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Monthly Archives August 2011

Unknown Moth from Florida

Winged bug in South Florida
Location: South Florida
August 24, 2011 2:46 pm
What the heck is it?
Signature: Bugcurious in bipedaland

moth florida unidentified 300x193 Unknown Moth from Florida

Unidentified Moth

Dear Bugcurious,
We believe this is a Moth, but we don’t recognize it and we are not going to try to research it now because we are tired and ready for bed, and tomorrow is a very difficult day.  Perhaps our readership will be able to provide an identity before we can.


I had a biologist friend looking into it for me too. He may have nailed it down. Here’s his best guess: http://bugguide.net/node/view/558205 (Spragueia leo moth). If your someone in your community comes with other ideas I’d love to know.
Thanks!

Thanks for saving us a bit of time this morning by providing us with an identification.  BugGuide has numerous photos of this pretty little Owlet Moth.

 

Posted 25 August 2011 § Moths § Owlet Moths ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Banded Alder Borer

Monochrome Beetle
Location: Bremerton, Washington
August 24, 2011 10:47 pm
Dear Bugman,
I walked out my front door one cool September evening, and found this curious bug sitting on the walkway. I thoroughly enjoyed the coloring and and shape of the bug, so I took a picture. Now I find myself very curious as to what kind of beetle this is. Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Signature: Stephen

banded lauren borer stephen 300x207 Banded Alder Borer

Banded Alder Borer

Hi Stephen,
We almost didn’t look at your request because we have more mail than we can handle and we choose by title.  Monochrome means one color and we had visions of this being an out of focus image of a brown beetle found in the kitchen cupboard, so we were pleasantly surprised when we opened the digital photo file.  This beauty is a Banded Alder Borer, however, in California it is known as the California Laurel Borer.

3

Posted 25 August 2011 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Robber Fly

crazy looking bug
Location: atlanta georgia
August 24, 2011 10:57 am
On a rainy summer day in Georgia, I find two of these fast flying bugs in my car. The other was larger than this, but I managed to get it to fly out a window.
Signature: dj

robber fly dj 300x206 Robber Fly

Robber Fly

Hi dj,
Crazy Bug?  What about the crazy photo.  It is truly an awesome photo of a Robber Fly.

Posted 25 August 2011 § Robber Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Horntail

Is this some kind of stump stabber?
Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada
August 24, 2011 5:17 pm
Hi, I was washing my car today and found this resting in one of the doors. It is just over an inch long, black with yellow highlights on legs, head and antennae, and two rather long pointy extension on its abdomen. One located above the other and about half as long as the other. I have never seen an insect like this and would like to know what it is and where it is from. Thanks.
Signature: – John D. Williams

urocerus albicornus john 300x243 Horntail

Horntail

Dear John,
Indulge us if we go off on a tangent prior to responding to your questions.  You had us at your lead with the tantalizing question regarding a Stump Stabber.  We have a vague recollection of hearing the name in the hazy past, but at any rate, it immediately conjured up a picture in our minds of a Giant Ichneumon, a somewhat unwieldy common name for Megarhyssa atrata, and her close relatives.  One would never call the male Giant Ichneumon a Stump Stabber, as he lacks the 5 inch long ovipositor the female uses to lay eggs that hatch into larvae that feed on the wood boring larvae of the Pigeon Horntail, a type of Wood Wasp.  

So, we looked up the name Stump Stabber and we found the Canadian Talk About Wildlife website and sure enough, a Stump Stabber was pictured to be a Megarhyssa, possibly Megarhyssa macrurus.

Your Hymenopteran, Urocerus albicornus, is a Horntail Wasp that lays her eggs in “hosts include fir, larch, spruce, pine, Douglas-fir, hemlock, and western red cedar” according to BugGuide.

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the info. I got the term Stump Stabber from a bug field guide I got as a kid, “Bugs of British Columbia, a Lone Pine Field Guide by John Acorn and Ian Sheldon”. I just thought it was that kind of bug because of the ovipositor and the long hind legs. I got a better picture of it when I let it go onto a plant. It is attached if you’re interested.
Thanks again,
John Williams

urocerus albicornus john 3 300x212 Horntail

Horntail: Urocerus albicornus

Thanks for sending us a new photo of this elegantly beautiful Wood Wasp that clearly shows her ovipositor.

Posted 25 August 2011 § Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies ‡ Comments (0) °

Bee Assassin eats Hornworm

Good bug / Bad bug?
Location: West Tennessee
August 24, 2011 8:16 pm
Wondering what bug this is that is sucking the life out of this tomato horn worm?
Signature: tn_wildflower

bee assassin 239x300 Bee Assassin eats Hornworm

Bee Assassin eats Hornworm

Dear tn_wildflower,
It is nice to see that though it is called a Bee Assassin, Apiomerus crassipes, one of the Assassin Bugs, does not subsist solely on bees.  This is a very nice food chain image.  See BugGuide for some comparison photos.

Posted 25 August 2011 § Assassin Bugs § Hornworms ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Potter Wasp

unicorn wasp
Location: Jamestown, RI
August 24, 2011 5:01 pm
Rescued this little guy from a bowl of water then decided to take a walk up my arm.
Signature: PeeGee

potter wasp peegee 300x239 Potter Wasp

Potter Wasp

Hi again PeeGee,
This looks to us like one of the Potter Wasps or Mason Wasps in the subfamily Eumeninae, and you can find many of the similar looking genera on BugGuide.  We believe the antennae stuck together because of the water, giving your individual the appearance of only one horn.  For your valiant rescue, we are tagging you as a Bug Humanitarian.

Posted 24 August 2011 § Potter and Mason Wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Wheel Bug

Halloween Insect (some sort of mantis?)
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania
August 24, 2011 6:32 pm
My father found this insect outside a Halloween store here in Pennsylvania about 7 years ago (October 18, 2004, to be exact). A Halloween store seemed like an appropriate place to find such a weird-looking insect! I’ve never seen another one like it. We’ve always wondered what it is.
Signature: RickMK

wheel bug rick 300x173 Wheel Bug

Wheel Bug

Dear Rick
After seven years, you can stop losing any sleep.  This is a Wheel Bug.

2

Posted 24 August 2011 § Assassin Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Birch Catkin Bugs

Kleidocerys resedae I think
Location: Beloeil, Quebec, Canada
August 23, 2011 11:52 am
hello bugman, I noticed those little insects (~4mm) clustered on the end leaves of our white birch and also on the maple tree next to it, but much more so on the birch, they seem to feed off the stems or actual seeds of the tree. I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned even if that tree has been attacked by fungus in the past and is likely not going to last another decade?
I found it in bugguide but not on your site, but perhaps it goes by another name? Thank you! icon smile Birch Catkin Bugs
Signature: Frederic

birch catkin bugs frederic 300x228 Birch Catkin Bugs

Birch Catkin Bugs

Hi Frederic,
Thanks so much for taking the time to self identify your Birch Catkin Bugs, Kleidocerys resedae, and BugGuide is a wonderful place to search for North American species, however, as you must know, this can sometimes take considerable time.  We really appreciate you saving us some time, yet providing us with a posting of a new species for our site.

Posted 24 August 2011 § Seed Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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