Thread by @lovettbr

Jennifer Zaspel is talking about bugs behaving badly. The subtitle is Using Moths Misbehavuors to Illuminate Origins of Insect-Host Associations. Her alliteration game is enviable. #EntSoc18 #JAM18

She’s describing occult moths that feed on blood and other secretions. Most moths prefer nectar only, but you never know. 🤷🏽‍♂️ #EntSoc18 #JAM18

She’s moved on to fruit piercing moths. In a shocking example of poor planning, their larvae have a different host plant. I personally would’ve evolved to be lazy. #EntSoc18 #JAM18

She’s onto a bloodfeeding moth named Calyptra thalictri. Apple made me retype that name 4 times. She shows the moth “anchoring into my tissue and rasping and piercing away at my skin”. I’ve bloodfed mosquitoes before, but her dedication to work is something else. #EntSoc18 #JAM18

She has these amazing SEMs of the piercing mouth parts to try to understand how they can handle both nectar and blood. Digesting blood is hard on the body... so I hear. #EntSoc18 #JAM18

They wanted to test if moths being able to break fruit skin was a gateway to piercing human skin. That explains the fruit moths earlier! #EntSoc18 #JAM18

She affectionately calls them vampire moths. I say affectionate because I’ve seen *multiple pictures of them feeding on her thumb*! #EntSoc18 #JAM18

Unroll please! @threadreaderapp @ZaspelLab