Costa Rican Moth
January 27, 2010
Hello!
We here at the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens in Costa Rica are big fans of yours, and we have found a moth that we cannot identify. The photo should be pretty descriptive, but basically it is wearing some stylish headgear that resembles a broken twig. Your help is much appreciated!
Thanks
MBG Staff
Monteverde Butterfly Gardens Staff
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Owlet Moth
Dear MBG Staff,
This is an Owlet Moth in the family Noctuidae, a very large family. There are several North American genera in the tribe Plusiini pictured on BugGuide that have a similar profile. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to be more specific in terms of a species or genus identification.
Karl does some research
Hi Daniel and MBG Staff:
This is indeed an Owlet Moth in the family Noctuidae, and I believe the subfamily is Euteliinae (sometimes included in Plusiinae or Nolinae). In the Euteliinae, the beautiful ‘broken-twig’ mimicry is achieved with cryptic coloration, a squat posture and a dramatically upturned abdomen. As far as I can tell there are fewer than 20 species in 3 genera found in Costa Rica, but they are all similar and highly variable. I suspect the genus is either Paectes or Eutelia. The closest match I was able to find on the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) site was Paectes obrotunda, but this is really just a guess. MBG Staff, if you contacted Dan Janzen at ACG he could probably give you a precise identification. Regards.
Hey Guys!
Thanks so much for your timely reply and insight! I have seen Noctuids before with upturned abdomens, but never one this drastic or with this degree of mimicry. I was actually convinced that it wasn`t his abdomen at all, but some weird ornamentation on top of the body, though when you look at it with this new perspective it makes sense. Thanks again, I will keep you updated if I find out anything more.
Keep up the awesome work!
Kyle and MBG staff. Karl
Wasp Mimic Moth from BVI
January 27, 2010
I think this may be a Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth, Empyreuma affinis, but with much darker upper wings and black body compared to the more familiar examples with bright red wings and iridescent blue body. Is this perhaps the male?
Donald Gudehus
Necker Island, British Virgin Islands
Empyreuma anassa
Dear Donald,
We agree that this is some species of Arctiid, but we do not believe it to be the Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth, despite the similarities. Perhaps it is another species in the same genus. We will write to Julian Donahue, and expert in the Arctiids, to see if he is able to provide an identification.
Empyreuma anassa
Julian Responds
Daniel,
A recent revision of Empyreuma has made E. affinis (type locality: Cuba) and some other named taxa synonyms of E. pugione (type locality St. Thomas, Virgin Islands). E. pugione is the only species of Empyreuma known from the Virgin Islands.
The only other species currently placed in Empyreuma is E. anassa from Jamaica.
Julian P. Donahue
Update: February 4, 2010
Dear Marlos,
I read Julian Donahue’s comments and compared an image of Empyreuma anassa at
http://www.mbarnes.force9.co.uk/jamaicamoths/images/empana.htm
with my photo. They appear to be the same species. So, if that is so, E. pugione = E. affinis is not the only Empyreuma known from the Virgin Islands.
Donald
We love that the Moths of Jamaica website has the same background color as our own website. When we first clicked the link, we thought we went to What’s That Bug? for a brief moment.
camoflage green moth
January 27, 2010
Dear bugman,
My daughter found this moth in our living room. It is about an inch long. We see one of these every once in a while, but they are not common visitors to our porch light 
We can’t find it in any of our “bug books” and were wondering if you could help identify it for us.
Thanks!
Kristin
Mariposa, CA
Pacific Green Sphinx
Hi Kristin,
This little beauty is Arctonotus lucidus, the Pacific Green Sphinx or Bear Sphinx. According to Bill Oehlke’s excellent website: “adults fly as a single brood from late January to March and nectar at flowers. Moths can be spotted much earlier (mid December) in more southerly locations (San Diego, California; Mexico) when weather conditions are right. “ We don’t receive many reports and images of this gorgeous moth, but since the flight times are so limited, and there may be additional sightings in February, we believe we are going to select your image and letter as our Bug of the Month for February 2010.
What’s That Bug?
January 27, 2010
Hi,
I just published an article on my site, “Top 25 Entomology Blogs” ( http://www.onlinedegree.net/top-25-entomology-blogs/ ). First, I am happy to let you know that your site has been included in the article and if you have any questions about that article, how your site is described, etc. I wanted to let you know that you should feel free to email me. In addition, I thought I would bring it to your attention in case you think your readers might find it interesting and consequently would consider giving the article a mention on your site.
In any case, thanks for your time!
Best,
Anna Miller
Hi Anna,
Thanks for including us on your list and we have posted the link on our homepage. It will eventually archive to fanmail. We checked out the competition, and we are proud that unlike most of your awardees, we actually post daily.
Daniel
Type of bug
January 27, 2010
Dear sir or madam
We have found this bug in a piece of wood in our house and we would like to find out more information about it.
email
South Africa
Tailless Whipscorpion
Dear email,
You have discovered a harmless Tailless Whipscorpion. Despite its fierce appearance, and its distant relatives and namesakes, the venomous true Scorpions, the Tailless Whipscorpion has no venom. It is a shy nocturnal hunter that will help to rid your home of other undesirables, like cockroaches.
Praying Mantis
January 25, 2010
I looked everywhere for one of these mantis and I finally found one, he just showed up on my Grandmother’s porch my sister started screaming when she found him because she knew how long I’d been looking for one. I can’t tell if it’s a male or female and if it’s a chinese or European mantis, can you identify him?
to derek
Shamokin Pennsylvania
Chinese Mantis
Hi Derek,
January is a most unusual time to find a Preying Mantis on the front porch and we would have thought that any mantises would have been killed by the frost or snow. Your letter didn’t indicate, but we suspect you captured this Chinese Mantis in the autumn, and have been raising it indoors, in which case the life expectancy will be extended. We believe this is a female Chinese Mantis, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, though we are not certain. Females are generally larger than males. According to BugGuide, the Chinese Mantis can be identified are “Tan to pale green. Forewings tan with green along front margin. Compund eyes chocolate-brown at sunset, pale tan soon after sunrise and during the day.“
I caught her about the start of December, thanks for the info, I’m
planning on purchasing some in the summer, I let her go because I couldn’t
get much to feed it, but they are very interesting to watch I was pretty
excited when i saw her on your site, Thanks gain for your help. From Derek
Hi again Derek,
Should you ever decide to try to keep a Preying Mantis over the winter months when wild insects are scarce, you can purchase crickets from most pet stores since crickets are commonly fed to lizards and other pets.
I’ll remember that when I get one in spring, I wish I’d known that before
I set the other loose, thanks a lot I’ll be sure to take better care of
the next one. Thanks, From Derek
Black/yellow/orange beetle
January 27, 2010
this beetle mysteriously showed up in my water bottle(of all places). I live near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As you can see in the pictures it is black and yellow, with a hint of orange on the back and an orange striped belly. I have never seen a beetle like this here before, and the only way I can figre it got in the house was I had a television delivered to me the other day and it could have came with it(where the tv came from I do not know).
Josh
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Two Spotted Stink Bug
Hi Josh,
This is an adult Two Spotted Stink Bug, Perillus bioculatus. Individuals of the species can exhibit variable coloration, most commonly with all of the white markings being red. The Two Spotted Stink Bug is a beneficial predator, and according to BugGuide, it preys upon the Colorado Potato Beetle. The range is much of the United States and parts of Canada, and since Stink Bugs often seek shelter indoors to hibernate, it is also a possibility that your individual originated in your own vicinity.
Thank you very much for the prompt response and information! What a great website 
Josh
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