bug identification
Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 1:01 AM
Beetle is about two or three inches long, yellow underneath, four red marks. Found on fig tree, probably was summer.
Judith
Israel

Mango Stem Borer

Hi Judith,
We remember identifying this beetle previously, but we needed to search our archives to locate the Mango Stem Borer we received from India. The scientific name is Batocera rufomaculata and a website we located indicates its preferred host trees are mango and fig. Catherine Githure who contributed to the site indicates: “In Israel, where B. rufomaculata was introduced in the late 1940s (Avidov and Harpaz, 1969), figs are most heavily attacked as are mango and avocado.” This beetle is also called the Mango Tree Borer or the Tropical Fig Borer.

Hi Daniel
Thank you very much for the information.  I am entering a drawing I did from the photo to the BBC Wildlife Artist competition, so I wanted to be able to write its name!
It does not sound like a beetle one would like to see in the garden, so it is a good thing that I have only seen one of them!
Best wishes
Judith

Huge unknown insect from Brazil
Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 1:58 PM
I am living in Florianopolis, Brazil. I was recently walking at night and saw this insect on the sidewalk. It was very large about 8 inches from leg to leg with a body about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. I have never seen anything like it before. It was very slow but quite aggressive. Its two front legs were each about 3 inches long and its antenna were about the same. it looked like a hard shell and was red and black pattern. The picture is not great quality as it was an iphone at night. I set my audi key next to it for size reference (which is about 2 inches X 1 inch). I have spent some time trying to figure out what it was but have not had any luck on the internet. I hope you are able to help me out. You will be glad to know that I moved it to safety off of the sidewalk so nobody would step on it. When I tri ed to nudge it . it actually wrapped its legs around the bottom of my shoe and I had to shake it off just to give some size reference to its legs. If you identify it for me I will send you the pic of the tarantula found in our garage which is bigger than the blackberry I set next to it.
Dave
Florianopolis Brazil

Harlequin Beetle

Hi Dave,
This is a Harlequin Beetle, Acrocinus longimanus, one of the Longhorned Borer Beetles or Longicorn Beetles in the family Cerambycidae.  We have received several letters in the past with photos of this stunning beetle.

Sydney, Australia – Longicorn?
Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 8:53 PM
I thought that perhaps this is a type of longicorn beetle but I haven’t been able to find a description of a longicorn with similar antennae. This was found in December (our summer) in the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove. The body length is around 20mm. I’m interested to hear what you think I’ve found.
Paul
Lane Cove, Sydney, Australia

Longicorn Beetle

Hi Paul,
We agree that this is some species of Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, possibly in the subfamily Prioninae. We would think a specimen this spectacular and distinctive would be easy to identify, but an identification is proving to be elusive for us. We found a new Australian website known as Insectographs, but could not find your beetle on it. We searched through all the Cerambycids on the Csiro Entomology page and the only one that looks close is the Feather-Horned Yellow Box Borer, Distichocera macleayi, but it is a mounted specimen. This may be a related species in the same genus, and we would not rule out the possibility that this is an introduced exotic specimen. We don’t feel confident with the Feather-Horned Yellow Box Borer identification unless someone else can write in to substantiate.

Longicorn Beetle

Daniel:
I lucked out just doing some calculated surfing:-) The beetle is Piesarthrius marginellus, indeed a longhorned beetle native to Australia. Neat insect!
Eric Eaton

Thanks Eric,
With the information you provided, we found the Feather-Horned Longicorn on a different Csiro Website than the one we originally searched as well as on the Up Close and Spineless website.

I meant to include the link I found:
http://www.cerambycoidea.com/foto.asp?Id=830
Sorry ’bout that!
Eric

Big Big Beetle from Chile?
Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 11:56 AM
My grandfather caught and mounted this bug for me when I was a baby. But his intricate calligraphy has faded off the little identification sticker. Can someone enlighten me, what is the name of this insect? It is framed with the title “Coleopteros Chilenos” and is about 5 inches in size.
Carol A.
Chile

Beetle Collection from Chile

Hi Carol,
We can tell you that this is a Prionid Beetle in the subfamily Prioninae, but we are going to have to rely on the assistance of an expert in taxonomy to provide you with a species name.  You are very lucky to have inherited such a nice collection from your grandfather.

B52 Bomber?
Sat, Nov 29, 2008 at 2:08 AM
B52 Bomber?
This 10cm long bug flew in on us one night. Very slow and noisy in flight. It seemd to be having trouble staying aloft & its sense of direction was not too good either. I am emailing from Harare in Zimbabwe & we are at the beginning of summer at the moment.
Jenny Harrison
Zimbabwe

Longhorned Borer

Hi Jenny,
While we cannot tell you what species this enormous beetle is, we can tell you that it is one of the Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae. The larvae of the Longhorned Borer Beetles bore into the wood of trees. The formidable jaws on the beetle enable the newly metamorphosed adult to chew its way out of the tree where the larva has been feeding.

Friends:
WhatsThatBug.com has another interesting post (scroll down the home page) of a lovely, mottled prionid cerambycid from Africa that we’re curious about. In the course of my own cursory research, I stumbled upon some wonderful eye candy at:http://www.beetlesofafrica.com
that you might also find interesting. Thank you in advance for any help with the ID.
Eric R. Eaton

Update December 5, 2008
Daniel:
Mike Thomas says he communicated the genus name to you, but this person provides a species name and more information:-) Keep up the great work.
Eric
Eric’s / Jenny Harrison’s large ‘bycid carries the name Tithoes confinis (Laporte de Castelnau, 1840). It is likely a female, and not as large and fearsome as individuals of this species often are. The species is widespread through most of the continental Afrotropics and in the right habitat they are bound to come to light on a good light-trapping night; they come in around 1-3 hours after sunset. Its pedigree is Cerambycidae: Prioninae: Acanthophorini.
Best fishes,
RiaaN

Hello, Eric – I took the liberty of showing your image to a friend of mine who
is an avid cerambycid enthusiast, and he had the following to say:
“Acanthophorus (Tithoes) maculatus (Fab.)  especially if the third antennal
segment has a sulcus on it.”
Hope this helps,
Ed Saugstad
Sinks Grove, WV

Black & white spotted poka dot cockroach
Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 9:31 PM
Hi there I was just wondering what this bug is I was working in the Pilbara, In Western Australia it is about the size of a cockroach.
Felicity Packer
Tom Price Western Australia

Acacia Longicorn

Hi Felicity,
This is not a cockroach, but a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  Your photo is extremely blurry, but we believe, based on the markings, that this may be an Acacia Longicorn, Penthea vermicularia which we located on the Geocities website of Brisbane Insects.