Asked June 12, 2024, 12:38 PM EDT
I am planning on getting a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) tattoo incorporating one of my favorite insects, Arilus cristatus. I intend on having the adult bug perched on top of the "DN" about to strike an inchworm forming the "R," the caterpillar ignorant of its impending doom.
Since this is a functional as well as a decorative tattoo, and the adult has that massive crest, I also intend to replace much of the thorax with a Star of Life, the symbol of emergency medical services. A cog logo to replace the cog-like thorax.
However, I am always incredibly sensitive to morphological errors in illustrations, and do not want my own body to be a permanent exhibit of one. (Eg, I saw a wonderful honeybee. But I immediately spotted the major issue: the wings were completely separate.) So I have some questions regarding the species’ minutiae to a tattooable extent. Such as the ocellus I noticed behind each large compound eye, but those would only interfere with the image.
One major question has to do with its striking pose. The dynamic moment just before a kill in static form. Each foot appears to have a single tarsus and I am tempted to think those are held back on the raptorial forelegs and not used, at least until the prey is already grasped, simply by analogy with mantises. But since they only need to plunge in the beak and keep a hold until the saliva’s pacification this is may not be an accurate comparison.
And I love the look of red antennae, but that would needs to be aesthetically balanced. Some images show individuals with red on the legs. Is that a strictly ventral feature in that color morph? They evidently have two red scent glands on the bottom of the abdomen, but those would be neither visible on a ventral image nor visually appealing in this case.
Also, do they have two rows of spiracles? The bottom row looks very different than the top, so I am unsure if it serves the same function.
Those are just what came to mind. Anything else an amateur would overlook or couldn’t see from the internet’s images would be more than welcome. (Inchworms are well, but they seem pretty straightforward with so many species that it wouldn’t matter much.)
Prince George's County Maryland
