This big ol’ bug looking beetle
Location: Jackson, Michigan
November 10, 2011 8:29 pm
My friend found this bug outside of a Target parking lot and we can not find out what it was. It seems like a rather big and unusual bug. I have never seen anything like it before. Can you please help me figure out what it is?
Signature: N8
Toe-Biter
Toe-Biter
Hello,
I am not sure why, but I just received my email back with no answer or any other type of information submitted or requested.
Hi Nate,
Sometimes when we have numerous emails we are trying to respond to, we just send a brief identification. You missed our response which was “Toe-Biter”. A Toe-Biter is also called a Giant Water Bug or Electric Light Bug. It is an aquatic insect that is also capable of flying. A closely related and even larger species is considered a culinary delicacy in Thailand.
1
Scorpion Spider?
Location: 12° 3’ 45.67” North, 86° 18’ 51.88” West (Nicaragua, Managua, El Crucero)
November 11, 2011 1:07 pm
I found this little spider in my garden in Managua, Nicaragua.
It is about 1 cm long.
To the naked eye the front legs look like scorpion arms.
Signature: Sergiortc
Jumping Spider
Hi Sergio,
This is some species of Jumping Spider in the family Salticidae. Jumping Spiders do not build a web to snare prey. They have extremely good eyesight, and they stalk prey. They are generally small spiders and they are harmless to humans. The closest match we were able to find on BugGuide is this image, though we realize it is not the same as your individual. BugGuide has many species of Jumping Spiders from North America, and it is entirely possible that your individual is a tropical species. Though the markings are different, the shape is quite similar to this Jumping Spider from Nicaraguawe posted earlier in the year.
Jumping Spider
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for your information on the jumping spider.
I am sending you a link to an album I have in FaceBook with pictures of several insects in my garden, If you want any of them, just let me know. I can send you the originals.
Have a nice day,
Sergio
1
Mystery Sphinx Moth?
Location: Eatonton GA (Middle GA)
November 10, 2011 10:42 am
Good morning!
I found this moth in my freshly picked beans. It flutters its wings much like a hummingbird type moth – the wings never stopped all the time I had him. He was found 11/10/11 in Middle GA in the vegetable garden and fortunately announced his presence and didn’t inadvertently become a photo in the Carnage section of the site…
Signature: Dixie Gardener
Mournful Sphinx
Hi Dixie Gardener,
This little Sphinx is a Mournful Sphinx, Enyo lugubris, and you may read more about it on the Sphingidae of the Americas website.
Thank you so much Daniel! What a cool moth – we have such a variety here. But I wish they ate cucumber beetles…
1
Found in Pomona, CA
Location: Pomona, CA
November 10, 2011 2:21 pm
IDK if its a Bee or Beetle? or anything else
Signature: Southern CA Resident
Valley Carpenter Bee
Dear Southern CA Resident,
This is a male Valley Carpenter Bee. Females of the species are black and larger.
1
Ant queen?
Location: Michigan
November 10, 2011 11:00 pm
I found this in the woods and I thought it might be an ant queen. It’s a little over an inch long so I was able to spot it from a distance. Any ideas?
Signature: Weezie G.
Oil Beetle
Dear Weezie,
At this time of year, we typically get numerous requests like your request to identify Oil Beetles in the genus Meloe. You are not the first person who has mistaken an Oil Beetle for a queen ant.
4 legged white booted dragonfly?
Location: northern minnesota usa
November 11, 2011 3:31 am
I seen this in my house in late summer in northern minnesota. This bug flew with all legs spred out gliding like it was flying squirrel. I am very curious as to what kind of bug it is. thank you
Signature: josh
Phantom Crane Fly
Hi Josh,
Though it somewhat resembles a Dragonfly, this Phantom Crane Fly is a true fly that is characterized by having two wings rather than the four wings that most insects possess. Your individual is missing two legs as a result of some trauma. Phantom Crane Flies, like other insects, have six legs.
1
Pinacate Beetle Secretions
November 10, 2011 11:14 pm
Do you know of anyone who has had the secretions from this beetle on their skin? What does it look like? I suspect my daughter has been repeatedly sprayed by this beetle that was in her shoe, and she has a dark black area on 2 toes that will not wash off.
Signature: Lori Lindley
Acrobat Beetle
Dear Lori,
Since you did not attach a photo, we located a recent image from our archives of a Pinacate Beetle in the genus Eleodes, also called an Acrobat Beetle or Desert Stink Beetle. We have no knowledge that the malodorous secretion produced a chemical stain on skin, so we did some research. According to the Exploring the Southwest Desert USA website: “They are well known for their comical, yet effective, defense tactics. When alarmed they stand on their heads by bending their front legs down and extending their rear legs. Depending upon the species, they exude an oily, musty secretion, which collects at the tip of the abdomen or spreads over posterior parts of the body, or they eject the reddish brown to brown secretion as a spray. Larger desert species, like E. armata and E. longicollis, can spray 10 to 20 inches. Most species can spray multiple times, if necessary. The spray is not painful unless you get it in your eyes or mouth, where it is painful, burning and temporarily blinding. It does not wash off.”
1
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