From the monthly archives: "January 2010"
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Forktailed Bush Katydid

On · Category: Katydids Tagged With: · 1 Comment

katydid with leaf-like wings
January 31, 2010
The photo of the dead leaf mimic got me thinking about the katydid I found in my backyard in northwestern New Jersey last August. Its wings have that amazing vein-pattern of leaves. One can see how, with just a little nip and tuck from natural selection, the dead leaf mimics evolve. Thank you for your wonderful work.
jeannie
newton, new jersey

Forktailed Bush Katydid

Hi Jeannie,
Thank you for your kind letter, and also providing such a detailed image of a Bush Katydid in the genus Scudderia.  We believe this is a female Scudderia fasciata, the Treetop Bush Katydid, based on images posted to BugGuide.  We will see if Piotr Naskrecki is able to provide a confirmation of that identification.

Correction thanks to Piotr Naskrecki
HI Daniel,
I think that this is Scudderia furcata, rather than S. fasciata (which usually has more black coloring on its wings.)
Cheers,
Piotr

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Planthopper from Costa Rica

On · Category: Aphids, Scale Insects, Leafhoppers, and Tree Hoppers · Add Comment

Don’t have a clue where to start with this one
January 31, 2010
Hi,
I haven’t got a clue what this is. I took the shot in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica.
Thanks
Miles
Costa Rica, Caribeean coast

Planthopper

Hi again Miles,
This is a Freeliving Hemipteran in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, and probably in the superfamily Fulgoroidea.  It may be one of the Issid Planthoppers in the family Issidae or perhaps a Cixiid Planthopper in the family Cixiidae.  Though they are not your of species, we have linked to some photos on BugGuide that look similar enough to have made the general identification we provided.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a species identification.

Karl finds some information
Hi Daniel and Miles:
This looks like a Net-winged Hopper in the family Nogodinidae, a relatively small group of planthoppers that are quite similar to the Issidae, of which they are sometimes considered to be a subfamily. It is difficult to find much information about the group, but there are several photos identified as Biolleyana costalis and Biolleyana sp. posted on Flickr that look more or less identical. The Electronic Biologia Centrali-Americana provides very similar illustrations under the older synonym, Sassula costalis. Regards.
Karl

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Eyed Elater

On · Category: Click Beetles · Add Comment

Could you ID this beetle for me?
January 31, 2010
I found this guy in a limb fallen from a tree in my side yard. I live in Orange county, NY. I’m not sure of the tree species but it is a hard wood. the beetle is about 1.5 inches long and has very distinctive black and white markings.
I also found round head wood borers in the same wood. The pictures are pretty good, hope you can help me out.
John Rankin
Orange countu, NY

Eyed Elater

Hi John,
This is a Click Beetle known as an Eyed Elater.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Ironclad Beetle from Costa Rica

On · Category: Darkling and Ironclad Beetles · Add Comment

Bug from Honduras
January 31, 2010
Dear Bugman,
We found this pretty bug on the wall of our home today, and wondered if you could identify it for us.
Thanks so much!
Trish in Honduras
Gracias, Lempira Honduras

Ironclad Beetle

Hi Trish,
This beauty is an Ironclad Beetle in the genus Zopherus.  We found a photo on Flickr that might be Zopherus jansoni, but the identification is not conclusive. That photo which was taken in Costa Rica looks very similar to your individual.  We also located online pdf documents that describe Zopherus mexicanus, Zopherus jansoni, Zopherus costaricensis and Zopherus laevicollis, though we are not prepared to positively your Ironclad Beetle to the species level with these descriptions.  That would probably take an expert.

Ironclad Beetle

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tortoise Beetle and Unknown Leaf Beetle from Costa Rica

On · Category: Leaf Beetles, Tortoise Beetles · Add Comment

Can you help me name these beetles?
January 31, 2010
Hi,
please could help me to identify these beetles, all were photographed in Santa Elena cloud forest in Costa Rica in december.
Thanks,
Miles
Costa Rica

Tortoise Beetle:  Stolas cuculata

Hi Miles,
We are at the end of your identification requests, and we decided to split up your beetle requests to better align with are archives.  These two beetles are both Leaf Beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, and the black specimen with the orange spots is, we believe, a Tortoise Beetle in the tribe Cassidini.  In our attempts to identify it, we stumbled upon a Tropical Diversity in the  Amazon blog with a similarly marked, though obviously different species of Tortoise Beetle, and it was just posted yesterday.  We then found a Discover Life website with numerous links, and our first click fortuitously led us to an image of your Tortoise Beetle which was identified as Stolas cuculata.  We verified the identification on the Biol.uni website.  In our attempt to answer your question, we did find a photo on Flickr that appears to be the same species as your Leaf Beetle, but alas, it has not been identified.  We are trying to click through all the links on the Discover Life Website in the hopes to properly identify your Leaf Beetle, but we need to attend to other things at the moment.

Leaf Beetle:  Zygogramma violaceomaculata

Hi Daniel,
that’s brilliant, thanks for al of your help with identification. Great idea for a website and I am shocked that you replied so quickly. I might have one or two more….
Thanks,
Miles

Identification thanks to Karl
Hi Daniel and Miles:
The leaf beetle in the lower photo is probably Zygogramma violaceomaculata (Chrysomelidae). Zygogramma appears to be a recent re-classification; older references designate it as Calligrapha violaceomaculata. The Electronic Biologia Centrali-Americana also provides an illustration under the older name that looks pretty much identical. Regards.
Karl

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tiger Beetle from Costa Rica

On · Category: Tiger Beetles · 2 Comments

Can you help me name these beetles?
January 31, 2010
Hi,
please could help me to identify these beetles, all were photographed in Santa Elena cloud forest in Costa Rica in december.
Thanks,
Miles
Costa Rica

Tiger Beetle

Hi again Miles,
As the label on your digital file indicates, you are aware that this is a Tiger Beetle in the subfamily Cicindelinae, but we are unable to locate a species name for you.  Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck.

Comment provided by Truman
Looks like Pseudoxycheila tarsalis
Apparently it mimics a species of velvet ant

Thank you Truman.  Once you provided a name, we found a photo on Flickr.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tachinid Fly from Costa Rica

On · Category: Tachinid Flies · Add Comment

Colorful fly
January 31, 2010
Hi,
I spent a while trying to get a good shot of this fly that was warming itself in Costa Rica. Any idea what it is? It was about twice the size of a common housefly.
Thanks,
Miles
Santa Elena cloud forest, Costa Rica

Tachinid Fly

Hi Miles,
As we said in a previously email to you, often exact species identification of tropical species is quite difficult with online resources, and an expert in the family would be necessary.  With that said, we are relatively certain that this is a Tachinid Fly in the family Tachinidae.  Tachinid Flies are internal parasites whose hosts are a variety of insects and other arthropods.  Caterpillars are the most common hosts.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Katydid from Costa Rica, possibly Mimetica species

On · Category: Katydids · Add Comment

Dead leaf mimic
January 31, 2010
Hi, I got a photo of this dead leaf mimic in Monteverde, Costa Rica during a night walk. Can you tell me what it is exactly please?
Thanks
Miles
Costa Rica

Katydid, possibly Mimetica species

Hi Miles,
Often the identification of tropical insects can be very difficult, and the best we are able to do is the family level, or even merely the level of order.  Interestingly, back in 2008, we received an image that was taken in Panama in the 1970s of a Katydid that was identified by Piotr Naskrecki, an expert in the family, as Mimetica crenulata.  Your Katydid looks very similar to that individual, and we believe it may be in the same genus.  While the image of Mimetica crenulata has an undulating wing edge, your specimen has what appears to be the petiole, or place where the leaf would be attached to the plant as part of its very effective mimicry.  We will attempt to contact Piotr Naskrecki to verify that identification.  More searching led us to a photo online on the Ecolibrary website, but no species name was provided.

Piotr Responds
Hi Daniel,
This is probably a female of Mimetica incisa.
Cheers,
Piotr

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination