Looks like a huge ant
Location: Wyoming
October 22, 2011 8:14 pm
We found this bug crawling across the tarmac at an airport in Wyoming in mid October. It was about 3 inches long.
It seems like an awfully large bug for where we are at.
Signature: NutNut
Potato Bug
Dear NutNut,
Though they are most common in the arid Southwest, it seems that Potato Bugs or Jerusalem Crickets can be found in most of the western states.
Arizona cicada
Location: central Arizona (Aravaipa Canyon)
October 22, 2011 8:48 pm
This cicada was found (post-mortem, so no need to put this in the unnecessary carnage section! 
) in October in Aravaipa Canyon in south-central Arizona. I hate to bother you with it, but I’m stumped. I looked through all the cicada photos I could find on your site plus some other sites and I couldn’t find any with that interesting orange X on the back that appears to be between the thorax and the abdomen. (Or maybe I did but was so bug-eyed from looking at hundreds of cicada photos that I missed it.) That just seemed to me to be an important distinguishing feature that I did not see on any other species I found. If you could help me identify it, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
Signature: Brian Jones
Apache Cicada
Hi Brian,
After some research, we believe this may be Diceroprocta apache, a species we have been unofficially calling the Apache Cicada. You can see this posting to BugGuidethat explains how to differentiate the various members of the genus that are found in Arizona from one another. We always welcome our readership to confirm or correct our sometimes questionable identifications.
Apache Cicada
Thank you so much for your amazingly fast response. You guys perform an amazing service with your website. It is both informative and entertaining. Thank you for all of your efforts.
Take care,
Brian
What is this bug?
Location: Ile de France, France
October 22, 2011 10:31 am
Hello,
I took this picture in july in a meadow and I have yet to figure out what it is.
Thank’s in advance!
Signature: NK
Spotted Longhorn
Dear NK,
This is one of the Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae, commonly called Bycids among entomophiles. We believe it is one of the Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae. We hadn’t much hope that we would be able to come up with a species for you, but as luck would have it, we believe we have correctly identified your beetle as Leptura (or the anagrammatical Rutpela) maculata based on this image from the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery. According to BioLib, the species is called the Spotted Longhorn.
My little songster
Location: Northern CA
October 22, 2011 3:26 pm
This little guy/gal appears every night on my geranium plant–October–N, CA. Sometimes there are more than one.
Signature: MF
Tree Cricket
Dear MF,
This is some species of Tree Cricket in the genus Oecanthus, and as a group, they are quite vocal. One species, the Snowy Tree Cricket, it also called the Thermometer Cricket because one can calculate the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit by counting the chirps in 13 seconds and then adding 40 according to Charles Hogue in Insects of the Los Angeles Basin. See BugGuide for more information on Tree Crickets.
Strange caterpillar or what?
Location: Ellicott City, MD
October 20, 2011 9:19 pm
I’ve tried to look through your photos of caterpillars to identify this one. We took this picture this past August while hiking at a local state park, next to the river. I can’t seem to look through very many of your pictures because they creep me out, much like this one did! It is neat at the same time though and I would like to find out what it really is. It was pretty large as you can see, next to my 7 year old’s shoe. We didn’t want to get too close as it was moving across the rock. Thanks for any information you can give me!
Signature: Tracey
Hickory Horned Devil
Dear Tracey,
You had the good fortune to observe the largest caterpillar in North America, the Hickory Horned Devil. Though your sighting is two months old, we have decided to post it anyways since the last Hickory Horned Devil sightings might still occur, though most of our sightings are in August and September. We did not receive as many sightings this past year as we have previously.
Hickory Horned Devil
What is this fly?
Location: Venice, California
October 21, 2011 11:26 pm
I saw this in my yard in Venice, CA. Just wondering what it is. I have never seen anything like it before or since and have been unable to find it online. Thanks!
Signature: Aaron H.
Hover Fly
Hi Aaron,
Sadly, this lovely California Hover Fly or Flower Fly in the family Syrphidae has no common name other than the general name attributed to the entire family. The species is Eristalinus taeniops which you may verify on Bugguide.
Ground beetle?
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
October 22, 2011 11:59 am
Hey! I’m a wildlife student and I’ve been searching for a species from the order Coleoptera to write a report on. I’ve stumbled upon this guy; rather he stumbled upon me while attempting to hide under my bare foot (jeesh!). I’m new to beetles and haven’t the experience in identifying them. Hoping you can help
Signature: Cole
European Ground Beetle
Hi Cole,
This is most certainly a Ground Beetle. Furthermore, we believe it is an introduced species, the European Ground Beetle, Carabus nemoralis. We matched your beetle to a photo on BugGuide.
European Ground Beetle
Hissing Catapillar
Location: Ft. Hood, TX
October 19, 2011 1:02 pm
This catapillar started hissing when my wife tried to move it away from her chair. What is it?
Signature: Brian
Walnut Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Brian,
This is the caterpillar of one of the Sphinx Moths or Hawkmoths. The head and caudal horn are very distinctive in your individual, and we believe this may the the caterpillar of the Walnut Sphinx, Amorpha juglandis. There are photos on the Sphingidae of the Americas website that show the similarities and there are also some similar photos on BugGuide which notes: “larva may produce a whistle-like hiss when handled.” We will contact Bill Oehlke to see if he can confirm or correct.
Bill Oehkle responds
Yes it is Amorpha juglandis, the walnut sphinx.
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