black beetle-like insect with very large abdomen
November 10, 2009
We found 5 of these insects on the under side of our recycling bin. The largest was 3 inches long. We live in Portland Oregon, and it is November. The insects were sluggish, and appeared semi dormant. I wondered if they were a larval stage of another insect.
Heather in Portland
Portland, OR
Oil Beetle
Hi Heather,
Though it looks rather like a larva, this is an adult Oil Beetle in the genus Meloe, one of the Blister Beetles.
1
San Pedro River AZ redhead
November 11, 2009
A friend in AZ recently took this picture of this very handsome insect. It was on a rabbit bush in the San Pedro River Raparian area in SE Arizona. She said she saw a couple of them on the bush. It’s probably fairly common, but I lived there for eight years and don’t recall ever seeing one of these before. It’s gorgeous, and I’d really like to know what it is.
I HOPE the picture attached correctly!
Elaine
San Pedro River near Sierra Vista, AZ
Veined Ctenucha
Hi Elaine,
Your moth is known as the Veined Ctenucha, Ctenucha venosa. It is found in Arizona and New Mexico. The caterpillars feed on grasses.
¶ Posted 11 November 2009 § Moths ‡ ° Chinese beetle
November 10, 2009
Hello,
I saw these on a (low) hill path in Zhongshan in China yesterday and wondered what they are? Is it mother and child or a male/female couple? Thanks
Neil
Zhongshan city, GuangDong, CHina
Chinese Longhorn Beetles
Hi Neil,
The markings on your beetles are different than those on examples of Mango Stem Borers, Batocera rufomaculata, that we have posted previously, but there are enough similarities for us to question if this is perhaps a regional variation. Your beetles might be a closely related species in the genus Batocera, like perhaps Batocera davidis, or perhaps a member of another genus in the Long Horned Borer family Cerambycidae. In our opinion, this is a couple. Perhaps one of our readers can assist in this identification.
Update from Karl
Hi Daniel:
They are definitely a Batocera species (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Batocerini) but not B. rufomaculata. There are several similar looking species in Asia, but as far as I can tell only B. davidis and B. rubus occur in China. The B. davidis photo that you linked to does look very much like the ones in Neil’s photo, but most images of B. davidis do not show the prominent white spots on the elytra. This could be an example of regional variation, or it could be another case of misidentified photos on the web. On the other hand, there are numerous postings of B. rubus and they all appear very similar. For comparison, the ‘Siam Insect-Zoo & Museum’ site has excellent photos and descriptions of all the species mentioned here. I think I have to go with B. rubus. Coincidentally, I also came across a photo of mating B. rubus (subspecies mniszechi) from the Philippines that is remarkably similar to the one posted by Neil. Regards.
Karl
bright green spider
November 9, 2009
I found this spider hanging out on my front door when my sister came to visit today. I grabbed my camera so I could try to identify it.
Marie
Indiana
Orchard Orbweaver
Hi Marie,
Your beautiful spider is an Orchard Orbweaver, Leucauge venusta. You can find more information on BugGuide.
Caterpillar ID pretty please
November 9, 2009
To my novice eyes this appears to be an early instar, but I’ve had no luck identifying which caterpillar it will grow up to be. I tried looking through your archives but didn’t see it. I don’t want to waste your time. Could you please help? It was chowing down on a Bur Oak in Austin, TX on Nov. 9, 2009. It is approximately 1 inch long. Thanks for your help! I really love your site and have referred to it often.
WTB Fan
Austin, TX
Juvenal's Duskywing Caterpillar
Dear WTB Fan,
We immediately recognized your unusual caterpillar as a Skipper in the family Hesperiidae, but we were amazed that in about fifteen seconds we identified it as a Juvenal’s Duskywing, Erynnis juvenalis. According to BugGuide, this wide ranging species has caterpillars that feed on the leaves of oaks.
suggestion
November 10, 2009
I’m wondering if any of the other WTB addicts out there would agree with the idea that it would be cool to eliminate the bug’s name from the title of each submission, so that we can test our knowledge when we see the pic? Obviously it would be left in the body of your response.
Here’s a spider pic (because apparently I can’t submit a Q without one & because I’m not sure if this is a marbled orb weaver- it looks different than the one in my book).
Vince
Northern Indiana
Marbled Orbweaver
Hi Vince,
Your suggestion does bring up some possibilities in our minds, most significantly the thought of pitching a game show to the animal planet. Amateurs that we are, we do post a significant number of unidentified images and we rely heavily upon our readership to supply us with answers. We are happy you needed to attach a photo as this is a color variation of the Marbled Orbweaver, Araneus marmoreus, that we do not often see. It is well represented on BugGuide.
Natural History Museum: Exploratory Conversation?
November 9, 2009
Hi,
I work at the Natural History Museum in Expo Park. I am managing a project through which the museum will create 3 acres of outdoor green space on the north side of our building. We are aiming to create a place for our visitors to engage with local, urban, nature, including (my favourite, and it seems your’s too) insects! I would love to chat with you more about this project and about What’s That Bug.
Lila Higgins
We will contact Lila as soon as we have a spare moment.
Update: December 8, 2009
Yesterday, we had the long awaited telephone chat with Lila at the Natural History Museum. We are very excited to possibly work with the Museum on the outdoor space that is being constructed on the North side of the campus. We made it abundantly clear that we are clumsy amateurs, and not trained science professionals, but that characteristic is exactly what Lila believes the visitors to the Museum and the new outdoor space will find appealing. The area at the Museum will be planted once the existing hardscaping is removed, and it is hoped that the green space will attract fauna (insects included) that thrive in the urban ecosystem of Los Angeles. More and more attention needs to be placed on studying and trying to understand the creatures that live in our proximity, and there is just as much of a probability of discovering a species that is new to science in one’s own backyard as there is by making an expedition to the rain forest. Chances are good that the discovery may not be grand or flashy, but it could have economic significance, be it positive or negative. We are going to request that Lila provide a press release for the new space so that we can inform our readership. We have many faithful local fans, and Los Angeles remains a viable tourist attraction to our readership from around the globe, and we will all be eagerly anticipating the improvements at the Natural History Museum.
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