Dung Beetle - Zambia

The Khoi-san people were the original inhabitants of Zambia. They were culturally divided into two groups; the Bushmen and the Khoikhoi, formerly referred to as Hottentots. Zambia became a British protectorate in 1911, then known as Northern Rhodesia. In 1964, Zambia was granted independence from Great Britain.

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Dung beetle - There are over 35,000 species of dung beetles belonging to the super family Scarabaeoidea. Dung beetles are divided into three groups: dwellers, rollers, and tunnelers. The dwellers live within the dung heaps they find. The rollers shape dung into balls and roll them to secure sites to use as a food source or brooding chamber. The tunnelers will bury dung where they find it, using it as a food source and brooding chamber. Dung beetles perform an important agricultural role by recycling animal waste.

Harlequin Beetle - Costa Rica

Pre-Columbia spheres dated to 600 AD were discovered near the Diquis River of Southern Costa Rica. The diameter of these stones vary from a few centimeters to several meters, with the largest weighing several tons. The maximum circumference error of a typical 2 meter sphere was only 1.25 centimeters or 2%.

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Acrocinus longimanus - The harlequin beetle is a large tropical insect native to the Americas. An average adult is 7.5 centimeters in length; the males have forelegs as long as their entire body. These legs are used primarily during courtship and mating. Both sexes have pseudoscorpions, tiny insects resembling scorpions, but without the stingers, living under their wings. This benign relationship is referred as phoresy, a relationship between organisms with one relying on the host primarily for transportational purposes.

Nebria Scaphelytra - North Korea

Nebria scaphelytra - There are almost 1,000 species and sub-species in the genus Nebria. This ground beetle can be found in the isolated Myohyang Mountain range of North Korea. They are black in color, somewhat shiny, but without a noted metallic reflection. Males are 13 millimeters in size and females slightly larger at 14 millimeters. It has ridged elytra, a feature found on most beetles. These are the hardened forewings covering the delicate hindwings used for flying.

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The Kingdom of Joseon was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye. It existed from 1392 until 1897. This state had replaced the Kingdom of Goryeo, the namesake for the modern day nation of Korea. Joseon experienced invasions by China and Japan in the 16th and 17th century, resulting in a period of isolation when Korea became known as the “Hermit Kingdom.” The Korean Empire was proclaimed in 1897 as a means of emerging from self-imposed isolation and for seeking modernization.

Aeolesthes Sarta - Tajikistan

Aeolesthes sarta - Many insects are specialized feeders, but aeolesthes sarta, a tree boring insect, is a polyphagous insect, a term describing an insect able to feed on several types of food. Aeolesthes sarta can fly, but rarely does. They tend to stay within a small area, sometimes limiting themselves to one single tree. Natural distribution is therefore limited and localized. Several hundred generations can develop and mature on the same tree until the tree eventually dies. 

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The Tajik people gradually fell under Russian domination during the 1860’s. The Russian Revolution of 1917 sparked a brief independence and protest struggle known as the Basmachi Movement in denouncing the conscripting of Tajik men to fight for Imperial Russia during World War I. By 1920, the movement was crushed and Tajikistan was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. Following the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, Tajikistan became independent.

Timberman Beetle - Turkmenistan

Acanthocinus aedilis - The timberman beetle is found in the forested regions of Europe and Central Asia. The male has a pair of antennae four times as long as its body. Their name is derived from the close relationship they have with trees. The female deposits her eggs under the bark of dead conifers trees. The larvae feed on the rotting material and emerge in late summer or early fall. Under favorable conditions, the females will be able to produce two generations in one season.

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Russia’s involvement in Turkmenistan began in 1869 when Tsarist troops set up Krasnovodsk, now known as Turkmenbashy, a frontier post on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The Russians were able to subdue stiff resistance from the Turkmen tribes and began building the Transcaspian Railway in 1879 to formally bind their new holdings together. In 1924, Turkmenistan became the Soviet Republic of Turkmen. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan proclaimed its independence in 1991.

Lucanus Cervus - Romania

The Danube River forms the largest river delta in continental Europe. The delta lies primarily along the Romanian coast, but it does reach north to the Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea. The area covers about 5,100 square kilometers and serves as an important European wetland area and wildlife refuge. 

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Lucanus cervus - There are over 1,200 species in the Lucanidae family with Lucanus cervus being the better known. Females lay their eggs in decaying trees and the hatched larvae feed on the rotting wood as they go through several stages before becoming pupae. After 4 to 6 years, the adults emerge and take to the air during the brief mating season; adults only live for one month. Females are smaller than males and lack the oversized mandibles, an important feature males use in courtship displays and to fight other males.

Lady Bug - United Kingdom

Coccinella quinquepunctata - Coccinellidae is a family consisting of over 5,000 species of small beetles. With the exception of the members of one vegetation eating genus, they are carnivorous in both larval and adult stages. Although some species have other colors, the lady bug is well known for its bright red color and black spots; the number of spots can range from 0 to 24. The lady bug is a safe alternative for farmers in protecting their crops against harmful agricultural pests such as aphids.

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The southern portion of Britain was under Roman rule from 43 to 409. Julius Caesar initiated the first military action to seize control in 55 BC, but it took until the reign of Claudius before Britain was completely neutralized to become Provincia Britannia, Rome’s northern most outpost. Unable to extend Roman rule further northward into Caledonia, the Roman name for Scotland, Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of a fortified barrier stretching for 115 kilometers across the island; Hadrian’s Wall.