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Potato Bug in Oklahoma

Posted by bugman September 22nd, 2009 at 8:52 am

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Potato Bugs

Found in the Sand Dunes
September 22, 2009
Hi Bugman,
We found this little creature over the weekend in the Sand Dunes of Oklahoma. Can you help identify it?
Marsha Reynolds
Oklahoma

Potato Bug in Oklahoma

Potato Bug in Oklahoma

Hi Marsha,
The Potato Bug is one of our top 10 identification requests.  We get so many identification requests for Potato Bugs or Jerusalem Crickets in the genus Stenopelmatus, that we rarely post a new letter unless it is interesting or has a wonderful photograph.  Your letter is unusual in that most of our submissions come from California and the Southwest, though in recent years there have been many sightings in Idaho and Wyoming.  This is the first report we have gotten from Oklahoma.  We don’t know if this represents a natural range expansion, or an accidental introduction, or if perhaps the insects were always present but since they are not common, they have not been reported.  You can check the reported sightings on BugGuide to verify how unusual your sighting is.

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Comments 6

  1. bdunham wrote:

    I found this bug in my yard this morning and had’nt ever seen one before. I came across your website and oddly enough its a Potato bug. I live in Sand Springs , OK. But this isnt the only bug i have found here that i dont know what it is, lol… But i am glad i found your site. thanks…Bobbie

    Posted 22 Sep 2009 at 7:22 pm
  2. kim wrote:

    OMG! I just discovered one in my yard tonight! I’ve never seen one, it was alarming how big and it’s tentacles…i had to search on what it was! i’m gladtoo this site was here!
    -kim

    Posted 24 Sep 2009 at 12:47 am
  3. kim wrote:

    PS I’m in Reno Nevada

    Posted 24 Sep 2009 at 12:48 am
  4. Cheryl wrote:

    I live in the Eastern part of Washington State and we have thus far found a total of 4 of those nasty things at our house, including one running around in the laundry room… my poor mother almost wet herself! These have to be the grossest bugs I’ve ever seen!!

    Posted 27 Sep 2009 at 11:46 am
  5. Kathy wrote:

    We live in central Oklahoma and have a lake house at Eufaula in southeast Oklahoma. Over the weekend we also found one of this ugly creatures in our laundry room (at Eufaula) – had no idea what it was. OSU County Extension offices helped me to identify it. Glad to know it’s not poisonous – although a pretty scary. They told us they see them quite often here. Hope not! Don’t care to ever see another one.

    Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 3:45 pm
  6. ivelostmyself wrote:

    I live in Western Oklahoma, close to the Texas Panhandle border. This morning I found one of these bugs by my car. I put him in a cup so my 5 year old son could see him. Then we couldn’t figure out what it was. I looked up “American Burying Beetle” pictures on the internet, and I found this site. And here is my bug! Glad to know what it is.

    Posted 13 Nov 2009 at 1:30 pm

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