A simple way to tell insects apart - Anika Hazra

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Regina Chu

A whip-like straw.

鞭子般的吸管

Powerful, crushing blades.

強勁的利刃

A pointed, piercing tube.

尖銳的管子

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

世界上已知的昆蟲有將近一百萬種

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

但牠們的口器大致上可分為五類

And that’s extremely useful to scientists

而口器對科學家來說非常實用

because when they encounter an unfamiliar insect in the wild,

因為在野外碰到沒見過的昆蟲時

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

只要觀察牠們怎麼吃 就能知道很多訊息

Scientific classification, or taxonomy,

科學分類，即分類學

is used to organize all living things into seven levels:

用來將所有生物分為七個階層

kingdom,

界

phylum,

門

class,

綱

order,

目

family,

科

genus,

屬

and species.

種

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

昆蟲的口器可用來區分牠所屬的目

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

同時也提供線索

讓我們知道牠如何演化、以何為食

The chewing mouthpart is the most common.

咀嚼式口器最常見

It’s also the most primitive—

也是最基本的一種

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

其他口器

在演化前都長得像這種

before evolving into something different.

It features a pair of jaws called mandibles

其特徵是有一對稱為大顎的下巴

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

內側鋸齒狀的邊緣 可以咬斷、壓碎較硬的食物

like leaves or other insects.

像是葉子或其他昆蟲

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

有這種口器的昆蟲 包含膜翅目的螞蟻

grasshoppers and crickets of the Orthoptera order,

直翅目的蚱蜢和蟋蟀

dragonflies of the Odonata order,

蜻蛉目的蜻蜒

and beetles of the Coleoptera order.

以及鞘翅目的甲蟲

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

刺吸式口器有一條長管狀的構造

稱為喙

This beak can pierce plant or animal tissue

喙可以刺穿動植物的組織

to suck up liquids like sap or blood.

用來吸食液體，像是樹液或血液

It can also secrete saliva with digestive enzymes

喙也能分泌唾液

其中的消化酶可以液化食物 讓吸食更容易

that liquefy food for easier sucking.

Insects in the Hemiptera order have piercing-sucking mouthparts

半翅目的昆蟲會有刺吸式口器

and include bed bugs,

像是臭蟲

cicadas,

蟬

aphids,

蚜蟲

and leafhoppers.

和葉蟬

The siphoning mouthpart,

虹吸式口器

a friendlier version of the piercing and sucking beak,

是溫和版的刺吸式喙

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

虹吸式口器也有一條長管狀的構造

稱為吻腔

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

就像吸管一樣吸取花蜜

Insects of the Lepidoptera order—

鱗翅目的昆蟲

butterflies and moths—

像是蝴蝶和蛾

keep their proboscises rolled up tightly beneath their heads

在沒有進食的時候

會將吻腔緊緊捲起 放在頭部下方

when they’re not feeding

and unfurl them when they come across some sweet nectar.

碰到甜美的花蜜時就會張開

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

舐吮式口器也有另一種管子

this time ending in two spongy lobes

尾端有兩片海棉

that contain many finer tubes called pseudotracheae.

內部有很多微小的管子，稱為假氣管

The pseudotracheae secrete enzyme-filled saliva

假氣管會分泌充滿酶的唾液

and soak up fluids and dissolved foods by capillary action.

吸取液體

並透過毛細管作用分解食物

House flies,

家蠅

fruit flies,

果蠅

and the other non-biting members of the Diptera order

和雙翅目中不會叮咬的成員

are the only insects that use this technique.

是唯一會用這種技巧的昆蟲

But, there’s a catch.

但這裡有個陷阱

Biting flies within Diptera,

雙翅目中會叮咬的成員

like mosquitoes,

像是蚊子

horse flies,

馬蠅

and deer flies,

鹿蠅

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

都有刺吸式口器，而非舐吮式口器

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

最後，咀吸式口器結合了大顎和吻腔

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

還有一個像舌頭的組織在頂端

for lapping up nectar.

用來舔食花蜜

On this type of mouthpart,

這種口器的大顎

the mandibles themselves are not actually used for eating.

不是拿來吃東西用的

For bees and wasps, members of the Hymenoptera order,

對膜翅目的蜜蜂和土蜂等昆蟲來說

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

大顎的作用比較像是 採集花粉和塑蠟的工具

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

當然在大自然中 仍有許多不符這些規則的例外

The juvenile stages of some insects, for example,

例如某些昆蟲在幼蟲階段的口器

have completely different kinds of mouths than their adult versions,

和成蟲後的口器完全不同種類

like caterpillars, which use chewing mouthparts to devour leaves

像是毛毛蟲用咀嚼式口器大啖樹葉

before metamorphosing into butterflies and moths

在成為蝴蝶或蛾之後

with siphoning mouthparts.

就轉變為虹吸式口器

Still, mouthpart identification can, for the most part,

然而在大多數的情況下 辨視口器可以幫助科學家和你

help scientists—and you —categorize insects.

將昆蟲分類

So why not break out a magnifying lens

何不現在就拿起你的放大鏡

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

來看看是誰在你的菜園偷吃

biting your arm,

叮你的手臂

or just flying by your ear.

或是在你耳邊飛舞