Witches, Orchid Bees, and Flatworm Penis Fencing: Exploring Seductive Specimens

The Perfect Specimen Podcast

• 💡 This episode of The Perfect Specimen podcast explores nature through specimens linked to the word "seductive," chosen for Valentine's Day.
• 🎙️ Hosts Dr. Natalie Cooper and Josh Davis are joined by guest Dr. Beulah Garner, a senior curator of orthopteroid insects at the Natural History Museum.

Henbane: The Witch's Brew

• 🌿 Dr. Garner's "perfect specimen" is Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), a psychotropic and poisonous plant from the potato family, also used in pharmacology.
• 🧙‍♀️ Historically, Henbane was used by so-called witches as a psychedelic, administered via a broom handle to bypass the digestive tract, inducing a sense of flying and leading to the iconic imagery of witches on broomsticks.
• 📜 The specific Henbane specimen discussed was collected by Anna Atkins, a pioneering female photographer known for her cyanotypes, highlighting its multiple historical and scientific stories.

Seductive Orchid Bees

• 🐝 Josh presents orchid bees (Euglossini) from Central and South America, where males collect diverse fragrances from orchids, rotting wood, and fungi using specialized leg sacs to create unique perfumes.
• 💖 These male bees engage in "leking" behavior, releasing their perfumes to attract females, who are primarily drawn to the effort and volume of chemicals collected (an honest signal), rather than the scent itself.
• 🧪 Orchid bees demonstrate remarkable adaptations, including the ability to collect and store pesticides like DDT without apparent harm, showcasing their unique chemical interactions.

Flatworm Penis Fencing

• 🪱 Natalie introduces a marine flatworm (Pseudobiceros splendidus), a hermaphrodite that reproduces through a process known as "penis fencing" or traumatic insemination.
• ⚔️ During mating, two flatworms grapple, attempting to pierce each other's skin with their penises to transfer sperm, with the "loser" being the one forced to carry and care for the eggs.
• 🔄 More recent research suggests this behavior may be a complex mating display rather than a simple competition, as individuals often take on both male and female reproductive roles over time.

Firefly Aggressive Mimicry

• ✨ Dr. Garner's "seductive specimen" is a firefly (Photuris genus), which uses bioluminescence (the luciferin-luciferase reaction) to attract mates.
• 😈 Photuris females exhibit aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of Photinus males to lure and then prey upon them.
• 🛡️ This predatory behavior allows the Photuris females to sequester defensive chemicals (lucibufagins) from their prey, protecting themselves and their eggs from predators, though fireflies are threatened by light pollution.