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Monthly Archives July 2009

Devil’s Coach Horse, we believe

My alien superbug?
July 21, 2009
I am wondering if you can help me identify an insect?
A few years ago while I was living in Pacifica, CA (near San Francisco), I noticed this strange and aggressive insect. I cannot figure out what it is and have described it to many people, none of whom know what it is either. I have attached a drawing of what I remember it looked like.
I saw it on two occasions, both times on the sidewalk on sunny days, a few months apart. One was about 2 inches in length, the other about an inch and a half. They had black, unsegmented, hard looking body with a satiny sheen. It had no wings, but the back of the abdomen which came to a pointed tip could be curled and raised threateningly like a scorpion’s tail.
Both behaved in the same way. Upon seeing them I stood over them to get a closer look. The insect quickly noticed me and stopped walking. It turned towards me, curled it’s tail over its back so point faced me. As I walked around it, the insect whirled on its feet keeping its face and stinging tail aimed at me. It could move quite quickly. It stayed there for a few minutes until I left.
Thanks for your help! I hope you can help me figure out what it is.
Roni
Pacifica, CA

coach horse drawing roni 300x176 Devils Coach Horse, we believe
Drawing of a Devil’s Coach Horse

Hi Roni,
We are guessing you saw a Devil’s Coach Horse, a type of Rove Beetle based on both your drawing and your excellent account of the observations.  They eat snails, so we love them in our garden.  We haven’t any files on our current computer, but we will attempt to search our archives so we can post a photo from a March 16, 2006 letter with your letter.

devilscoachhorse kevin enl 300x286 Devils Coach Horse, we believe
Devil’s Coach Horse

Confirmation
That looks close enough to my bug- so I think you got it.  Thanks very much!  
Sincerely,
Roni

Posted 22 July 2009 § Rove Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Lime Hawkmoth from England

Is this a Tiger Moth?
July 21, 2009
I spotted this moth on a waste bin in London’s Docklands mid morning in may this year. After stopping our van assistant from kicking it,I took this photo of it. A knowall (we all know one!) told me it was a Tiger moth. However no pictures I have found of a Tiger moth have the same delta shape wing. It was about 4 inches across from tip to tip. Can you tell me what species of moth it is?
Alan Kent England
East London England

lime hawkmoth alan 300x215 Lime Hawkmoth from England

Lime Hawkmoth

Hi Alan,
This is a Lime Hawkmoth, Mimas tiliae.  According to UKMoths, it is a common species in the southern half of Britain.  We recently had a sighting in Pennsylvania, and there is documentation that the species has been sighted in Canada as well.  This probably represents an accidental introduction or possibly an intentional release from captivity raised specimens.  When we asked our readership to notify us of any additional North American sightings, we began to receive letters with photos of a similar appearing species  without the scalloped wing edges, the Pandora Sphinx, Eumorpha pandorus, which were mistaken for the Lime Hawkmoth.

Posted 22 July 2009 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (1) °

Unknown Blister Beetle may be European import

Who’s eating my marigolds?
July 21, 2009
Hello! These guys arrived 3 days ago. I thought they were lightning bugs at first. The are buried in each marigold bud and sucking the life out of them. Like a plague of locusts, they have destroyed all the blooms, and there were many! We’ve used several different repellent sprays, nothing keeps them away for long. Thank you for caring! It is appreciated. (Been searching the web for hours to no avail.)
Joanie B.
Eastern Shore of Maryland (Willards, MD)

blister beetle joanie 256x300 Unknown Blister Beetle may be European import

Unidentified Blister Beetle

Hi Joanie,
This is a Blister Beetle in the family Meloidae, but we have not had any luck identifying the species on BugGuide.  Adult Blister Beetles often feed on flowers and foliage, but in the larval form, they often have complex parasitic life cycles with hosts that include bees and grasshoppers.  According to BugGuide:  “Pressing, rubbing, or squashing adult blister beetles may cause them to exude their hemolymph (“blood”), which contains cantharidin. This compound causes blistering of the skin, thus the name blister beetle. Accidental or intentional ingestion of these insects can be fatal. There are documented incidents of horses dying after eating hay in which blister beetles were inadvertently baled with the forage. Watch that curious children do not attempt to put these beetles in their mouths. The external use of cantharidin, commercially known as ‘Spanish fly,’ the supposed aphrodisiac, is likewise discouraged.”  We hope one of our readers will be able to supply a species identification, or at least a genus identification.

Unknown Blister Beetle
July 23, 2009
Hi Daniel:
It does look like a blister beetle and I can’t claim to be an expert, but this looks a lot like a species of Epicauta, particularly E. hirticornis. The problem is that this is an Asian species and I haven’t found any record of it becoming an invasive in North America. There are a few other red headed species in the genus but none appear to be endemic to the USA; in fact I haven’t been able to find any North American blister beetle that looks quite like Joanie’s photo. I may be on the wrong track here, or it may be possible that these guys do not belong. I think I will keep looking, but this looks like a job for a real expert. Regards.
Karl

Update from Karl
Hi Daniel:
Can I retract? Some further searching did yield one indigenous species that looks like Joanie’s blister beetle, Epicauta trichrus, although the overall shape and some of the coloration still don’t look quite right. I couldn’t find much information about this species but it has been recorded from Massachusetts, so why not Maryland. I found it on Bugguide.net (where else) – I don’t know how I missed it first time through. In fact, the Bugguide site has a second species. E. atrata, that also looks similar, although apparently the head is usually black and only sometimes reddish behind the eyes. Although to me Joanie’s photo still looks more similar to some of the Eurasian species it makes sense to take the more conservative approach and assume that it is not an introduced species. Regards.
Karl

Thanks Karl,
We looked at those two species and decided they were not Joanie’s beetle, but we may be wrong.

Posted 22 July 2009 § Blister Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Owlfly

Possible Dragonfly?
July 21, 2009
Seen on my front door casing today. I took the photo without disturbing the bug. I assume it is a dragonfly, but was not sure due to the position of the wings. I would love to know the specific type of insect.
EmHem
Dallas/Ft.Worth metroplex

owlfly emhem 125x300 Owlfly

Owlfly

Dear EmHem,
This is an Owlfly, a Neuropteran in the family Ascalaphidae.  According to BugGuide they are:  “Bizarre creatures that look like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly. The body resembles that of other neuropterans, more-or-less, but the prominent antennae are clubbed like those of butterflies. Key characters:
Medium to large size
Clubbed antennae
Eyes large and bulge out from head
may rest in cryptic posture with abdomen projecting from perch, resembling a twig.” BugGuide also indicates “The two North American genera can be keyed easily based on structure of the eyes. Genus Ululodes has divided eyes.”  Based on that information, it appears your Owlfly is in the genus Ululodes.  Of the three species represented in the genus on BugGuide, your specimen most closely resembles Ululodes macleayanus.

Posted 22 July 2009 § Neuropterans: Lacewings, Antlions, and Owlflies ‡ Comments (0) °

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Kentucky beetle
July 21, 2009
Having just moved to central Kentucky, we were taking our son to register him at his new school, and right by the front door welcoming the newcomers was this beetle. We asked the locals, but nobody seemed to know what it was. Can you tell us? (My son, BTW, felt much better about the new school after discovering such a cool bug there.)
Curious mother
Richmond, Kentucky

dynastes tityus kentucky 300x240 Eastern Hercules Beetle

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Dear Curious Mother,
Your beetle is an Eastern Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus.  It is a male beetle, as evidenced by the horns.  Females do not have horns.

Posted 22 July 2009 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Silver Argiope

6 yr old “bug scientist” needs your help!
July 21, 2009
Hi,
Am writing this on behalf of my 6 year old son. He’s fascinated with bugs and has already declared his intention of becoming a “bug scientist” when he grows up.
He’s been on the lookout for a long time to find a critter worthy of posting here and was so excited when he found this spider. He had me out taking numerous pictures of it over the course of several days in hopes that we could get some good ones to submit to you.
We are in Aliso Viejo – just a few miles directly inland from Laguna Beach, CA and found this gorgeous, and very large, spider in the bushes outside my son’s YMCA center.Can you tell us what it is?
Mom of future “bug guy.”
Southern California

argiope silver mom 205x300 Silver Argiope

Silver Argiope

Dear Mom,
Your spider is a Silver Argiope, Argiope argentata, one of the Orb Weaver Spiders.  The species is found in the Southern states, Gulf states and California.  According to BugGuide:  “Orbweavers place a conspicuous zigzagging white silk banner in their webs called the ‘stabilimentum’ which can be used to identify the species. In this species four stabilimenta form a cross in the web of mature spiders. Juveniles of many species, including this one, spin a spiralling stabilimentum from the center of the web. The function of the stabilimentum is not fully understood. Hypotheses are; that it stabilizes the web, or makes it more apparent to birds which will thus not fly into and wreck it, or it reflects light to attract insect prey, or perhaps most likely helps to camouflage the spider in the web.“

Posted 22 July 2009 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) °

Whipscorpion

Crazy bug with crazy tail
Hi,
I was camping in southern New Mexico a few days ago and this insect came into the bathroom. I’ve never seen anything like it! Its body was about 3 inches long, and the tail (is that a tail?) was probably an inch and a half on top of that. It was moving slowly, made a loop around the bathroom, and left. From some of your other posts, I think this might be a solpugid, but i’ve never heard of or seen these guys before so any info you have would be really cool. thanks!
nick
outside Carlsbad, NM

whipscorpion nick 300x220 Whipscorpion
Whipscorpion

Hi Nick,
This is a Whipscorpion, and it is an Arachnid, not an insect.  Arachnids like Insects are a class of Arthropods.  The Whipscorpion and Solpugid are both Arachnids, but in different Orders.  Whipscorpions do not have venom and are perfectly harmless to humans.  The same cannot be said for tiny creatures.  Whipscorpions are nocturnal predators that feed on insects, other arachnids and even small lizards.  We believe your specimen is Mastigoproctus giganteus, sometimes called a Giant Vinegaroon or Grampus. Your photo is quite detailed and beautiful. Here is what BugGuide has to say about the Giant Vinegaroon: “The vinegaroon is nocturnal and has poor vision. The whiplike tail is used as a sensory organ, as is the first pair of legs, which is not used for walking. Although its tail in unable to sting, this creature can spray an acidic mist from a scent gland at the base of the tail when disturbed. The spray is 85% concentrated acetic acid/vinegar, hence the common name ‘Vinegaroon.’ The heavy pinching mouthparts (modified pedipalps) can also inflict a painful bite. Although very unlikely to attack humans, it can certainly defend itself if provoked.”

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the quick reply and very detailed information! I was curious about whether it was an arachnid or insect, because the first pair of appendages looked anatomically just like the legs, but were so much longer and, as you said, were being used as feelers and not for locomotion. i had no idea that there were arachnids that only walked on six legs! very cool.
best,
nick

Posted 21 July 2009 § Scorpions, Whipscorpions and Vinegaroons ‡ Comments (1) °

Wood Cockroach: Drowned in the Fountain

nocturnal brown flying insect
July 21, 2009
Dear Mr. Bugman,
I hopelessly freaked out by bugs! Just last night, I saw a few of these bugs flying around my backyard. When they land they scurry around quickly like cockroaches but then take flight. The one photographed drowned in my waterfountain (oopsie). Can you please tell me what it is?
Buggin’ out
Fontana, CA (So. Cal)

american cockroach drowned 300x177 Wood Cockroach: Drowned in the Fountain

Wood Cockroach

Dear Buggin’ out,
These are American Cockroaches, Periplaneta americana, which is something of a misnomer since according to BugGuide:  “They are significant pests throughout the world. They are not native to the Americas at all. They come from tropical Africa. They were probably transported to the Americas on slave ships.” BugGuide also has this to report:  “Adults have wings and will occasionally fly. However, they are awkward fliers and prefer to run when disturbed. Males and females are about the same size and look very similar. Both have a pair of cerci, finger-like appendages, at the tips of their abdomens. The cerci are used to detect air currents in the cockroach’s surroundings. Male cockroaches have an additional set of appendages called styli on their abdomens. The styli are located between the cerci but are smaller and more delicate. The presence of styli is the easiest way to distinguish male from female cockroaches. Immature American cockroaches resemble adults, except they are wingless. The American cockroach egg capsules are mahogany brown and about 1/3 inch long.”

american cockroach drowned 2 207x300 Wood Cockroach: Drowned in the Fountain

Wood Cockroach

Correction:  Wood Cockroach
March 14, 2010
This is not the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), but rather a male of the native wood cockroach (Parcoblatta; most likely P. americana.) They are not pests, and cannot live inside houses.
Piotr Naskrecki

Posted 21 July 2009 § Cockroaches ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

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