ugly insects?

[oxycera]

I've noticed a few comments recently describing various species of insect 'ugly'. My initial reaction was, "no, surely not, no insects are ugly". But then I thought, "well, I suppose Hippoboscids (bat flies etc.) may be deemed 'ugly'. Just wondered if anyone found particular British insects ugly or had any comments regarding the concept of 'ugliness' in relation to British insects?

[Wild-Woman]

I don't find any insects 'ugly' just remarkably unusual to look at. I suppose the strangest would be a Lobster Moth caterpillar....if I had the opportunity to see one.

[Mercadante]

Although I am learning to overcome this, I always found all insects ugly, and thought everyone else did too. In fiction, aren't the more hideous aliens always portrayed as insect-like? Don't most of us find the idea of eating insects vile?

And while I know there are some that people acclaim as pretty, I think they generally only mean the wings, and would be much less keen to see a wingless version on their pillows.

[oxycera]

That's a good point, don't all insects at least skirt around the edge of 'ugliness' - and isn't that part of their appeal?

[Bruce Williams]

A thought provoking thread.........

For me most insects viewed up-close (as in a macro photo) can appear handsome, elegant or even beautiful......although I think familiarity with their looks plays a part as I'm sure I didn't feel the same before I became interested in close-up photography. Having said that, there's a huge difference between my (from a safe distance) intellectual appreciation of their form and colour and the instinctive feeling of revulsion I get when I think "something" has just crawled under my shirt collar!

As a kid (10 to 14 years old) I lived in Malta and spent many happy hours hunting for snakes, lizards and "interesting" insects like mantids and rhino beetles. However we used to get quite a lot of cockroaches coming into the house which for some reason made my skin crawl - maybe it's the way they scuttle and the speed they can move when trying to avoid capture. I've never gotten over that feeling about them and even now I know I'd struggle to see them as anything but ugly.

Bruce

[Gill Catton]

There are a few insects I think are a bit on the ugly side - flat flies, some snipe and robber flies perhaps harvestment oh and nurseryweb spiders have a pretty ugly face bless em.

but I think bees, hoverflies and soldierflies are ace and quite beautiful - probably to do with the bright colours and neat shapes, dragonfles and damsel flies I think are exquisite like flying stained glass, and butterflies and many moths beautiful too....

Perhaps not wasps they're not beautiful to me but neither are they ugly....Having said that Imaginos once posted a picture of a pressed Ichnemon made into a slide and pressed in an amber coloured type substance and the position of the animal and the colours made it beautiful, like a chinese ink illustration so its hard to make too sweeping a statement!

[Heart-shaped World]

Utilmately, it will depend on how you use the word. A lot of people use the term very broadly to describe something they just don't like. Personally, I tend to reserve the word for use as a moral descriptive (since I was an adult anyway ) and therefore it has no use or meaning to me when I'm trying to describe an insect. Limiting it's use to a physical descriptive though, and as a polar opposite of beauty, I see few ugly insects (with or without their wings) - most compound eyes are quite beautiful in my opinion and often give redress to the otherwise aesthetically challenged.

So, when a flat fly lands on me I have a mild sense of revulsion for it's antics and how it moves (!), but simply don't consider making an aesthetic judgement.

Darren.

[Wild-Woman]

I think digital photography has enabled us to see such incredible detail, that it's difficult not to see some beauty, even in insects that are usually perceived as 'ugly'. Just look at compound eyes on flies, like Horse flies, and it's wonderful to see the accuracy and colour of each lens.
Some I find actually quite cute.The frog and leaf-hoppers for instance. Very Kermitty!

[Pudding4brains]

Neat topic

Think it also depends very much on the level of 'macro' you use to observe them. Butterflies and Damsels etc. certainly have some aesthetic appeal as a whole, but once you get to the intricate mouth parts (or even thorax/flying muscles) etc they soon become little 'monsters' again. I think actually with most insects (invertebrates) the 'beauty' pretty much stops there. Head anatomy is fascinating and maybe 'beautiful' in it's functionality or 'engineering', but aesthetically beautiful ... don't think so.

But back to the original question. The ones that first sprang to (my) mind as 'ugly' are the critters that cover themselves in dirt such as the Trogulidae (somehow quite disproportionate) or the nymphs of some Reduviae . But in a way their 'uglyness' makes them all the more interesting

Cheers! Arp

[Heart-shaped World]

Beauty - The quality or assemblage of qualities which gives the eye or other senses intense pleasure.

Clearly subjective; but if you find something beautiful as a whole why would you seek to reduce it to a collection of less beautiful parts? Does this then imply that nothing is beautiful, unless there are some glorious singularities out there?

Angelina Jolie! Have you seen her pronator teres? Ugly I tell you!

[Pudding4brains]

Originally Posted by Heart-shaped World

Angelina Jolie! ... Ugly I tell you!

Nah, impossible! Actually ... talking about subjectivity ... Angelina Jolie ... oh well ... let's not go there ...

But isn't that just what we do? : "Look at her/him ... beautiful! Well, but/except for ... (some feature) ... but as a whole ... ". Faces being important in that equation - guess that's why I landed on the insect faces: often their more monstrous side

[oxycera]

Who's Angelina Jolie...?

[steve_nova]

I think also that many people suffer from unfortunate phobias when it comes to all things arthropod.

When I was a kid, someone tormented me with a huge dead crab on a beach and I have had a degree of revulsion ever since, though I can still appreciate their structural design which is absolutely fascinating and this at least in part, tends to override my deep seated primeval fear.

Smaller creatures I generally have no problem with (including small crabs). I have a particular fondness for Weevils, some of which are amongst the very few arthropods that have a "character" however anthromorphically applied by me

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by oxycera

Who's Angelina Jolie...?

A cross between Catherine Zeta Jones and Mick Jagger

[Meta menardi]

We could all cuddle a jumping spider (I KNOW IT'S NOT AN INSECT).

Ther are at least 2 avatars with those gorgeous liquid front pair of eyes from a Salticid. You know who you are.

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by ron1863

A cross between Catherine Zeta Jones and Mick Jagger

What a breeding program! What is the ... Erm... outcome called? and has this really been done.

[Blackbrook Eye]

If you woke up to some of the sights that I have, after a night out around Leicester, you would never call insects ugly again.

Keith

[Pudding4brains]

Thanks Keith, just spoiled my coffee

[Blackbrook Eye]

Originally Posted by Pudding4brains

Thanks Keith, just spoiled my coffee

I take it from that you are familiar with Leicester

Keith

[naturegirl]

Originally Posted by ron1863

A cross between Catherine Zeta Jones and Mick Jagger

Sounds disgusting! YUK!!

I think I'll stick wiv me moffs ta!!!

Naturegirl

[oxycera]

Thanks for all the comments - entertaining and well-considered.