Longhorn Beetle
Location: Fairfield, Maine USA
August 23, 2010 1:42 pm
Dear Bugman,
I think I found a Flower Longhorn Beetle (Stictoleptura canadensis) on my Land Cruiser. I wonder why it was so far from the meadow and flowers…Can you please confirm/dis-confirm the I.D. and share any interesting info about this beetle?
Thank you,
James R
Banded Longhorn
Hi James,
We agree that your beetle is Stictoleptura canadensis, and the BugGuide information page is noticeably lean on information. It is a Flower Longhorn which means that though the larvae are wood borers, the adults feed on pollen. The data page on BugGuide indicates the species is found in both eastern and western North America from Canada to Arizona. According to the Cirrus Image website, the species is called the Banded Longhorn.
Banded Longhorn
Strange, I thought this (see attached) was the Banded Longhorn because of this image I found on B.G…
I guess the names are a little general?
Thank you,
James
Hi James,
Common names do not have the rigorous degree of regulation that scientific names have, though because there are not many fact checkers, there are often incorrect identifications posted on the internet. That is why we like to have “credible” websites for our links. The link you provided is an unidentified Longhorned Borer Beetle, but we followed information on the page to the bugGuide information page for the Banded Longhorn, Typocerus velutinus. If BugGuide is using the common name Banded Longhorn, it must be an officially accepted common name.
Hello Daniel,
Wow, thanks for the info and the additional identification!
It’s incredible that so many bugs and insects are even identified, at all.
Best regards,
James
Hissing Beetle
Location: King County, Washington
August 23, 2010 12:47 pm
Hello,
My husband and I came across this beetle attached to our door jam on the outside. It would not let go & then when we were able to pry it lose it was hissing at us. We moved to a safe location where it sat for 2 days. It did not move 1 inch. This morning it was gone. We could not locate it any where. We have never seen this type of bug in our area (which is south-eastern part of Wahington). Please let us know.
Thank you, Erma Gunter
Ten Lined June Beetle
Hi Erma,
Your large beetle is a Ten Lined June Beetle. Many beetles make the hissing noise you describe, a phenomenon known as stridulation. The noise is made when the beetle or other insect rubs parts of its body together. It is thought to be a defense mechanism.
Thank you for responding back. Now I can put a name to the face. Is this a common beetle in our area? Are there numbers of them?
Sorry……I’m very excited about thus beetle. I have never seen one quit like this before.
Thank you again, Erma.
Hi again Erma,
The species, Polyphylla decemlineata, ranges in the western and central states and it is not rare. Adults feed on leaves including the needles of conifer trees. You can read more on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 23 August 2010 § Beetles ‡ ° Possible Silver Butterfly?
Location: Grandville, MI
August 23, 2010 1:46 pm
Spotted this while in the garden the other day.
PH
Common Checkered Skipper
Dear PH,
This is one of the Checkered Skippers in the genus Pyrgus, and we believe it is the Common Checkered Skipper, Pyrgus communis, based on images posted to BugGuide. BugGuide also indicates: “Where the ranges overlap (i.e. central California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and the southeastern states), White Checkered-Skipper female is indistinguishable, and male is positively identifiable only with the specimen in hand (by extending the penis and verifying the species under a lense).“
Thank you for your timely and informative response!
Paul Henson
Fly mimics a Bumble Bee and is inverted!
Location: Fairfield, Maine USA
August 23, 2010 12:35 pm
Dear bugman,
I thought this was a bumble bee at first, but then it flew near me and it flew like a hummingbird. Another very distinctive trait that does not show in my pictures, was that its abdomen was curling upward (in profile) toward the sky, instead of the typical downward curl profile I see most bees doing. Sorry it’s really hard to describe and the thing was so active I lost track of it almost immediately. Anyway, I am very curious to know what this was, so here are the only pictures I could get. Not bad, but sort of simpilar viewpoints…
Thank you,
James R
Leafcutter Bee
Hi James,
This is one of the Leaf-Cutting Bee in the genus Megachile, a large and complicated genus that would require an expert to identify the species. According to BugGuide: “Most nest in pre-existent holes in wood. Female typically cuts neat, more-or-less round pieces out of leaves to serve as separators between cells of nest.“
Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for the rapid identification!
It’s always exciting to learn a bit about an insect I’ve never seen or heard of before.
Best wishes,
James
¶ Posted 23 August 2010 § Bees ‡ ° Arctiid Moth from Tuamotus
Location: Fakarava, Tuamotus, French Polynesia
August 23, 2010 12:18 am
Hi Daniel,
In July we were on the island of Fakarava in the Tuamotus, French Polynesia. I photographed this day flying moth which I believe is Utetheisa pulchelloides marshallorum (Rothschild, 1910) – The Heliotrope Moth. This was the only moth or butterfly I saw there.
Donald Gudehus
Heliotrope Moth
Hi Donald,
We agree that you have the genus correct, but there are other similar looking specimens that are closely related so the species may be different. The picture you submitted is a close match to the image on Csiro and the Oz Insects website has this information: “The Heliotrope Moth is brightly coloured have white wings with red, brown and black spots and markings. It is active by day fluttering low over the ground like a small butterfly. The caterpillars are black with orange spots and broken cream lines along the body. Larvae contain poisonous alkaloids that deter predators from eating them.“ Is it odd that you didn’t see any butterflies in Polynesia? We were curious about that and found this troubling article about a bacteria that is killing male Blue Moon Butterflies.
¶ Posted 23 August 2010 § Moths ‡ ° Orchid Spider?
Location: Southeast
August 22, 2010 5:22 pm
This spider had spun a beautiful web with a zig zag down the middle. We figured it was some type of orb spider and ran to the computer to check it out on WTB. Seems to fit the descrip of a Orchid Spider. Are we correct. It is on the corner of our deck door… should we leave it be? Do the markings mean anything?
dlhickory
Golden Orbweaver
Dear dlhickory,
This is a Golden Orbweaver, Argiope aurantia, a spider frequently called a Writing Spider because of the zigzag stabilimentum it weaves into its web (See BugGuide). We don’t know where you got the information about the Orchid Spider because it is not on our website, and a web search of those terms brings up information on spider orchids.
Black and Yellow Beetle
Location: Sabino Canyon, Az
August 22, 2010 10:32 pm
I spied this colorful black & yellow beetle in a cactus flower while hiking Sabino Canyon (Az) in May. I have not been able to identify it. I wondered if the bugman might know?
Joe M
Ornate Checkered Beetle
Hi Joe,
We identified your Ornate Checkered Beetle, Trichodes ornatus, on BugGuide much faster than we anticipated, but there is no information on the species which ranges throughout western North America.
Daniel,
Wow, that was fast! Thanks a lot. I always troll the WEB to identify the various things I photograph but this one really stumped me.
Thanks again,
Joe.
¶ Posted 23 August 2010 § Beetles ‡ ° Milk Weed Beetles, one red one black
Location: Lexington NC
August 23, 2010 2:51 am
Finally got a decent shot of one of the quick, non-cooperative little fellas. They scare off quite easily.
The one I was shooting originally is the red/orange color one, then I got a bonus and found a black one not too far from this one.
Rick Nelson (SCWIDVICIOUS)
Leaf Beetle
Hi Rick,
We are a bit confused by the email you sent. These are not Milkweed Beetles, but Leaf Beetles in the family Chrysomelidae. Perhaps you found them on milkweed, though your letter did not indicate that. The red and black specimen appears to be the Six Spotted Neolema, Neolema sexpunctata, a species represented on BugGuide where this information is provided regarding the food plant: “This species is associated with Commelinaceae, having been recorded from Commelina spp. and Tradescantia sp.” Those plants are not milkweeds, and the leaf your beetle is photographed upon does not appear to be a milkweed. Your second Leaf Beetle may be in the genus Oulema based on BugGuide images.
Leaf Beetle
¶ Posted 23 August 2010 § Beetles ‡ ° 
I like This
