Tropical click beetles
November 9, 2009
This click beetle arrived on my verandah the other day. Even after more than 50 years in the tropics I had not seen it before. It was almost 2″ long. 200feet elevation and 600 feet from the sea.Semi residential area with a lot of trees.
JohnK
St.Lucia West Indies
Click Beetle
Hi JohnK,
Since we have a train to catch to get to work, we haven’t the time to research a species for your lovely Click Beetle. Perhaps one of our readers can supply a species name.
Update from Karl
Hi Daniel:
I am fairly certain that this click beetle belongs to the genus Chalcolepidius (Elateridae: Agrypninae); probably C. validus. The species is endemic to the Lesser Antilles south of Guadeloupe and parts of northeastern South America. I couldn’t find an easy link to a reference photo, but if you go to the ‘Scielo Brazil’ website you will find an excellent document that provides a good synopsis for the genus and this species; as well as a photo (look for Figure 83). Regards.
Karl
Unknown bug in Saline Michigan during warm fall days
November 9, 2009
Hi Bugman, many of these bugs cover my black front door which faces south. They have managed to slip through the bottom of the door into the house where they tend to creep along the floor more than fly around. It has been very warm here in Michigan (above 50 F and sunnier than usual.
Curious, Lorraine
Saline, Michigan USA
Eastern Boxelder Bug
Dear Lorraine,
Eastern Boxelder Bugs create tremendous aggregations that may contain thousands of individuals. They are not considered a harmful insect, though their presence is often an annoyance when they try to enter homes in great numbers in the autumn to escape the winter chill.
Stagmomantis Californica up close.
November 8, 2009
Hey WTB! I thought you might enjoy a couple pictures of this Mantid (which I’m quite sure is a Stagmomantis Californica, please correct me if I’m wrong) perched on a creosote branch.
Michael G.
Southern California, Coachella Valley.
Mantis, but what species???
Hi Michael,
Your photos are great. We aren’t certain that this is a Stagomantis. Perhaps one of our readers can supply a definitive identification.
Beetle
November 8, 2009
In the Okavango Delta in Botswana we encountered this beetle in a lodge. Unable to identify – can you help?
LosYaxons
Xaranna, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Africa
Red Spot Assassin Bug
Dear LosYaxons,
At least twice in the past, we have identified similar looking Assassin Bugs in the genus Platymeris. This one appears to be the Red Spot Assassin Bug, Platymeris rhadamanthus, based on online images and descriptions. Angelfire.com indicates: “Platymeris rhadamanthus (Red Spot Assassin Bug) is the least aggressive and smallest of the three pet species. It is still a very large African species capable of taking down huge arthropod prey many times its mass. The Red Spot Assassin has been kept for almost a decade but still can be hard to find. Defensive reactions result only from physical attack. If grabbed (immobilized) in such a way that the rostrum can contact skin it will give a bite worse than a bee sting, insignificant but very uncomfortable. These are normally kept in colonies with dozens of individuals at varying ages. This species is less prone to cannibalism than the other two. Egg to adult takes six to nine months and adults continue to live another two years. Eggs are dropped in the dirt.“ A close relative is known as the Mombo or Orange Spotted Assassin Bug, an even larger species. The American Tarantula Society Discussion Board has some gorgeous images of the Mombo.
Is this a tiger moth?
November 6, 2009
My friends and I discovered this beautifully colored moth on a handrail outside of my school. We couldn’t find anything quite like this bug on the internet. My school is located next to a nature reserve if that helps any.
Marina D.
Miami, Florida
Echo Moth
Hi Marina,
You are correct in speculating that this is a Tiger Moth in the family Arctiidae. More specifically, it is an Echo Moth, Seirarctia echo, a species known from Florida and a few nearby states. This is the first image we have received of an adult moth, though we have received a few caterpillar images in the past. BugGuide has only one photo of an adult Echo Moth, but more may be viewed on the Wild FLorida Photo site.
New friend in Iowa
November 7, 2009
This little guy has taken up residence on our porch, is he doomed with the onset of winter just around the corner?
Worried
Granger Iowa
Marbled Orbweaver
Dear Worried,
We love your photo of a harmless Marbled Orbweaver, Araneus marmoreus. It is a highly variable species, and BugGuide illustrates the variety quite nicely.
Update
Thank you Fennecky, for bringing it to our attention that we did not answer the question “is he doomed with the onset of winter just around the corner?” First off, he is not doomed, she is doomed. This is a female spider. Orbweavers do not live more than one season, and hopefully she will have laid eggs, ensuring a future generation. If kept it captivity under optimal conditions, it is possible that a female Orbweaver may pass the year marker, but this would be a rarity. The onset of a frost and freezing temperatures will probably end this gal’s life.
What is kind of bug?
November 7, 2009
We did found out what kind bug is?
we found on Sept 11 2009 and my dad sent me picture and we want to know what is kind of bug is?
It is look like mix bee type to me.
m.o
Canada,eastern
Great Golden Digger Wasp
Hi M.O,
This beauty is a Great Golden Digger Wasp. It preys upon katydids and crickets to feed its young.
Real Fear of Bugs
November 7, 2009
Hi WTB,
I am taking a General Biology II course at a university and part of our grade includes presenting an insect collection. I cannot understand why we even have to do it for many reasons. First, we have to go out and find and kill 35 species, from at least 10 different orders, and key out 17 different families. This is not an entomology course whatsoever, just a biology class that entails the study of evolution, and the different Domains and Kingdoms. Only 2 days out of a semester were even discussed about insects.
Can someone please tell me how anyone can stand insects and bugs? Or am I missing out on something here? I am scared of “bugs” in general because I have had too many frightening encounters with them crawling on me and yes, biting me. I’ve always told my husband that when I die, to please cremate me just because I hate bugs and do not want them around me even when I am dead.
So the Insect Collection, to me, is a waste of my time since I am killing what some believe are just co-habitants of our world; and, because after 10 weeks, I still don’t like them. I guess this is supposed to teach me to appreciate them, but the more photos I see of insects during my countless hours of trying to identify and classify them, the more I fear them. Perhaps I was killed by insects in my previous life, I don’t know. I just don’t get it.
And I know you’ll hate me for mentioning this part, but the one thing that I have learned from my project is how to kill them. Otherwise, what do you suggest for someone like me to truly overcome the fear of them? Are there any bugs that you do suggest killing? To me, it’s fair game, if a bug is inside my house, it’s a dead bug. I certainly hope that statement won’t “come back to bite me.”
Just Don’t Like Them
Southern Nevada
Midge
Dear Just Don’t Like Them,
We doubt that we would have any more luck trying to convince you of the virtues of insects than we did last night trying to convince our coworker Sharon the Speech instructor of the value and savoriness of eggplant as a culinary ingredient. Sharon dislikes eggplant and you dislike insects, period. As to the merits of the insect collection in your biology class, we hesitate to question the academic freedom of a fellow educator. We can say that it is far easier to teach taxonomy through an insect collection than through a bird collection. We do not hate you for your comment about killing, and we doubt that this activity will continue once the semester is completed. We don’t know how to help you overcome your fear, and we do not think your phobia warrants psychiatric attention provided it does not seriously affect your ability to function, which clearly by your letter it does not. In the end, while you may never develop any love for the insect kingdom, and while your fear may never dissipate, we hope that at least you will appreciate the necessary niche that insects fill in the subtle balance of the web of life on our planet. Good luck with your class and your collection. We suspect that you are probably at the top of your class when it comes to assessing the performance rates of your fellow students.
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