Big Ant with a big butt?
Location: South New Jersey
December 19, 2010 3:22 pm
Hi,
I saw this Big ant with a big butt crawling up on the side of my house outside, really slowly. Is this a ”queen” ant that’s pregnant or something? Or is it even an ant at all?
Thanks
Signature: Joe
Oil Beetle
Dear Joe
Many people make the mistake of misidentifying the Oil Beetle for a queen ant. Oil Beetles are Blister Beetles in the genus Meloe.
Smallest cicada from Brazil/ Blog of brazilian cicadas
Tiny Cicada on the beach in Brazil
Smallest cicada from Brazil/ Blog of brazilian cicadas
Location: Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil
December 19, 2010 12:11 pm
Hi Bugman, how are you??
After searching like hell the ID of the last cicada i posted here, i’m quite sure it is a Fidicina pronoe, based on this document (http://www.scielo.br/pdf/aseb/v26n1/v26n1a18.pdf). I’m here to post a picture of the smallest cicada i have ever found in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. It is a Carineta fasciculata, and it is less than 1/2 inch long (about 1 cm, or even less). I believe this could be the world’s smallest cicada, but i need you to confirm that. Can you??
Thank you very much!!
PS: Please publish my blog’s address!!! I have a lot of pictures of Brazilian cicadas, so you can have some fun visiting it! The only problem is that it’s only in portuguese, but i’ll try to translate it to english! Thank you again!
http://cigarrasbrasileiras.blogspot.com/
Signature: Franco (Cicada Lover)
tiny Cicada
Dear Franco,
Thank you so much for doing the research on your Cicada species. In California, we have seen very tiny Cicadas, about a centimeter long, in the desert in Joshua Tree National Park, but we would have to do some research to be able to answer your question about the world’s smallest Cicada. We will gladly link to your blog, but we hope the increased traffic doesn’t crash your server.
tiny Cicada from Brazil
Correction from Franco
January 25, 2011
Hey Daniel, i’m sorry, but i misidentified the cicada i posted. It is not a Carineta fasciculata, but it is a Taphura sp (i say so because i found a picture of a real Carineta fasciculata, and it is very bigger than the one i posted). How can i say now that it is a Taphura sp? Based on its diminutive size, on pics i saw on the internet and on a document (http://pgentomologia.ffclrp.usp.br/pdf/2008/Douglas%20Bottura.pdf ) that refers to Taphura sp as a very common species in Brazil. Attached to this letter i send you new pics of a Taphura sp (did you note the resemblance with Beameria venosa?), including its measure (9mm!!!).
Have a nice year!!!
Brazilian Cicada: Taphura sp
Thanks for the information Franco.
Thanks for posting my update, but i forgot to tell that the green cicada i attached to the e-mail (the upper pic) is not a Taphura sp, but a Carineta fasciculata. Taphura sp is just the picture below (with the scale).
Thanks again and sorry for that mistake.
We will create a new post.
Special Mosquitos?
Location: Palolo Valley, Honolulu, HI
December 16, 2010 5:39 pm
Found these two getting busy on the shoe rack this morning… I hope they don’t recognize and remember faces for an attack later on when they’re done… Are these special mosquitoes or something? They sure don’t look like a regular Mosquito!
Signature: TH
Mating Banana Stalk Flies
Dear TH,
Wow, what an awesome photo you have sent to us. We have no idea where to begin researching the identity of these unusual looking mating Flies, but we can assure you that they are not mosquitoes. Like so many other creatures in Hawaii, we suspect these might be an introduced species, possibly from Asia.
Immediate Update
We quickly found a match for your mating Flies. They are identified on BugGuide as Banana Stalk Flies, Telostylinus lineolatus, in the family Neriidae, the Stilt Legged Flies. The Cook Islands Biodiversity website has a page devoted to the Banana Stalk Fly, and they list the other common names Banana Fly, Push-me-Pull-me Fly and Push-pull Fly. The range is listed as “Sri Lanka – Indonesia / Australia – Marquesas, Hawai‘i” and it is considered a pest species, but the site does not indicate why. The Rainforest Revelations website has this information: “With enormous eyes, this tiny, tropical, stilt-legged fly maintains a confident distance from human approach, by swiftly running around the blind-side of whatever surface it is on. … Telostylinus lineolatus inhabits tropical north Queensland, where it aggregates on flowers and rotting fruit. They are members of Neriidae, which is a relatively small family of true flies (Diptera) with long, stilt-like legs.“ The Evolutionary Biology Lab Research website has this information on the family: “Neriidae is a relatively small family of true flies (Diptera) with long, stilt-like legs. Most species are found in the tropics. Neriids have very interesting behaviours, and many species are strikingly sexually dimorphic, with males having much longer legs, heads and/or antennae than females. Like piophilid flies, neriid larvae have the ability to leap during the stage just before pupation when they migrate from the larval feeding substrate to the pupation site. Very little research has been done on this interesting group of flies.”
100_0461, 100_0466, 100_0465, 100_0464, 100_0463, 100_0462
Hey Daniel
I’m feeling like I live in the land of the giants, after seeing the biggest butterfly ever, we found this 3-4 cm long caterpillar in the garden today, pictures attached. Are you able to identify it for me? I didnt want to get too close to him, he wasnt happy about being found I think and went back under the retaining wall as soon as we started to walk away.
Many thanks again
Gayle Downey
Coequosa australasiae Caterpillar
Hi Gayle,
Please provide a location before we begin any research.
Coequosa australasiae Caterpillar
Sorry Daniel!!
This photo was taken today at our home at Horsfield Bay on the NSW Central Coast. We are approx 50 – 60kms north of Sydney. Our home borders on the bush and we have an Australian Native Garden, this encourages a lot of natural wildlife which we are thrilled with.
Regards
Gayle Downey
No problem Gayle,
We will begin research tomorrow morning. Though this caterpillar resembles a Sphinx Moth Caterpillar except for the absence of a caudal horn, and though some Sphinx Caterpillars, which are commonly called Hornworms lack a caudal horn, we do not believe your caterpillar is a Sphinx, and we also have our doubts that it is a Giant Silkworm.
Caterpillar
what bug is this
Location: inkom Idaho
December 19, 2010 12:04 am
Just wondering what kind of beetle this is, found in late summer in Idaho
Signature: Kathy P
Banded Alder Borer
Hi Kathy,
This beautiful beetle is a Banded Alder Borer, and down south it is known as the California Laurel Borer, so since you are at the northern border, it would stand to reason that you have your own gene pool up north. Unless DNA analysis is performed, we will probably never know if your beetle is a distinct subspecies, in which case it might be called an Idaho Laurel Borer.
Banded Alder Borer
New bug in my home
Location: Los Angeles, CA
December 18, 2010 3:34 pm
I’ve recently been seeing more and more of a tiny bug in my home. I usually spot them in the kitchen, but I’ve recently spotted a few in the bathroom. Most of the ones I’ve found have been dead and found on plates or in pots in the cupboard. (yuck!). The bug is about 5mm long, lots of legs and a bit fuzzy. I’m located in the Los Angeles Area. I’ve seen this bug for about the past 6 months.
what is it? and how do I discourage it from living in my home?
See attached photos.
Signature: Fritzy
Carpet Beetle Larva
Dear Fritzy,
Funning the vacuum cleaner more often to remove human and pet hairs should help control your Carpet Beetle population unless you have wool rugs as they will also feed on wool fibers.
Pod insect
Location: indoors on wall and on the floor
December 18, 2010 5:14 pm
Hi bugman,
I have these odd pods everywhere inside my home. I find them on the floor or attached to the walls…I am hoping for identification and of course I want to get rid of them! They are difficult to see unless they are on a white wall, I am afraid that they are in more places and I will have a few nasty surprises soon. I have searched your site already and the web but have found nothing similar. Many many thanks for any guidance
Signature: best
Case Bearing Moth Larva
Dear best,
Case Bearing Moth Larvae, like the one in your photograph, are often found indoors on walls. They feed upon shed pet hair and other organic fibers, and the best way to control them is to meticulously vacuum away their food source.
I would love to know what this is.
Location: South Louisiana
December 18, 2010 4:47 pm
Hi there,
I found this odd looking bug underneath my carport one night. We had our large outdoor florescent light on and it was just sitting on the concrete. I’ve seen this bug once or twice before, but not very often. It just looks weird! I’m not sure if it’s a type of beetle, or related to the large flying stinkbugs that we have here in South Louisiana.
Signature: Bugged in Cajun Country
Toe-Biter
Dear Bugged,
This is a Giant Water Bug or Toe-Biter, so named because of the painful bite received by so many swimmers in freshwater ponds and lakes where this large predator prowls for aquatic insects as well as tadpoles and small fish. Another common name for the Giant Water Bug is Electric Light Bug because it is commonly attracted to lights while flying from pond to pond. Though it is quite streamlined in both the water and the air, it is awkward on land.
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