Bug Identification
October 14, 2009
Photographed this bug found on my tent tarp in the morning. I was camping in early July in Kootenay National Park in the Marble Canyon campground.
The bug was about 2 inches long and remained motionless even as we tried to move it from the tarp.
Thank you! Katherine
British Columbia, Rockies
Mormon Cricket
Hi Katherine,
This is a Mormon Cricket, Anabrus simplex, a species of Shield Backed Katydid.
Correction from Eric Eaton
Daniel:
The “Mormon cricket” from British Columbia is actually a different insect altogether. It is one of the “hump-winged grigs” in the genus Cyphoderris. They represent an entire family by themselves (Prophalangopsidae). Neat find.
Eric
Big black beetle
October 13, 2009
Saw this big black beetle in September 2009 crawling in the leaf litter of the forest floor just north of Mendocino, California. It was approximately 1.75 inches long from the tip of its head to the rear of its carapace. When I discovered it and started taking photos, it didn’t scurry away; it slowly and methodically crawled away and hid under forest floor detritus.
Thanks for any help info you may have,
Mendocino California
Snail Eater
This is some species of Snail Eater, a Ground Beetle in the genus Scaphinotus. We don’t feel qualified to take the identification to the species level with the information provided on BugGuide, especially since some species are represented by a single photograph from California. We might suggest that you also submit your photo to bugGuide in the hopes that you can get a species identification.
Update from Eric Eaton
Daniel:
I’d need to see the specimen of the snail-eater to key it out to species….
Eric
Damselfly or not?
October 13, 2009
I found this bug at my grandma’s house. At first I thought he was a dragonfly. He’s brown and has multiple wings. My mom thinks he is a damselfly. Can you help us? also, I am sending 2 pictures of a garden spider and Hickory Horned Devil.
Thanks!
Scarlett
McAlpin, Florida
Hickory Horned Devil
Hi Scarlett,
We already wrote back to you to tell you that the damselfly is actually an Antlion. In trying to select letters for posting today, we would much rather post your photo of the Hickory Horned Devil since we did not receive as many nice photos of this spectacular caterpillar as we have in past years.
Yellow butterfly
October 12, 2009
Found in the tall bluestem prairie, October 5, 2009
Tom Fuller
Goose Lake Prairie, Illinois
Orange Sulphur
Hi Tom,
This is a female Orange Sulphur, Colias eurytheme. The female can be distinguished by the spots in the black wing borders. The caterpillars feed on clover, alfalfa and other legumes. You can search BugGuide for more information on the species.
redhead centipede
October 12, 2009
hi we live in arkansas and we found this centipede i have read some other post on here and now it has a name what i was wondering is this giant redheaded centipede a native of arkansas? all the other post that ive read the centipede are in texas
troy
van buren,arkansas
Red Headed Centipede
Hi Troy,
BugGuide reports sightings of the Red HEaded Centipede in Arkansas. Arkansas is contiguous with Texas. Wildlife does not recognize state or international borders. We would deduce that Red Headed Centipedes naturally range in Arkansas.
Red Headed Centipede
suicidal tiny fly with spotted wings & sharp stinger
October 11, 2009
i spotted this on the bathroom sink. it looked like it had antlers instead of wings. upon closer inspection with the assist of a macro image i was surprised to see what appeared to be a sharp stinger. it stayed still for quite a while, then it suddenly hopped into the toilet and disappeared with an eventual flush. it was too late to save it. i hope it wasn’t some endangered species of a fly.
guilty for flushing it away
western north carolina
Flutter Fly
Dear guilty,
This is some species of Fruit Fly in the family Tephritiae. There are may species posted on BugGuide but we did not locate a match for your image. What you have mistaken for a stinger is the ovipositor of the female Fruit Fly.
Daniel:
The “unknown fruit fly” from western North Carolina is actually a “flutter fly” in the family Pallopteridae, closely allied to the true fruit flies. Not much is known about them because they are not of great economic importance.
Eric
¶ Posted 12 October 2009 § Flies ‡ ° Bee looking fly.
October 12, 2009
Found this summer during August and during the day.
Jonathan Campos
Los Angeles, CA.
Hover Fly
Hi Jonathan,
This is a Flower Fly or Hover Fly in the family Syrphidae. We have matched it to the species Eristalinus taeniops by comparing your images to photos posted to BugGuide. The species is only listed in California according to BugGuide.
Hover Fly
Large Deep Blue flying insect
October 11, 2009
Bugman,
I saw this gorgeous thing here in Souther California on the first of October this year. It is over an inch long with a heavy body, fast flyer and able to hover easily although it didn’t stay still for very long.
Any Ideas?
Mark Houck
High in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
Mexican Cactus Fly
Hi Mark,
Your photos don’t have the necessary details to make any identification a certainty, however, since we also live in the Los Angeles area and we have seen the Mexican Cactus Fly, Copestylum mexicanum, in our own garden, we are guessing that it is probably the insect you photographed. The Mexican Cactus Fly is one of the Flower Flies or Hover Flies in the family Syrphidae. According to Charles Hogue in his book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “This is a giant member of the flower fly family (its body length is 5/8 to 3/4 in, or 15 to 20 mm), with a shiny smooth purplish-black body.” Hogue also writes: “the larvae are large … pale cylindrical maggots that feed in the rotting, soupy interior of dead and decaying tissues of cacti.” You may also see numerous images of stationery specimens posted to BugGuide.
Mexican Cactus Fly
Many thanks. The insect I saw seemed to have a brighter coloring, but everything else looks the same.
Wow- they’re big!
Thanks again.
Mark
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