Skip to content

Monthly Archives November 2011

Pumpkin Spider

Bright Orange spider
Location: Pandora, OH – Putnam County – NW Ohio
November 9, 2011 9:08 pm
I found this spider outside today – it is fluorescent orange! Very weird. The temp was low 60’s and falling. It appeared to be dying… moving very slow, and sometimes would just curl up. I have NEVER seen any spider this color.. any idea what it is ?? And why does it have an extra set of ”small legs” in front?
Signature: Found Freaky Spider

marbled orbweaver ohio orange 300x220 Pumpkin Spider

Pumpkin Spider

Dear FFS,
This gorgeous individual is a Marbled Orbweaver, Araneus marmoreus, a highly variable species.  Not every individual is orange, but the bright orange color variation is quite distinctive.  According to BugGuide, an alternative name is Pumpkin Spider, a common name that no doubt refers to both the color and the time of year large individuals are noticed corresponding to Halloween.  The underside of your individual has markings similar to this photo from BugGuide.

marbled orbweaver under ohio 300x225 Pumpkin Spider

Marbled Orbweaver

Thanks so much for sending three distinctly different camera angles of this beautiful Pumpkin Spider.

marbled orbweaver ohio 2 300x188 Pumpkin Spider

Pumpkin Spider

 

 

1

Posted 11 November 2011 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

North Campus of Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

Daniel,
I just wanted to let you know about my Museum Blog http://northcampusnhm.blogspot.com/! The most recent post includes a picture from What’s That Bug.
Check it out.
Lila

mediterranean mantis freeman 300x248 North Campus of Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

Mediterranean Mantis in Threat Posture

Hi Lila,
When will the North Campus be open to the public?
Daniel

Daniel,
The North Campus will have a grand opening in late spring 2013, after our new grand entrance, the Otis Booth Pavilion is finished. However, parts of the gardens will be open for Museum programming and special tours starting next March.
We’re already finding a lot of cool insects, can’t wait to see what else turns up.
Lila

1

Posted 11 November 2011 § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0) °

Oil Beetle

metallic blue and black bug
Location: Rhide Island, USA
November 10, 2011 7:58 am
My kids found this in my backyard, in Rhode Island. It was taken with my android phone using it’s macro setting, if you look closely you can see a smaller orangish bug on its back, just behind his head. Could it be a baby or a little helper?
Signature: W Mcquade

oil beetle rhode island 300x225 Oil Beetle

Oil Beetle

Dear w Mcquade,
This is an Oil Beetle, a species of Blister Beetle.  Blister Beetles can exude a compound known as cantharidin that is a blistering agent, so Blister Beetles should not be handled.  We cannot make out the identity of the hitchhiker.  It is not a baby blister Beetle.  It may be a Phoretic Mite, but we have not heard of any Mites that use Blister Beetles for transportation.

Posted 10 November 2011 § Blister Beetles § Mites ‡ Comments (3) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tiger Moth from Tanzania

Mahale Mountains Moth
Location: Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania
November 10, 2011 9:00 am
Dear Daniel
I took this picture in February, in the morning, in Mahale Mountains National Park- Tanzania. I would love to know what genus (or species) this animal belongs to. This beautiful moth was rather slow moving.
kind regards
Teena
Signature: Teena

saturniid tanzania teena 300x212 Tiger Moth from Tanzania

Unknown Moth from Tanzania

Dear Teena,
We are going to seek some assistance from Bill Oehlke for this identification.  Your moth reminds us of the Royal Walnut Moth or Regal Moth, Citheronia regalis, from North America (see BugGuide), however, to the best of our knowledge, that genus and subfamily are not found in Africa.

HI Daniel thanks very much for trying, I thought maybe it was from the family Ctenuchinae, but that was as far as I could get and then I wasn’t really sure.  If it is possible I would love to know.  Warm regards Teena
Teena Payne
The Infinite Horizon

How large was this moth Teena?

Hi Daniel, I reckon about 2cm-ie wing/head length.  Kind regards Teena

Bill Oehlke provides a correction
November 11, 2011
HI Daniel,
A pretty moth but I do not know what it is. It is not a Saturniidae.
Bill Oehlke

Hi again Teena,
We are going to check with Arctiid expert Julian Donahue next to verify if this is a Tiger Moth as you suspected.  Julian may be exploring some exotic land right now, so his response may be delayed.

Julian Donahue provides some taxonomy
November 14, 2011
Nice moth! Formerly placed in the mostly African family Thyretidae, but this group has recently been considered a part of the subfamily Syntominae of the Arctiidae (or the tribe Syntomini of the subfamily Arctiinae of the family Noctuidae, if you follow the recent extreme lumping of the tiger moths with the “millers”).
The moth appears to belong to the genus Balacra or the genus Metarctia, both of which have several species recorded from Tanzania. Some of those species are relatively recently described, and I do not have at hand any of the pertinent references to key out a specimen (if indeed I had a specimen in hand).
Sorry I couldn’t be any more specific.
Julian

Dear Daniel and Julian… many thanks for your efforts…I wish I had taken more pictures of this animal- especially since it was very compliant! In all the time I was in Mahale this was the only one I ever saw.  kind regards Teena

1

Posted 10 November 2011 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Atlas Moth Caterpillar from China, we believe

What the heck is that?
Location: China
November 9, 2011 6:59 pm
My friend found a ton of these in a tree. WHAT IN THE WORLD?
Signature: -confused

atlas moth cat china 300x221 Atlas Moth Caterpillar from China, we believe

Atlas Moth Caterpillar

Dear -confused,
We believe this is the caterpillar of an Atlas Moth.  If the criterion is wing area, the Atlas Moth is the largest moth in the world.  The Squidoo website has a nice profile on the Atlas Moth

1

Posted 10 November 2011 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

Can stain from Stink Bugs from Australia be used to dye skin???

Musgraveia sulciventris skin stain
Location: Sydney
November 9, 2011 4:46 pm
Hi, my wife was picking these stink bugs off the citrus and now has orange stained fingers. Even a week later they are strongly stained and nothing she has tried can wash it off. A bit like henna.
Can the dye in the bugs be isolated and used as a skin dye like henna?
Signature: Alexander Rosser

bronze orange bug australia bernoe 266x300 Can stain from Stink Bugs from Australia be used to dye skin???

Large Stink Bug Nymph from Australia

We will try to locate information on the potential for skin dye from the excretion of the Bronze Orange Bug from Australia.

1

Posted 09 November 2011 § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Seasonal November Occurrance: Wheel Bug found in Cereal Box!!!

Weird Bug in cereal box!
Location: Lynchburg, VA
November 8, 2011 6:32 pm
Just curious what kind of bug this is. It was inside a cereal box that was previously opened but closed back up and the bag of cereal folded down. The pictures were taken by me, Nov 8, 2011. It seemed harmless, but reminded me of a preying mantis in its mannerisms. Strangely aware of its surroundings and moving very slowly.
Signature: R.E.B.

wheel bug reb 300x227 Seasonal November Occurrance: Wheel Bug found in Cereal Box!!!

Wheel Bug

Dear R.E.B.,
We contemplated sending you a quick response this morning, but our lead writer decided it was more important to comb his hair and catch the train to work so as not to be late, hence, we waited until the leisurely evening hours to respond.  This beautiful predator is a Wheel Bug.  You were astute to notice the similarities to a Preying Mantis in the raptorial forelegs of this species of Assassin Bug.  We are a bit dumbfounded as to why an adult Wheel Bug would wander into a box of cereal, but we feel it was a random landing.  Generally, when people find insects in cereal, they are culprits like Indian Meal Moths, Spider Beetles or Larder Beetles.  Wheel Bugs can fly.  Do not let their lethargic movements fool you as they belie the quick grab and piercing bite of a formidable predator.  The name Wheel Bug refers to the signature cog on the thorax which we believe deters predators from swallowing adult Wheel Bugs.  There is a reason we made the Wheel Bug the Bug of the Month for November 2010, and that is because adult Wheel Bugs are a seasonal occurrence.

1

Posted 09 November 2011 § Assassin Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Clown Beetle with Phoretic Mites

Beetle with babies
Location: Hudson Valley NY
November 8, 2011 3:49 pm
Found this during the freak October snowstorm. This was during a power outage so I had to light it with a flashlight, otherwise I would have had better pictures.
What is it? Have never seen one before. It was a beautiful glossy black.
Signature: Bugged in NY

clown beetle mites 295x300 Clown Beetle with Phoretic Mites

Clown Beetle with Mites

Dear Bugged in NY,
Your letter probably deserves much more research than we have the time for right now, so we will be brief.  These are not baby beetles.  They are Mites, and we suspect they are phoretic Mites that are using the beetle as a means of transportation to get from one food source to another.  The beetle is a Clown Beetle in the genus Hololepta.  You can view BugGuide for additional information on Clown Beetles.  Earlier this year, we received another image of a Clown Beetle with Phoretic Mitesand the Mites were identified as  “Neolobogynium americana (family Diplogyniidae). Adults are phoretic on Hololepta beetles.”

clown beetle mites 2 300x225 Clown Beetle with Phoretic Mites

Clown Beetle with Phoretic Mites

 

Posted 09 November 2011 § Clown Beetles § Mites ‡ Comments (0) °

Page 14 of 20« First...1213141516...20...Last »