White Lined Sphinx Moth
Location: Nebraska
May 18, 2011 4:14 pm
Hey! I just found your site and love it, thought I might contribute a little bit. Here is a little friend, what I think is a white lined sphinx moth. It was a warm Nebraska night when this little fellow landed on me and decided to start posing. It stayed on me for about an hour, even as I was walking around and taking pictures. It was a pretty cool experience. Eventually I had to take it off and it just flew away into the night!
Signature: Peter
Whitelined Sphinx
Hi Peter,
We are terribly amused with your photos of a Whitelined Sphinx, Hyles lineata, one of the commonest members of its family and also one of the widest ranging. The Whitelined Sphinx may be encountered across North America.
Whitelined Sphinx
4
Blister Beetle + sore?
Location: Southern Missouri
May 18, 2011 10:44 pm
Daniel, I live in Southern Missouri and have recently been waking to nocturnal ”bites” that produce an intense burning sensation but no sign of an actual bite until a day or so later, when a sore appears (2nd photo). This beetle may be the culprit because it has recently shown up in our home. I can’t find it in your blister beetle archives, however. Can you help? Thanks, Bob
Signature: Robert
False Bombardier Beetle
Hi Robert,
The beetle you submitted is not a Blister Beetle, but a False Bombardier Beetle in the genus Galerita, and it is a Ground Beetle. You may read more about it on BugGuide, including the warning that “Caution: These beetles have chemical defenses (see Rossini et al. 1997)”. Following that link to the Proceedings of the National Sciences of the United States (PNAS), we learned that the spray contains formic acid and that “Formic acid is a potent irritant, deterrent to vertebrates and invertebrates alike.” Your letter specifically states you are waking to nocturnal “bites” but since bites is in quotes, it seems you have some doubt that they might actually be bites. We don’t believe the False Bombardier Beetle to be responsible for your sores, though we might be wrong. We can’t imagine that a beetle that has chemical defenses that need to be replenished would actually expend those chemicals unless it really felt threatened. False Bombardier Beetles are beneficial predators and one should avoid handling them. We are going to tag this posting as a mystery and we truly hope the False Bombardier Beetle is not the culprit, but that would mean something else is lurking between the sheets.
What Caused the Sore???
What’s this Bug?
Location: Tehachapi, California (about 35 miles East Southeast of Bakersfield). The elevation there is about 3900ft.
May 17, 2011 3:23 pm
Hello, a friend recently (today) found this crawling across her floor at her home in Tehachapi, California (about 35 miles East Southeast of Bakersfield). The elevation there is about 3900ft.
It’s about 2.5in long.
We’ve ruled out millipede and centipede due to the inconsistency of the legs per segment. She assures me there were more legs than the 3 pair that can be seen in the photo. I’m thinking it’s in it’s larval or pupal stage.
What do you think?
Signature: with love? I don’t know what you mean by this.
Beetle Larva
This sure looks like a Western Banded Glowworm to us and you are correct that it is a larva. Here is a photo on BugGuide that is very similar.
Daniel,
I’m impressed!
I’ve been reading up on your findings and I concur with your ID. I was leaning towards some form of Coleoptera from Lepidoptera (just didn’t feel very moth-like). I knew those Entomology classes in college would help out some day.
Thank you very much for helping out.
Sincerely,
Mark
Mark Meredith
Field Botanist, Graphic Designer
5
Crazy caterpillar
Location: Amani Nature Reserve, Northeast Tanzania
May 18, 2011 3:18 am
I’ve seen 3 or 4 of these guys now, but the only help I’ve gotten on ID is that it is some type of moth. Anybody out there know?
Signature: Phil
Stinging Slug Caterpillar
Hi Phil,
This is sure a beautiful photograph. Our money is on a Stinging Slug Caterpillar from the family Limacodidae, but we haven’t the time at the moment to research an accurate species identification.
6
What the heck?
Location: South Dakota kitchen floor
May 18, 2011 8:34 am
I found this on the floor. At first I thought it was something off a sunflower but found this worm looking thing inside.
Signature: Please help
Unknown Thing
We are baffled as to how to even categorize this thing. There are not enough visible characteristics except to say that it resembles a grub or maggot, but being in that casing is quite curious. Furthermore, why are there two of them? The casing looks fibrous and hemplike, or possibly like fur. Do you perhaps have a house pet with similar looking hair? We are going to feature your photo in the hopes that our readership is able to provide some information.
Karl solves the Mystery
Mysterious Encased Grublike Thing – May 18, 2011
Hi Daniel and Please help:
Your mysterious objects look to me like the mature, presumably overwintered, seedheads of burdock (Arctium sp.). If so, the little grubs are likely the larvae of the Burdock Seedhead Moth (Metzneria lappella), a variety of microlepidoptera in the family Gelechiidae. The larvae feed on the developing seedheads, then overwinter as larvae and pupate within the seedhead in the spring. Burdock is very common here in southern Manitoba and in the fall the seedheads are typically very heavily infested with these little guys. Perhaps they hitched a ride into your home on someone’s clothing, or maybe a dog. Burdocks were originally Eurasian species but they have been naturalized in North America for a very long time. I suspect the same goes for the Burdock Seedhead Moth. Regards. Karl
Wow Karl, that was an impressive identification.
brilliant grasshopper
Location: Amani Nature Reserve, Northeast Tanzania
May 18, 2011 3:25 am
The local Swahili name is Ongeda (n-gay-duh), but I have no idea what its scientific name is. Apparently they are occasionally eaten.
Signature: Phil
Elegant Grasshopper
Dear Phil,
Our first impulse was to pose the possibility that this might be a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae. We are especially interested in your statement that they are consumed, which is contradictory to what we would expect. We haven’t the time to more thoroughly research this at the moment, but perhaps one of our readers will be able to locate a matching image on a credible website. We love finding beautiful photographs on FlickR, however, any identifications posted there require additional research.
Karl identifies Elegant Grasshopper
Hi Daniel and Phil:
It is indeed a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper (also Foam Grasshopper) in the family Pyrgomorphidae. I am fairly certain that it is an Elegant Grasshopper (Zonocerus elegans), a short-winged and flightless grasshopper found throughout much of Africa south of the Sahara. They are sometimes also referred to as Rainbow Locusts. They are apparently slow and clumsy, relying primarily on their accumulated toxins for protection from predators. The toxins make them taste bad, although apparently not bad enough to make them inedible for humans. I found numerous references suggesting they are eaten in various parts of Africa. Regards. Karl
Potato Bug in Phoenix, AZ
Location: Phoenix, AZ
May 17, 2011 2:12 pm
Thanks for this site!!! My 4-year-old found this. I thought it was so scary/dangerous looking. So glad I could find it quickly and know what to do. It was on our driveway in the sun moving very slowly and looking almost dead. We put it in a jar and I brought it inside to look up what it was. I assume I am correct in identifying it as a Jerusalem Beetle. After finding out that it’s a digger, I wondered if maybe it was just too hot/dry on my driveway. Took it back outside let it go. It was fine (not dying at all). Here are some of my photos in case you’d like to post them.
Signature: chickendar
Solifugid
i was wrong
Location: Phoenix, AZ
May 17, 2011 2:16 pm
Just sent you some photos of what I thought was a potato bug….looking again, i’m thinking i was wrong. SO….
yikes! what is it??
Signature: chickendar
Solifugid
Dear chickendar,
You are absolutely right that you were wrong, though this was an easy mistake to make. Superficially, the Jerusalem Cricket or Potato Bug does resemble your Sun Spider or Wind Scorpion, though they are quite different creatures. Your Sun Spider is an Arachnid, not an insect. It is a wonderfully engineered predator, and though its common names imply that it is venomous, it contains no poisons. Though the Sun Spider poses no venomous threat, it has mandibles fully capable of delivering a painful bite if it is carelessly handled. It belongs to the order Solifugae. More scientific common names that reflect the changing taxonomy through the years include Solifugid, Solfugid and Solpugid. Here is a link to information posted to BugGuide.
thanks so much! my husband has lived in phoenix his whole life and had never seen one of these! scary looking, but we had a lot of fun watching it. so glad it’s not venomous.
thanks for your time and help. what a great resource/website.
darcee
Peacock Moth?
Location: Hamilton, Ohio U.S.A.
May 18, 2011 7:13 am
I found this beautiful moth hanging out on my sidewalk this spring. I live in Southwestern Ohio. A friend suggested that it was a peacock moth, but do these moths live in Ohio? The pictures I see online of peacock moths are not as colorful as this one. What is it?
Signature: L. Mills
Polyphemus Moth
Dear L. Mills,
This beautiful creature is a Polyphemus Moth and it appears to be winking. The eyespots on the underwings are an effective form of protective coloration. A predator might mistake this tasty morsel for a larger creature upon being startled by the sudden appearance of a large pair of eyes. The Polyphemus Moth has the greatest range of all of the Giant Silkmoths in North America.
I like This
