Unidentified Dragonfly/moth?
March 26, 2010
Hi, I found this insect on my facecloth last night. Could you tell me what it is as I have never seen anything like it before. It was definitely real, I say this because it looks so fake.
Regards,
Cherie
Cape Point area of Cape Town, South Africa
Owlfly
Hi Cherie,
This is a Neuropteran known as an Owlfly, and it is closely related to Lacewings and Antlions. Owlflies are unusual insects that really do resemble a cross of several different insect orders.
Larva state, boring into birch and other trees, not termite!
March 25, 2010
Recently I’ve been tracking penetrations of various trees within our yard. These penetrations have been through scars or lower elevation entry.
Recently I removed another section of birch of what was originally a 4-cluster tree, and now only 2-remain.
The holes are much larger than any termite hole. Once the tree was dissected, I came upon a large headed-to-body ratio larva, whitish in color, some-what segmented. approx lenght 1.” to 1.25″
At a loss and trees are not cheap??
erick at www.ameriturfsystems.com
Back yard tree larva
So-California, inland 20-miles
Flat-Head Borer Larva
Hi erick,
This is the larva of a Metallic Wood Boring Beetle, known as a Flat-Head Borer, in the family Buprestidae. See BugGuide for more. Some adults are lovely beetles with bright coloration that are called Jewel Beetles. Sorry we cannot be more specific as to the species.
Flat-Head Borer Larva
Who are these?
March 24, 2010
I found these in the woods near a creek.
ludwigsbestfriend
Stokes County, NC
Mating Red Net Winged Beetles
Dear ludwigsbestfriend,
What a lovely image of mating Red Net Winged Beetles, Dictyopterus aurora. You can see additional images on BugGuide.
Dear Daniel,
Wow! Thanks so much for naming my mystery beetle! Do you stay up all night answering people’s emails with crazy bug questions?
Regards,
Sally
Hi Sally,
We answer letters when we are able. We also sleep when we can, but our schedule is sometimes erratic.
Is this a wasp nest? I found these stick insects too.
March 25, 2010
Dear Bugman,
This nest was built in a shaded nook outdoors at our house in Hyderabad, India.
These stick insects were found in our garden in Hyderabad.
Kobita
Hyderabad, India
Termite Damage
Hi Kobita,
This sure looks like Termite damage to us.
Is this a wasp nest? I found these stick insects too.
March 25, 2010
Dear Bugman,
This nest was built in a shaded nook outdoors at our house in Hyderabad, India.
These stick insects were found in our garden in Hyderabad.
Kobita
Hyderabad, India
Giant Stick Mantis
Dear Kobita,
We are splitting your letter into two different postings. We are excited about your two Preying Mantis photos. One is a Giant Stick Mantis or Indian Grass Mantis, Schizocephala bicornis, and you can read about it on the USA Mantis website. Your second mantis appears to be a Wandering Violin Mantis, or Indian Rose Mantis, and you can read more about it on Mantis Photos website.
Wandering Violin Mantis
Blue-Eyed Golden June Bug
March 24, 2010
I sent you some photos of this odd looking Chinese insect a few days ago. Did you get them? I swear, it’s not a Photoshop job. It has eyes like Paul Newman and more gold leaf than a temple. What is this thing? I have dozens more photos. Let me know if you want them. Thanks!
Mike J.
Dongguan, China
Unknown June Beetle
Dear Mike,
We did not see your earlier submission. We are not certain of the species, but we will post your June Beetle in the hopes that one of our readers can make an identification.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your reply. Here are the shots I originally submitted and the corresponding text.
Hope you can figure it out. There are lots of these guys flying around here in the evening; similar to Junebugs back in the US midwest.
Mike
Beetles in China
I see these frequently in South China. They fly in the evening like June Bugs. The golden shell, big blue eyes and fern-like feelers are pretty cool. This guy found his way inside tonight. Wouldn’t let him leave without some photos. Thought you’d enjoy these.
Mike J.
Dongguan, China
Unknown June Beetle
can you identify this moth ?
March 24, 2010
Dear Bugman,
We found this moth in our garden in a suburb of Hyderabad, India.This was inmid Oct. 2009
Kobita
Hyderabad, India
Tasar Silkmoth
Hi Kobita,
There are several Giant Silkmoths in the genus Antheraea that are found in India, and your moth most closely resembles the Tasar Silkmoth, Antheraea mylitta. We found a near perfect match on the World’s Largest Saturniidae website, a members only site, but this is a highly variable species with many color variations. You can get some information on the Wild Silk Base website. We now believe a submission we originally identified as Antheraea mylitta is actually Antheraea paphia. We will confirm this identification with Bill Oehlke.
Daniel,
Because of the size of the hyaline areas of the eyespots, I believe both moths are Antheraea mylitta.
Bill Oehlke
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