Unidentified Ground Beetle
February 15, 2010
I took these photos in August of 2008, and need this beetle identified for a study I’m working on. I don’t remember where I found him, or exactly what size he was (probably rather large, if I remember correctly). Can anyone offer suggestions or a positive ID? Most appreciated…
Daryl Ann
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Hermit Beetle
Hi Daryl Ann,
You have misidentified this Scarab Beetle as a Ground Beetle. It is in the subfamily Dynastinae, the Rhinoceros Beetles. We are nearly certain this is a female Ox Beetle, Strategus antaeus, which you can find posted on BugGuide which indicates the Ox Beetle can be identified by the “Elytra without sutural striae.“ We wish you had not submitted a composite photo as the details are very tiny when we reduce the image. If possible, we would request that you resend uncomposited images so we may post larger versions of your wonderful images.
Hermit Beetle
I’m sending the images separately (uncomposited). I had thought maybe this was a Black Burying Beetle, but the shape of the head didn’t look right to me. I’ll check out your suggestion, but I submit the attached to you in the meantime. Crop if needed.
Thanks for your VERY speedy response!
What a great site you’ve got!!!
Daryl Ann
Hermit Beetle
Thanks so much Daryl Ann. These images are much better. We will check with Eric Eaton to verify this identification.
Hermit Beetle
Correction Courtesy of Eric Eaton
Hi, Daniel:
No, this is an example of the “hermit beetle,” Osmoderma eremicola. They can get pretty hefty in their own right, but are not in the same subfamily as the ox beetle. I’m kind of glad it isn’t a Dynastinae. There are lots of “small” members of that subfamily that give me fits trying to ID!
Eric
thanks Eric,
BugGuide indicates that the Hermit Beetle is also known as the Odor of Leather Beetle because of its smell.
Wonderful!!! That’s it! Thank you SO much! You’ve been a wonderful help to me!
You guys really ROCK!
Daryl Ann
Red headed Chinese beetle for Identification
February 15, 2010
Dear Bugman,
I would be very grateful if you could help identify this beetle to any taxanomic level. I saw it in Sichuan province last July on a mountain path at about 600-900m. To my inexperienced eye it is very unusual but my guess is it’s some kind of rove beetle.
Thanks
Ed
Sanmeishui, Sichuan
Blister Beetle
Hi Ed,
Though Rove Beetle was a good guess, this is actually a Blister Beetle in the family Meloidae. It resembles many North American species in the genus Lytta, which you can compare on BugGuide, so that genus is our best guess at the moment.
Hi Daniel, thank you for your ID. Yes I see now it is a blister beetle and that
they have quite a characteriustic shape. Lytta looks like the correct genus, I
see that many species have different patterns of red on their head and thorax
with a black abdomen. Must be closely related to these N American spp.
Best Wishes
Ed
Colorful, potentially venemous spider
February 15, 2010
Okay so this spider is green on it’s main abdomen, has red tipped feet and antennae/fangs, yellow joints, and black legs. I know it’s rubber, but I need it for a class crime-solving project. So I guess I need to know what type of spider it’s SUPPOSED to be. Yeah. PLEASE HELP!!!!
Dakota, biology student.
Michigan forest, I think, but I’m not sure. For sure a forest. Yeah.
Toy Spider
Dear Dakota biology student,
First off, we cringe at the thought of doing homework for others. Your biology professor obviously designed this project as a test of your research skills which are not being utilized if you are expecting a definite answer from someone else. We could only speculate as to the identity of this fantasy creation, and we answered a similar question in 2004 at the request of a mother who was using plastic spiders to further her child’s interest in nature. All spiders have venom, but the list of potentially dangerous species in North America is quite limited, and none look like this. Though BugGuide does not have any examples from Michigan, Araneus cingulatus, which bears a superficial resemblance to this child’s toy, is reported from both Illinois and Ohio on BugGuide. There is one photo of a male Araneus cingulatus posted on BugGuide that looks somewhat like your goal. The colors green, red, yellow and black can also be found on the Orchard Spider, Leucauge venusta, which is also pictured on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 15 February 2010 § Spiders ‡ ° Unknown Insects
February 15, 2010
Please can you help me identify these insects, found in the garden during the summer months.
Chris Moran
Perth, WA, Australia
Jewel Beetle: Castiarina species???
Hi Chris,
Submitting multiple images of unrelated insects negatively compromises our method for archiving letters, so we are not posting all of your images in the same response. This is a Jewel Beetle or Metallic Borer Beetle in the family Buprestidae, and we believe it is in the genus Castiarina based on an image of Castiarina decemmaculata posted on the Brisbane Insect website. Your specimen looks very similar, but it doesn’t seem to be an exact match. The Virtual Beetles website has numerous similar examples from the genus Castiarina, but we are not skilled enough to provide a definitive identification based on your photograph. The Buprestidae of Australia website contains a thumbnail image of Castiarina malleeana that also is a possibility, but an image posted on Outdoor Webshots shows the spots converging, which may be an individual variation. The red coloration on the spots of your specimen seem to be a distinction that might help to properly identify this species.
Unknown Insects
February 15, 2010
Please can you help me identify these insects, found in the garden during the summer months.
Chris Moran
Perth, WA, Australia
Bush Cockroach
Hi Chris,
Not all Cockroaches are pestiferous species that infest homes. Some Cockroaches are actually quite beautiful and they would much rather live in a natural environment. This Bush Cockroach, Ellipsidion humerale, is pictured on a Brisbane Insect website page.
Field Guides
February 14, 2010
I’m traveling to Bhutan and am looking for insect field guides and was hoping to get some recommendations.
Thanks in advance.
Steve Nanz
Hi Steve,
We have no information, but perhaps one of our readers will provide a comment.
Small beetle on Lanzarote
February 14, 2010
Hello,
in our holidays we found on Lanzarote a beetle which is lighter blue with black stripes. It may be about one cm long (unfortunately I didn’t measure it). This specimen crawled not far away from the coast on the ground between the lava stones (harbour region of Arrecife).
I would be pleased, if you could tell me, which species it is.
Greetings, Heidrun Terasa
Near Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Darkling Beetle from the Canary Islands
Dear Heidrun,
Our initial attempts to identify your beetle have proven fruitless. We are posting the image and we hope one of our readers will be able to assist in its identification.
Karl figures it out
I can’t be certain but I think this a Darkling Beetle (Tenebrionidae) in the genus Pimelia. There are approximately a dozen species in the Canary Islands. Most or all of them are endemic and many occur on only a few or even one island. The only species that occurs on Lanzarote is P. lutaria. I could find no online photos, but P. lutaria is described as being covered with short ash colored hairs, which give it a “muddy” appearance. Perhaps this could also appear blueish under certain light conditions. Apparently many of the Pimelia species on the islands are considered to be under threat or even endangered, but P. lutaria is still abundant throughout Lanzarote. If you care to download a pdf file (in Spanish) the second link below takes you to a fact sheet for P. fernandezlopezi, a very similar looking beetle that occurs only on the island of La Gomera. Regards.
http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/cmayot/medioambiente/centrodocumentacion/publicaciones/revista/2000/19/250/
http://carn.ua.es/CIBIO/es/lrie/fichas/Pimelia%20fernandezlopezi.pdf
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Asphodel longicorn?
February 14, 2010
Hi Bug People!
I found this longicorn beetle on some Common Asphodel flowers on Friday, Feb 12th, in the northwest Negev, Israel.
I saw a few of them during the day, but only on the asphodels.
Some research led me to believe this is Agapanthia pustulifera.
I also found a true bug on the asphodels, which I will send in a separate mail.
Ben
Northwestern Negev, Israel
Longicorn: Agapanthia pustulifera
Hi Ben,
You have saved us the effort of identifying your Longicorn. We found a photo of Agapanthia pustulifera on BioLib, and we agree that it matches your beetle.
Longicorn: Agapanthia pustulifera
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