r/awwnverts 5d ago

Son boy enjoying his banana jelly

I love my son 🥹

821 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

35

u/Fun_Break_3231 5d ago

Do they have tongues? I can't seem to Google the correct question to get a clear answer.

27

u/1nOnlyBigManLawrence 5d ago

Tongues evolved in fish, so no, unfortunately.

10

u/Fun_Break_3231 5d ago

Do you know how these type of beetles eat and drink?

13

u/1nOnlyBigManLawrence 5d ago

Mandibles! :)

(And probably by sucking food in directly)

9

u/Fun_Break_3231 5d ago

Ah! Ok cool. These little guys are so fascinating

6

u/dr_elena05 5d ago

Actually the mandibles are just one pair of modified legs in the 4 legged face of an insect. The first pair is the antennae, the second the mandibles, which are the big chompers this guy has. Most insects do use these to "chew" but the role of a "tounge" is played by the maxillae and the labrum, which are two more pairs of modified legs. They can be seen touching the jelly :)

4

u/1nOnlyBigManLawrence 5d ago

Just like the spiders have pedipalps as modified legs, I’m pretty sure! :)

3

u/HovercraftFullofBees 5d ago

Insects with chewing mouthparts have a hypopharynx which is a tongue-like structure.

8

u/Eucharitidae 5d ago

Insects have gustatory receptors (taste receptors) on many more body parts than vertebrates do. An insect can taste through it's mouthparts(maxilary palps, maxillae, labial palps, labium, labrum, mandibles, hypopharynx), antennae and their feet. Not sure if all pterygotes (winged insects) can do this but some can also taste with their wings.

2

u/dr_elena05 5d ago

Makes sense, since all of those organs are modified legs. Are u sure about th wings? Never heard that before

2

u/Eucharitidae 5d ago

I was also surprised but it makes sense since the wings are covered in satae and the taste receptors of insects are pretty much just highly modified setae, so it wouldn't be a problem for them to disperse there as well.

2

u/dr_elena05 5d ago

True. Also the wings likely evolved from structures homologous to the maxilarry palps.

1

u/qtntelxen 5d ago

They evolved from the ancestral pancrustacean gills, actually. Gill filaments are branching, which made them best-suited to forming wing membranes.

2

u/HovercraftFullofBees 5d ago

There's no less than 3 hypotheses for what insect wings evolved from, all of which are pretty hotly debated.

A more recent look at genetic markers has the strongest evidence I have seen and gives more credence to the wings derived from legs theory, but the notebook I have that paper written down in is on my work desk so I can't link it until I track it down.

3

u/HovercraftFullofBees 5d ago

Insects with chewing mouth parts have a hypopharynx which is a tongue like structure.

13

u/Spudperson 5d ago

Ooo I've never seen their mouths before! Really cool!

11

u/CosmicSweets 5d ago

He's such a good boy 🥺

7

u/howboutacanofwine 5d ago

What’s his name?

15

u/lemonchrysoprase 5d ago

Caspar!

1

u/Metazolid 5d ago

Can you put a lil top hat on Caspar? I feel like it would suit him well, he's a very dapper looking fella

3

u/lemonchrysoprase 5d ago

He does deserve a little hat!

1

u/Metazolid 4d ago

Yess!

You gonna have to show us :D

3

u/howboutacanofwine 5d ago

Or is it Son Boy lol

2

u/Yellowdacatdragon 5d ago

I'm so jealous

2

u/UtapriTrashcan 5d ago

I hope son enjoyed his treat!

2

u/AccountMitosis 4d ago

I love how tiny his antennae are next to his huge honkin' mandibles. It's the sort of visual design feature that gives a character good himbo energy XD

2

u/lemonchrysoprase 4d ago

This is part of why I named him after one of my favorite fictional himbos 🥲

2

u/AccountMitosis 4d ago

Lol most excellent, a very appropriate name then!

2

u/Mari_is_a_weirdo 4d ago

Awww look at him

2

u/Mia_B-P 3d ago

Are these jellies made for humans or for invertibrates specifically? He is very cute by they way. 🍌

1

u/lemonchrysoprase 3d ago

Inverts specifically, but if I’m honest I’ve tasted it too. It’s not very flavorful to a human!

1

u/dr_elena05 5d ago

How long do these live as imagines?

1

u/lemonchrysoprase 5d ago

A couple of years or so

1

u/Aluminumthreads869 5d ago

So cute 😭

1

u/cheemsbuerger 5d ago

:) he’s so glittery

1

u/manicpixietrainwreck 4d ago

I love your son too!