A simple way to tell insects apart - Anika Hazra

翻译人员: Lipeng Chen

A whip-like straw.

弯曲、鞭子般的长管。

Powerful, crushing blades.

破坏力强大的爪子。

A pointed, piercing tube.

尖锐的刺管。

There are nearly a million known insect species in the world,

在这个世界上有着 数以百万种的昆虫物种，

but most have one of just five common types of mouthparts.

然而多数昆虫都离不开 五种最普遍的口器。

And that’s extremely useful to scientists

而这样的特征对科学家来说就很有帮助，

because when they encounter an unfamiliar insect in the wild,

因为当他们发现了 一种他们不熟悉的新昆虫物种时，

they can learn a lot about it just by examining how it eats.

就能通过观察它们吃东西的方式 来很好的对它们进行研究。

Scientific classification, or taxonomy,

科学分类，更准确的说：“生物学分类”，

is used to organize all living things into seven levels:

是用 7 个级别来分类所有的生物的：

kingdom,

界、

phylum,

门、

class,

纲、

order,

目、

family,

科、

genus,

属、

and species.

还有种。

The features of an insect’s mouthparts can help identify which order it belongs to,

而昆虫口器的特征就能 帮助我们定位它属于哪一个目，

while also providing clues about how it evolved and what it feeds on.

同时也能告诉我们它如何进化 以及它的食物来源。

The chewing mouthpart is the most common.

咀嚼式口器是最常见的一种类型。

It’s also the most primitive—

这也是最为原始的一种类型——

all other mouthparts are thought to have started out looking like this one

其它所有的口器都被认为

before evolving into something different.

是从这一种的模样进化而来的。

It features a pair of jaws called mandibles

它具有的特征就是 这样一对爪子模样的下颌骨，

with toothed inner edges that cut up and crush solid foods,

在其内侧有着用来碾碎、咀嚼用的牙齿，

like leaves or other insects.

通常吃的东西是 树叶或者是其它的昆虫。

You can find this mouthpart on ants from the Hymenoptera order,

这样的口器你可以在膜翅目的蚂蚁身上找到，

grasshoppers and crickets of the Orthoptera order,

直翅目的蚱蜢，

dragonflies of the Odonata order,

蜻蜓目的蜻蜓，

and beetles of the Coleoptera order.

和鞘翅目的甲虫。

The piercing-sucking mouthpart consists of a long, tube-like structure called a beak.

第二种是刺吸式口器， 由一支叫做喙的长管组成。

This beak can pierce plant or animal tissue

这支喙可以刺入植物和动物组织

to suck up liquids like sap or blood.

来吸取植物液或者是血液。

It can also secrete saliva with digestive enzymes

它同时也可以分泌出具有消化酶的唾液

that liquefy food for easier sucking.

来更好的消化食物以帮助吸取。

Insects in the Hemiptera order have piercing-sucking mouthparts

半翅类的昆虫就具有这样刺吸式的口器，

and include bed bugs,

其中包括臭虫、

cicadas,

蝉、

aphids,

蚜虫、

and leafhoppers.

叶蝉。

The siphoning mouthpart,

虹吸式口器，

a friendlier version of the piercing and sucking beak,

一种比较友好一点的刺吸式口器，

also consists of a long, tube-like structure called a proboscis

也是由一根称作长嘴的的管状组织构成，

that works like a straw to suck up nectar from flowers.

它就像一根吸管一样吸取花中的花蜜。

Insects of the Lepidoptera order—

鳞翅类的昆虫——

butterflies and moths—

蝴蝶或者是蛾——

keep their proboscises rolled up tightly beneath their heads

当它们不在进食时

就会把口器紧紧 卷起来收在它们的头部下方，

when they’re not feeding

and unfurl them when they come across some sweet nectar.

而当它们开始吸食花蜜时就会将其展开。

With the sponging mouthpart, there’s yet another tube,

舔吸式口器，另外一种喙管，

this time ending in two spongy lobes

不过这次末端是两个海绵似得垂体，

that contain many finer tubes called pseudotracheae.

其中包含了许多很细的管子，叫做拟气管。

The pseudotracheae secrete enzyme-filled saliva

拟气管通过毛细管作用来分泌充满酶的唾液，

and soak up fluids and dissolved foods by capillary action.

渗入它们的食物。

House flies,

家蝇、

fruit flies,

果蝇、

and the other non-biting members of the Diptera order

以及许多其它双翅目不叮咬的昆虫，

are the only insects that use this technique.

都是使用这一方式的昆虫。

But, there’s a catch.

不过，有一个问题。

Biting flies within Diptera,

双翅目中会叮咬的昆虫，

like mosquitoes,

例如蚊子、

horse flies,

马蝇、

and deer flies,

鹿虻、

have a piercing-sucking mouthpart instead of the sponging mouthpart.

是有着刺吸式的口器而非舔吸式的。

And finally, the chewing-lapping mouthpart is a combination of mandibles

最后，嚼吸式口器， 是一种像舌头般的由下颌钳

and a proboscis with a tongue-like structure at its tip

和前段喙管结合而成的口器，

for lapping up nectar.

这样的构造是为了舔食花蜜。

On this type of mouthpart,

在这种类型的口器中，

the mandibles themselves are not actually used for eating.

下颌钳其实并没有在进食中被使用到。

For bees and wasps, members of the Hymenoptera order,

对于属于膜翅类的蜜蜂和黄蜂，

they serve instead as tools for pollen-collecting and wax-molding.

这一部分的器官更多会 作用于花粉的采集和蜂巢的模制。

Of course, in nature, there are always exceptions to the rules.

当然，在自然中，总还是会有许多例外。

The juvenile stages of some insects, for example,

例如许多昆虫的幼虫时期，

have completely different kinds of mouths than their adult versions,

有着和成年时期完全不同的口器类型，

like caterpillars, which use chewing mouthparts to devour leaves

比如毛虫在变成蝴蝶和飞蛾之前

before metamorphosing into butterflies and moths

会用咀嚼式口器来吞食叶子，

with siphoning mouthparts.

而蝴蝶和飞蛾则是虹吸式口器。

Still, mouthpart identification can, for the most part,

然而，口器的识别在很大程度上

help scientists—and you —categorize insects.

还是能够帮助科学家—— 包括你——来分类昆虫哒。

So why not break out a magnifying lens

所以为什么不赶快开始拿出一个放大镜

and learn a little more about who’s nibbling your vegetable garden,

来多研究一下到底是谁在啃你菜园的菜，

biting your arm,

谁在叮你的胳膊，

or just flying by your ear.

或者说是谁在你耳边飞过。