Bizarre yellow bug with red eyes!
September 14, 2009
We found this little guy/gal (1/4 or 1/8 of an inch long) on some flowers in the yard. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. Does anyone know what the heck this thing is?
Nessa
SW Missouri
Ambush Bug
Hi Nessa,
This is a predatory Assassin Bug known as an Ambush Bug. Not too long ago, Ambush Bugs were classified in their own family, but they have recently been downgraded to the subfamily Phymatinae of the Assassin Bug family Reduviidae. True to their name, the camouflaged Ambush Bugs will wait on flowers until a pollinating insect arrives to feed.
What is this Bug?
September 14, 2009
Dear Bugman, I have this most unusual bug in my downstairs (under the stairs bathroom). I apologise for the Quality of the pictures but it is so hard to get a picture of this bug as it is so tiny. You can see the scale from the last picture with the tap in it.
They seem almost transparent with a brown twinge and I only ever see one or 2 at a time. Usually on the sink or toilet but I have also seen them on the wall. The bathroom is small, quite cold usually and doesnt get a lot of light.
They move very slowly and seem a but unaware of my presence most of the time. They aren’t causing me any problem, more just curious as to what they are?
Thanks for your Help,
Regards,
Denis.
Dublin, Ireland
Barklouse
Hi Denis,
This is a Globular Springtail in the order Symphypleona and the class Collembola. Springtails are primitive insects that are among the most numerous insects on our planet. They are often associated with dark damp areas. When they are very numerous, they can become an annoyance in the shower and other indoor areas, but they are benign. They are thought to feed on molds, so a population explosion of Springtails may be symptomatic of a greater problem.
Correction by Eric Eaton
September 16, 2009
Daniel:
I think that “globular springtail” of September 14 is actually a wingless barklouse (order Psocoptera). The two look extremely similar and I even have trouble telling them apart sometimes. Still, I’d bet on this being a barklouse/booklouse.
Eric
Is this a grasshopper?
September 14, 2009
This bug has been hanging out with me for a while now. First it was on my front porch hanging out on the hibiscus and just the other day it was in my room. I put it outside many times and it always comes back. Now I just let it hang out in my room and it just stays sitting in the same spots.
Malia
Virginia Beach, VA
Greater Meadow Katydid
Hi Malia,
Grasshoppers have much shorter antennae than this Greater Meadow Katydid does. We believe the species is Orchelimum minor, based on images posted to BugGuide. The red eyes and green face are quite distinctive. Your individual is a female as evidenced by her sword-like ovipositor, and she is missing one leg, which may have happened because of a run-in with a predator.
¶ Posted 14 September 2009 § Katydids ‡ ° i can has parsley?
September 14, 2009
I was at my Grandmother’s today and I grabbed a quick shot of these guys chowing down. I believe I’ve correctly identified them via your site (because your description specifically mentions parsley!)
I hope you like this group shot of what I believe are Anise Swallowtail Caterpillars.
iphone photo:
Here’s my flickr entry:
Thanks for maintaining such a great site,
Casey
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars? or Anise Swallowtail Caterpillars???
Hi Casey,
Since you did not provide a location, we are not certain if these are Black Swallowtails or Anise Swallowtails. The caterpillars look very similar and both will feed on parsley. If you live in the central to eastern states, these are Black Swallowtails. If you are west of the Rocky Mountains, they are Anise Swallowtails.
Thanks.
I live in Georgia so they would be Black Swallowtails.
Thanks guys.
1
Weird bug from Texas
September 14, 2009
First of all, it is a white bug – which I’ve never seen before, and I’ve lived in Texas more than 5 years, and this is the first time I’ve run across anything that looks remotely like it.
I know that everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas, but this is a rediculously large terminte-looking creature.
Um.. what is it?
BrightKite
Forth Worth, Texas
Ironclad Beetle
Hello BrightKite,
There should be no confusing the distinctive coloration and pattern of this Ironclad Beetle, Zopherus nodulosus, with any other species. The coloration of the Cottonwood Borer is similar, but the structural anatomy is strikingly different. According to BugGuide, this Ironclad Beetle is: “Endemic to East-Central Texas.“
Caterpillar
September 14, 2009
Found this guy about 2 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio Metroparks system. Gates Mills, Ohio to be exact. It was early fall and I found him sitting on a picnic table. I’ve tried to find his picture on the web but have not had much luck.
What is he?
Judy
Northeastern Ohio
Catalpa Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Judy,
This is the dark form of the variable caterpillar of the Catalpa Sphinx, Ceratomia catalpae, which can be seen on Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website.
Thank you soooo much…I hate having a picture of something and not knowing what it is!
Take care!
Winged black bug with 2 inch hook-like thing
September 14, 2009
Dear Bugman,
I awoke this morning, and on my window screen I found this bug. It’s about 3 inches long, and black. It has a long, hooked appendage below its wings. It’s 6 segments, but possibly 7. The very tip is at an angle, but it’s only a millimeter or two, so I’m not sure if it’s another segment or just the end of the 6th. I’m not sure if it’s some type of stinger, because although the end is tapered, it doesn’t look very sharp. I found it at about 10:00 AM in Fargo, North Dakota today, so during the end of summer and fall is when this picture is from.
Scary Bug Girl
Fargo, North Dakota
American Pelecinid
Dear Scary Bug Girl,
This nonstinging wasp relative is an American Pelecinid. Its profile is very distinctive. The female of the species (your individual is a female) uses her long abdomen to deposit eggs underground near burrowing May Beetle Grubs that her larvae will feed upon. We love your photograph.
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