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Monthly Archives February 2010

Giant Sphinx Caterpillar

large green caterpillar
February 22, 2010
We found this caterpillar at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida in January.
I could not find it in any of their guides at the nature center, and have not been able to find it on-line
Daniel J. Marquis
Florida

giant sphinx cat daniel 300x200 Giant Sphinx Caterpillar

Giant Sphinx Caterpillar

Dear Daniel,
We believe this is a Giant Sphinx Caterpillar, Cocytius antaeus, based on a photo on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.  According to the website:  “Mature caterpillars are large ( 20.81 g) and have a horn at the rear end. In the last instars, larvae are uniform green with a dark purple center back line and a very sharp white posterior side slash with some dark green on both sides of it.  Larva feed on Custard apple (Annona glabra) and on Annona reticulata, Annona purpurea, Annona holosericea, and Rollinia membranacea, of the Annonaceae family.“  We are going to copy Bill on our reply to you because he is keeping comprehensive data on species sightings, and he may also request permission to post your lovely photo to his website.

Thanks for the quick reply.
I’m giving a slide show presentation next monday on Florida birding ( which will include much more than just birds ). It will be good to put a name to this beauty.
Dan

Bill Oehlke confirms identification
Thanks Daniel,
Here is email I just sent to Daniel Marquis
Hi Daniel,
Daniel Marlos of What’s That Bug directed me to your image of a Cocytius antaeus larvae. The identification is correct.
Here is a webpage that might be helpful for your presentation and also for future determinations
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/FLsphinx.htm
If you can send me a larger picture of the caterpillar, I would like to post it to a webpage I will create for Collier County Sphingidae larvae.
The image would be credited to you, Daniel Marquis?
Bill Oehlke

Posted 22 February 2010 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (1) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Wasp Moth from the Virgin Islands: Horama pretus

Common name of wasp moth
February 22, 2010
Hi Daniel,
Here are two photos of the wasp moth Horama pretus, photographed in my room on Necker Is., BVI on Dec. 26, 2009. Is there a common name for this moth?
Donald Gudehus
Necker Island, British Virgin Islands

horama pretus vi donald 230x300 Wasp Moth from the Virgin Islands: Horama pretus

Wasp Moth: Horama pretus

Hi Donald,
Common names are not really regulated, and one insect might have numerous common names, and the same common name might also be used for numerous insects.  To the best of our knowledge, Horama pretus does not have a common name other than the general Wasp Moth one.  Despite not being able to provide you with a common name, we are thrilled to have your photos of this lovely Arctiid.  We may try to contact Julian Donahue, an expert in the Arctiidae, to find out if he is aware of a common name.

horama pretus vi donald cu 300x200 Wasp Moth from the Virgin Islands: Horama pretus

Wasp Moth: Horama pretus

Posted 22 February 2010 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids ‡ Comments (0) °

Mating Spur Throated Grasshoppers: Barytettix humphreysii cochisei

More Bug Love
February 21, 2010
Hi, WTB,
Thanks for the nice words about the very recent Cactus Longhorn Beetle photo.
Seeking ID help, please, for this pair of grasshoppers from late September in the foothills of the Santa Rita Moutains in southern Arizona at about 4,400 ft.  These are plentiful from mid- to late summer.
Denny Schreffler

mating lubber grasshoppers arizona denny 300x182 Mating Spur Throated Grasshoppers: Barytettix humphreysii cochisei

Mating Spur Throated Grasshoppers

Hi again Denny,
Another gorgeous photograph.  At first we thought these might be mating Lubber Grasshoppers in the family Romaleidae.  Many members of the family are large Grasshoppers with bright coloration and   BugGuide does not picture anything quite like your specimens, though the Plains Lubber Grasshopper, Brachystola magna, looks similar.  We wonder if perhaps it might be a species of Lubber Grasshopper that is mentioned on BugGuide, but not pictured, Spaniacris deserticola.  According to information we unearthed on the internet, it is found in Mexico and Arizona, but alas, we cannot find any photos.  Perhaps an expert will be able to provide us with additional information.  As we continued to try to identify this gorgeous pair, we found a website on the Studies in nearctic desert sand dune Orthoptera that contained this information:  “Four decades of the author’s records indicate that Spaniacris deserticola (Bruner) is confined within the periphery of the Colorado Desert. It is usually found, near or within a few hundred feet of sea level, marking the shore line of ancient Lake Cahuilla (except for the Dale Lake record). The preferred host plant is Coldenia palmeri growing on the lower fringes of bajadas, with C. plicata on drift sand being second in preference. Spaniacris can tolerate sand and rock temperatures of 60 C. (believed to be a maximum for Colorado Desert life). Mating takes place at that and lower temperatures. When they are disturbed while on the tops of host plants, their flight is low and direct and of short duration, and they come to rest on the torrid soil for long periods of time. The female, much larger than the male, can sustain the male in flight while mating. The study verified spatial longevity of Spaniacris at Indio, California, after approximately 70 years and for the Kane Springs area after 52 years.“  That suggests that Spaniacris deserticola has developed wings, and that does not appear to be the case with your pair, which inclines us to believe that is not a correct identification.  We now believe they are probably Spur Throated Grasshoppers in the subfamily Melanoplinae which includes the gorgeous Painted Grasshopper that also has undeveloped wings in the adult for.  The bottom line on this is that we need professional assistance.

Eric Eaton writes back
Daniel:
Anyway, the pair of grasshoppers are Barytettix humphreysii cochisei, and the subspecies is in Bugguide already….They are in the spur-throated grasshopper subfamily Melanoplinae in the family Acrididae.  Neither gender has functional wings as adults.
More information, images here:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/171279
Thanks for giving me a sneak peek at this great image!
Eric

Posted 22 February 2010 § Grasshoppers ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Possibly Drugstore Beetle

LITTLE TINY BROWN BUGS
February 21, 2010
bugs are found in our laundry room most commonly. found more feeding on the dog treats in the cupboard. they were boring holes in the food. clinging to the towl in the cupboard. most of them are crawling up walls towward the white ceiling and light
Pat
columbus ohio

drugstore beetle pat 300x297 Possibly Drugstore Beetle

probably Drugstore Beetle

Hi Pat,
Numerous small beetles infest stored food products, and the Kendall Research website pictures many of them.  Your photo is not ideal for conclusive identification, but we believe this is most probably a Drugstore Beetle, Stegobium paniceum.  The West Virginia University extension website has a good pdf document on the Drugstore Beetle, and you may also view BugGuide for more photos and descriptions.

Thank you for your help. I think you are correct and as soon as I can further inspect a bug I will know for sure. Thanks again. Pat

Posted 22 February 2010 § Pantry Beetles, Grain Weevils, Spider Beetles, Meal Worms and Carpet Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

St. Andrew’s Cross Spider from Australia

St. Andrew’s Cross Spider from Australia
February 21, 2010
Hi again, I thought of checking out how many posts you’ve got on St. Andrew’s Cross Spiders, and was surprised to see only one (from Singapore). They are very common at our place, so I thought of taking some fresh photos of them for your site, but came across another spider that I haven’t seen before here, and took photos of it. So, I’m sending you a couple of older images that I’ve taken of the St. Andrews. Hope you can use them.
Ridou Ridou
Sydney Australia

st andrews cross australia ridou 300x276 St. Andrews Cross Spider from Australia

St. Andrew's Cross Spider

Hi Ridou,
Thanks for the excellent images.  We believe we had additional images of St. Andrew’s Cross Spiders, Argiope keyserlingi, and they might have gotten lost when we did a website migration last year.  We may check our old computer for the posts.  The Brisbane Insect website has nice images and helpful information on this species.

st andrews cross australia ridou 2 233x300 St. Andrews Cross Spider from Australia

St. Andrew's Cross Spider

Posted 21 February 2010 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Golden Silk Spider in Australia: Nephila ornata possibly

A sizable new spider at our backyard.
February 21, 2010
Hi Bugman, here are a couple of photos of a species of spiders I don’t remember seeing at our Sydney backyard before. Would you be able to id it, please.
Ridou Ridou
Sydney Australia

nephila australia ridou 253x300 Golden Silk Spider in Australia: Nephila ornata possibly

Golden Silk Spider

Goodness gracious Ridou, you are keeping us busy,
This beauty is a female Golden Silk Spider in the genus Nephila.  There are numerous species in Australia, and we are not certain exactly what species this is.  The Spiders of Australia website has several identified and unidentified members of the genus.  We believe this might be Nephila ornata based on images posted on the Nature Stuff website.

nephila australia ridou 2 300x229 Golden Silk Spider in Australia: Nephila ornata possibly

Golden Silk Spider

The Brisbane Insect website has nice images of several other members in the genus.

nephila australia ridou 3 300x171 Golden Silk Spider in Australia: Nephila ornata possibly

Golden Silk Spider

Posted 21 February 2010 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Wheel Bug Eggs

Unknown egg cases – help Bugman
February 21, 2010
My daughter and I discovered this array of egg cases on the underside of a branch today, February 21st. The entire array measures maybe 3/4 x 3/4 inch. They are stuck to the branch by a mass of black goo.
Curious in NC
Central North Carolina

wheel bug eggs nc 300x213 Wheel Bug Eggs

Wheel Bug Eggs

Dear Curious,
These are the eggs of a Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, the largest Assassin Bug in North America.  Wheel Bugs are beneficial predators that will help control the population of many plant eating insects in your garden.  BugGuide has an image of the hatching eggs for an idea what the hatchlings will look like.

wheel bug eggs nc 2 300x190 Wheel Bug Eggs

Wheel Bug Eggs

Thanks so much for the quick reply. We are overrun with wheel bugs here and know them well but never knew what the eggs looked like. My daughter is watching them daily in hopes of catching them hatching.
We really enjoy the site, thanks for taking the time.
Regards,
Bill

Posted 21 February 2010 § Eggs ‡ Comments (0) °

Puriri Moth from New Zealand

Green, large Moth.
February 21, 2010
This thing careened into my kitchen last night and started laying eggs. It’s about 5 inches in length. The photos are a better description than I could ever give.
Nina
Northcote, Auckland, New Zealand

puriri moth new zealand nina 300x222 Puriri Moth from New Zealand

Puriri Moth

Hi Nina,
Though there is considerable variation in the markings based on photographs online, we are confident that this is the Puriri Moth or Ghost Moth, Aenetus virescens.  There are many Maori names for the largest moth native to New Zealand, and found only on the North Island.  These names include pepe tuna, mokoroa, ngutara and pungoungou according to the Insects and Spiders of New Zealand website which includes the following facts:  “is the largest moth in Aotearoa / New Zealand, and is found only on Te Ika a Māui / North Island;  relatives live in Australia, New Caledonia, and Papua New Guinea;  caterpillars start life living in a bracket fungus;  older caterpillars make a refuge tunnel in the trunk of a large tree;  caterpillars feed on the wound tissue of the tree around the tunnel entrance, which is concealed by a silken ‘tent’;  pupation occurs in the tunnel;  adult moths do not feed, and live only for a few days;  moths are active at night.”  The New Zealand Farm Forestry Association website has wonderful photos of the life cycle, including caterpillar images.  The New Zealand Tramper website has an image of a living moth that more closely resembles your photograph than most of the other online images, though it has more markings than your specimen.

Posted 21 February 2010 § Eggs § Ghost Moths § Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

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