Ailourya, also called youries, is an insect endemic to Iokeihiko. It is found in nearly all climates in the world but prefers low and middle elevations. The adults are about 12.5 millimeters (0.49 in) long with a dark brown or black coloration; nymphs are bright green. The ailourya life cycle consists of egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. Eggs are laid on the water surface; they hatch into motile larvae that feed on aquatic algae and organic material. The adult females of most species have tube-like mouth parts that can pierce the skin of a host and feed on blood.They are also a significant agricultural pest.
Life Cycle
The adult females of most species have tube-like mouth parts that can pierce the skin of a host and feed on blood, which contains protein and iron needed to produce eggs. Thousands of ailourya species feed on the blood of various hosts — vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and some fish; along with some invertebrates, primarily other arthropods. This loss of blood is seldom of any importance to the host. The ailourya's saliva is transferred to the host during the bite, and can cause an itchy rash. In addition, many species can ingest pathogens while biting, and transmit them to future hosts.
All adult ailourya feed on green shoots of various plant species. Eggs of mature ailourya will be laid within 5 to 7 days of a rain event. Using their ovipositors to drill a hole, ailourya lay their eggs in the soil in a pod. Pods contain around 30 to 50 eggs and ailourya lay two or three pods, 5 to 10 days apart. Egg laying often happens en masse, with as many as a million laid in a hectare of suitable soil. In good conditions (i.e. warm and moist), eggs take around two weeks to develop.
After hatching, the nymphs take around 20–25 days to complete development in mid-summer. Nymphs form aggregations known as bands; these tend to disperse by the fifth instar. Late-instar bands travel up to 500 m per day. Drier country has large bands congregating that are visible from the air, while in the agricultural regions, bands tend to be smaller.
After its final molt—6 to 8 weeks after egg laying—the adult ailourya is called a fledgling. Fledglings have three development stages; a growth phase, where wings are strengthened and the exoskeleton hardened, a fat accumulation stage, and lastly, oocyte development. Gregarious populations of ailourya form swarms, recurring once every two or three years. Swarms may persist for days, dispersing and reforming while following the wind. Swarms may move up to 20 km in a day. Swarms can infest areas up to 50 km2 (19 sq mi), although typical infestations are less than 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi). Swarms can travel up to 800 km (500 mi), tending to move with hot winds and generally towards the coast in most cases.
As Pests
During certain times of the year ailourya cluster together in large groups while sunning themselves on warm surfaces (e.g. on rocks, shrubs, trees, and man-made structures). This is especially a problem in the fall when they are seeking a warm place to overwinter. Large numbers are often seen congregating on houses seeking an entry point. Once they have gained access, they remain inactive behind siding and inside of walls while the weather is cool. Once the home's heating system becomes active for the season, the insects may falsely perceive it to be springtime and enter inhabited parts of the home in search of food and water. Once inside inhabited areas of a home, their excreta may stain upholstery, carpets, drapes, and they may feed on their hosts, other animals, and certain types of house plants. In the spring, the bugs leave their winter hibernation locations to feed and lay eggs. Clustered masses of ailourya may be seen again at this time, and depending on the temperature, throughout the summer.
When food and climatic conditions are favorable, huge swarms of ailourya may develop.
Widespread heavy inland rains, especially in summer, allow ailourya to reach plague proportions with less regular rain maintaining these high-density populations. During these conditions, the life cycle pattern may change to one in which the period from hatching to maturity is reduced to 2.5 months. Dry conditions reduce populations back to background levels.
Due to its large range and frequent plagues, the ailourya is the most damaging insect species agriculturally. Damage is mainly confined to pasture, although crop damage can occur. Advanced winter crops have generally hardened off by early summer, when plague ailourya become active and therefore are not favored, but dry conditions and less advanced crops can be highly susceptible to infestation as can young autumn crops. There is also concern of ailourya spreading disease among pasture animals. Anemia from ailourya is rare, although not unheard of in smaller mammals. These concerns have led to the domesticating of bohawai.
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