SMILEY FACE ORCHARD SPIDER
June 10, 2010
hi just shot this orchard spider and it looks like a smiley face
ROBERT W HILL
sunset beach , nc
Orchard Spider
Hi Robert,
Thank you for sending in your wonderful photo of the belly of an Orchard Spider, Leucauge venusta. The last photo we posted did not show the distinctive belly pattern of some individuals. The BugGuide page on the Orchard Spider has interesting information. We will be post dating your letter so that it can be viewed live on the last day of our trip to Ohio, June 22.
Bugged out in Birdland
June 8, 2010
We are in East Central Illinois and it is June 8th. I found these bugs swarming all over the ground and up the birdbath. I stepped over to see them and they started up my leg as well. My husband thought they were lightning bugs but I think not. Can someone id this crawler/flyer and should I be concerned? The birds don’t like them either.
Marcia in Birdland
East Central Illinois
Margined Leatherwing
Hi Marcia,
Thank you for your descriptive letter and wonderful images including the mating behavior of the Margined Leatherwings, Chauliognathus marginatus. According to BugGuide: “Very similar to C. pennsylvanicus, but pronotum has wide dark band, instead of an irregular dark spot. Elytra of C. marginatus often more extensively dark than pennsylvanicus. C. marginatus is also somewhat smaller and is active earlier in summer than C. pennsylvanicus.” Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus is known as the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, and it makes its appearance in September when the goldenrod is blooming. The adults feed on nectar and pollen, and possibly aphids, but the larvae are considered beneficial predators. Your observation that birds don’t eat them is interesting, and it may be related to a foul taste. Interesting, according to BugGuide regarding the family name Chntharidae: “The compound cantharidin is named for this group of beetles, presumably, but was actually isolated from blister beetles, Meloidae–at that time presumably the family was included with the Cantharidae.“ We are setting your wonderful letter and photographs to post live to our website between June 15 and June 22 when we will be visiting mom and working in her garden. That way our readership can get daily updates while we are out of the office.
Mating Margined Leatherwings
What is this bug?
June 14, 2010
This guy has been around the yard a couple times now. Pretty good size, maybe 1-1/2″ or so, jet black except for an orange band around it’s abdomen.
Thanks, Ben Hanson
Port Charlotte Florida
Mydas Fly
Hi Ben,
We received an email from you on May 21, and we posted your photo of a Mydas Fly. This is another view of the same species of Mydas Fly, Mydas clavatus. We apologize if we did not write back to you directly, but your previous letter has been on our site since then. We are postdating this letter to post live to our site during our absence in the coming week so that our readership will continue to get daily updates.
Daniel;
Thanks so much for the reply and information! I might have missed an earlier reply…
Thank you people for what you do. Your site and Facebook page is very highly entertaining and informative!
Ben
Stripey Bug found in Private Forrest
June 9, 2010
Found this bug walking through my room, thought it was brought in from firewood from our private forest. It was fairly slow, even when running.
Nathan
Drouin, Victoria, Australia
House Centipede
Hi Nathan,
This is a harmless House Centipede. It appears to be Allothereua maculata, a species found in Asia and Australia, and you can compare your specimen to the image on the Natural History Museum of London website. The species is different from our common North American species, Scutigera coleoptrata, which though it is found in many places throughout the world, it is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean area, according to BugGuide. Since we know we will be out of the office from June 15 through June 22, we are setting your letter and photo to post live during our absence so our readership can get daily updates in our absence.
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Little bug, big pain!
June 15, 2010
I have lived both in the city and now in the country, so I have had my share of bugs. This guy though is new to me. I have looked all over and I cannot find out what this is. I have only seen two ever, and I have not seen one since the event. My little girl was sitting on the floor and suddenly screamed. This little bug ran from her and she said it bit her. It didn’t actually bite her, but it did sting her. There was a little puncture wound in her had from it. I watched her carefully and no adverse signs ever appeared. The hole was there in her hand for several days. I have been curious ever since as to what exactly this little guy is. I am sorry the pictures aren’t better, but I hope you can tell me what it is. The one thing is the little stinger came out of the back , but it fell off by the time I took the photos.Thank You.
M.Mason
Caroline County, VA
Black May Beetle Eater
Dear M Mason,
Your daughter was bitten by a Bloodsucking Conenose in the genus Triatoma, but the coloration does not match any of the species posted to BugGuide. The portion of the abdomen that shows at the edge of the wings is striped in the Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose, Triatoma sanguisuga, but in your individual, the abdomen is a solid red. The Bloodsucking Conenose bites, and it does not have a stinger. Your bug is missing its head. You can compare your individual to the members of the genus depicted on BugGuide.
Black May Beetle Eater
Update: June 23, 2010
Thanks to Karl’s comment, we now know that this is a Black May Beetle Eater, Melanolestes pincipes, one of the Corsair Assassin Bugs.
Solpugid question f/u — 2-image collage (large file) Inbox X
Reply
Denny Schreffler to me
show details 10:02 PM (5 hours ago)
June 14, 2010
Hi, Whatsthatbug,
As a follow up to a submittal from a couple of weeks ago regarding two distinct types of Solpugids here in southern Arizona (desert, about 3,000’) in which I offered the inexpert opinion that, “the critters which are stockier, have bigger heads, and shorter pedipalps could be in the Subfamily Eremobatinae (Family Eremobatidae) while the slimmer ones with longer palps could be in the Subfamily Therobatinae (same family),” I encountered both types last evening in the same place at the same time.
My recollection from seeing the much larger type (of which I saw only one) last summer was that it was as big as a small mouse — in fact, when I first saw it, I thought that it was a mouse — running on a wall.
The attached 2-image collage is closely representative of the size differential between the two types. I first noticed the smaller one and was struck by the dark markings, especially the pedipalps. When I tried to persuade him to move to a location that might be more photogenic, he skittered about two feet away and ran right into Monstro, who is as big as a mouse.
I’ve seen and photographed dozens of the smaller variety this (otherwise, so far, relatively bugless) summer so, in my neighborhood, the larger type is encountered much less frequently.
Any enlightenment from your readers or available experts would be appreciated.
Looking forward to the book!
Denny Schreffler
Southern Arizona
[personal non-post – Where in Ohio? Have you ever been there for the 17-Year Cicadas? I grew up in North Central Ohio where we’d have lots of cicadas for a little while every summer, and I experienced a 17-year eruption in Cincinnati in 1969 or ’70.]
Solpugid Comparison
Hi Denny,
You letter is the perfect letter to leave town right after posting. We don’t have an answer regarding the taxonomy of the two Solpugids in question, and we cannot take the time to research this at the moment because we awoke early so that we can write a piece about fresh peaches and peach cobbler for our local Mt Washington Homeowners Alliance newsletter. We can tell you that home in Ohio is a small city called Campbell which is just east of Youngstown and about 6 miles west of the Pennsylvania border. We lived through the 17 Year Cicada population explosion of which you write. At the age of 12 or 13, we golfed in a youth league and there were millions of Cicadas in the trees at Rolling Hills Golf Course. The din was ear splitting. We filled up the golf bag with Cicadas and brought them home because they didn’t emerge in nearby Campbell.
Strange “Webs”
June 14, 2010
Mr. Marlos, as the foremost bug expert in Los Angeles, can you tell me what insect (or arachnid, though I doubt it) makes these strange white drippy “webs?” This is a close-up of the ivy on my back fence. A couple seasons ago it was literally covered in them. I’m stumped.
Best Regards,
Mr. Kulkis
Giant Whitefly
Dear Mr. Kulkis,
How nice to hear from you. Alas, you have Giant Whitefly, Aleurodicus dugesii, a freeliving Hemipteran that is native to Mexico, but since 1992, it have become established in California, Arizona, Florida and Texas. Immature Nymphs produce waxy filaments as long as two inches that resemble cotton candy according to BugGuide. We strongly recommend removing them with the strong jet from a hose. Diligence with your hose will ensure that they will not become established as they can quickly infest many plants in the yard.
Thank you very much for the sage advice Mr. Marlos. And wow, congrats on the book! Penguin no less, that’s big time. Send me a link when it’s available for pre-sale on Amazon and I’ll support the cause.
Mr. K
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