Skip to content

Category Archives: Beetles   rss

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Unknown Cucumber Pest is Leaf Beetle Larva

dont know what this is.
Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 11:17 AM
hi, i’m in new york. suffolk county long island. i found this bug on my cucumber leaves. their was a whole bunch in july. i still got cucumbers, but these bugs were eating the leaves. thanks for any info you can give me.
christine
suffolk county long island NY

Unknown Cucumber Pest

Unknown Cucumber Pest

Hi Christine,
Seeing as your cucumber leaf lover is immature, it is a bit more difficult to properly identify. We must confess that we aren’t entirely sure of the order. We wish the mouth parts were visible in your photo or that you had described the leaf damage. Were they chewed or did they wither? The reason we would like to know about the mouth parts or leaf damage is that our first inclination is that this is some type of Hemipteran, the insect order containing insects with sucking mouthparts like Aphids and True Bugs. We couldn’t find a match on BugGuide. We might also entertain that this might be the larva of one of the Leaf Beetles though we favor a Hemipteran. Many Tortoise Beetles are covered with projections, but we couldn’t find a match on BugGuide. We will contact Eric Eaton to get some assistance.

Hi:
Peculiar as it is, it is the larva of a leaf beetle (family Chrysomelidae).
Eric

Posted 10 November 2008 § Leaf Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Multicolored Asian Ladybird Beetle: Unusual Variation

What’s this beetle?
Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 3:58 PM
Unusual beetle found in our home. See attached photo.
Curious.
Mckinleyville, Humboldt County, California.

Unknown Ladybird

Unknown Ladybird

Hi Curious,
This is a Ladybird Beetle, and we thought it might be the dark form of the Ashy Gray Ladybird Beetle, Olla v-nigrum, but we no longer think that. There are other similarly marked Ladybirds. You can read more about the Ashy Gray Ladybird on BugGuide. Perhaps a reader can correctly identify this species.

The lady beetle is a remarkable variation of the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis.  They just seem to have endless patterns….
Eric

Posted 09 November 2008 § Lady Bug ‡ Comments (0) °

Click Beetle

Unknown bug found in garden
Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Hey bugman,
During the summer I found this odd bug in my garden during. I wasn’t bothering anything as far as I could tell. A few days later I was fixing a windmill on our property and found another one. I live in Prescott, Arizona, near 5000 ft. elevation.
David,
Prescott, Arizona

Click Beetle

Click Beetle

Hi David,
This beautiful Click Beetle is in the genus Chalcolepidius and according to BugGuide, it is found in Arizona and Utah.  Other than the generic family name Click Beetle, this beauty has no common name.

Posted 08 November 2008 § Click Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Splendid Earth Boring Beetle

crittercam
Fri, Nov 7, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Dear Daniel,  This beetle that I found in carrboro NC is a beautiful deep green.  he is smaller than a Junebug…just to give you some idea of his size.  He also had interesting little extensions on his antenne.  Could you identify him?
Thank you for all your great  work.  I just love your site.
Mary Sonis
Carrboro,  North Carolina

Splendid Earth Boring Beetle

Splendid Earth Boring Beetle

Hi Mary,
We knew that your beetle was one of the Dung Beetles, not necessarily the most attractive name for an insect, so we were quite pleased that our research turned up a more fitting name for your lovely scarab.  We can say with some certainty that this is a Splendid Earth Boring Beetle, Geotrupes splendidus.  It is described on BugGuide as being:  “Bright green, purplish black, or sometimes light blue. Pronotum coarsely, unevenly punctate. Elytral striae with distinct punctures “

Posted 08 November 2008 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Water Tiger

What is this Freshwater Invertebrate larvae?
Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 9:43 AM
I found this freshwater invertebate in July of 2008. I found it in a culvert located in the Chippewa National Forest, north of Cass Lake, MN. It is about 1.5 - 2 inches long.
What is this invertebrate?
North Central Minnesota. North of Cass Lake, MN.

Water Tiger

Water Tiger

Dear Reader,
We have always called the larvae of Predatory Water Beetles by the colorful name Water Tigers.  We believe your larva is of a Giant Water Scavenger Beetle in the genus Hydrophilus.

Posted 07 November 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Mating Oil Beetles

Blue metallic Beetles mating
Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Hello Bugman,
I found a half dozen pairs of shiny, slow moving beetles in my friend’s
lawn late this summer. Any idea what these are or will become? They were about 1-1.5 inches long and a bit bigger around than an average Sharpie marker. Thanks!
Looking for bugs in NE
Oakland, Maine,northeastern United States

Mating Oil Beetles

Mating Oil Beetles

Dear Looking,
These are mating Oil Beetles, Blister Beetles in the genus Meloe.

Posted 05 November 2008 § Blister Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Dark Flower Scarab

Dark Flower Scarab - Euphoria sepuleralia ?
Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 5:29 AM
This interesting beetle was hanging out on my humming bird feeder in Seguin Texas. I had to move the beetle to fill the feeder and it seemed to like the slice of apple I put next to it. since it crawled right on and began feed. I think it is a Dark Flower Scarab. Could not find any on your site. so thought you might like a pic. If this is not what I think it is Please let me know.
Renee Edwards
Seguin Texas

Dark Flower Scarab

Dark Flower Scarab

Hi Renee,
We believe you have correctly identified your Dark Flower Scarab, Euphoria sepulcralis.  BugGuide identifies it as having three distinct subspecies and also indicates the common name Spangled Flower Beetle.  Bugguide indicates sightings for this species occur through September, so your individual is off schedule.

Posted 04 November 2008 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Mating Banded Longhorns

Mating Beetles / Northern Michigan
Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 9:15 AM
These beetles were all over a small meadow next to our cottage in Maple City Michigan during the first week of August, 2008. Caught these two mating. Ooh la la… I have no idea what kind they are and haven’t been able to ID them on my own.
Your site is wonderful! Thanks!
Jeff
Maple City Michigan, USA

Mating Banded Longhorns

Mating Banded Longhorns

Hi Jeff,
Your mating beetles are Banded Longhorns, Typocerus velutinus, in the group known as Flower Longhorns.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on decaying hardwoods such as oak, hickory. Adults usually found in daytime, but do come to lights, so probably somewhat nocturnal. “

Posted 03 November 2008 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Red-Shouldered Bostricthid not Bark Beetle

Humped-back beetle
Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 1:12 PM
I’ve spent months trying to figure this one out. It was seen in a suburban backyard garden. This l’il critter is so unique. Besides the hump, the textured posterior and color pattern are particularly attractive. I would be very grateful for any hints as to the identity of my mystery beetle (no rush). You folks are great - I love the site.
WayneO
Brunswick, Frederick County, Maryland

Bark Beetle

Bark Beetle

Hi Wayne,
We believe this is a Bark Beetle in the tribe Scolytini which may be viewed on BugGuide. The elytra or wing covers resemble the genus Ips, but there seem to be structural differences, including the antennae. We will check with Eric Eaton to get confirmation.

Yes, I do have an opinion on the “bark beetle.” It is actually a specimen of the red-shouldered bostricthid, Xylobiops basilaris. Bostrichidae are often mistaken for bark beetles, so you are in good company.
Eric

Posted 03 November 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Bicolored Multicolored Asian Ladybird

bi-colored Multicoloerd Asian Lady Beetle
Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Before you redesigned your site there was an image from somebody in Florida of a two-tone Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle. By two-toned i mean one side being red and the other was orange. I was not able to relocate that image since your redesign. Do you remember the image? I found one and uploaded it to BugGuide. I included a link to your image as proof that they do exist to help dispel the notion that my image may have been photoshopped.
Here is my image on BugGuide .
http://bugguide.net/node/view/160448 or copy and paste is html isn’t enabled
Ron M.
Kenner, Louisiana

Bicolored Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

Bicolored Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

Hi Ron,
We are quite certain that many submissions vanished during our site migration, and we appreciate you bringing this unusual submission to our attention.  We had to go to our old Dreamweaver version to locate it, but it has been returned to our Ladybird Beetle category.  Thanks for sending your photo as well.

Posted 30 October 2008 § Lady Bug ‡ Comments (0) °

Weevil, possibly Strawberry Root Weevil

Beetle found in bathroom
Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 8:35 AM
We keep finding these beetles in the bathroom, and rarely in the kitchen (adjoining walls).
I think they are between 1/8 and 1/4 inch long.
They are black, and havea hard shell
Can you tell us what they are?
No house plants, no window in the bathroom.
We do have trees and plants outside, and have been bringing in dirt and manure to improve the yard.
thank you
Joe and Kathy
Oregon - near Portland

Strawberry Root Weevil

Strawberry Root Weevil

Hi Joe and Kathy,
While there are some Weevils that infest stored grain products, this is not one of them.  We did some searching on Bugguide, and believe your Weevil is in the genus Otiorhynchus.  Two species possibilities are Otiorhynchus sulcatus, Black Vine Weevil, which “may seek out hibernation sites in homes” or Otiorhynchus ovatus , the Strawberry Root Weevil , which feeds on “strawberries, other herbaceous plants, and tree seedlings in nurseries; larvae live in the soil, and feed continuously on the roots of seedlings; adults feed at night on the leaves, stem, and berries.”  If that dirt and manure you are adding to your yard is being used to fertilize strawberries, we would vote for the Strawberry Root Weevil.

Posted 26 October 2008 § Weevils ‡ Comments (0) °

Mating Blister Beetles

Mating blister beetles
Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Hey fellows, love the new website design! Here are the mating blister beetles from Shilo, Manitoba, Canada
Sherry
Shilo, Manitoba, Canada

Mating Blister Beetles

Mating Blister Beetles

Hi Sherry,
WE have received images of these Blister Beetles from Canada in the past, and we have not had any success with identifying the species. We have matched the images to the genus Lytta on BugGuide, though the indication is that the species might be Lytta nutalli or Lytta cyanipennis.

Mating Blister Beetles

Mating Blister Beetles

Posted 25 October 2008 § Blister Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Long Necked Ground Beetle

Hello Again ! Can You Help?
Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 10:39 AM
I found this beetle walking along the wall around my porch lights. I discovered it in the spring at night time, where all sorts of insects appear! It is one of the weirdest beetles I have ever seen. (note the thorax). I’ve had quite a lot identified on your website, and hope you can continue to help the poor, helpless public. Thanks!
Luke
Murrayville, Georgia

Long Necked Ground Beetle

Long Necked Ground Beetle

Hi Luke,
This is a Long Necked Ground Beetle, Colliuris pensylvanica.  According to BugGuide, it is found :  “In leaf litter and under logs and stones, and on vegetation in wet areas”

Posted 24 October 2008 § Ground Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Oil Beetle

Some sort of blister beetle?
Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 1:34 PM
We were out walking Jester again and nearly tripped over this fellow walking down the road. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a macro lens or adapter with me so the photos aren’t all that good, but I couldn’t resist.
There do seem to be rather a lot of these beetles around lately — I don’t actually remember ever seeing them at all, before.
Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy this site?
Thanks,
Pat
Southwest Michigan (about a mile or so from Lake Michigan)

Oil Beetle

Oil Beetle

Hi Pat,
Your Blister Beetle is in the genus Meloe, the Oil Beetles.  The common name refers to the oily substance that is emitted by the joints of the leg.  This oily substance contains cantharidin which is a skin irritant explaining the common name Blister Beetle used for the entire family Meloidae.  The infamous aphrodisiac Spanish Fly was originally derived from a European relative Lytta vesicatoria.

Posted 24 October 2008 § Blister Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Cottonwood Borer

Not a Twig Girdler, but what??
Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 11:35 AM
We live in Oklahoma in a mostly natural forrest of about 200 acres, creeks, bluffs and trees. This bug was on the patio as we were buildiing a cabinet. We have evidence of Twig Girdlers…branches cut off on the ground with green leaves still in tact. So I thought it may be one, but it did not have the distinctive markings a Girdler has. The tenacles are very long, and the length of the bug is about 2-3 inches and the mouth appears to be large enough to be used in biting or cutting. It is slightly more yellow than the picture shows with a definite black pattern. Any ideas?
skizi
Eastern Oklahoma

Cottonwood Borer

Cottonwood Borer

Hi skizi,
Your Longhorned Borer Beetle is a Cottonwood Borer, Plectrodera scalator.  Most of our photos of this spectacular beetle come from Texas and Oklahoma.

Posted 22 October 2008 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Ponderous Borer

Large unknown beetle
Sun, Oct 19, 2008 at 9:25 AM
Hi Bugman,
About a month ago my girlfriend and I came across this guy hanging out on the side of our apartment building. What may not be readily apparent from the photo is the thing’s size; it was the largest insect I’ve ever met in person, about as long as a credit card.We found it at night, and it seemed to be cold and sluggish. We live in western Montana. After a little research, I suspect this may be a prionid. Any idea what that spike coming out of the abdomen is? Perhaps an ovipositor unsuccessfully trying to bore into a brick?
Matt,
Missoula, MT Western Montana

Ponderous Borer

Ponderous Borer

Hi Matt,
You are correct about this being a Prionid. It looks like Ergates spiculatus, the Ponderous Borer, which has numerous additional common names, including Pine Sawyer, Western Pine Sawyer, Spined Woodborer, and Ponderosa Pine Borer.  Your specimen is a female and her ovipositor that resembles a stinger is visible

Posted 20 October 2008 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Fire Colored Beetle Larva, not Forcipate Dipluran

Unknown Naiad, Firefly larva, and Dipluran?
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Hi BugMan,
I love your website, I’ve been interested in insects since I was younger and always dreamed of being an entomologist. When I entered high school I drifted away from my hobby but in the past few years my inner insect passion has returned. …
The next two photos I took a few days ago in my grandparents’ woods just outside of Scotts, Michigan. The first insect I found under the bark of a rotting log, to me it looks like some kind of firefly larva but I have no idea what it’s holding, remains of a slug perhaps? The second I also found under bark of dead log, it looks like a Dipluran but I don’t really have any idea. I’m not an expert by any means but if you can better identify it, I’d greatly appreciate any of your help.
Thanks for your time,
Phillip “SITNAM7″ in Climax, Michigan
SW Michigan, in Kalamazoo and Climax woods

Forcipate Dipluran

Forcipate Dipluran

Hi again Phillip,
Your identification of a Dipluran seems correct to us. It appears to be a Forcipate Dipluran in the family Japygidae. The members of this family posted to bugGuide look different, but your image matches one reproduced in our Audubon Insect Guide. We are very excited that your photo has added a new category to our website. According to Audubon: “Forcipate Diplurans are whitish, slender, flattened, and wingless insects, 1/8-1/4″ (4-6 mm) long, with long legs and threadlike antennae almost as long as the body. Unlike other diplurans, members of this family have a distinctive pair of short 1-segmented cerci resembling tiny forceps at the tip of the abdomen. Like other diplurans, these live under leaves, stones, or logs on the ground, or under bark.”

CORRECTION: (October 20, 2008)
Hi, Daniel:
Thank you for the prompt! I always enjoy the site anyway, but sometimes forget to visit….
Only thing ‘amiss’ is:
The “forcipate dipluran” is actually the larva of a beetle, probably one of the fire-colored beetles in the family Pyrochroidae. Cucujus clavipes (family Cucujidae) has a very similar larva, however, and I’m unsure how to properly tell them apart. Diplurans are much smaller, paler.
Eric Eaton

Posted 19 October 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Firefly Larva eats Slug

Unknown Naiad, Firefly larva, and Dipluran? Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Hi BugMan,
I love your website, I’ve been interested in insects since I was younger and always dreamed of being an entomologist. When I entered high school I drifted away from my hobby but in the past few years my inner insect passion has returned.
While looking for insects to photograph at the Kalamazoo Nature Center in SW Michigan I found this strange insect on a tree beside the trail. At first I thought it might be some kind of true bug nymph based on its appearance but an entomologist at the Nature Center thought it looked like some kind of naiad. I found it several yards away from a small marsh/pond, but we had recently experienced a heavy rain storm and flooding at the time I took the photo back in July/August so it may have washed away from the pond after the waters receded if it is aquatic. If I remember correctly it was fairly small maybe a quarter of an inch or less. I went back a few hours later to study it more but it was gone.
The next two photos I took a few days ago in my grandparents’ woods just outside of Scotts, Michigan. The first insect I found under the bark of a rotting log, to me it looks like some kind of firefly larva but I have no idea what it’s holding, remains of a slug perhaps? The second I also found under bark of dead log, it looks like a Dipluran but I don’t really have any idea. I’m not an expert by any means but if you can better identify it, I’d greatly appreciate any of your help.
Thanks for your time,
Phillip “SITNAM7″ in Climax, Michigan
SW Michigan, in Kalamazoo and Climax woods

Firefly Larva eats Slug

Firefly Larva eats Slug

Hi Phillip,
Thanks for your wonderful letter.  We are only posting your image of the Firefly Larva eating the Slug at this point.  It really complicates our confusing system of archiving if there is more than one specimen in a letter.  We are most excited about the Firefly Larva because it is the only image we have of it feeding.  We sometimes have problems distinguishing Firefly Larvae from Netwing Beetle Larvae, but the former feed on snails and slugs, and the latter feed on fungus.  This is an excellent addition to our Food Chain series.

Posted 19 October 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Ground Beetle

Beetle in Basement
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 6:10 PM
I am finding these beetles in my house. What are they? While I have found one on the main floor, most are appearing in my finished basement playroom. The living ones I have found seem to be trying to burrow in the carpet. In our utility room (unfinished basement space) I have found several carcases that spiders seem to have killed. Can you identify this bug from the attached image? Do I need to be concerned about finding these in my kids playroom?
Long Island, NY

Ground Beetle

Ground Beetle

Dear Long Island, NY,
This is a Ground Beetle in the genus Scarites.  It will not harm you, your children, or your home.  This Ground Beetle is a nocturnal predator that feeds on other insects.  You can read more about them on BugGuide.

Posted 18 October 2008 § Ground Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Ladybird Larva we suppose

Found a cool looking insect
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 4:50 AM
This insect has 6 legs which are yellow in color. It is long compared to how wide it is. It is probably about a cm long or so and a quarter of that wide. The head and neck of it is blue as well as the tail on it. But the very center of it is a very bright yellow with blue in the center and then yellow and blue spikes. Up close the bug looks very hairy but i am not so sure. I found him on a 4×4 post on my fence line, it caught me off guard because of its amazing bright colors. Sorry i cant get a picture right now but i did draw a somewhat childish painting and is attached to image 1. Thank You
Dan Dan the bugman
North America, Michigan

Drawing of a Ladybird Larva

Drawing of a Ladybird Larva

Hi Dan Dan the bugman,
In our ongoing efforts to distinguish ourselves from the plethora of more scientific insect websites in existance by trying to have a more pop culture appeal, we love getting letters like yours with drawings. We believe you have found an immature Ladybird Beetle, or Lady Bug. We have also had them described as looking like alligators.  We find your amusing drawing to be a refreshing change from the many anatomically correct insect drawings found in texts.

Posted 13 October 2008 § Lady Bug ‡ Comments (1) °