What’s Yellow and Furry and Just Plain Strange?
Location: Central America (Belize or Guatemala)
October 13, 2011 1:47 pm
My daughter and I saw this in Belize or Guatemala (can’t remember what part of the trip) and are stumped. Totally and completely.
Signature: Shoshana
Monkey Slug from Belize
Hi Shoshana,
This caterpillar looks so much like the stinging Monkey Slug from North America, Phobetron pithecium (see BugGuide), that we believe it is either the same species, a subspecies, or a closely related species in the same genus.
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Circle of Life
Location: Contra Costa County, CA
October 13, 2011 9:17 pm
Saw this guy flipping around on a leaf while hiking along the edge of a marsh. Didn’t even see the ant until I looked at the picture on my camera. I wasn’t able to stick around to see who won, but I know those ants aggressively defend their eucalyptus.
Signature: Fel
MIdge and Ant relationship
Dear Fel,
We cannot imagine what the Ant is doing to the Midge. You actually witnessed it, so you think it looked like a battle. We sense that this is some symbiotic relationship or possibly a one sided relationship. Perhaps this became Phoresy after the camera stopped running.
The midge was flipping around like he was trying to get away but the ant had a good grip on him. Those eucalyptus have some sort of psyllid insect, tortoise beetles (fast little buggers), and those ants. If you touch the leaves, the ants come running so I assumed the ant was defending his territory.
Camouflage Moth?
Location: Elmhurst, IL
October 12, 2011 11:40 am
I just saw a bug that looks like a camouflaged moth. I have never seen anything like it. it is about 4 inches long and maybe 5 inches wide. It looked like a big leaf on the ground until we looked closer.
Signature: Michael B.
Pandora Sphinx
Dear Michael,
The Pandora Sphinx is really an amazing looking moth.
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Spider with Egg Sac
Location: Santa Rosa, CA
October 11, 2011 2:24 pm
I took a photo of a spider about .75” long in Santa Rosa, California, recently and would like to identify it. Can you help? Thanks
Signature: Glenn McCrea
Wolf Spider with Egg Sac
wolf spider
Hi, Daniel –
Thanks so much for your help in identifying these creatures. This is a fabulous service. Do you know any local resource in my area where I could find help with local creatures so I don’t have to bug you (so to speak) on a regular basis? I live in Santa Rosa, CA, about 50 miles north of San Francisco.
Thanks again,
Glenn McCrea
Hi Glenn,
We ran out of time yesterday, and though we wanted to post this photo of a Wolf Spider dragging her Egg Sac from her spinnerets, we had to leave for work. You are welcomed. Your photographs were all quite nice. We would suggest your local natural history museum for assistance. Nearby universities should also have entomology departments. As long as you are understanding that we cannot answer all of our mail, you are free to continue sending us identification requests. The Wolf Spider is our featured Bug of the Month for October 2011.
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Spider in Peru
Location: Peruvian Amazon near the village of Santa Maria, 20 miles from Iquitos
October 13, 2011 12:22 am
Hello, while we were in the Peruvian Amazon last month, we found this spider on one of our beds in our jungle lodge. It was about 3-4 inches in size (including the legs).
Signature: Misa
Huntsman Spider
Dear Misa,
We believe this is a Huntsman Spider or Wandering Spiderthough obviously not the same species we provided a link to. Huntsman Spider or Wandering Spiders are hunting spiders that do not build a web to trap prey. They often hunt nocturnally. Some tropical species are reported to be poisonous to humans.
Huntsman Spider
Thank you! We tried to sweep it out of the room but it just quickly dodged our attempt and stood it’s ground. We eventually had to ask one of the jungle guides to come into the room to get it out. When the jungle guide saw it, he took a quick swat at it to get it off of the bed and repeatedly stepped on it until it eventually died. He then grabbed some toilet paper to pick it up and take it out of the room. This was the complete opposite of how the guides gently handled the other spiders we had encountered, so I can’t help but think this one was poisonous!
Oncopeltus fasciatus?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
October 12, 2011 2:53 pm
Hi,
I believe I have this guy correctly identified as a Large Milkweed Bug. Seems as though these are common, but it’s our first sighting ever. If you remember, we did away with our back lawn last year and the drought tolerant plantings we replaced it with have attracted many ”new to us” bugs and birds. Husband Marty pointed at this flying around this morning and said, ”New bug!!” I’m glad I have him hooked. Such wonderful little buggies we have around here.
Will you please confirm?
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Large Milkweed Bug
Hi again Anna,
This is indeed a Large Milkweed Bug. Your gardening efforts are admirable and it is wonderful to hear that in just one year, you are attracting numerous birds and insects. We expect that soon you will be coming out with a photo book on insects that you attracted to your newly created habitat.
Caterpillar
Location: Southern California, Riverside
October 13, 2011 6:10 am
I shot this little guy Oct 08th 2011, in the San Bernadino Mts, Just west of Oak Glenn, at 4500 Ft altitude.
Signature: Rob Lusk
Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi Rob,
This is a Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Lophocampa maculata. Often a food plant can be used to identify a caterpillar or other insect. Your Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar appears to be feeding on blackberry or some other thorny shrub. According to BugGuide: “Larvae prefer leaves of poplar and willow, but also feed on alder, basswood, birch, maple, oak.” Since they are listed as preferences, it implies that other plants are not as preferred as food. BugGuide also has a nice example of regional caterpillar variations, and your individual most closely resembles the Rocky Mountain variation. Perhaps that is really a high altitude variation.
Daniel, Thank You for the Identification. The site is a fantastic resource, that I use frequently. I figured it was on the site somewhere, but I gave up too soon.
All the best,
Rob Lusk
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Papilio cresphontes, Giant Swallowtail?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
October 12, 2011 3:11 pm
Hi again,
I also had a chance this morning to get some pictures of what I think is a Giant Swallowtail. Am I correct? Do you know how to tell if this male or female?
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Giant Swallowtail
Good Morning Anna,
Your photos are making us jealous that we need to go to work during the week and we are missing the opportunity to enjoy our own garden during these glorious Southern California fall days. This is indeed a Giant Swallowtail. To the best of our knowledge, there is no easy way to distinguish males from females. That might require examination of the genitalia.
Hi Daniel,
I just remembered that I read somewhere that the male of this species tends to flutter it’s wings when feeding, so that may be a way to tell the difference between male & female.
Anna
It is difficult to see a flutter in a still photograph though.
Hi Daniel,
It’s wings were indeed fluttering. I remember wondering if I would get a good photo.
Anna
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