Two insects – not sure what class or?
Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 3:20 PM
I am sending two photographs of insects I have seen here in Costa Rica but each one only once. I’m not even sure whether I am dealing with bugs, beetles, or? I want to post the photos to a site trying to build a world insect identification guide, but can’t post until I know what I’m posting. The long silvery insect is quite lovely, I think. The other was a photo taken with a flash at night in the rain as I was getting off a bus in San Vito, Costa Rica. The yellow, black, white, and I think blue insect could be a beetle but . . . Definitely rural or forest insects to be found in the highlands of southern Costa Rica.
Mary B. Thorman
San Vito, Coto Brus, Costa Rica
Heiroglyphic Moth
Hi Mary,
The flash photo is of a Heiroglyphic Moth, Diphthera festiva, a species we have posted previously to What’s That Bug? and also found on the Featured Creatures website. The Heiroglyphic moth is an Owlet Moth in the family Noctuidae that is encountered in Florida as well as the tropical regions of Central America. Your other insect is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae. We haven’t the time to research the exact species, but perhaps one of our readers will have the answer and submit a comment or a letter.
Unknown Costa Rican Cerambycid
Unknown big spider in coastal Oaxaca State, Mexico
Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 11:06 AM
We found this unfortunate drowing-victim in our pool one December morning at our place in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, in Mexico – we’ve spent lots of time down there, but have never seen a spider like it, so maybe it only comes out at night? I couldn’t stop looking at it, it is just so cool!
The first photo is how we found it: upside down at the bottom of the pool, just thought this would be good for scale.
The next two photos are (obviously) just close-ups of the mystery spider.
Hope you can help!
Jess
Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
Mexican Trapdoor Spider
Dear Jess,
We believe this is a Trapdoor Spider. There is a related spider in California that frequently drowns in pools after the winter rains. The rains trigger the mating urge in the male Trapdoor Spider who leaves his burrow in search of a mate. Sadly, swimming pools often seem to be on the spider’s route.
Mexican Trapdoor Spider
1
Large cicada, borneo
Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 6:36 PM
I was accosted by this cicada at Sabah, Borneo Island, at the start of March. It was as big as my hand – the biggest flying insect I have seen. Do you know what it is ?
Thanks, Ben D
Borneo
Huge Cicada from Borneo
Goodness Gracious Ben,
That is one huge Cicada. Sadly, we haven’t the time to try to research the species, but we are confident that one of our readers will soon supply us with an identification.
Update: Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 5:21 AM
Hi Daniel and Ben:
Other than its incredible size, this cicada doesn’t have too many distinctive features to help with positive identification. However, based on size and general appearance this looks like it is probably in the genus Pomponia, which includes most of the world’s largest cicadas. At least half a dozen Pomponia species have been recorded from Borneo, but based on visible thoracic and wing markings I suspect it may be P. merula. However, there are several other possibilities, including P. imperatoria which is the largest, and by some accounts the loudest cicada on the planet. It has a reported wingspan of 20 cm! Regards.
Karl
5
What kind of but is this?
Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 6:32 AM
I was in Puerto Maldonado, Peru recently and came across this giant insect. A friend of mine there, a local, said that it was a cockroach. Though it sort of looks like one, I’m not convinced.
nate
Peruvian Amazon, Puerto Maldonado
Giant Water Bug
Dear Nate,
People often write to us wanting to get buts identified. This is actually a Giant Water Bug in the family Belostomatidae. The family is well represented around the world. In the U.S . Giant Water Bugs are also known as Toe-Biters or Electric Light Bugs. They are eaten in Thailand.
Moths in Iraq
Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 12:24 AM
Hi there. These moths seems to come out at night especially when it rains. I am in north Iraq at the moment on an oil drilling rig. These moths are all over in the mornings but seem to dissappear as it get warmer. Would you know what they are and anything about them?
Craig
Chamchamal, Kurdistan – Iraq
Striped Hawkmoths
Hi Craig,
Thanks for sending your amazing photographs. We were struck by the similarity of your moth to the Striped Morning Sphinx or Whitelined Sphinx, Hyles lineata, found throughout much of North and South America. We checked Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website and he writes: “A somewhat similar moth, Hyles livornica occurs in Eurasia and Africa.”
Striped Hawkmoths
We then located a website that pictures and describes the Striped Hawkmoth, your species. The site indicates: “A noted migrant, generally found in open ground with few trees and shrubs, such as rough grazing land, parched hillsides and sand-dunes, or in vineyards. In semi-desert areas, huge numbers can build up during winter and spring, especially after heavy rains. An extremely active species, normally flying towards evening, when considerable numbers are often attracted to sweet-smelling flowers and to light. Pairing always takes place at dawn over a period of two or three hours. Thereafter, females can cover considerable distances whilst egg-laying. In southern Europe and North Africa, many are also active during daylight hours, especially when on migration. (See also Heinig (1981b).) ” We suspect the lights of the oil rig are attracting the great numbers of moths.
Hundreds of Striped Hawkmoths in Iraq
Cocoons/Nests
Ok. I’ve attached 3 photos below. Thanks so much, Alanna
Hi Alanna,
There were no photos attached to this email.
On 3/6/09
Hi
I sent some photos late last month and wanted to check back with you
about the identification of them. Our 7 year old girl thoroughly
enjoys all kinds of “BUGS” and can hardly wait for a response.
Thanks so much,
Alanna
Original Letter: Feb 24, 2009, at 9:11 PM
cocoons/nests
I was wanting to know what we should expect
to emerge from these and how to possibly anticipate when (Can we
place these in a jar for observation until then?)?
Alanna
Metter, Ga
Bagworm
Hi Alana,
Sorry for the delay in getting to your response. Additional delays resulted when you resent the request but we had no way of tracking your original letter with images. Thanks for resending the images. You have provided an image of a Bagworm, a species of moth that lives its entire caterpillar life inside a bag consructed of silken thread and bits of plant material from the host plant. Your other cocoon is some Giant Silk Moth. Both the Polyphemus Moth and Luna Moth wrap the cocoon in a leaf, and often the leaf falls to the ground, but occasionally the cocoon remains attached to the tree. It appears as though the tree is a some sort of fruit tree. Your third image which we are not posting, is of a Preying Mantis oothica or egg case.
Polyphemus or Luna Cocoon???
long horn Grasshopper
Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 6:10 AM
Hi all,
i found this Grasshopper in Guinea (west-africa). Ist about 5cm long an have a strange spkie an his Head.
Maybe its Acrida spec.?
Guinea found
Guinea, West africa
Conehead Katydid
Dear Guinea found,
Grasshoppers in the genus Acrida are known as the Slant Faced Grasshoppers, and they are members of the Orthoptera suborder Caelifera, the true Grasshoppers with short antennae. Acrididae is the predominant family of Short Horned Grasshoppers. Horned in this case refers to the antennae. Your insects is a Long Horned Orthopteran in the suborder Ensifera, and the family Tettigoniidae, the Katydids. Though the spined head is more extreme than North American species, we would say that your Katydid is a Conehead Katydid in the subfamily Conocephalinae. You can find images of North American species on BugGuide. We will contact Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki to see if he recognizes your specimen.
Conehead Katydid
Update:
Hi Daniel,
Somebody has already sent me a picture of this katydid, but not one with the
view of its face. Now that I can see the exact shape of the fastigium and
the marking on the face there is no doubt that this is a female of
Pseudorhynchus pungens Schaum, a fairly common, nearly pan-African species.Cheers,
Piotr
Piotr Naskrecki, Ph. D.
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
Update: Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Hi,
thanks for your detailed and fast answer!
I had founded the exact name of the species, its Pseudorhynchus cf lanceolata or pungens.
But again, thanks a lot for your strive!
Greetings from Germany
Chris
red striped bug
Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 5:58 PM
I walked out to the driveway and there were a hundred of these bugs on the driveway and in the dirt adjacent, and crawling up weeds in the area. The sort of jump like crickets. It was 80 degrees, 5pm, in Orlando FL. Is this a common bug to Florida?
Ms. New to Florida
Orlando
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper nymph
Dear Ms. New to Florida,
This is a newly hatched Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Romalea microptera. BugGuide lists it as ranging in the Gulf States as well as Georgia and South Carolina. It is quite common in Florida. There is both a light and dark adult form. Adults do not fly. Nymphs are often black with a red or yellow stripe as your photo illustrates. Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers can be quite plentiful at times.
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