Unknown Insect
Location: San Antonio, TX, United States
December 12, 2010 2:24 am
Hi. I found this insect near a wooded area where I work. It was dead when I found it, unfortunately. Extremely coincidentally, my wife also found one in our own backyard the other day! I have never seen insects like these, and I thought how rare it could be for me to find 2. Any help identifying what type of insect it is would be most appreciated. I tried researching on my own and only came up with it has a head/snout similar to a weevil. Thanks in advance.
Signature: John C

Wheel Bug

Hi John,
This is a Wheel Bug and it is the largest Assassin Bug in North America.

Thank you very much for that incredibly quick response! Having the name was the key that I needed to unlock all the information about this insect, because before, I was searching for it based on its description. I just read the whole Wikipedia page on it and some info on other sites. I wonder if I’ll ever see one alive in the wild? The info did mention that it is shy (yet vicious, an odd combo). Anyway, thanks again for the help!

Thanks again. P.S. Do you have any suggestions for containment of my two specimens? I know people put dead butterflies on pins, but I’d rather not impale them (for fear of them breaking). I was thinking of getting a cheap small clear plastic box or something, maybe Hobby Lobby would have it, to display them (yes, might be weird, but I’m just so fascinated by this insect as neither my wife nor I or any of my family have EVER seen a creature such as this). My wife suggested a container with alcohol. Any ideas?

Hi again John,
We would not recommend putting a pin through an already dried insect.  Many hobby shops have display cases that contain a cottony substance.  Alcohol is not used for hard bodied insect preservation.  They will last for many years provided they are kept safe from Dermestids and other creatures that damage museum collections.

Excellent! Thank you very much for your help. I’ll be sure to use whatsthatbug.com again if ever I come across an unidentified insect. Thanks again.

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what is it
Location: Perth Western Australia
November 24, 2010 7:51 pm
Found this bug in the office. none of us know what it is. It was about 1.5cm long and about 1cm wide. it was tapping its fury back things. Can you tell us what bug it is?
Signature: Victoria

Feather Legged Assassin Bug

Dear Victoria,
We believe it is a Leaf Footed Bug, but it has several features that are unlike any Leaf Footed Bug in the family Coreidae that we are familiar with.  First off, it has antennae that can be described as plumose (see BugGuide on Antennae Forms) and the BugGuide page on Plumose Antennae pictures some examples, but no True Bugs.  The enlarged portions of the tibiae also appear to be fringed.  We had no luck locating anything even remotely similar on the Brisbane Insect Coreid Page.  Meanwhile we are posting and featuring your unusual insect in the hope that either we or one of our readers will be able to provide an identification for you.

Correction: November 27, 2010
Thanks to a comment by lttlechkn, this fascinating anomaly has been identified as a Feather Legged Assassin Bug or Ant Assassin, Ptilocnemus lemur.  Our observations about the unusual morphology of this creature remain because the antennae and tibiae are highly unusual for Assassin Bugs as well as Coreid Bugs.  We apologize profusely to lttlechkn for falsely identifying this as a Leaf Footed Bug which prolonged the actual identification.

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Wheel Bugs!
Location: La Fortuna, Costa Rica
November 9, 2010 3:58 pm
Hello!
I have been meaning to share this picture with you for awhile but never got around to it. When I browsed through today and saw that the bug of the month is the wheel bug, I took it as a sign. I snapped this picture in the transistion forest at the base of the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. This was taken 3 years ago in 2007. I don’t know if this qualifies as bug love but that’s what it looks like to me. You run a really fantastic site. Thanks for your efforts!
Signature: Maria

Cog-Wheel Bugs mating in Costa Rica

Dear Maria,
Thank you for your kind words.  We are very excited to post your photograph and we wonder what other gems you may be withholding from us.  While it is obvious that this amorous pair is related to the North American Wheel Bug, the coloration is also quite distinctive, most notable the red coloration at the base of the coglike projection of the thorax.  The orange wings are also not typical of the North American Wheel Bug.  We decided to do a web search of the genus name Arilus and Costa Rica and we found a google book entitled Latin American Insects and Entomology by the amazing Charles Leonard Hogue.  On page 223 is a line drawing of the Cog-Wheel Bug, Arilus carinatus, though there is no mention of the coloration.  We found some additional photographs online of the species on the Flickriver website, but again, the coloration on your specimens is different.  While we can rest assured that your mating pair is a close relative in the genus Arilus of the North American Wheel Bug, we cannot be certain of the Costa Rican species.

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What is this bug
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
October 25, 2010 8:41 am
It was outside our work. Looks prehistoric.
any

Wheel Bug Stalks Stink Bug

Giant Stink Bug?
Location: Pittsburgh PA
October 25, 2010 1:28 pm
Hi,
I took this photo yesterday (10/24/2010) of a large bug in my driveway. This is in SouthWestern Pennsylvania which is under a stink bug assault right now. The funny thing is several others at work have seen this bug just this weekend. One person brought in the same thing but it was entirely black instead of brown colored. We’ve called it the ”stink bug queen” and ”mutant stink bug” but really have no idea. What is this?
Signature: Eric

Wheel Bug

Dear Eric,
We have gotten so many requests in the past week to identify Wheel Bugs that despite it being chosen Bug of the Month in November 2008, we felt it warranted receiving the title again this year.  The Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, is the largest Assassin Bug in North America.  They are slow moving predators, and though they are capable of biting, we receive very few reports of people being bitten even after handling Wheel Bugs.  Many people describe the Wheel Bug as looking prehistoric or comparing them to dinosaurs, particularly the Stegosaurus.  In the spring, we get numerous identification requests for Wheel Bug hatchlings that look like red and black ants clustered around the remains of the egg mass that has passed the winter attached to a tree branch or fence post.

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