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Monthly Archives December 2010

Pink Caterpillar from Peru: Stinging relative of the Io Moth

Pink Caterpillar in Iquitos, Peru
Location: an hour outside Iquitos, Peru
December 20, 2010 3:15 pm
Hello! I just returned from the Amazon jungle where I saw stunningly beautiful butterflies and wonderfully huge spiders. This is the only fellow I could not identify.
Perhaps you could take a crack at what this guy is going to turn into?
Signature: Regards, Sarah

pink caterpillar peru sarah 300x292 Pink Caterpillar from Peru: Stinging relative of the Io Moth

Dirphia avia Caterpillar from Peru

Hi Sarah,
We cannot tell you the name of the incredible looking caterpillar without doing extensive research.  We are going out on a limb and guessing that it is a Saturniid, and that it may be closely related to the North American Io Moth.  If that is the case, then we suspect this fierce looking South American Moth larva might also be a stinging species.  The sting from the Io Moth Caterpillar is reported to be extremely painful.  We will return later to commence the research.

Update
We found a pink spiked caterpillar, Automeris hamata, on the World’s Largest Saturniidae site.  Then we found a photo of Automeris hamata on Blass.com, but it isn’t the pink color of yours.  We will contact Bill Oehlke to see if he can identify this awesome caterpillar

Update with Identification from Karl
December 21, 2010
Hi Daniel and Sarah:
It looks like Dirphia avia (Saturniidae: Hemileucinae), a genus that is closely related to Automeris.   White seems to be the most common color but the caterpillars do come in a wide variety of shades ranging from green to shocking pink. The markings down the middle of the back are distinctive regardless of color (the dash inside the semi-circle reminds me of a power button). The Area de Conservación Guanacaste (AGC) site has an excellent series of photos from Costa Rica. The species is native to Central and South America, and yes, they are a stinging species. Regards.
Karl

Thanks so much Karl.  You are in agreement with Bill Oehlke on this one.

Bill Oehlke Responds, the second time with an Identification
December 21, 2010
Daniel,
The larva looks familiar to me, but I am not sure that it is an Automeris species. It may well have been green a day or so before the image was taken as it may be prepupal.
If you can find the location in Peru, that will greatly reduce the amount of search time required.
Bill Oehlke

Daniel,
I think there is a good chance it is Dirphia avia. I am very interested in making contact with people who live in South American countires as they can be a great resource for finding larvae, rearing them to adulthood and then photographing adults. I can usually readily identify adults, and then larvae can also be identified. So far there are many species in South America whose larvae have not been identified. I just checked Lemaire’s Hemileucinae 2002, and he mentions Dirphia avia larvae turn from greenish white to purplish just prior to spinning.
The black markings are a pretty good match for Dirphia avia. Any chance there are also pictures of a laterl view, hostplant info, date?
All those things can be helpful.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Bill Oehlke

Thanks Bill,
We will forward your identification to Sarah and copy you in the hope that she will be able to provide you with assistance in the future.

Thanks everyone for helping me out on this one!
Unfortunately this fellow was not on a plant or really anywhere near one, he was headed up the wall of the lodge where we were staying, I assume to start spinning as he was quite fat.
I can give a very exacting location however, we were on Km 52.5 of the Iquitos-Nauta road, about a hours drive southeast of Iquitos, Peru. If you follow this link and scroll to the bottom, there is a map of the location: http://www.bluemorphotours.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104&Itemid=87
I took the photo two weeks ago today.
The colors are pretty accurate in the photo, he was a bubblegum pink and about 5 inches long.
Let me know if I can help you in any other way.
regards and Happy Holidays!
Sarah

Posted 20 December 2010 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Digger Wasp

Are these cicada killers ?
Location: Springfield, MO USA
December 20, 2010 2:39 pm
I’ve got these wasps that are common visitors to my chive garden when it’s in bloom (BTW Chives make great bug attractants for photography). I think from browsing here that they maybe cicada killers. Would you confirm?
Signature: Tom

scolia dubia tom 300x206 Digger Wasp

Digger Wasp

Hi Tom,
The Cicada Killer and your wasp, Scolia dubia, commonly called a Digger Wasp or Blue Winged Wasp, are in completely different families, though they are both robust wasps that dig an underground nest for their brood.  While the Cicada Killer preys upon Cicadas, the Digger Wasp preys upon the grubs of June Beetles and thankfully,  Japanese Beetles, an invasive species whose imago feeds upon possibly hundreds of different cultivated plants, including roses, rose of Sharon, daisies, fruit trees like peach and apple, blue berries … .  According to BugGuide, the Digger Wasp:  “Males and females have a courtship dance, flying close to the ground in a figure-8 or S pattern. Females burrow into ground in search of grubs, especially those of the Green June Beetle, Cotinis, and the Japanese Beetle. She stings it and often burrows farther down, then constructs a cell and lays an egg on the host. Larva pupates and overwinters in a cocoon within the body of the host. One generation per year in North, more in South.“  You are sure right about chives attracting nectar loving insects, and we also find, in our Mt. Washington, Los Angeles office, that allowing onions and carrots to flower makes for an attractive garden to beneficial insects.

You made my day.  My neighborhood has a bad Japanese beetle problem.  Anything, that kills those monsters is welcome I my yard.  icon biggrin Digger Wasp

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Posted 20 December 2010 § Scoliid Wasps ‡ Comments (0) °

Winged Carpenter Ants we believe

Large ants, but what kind??
Location: Miami FL
December 20, 2010 11:54 am
Hi,
We have had a few 10mmish ants running around our Miami Florida home lately. They are fairly distinctive because they are mostly light brown with stripes on their their abdomen.
BUT last night there were tonnes of them, along with the larger and slightly darker winged-form too. These ones are about 13mm long. My picture is poor, but they look very similar in head shape to the kinds of ants I grew up watching in Ontario, Canada. Roundish head, thin thorax, striped abdomen. Antenna are about 7-8 mm long total, and without a scope it looks like 2 segments one of 4 or 5 and the other 3mm. I would love to learn roughly what kind of ant this is, if possible.
Signature: Much thanks, sue gallo

winged ants sue 300x170 Winged Carpenter Ants we believe

Carpenter Ants: Winged Alates

Dear Sue,
Because of their large size, we believe these are Carpenter Ants in the genus Camponotus.  They are winged reproductive alates.  You can read more about Carpenter Ants on BugGuide.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a species identification.

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Posted 20 December 2010 § Ants ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Golden Orbweaver

City Spider?
Location: Philadelphia, PA
December 20, 2010 10:29 am
Hey! Found this spider in my backyard in Philly. Amazing web. It was about 2 inches long. Huge for the city! What is it?
Signature: Thanks! Terri

argiope aurantia terri 300x296 Golden Orbweaver

Golden Orbweaver

Hi Terri,
This gorgeous spider is a Golden Orbweaver, Argiope aurantia, and we are amazed that you had a sighting this late in the season in Pennsylvania.

Posted 20 December 2010 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) °

Monarch Caterpillars

Monarch – Different Instars?
Location: Fort Myers, Florida
December 20, 2010 11:10 am
Greetings from sunny (but cold) Florida! I was suprised to find I still have monarch caterpillars even after the almost freezing weather this past week. However, I also noticed another caterpillar that looked very similar – but the black, yellow, and white bands are different. They are both on the milkweed, but the look-alike’s black bands seem more prominent. I’ve watched over the last couple of days, and the look-alike doesn’t seem to be changing the bands as he gets bigger. Is this a different butterfly, or just a different stage of the monarch I haven’t seen before?
Thanks!
Signature: Catherine

monarch cats catherine 300x189 Monarch Caterpillars

Monarch Caterpillars

Dear Catherine,
Just as some people have brown hair and others red or blond hair, there is often individual variation among insects of the same species.  We do not see anything unusual in the variations you point out and it is our opinion that these are two Monarch Caterpillars.  Thanks for your question and also for your wonderful photograph.

Posted 20 December 2010 § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Metallic Chrysalis from Costa Rica: Cream Spotted Clearwing Butterfly

Silver Metallic chrysalis
Location: Costa Rica
December 19, 2010 9:24 pm
Hey bugman, I’m trying to get an id on this chrysalis. If I had thought about it, I would have just gotten the name from the card sitting on the display. But six months removed from the time I took the picture, I can’t seem to find any info about it. The picture was taken in the butterfly garden at La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica. From their webpage, I know the chrysalis came from one of the species listed here – http://www.waterfallgardens.com/butterflies.php. Any idea which it is? Thanks
Signature: Patrick

chrysalis metallic nymphalidae costarica patrick 199x300 Metallic Chrysalis from Costa Rica: Cream Spotted Clearwing Butterfly

Cream Spotted Clearwing Butterfly Chrysalis

Dear Patrick,
It would seem that you are in possession of the same information that we would need to search for the identity of your Chrysalis.  If we wanted to identify the chrysalis of a butterfly that we knew was represented on a list of possibilities, our course of action would be to search for images of the chrysalis of each of the 39 species pictured on the Waterfall Gardens website by utilizing a search engine.  We would definitely eliminate the Swallowtails, Sulphurs and Whites from the first two rows as this is a Brush-Footed Butterfly or Nymphalid Chrysalis.  We noticed that the website you provided has individual pop up windows on the species that they picture, but alas, those do not have images of the entire life cycle.  We would hope that after searching the remaining 31 possibilities, eliminating known quantities like the Monarch, we might be able to provide an answer.  Doing this type of painstaking research often takes a great deal of time.  Working our way through the list, we are content that this is the Chrysalis of the Orange Spotted Tiger Clearwing Butterfly, Mechanitis polymnia, the 37th species from the top, based on a photo on the Visuals Unlimited website and one on the PhotoBank website.  It is also pictured on the Obsession with Butterflies website.  The chrysalis of the closely related Mechanitis polymnia looks quite similar and it is pictured on the Butterfly of San Martín Peru website.

Thanks, I’m satisfied.

Correction Courtesy of Keith Wolfe
December 22, 2010
Daniel, I’m sorry to be a grinch, since you obviously spent a fair amount of time trying to find an ID, but this chrysalis isn’t an Orange-spotted Tiger Clearwing (Mechanitis polymnia)-in-waiting, instead almost certainly being that of a Cream-spotted Clearwing (Tithorea tarricina)*, which is another common Costa Rican ithomiid featured in local butterfly exhibits.  The pupae shown in your second and third links appear to be correctly labeled as Orange-spotteds, however, the trio that pop up at the Obsession site are actually Cream-spotteds — note differences in the two species’ shape, patterning, and color.  (As I mentioned before, wrong identifications of caterpillars and chrysalises abound on the Web, thus the importance of keeping the Bugman “honest”.)  And here’s what Patrick’s Cream-spotted looked like several days earlier: http://culturalnomad.deviantart.com/art/Striped-tube-146765080.
Best wishes,
Keith
* http://www.tolweb.org/Tithorea/27578

Thanks so much for the correction Keith.  It is much appreciated.  It is interesting that the Cream Spotted Clearwing is not even represented on the Waterfall Gardens website.  Upon receiving your correction, we found an image on FlickR of the chrysalides of the Cream Spotted Clearwing to link to for reference.

Update from Keith Wolfe
Daniel, I just checked and Tithorea tarricina (Cream-spotted Clearwing) is listed by La Paz — reading left to right, 25 pix down.
Cheers,
Keith

Thanks Keith,
Our eyes looked right past it.

Posted 20 December 2010 § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Lawn Shrimp

Bug identification please
Location: Berkeley, CA
December 19, 2010 8:36 pm
Found these in our finished basement, which is connected by a doorway to an unfinished basement. The dog also goes in there, so stuff from outdoors tends to get dragged in more than in the rest of the house. Area is generally cool, somewhat high humidity. Photos are the same positions, just lit differently. THANKS!
Signature: Earthman

lawn shrimp earthman 300x218 Lawn Shrimp

Lawn Shrimp

Dear Earthman,
We suspect that with Southern California experiencing the worst storm in the decade, with predictions being in excess of 8 inches of rainfall in less than a week, your letter will be the first of many requesting the identification of Lawn Shrimp, Arcitalitrus sylvaticus, though we also predict that your photo will be among the best we receive.  Lawn Shrimp are terrestrial amphipods that proliferate in the damp conditions of well watered gardens, however, when soaking rains arrive, they often seek shelter indoors where they promptly die and turn pink.  According to BugGuide, they are found in : “Moist soil and organic matter within 13 mm of the surface, often among ivy or other groun covers. Their exoskelton has no waxy coating to keep moisture in, so they can’t survive dryness. They drown in water, though, so they need continuously moist, but not waterlogged conditions.”   BugGuide also remarks:  “These are rarely seen except when flooding or lack of moisture forces them to abandon their home in the soil in search for suitable conditions. At such times they often end up dieing on pavement or in homes and become a nuisance. Once they start appearing, there’s not much that can be done except to sweep them up- pesticides are pointless, bcause by then they’re already dieing or dead.  The best solution is to keep the numbers down the rest of the year by keeping the soil from staying too moist- in California, especially, they’re a sign of overwatering. Physical barriers like weather-stripping can also help to keep them out of homes, but their bodies are flat and narrow, allowing them to slip through surprisingly narrow cracks.“  Lawn Shrimp, which are also known as Househoppers, are not native to California.  They were introduced from Australia.

Hey, thanks so much for the help. Very informative, and your expert reply is much appreciated. You’re doing a public service. THANKS!

Posted 20 December 2010 § Sow Bugs, Pill Bugs, Isopods, Lawn Shrimp and Amphipods ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Red Jewel Bug: Can This Species Fly???

Shiny mostly red beetle
Location: Serpentine Falls Park, WA Australia
December 20, 2010 2:22 am
We saw this bug on somebody’s shirt yesterday afternoon near Serpentine Falls WA Australia. None of us could identify it but I got a pretty decent photo. I was surprised to not see any visible split in the shell. Any idea what this might be?
Signature: Nathan

red jewel bug australia nathan 300x241 Red Jewel Bug: Can This Species Fly???

Red Jewel Bug

Hi Nathan,
True Bugs are often mistaken for beetles.  Your insect is a Red Jewel Bug, Choerocoris paganus, in the Shield Bug Family Scutelleridae which we identified on the Insects of Brisbane website.  The Indigenous Flora and Fauna website, which identifies this species as the Ground Shield Bug states:  “The Shield bugs resemble beetles with their tortoise-like shell. However, whereas in beetles this is formed by the hardened and thickened forewings, in Shield bugs the shell is formed by the greatly enlarged scutellum (which is like a tiny triangular plate between the wings of other insects). The patterns on this species vary markedly depending on the stage of growth (‘instar’). Females are basically orange with metallic green spots while males are blood red with metallic green blotches but there are many variations. The bugs are commonly noticed in aggregations of dozens.“ We would love to find some information on the wing structure of this species, but our initial web searching has not provided any information on the phenomenon that you noted.  You indicate that there is no visible split in the shell, and that would be an indication of a fused wing structure which would render this species flightless which might be why it is commonly called a Ground Shield Bug.  We hope one of our readers is able to provide information regarding the probability that the Red Jewel Bug is flightless.

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Posted 20 December 2010 § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

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