The bowfin belongs to a group of fish🐟, the Amiidae family, which has changed relatively little in shape and form compared to its fossilized ancestors since the early Cretaceous, about 118 million years ago.

𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘣𝘪𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘢 is a paper wasp from the Vespidae family, not known only for their nest building skills but also as fierce defenders of their colonies 🛡️👩‍👧‍👦, often hidden under leaves . Unlike solitary wasps, 𝘗. 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘢 lives in colonies, working together to hunt small insects to feed their larvae 🐛.

It has been discovered that not new segments formed during the last molt don’t suddenly grow fully formed legs in this molting; instead, these new segments contain tiny leg buds that grow into transparent protrusions before the molt, becoming fully formed legs afterward.

Stink bugs of genus Eysarcoris are often found on crops like rice, mint, and brassicas 🌾, or gardens 🌼 and wild plants 🌱, where they use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on sap 🥤🌿 Have a good look at this species and note how new iridescent green colours are suddenly appearing!

As filter feeders, 𝘚. 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘴 utilizes its specialized lophophore for feeding. Interestingly, the particles can be pushed back out of the lophophore when the sensory cells detect undesirable particles, like sediments or toxins.

Often called fungus weevils 🍄🪲, 𝘗𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘴 and other beetles of the Anthribidae family have a taste for fungi, munching on spores, hyphae, and even mold growing on bark and decaying wood 🍽️🍄‍🟫. They play a role in breaking down dead wood, helping with nutrient recycling in ecosystems 🪵♻️.

Other behaviors, such as pushing with the forehead👀, staring👀, or head twisting, may serve to establish dominance or convey other social messages. The frontal pushing interactions seen only in serows among their relatives also suggests a non-lethal means of displaying dominance.

Often mistaken as "mosquito eaters," adult crane flies actually don't feed at all 🦟🚫🍴. They rely on energy reserves from their larval stage, which involves consuming decaying organic matter, leaf litter, and plant roots in soil, wetlands, or aquatic environments ♻🍂💦.

The dominant female meerkat not only secretes scent markings to establish and recognize their home range but also gives birth to over 80% of the group's offspring🤱. She has significantly high androgen levels and acts as the leader during hunting activities.

Home sweet potato 🍠🏠. 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴 are true bugs (family Coreidae) that love hanging out on sweet potato plants and other legumes, sipping sap using their piercing mouthparts 🥤🌿. Its brown-orangish body makes it hard to be missed 🟤👀🟠.

Cobalt blue morphs🔵 are commonly found in shallow waters, this difference may be due to the blue pigments, which act as powerful antioxidants💪🏻 to mitigate the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species from UV exposure, including DNA damage and enzyme dysfunction, and maintaining cellular integrity⚙️

These insects' life cycle contributes directly to soil aeration, as they burrow through the soil to lay eggs, find food, or create nests 🕳, and to nutrient cycling by breaking down organic matter 🍂♻.

【Hong Kong Caterpillar Photo Contest Kids Category🐛】 Do you wonder about the life of butterflies and moths before they get their wings? To your camera then and tell us through your lens!
www.hkbiodiversitymuseum.org/caterpillars 👈

Being a herbivore, the mouthpiece of 𝘗. 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴 specializes in eating leaf litter and fungi. The chelicerae, the claw-like structures located at the front of the head, are adapted for chewing and used for grasping and manipulating food making it easier to digest.

A new position is available as part of the design and creation team of the HKBM, focusing on posters and social media post creation. Please send your CV and a motivation letter to hkbiodiversitymuseum@gmail.com.

Braconid wasps belong to the Braconidae family, and they are parasitic wasps. This means the female wasp lays her eggs in a host insect. The larvae then live inside (endoparasitic) or outside (ectoparasitic) the host 🏠. Butterflies, beetles, and flies are common prey, among other arthropods 🦋🐞🍴.

When it comes to reproduction, Common Snapping Turtles play by their own rules, reaching sexual maturity based on size rather than age—typically when their carapaces hit around 20 cm. Females can store sperm for future use, ensuring they’re ready to go when conditions are just right!

Today, the HKBM is celebrating its 4th anniversary since opening to the public on May 22nd 2021, which is no other than the International Biodiversity Day! 🪲🌎Thank you everyone for another energetic and amazing year! 🥳

A shiny neighbor visited us today ✨. The gold-dusted Weevil is the only species in the genus 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 found in Hong Kong 🔍. If you spot their sparkling bodies among the leaves, you'll notice their greenish coloration 🟢🌿, which comes from small, flattened, iridescent setae.

In addition to their camouflage, 𝘓. 𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘢 exhibit a behavior known as “thigmotaxis”🤫, just like in the game hide-and-seek, where they prefer to stay close to leaves' surfaces. This behavior enhances their ability to remain hidden from both predators and other potential threats

Any bees flying around you? They might be looking for your sweat 🐝💦. Sweat bees (family Halictidae) are attracted by our perspiration 🥵. More exactly, they’re looking for the dissolved electrolytes and salts in human sweat 🧂.