As Big as my hand butterfly or moth?
June 10, 2010
Found June 10, 2010
I have no idea about identifying bugs but this wonderful giant was on my back porch and i can’t help myself with the curiosity. Its body is what was the most striking instead of the wings. It is extremely bright red with white stripes.
Please relieve my curiosity!
Kasey
Hannibal, Missouri
Cecropia Moth
Hi Kasey,
This is a positively gorgeous photo of a Cecropia Moth. It is one of two candidates for the largest Giant Silkmoth or Saturniid Moth in North America. The other candidate is the Polyphemus Moth. Luckily, in the world of insects, the loser and winner contests like that could care less which is the biggest. Alas, the world of academia is not so altruistic.
P.S. She is a female Cecropia Moth. Had we written back to you sooner, we would have told you to watch an night to see if she attracted a mate or six. Female Giant Silkmoths release pheromones that will attract a male from miles away. We identified her as a female because of her antennae. The antennae of the male Giant Silkmoths are much more feathery, because the antennae are the sense organs that pick up the scent of the female’s pheromones.
Strange large butterfly
June 11, 2010
Found this in downtown Winnipeg Manitoba Canada in early June 2010. Any idea of the name of this beautiful specimen ? I have never seen anything like it in the city or in Canada for that matter. It was quite large…with wings open it was almost as long as a hand. The body was very fat and roughly 2 inches long.
Stef in Canada
Winnipe Manitoba Canada
Cecropia Moth
Hi Stef,
This is a Cecropia Moth. Your letter was the second in a few days that mistook a Cecropia Moth for a butterfly. We have to search for the other letter and post it as well because the image resolution is much higher than your photo.
Bee Fly – Villa sp?
June 11, 2010
Dear Bugman,
I think I have this fly identified as being in the Bombyliidae family, specifically Villa sp. Am I correct? Thanks for your help!
Anna Carreon
Hawthorne, California
Hover Fly
Hi Anna,
Though your fly looks like a bee, it is not a bee fly. It is a Flower Fly or Hover Fly in the family Syrphidae. We have matched it to an image on BugGuide, also from California, that is identified only as the genus Copestylum. We believe it most resembles Copestylum marginatum, but all the images on BugGuide appear to be females. Your fly is a male as evidenced by the closeness of his eyes. Females have a space between the eyes.
Hover Fly
Mating Wheel Bugs
June 11, 2010
Hello Bugman,
I know what these are, but I thought you’d like to add these photos to your Bug Love page. The happy couple were outside the door to my apartment, not shy about who was watching!
Sam ~ a big fan, and a friend to bugs
Junction City, KS
Mating Wheel Bugs
Hi Sam,
Thank you so much for sending us your wonderfully detailed images of mating Wheel Bugs, the largest North American Assassin Bugs.
Long bee on Vitex in Athens, GA
June 11, 2010
I watch bees all the time, and I have never seen this one before. I found it on my Vitex tree on June 10th at 4pm. I live in Athens, Ga.
Chezron
Athens, GA
Oops I forgot on Long bee from Athens, GA
He was as long as a carpenter bee but nearly half as wide. I have never seen any bee with these proportions.
Chezron
Athens, GA
Giant Resin Bee
Hi Chezron,
Your bee is a Giant Resin Bee, Megachile sculpturalis. According to BugGuide: “They are opportunistic and nest in existing wooden cavities, rather than excavating their own.
Recently introduced from Asia. To make things worse it turns out to be a good pollinator of another introduced invasive: kudzu.“
What kind of spider is this?
June 11, 2010
In southern Wisconsin, June, near wooded area. This spider is haning out on my grill cover and creating long strings to the house, (3 feet or so). Seems to be not afraid of me. Is about 2 inches overall tip to tip when standing normally. Hope you can help! Thanks!!
Daniel Pittenger
Richfield, Wisconsin
Fishing Spider
Hi Daniel,
We believe this is Dolomedes tenebrosus, one of the Fishing Spiders. You can compare your images to ones posted to BugGuide.
Big bug
June 10, 2010
His body is a little over one and a half inches long, a half inch thick, and his antennas are over 2 inches. He is mostly a metallic green with faded red over on his underside and under his wings. He is hard and stiff and makes a buzzing sound when he flies. We found him at midday buzzing around our plum tree. It is early summer.
Just an answer.
Central Texas
Plinthocoelium suaveolens, a Longhorned Borer Beetle
This beautiful Longhorned Borer Beetle, Plinthocoelium suaveolens, has no common name. Several years ago, we proposed the common name Tupelo Tree Borer based on its food plant.
Tupelo Tree Borer, a name we propose
what kind of moth?
June 11, 2010
This moth bug was sitting on my back patio so I grabbed the camera and took 2 pics of it front and back. It looked like a baby bat at first but I also saw an Indian luna moth as well in the following days. I live in Central Florida but my backyard is next to a nature preserve so it is very lush. Can you help identify it? It resembles the oleander hawkmoth in some features but not exactly.
gatorgirl
Central Florida
Spotted Apatelodes
Hi gatorgirl,
The first time we received a photo of a Spotted Apatelodes, Apatelodes torrefacta, we thought it must be a Sphinx Moth or Hawkmoth. It is actually a Giant Silkmoth. You can read more about the Spotted Apatelodes on BugGuide.
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