For your “Bug Love” page…(blue damselflies from Illinois)
February 7, 2010
Hello. I took this picture early this past July on Lake Shabbona in Illinois, near Chicago while on a fishing trip. There were mating pairs of these blue damselflies everywhere, and these two landed right in front of me. They didn’t flinch when I put the camera right up to them. I thought I’d submit it to see if you guys would like to post it on your Bug Love page. Thanks for your time.
Justin M. Fabre
Illinois
Mating Bluets
Hi Justin,
Thanks for sending us your wonderful photo of mating Bluets in the genus Enallagma. BugGuide has numerous possible species, and we would defer an exact species identification to an expert. This mating position is called a Wheel or Heart formation. Are you by chance related to Jean Henri Fabre, the French entomologist who lived from 1823 to 1915 and who wrote one of the first popular culture books on insects?
Moth idendification
February 8, 2010
Please can you identify this moth for me! One seems to male and the other (Bigger) female
Luka Geertsema
Pretoria, South Africa
Variable Prince female
Hi Luka,
We identified your moths as Holocerina smilax, the Variable Prince, on the World’s Largest Saturniidae Site. According to the website, females are larger, and the Caterpillars are probably a “valuable human food source.” You may see photos of the adult moth and variable caterpillars on the Bizland Silkmoths website. It is not possible for us to determine from the photograph which of your images if of the larger moth, so we are unable to label the sexes. Normally in Giant Silk Moths, the antennae of the male are more developed and feathery, but due to the position the moth assumes when at rest, the antennae are not visible. We are going to copy Bill Oehlke on this response as he may have additional information to provide for us.
Variable Prince male
Sexing Information from Bill Oehlke
Daniel,
Thanks. Yes they are Holocerina smilax. The male is the one which has the more produced forewing apex and very triangular hindwings with acute anal angle..
Bill Oehlke
Predator beetle
February 7, 2010
Hello, I supose you guys arent very familiar with south american bugs but I gotta show this finding!
It was found at night in a rainforest area (southeast Brazil), reminds me a cicindelid but never seen one with such shapes and proportions
Techuser
Brazil
Tiger Beetle
Dear Techuser,
Your are correct in that this is an unusual Cicindelid or Tiger Beetle. Some members of the subfamily Cicindelinae are ant mimics, and your specimen would seem to be one of those. We hope we are able to provide a species identification for you, but time does not permit that research at the moment. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to supply a species identification.
Tiger Beetle
We love the close-up photo of the face.
Tiger Beetle
Leather Jackets in Silver Lake
February 8, 2010
Hi–I live on a steep hill adjacent to the Silver Lake Reservoir. On Saturday after the heavy overnight rain I encountered lots of Leather Jackets writhing on the pavement. I am attaching three images. Which kind of Leather Jackets/Crane Flies are these? Native? Thanks so much.
Brad
Silver Lake, Los Angeles
Leather Jacket
Hi Brad,
Chen Young, an expert in the Crane Fly family, just wrote to us regarding the other two recent Los Angeles area emergences of Leather Jackets, and they were determined to be native. According to his description, your Leather Jackets are also the larvae of native Crane Flies. Chen has promised to send us an image of the European Crane Fly Larva for comparison.
What is this bug?
February 7, 2010
Hi there, I have seen this bug for the first time in my life and in the two years I have been living in my place. I live in an apartment, first floor with a patio and some plants in pots. No grass or dirt. Even thou I have seen pretty much variety of insects that took my attention several times. I have remembered this site and decided to start sending you pics of what I just find interesting to share. As you see the insect is dead but I have found one alive but took it away because I don´t really know if it can bite. We are in summer now and these ones appeared after 3 days of continuous rainy days. Thanks for you help.
Fred
Buenos Aires Argentina.
Giant Water Bug
Hi Fred,
This is a Giant Water Bug in the family Belostomatidae. Most of the examples we see are from the genus Lethocerus, but your specimen is from one of the other genera, probably Belostoma, or possibly Abedus. Giant Water Bugs are aquatic predators that can also fly quite well, a capability they use when their ponds dry out. They are also attracted to lights, and that may be the reason it was attracted to your apartment. Giant Water Bugs can bite painfully if provoked or carelessly handled, and in the U.S. they are commonly called Toe-Biters as well as Electric Light Bugs.
Giant Water Bug
Daniel, thanks a lot for you quick and great response. I really appreciate what you do and hopefully I will be able to send you new pics to share and find out what kind of bug is it.
Have a great week.
Fred.
Possible huntsman or crab spider in PR
February 7, 2010
We had a couple of these spiders in our rented house in Culebra PR late January. We relocated them outside once capturing them in large containers — boy did they run around quickly in the container once caught!
Spider lover in PA
Culebra Puerto Rico
Huntsman Spider
Dear Spider Lover,
You are correct. This is a Huntsman Spider or Giant Crab Spider in the family Sparassidae, though we are unable to tell from your photo if it is one of the most commonly encountered species, Heteropoda venatoria.
fiji rock bug
February 6, 2010
1.aprox 1inch long.
2.tranparent green color.
3.eyes at tip of antennas that open like little mouths…
4.has a hard stinger that snaps at my hermit crabs.
5.seen it attack a hermit crab and pulled it into its rock.
Gisele Villeneuve
cornwall,ontario,canada
Mystery from Fiji or possibly Canada
Hi Gisele,
Despite your itemized description, your letter poses more questions than it answers. Is this creature in Fiji or Canada? Is this creature in the wild or in an aquarium? Also, your photo doesn’t seem to provide much of a look at this mystery creature. Is it in that hole? If this is in an aquarium, did you collect the rock or buy the rock? If you are worried about it attacking Hermit Crabs, why not just remove the rock? If it is a purchased rock, can you get information from the supplier?
Mystery from Fiji, or possibly Canada
Additional Information
it is currently in cornwall,ontario,canada.
it is in the aquarium.
in picture 1 the bug is not in hole in picture 2 he is right at the hole the only thing you see of him are his antenna like eyes.
I baught the rock at a local pet store.
And i tried asking them for information but they did not know that is why i am asking you…I will and try to get more pics but he does not live the hole unless he is traveling to another hole in the rock in wich case he uses tunnels within the rock…
One of our Readers suggests perhaps a Mantis Shrimp
It sounds to me as if this is a piece of live rock you bought at a local pet store, that also included a live mantis shrimp. (deceptive name it isn’t actually a shrimp) They do feed on smaller aquarium species, and can either be treated as a pest or a freebie. If it continues to kill off your tank though, I would assume you would consider it to be a pest.
A link to wiki for more info… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp
lttlechkn
Brazilian Big Spider
February 5, 2010
I found this Spider on the top of a tree where i work, it is big, something like 3 to 4 inches…
Unfortunatelly i can’t get closer or get shots from other positon…
Is it an Nephila SP?
Thanks for your time!
Luiz Fernando R.
Brazil, SP, São Paulo
Golden Silk Spider
Hi Luiz,
You are correct. This is a Golden Silk Spider in the genus Nephila. According to available information, the only New World species is Nephila clavipes which is also found in the Southeastern United States. It is possible to see the golden color of the silk in your photograph.
Help me find out what kind he is…
February 5, 2010
My boyfriend works in a factory and found this locust on a material box, the box came from new jersey, and possibly china before that…Any info would really help!!!
RS
Canada
Probably Gaudy Grasshopper: Imported into Canada
Dear RS,
We are nearly certain this is one of the Gaudy Grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae, which are not found in North America. Most of our submissions from this family come from South Africa and Madagascar, and there are some from Australia. Many species in this family are toxic because they feed upon milkweed. We are going to seek assistance with this identification, and we will notify Stephanie Dubon in the USDA exotic insect division at npag@aphis.usda.gov to see if there are any additional reports.
Probably Gaudy Grasshopper: Imported into Canada
Confirmation from Eric Eaton
Hi:
I received this image and question already, via AllExperts.com if I recall correctly, and also identified it as in the family Pyrgomorphidae, possibly in the genus Phymateus, though I am not certain of that.
Looking forward to hearing more about this unique import:-)
Eric Eaton
author, Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
http://bugeric.blogspot.com
We can’t find it in any of our “bug books” and were wondering if you could help identify it for us.
