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Monthly Archives April 2010

Harvestman from Afghanistan

Afghan Opiliones
April 25, 2010
Hope this finds you well. Here is a photo of a member of the Opiliones I snapped in the Kunar province of Afghanistan. It was checking out the latrine and shower facilities right after the weather started turning warm again, on 11 March 2010. It was very much alive and well, and would only pose for the camera after being gently tapped on the head. After the photo shoot, it scurried away about its business again. I found it very interesting because of the difference in its legs. Almost looks like a Popeye version of our Daddy Longlegs back home. I saw a critter later in the season farther north, shorter legs than this one but otherwise very smiliar. I don’t know Opiliones well at all, so can’t say if it was an example of sexual dimorphism, a juvenile, or simply a separate species altogether. At any rate, hope you and the readers enjoy!
C. Helm
Kunar Province, Afghanistan

opiliones afghanistan 300x180 Harvestman from Afghanistan

Harvestman

Dear C. Helm,
Harvestmen or Daddy Long Legs, as the members of the order Opiliones are commonly called, are harmless as they have no venom despite their resemblance to spiders.  You can read more about the Opiliones from North America on BugGuide.  Thanks for sending us your great photo and wonderfully worded description of your encounter.

Posted 25 April 2010 § Opiliones and Harvestmen ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Mango Stem Borer from India

Unknown large green long-antennaed Indian insect
April 24, 2010
I stayed in Bangalore for four months last year and saw this bug on my door one day. If I remember right, it made a loud buzzing noise when it flew. It seemed to prefer sticking to walls, though. I only saw it once, around May in Bangalore, India.
Benjamin C. Krause
Bangalore, Karnataka, India

mango stem borer india benjamin 300x197 Mango Stem Borer from India

Mango Stem Borer

Dear Benjamin,
Your Longhorned Borer Beetle is a Mango Stem Borer, Batocera rufomaculata, a species we have identified several times in the past.  It is considered a pest species of mango, fig and avocado trees where the larvae burrow in the wood.

Posted 25 April 2010 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (1) °

Pseudoscorpion

Odd looking bug with odd pinchers
April 24, 2010
I found this bug earlier this evening in our bedroom (kinda scary) but I have never seen anything like this before. The body size is about 3mm. Each extended arm has 2 pinchers on it. When it’s in defense, it backs up really fast and tucks pinchers in. Can you help me out? Thank you!!
SLJ
South Dakota

pseudoscorpion slj Pseudoscorpion

Pseudoscorpion

Dear SLJ,
Your diminutive visitor is a harmless Pseudoscorpion.  They are often found in homes around the world where they will help rid the domicile from unwanted insects.

Posted 25 April 2010 § Pseudoscorpions ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Cecropia Moth

Moth Identification
April 25, 2010
I need help identifying a very large moth. The moth was found in Asheboro, North Carolina.
Sheryl McIver
North Carolina, Asheboro, Randolph County

cecropia sheryl 300x159 Cecropia Moth

Cecropia Moth

Hi Sheryl,
Your comely moth is a Cecropia Moth, and judging by the shape of the antennae, she is female.  Male Giant Silk Moths have more developed, feathery antennae to better sense the pheromones of the female.  Giant Silk Moth, including your Cecropia Moth, do not feed as adults, and they only live a few days, long enough to mate and lay eggs.

Hi,
Thank you for your response so quickly.  I found it yesterday….kept it overnight so my son and I could observe it (it was raining hard last night, so I didn’t really want to let it go in the hard rain anyway), and now what to do with ALL THESE EGGS!!!  I’ve been searching online and have discovered that the success rate is about 50%.  Is this accurate in your opinion?
Thanks,
Sheryl

Hi Again Sheryl,
We are not certain what you mean by success rate.  Raising 50% of eggs to maturity seems like a phenomenal success rate.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on leaves of various trees and shrubs including alder, apple, ash, beech, birch, box-elder, cherry, dogwood, elm, gooseberry, maple, plum, poplar, white oak, willow.”

Posted 25 April 2010 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Mystery: Male Non-Biting Midge, but what species???

ID request
April 23, 2010
This pic was taken in a wetlands area in Odenton, MD on 4/222/10 around 7:30pm. If you can identify it, please let me know what it is. Thanks!
Wondering999
Odenton MD

male mosquito 300x263 Mystery: Male Non Biting Midge, but what species???

Male Non-Biting Midge

Dear Wondering999,
We believe this is a Mosquito, but we are uncertain of the species.  The feathery antennae indicate that it is a male, and only female Mosquitoes bite and suck blood.  Male Mosquitoes feed on nectar.  Perhaps one of our readers will know the species and write in with further information.

Correction thanks to Karl
April 27, 2010
Hi Daniel and Wondering999:
It’s definitely a male, but it looks like a Non-Biting Midge (Chironomidae). They are closely related but adult non-biting midges are distinguished from mosquitoes (Culicidae) by the way the head is tucked under, the lack of scales on the wings, and the lack of elongated mouthparts (compare a male non-bighting midge to a male mosquito). Your question is “but what species???”. Although I am not prepared to go that far out on a limb, I believe it belongs to the subfamily Chironominae and tribe Chironomini, perhaps genus Chironomus. However, the Chironomids are a very difficult group and identifications really require some serious expertise. Non-biting midges are often mistaken for mosquitoes, which can sometimes be alarming because they tend to congregate in dense cloud-like mating swarms that can generate an impressive buzz. The swarms are often focused around the tops of trees or other prominent features on warm spring and summer evenings. They occur in vast numbers in most non-arid environments, in the water as larvae and in the air as adults, and they are a critical component of aquatic and terrestrial food webs. As the name suggests, they do not bite. Regards.
Karl

Posted 25 April 2010 § Midges ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

Carolina Wolf Spider, we believe

Big spiders on my patio
April 24, 2010
I keep running into these spiders. All winter long they wait outside the door for a chance to get in. I have a huge fear of bugs, especially spiders. What is this one and is it harmful? I have children that like to play with bugs and I don’t want them getting hurt.
Scared of Spiders
East Tennessee

wolf spider tennessee 300x191 Carolina Wolf Spider, we believe

Possibly Carolina Wolf Spider

Dear Scared of Spiders,
While many spiders are scary, very few are actually dangerous to humans or pets, unless your pets are cockroaches.  This looks to us like a Carolina Wolf Spider, Hogna carolinensis, based on comparison to a photo posted to BugGuide, though it does not have the orange chelicera that are mentioned as an identifying feature on the BugGuide information page for the species.  Perhaps one of our readers with more skill in the identification of Wolf Spiders will assist in the confirmation of this identification.

wolf spider tennessee 2 300x236 Carolina Wolf Spider, we believe

Carolina Wolf Spider, we believe

Posted 25 April 2010 § Wolf Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °

Small Eyed Sphinx

moth with pointy parts
April 24, 2010
This moth was stuck to the screen door. Located in Maryland, about 65 degrees out, partly cloudy day, around 10 am. Photos are included. It had pointy antennae on the head and very interesting wings- very bat-like and leathery. Reddish color. The wings look like bat wings or like 70′s bell bottoms- wide and unusual. I’m a science teacher and this one totally baffled me!
From, Megan (and Buddy the dog in the background)
Damascus, Maryland

small eyed sphinx dog buddy 300x240 Small Eyed Sphinx

Small Eyed Sphinx

Hi Megan,
Your photo is so funny and amusing, we had to post it.  this is a Small Eyed Sphinx, Paonias myops, and you may read more about the species in our archives and on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.

Posted 24 April 2010 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Termite Alates

Are these termites?
April 23, 2010
We have these small bugs. They are less than an inch long. They have blackish bodies and 2 pairs of white/clear wings. They smarmed today, and it’s raining. Last spring they swarmed on day. It seemed like it was raining then. They are all over the attic. My dad set up a bug bomb up there and they cleared out temporarily. But I wanted to be sure that these are termites.
LM
Southeast Missouri

termites lm 300x177 Termite Alates

Termite Alates

Dear LM,
Your suspicions that these are Termites is correct.  They are the winged reproductive Aletes that often swarm after rain to mate and set up new colonies.  While the bug bomb your father set off may have killed these Alates, it is very doubtful that the pesticide has penetrated to the colony.  A professional should be consulted.

Spelling Correction thanks to Eric Eaton
Daniel:
The April 23 post of “termite aletes” should have read “termite alates,” with another “a.”  That is the term for winged reproductives of termites and ants.
Eric

Posted 24 April 2010 § Termites ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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