Brazilian Bug ID
October 1, 2009
Greetings Bugman,
Can you help me with the identification of this bug please. Found it on a leaf on the Island of Ilha Grande, south west of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The picture was taken at the end of August 2007.
Thanks, Steve
Ilha Grande, Brazil
Tortoise Beetle
Hi Steve,
This beauty is a Tortoise Beetle in the tribe Cassidini. We spent the day getting knee surgery and this is our first posting today. We don’t want to take the time right now for a species identification before trying to post a few additional letters. Perhaps our invaluable contributor Karl will be able to take a stab at this one. We just realized that it is the first of the month, and we have problems with new images posting live at the beginning of each month.
Update from Karl
Hi Daniel:
I believe this Tortoise Beetle is in the genus Stolas (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae). The tribe is Stolaini, although in some references the tribe is given as Cassidini. Stolas is a rather large genus (170+ species) with considerable variety in size, shape and color, and a half a dozen or so species look similar to the one in Steve’s photo. The closest I could find was S. stevensi (how is that for coincidence?!). It’s not a perfect match but it is the only one I could find that has the yellow/gold markings on the pronotum. There is probably some variability within the species and that may account for the small differences; or it could be a case of sexual dimorphism. I could find little information about the species, but the southeast coast of Brazil is within its range. Regards.
Karl
black & yellow striped bug
September 29, 2009
Hi Bugman, I submitted this last week, but I think it might not have gone through. These black and white striped bugs are all over our Globe Locust trees, and I would love to know what they are, are they beneficial or something to be concerned about. Any danger in handling them?
Neal Schuster
Overland Park, KS (Kansas City area)
Locust Borer
Hi Neal,
It was observant of you to associate the Locust Borer with your Globe Locust Trees. The Locust Borer is a native insect. Here is what BugGuide has to say: “Life Cycle Eggs are laid in locust trees in the fall. Newly emerged larvae spend several months in tree trunks, first hibernating through the winter under the bark, then tunneling into trees in spring, eventually making tunnels about 4″ long and .25″ inch wide. They pupate late July/early August. Adult beetles emerge late August to September (click on the Data tab for a graphic confirmation of that fact). Remarks Considered a serious pest of Black Locust trees; previously weakened or damaged trees are often killed by an infestation of the larvae. Previously confined to the native range of Black Locust in the northeast, it has spread with the trees throughout the US. Unfortunately Black Locust is used for reclamation and similar projects where trees are likely to be stressed out and thus more vulnerable to insect damage.“ Adults feed on pollen and they are generally associated with Goldenrod.
Locust Borer
Biggest Bug I’ve EVER seen….
September 26, 2009
Seen in San Pancho, Nayarit, Mexico on 9/18/09 This monster FLEW onto a wall, crawled down and was attacked by a toad. The beetle clamped on to the toad’s head and the toad hopped around like crazy for a few seconds and released the bug. Markings on the back of the beetle were orange and brown. The bricks that the beetle was resting on were 4″x11″ so you can see how large this bug is. Can’t find it on any website…any idea what it is?
Joslin
Nayarit, Mexico
Harlequin Beetle from Mexico
Hi Joslin,
We post images of the Giant Harlequin Beetle, Acrocinus longimanus, whenever we have an opportunity. This tropical species ranges from Mexico south into Brazil. We wish the photo you sent with the toad had better resolution as we really can’t see much.
What is this bug that has invaded my culture and is it dangerous to my black soldier fly larva?
September 25, 2009
Hi, I have found and killed 30-40 of these bugs in my black soldier fly larva culture. They appear to be some sort of mimick cause they look very similar to adult soldier flies. They do not have wings or stingers. I have seen copulation so I am assuming they are adults. They have mandibles similar to an ant or beatle. Please let my know if these guys are simply a pest competing with the soldier fly larva for food or are the fly larva being preyed upon by this bug? And, if known, how do I get rid of them without damaging the culture or detering the attraction of the wild adult soldier flies laying eggs?
Jason P.
Dallas Texas
Hairy Rove Beetles
Hi Jason,
These are Hairy Rove Beetles, Creophilus maxillosus, and they are predators. According to BugGuide, they are found on dead animals and dung and they are: “predaceous on fly larvae in [cattle] dung and on carrion.“ In most situations, we would tag your letter as Unnecessary Carnage, but in this case, we are torn. Since you are doing bio-composting with the Soldier Flies, you don’t want predators, even beneficial insects, invading your culture. Sadly, we cannot provide any suggestions for keeping the Rove Beetles from the fly culture.
Hairy Rove Beetles
¶ Posted 25 September 2009 § ‡ ° orange bug with blacks splotches and giant clampers
September 20, 2009
We walked outside and saw this on the ground. Please advise!
Jennifer
Sao jose dos campos, Brazil
Brazilian Blister Beetle
Hi Jennifer,
We vowed this would be our last posting for the moment since we need to go to the market. We anticipate that an exact identification may take us some time, so we are just posting your unidentified beetle in the hopes a reader can provide the answer before we return to attempt an identification. Though it resembles a Stag Beetle, the antennae are wrong. We also don’t believe this is a Longhorned Borer, since again the antennae seem wrong. We are hard pressed at the moment to even place this interesting specimen into a family classification. Our first guess is perhaps some species of Ground Beetle in the family Carabidae.
Eric Eaton provides identification
September 21, 2009
Hi, Daniel:
Yes, it is, believe it or not, a blister beetle, family Meloidae. More specifically, it is Cissites auriculata. Lots of images pop up in a Google search for that genus.
Eric
Thanks for the response Eric. A web search immediately brought up a posting on BugGuide from Texas with an comment that the common name is the Large Eared Blister Beetle. There is also a page on the Texas Beetle Information website.
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Assassin bug dining on Japanese beetle
September 20, 2009
While out scouting for butterflies, I came upon this slightly grizzly scene of a wonderful assassin bug dining on a Japanese beetle. Glad it wasn’t me!
This was taken on June 30, 2009 in Orange County, VIRGINIA — the original OC 
Lynne from Virginia
Orange County, Virginia
Wheel Bug eats Japanese Beetle
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for sending your wonderful Food Chain documentation. More specifically, the Assassin Bug is a Wheel Bug. We are sure your photo will bring great joy to many gardeners who are plagued each year by the appearance of the scourge, the Japanese Beetle. The invasive exotic Japanese Beetle appears in great numbers each year and feeds on many ornamental and food plants, including roses. We have heard that this year in Ohio, the Japanese Beetles can still be found despite the late date.
Black and orange beetle
September 16, 2009
Found on the top of high grass in the summer on Croatia’s Mediterranean coast, these beautiful beetles seem to not be bothered by the hot midday sun. They can and will fly away if given the opportunity when captured (not the stuff seen in the first picture, those are remains of potato chips). They cannot bite, and often leave traces of a yellow substance similar to ear wax when captured. They are usually about 1-2 centimeters long.
ROX
Croatia, Mediterranean coast
Blister Beetle
Hi ROX,
We believe this is a Blister Beetle in the family Meloidae. We will try to get a second opinion.
Eric Eaton Confirms Identification
Right again! See how good you have gotten?:-) Have a great day….
Eric
Red Bug with red and blue wings
September 16, 2009
Red Bug with red and blue wings
I happened to see this bug in my backyard. I had never seen one of these before and its color caught my attention. I tried to identify this bug by searching through the internet but wasn’t succesful. Can you help?
Lorn
Aguadilla, Puerto RIco
Net Winged Beetle
Hi Lorn,
We believe this is a Net Winged Beetle in the family Lycidae. WE are hoping to get some expert opinion on this and we would advise you to check back on the posting for the next several days to see if there are any updates. Our professional obligations have greatly increased with the beginning of a new academic year and we might not be able to email you any updates directly.
Eric Eaton Agrees
Yes, I agree with the family identification.
Eric
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