Please identify this winged creature
November 1, 2009
Found this bug outside my door, while in med school in St,Maarten
Dmitry
St.Maarten, Carribean
Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth
Hi Dmitry,
This is a Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth, Empyreuma affinis. It is native to the Caribbean and has been introduced to Florida.
What is this Orange, Yellow, Black bug?
October 31, 2009
Flying insect found in Anne Arundel County, MD. Size =0.75 inch. Wing span compact (delta shape) about 1.25 inches when extended. Dark wing veins. Head and feet black. Abdomen yellow/orange and appears “fuzzy”.
Currently swarming. Swarms appear to be mating and are found on top branches of euonymus bushes (our Burning Bush was decimated by caterpillars this spring, could this be the same insect?). Never seen this variety of bug in past 12 years in this area.
Peter
Anne Arundel County, MD 21146
Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???: Leaf Skeletonizer Moth
Hi Peter,
We really wish your photograph was of a higher resolution as it is impossible to make out any details on your infestation. We found information on a Euonymus Caterpillar, Yponomeuta cagnagella, but the photos of the moths on BugGuide look nothing like your insect. We also located a pdf (euonymus_A3633) on the same species. We believe your insects look like Sawflies, but again, there isn’t much detail. We have not had any success locating information on a Sawfly that uses Euonymus as a host plant. If there was a caterpillar invasion in the spring, and sawfly larvae are often confused for caterpillars, we suspect these adults might be related. We would not rule out moths, but we suspect these are Sawflies. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in a proper identification.
Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???: Leaf Skeletonizer Moth
Eric Eaton Responds:
Oh, man….My first thought is “aphids,” actually, or maybe psyllids? Might try sending this to the Ent Dept. at University of Maryland in College Park. They will probably recognize it right off….
Eric
Leaf Skeletonizer Moth Perhaps
Our identification request:
Dear Drs. Mitter, Kent and/or Hawthorne,
My name is Daniel Marlos and I run the highly unscientific, pop culture, insect identification website What’s That Bug? at www.whatsthatbug.com on the web. Today I received an image from Maryland that has me perplexed. I thought perhaps a sawfly or even a moth like a Bagworm. Eric Eaton has suggested possibly an Aphid or a Psyllid. The insect is swarming on Euonymus and there were caterpillars on the same plant in the spring. Can anyone provide an identification? I realize the photo is of very low resolution.
Thanks for your time. Here is a link to the posting: http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2009/11/02/sawfly-on-euonymus-we-believe/
Daniel Marlos
Leaf Skeletonizer Moths Maybe
Daniel,
Thanks for the reply. I’ll have to work on getting a camera that can do close-ups. I looked at the sawfly photos on Google images- not even close. The bugs in my yard have dark heads (black) and fuzzy (furry) bodies. No saw extending out the back of abdomen.
The antenna are very long and branching like those of a moth.
The head and legs are black. The wings translucent with black veins and a black hue. The abdomen is bright yellow-orange and fuzzy.
I’ve tried to take some additional photos (bugs out side are rather sluggish in the cool weather), but I still lack close-up lens to really get detail. I’ll send these in separate e-mails since they are rather large.
Look forward any further thoughts you may have. They are a very unusual and quiet beautiful bug….
Peter
Leaf Skeletonizer Moth on Euonymus
Thanks Peter,
The new photos are so much better.
Identified by Edna
NAKED see this
now that i have your attention..here is a link to those things you wanted to know what are from anne arundal county,,,that eric eaton thought could be aphids
they are something new! an introduced species of leaf skeletonizer moths..
http://bugguide.net/node/view/155100#205755
also would you like some photos of the sequoie sphinx larve, or a nice shot of elegant sphinx larve , ash sphinx for your sphinx pages? if so let me know..
Edna
Caterpillar, unknown species
November 1, 2009
We found this very large beautiful orange and blue caterpillar on the ground (dirt) next a wood pile in deep south Texas on November, 1. Weather is clear and temperature is about 70 degrees. Can you tell us if this becoimes a moth and if so what type? There are very large brown moths in this area this time of the year. We no nothing of their species, etc.
Floyd Woods
Mission, TX
Ficus Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Floyd,
This is the caterpillar of the Fig Sphinx, Pachylia ficus. We suspect there is a fig tree nearby and that the Fig Sphinx Caterpillar has spent the season feeding on the leaves, unnoticed. It has left the tree to burrow underground where it will pupate. The adult moths are streamlined creatures with olive brown upper wings and striped underwings. You can see images of the adult moth on Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website. We love the photo showing the tiny horn. Sphinx Caterpillars are often called Hornworms, and the Ficus Sphinx has a tiny horn as the family characteristic goes.
Ficus Sphinx Caterpillar
big shiny beetle
November 1, 2009
I found this guy wandering across my office floor this morning (November 1st). I live in Hampton Bays, NY (East End of Long Island). It’s been steadily cooler weather, but we haven’t seen a frost (or been close) yet. He’s about an inch & a half long – the nail in the photo is a good reference. I scooped him up and put him outside for the photo shoot. Thoughts?
Dawn L
Hampton Bays, NY
Forest Caterpillar Hunter
Hi Dawn,
What a positively gorgeous specimen of the Caterpillar Hunter commonly called a Fiery Searcher, Calosoma scrutator. The reds and golds on your specimen are much more pronounced than in most individuals. They are known to climb trees in search of caterpillars, and though the typical life cycle is one year, adults may overwinter and are reported to survive as long as three years. You may get additional information on BugGuide. The Fiery Searcher is one of the predators we plan to profile in the book we are attempting to complete.
Forest Caterpillar Hunter
How interesting!! Let me know if you want to use the photos for the book – I have others of her, as well as an AMAZING set of photos of a black widow with her egg sac! You have a wonderful website, and I rely on it all the time for bug id. It somehow makes them less scary when you know what they are and learn about them…
Thanks!
Dawn
Thanks for the offer Dawn, but since our book is not an identification guide, we will not be using photographs which will make the publication cost prohibitive. We will be using old entomological drawings as a more decorative means of illustrating the book.
Update
WE received a comment that corrected this identification as the imported Forest Caterpillar Hunter, Calosoma sycophanta.
HUGE caterpillar
November 1, 2009
I found this big guy on a sweetgum tree and would love to know what kind he is. He’s very big and beautiful. Thanks
Martha
Lindale, TX
Imperial Moth Caterpillar
Hi Martha,
Your caterpillar is an Imperial Moth. After pupating underground, it will emerge as a lovely large yellow and purple moth.
imperial moth catepillar?
November 1, 2009
this guy fell off a night blooming cereus plant. 11/01/09. i put him in the pot and took a few more photos. when i checked on it 20 minutes later it was gone. buried in the pot maybe? will this be its ground to pupae stage? will it eat the roots if this is indeed where it went?
Cathy Saunders
Longview Tx
Imperial Moth Caterpillar
Hi Cathy,
The only question we are able to answer for certain is to confirm that this is an Imperial Moth Caterpillar. Finding it on the cactus plant is unusual and we would not expect that it was feeding there. It may have buried itself in the pot where it will not eat the roots (guess we answered a second question), but it may also have wandered off or fallen prey to some hungry bird or other predator.
Predatory Orange Bug
November 1, 2009
These bugs are everywhere in my butterfly garden! They rapidly consume the caterpillars, and the favorite food seems to be the Cloudless Sulphur cats. Getting these photos was difficult as they kept flying away, but I finally got a few….
Any ideas on what these might be?
Thanks so much!
Houston, TX
Milkweed Assassin Bug
Because of its resemblance to the Milkweed Bug, your insect, Zelus longipes, is known as a Milkweed Assassin Bug, though it is not typically associated with Milkweed. Both wingless nymphs and winged adults feed on soft bodied insects like caterpillars, and they are generally thought of as beneficial in the garden where they feed on armyworms and cucumber beetle larvae. If carelessly handled, Milkweed Assassin Bugs might bite and the bite is reported to be painful.
Milkweed Assassin Bug Nymph
Thanks so much! I really appreciate yall’s site. The Unnecessary
Carnage page was definitely my favorite – please ignore the Nasty
Readers 
“Wheelbarrow Bug”
November 2, 2009
This is a bug I see about once a year, although it’s probably common. My parents’ generation calls it a “wheelbarrow” bug because of the wheel-like appendage on it’s back. But, I’d like to know what it’s real name is. My aunt said it was odd to see one this late in the year, but we haven’t had a freeze yet. This bug was crawling on the swing, and it would watch me as I tried to get in close to photograph it, and turn to face me. It was not a fast-moving creature (as bugs go). It’s most unusual feature is the thin gear- or wheel-like appendage on the creature’s back that is visible when viewed from the side. It is grey and black in color, and about 3.5 cm in length.
Michael Wilson
Carter County, Oklahoma, USA
Wheel Bug
Hi Michael,
Though we have not heard the common name Wheelbarrow Bug, we like it. The common name for this large Assassin Bug, Arulus cristatus, is Wheel Bug. Since it only has one “wheel” like a wheelbarrow, we find your name to be most appropriate. Like other Assassin Bugs, Wheel Bugs might bite if carelessly handled.
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