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Monthly Archives July 2010

Aquarium Update: Fry moved to new nursery aquarium

July 24, 2010
Two weeks ago, as Lefty and Digitalis were preparing to lay more eggs, I decided to get a new 10 gallon nursery aquarium since Daryl asked for the borrowed aquarium back.  On July 9, I wrote:  “I caught 17 more fry for relocation.  Total 63.  There are at least 21 remaining.“All of the fry left with the parents and they eventually vanished as did the new batch of eggs.  It’s a mystery.  Meanwhile, there was some mortality among the 63 fry that were put in the nursery aquarium in the bathroom.  There are probably at least 30 fry still alive, though it is difficult to count them.  I took some photos a few days ago.

fry 20100720 2 295x300 Aquarium Update: Fry moved to new nursery aquarium

Month old fry in Nursery Aquarium

The fry are eating well and growing and the largest are beginning to look more like Angelfish.  I would like to move them into the grow out aquarium within two weeks, but first I will need to take the largest youngsters to Tropical Imports to trade them for store merchandise, perhaps a Clown Loach to eat snails even though the Clown Loach is not an Amazon species.

fry 20100720 3 300x186 Aquarium Update: Fry moved to new nursery aquarium

Month Old Fry in Nursery Aquarium

Update: August 5, 2010
The spawning that prompted moving the fry a few weeks ago vanished, but about a week and a half ago, I placed a piece of slate in the aquarium with Lefty and Digitalis.  Within days, they spawned.  This was last weekend.  Many eggs were not fertile, but they did hatch and the wrigglers were moved around for a few days.  Monday, August 2, they began to swim and for the past two days, they have been eating newly hatched baby brine shrimp.  There are about fifty fry.  The fry that were moved to the 10 gallon aquarium should probably be moved to the grow out aquarium, but not until I take the largest inhabitants to Tropical Imports.

Posted 24 July 2010 § aquarium ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Japanese Beetle

Pretty Bug
Location:  Wake Forest, NC
July 24, 2010 9:52 am
From Wake Forest, NC, this bug is pretty! I love the colours, but I had no idea where to start identifying on this one.
erica stjohn

japanese beetle erica 300x213 Japanese Beetle

Japanese Beetle

Hi Erica,
The Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica, the species represented in your photograph, is currently prominently featured at the top of our homepage as the featured Bug of the Month for July 2010.  WE got tremendous amusement at your infatuation with its coloration and your comment that it is pretty.  It is an attractive beetle, but any points it might score in the beauty category would be quickly outweighed by its status as an invasive exotic species that swarms in the summer months and defoliates hundreds of different species of cultivated plants including roses, grapes, clematis, blueberries, peaches and almost any ornamental plant that is kept in home gardens.  Our mother refers to the leaf damage as “lace doilies” since the beetles leave nothing behind on the leaf but the veins.  We suspect that your letter might even generate some hate mail for gardeners who are plagued by the yearly appearance of swarming Japanese Beetles.  Native to Japan, the Japanese Beetle was first found in New Jersey in 1916, and it quickly spread through most of the eastern parts of North America.  Manufacturers even have products that are designed to attract and trap Japanese Beetles in an effort to keep them from feeding on cultivated plants.  The adult beetles are not the only problem.  The beetle grubs feed on the roots of plants and grasses, often causing brown lawns.

Posted 24 July 2010 § Beetles ‡ Comments (2) °

Monarch Butterfly

Butterfly And The Pink
Location:  Raleigh, North Carolina
July 24, 2010 9:44 am
Hi
I would guess this is a monarch, but I am not sure.
Thank you for your help icon smile Monarch Butterfly
erica stjohn

monarch erica 300x214 Monarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Hi Erica,
Your identification of the Monarch Butterfly is correct.  There appears to be an odd filter used on your photograph that give the tonalities a postarized effect.  We do not like to use photographs on our site that have exaggerated post production digital special effects, but since we don’t have many images of Monarch Butterflies, we are making an exception since most of the postarization is in the background and not in the Monarch itself.  We also noticed that you sent us numerous emails this morning.  We will probably not be able to answer all of them, but we will give it a shot.

Thank you for your response. I do apologize for all of the numerous emails. I lost what Info I had off my old site, and I am trying to build the new site better and including more ID and credit to others
That photo might have the posterized look to it. I will see if I can find the original as I sort and send the original to you. I had forgotten that one did.
Thank you for your time and willingness for any help. It is appreciated more than you could imagine!
Erica

Hi Erica,
There is no need to send another photo.  We just like informing our readership that they shouldn’t creatively alter the images too much in the interest of correct documentation.

Thank you! You have really made my day! icon smile Monarch Butterfly

Posted 24 July 2010 § Brush Footed Butterflies ‡ Comments (1) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Gray Hairstreak Butterfly

moth identification
Location:  western north carolina
July 23, 2010 11:55 am
this was a very friendly moth that was so happy with my camera that it hopped right on it. i love the splash of orange and the black and white antennae. what is it?
mike

hairstreak mike 300x266 Gray Hairstreak Butterfly

Gray Hairstreak

Dear Mike,
This is actually a Hairstreak Butterfly in the subfamily Theclinae, but we are reluctant to identify the species as so many look alike.  You can see the many examples on BugGuide.

Species Identified by Eric Eaton
August 11, 2010
Hi, Daniel:
Went through the site and found only a few minor corrections/clarifications, most recent to oldest: …
… Hairstreak Butterfly, western North Carolina:  Gray Hairstreak, Strymon melinus.
Otherwise, either very good or “I can’t help with that:-)”
Is the book out for everybody yet?  If so, I’ll link it to my blog, share on Facebook, etc.  I did get the pre-order e-mail from you.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
Now we can link to the species page on BugGuide for the Gray Hairstreak.  The book will be available in October 2010.

Posted 24 July 2010 § Gossamer Wings ‡ Comments (0) °

Tiger Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Location:  Lexington NC
July 23, 2010 5:53 pm
He was a bit leery so I could not get a real good shot, but hope you enjoy this one.
SCWIDVICIOUS

easterntigerswallowtail 300x234 Tiger Swallowtail

Tiger Swallowtail

Dear SCHWIDVICIOUS,
We know first hand how elusive Swallowtail Butterflies can be when there is a camera present, so we are happy to post your image of this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail to acknowledge your accomplishment.  It appears as though he may be puddling, an activity engaged in by many male butterflies that often congregate in great numbers near damp places so they can drink fluids that contain necessary salts and minerals.

Posted 24 July 2010 § swallowtails ‡ Comments (0) °

American Pelecinid

Unknown insect
Location:  Banks of the Potomac River in DC
July 24, 2010 9:27 am
Found this bug on the branch of a willow tree while having a picnic along the Potomac River in DC It has an abdomen similar to a dragonfly, two transparent wings and the head similar to a grasshopper. Any ideas???
Todd

american pelecinid todd 300x225 American Pelecinid

American Pelecinid

Greetings Todd,
Your letter is the third identification request we responded to this week inquiring about the identity of the American Pelecinid, Pelecinus polyturator, but the photos on the earlier two letters were blurry and of a general poor quality, unlike your stunning silhouette against the capital’s skyline.  The American Pelecinid is the only North American species in the genus and family, and it does range as far south as Argentina.  It resembles no other insect, so our identification of your silhouette should be undisputed.  It shows the female wasp, who uses her long abdomen to bury her eggs beneath the surface of the ground into the burrows of the grubs of June Beetles that are feeding on the roots of turf and grasses.  Interestingly, according to BugGuide:  “In North American populations, males are rare, and reproduction is apparently largely by parthenogenesis (Brues, 1928). In tropical populations (or species), males are more abundant.“

Thanks Daniel, I was with my girlfriend who is a scientist at the National Zoo in DC and she assumed it was a type of wasp but neither of us had ever seen this insect. We appreciate your email. Feel free to post the picture! I will be using your site alot now that I have found it.
Todd

Posted 24 July 2010 § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (0) °

Squash Bug eggs and hatchlings

Unknown Garden Bug
Location:  Aiken, South Carolina
July 24, 2010 8:39 am
We found these eggs and hatchlings in our vegetable garden.
James

coreid eggs james 277x300 Squash Bug eggs and hatchlings

Squash Bug Eggs

Hi James,
Eggs and hatchlings are often very difficult to identify properly, but we believe these hatchlings look like Leaf Footed Bugs in the family Coreidae.  We thought Squash Bugs in the genus Anasa seemed a likely candidate, so we checked out that possibility on BugGuide.  Bingo, the eggs matched an image of Squash Bug Eggs, Anasa tristis, posted on BugGuide. BugGuide has nice images of the life cycle of the Squash Bug, and the following information may be of interest to you:  “Hosts on most species/varieties of cucurbits (plants in the squash family) but prefers to lay eggs on pumpkin and squash” and “This is the most injurious species of coreid in Florida (3)  Injects a toxic saliva into plants, causing wilting and blackening of leaves. Can also act as vector of cucurbit yellow vine disease, which kills plants.”

coreid hatchlings james 266x300 Squash Bug eggs and hatchlings

Squash Bug Hatchlings

Posted 24 July 2010 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Ten Lined June Beetle

Long Haired June Beetle
Location:  near Lynden, WA – northwest WA
July 23, 2010 11:44 pm
When we found this bug last night and didn’t know what it was, we came first to your site. Didn’t see any pictures of this, but maybe we missed some?
Seems to be a Long Haired June Beetle.
We’ve never seen this kind of bug in our area before – we live in the NW corner of Washington state. Are they native here? Or is this fellow lost?!
He can really grip with his poky little feet, and makes a hissing sound when he’s agitated.
”Herding Grasshoppers” Mama

10 lined june beetle washington 213x300 Ten Lined June Beetle

Ten Lined June Beetle

Dear “Herding Grasshoppers” Mama,
We are quite intrigued by your signature, and we can’t help but wonder what the “Herding Grasshoppers” refers to.  We were also troubled that you were unable to locate any images of other Ten Lined June Beetles, Polyphylla decemlineata, on our website, so we did a little check.  Since you identified this as a June Beetle in the subfamily Melolonthinae, we used our website search feature to hunt for June Beetles.  The first page of possibilities included two images of Ten Lined June Beetles.  We estimate that there are probably close to fifty images of this species on our site as it is found in most of the Western States and the Northwest portions of Canada as well.  The hissing noise you heard is produced by rubbing together of body parts and the sound is known as stridulation, a term that is defined on BugGuide.  We are especially fond of your image of this Ten Lined June Beetle taking flight since the photo clearly shows the rigid elytra or wing covers as well as the soft and flexible flight wings that are hidden under the hard elytra when the beetle is not in flight.

10 lined june beetle flying 300x222 Ten Lined June Beetle

Ten Lined June Beetle in flight

Ahhh!  Many thanks!
I was searching under the wrong (scientific… or not) name.  That’s what I get for looking late at night :b
Isn’t “he” an interesting creature?  We were fairly surprised that such a big, heavy bug could fly.  We were wondering, further, if it’s okay to release him in western (coastal) Washington, or is he only native to the drier eastern part of our state?
And, btw, the name “Herding Grasshoppers” actually refers to my boys, not to bugs, although they all love bugs and frequently capture, observe, and release them.  “Herding Grasshoppers” – or trying to – is what parenting a bunch of energetic boys can often feel like icon biggrin Ten Lined June Beetle
We love poking around your site and thank you for your gracious (and patient) help,
Julie – “Herding Grasshoppers” Mama

HI again Julie,
One of our coworkers refers to keeping track of students as trying to “herd cats” so we figured the grasshopper reference was similar.  Your Ten Lined June Beetle is native to the coast as well as inland, so you are fine releasing it.

Laughing at the ‘herding cats’ – I certainly understand!
Again, from this mom and homeschooler, many thanks for the great resource you’ve created.
Julie

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Posted 24 July 2010 § Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

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