please identify
Location: Dominican Republic
October 19, 2010 2:54 am
My friend found this bug in his place in the Dominican Republic. It is about 10 cm (3 inches) long. Any idea what it is?
Signature: Sharon
Giant Vinegaroon
Dear Sharon,
This shy, nocturnal predator is a Tailless Whipscorpion, sometimes called a Giant Vinegaroon because it releases a mild acetic acid that smells like vinegar. Despite the appearance, the Giant Vinegaroon will not harm people or pets unless the pets are Cockroaches.
No time for a photo.
Hi Daniel,
I took a 2-mile walk this morning. Unfortunately, one of my neighbors had fired up one piece of his heavy machinery. So instead of walking in the quiet woods in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountians and breathing in the fresh morning, mountain air, no birds were singing and diesel permeated the air.
As the front-loader was headed toward me, I saw some movement on the old, dirt road: a wooly bear! It was solid black (and heading north!). I picked it up, even though I knew better, and set it up on the embankment, curled tightly, as high as I could reach. No ill effects, I’m pleased to report. There was no time to get a photograph; I, too, had to get out of the way.
This wooly bear was solid black, so I’m not sure if it was a young Isabella Tiger Moth caterpillar or a Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar.
Thanx for listening,
R.G. Marion
10/18/10
Cosby, TN
P.S. Your book finally arrived, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Nice job!
Dear R.G.,
Thanks for letting us know that you are enjoying Daniel’s book.
Garage Dweller
Location: Milwaukee, WI
October 18, 2010 9:46 am
This guy lives in my garage. Hasn’t moved in 4 days and is my first time seeing it so, I know it’s not dead or anything. Any idea what kind of spider this is? Looking online, it may be an Orb Weaver but the markings on the back don’t match. Need to know if this is dangerous please. Thanks much!
Signature: Robert
Cross Spider
Hi Robert,
At first, we supplied you with a short responses acknowledging that this was a harmless Orbweaver, but as we pondered which letters to use for longer responses and postings, we selected your image and letter despite the blurriness of the image because there is something puzzling about your image and because the back story on the species is so interesting. We believe your spider is a Cross Spider, Araneus diadematus, a species that was introduced to North America from Europe and that is now well established in the northeastern quadrant of North America as well as the Pacific coast states. The interesting thing about your image is that the spider is not up-side-down in the web, which is the typical position. The fascinating back story has to do with the most famous Cross Spiders, Anita and Arabella, who were shot into space aboard Skylab 3 as part of a NASA outreach program that answered student questions. Anita and Arabella did weave webs in space, though the web weaving process was altered by weightlessness. Sadly, both Anita and Arabella died before splashdown, but their bodies are in the Smithsonian Institution. Daniel really wanted to see them on his last visit to Washington DC, but time did not permit. You can read more about Anita and Arabella on About.Com and you can read more about Cross Spiders on the University of Michigan Animal Diversity website. Spiders of many types, especially Orbweavers become more visible in the autumn as they mature and continue to spin larger webs. Orbweavers are harmless, though many species are large, colorful and frightening. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to contribute additional information regarding the unusual upright position your individual has taken in the web.
Update from Trevor: Image was inverted
Hi guys, I think the comment that the picture is inverted is correct. Note the deformation in the web at the back legs. When rotated you can see that the spiders weight is pulling on the strands, I have cleaned up the pic and rotated it. It appears then that there is a row of cupboards in the background with objects sitting on the bench top.
Signature: aussietrev
Cross Spider: uninverted
green bug
Location: Yucca, Az
October 17, 2010 9:51 pm
When I found this bug I thought it was dead. When I put it in a cup it came alive. Please tell me what it is. Thanks.
Signature: Mrs. Miller
Creosote Bush Katydid
Dear Mrs. Miller,
The markings on this Creosote Bush Katydid, Insara covilleae, are unmistakable. The ovipositor indicates that she is a female.
Yellow beetle with black spots
Location: Torrington, CT
October 18, 2010 5:21 pm
Hi there! I’m constantly scanning my outdoor plants for bugs I’ve never seen. I see something new almost every day! I came across this pretty little beetle in the center of a small sunflower. Can you tell me about it? Thanks!
Signature: Jennifer
Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Dear Jennifer,
Your beetle is a Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, and according to BugGuide, the larva is known as the Southern Corn Rootworm. BugGuide also contains this comment: “Considered a major pest of many field crops including cucumbers and other squashes, corn, soy. Beetles also transmit crop diseases such as bacterial wilt. Adults also reported damaging to garden plants including hibiscus, roses.“
¶ Posted 19 October 2010 § Beetles ‡ ° Wasp Moth?
Location: Tampa, FL
October 18, 2010 3:55 pm
This little dude was hanging out on the door frame to my apartment, and after much searching can’t find anything he resembles except a polka dot wasp moth, but he doesn’t seem to have the right coloring or markings.
It is mid-October in West Central Florida near Tampa, and while I tried to get as good a picture as possible, the light isn’t amazing. His wings were a dark orange-red, and his body a dark blue or purple. His body also had a powdery look to it, instead of shiny.
Any ideas?
Signature: HG
Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth
Dear HG,
Even though we lightened the levels on your photograph, the image does not do justice to the lovely red wings of the Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth, Empyreuma affinis, which can be viewed in our archives as well as on BugGuide. You are correct in your comparison to another wasp mimic Tiger Moth, the Polkadot Wasp Moth
¶ Posted 19 October 2010 § Moths ‡ ° devoted mom
Location: Los Angeles, CA
October 19, 2010 12:34 am
This little lady (or man) has been stationary for several days now on the outside of our house. I would normally think a bug that hasn’t moved for 4 days with such death grip is well, dead, but there are babies to protect, so I’m not quite sure. She’s a beauty! Any idea what she is?
Signature: Julie
Painted Tiger Moth laying eggs
Hi Julie,
It is the right time of year with the correct weather conditions for the Painted Tiger Moths, Arachnis picta, to be flying, mating and laying eggs. One was perched for several days on the door jamb of our Mt. Washington, Los Angeles offices for several days and she finally dropped dead without laying eggs. A pair was spotted this morning on the fence post near the chicken coop and they were in the act of mating, and this evening, there was a female depositing eggs on the front porch beneath the porch light. Nearly every year a female lays eggs under the porch light. After a week or so, depending upon the temperature, the eggs will hatch into tiny fuzzy caterpillars that will disperse and begin feeding on many weedy type plants that sprout after the first rains. The caterpillars are a typical Woolly Bear. Adult Painted Tiger Moths do not feed as adults. According to Charles Hogue in Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “The mature larva is about 1 1/2 inches (40 mm) long and is densely covered with stiff black hairs; The head is black. The caterpillar feeds nocturnally on a great variety of weedy plants, including wild radish, Wandering Jew, and Acanthus. It hides during the day, sometimes retreating into the soil, and it rolls into a ball when disturbed, It develops during the winter and then is somewhat dormant (although active, it does little feeding) until late the following summer, when it pupates; on a warm fall evening, the adult emerges. Individual caterpillars occasionally pupate immediately after maturing and pass the summer in the pupal stage.”
¶ Posted 19 October 2010 § Moths ‡ ° Little red guys near ant hills
Location: Lake Forest, CA (South Orange County)
October 17, 2010 10:46 pm
We found these tiny guys hanging out around ant hills on a trail on a foggy day. They’re so small that at first I thought they were seeds, and I think the only reason we noticed them was because we were studying the ant hills. They were slow and varied in size. The biggest ones were about 1/3 the size of a lady bug. They seemed to cluster together but the ants did not seem to take any interest.
Signature: Jason and Lizzie
Unknown Hemipteran Nymph
Hi Jason and Lizzie,
The identification of unknown Hemipteran nymphs from blurry photographs is a difficult venture, but the information you provided about the ant hill should prove very helpful. Right now we are confident that your Hemipterans are in the superfamily Pentatomoidea, which is well represented on Bugguide. The likeliest candidates are Ebony Bugs in the family Thyreocoridea (see BugGuide) or Burrowing Bugs in the family Cydnidae (see BugGuide). We have been unable to quickly locate any symbiotic relationships with ants. Perhaps our readership will be able to uncover additional information since we must rush off to work for now.
Unknown Hemipteran Nymphs
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