Bumblebee found on Autumn Joy
Location: Decatur, GA
September 19, 2011 9:49 pm
Hi, I found this bumble bee on an Autumn Joy in front of my house yesterday. What interested me about it was its beautiful eyes. What species of bee is this?
Also, many bees on the flowers are very slow moving. Why is that?
Signature: Adrya Stembridge
Bumble Bee
Dear Adrya,
There are so many Bumble Bees in the genus Bombus, which is further classified into numerous subgenera, that we are often confused when it comes to species identifications. Typically, the markings on the abdomen are used in identification, and your photo does not clearly show the abdominal markings. You can try browsing the numerous species on BugGuide and you will see how difficult it can be to correctly identify a Bumble Bee. As the weather begins to cool, the metabolism of insects slows down, and the approach of winter might be the reason your bees are moving slower than usual.
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Crab Spider? eating a skipper?
Location: Charleston, SC
September 19, 2011 12:15 pm
This was photographed just outside of Charleston, SC in a monastery called Mepkin Abbey. I found these two in small purple flowers growing along one of their many paths.
Signature: Steven
Crab Spider Eats Skipper
Hi Steven,
Your photo of a Crab Spider in the family Thomisidae feeding on a Skipper in the family Hesperiidae is an excellent addition to our Food Chain tag. This is at least the fourth entry we have received documenting this particular predator/prey combination. Crab Spiders are hunting spiders that do not spin a web, and several species are typically found hiding well camouflaged in blossoms awaiting hapless pollinating insects including Skippers. Skippers are butterflies that are typically considered to be a transitional family between butterflies and moths, and they get their common name from their quick, darting flight.
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”Bubbly” the caterpillar
Location: Portland, OR
September 19, 2011 9:14 pm
Playing at Patton Square City Park in Portland, OR this afternoon, some kids found this really cool caterpillar. Posting a photo on facebook led to many suggestions, including the Polyphemus Moth, Luna Moth, and Tomato worm. Regardless of what he was, or what he will be, he was really, really cool to watch. What do you think?
Signature: ALW
Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar
Dear ALW,
Your first choice was correct. This is the caterpillar of a Polyphemus Moth. The Luna Moth is not found that far west, and the Tomato Hornworm does not feed on oak.
Head of an ant and body of a beetle!
Location: Northern Oregon
September 19, 2011 10:49 am
My friend took this up at her work in Northern Oregon…we have no idea what it is and I’ve looked through a bunch of pictures trying to find it! Any ideas?
Signature: Laura
Master Blister Beetle
Hi Laura,
We are guessing this is not a recent photo. Most of the photos we receive of Master Blister Beetles, Lytta magister, arrive in the spring, and they also hail from the deserts of California and Arizona, though we have received a submission from Washington. We like to utilize the range data on BugGuide, but alas, the site is currently unavailable.
Thank you for your help! The photo was recent- she took it yesterday, but a friend suggested it was a fire-colored beetle (Pyrochroid) and after looking a pictures online- it does resemble many of them. Not sure if that’s it or not, but it does look like it! And I’m not sure what time of year they normally come out but she saw it September 19th 2011. Thanks again for your response! Y’all have a great site!
We are certain that this is a Master Blister Beetle and NOT a fire colored beetle.
Huge bug found in Israel
Location: Israel (Tel Aviv area)
September 20, 2011 5:35 am
Hello Daniel,
Thank you for this wonderful web site. This bug I found on my balcony on the 9th floor at the end of August 2011 in Israel. Well, I have never seen such a huge and beautiful bug, it looks like a prehistoric one. Wow!
My cat first discovered it and she started to play with it. When she touched him he started to move his head (like bowing) and was producing sounds of wooden branch creak. The size of the bug is 3 to 4 inches. Supposedly it can fly.
Well, I let him free in the nearby garden. My can was very disappointed. 
Please identify it.
Thanks,
Signature: Julia K
Fig Borer
Hi Julia,
Your cat discovered a Mango Stem Borer, Batocera rufomaculata. In Israel where it causes damage to the trees in fig plantations, it is known as the Fig Borer. You can see some links to other websites by viewing the earlier posting of a Mango Stem Borer from Israel.
Thank you Daniel!!! It so great that so quickly identified it, i will look into your link. Thanks a bunch!
Julia
Dotted Wolf Spider?
Location: Missouri
September 19, 2011 10:22 pm
I found this wolf spider in some brush when weed eating a few weeks back. I captured it and kept it as a class pet in my 5th grade classroom for a few weeks before releasing it. I believe it to be a dotted wolf spider or rabid wolf spider. I am leaning toward the dotted as the rabid usually has the abdominal stripe broken up and mine is smooth. Any confirmation would be a huge appreciation.
Signature: Nathanael Siders
Spotted Wolf Spider, we believe
Hi Nathanael,
The best we can do is provide you with our opinion. We agree that this is a Wolf Spider in the genus Rabidosa.
Possibly Spotted Wolf Spider
According to the Fairfax County Public Schools ecology website, the Rabid Wolf Spider, Rabidosa rabida, “is easily confused with other wolf spiders. It can be identified by its stripe pattern. The cephalothorax (front body section) has two dark stripes. The abdomen (rear body section) has one dark stripe surrounded by two pale lines.” That description matches your spider, however, the Illinois State Museum Spider Collection Online page on the Dotted Wolf Spider, Rabidosa punctulata, states: “The Dotted Wolf Spider gets its common name from the black dots on the underside of its abdomen.” Your photo of the underside of the spider clearly shows black dots. Based on all of that, we agree that this is most likely a Dotted Wolf Spider.
Wolf Spider showing black dots
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aussietrev Northern Jezebel
Location: Queensland. Australia
September 19, 2011 10:14 pm
Hi guys,
Thought you might like to add this Northern Jezebel to your archive. Flitting through my vegetable patch dining from a radish let go to flower, they make a stunning sight.
Signature: aussietrev
Northern Jezebel
Hi Trevor,
Thanks so much for providing us with such a lovely photo of this beautiful member of the family Pieridae, the Whites and Sulfurs. According to the Butterfly House website of Australian species, the Northern Jezebel is Delias argenthona, and it is found in parts of New Guinea and Australia. We cannot help but to wonder how this lovely species as well as its relatives have gotten the lascivious common name of Jezebel, and since we don’t have the time to research the matter, we are going to let our imaginations run wild. Whenever we hear the name Jezebel, we immediately think of the classic black and white film starring Bette Davis as a headstrong Southern Belle who creates a scandal when she wears a red dress to a ball. Red is a rare color among the members of the family Pieridae, so the almost garish markings on the Northern Jezebel and other members of the genus are most distinctive, and could have been a contributing factor in the selection of the common name. You can see the red dress scene from Jezebel on YouTube.
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