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Charlie Brown Blister Beetle

Found in Albuquerque NM Aug 2010
Location:  USA South West
September 8, 2010 2:48 am
I am curious as to the identity of this insect.
Signature:  It doesn’t matter.

charlie brown blister beetle nm Charlie Brown Blister Beetle

Charlie Brown Blister Beetle

Dear It doesn’t matter,
The enthusiasm of your email literally oozed off the computer screen at us, so we were compelled to copiously research your identification request until we were successful because we thought it would mean so much to you.  The clarity of your low resolution image that appears to have been taken with a cellular telephone seems to indicate a beetle with a soft body, so we started by searching BugGuide for Soldier Beetles, and we drew a blank.  We next turned to Blister Beetles on BugGuide and browsed through page after page of BugGuide imagery in the subfamily Nemognathinae without success.  We had better luck with the BugGuide section on the subfamily Meloinae where we finally identified the Charlie Brown Blister Beetle, Pyrota palpalis, but alas, BugGuide has no specific information on the species.  We sincerely hope that our research has not sated your curiosity, and that we have whetted your appetite to pursue more knowledge on this gaily marked beetle named after a pop culture icon.  At any rate, it did whet our appetite, so we tried some additional research in an attempt to learn specifics about the Charlie Brown Blister Beetle.  We did find it on the Texas Beetle Information website, but other than a map of Texas indicating the range in the southwest portion of the state and a link to photos on the Harvard Entomology website, there was not much to glean, though we do like the photos of the labels that accompany the type specimen.

Posted 08 September 2010 § Blister Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Pleasing Fungus Beetle

Purple Beetle?
Location:  Bison Ranch, Arizona
September 8, 2010 2:43 am
I came across this beautiful creature in Bison Ranch, Arizona. I’ve been able to find other pictures of it online, but I still can’t find what it is called. Any ideas?
Signature:  Kae

pleasing fungus beetle kae 281x300 Pleasing Fungus Beetle

Pleasing Fungus Beetle

Hi Kae,
Your beetle is one of the Pleasing Fungus Beetles but it has no unique species common name, just the generic family name.  It is Gibbifer californicus and we have not posted a recent image, so your letter is a welcomed addition to our website.  Many individuals of this species are gray or bluish in coloration, so your purple individual is quite striking.  According to BugGuide:  “Adults feed on nectar, pollen, and some fungi. Larvae feed on wood-destroying fungi” and “female lays eggs in bark crevices of fallen rotting logs; adults emerge in summer.”

Posted 08 September 2010 § Pleasing Fungus Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Fancy Dung Beetle

Possible Tick?
Location:  North Texas
September 6, 2010 9:11 pm
I live in Mckinney Texas and found this little guy crawling around my backyard. I have a Dog that was diagnosed with Erlichia when I rescued him, most likely from a deer tick. Not sure if this little guy is a tick or not. Thanks for any help.
Signature:  Regards Joe

fancy dung beetle texas 300x274 Fancy Dung Beetle

Fancy Dung Beetle

Hi Joe,
This is not a tick.  It is a Fancy Dung Beetle, Bolbocerosoma farctum, or another member of the genus which all look quite similar (see BugGuide).  It is one of the Earth Boring Dung Beetles in the family Geotrupidae.  It is not a threat to your dog and it may be attracted to the canine feces in your yard.

Posted 07 September 2010 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Green June Beetle Mating Frenzy

Unknown Mating Beetles
Location:  Texas Hill Country
September 7, 2010 4:01 am
Hi there!
We found these guys in our backyard, there’s actually a lot of them. Over the last couple of years they have made more of an appearance then before. I think they like the oak trees in our yard. During the morning they fly around the trees, and by mid-afternoon there buzzing around at head level. I’ve tried identifying them with your catalog, but the only beetles I’ve found are similar are the Japanese Beetles, and these are lacking the dots along they’re sides, aside from not being quite the same color. Thank you for you’re lovely site, it provides endless education for my children and myself.
Signature:  Beetle GURL

green june beetle mating frenzy 300x206 Green June Beetle Mating Frenzy

Green June Beetle Mating Frenzy

Dear Beetle GURL,
The only way we can think of to tactfully refer to this activity is a mating frenzy of Green June Beetles in the genus Cotinis.  The ranges of the eastern Green June Beetle, Cotinis nitida, and the western Green Fruit Beetle or Figeater, Cotinis mutabilis, overlap in Texas, so we aren’t certain which species you have encountered.  You can browse BugGuide for more photographs and see the BugGuide information page of the genus for more general information.  You can also read the information page on the Figeater on bugGuide and the information page on the Green June Beetle on BugGuide for specific information on the two species.

green june beetle mating frenzy 2 300x259 Green June Beetle Mating Frenzy

Green June Beetle Mating Frenzy

Posted 07 September 2010 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Unknown Jewel Beetle from Egypt

Egyptian Beetle
Location:  Egypt
September 6, 2010 5:07 pm
I came across this (dead) little fellow in Egypt last year. Can you help me identify it?
Signature:  Craig

buprestid egypt brian 300x199 Unknown Jewel Beetle from Egypt

Jewel Beetle

Hi Craig,
This is a Metallic Borer Beetle in the family Buprestidae.  They are sometimes called Jewel Beetles and that common name is very evident considering the beauty of your specimen.  It has amazing antennae.  Thanks to your critical focus, the detail of your photo is wonderful, down to your fingerprints.  We hope to be able to identify this species for you, and it shouldn’t be too difficult considering the amazing coloration and the unique antennae.  This is the kind of identification we have come to depend upon Karl to provide for us.  After writing that, we did a web search of Buprestidae and Egypt and we located the Coleoptera Buprestidae photographed in Nature web page and an image of Steraspis speciosa  photographed by J.C.Ringenbach in Libya on Acacia.  This photo and this photo both look very similar to your Jewel Beetle.

These might be of use to Karl for further identification (see attached).
Cheers,
//craig in peru

buprestid egypt craig 2 300x213 Unknown Jewel Beetle from Egypt

Jewel Beetle

Thanks for sending additional images Craig.

buprestid egypt craig 3 300x198 Unknown Jewel Beetle from Egypt

Jewel Beetle

Karl supplies an update
September 8, 2010
Hi Daniel:
I can’t add much, Daniel, but here is a little more information. I think you are right with the genus, Steraspis (Buprestidae: Chrysochroinae), but there are several species within that genus that look quite close to the one in the post. Considering some differences in the appearance of the head, pronotum and particularly the orange/bronzy margin along the edge of the elytra I think the species is more likely S. squamosa. There is a downloadable online paper on the revision of the genus Steraspis by Gianfranco Curletti (2009) that provides an identification key and photos of all the species. I couldn’t follow the key precisely because not all of the relevant features are visible in the posted photo, but it did seem to lead me to S. squamosa. You can also compare these photos of S. speciosa and S. squamosa, provided by J.C.Ringenbach on another site. Lastly, I found another photo of S. squamosa from Israel that also looks pretty much identical to the one in the posting. It is a very handsome beetle. Regards. Karl   P.S. Thanks Craig. I checked the WTB site one more time before sending and discovered your additional and very useful pictures. I am sticking with S. squamosa. If you want to check out the report I mentioned you can find it here. Most of it is in Italian unfortunately, but the identification key is provided in English. K

As always Karl, your input and research is greatly appreciated.  The link you supplied for S. speciosa is broken.  Can you please resend that link?

Posted 07 September 2010 § Metallic Borer Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Predaceous Diving Beetle

A green and gold scarab?
Location:  Shelby, MT
September 6, 2010 5:51 pm
Dear Bugman,
I live in Montana and recently found this bug crawling across my dog. *ick*
Upon closer examination the insect seemed to be iridescent with a green and gold color…with a little gold V on his head.
Please I would absolutely love to know what this is….
Signature:  Melissa

dytiscus dauricus melissa 300x208 Predaceous Diving Beetle

Predaceous Diving Beetle

Hi Melissa,
This is a Predaceous Diving Beetle in the genus Dysticus, and we wonder if perhaps your dog was swimming in a pond just prior to your discovery.  We believe this may by Dysticus dauricus, which we located on the Entomology Collection website of the E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta.  The Entomology Collection website describes it as:  “Large (29.7 to 40.0mm), broadly elongate (Larson et al. 2000). Black – some with green appearance. Basal antennal segments yellow, darker and reddish terminal segments. All pronotal margins bordered with yellow. Females with reddish or brown-black striae and black ridges. Reddish yellow or reddish ventral surface, except red metacoxa, medially brown-black metasternum, and black anterior and posterior margins of abdominal sterna. Brown-black or black sternal basolateral maculation – progressively smaller to posterior. Yellow or reddish legs.“ Interestingly, we overlooked this species when we were searching BugGuide because the photos there look quite different than the photo on the Entomology Collection website.  The Giant Green Diving Beetle, Dytiscus marginicollis, on BugGuide just didn’t seem right. BugGuide does indicate that Dysticus dauricus is “the largest North American dytiscid.” The Entomology Collection website also has this fascinating information of the diet of Dysticus dauricus:  “Predatory – active swimmers (Larson et al. 2000). Invertebrate and fish larvae prey. Records of larval cannibalism and predation on salamanders and snakes in Arizona (Holomuzki 1985, 1986).“  Perhaps Mardikavana can confirm our identification.

Thank You so very much. He was actually not swimming but we have had quiet a bit of rain and I think maybe somehow when I took the dogs outside (both English Mastiffs) he attached himself somewhere out there. Once again…thank you. I spent hours trying to place him.
Melissa

Posted 06 September 2010 § Water Beetles ‡ Comments (1) °

Ten Lined June Beetle

Potato Bug?
Location:  Northern Nevada
September 5, 2010 8:51 pm
I’m really just out to be sure this is what I think it is. It’s the second time I’ve found this bug. The first time was South Lake Tahoe California and this time, it’s Carson City, Nevada. I think this big hissing fellow is a Potato bug, but I want to know what variety. I know he’s not a Colorado Potato Bug – wrong markings for that guy, but as I can’t remember exactly where I found info on him before, I’m hopeful you’ll be able to tell me in a little better detail just what he is. The picture shows the poor thing in a cup from Target as that’s where he was found – outside Target on my way home from a walk.
Signature:  Jennifer Rash

10 lined june beetle jennifer 300x286 Ten Lined June Beetle

Ten Lined June Beetle

Hi Jennifer,
Though the striped pattern is similar to that of the Colorado Potato Beetle, your beetle is a Ten Lined June Beetle which is a much larger species.Post the picture if you want.
For the longest time, I’ve thought he was a potato bug and when I first looked him up, I found that his alternate name (if he were a potato bug) was “hell insect.”
I appreciate your help as he’s a model for a character in my stories, and would actually like to be accurate when I write about him. From what I’ve turned up on my own now, this one’s a female that eats pretty much pine trees. I’m going to try and keep her alive long enough to get detailed pictures and maybe a sound recording of the noise she makes before releasing her. Can’t say it’s a surprise that she’s partial to those trees, especially in Tahoe where they’re terribly common. This one happened to be close enough to a Home Depot garden center with those trees, so that’s probably what happened with her.
I’ll have to change my character a little, but not too much I think. Here’s the character’s page: http://www.dreamangelsparadise.com/Angels_Paradise/characters/villains/vamp.html if you’re interested. Don’t let the drawing throw you. I really do like insects, just that at first, the alternate name of “hell insect” seemed perfect for the character.
Jennifer Rash
Owner/Webmistress, http://www.dreamangelsparadise.com/Angels_Paradise/index.html

Posted 06 September 2010 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Unknown Potato Beetle Larva

Red caterpillar?
Location:  Payson, Arizona
September 5, 2010 11:20 pm
We found this bug Payson Arizona, mogollon rim area. It is very interesting with the red color, black spots and black collar. We would like to know more about this bug.
Signature:  LHastings

leaf beetle larva arizona lhastings 300x206 Unknown Potato Beetle Larva

Unknown Leaf Beetle Larva

Dear LHastings,
This is the larva of a Leaf Beetle in the family Chrysomelidae (See BugGuide) and we are nearly certain it is in the subfamily Chrysomelinae (See BugGuide), but after that we draw a bit of a blank.  There is a strong resemblance to the larva of the Colorado Potato Beetle, but photos we have seen show a black head on the larva of the Colorado Potato Beetle unlike the red head in your photo.  Additionally, like many leaf beetles, the Colorado Potato Beetle is quite selective about its food plant, and it feeds on the leaves of plants in the potato family including nightshade.  Your larva appears to be feeding on grass.  There is a closer resemblance to the larva of the Swamp Milkweed Beetle, but again there are inconsistencies with both the food plant and the range of the Swamp Milkweed Beetles which according to BugGuide are found east of the Rocky Mountains.  An additional problem is that it is generally far easier to identify an adult insect than a larva.  We will contact Eric Eaton who is familiar with the insects of Arizona to see if he can provide any additional information.

Eric Eaton Responds
Hi, Daniel:
I’d say that more than likely it is in the genus Leptinotarsa, which includes the infamous “Colorado Potato Beetle,” but also several other species here in Arizona.  Always helps to know what plant it was feeding on.
Eric

Update
Thank you for looking into this for me.  The bug is not on the grass.  It has pretty much finished eating a plant, and the stalk is behind the grass.  I am attaching a photo of what it is feeding on.  This may help.
Thank you for taking the time to look into this.
Laura

leaf beetle larva laura 300x219 Unknown Potato Beetle Larva

Probably Leptinotarsa Larva

Thanks for providing a better photo of the food plant Laura.  It appears to be feeding on a member of the nightshade family.  Your new photo and Eric Eaton’s comment have convinced us that this is a Potato Beetle in the genus Leptinotarsa, but not the Colorado Potato Beetle whose larva has two rows of black dots on each side (see BugGuide). As Eric Eaton has indicated, there are other members of the genus found in Arizona, and BugGuide has images of two species of adults, but alas, there are no photos of the larvae.  The first is Leptinotarsa haldemani, Haldeman’s Green Potato Beetle (see BugGuide) and the second is Leptinotarsa rubiginosa, the Reddish Potato Beetle (see BugGuide).  We have also had no luck in finding any photos online of the larvae of those species.  We hope you are content with a genus identification.

Posted 06 September 2010 § Leaf Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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