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Monthly Archives December 2011

Large-spotted Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis from the Congo

Congo, Kinshasa spiked and yellow banded caterpilalr and pupa
Location: Kinshasa, Congo
December 22, 2011 4:06 pm
Mr. Bugman,
Can you please help us ID the caterpillar and pupa in the following photographs from Kinshasa, Congo ?
Thanks
Signature: Katy and her dad

caterpillar congo katy 300x206 Large spotted Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis from the Congo

Large-spotted Acraea Caterpillar from the Congo

Dear Katy and her dad,
Can you confirm if the caterpillar pictured metamorphosed into the attached chrysalis, or if they are different species?  We will contact Keith Wolfe to see if he is able to identify this species which we believe is a member of the Brush Footed Butterfly family Nymphalidae.

nymphalidae chrysalis congo katy 300x215 Large spotted Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis from the Congo

Two views of a Large-spotted Acraea Chrysalis

Daniel,
We are not completely sure that they are the same but the chrysalis
was in the same place we left the caterpillar 3 days prior.  Katy’s
mom says she thinks she saw it already attached  there in yellow form.
Thanks for your help!

Keith Wolfe responds.
Dear Katy, Dad (plus Mom), and Daniel,
This is the larva and pupa of the Large-spotted Acraea, Acraea zetes.  I will write more after returning home tomorrow.  Merry Christmas!
Best wishes,
Keith

Daniel and Kieth,
Thanks much for the ID and Merry Christmas.
Katy and her mom and dad.

Keith Wolfe elaborates:
December 28, 2011
Hello again Katy, Dad, and Daniel,
Yes, with luck, your chrysalis will metamorphose into Acraea zetes (http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/heliconiinae/acraea/index.html#zetes); here’s the same caterpillar from Gabon — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31963237@N00/455607804/.  However, with something like 135 species of Acraea recorded from the DRC, most of whose immature stages are unknown, it’s entirely possible that my long-distance ID is wrong.  Thus, please let us know the outcome, preferably showing the resulting butterfly to a local authority or carefully comparing it to a reliable reference.  Disclaimer: the hyperlink appearing in my initial response was inserted by the ever-helpful Bugman.
Cheers from a chilly California,
Keith

Keith,
Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us!!  We brought the chrysalis into the house with hopes to see it emerge and if lucky, document the event as it occurs.  At the very least we will get pictures of the emergent butterfly before releasing it .
Stay warm and Happy New Year to you both.
Katy and her dad.

UPDATE:  December 29, 2011
Daniel and Keith,
We got emergence !  Unfortunately no one was home when it happened to get pictures of the process but we got pictures of the butterfly here :
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/globalvoyager/sets/72157628623329555/
Does it look like Acraea zetes after all ?
Thanks
Katy

acraea chrysalis premetamorphal congo katy 300x169 Large spotted Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis from the Congo

Acraea Chrysalis prior to emergence

Daniel and Keith,
We were lucky to find the butterfly after emerging yesterday.  Unfortunately everyone was out of the house when the event occurred sometime between noon and 4pm.   You can see pictures of the chrysalis that morning and the butterfly in the series created here.  I hope species confirmation can be made with picture of the butterfly form.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/globalvoyager/sets/72157628623329555/
Thanks again.

acraea emerged congo katy 300x240 Large spotted Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis from the Congo

Newly Metamorphosed Acraea

Dear Katy and her dad,
We would love to include the emerged imago on our site, however, we would like to request that you attach the images to your response as it is not possible to grab the images from Flickriver.

acraea emerged congo katy 2 300x206 Large spotted Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis from the Congo

Newly Metamorphosed Acraea species

Daniel,
Please find images attached

acraea emerged congo katy 4 300x183 Large spotted Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis from the Congo

Large Spotted Acraea or closely related species from the Congo

Dear Katy and her Dad,
We are thrilled to get your new photos for our website.  In addition to creating an addendum to your December 22 submission of the Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis, we will be creating a brand new posting that links to the original.

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Posted 24 December 2011 § Brush Footed Butterflies § brush footed butterfly caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Unknown Longicorn from Australia

Longhorm Weevil?
Location: South-East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
November 12, 2011 8:56 pm
Dear BugTeam,
Thank you for such a wonderful site: I often spend hours browsing all the different insects from around the world. icon smile Unknown Longicorn from Australia
I was wondering if you would be able to help me identify this beetle I found on my washing this (mild November) morning. It looks like a weevil, but the antennae have me stumped: I’ve never seen a weevil with such long, furry antennae before.
Many thanks for your help,
Signature: Jen

longicorn australia jen 300x241 Unknown Longicorn from Australia

Longicorn

Dear Jen,
This is some species of Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  It appears to be posing on a fingertip, which would imply that it is quite small.  We are having trouble finding a species identification.  Your mention of the furry antennae is noteworthy.  Though tufted antennae are not rare among Longicorns, they are often a distinguishing feature.  We could not find an exact match on the Brisbane Insect website, however, there is one example identified as belonging to the genus Pentacosmia that looks similar to your beetle.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist us in this identification.

longicorn australia jen 2 300x235 Unknown Longicorn from Australia

Unknown Longicorn

 

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Posted 23 December 2011 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

Elegant Sheep Moth

what’s that moth
Location: Grand Teton National Park, Surprise Lake Trail
November 13, 2011 12:54 pm
Large moth found sitting in low shrubs mid-day, July 27, 2011, at about 8000 feet elevation in Grand Teton National Park. Large size and bright color really made it stand out – it was over an inch long. I’m guessing it may be an atypical (lacking black bands) western sheep moth. Would love to know what it is. Thanks.
Signature: Larry

elegant sheep moth larry 300x190 Elegant Sheep Moth

Elegant Sheep Moth

Hi Larry,
We apologize for the delay.  We agree with you that this is a Western Sheep Moth or Elegant Sheep Moth, Hemileuca eglanterina.  As you indicated, some individuals lack the black bands that make the wings resemble a stained glass window.  See BugGuide for more photos of the Elegant Sheep Moth.

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Posted 23 December 2011 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Unknown Insect from Oman is Ship Timber Beetle

Musandam insect
Location: Musandam, northern Oman
November 14, 2011 6:57 am
This insect can fly very swiftly as it did shortly after I photographed it, much to my surprise.
Signature: Keith Wilson

insect oman keith 300x183 Unknown Insect from Oman is Ship Timber Beetle

Unknown Insect

Dear Keith,
New mail was slow today, so we went back through our unanswered requests to find some interesting posts.  Your photo has us quite intrigued as well as stumped.  The head somewhat resembles a Stick Insect in the order Phasmidae, though the legs are quite short and there are no visible antennae.  Something about this insect reminds us of the insects that have aquatic nymphs, though again we are not quite certain.  Though it has been some time since you sent this request, can you provide us with any information on its size or the conditions under which it was seen, including terrain?

Hi Daniel,
The insect was a beetle – a ship boring beetle, known as Atratocerus belonging to the family  Lymexylidae. It was about 30 mm long. It was the second record for Arabia and may have come in on a wooden ship as it was found near a local fishing boat where there are lots of wooden dhows. The antennae are present but folded under the head.
Regards
Keith

Eric Eaton identifies Ship Timber Beetle
Dear Daniel:
Trying this again.  First time it never sent, or saved….
Happy holidays to you, too!
I am delighted that I can give the gift of this identification, especially when my initial thought was that this is a fly of some kind.  I was literally off by several “orders” of magnitude!  I still managed to find this blog post by my friend Ted MacRae.  Turns out this is a beetle.  I know!  He has a nearly identical image, but good information to go with it:
http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/ship-timber-beetle/
Hope that helps.  Take care.
Eric

Ed. Note:  Here are a few quotes from Beetles in the Bush posting on this Ship Timber Beetle:

“One of the more unusual, and enigmatic, beetles that I encountered in South Africa was this beetle in the pantropical genus Atractocerus.  Placed in the family Lymexylidae (ship-timber beetles), species in this genus look less like beetles than they do large flying ants or strange damselflies due to their highly reduced elytra that expose their greatly elongated abdomen and leave the hind wings uncovered.  The hind wings also are unusual in that they are held fan-like in repose rather than folded as in most other beetles.  Atractocerus brevicornis is the only species in the genus found in Africa (Scholtz & Holm 1985).”

“Atractocerus species are rarely encountered and therefore, not well studied. Their evolutionary history is still unknown; however, the oldest known lymexylid fossil is a very primitive member of the genus Atractocerus preserved in 100 myo Burmese amber (Grimwold & Engel 2005). Thus, the lineage containing these beetles had already appeared by the mid-Cretaceous and may have originated as early as the Jurassic, a fact that has earned them the moniker ‘living fossils.’ These beetles were once thought to be among the most primitive of all Coleoptera – their simple wing venation, almost undifferentiated antennae and tarsi, and naked abdomen being likened to a supposed neuropteran common ancestor.”

Posted 23 December 2011 § Ship-Timber Beetles ‡ Comments (2) °

Southern Green Stink Bug Nymph

Strange Green Bug
Location: Burlingame, California
December 22, 2011 7:00 pm
Just got linked to this site by a friend! I found this bug waiting for me at the top of my basement steps this afternoon, never seen anything like it before! Only one photo came out clearly, but this guy’s only about the size of a dime.
Signature: Marisa

southern green stink bug nymph marisa 300x221 Southern Green Stink Bug Nymph

Southern Green Stink Bug Nymph

Hi Marisa,
This is an immature Stink Bug.  They are sometimes difficult to properly identify to the species level, but based on a photo posted to BugGuide, we believe this is the nymph of a Southern Green Stink Bug, Nezara viridula.

Posted 23 December 2011 § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Parson Spider

Hotel Spider
Location: Wilmington, NC
December 23, 2011 1:18 pm
Dear Bugman,
I am a flight attendant and therefore get to see a wide variety of bugs, welcome or not, both on and off the airplanes. This little guy was sharing a room with me in North Carolina. I have been bitten in the past many times in hotels by many things but wanted to know if this guy is a threat or helpful roommate.
Signature: Kelly

parson spider kelly 300x206 Parson Spider

Parson Spider

Hi Kelly,
The Parson Spider in your photo is considered a harmless species.  They are Ground Spiders that do not build a web to snare prey.

Posted 23 December 2011 § Ground Spiders and Ant Mimics ‡ Comments (0) °

Possibly Ivory Marked Beetle from Belize

Spots, legs and antennae
Location: Belmopan, Belize
December 22, 2011 1:45 pm
Hi! As always, I love perusing your site. I found this guy on my screen and have no idea what it is. The screen mesh is 1/2”, so is body is about 1”. Pretty neat, whatever he is!
Signature: Cindy

ivory marked beetle belize cindy 300x240 Possibly Ivory Marked Beetle from Belize

Ivory Marked Beetle

Hi Cindy,
Despite the yellow color of the markings, we believe this is an Ivory Marked Beetle or Four Marked Ash Borer, Eburia quadrigeminata, or at least a member of the same genus.  Most of the individuals on BugGuide have lighter markings, though one mounted specimen from West Virginia has markings similar to your beetle.

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Posted 23 December 2011 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Mourning Cloak in Mt Washington

December 22, 2011 @ 1:16 PM PST
Location:  Mt Washington, Los Angeles, CA
It is currently unseasonably cold in Los Angeles, but the days are sunny.  The wood pile in the front continues to be a magnet for Brush Footed Butterflies.  This Mourning Cloak was soaking up the sun this afternoon.  We first noticed it with its wings open, but by the time we got the camera, the critter got camera shy.  In trying to coax it to open its wings for a photo (as well as to better soak up the sun) we merely managed to induce it to fly away.  Recently this same wood pile served as a perch for Red Admirals.

mourning cloak 20111222 300x206 Mourning Cloak in Mt Washington

Mourning Cloak

Posted 22 December 2011 § Brush Footed Butterflies ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

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