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Monthly Archives February 2011

Horse Fly Larva

Found this in the Water…….
Location: Great Bend Zoo, Great Bend Kansas
February 2, 2011 5:06 pm
While tending to a busted waterline at the Great Bend Zoo, we found 2 of these swimming around in the freezing water. Temperature was about -2 with a windchill factor of -10 at the time we found them.
Signature: Johnny Z.

horse fly larva johnny 300x132 Horse Fly Larva

Horse Fly Larva

Hi Johnny,
You found a Horse Fly Larva.  You can compare your photo to the one on the Horse Flies and Deer Flies of Kentucky website.  Female Horse Flies which are also known as Gadflies feed upon blood and lay their eggs on plants near the water’s edge.  Most Horse Flies have aquatic larvae, but some Horse Fly larvae develop in damp earth.

Daniel Marlos,
Thank you so very much for such a fast response.  We weren’t quite for sure what it was, but we had guessed a larva of some sort.
Again, thank you for the fast response icon smile Horse Fly Larva
Johnny Z.
-Zoo Keeper/Safety Officer, Great Bend-Brit Spaugh Zoo

Posted 03 February 2011 § Horse Flies and Deer Flies § Maggots ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar from Dominican Republic

caterpillar identification
Location: Dominica
February 2, 2011 3:36 pm
Dear Bugman,
I took these photos on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean in December of 2010. The caterpillar was very large, about 7 inches long. It had a very thin black tail and orange-red head. I hope you are able to identify it. Thank you.
Signature: Deb Beyer

tetrio sphinx cat dominica deb 300x177 Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar from Dominican Republic

Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Deb,
We instantly recognized your caterpillar to be that of the Tetrio Sphinx, Pseudosphinx tetrio. The Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar feeds upon the leaves of Plumeria or Frangipani, Allamandra, and other members of the Dogbane family.  You can see photos of the adult moth and get additional information on the Sphingidae of the Americas website.

Posted 03 February 2011 § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0) °

Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Caterpillar in Hawaii

swallowtail caterpillar in hawai’i
Location: Honolulu, HI
February 1, 2011 10:33 pm
Can you tell me what kind of swallowtail this is?
Found them on my tangelo…
Mahalo!
Signature: local boy

chinese yellow swallowtail caterpillar hawaii 300x206 Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Caterpillar in Hawaii

Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Caterpillar

Dear local boy,
We did a web search and found that the Chinese Yellow Swallowtail, Papilio xuthus, is well documented in Hawaii based on the Butterflies of Hawaii website.  The image of the caterpillar on the Chinese Yellow Swallowtail pictured on the Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias website matches your specimen.

Wow, that was super-quick!
Mahalo nui Daniel!  Me and my kids love the website–mahalo for your labor of love.
Kua’aina

Posted 02 February 2011 § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (2) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Assassin Bug, Possibly Bloodsucking Conenose

Interesting bug with a very small head
Location: Singapore, tropical
February 2, 2011 1:58 am
Got this bug from the nature reserve in Singapore, a tropical island country. It has a very small head and a long ?nose.
Please kindly advise the name of it.
Signature: Photoskipper

conenose singapore 300x182 Assassin Bug, Possibly Bloodsucking Conenose

Bloodsucking Conenose, we believe

Dear Photoskipper,
This is an Assassin Bug in the family Reduviidae, and it sure looks like the North American Bloodsucking Conenose Bugs in the genus Triatoma.  According to BugGuide, the genus Triatoma is “Pantropical worldwide.“ BugGuide also notes that the Blood Sucking Conenoses are:  “Hematophagous, feeding on blood from tetrapods. Most common hosts are mammalian but avian, reptilian and amphibian hosts are recorded. The most common wild hosts are wood rats (Neotoma) but other common ones include armadillos, opossums and raccoons (possibly also skunks); synanthropic species may feed on livestock (horses, cattle, chickens), pets and humans.” South American Conenoses are vectors for a disease known as Chagas Disease and BugGuide contains this remark:  “Bite can cause severe allergic reaction in many humans. Bite and defecation into bite can transmit Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan. The most notorious vector is T. infestans, found in South America. The North American species are not normally thought to transmit the disease, though they can carry the parasite. The North American species do not normally defecate at the site of the bite, which is what actually transmits the parasite.“  This ECLAT website lists several Asian species.  Bloodsucking Conenose Bugs are also known as Kissing Bugs because the nocturnal insects are alleged to bite human victims near the lips according to Charles Hogue in his book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin.

conenose singapore 2 300x244 Assassin Bug, Possibly Bloodsucking Conenose

Bloodsucking Conenose, we believe

Posted 02 February 2011 § Assassin Bugs ‡ Comments (2) °

Tick

jelly bean sized grey bug
Location: Encinitas, California
January 31, 2011 5:44 pm
Dear Bugman,
I found our jelly bean friend while walking my dog, brought it home for a few photos and returned it to where I found it. It is about the size of a jelly bean, has a flexible exoskeleton with what appears to be small holes and shifting indents on its back.
What is this bug!?
Signature: curiousjae

tick jae 300x206 Tick

Tick

Hi curiousjae,
We knew just by your subject line that you had found a blood engorged Tick, but alas, we do not possess the necessary skills to classify this Tick to the species level.  We believe the correct answer can be found on BugGuide.  Is there an Acarologist out there who can provide the correct answer as well as the identifying traits?

Posted 01 February 2011 § Ticks ‡ Comments (0) °

Salt Marsh Caterpillar spins Cocoon

Fuzzy Caterpillar
Location: Arcadia, FL
February 1, 2011 8:43 am
My very curious and observant 2nd grade students found this caterpillar rolled up in a ball in the grass in our school yard on January 31. We are in Nocatee FL, just outside of Arcadia FL. (Southwest FL but more inland) He reminds me of a wooly bear but without the banding. I can’t find any photos online that look quite like him. They are all either too hairy, too orange, etc. We put some oak leaves/branches in our butterfly habitat with him but he doesn’t seem to be eating. I need to know what he eats! Also if he is some sort of tiger moth then everything I read says they will be in a pupa for most of spring/summer – would be good to know so we are not waiting endlessly for something to happen. Just wondering what you can tell me… THANK YOU!!!
Signature: Mrs. Maiolo’s 2nd Grade Class

salt marsh caterpillar mrs maiolo 300x154 Salt Marsh Caterpillar spins Cocoon

Salt Marsh Caterpillar

Dear Mrs. Maiolo’s 2nd Grade Class,
There is a reason this Salt Marsh Caterpillar, Estigmene acrea, reminds you of a Woolly Bear.  Both species are in the Tiger Moth tribe Arctiini.  BugGuide provides this information:  “Larvae feed on a wide variety of mainly weedy plants including pigweed (Amaranthus spp.), anglepod (Gonolobus spp.), Sicklepod (Cassia tora), Dog Fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium), ground cherry (Physalis spp.), and mallow (Anoda spp.), plus crops such as alfalfa, asparagus, bean, beet, cabbage, carrot, celery, clover, corn, cotton, lettuce, onion, pea, potato, soybean, sugarbeet, tobacco, tomato, and turnip. On rare occasions, they also feed on leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs: alder, apple, cherry, elderberry, pear, poplar, and serviceberry, according to Handfield.”   BugGuide also indicates:  “Adults fly from May to September. Adults fly year round in Texas“  and we expect the year round flight may also apply to Florida.  If your caterpillar is getting ready to pupate, it will cease eating.

Thank you! I did go outside today and pick some various weeds, etc and he was munching a bit.
(Then, my kids came in with what appears to be a Silk Moth today… oh boy… and it started laying eggs in our butterfly habitat! So that is another adventure… never had a class that was so “into” bugs before… these kids are constantly bringing me critters!)
Thanks again for your help!

Update
February 3, 2011
Sorry to keep bugging you (no pun intended), but thought you might like to add this photo to the caterpillar entry… it made a cocoon today! So, now we wait!…..

salt marsh cocoon 300x206 Salt Marsh Caterpillar spins Cocoon

Salt Marsh Moth Cocoon

Thanks for the update.  Like many Woolly Bears, the Salt Marsh Caterpillar incorporates its hairs into the spinning of its cocoon.

Posted 01 February 2011 § Woolly Bears ‡ Comments (1) °

Ceanothus Silkmoth

what kind of moth?
Location: Silverado, California
February 1, 2011 12:07 am
Hi, my niece snapped this pretty moth today at her barn. Wondering what type of moth it is so we can further study it.
Signature: Sandy

ceanothus silkmoth sandy 300x254 Ceanothus Silkmoth

Ceanothus Silkmoth

Dear Sandy,
This lovely moth is a Ceanothus Silkmoth.  The caterpillars feed upon the leaves of the California Lilac or Ceanothus, and despite planting several of these pretty native shrubs in the garden, we have been unable to lure the Ceanothus Silkmoth to our Mt Washington, Los Angeles offices.

Posted 01 February 2011 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Tick from Tasmania

Unknown Tasmanian Tick
Location: Tasmania, Australia
February 1, 2011 8:47 am
Hello, I found this in my house, and was at first very puzzled by it. Looking at it now I think it must be some sort of tick, but I hope it’s not dangerous. I would be very grateful if you could help me. Thank you.
Signature: Joseph Vince

tick tasmania joseph 300x251 Tick from Tasmania

Tick

Dear Joseph,
You are correct.  This is a Tick.  Ticks are blood suckers and there are many blood born pathogens, so Ticks are vectors for many viral diseases.  We cannot say for certain that this Tick is dangerous, but we would urge you to use caution where Ticks are concerned.

Posted 01 February 2011 § Ticks ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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