Help, need to know what this is so i know kids will be ok hunting bugs
Location: Chatham, Ontario, Canada
November 6, 2011 11:39 am
Hello, i was wondering if you could possibly help me out on this bug. I scared me a little when i trapped it to get a better look at it. The back end went up like a scorpions would. It does have wings buy they are tucked into its back, i see them out once. I have the picture on facebook so maybe others could help, but no one knew but one did say that they seen them in their back yard as well. I have 3 small children and i need to know if these bugs will harm them.
Signature: Carly Reeson
Rove Beetle
Hi Carly,
This is a harmless beneficial Rove Beetle. Rove Beetles are beneficial because they are predators that keep down the populations of potentially problematic creatures in the yard and garden. We believe this might be Platydracus maculosus or a closely related species based on this photo from BugGuide. The threat posture you described is quite typical of Rove Beetles, and it causes many people to suspect that they are capable of stinging, which they are not. Some Rove Beetles do release a foul odor upon striking that threat posture.
Rove Beetle in threat posture
Bug
Location: Wittmann, AZ 85361
November 6, 2011 1:07 pm
Hi
We found this bug in our house in Mobile Gardens in Wittmann, Arizona. We have tried to identify it with no luck. My son took the picture and then let it free outside. This would have been around mid October, 2011.
Signature: Ken Matchett
Checkered Beetle
Hi Ken,
Our initial impression was that this is a Checkered Beetle, and upon researching on BugGuide, we have confirmed that suspicion, and we believe it might be Enoclerus quadrisignatus. According to BugGuide, the species is “Highly variable” and “Ferocious predators of wood boring beetles.”
Hopefully not a borer
Location: South Africa, Johannesburg, Randburg
November 6, 2011 3:28 am
Hi, Hope you can help me in sunny South Africa. Our Leapard Tree (caesalpinia ferrea) all of a sudden started to die, only the one, and on this one we found a bunch of the attached bugs!, are these a type of borer?. I hope there little guys are not the reason for my trees lack want for life…
Signature: A little desperate
Longhorned Borer Beetle
Dear A little desperate,
Your suspicions that this is a type of borer beetle are correct. This is one of the members of the Longhorned Borer or Longicorn Family Cerambycidae. We wanted to try to identify the species, and our initial search brought us to a photo of Ceroplesis capensis on the Biodiversity Explorer website. It looks similar to your individual, but since Ceroplesis capensis has four red stripes, it is most likely a different species. We searched the genus name and found an image from a South African Postage Stamp that is named Ceroplesis militaris, and it looks very similar to your individual.
South African Postage Stamp
The iSpot website also has an image identified as a Cape Longhorn Beetle in the genus Ceroplesis that looks very similar to your individual. We are relatively confident we have the species correct, and since this is definitely a Longhorn Borer Beetle, it might have been responsible for the demise of your tree.
Longhorn Borer Beetle
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Identify Beetle
Location: Baja California – near Tecate
November 1, 2011 1:57 pm
A friend of mine is in Baja California — wondering what this bug is.
Signature: Reubin
Acrobat Beetle
Hi Reubin,
Stink Beetles in the genus Eleodes are frequently called Acrobat Beetles because they strike this pose and release a foul odor when threatened.
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what is this bug
Location: Southwest Virginia
October 27, 2011 3:50 pm
Every fall I see these things in my backyard. They gather together on a certain plant and I guess they eat it. Anyway it always dies where they were.
Signature: Connie
Oil Beetles
Dear Connie,
These are Oil Beetles, a group of Blister Beetles in the genus Meloe. There are 12 similar looking species on BugGuide, and we don’t have the necessary skills to differentiate your species from the others. Because of your location and the time of year, we believe the most likely species candidates based on data information on BugGuide are Meloe campanicollis and Meloe impressus. Oil Beetles have an interesting and complex life cycle that includes laying eggs that hatch into mobile larvae that attach themselves to solitary bees. When the bee returns to the hive, the beetle enters with the bee and begins by feeding upon the egg of a bee as well as the food that has been provided to nourish the bee larva. Here is the explanation on BugGuide: “First-instar larvae climb to the top of a grass or weed stalk as a group, clump together in the shape of a female solitary ground bee, exude a scent that is the same as, or closely resembles, the pheromones of the female bee, and wait for a male ground bee to come along. When he does, he tries to mate with the clump of larvae, whereupon they individually clamp onto his hairs. He then flies away, finds and mates with one or several real female bees, and the larvae transfer to the female(s). Each impregnated female bee then flies off and builds one to several nests in burrows she digs in the soil, and the larvae transfer again to the new nests. The female bee stocks these nests with honey and pollen for her own young, but the hungry blister beetle young are there to gobble up the provisions. They eventually pupate and finally emerge as adult flightless beetles. Brothers and sisters find each other and mate, produce eggs and the hatchlings start the process all over.” BugGuide does not provide much information on the food plants for the various species. Have you been able to identify the plant that your beetles are feeding upon? Is it something that you cultivate in your garden or is it a native plant? The Backyard Arthropod Project has a nice set of photos and some interesting observations.
Nicaraguan beetle
Location: Central America
October 26, 2011 7:12 am
My daughter teaches in Nicaragua and someone found a beetle the size of a softball. Wondering what it is and the range. Also, she noted that it almost bit another’s finger off (probably an exageration).
Signature: RolloMartins
Female Hercules Beetle
Dear RolloMartins,
This is a female Hercules Beetle, probably Dynastes hercules, the largest beetle in Central America. The male has impressive horns.
1
Mystery Beetle with fan-like antennae
Location: Central Ohio (in October)
October 25, 2011 3:29 pm
Hi! I found this bug while walking down the street and didn’t know what it was. It has very interesting antennae and seems like it should be fairly easy to identify but I cannot find it anywhere. I was just wondering if you could help me out. Thanks for your help!
Signature: Hannah
Cicada Parasite Beetle
Hi Hannah,
We looked at your photo last night and decided your entry would most likely take us some time to research, so we postponed until morning when our staff is fresh. At first glance we thought this was some species of Scarab Beetle, but searching BugGuide proved fruitless. We expanded the search to related families and we finally discovered the Cicada Parasite Beetles or Cedar Beetles in the genus Sandalus, a new genus four our site, and the family Rhipiceridae. According to BugGuide: “Adults active primarily from Aug to Oct” and “Adults apparently do not feed.” The most interesting information on BugGuide is “Species undergo hypermetamorphosis and are ectoparasitoids of nymphal cicadas (1) Species are infrequent to rare. (2) When encountered, often found in large numbers during the day, indicating that a pheromone was used. (1) On one day in late September, near Bloomington, Ind., 12 specimens were collected on hickory trunks or in flight in just 1 hour. Collecting at the same time in the same place during previous years had yielded no specimens. It is likely that these beetles were parasites on the brood of periodical cicadas which had emerged the previous year. (2) Rings (1942) recorded 16,846 eggs from a single female S. niger.” We thought we would need to create a new category for our new species, but upon searching our own archives, we discovered this posting of a Feather Horned Beetle from Australia, also in the family Rhipiceridae. In that particular posting, we wrote: “If the closest relatives found in North America (see BugGuide) are known as Cicada Parasite Beetles, it might be deduced that the same might be true of the Australian members of the family since Australia has such a robust population of Cicadas.” Thanks for sending us your photo and for starting our day with some exciting revelations.
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BEATLE?
Location: NORHTEAST TEXAS
October 25, 2011 2:11 pm
DEAR BUGMAN I SPOTTED THIS BEETLE IN THE RIVER BOTTOMS OF THE RED RIVER OUTSIDE OF TEXARKANA TX
Signature: ERIC BATES
We prefer Tupelo Borer
Dear Eric,
The first time we ever saw a Bumelia Borer, Plinthocoelium suaveolens, we were aghast at its tropical beauty. We prefer the name Tupelo Borer. You can read about the Tupelo Borer on BugGuide.
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