Pond insect that wraps twigs and leaves around itself
Sun, May 3, 2009 at 4:22 PM
Today, while looking into the pond in our backyard, my husband noticed some movement along the bottom of the pond. Being the curious man he is, he reached in and what he pulled out were these two very strange looking bugs. The bugs, about an inch in length, look as though they have wrapped leaves and twigs around themselves for camouflage. He brought these bugs into the house and placed them in an isolation chamber in our aquarium for further investigation. After googling various descriptions of this insect I came out empty. So here I am seeking your knowledge. Attached are three pictures. In two you will see how they seem to like to attach themselves to each other. Hopefully you can help us identify these bugs. Thanks 
Ashley
Southern Ontario, Canada
Caddisfly Larvae
Hi Ashley,
These are Caddisfly Larvae and they are in the order Trichoptera. Here is what Charles Hogue writes in Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “The larvae, which are aquatic bottom dwellers, are well known to stream fishermen as caseworms. Those of most species live in some sort of protective case or tube made of silk, with bits of leaves, twigs, sand grains, pebbles, or other object incorporated into the material to give the larvae additional physical protection and camouflage. The shape and method of construction of the case is characteristic for a species or group of species, and the variety in these mobile homes is extensive: they may be purse-shaped, tubular, curved, snail-shaped, or rectangular, and there are even types with sticks set in an ascending square framework that mimic a little log cabin.” Adult Caddisflies resemble moths.
Angola Bug
Mon, May 4, 2009 at 4:54 AM
Please can you help identify this bug. As someone who has an allergy to wasp stings I would very much like to know if it can sting. Photos taken 3rd May 2009 in a garden in Luanda, Angola
Andy Mac
Luanda, Angola, West Africa
True Bug from Angola
Dear Andy Mac,
This is a True Bug in the order Hemiptera. While many True Bugs will bite humans, including Assassin Bugs, Giant Water Bugs, Bed Bugs and others, and some are even vectors for disease like Cone-Nosed Bugs or Kissing Bugs that can carry Chagas’ Disease, your Hemipteran is a benign plant feeding species, possibly in the Seed Bug Family Lygaeidae, or maybe the Red Bug Family Pyrrhocoridae.
Dear Daniel
Many thanks for your rapid and informative response. I have always been led to believe that creatures with black and yellow colouring are usually not friendly.
Thanks again
Andy
Hi again Andy,
Warning coloration is often indicative of danger, but more often it is indicative of “don’t eat me because I don’t taste too good.” Milkweed Bugs, which your specimen resembles, feed on milkweed and the compounds in milkweed result in a foul taste to many predators. Your specimen may be a type of Milkweed Bug in the Seed Bug family Lygaeidae.
Update: Wed, 6 May 2009 17:36:40 -0700 (PDT)
Daniel:
I think the “true bug from Angola” is likely some kind of milkweed bug in the Lygaeidae, though I can’t be absolutely certain.
Eric
Caterpillar (6 legs?), Brown, Spikey, Gum forest, Australia
Sun, May 3, 2009 at 5:07 AM
Hi There, we found this squad of unknown bugs when walking in a Gum (Eucalyptus) forest (Dandenong Ranges National Park) at Fern Tree Gully in Victoria, Australia. They were moving uphill as a unit, flicking their tails up when approached. They were on a gravel path and are about 60mm long. We’d love to know what they were. Thanks!
Nick and Kathryn
Fern Tree Gully, Victoria , Australia
Sawfly Larvae
Hi Nick and Kathryn,
Though they look like caterpillars, these are actually the larvae of Sawflies. Sawflies are Hymenopterans, the order that includes ants, bees and wasps. Often Sawfly Larvae feed in groups. We are uncertain of your exact species, and perhaps a reader will provide that answer. We are linking to the Brisbane Insect Sawfly page as well.
Sawfly Larvae
Hi Daniel,
Thanks so much for your prompt reply. We’ll keep checking back in case someone can identify their exact species so we could find what the adult would look like. In the mean time, once we knew they were sawflies we were able to find other references, and the alternative name of ‘spitfires’. This site has what looks to be the same/similar species: http://australian-insects.com/lepidoptera/none/sawfly.html
Thanks again for running the site,
Nick and Kathryn
Giant Hornet
Sun, May 3, 2009 at 6:15 AM
Hello again,
Thanks to your wonderful site and also to Jeff & Helen West of Winchester, VA (9/24/06), this beauty was easily identified as a Giant Hornet, Vespa crabro germana. Maybe these photos will help the next person looking to identify a specimen.
It flew in the house last night, upset a guest, but didn’t make it to morning…found in this condition on the floor.
Many thanks Daniel,
R.G. Marion
Great Smoky Mountains, TN
Giant Hornet
Hi R.G.,
Thanks for sending us your photos of the Giant Hornet or European Hornet. We recently posted a photo of a living specimen, and the inclusion of the ruler for scale should be quite helpful to our readership.
primitive looking spider
Sat, May 2, 2009 at 10:58 PM
I live in the middle of a woodland forest in Mendocino County, northern California. All types of bugs find their way in my house. I promptly put them in a jar and take them back into the woods, mostly beautiful wolf spiders. But this certain spider I’ve never seen before (please see photo). It looks primitive to me, almost crab-like. Can you identify it? That would be amazing! I’d love to know what it is.
nat
Mendocino County, CA, woodlands
Crab Spider
Hi Nat,
This is most certainly a Crab Spider in the family Thomisidae, and we believe it is a Bark Crab Spider in the genus Bassaniana based on a photo posted to BugGuide. BugGuide does not list this genus in California, but the range is quite great, from coast to coast. Like Wolf Spiders, Crab Spiders do not build snare webs. Rather they are hunting spiders.
Harpaphe millipede?
Sat, May 2, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Dear Identifiers of Insects,
This time I’m writing about a huge millipede that keeps attempting to cross a heavily-trafficked footpath; I’ve rescued him twice, and am wondering what type he is. Sort of looks like a picture I found online of ”black and yellow millipede” or ”Harpaphe” genus, but the legs on that were black, not yellow.
This fella is a good three inches long, and rather hefty as far as bugs go! Certainly the largest millipede I’ve ever seen.
Thanks! Hope you find the photo interesting!
R. Thompson
Yellow Spotted Millipede
Dear R. Thompson,
Your submission to our website did not use our newly formatted form that requests a location, so we have no idea where this Millipede was found. This also means that you have written to our site before. We hope you write back with your location. We believe you are correct that your Yellow Spotted Centipede is in the genus Harpaphe, probably Harpaphe haydeniana, The following remarks are according to BugGuide: “This particular millipede secretes a dark fluid that has an odor similar to the almond extract used in cooking. Apparently this is a defensive manuveur. Millipedes also curl up in tight coils when threatened. (1)
Caution: Many millipedes with bright color patterns secrete a compound containing cyanide. Wash your hands after handling them and do not allow children to pick them up.
‘Millipedes are entirely non-toxic to humans and can be picked up by hand. Some secretions discolor the skin, but this wears away in a few days without lasting effect. Some large, cylindrical, tropical species squirt their defensive secretions up to a half meter (2-3 feet) and can blind chickens and dogs. Their fluids are painful if they get into the eyes, and persons working with tropical millipedes should be suitably cautious.’ ~Rowland Shelley
Harpaphe is in the tribe Xystodesmini.“
Sorry about that – the location of the millipede is Chapel Hill, NC.
I didn’t pick him up with my hands, but let him crawl onto a stick.
Thanks for the info!
Excellent. An eastern species is Sigmoria trimaculata, and it has yellow legs. You can also see photos of this species posted to BugGuide and there are reports of representatives of the genus from North Carolina.
4
black flying heart-shaped bugs everywhere!
Sat, May 2, 2009 at 5:13 AM
I live in Northwest Ohio. I have had a black heart-shaped bug flying around my house for about 2 or 3 months. I can’t figure out where they are coming from. They seem to like water. They hang around in our bathrooms a lot. I have pictures of them on a recently wet towel. When you kill them, they leave a black residue almost like black dust on your wall. I have not had them bite but they will fly close to people. They also like lamps and light bulbs when it gets dark out. They are about half the size of a common house fly. Please help, I need to get rid of them!!!
Maranda
Northwest Ohio
Bathroom Fly
Hi Maranda,
You have Bathroom Flies. The larvae of the Bathroom Fly live in the sludge of your sink and tub drains. If you want to get rid of them, you need to have the pipes cleaned.
Bug found on Lemon Tree in AZ
May 2, 2009 at 12:57 PM
We found this bug on a leaf of our Lemon Tree. What is it? Is it harmful to humans? Is it harmful to the tree or other vegetation? Do we need to spray the tree or other plants?
Stan
SW – Scottsdale, AZ
Orange Dog
Hi Stan,
This is the caterpillar of a beautiful butterfly, the Giant Swallowtail. The caterpillar is commonly called an Orange Dog and it mimics bird droppings to avoid getting eaten. The caterpillar will eat some leaves, but will do no lasting harm to your tree. You should not spray your tree because of the Orange Dog. The Orange Dog is not harmful to humans, but if you provoke it, you will be treated to seeing the osmetrium emerge. The osmetrium is a scent organ resembling two orange horns and it gives off an odor to repel its attacker.
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