From the monthly archives: "June 2009"
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Southern Pine Sawyer

On · Category: Longhorn Beetles · Add Comment

Beetle? Super long antennae and huge paws!
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Hi WTB! I’ve attached several photos of what I think may be a kind of Longhorn Beetle. We found it hanging out on our screenroom one very hot day. He was just as curious of us as we were of him, watching us and moving as we did. I have wetlands and woods behind my house.
Allyson in Florida
Pensacola, FL

Southern Pine Sawyer

Southern Pine Sawyer

Hi Allyson,
This is one of the Pine Sawyers in the genus Monochamus, most likely Monochamus titillator, the Southern Pine Sawyer based on photos and information posted to Bugguide which states:  “larvae bore in sapwood of pine logs held in storage or pines killed by natural or manmade causes.”

Southern Pine Sawyer

Southern Pine Sawyer

Related posts:

monochamus_harryPossibly Southern Pine Sawyer northeastern_pine_sawyer_ericNortheastern Pine Sawyer Southern Pine Sawyer white_spotted_pine_sawyer_hqWhite Spotted Pine Sawyer
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Female Eastern Hercules Beetle

On · Category: Scarab Beetles · Add Comment

Female Eastern Hercules Beetle
Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 7:55 PM
It’s been a long time since I sent you any pictures, but I finally have a good one. Hubby heard a noise on the siding of the house this evening, and found the culprit. According to the pictures on WTB, it looks to be a Female Eastern Hercules Beetle. We took some pictures in the grass, but hubby offered to hold the girl, so I was able to get a good closeup. I’ve reduced the size, so as not to clog the website. If you need better quality, let me know.
Caron
Culpeper, Virginia

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Hi Caron,
We just finished posting two letters, one with photos of a male Eastern Hercules Beetle and one with photos of a female. Your letter is a wonderful addition to the two previous letters as it gives our readership an idea of the range as well as the timely appearance of these gorgeous beetles. We also now realize not making the Eastern Hercules Beetle the Bug of the Month for July was probably a big mistake.

Related posts:

hercules_female_carsonFemale Eastern Hercules Beetle dynastes_female_nancyFemale Eastern Hercules Beetle Female Eastern Hercules Beetle dynastes_tityus_female_tsFemale Eastern Hercules Beetle
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Female Eastern Hercules Beetle

On · Category: Scarab Beetles · Add Comment

Green Beetle with lots of Black Spots
Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:02 AM
I found this in my room yesterday and took some pictures before I let it go. I live in Nashville, TN. I was surprised to see a beetle of this size, much less in my bedroom!
The picture I have of him are in a regular size drinking glass, so I would imagine the beetle is about 1.5″ in length. The tiles he’s sitting on are about 2×2 kitchen counter tiles.
Carson
Nashville, TN

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Hi Carson,
We will be posting your photos of a female Eastern Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus, along side a letter with images of a male.  The male has spectacular horns.  The Eastern Hercules Beetle is sometimes called a Rhinoceros Beetle.

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Related posts:

hercules_caronFemale Eastern Hercules Beetle dynastes_tityus_female_tsFemale Eastern Hercules Beetle hercules_beetle_dennisFemale Eastern Hercules Beetle dynastes_female_nancyFemale Eastern Hercules Beetle
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Male Eastern Hercules Beetle

On · Category: Scarab Beetles · Add Comment

Yellowish/Black Huge Beetle with weird Pinchers in front
Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 9:58 AM
What is this Bug??? I am from Michigan and visiting my mom in North Carolina and see some weird, ugly, creepy insects around here but this tops the cake. My son saw it flying around outside and told my brother in law to come see it. As soon as he opened the door to come outside it flew right inside towards his face. We were freaking out! I tried to do a search of what it was but can’t seem to find out. I hope you can identify it!
Tamara, E.L., MI
Warrior Mountain, Tryon, N.C.

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Hi Tamara,
We really wanted to make the Eastern Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus, the Bug of the Month for July, but when we posted this morning, we had not received any recent images.  Your male beetle is quite spectacular, and we will be posting another letter with an image of a female Eastern Hercules Beetle which lacks the horns that also arrived today.

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Related posts:

Male Eastern Hercules Beetle hercules_beetle_charlotteMale Eastern Hercules Beetle hercules_beetle_heatherMale Eastern Hercules Beetle dynastes_kimMale Eastern Hercules Beetle
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

California Dobsonfly or Gray Fishfly

On · Category: Dobsonflies and Fishflies · Add Comment

Dobsonfly
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 9:06 PM
I’m pretty sure this is a female Dobsonfly. It’s not a bad photo, thought you might like to add it to your archives. She was in our kitchen this evening but is now safely back outside.
Ann R.
Auburn Area – California

California Dobsonfly

California Dobsonfly

Hi Ann,
The California Dobsonfly, Neohermes californicus, is in the same family as the Dobsonfly, Corydalidae, but it is classified in a different genus.  According to BugGuide, the California Dobsonfly is actually a Gray Fishfly, and its antennae are quite different from the eastern Dobsonfly.

Related posts:

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Giant Agave Bugs

On · Category: Leaf Footed Bugs · Add Comment

Bug found in Cochise County AZ
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 10:23 PM
Hi- I photographed these bugs on the flower stalk of a shin dagger (Agave schottii) in Cochise County AZ (SE AZ) on June 25 2009). There were dozens of shin daggers in late bloom in the area, but only a few had these insects present. Thanks, Keith
I’m not sure what this field means
Cochise County AZ (SE AZ) near Sonoita AZ

Giant Agave Bugs

Giant Agave Bugs

Hi Unsure,
The field in question is for your name, or alias.  These are Giant Agave Bugs, Acanthocephala thomasi.  We posted an image yesterday before you wrote, but you must have missed it on our website.  That querant described the Giant Agave Bugs as having red socks.  Your photo shows the Giant Agave Bugs on their host plant.

Related posts:

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Mating Flower Longhorns

On · Category: Longhorn Beetles Tagged With: · Add Comment

Bugs mating
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 7:21 AM
Hi, photographed these bugs on a hike on June 28th near Tillman Ravine in the Stokes state forest, New Jersey. Not sure what they are, but they are definitely mating.
Thanks for your help, Steve
Stokes state forest, NJ.

Mating Flower Longhorns: Strangalia luteicornis

Mating Flower Longhorns: Strangalia luteicornis

Hi Steve,
These are mating Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae of the family Cerambycidae, the Longhorn Borer Beetles.  We used BugGuide to identify them as Strangalia luteicornis, a species with no common name that is common and ranges in the Eastern North America.  According to BugGuide:  “Food Adults take nectar and/or pollen at flowers, are said to be especially fond of sumac.
Life Cycle Larvae feed on decaying wood of several deciduous trees and woody vines. Adults attracted to UV light. “

Related posts:

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tarantula Hawk

On · Category: spider wasps · Add Comment

half the size of my hand, orange antennae that curl back, hairy, orange wings, black body, 8 legs
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 9:20 AM
I was walking outside and I saw this bug following me on the sidewalk. I let it pass me as I walked behind it I noticed how big it was and that it was not flying. I had to chase it to take a picture of it because it walks fast. IT has orange wings, orange hairy antennae that curl back when it touched something, a hairy black,blue body, look like a stinger back end but no stinger was present, big eyes, and when I captured it, it started to lay eggs which made me more interested. What type of bug is this?
Jen
Riverside, California, United States

Tarantula Hawk

Tarantula Hawk

Hi Jen,
This is a female Tarantula Hawk, a wasp in the genus Pepsis. You miscounted the number of legs, which should only be six.  We are quite curious about your observation that upon capture, the Tarantula Hawk laid eggs. Here is what Charles Hogue writes about Tarantula Hawk in his book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “When a female wasp finds a tarantula, she alights and engages in battle. The wasp then stings the spider on the underside between the legs and usually succeeds in paralyzing but not killing it. She has previously dug a shallow burrow, using her mandibles and legs as pick and shovel, or selected an earth crack, rodent burrow, or even the burrow of a tarantula for a nest, and she now drags the paralyzed prey into this hole, lays an egg on the victim, and then seals the tunnel with soil. A supply of fresh food is thus insured for the developing larva. The sting of the female tarantula hawk is described as extraordinarily painful by those who have experienced it.”

Related posts:

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination