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What’s this bug
Dear Bug Man
My name is Nicholas and my sister’s name is Emma. We were wondering what sort of bug this is? Regards,
Nicholas and Emma
Hi Nicholas and Emma,
We are nearly certain this is an Australian Green Grocer Cicada, Cyclochila virens.
Good photos of 2 spiders and a 17 year cicada
Hi,
Thanks to your site I was able to identify the two spiders in the
attached photos. One is an orb web weaver and the other an orchard spider. I thought the pictures were good enough that you might be interested in having them. The orchard spider was outiside in the basement window well of my house and looked quite unlike the usual bugs here in suburban Essex county, NJ. The orb web weaver was taken in the Poconos in PA. I also attached a photo of a brood X 17 year cicada taken in Princeton, NJ. I have a short video of the 17 year cicadas that captures both the sound a large number of them make as well as the sound of the individual cicada that is the subject of the video. If you are interested let me know and I will send you a copy. Thanks,
Peter
Hi Peter,
At this point in time, we do not have the man hours to post all your great images, but we are thrilled to post the Periodical Cicada.
What’s That Bug?
Hi,
Just out of curiosity — enclosed is a bug/fly/bee picture I took just a few minutes ago. Can you make out what it is? At first, I thought it was the Virescent Green Metallic Bee, but the green on this fella is not metallic – it’s just bright green. And, it doesn’t have big hairy legs. Also, it doesn’t have the 3-part segmented body like a bee would have. It’s about 1.5 inches long (from tip of the head to the tail) and maybe slightly less than half an inch wide (you can make a rough comparison with the blue standard-sized Kong doggie rubber bone). I tried Googling for more information about this insect — unfortunately, I can’t find anything that’s remotely close to this big fella. And instead, I found your website. 
Oh, just in case this might help, I’m from Melbourne, Australia. Thanks!
Cheers!
Lynn
Minutes later: Oops! I found out what this is already — it’s a cicada! Sorry to trouble you!
Hi Lynn,
We are very happy you figured out this beauty is a Cicada. The photo isn’t detailed enough to be certain, but it might be a Green Grocer, Cyclochila virens.
big cicada
Hello.
My name is Isaac. I have emailed you before. I think the last time I emailed you I sent you a picture of a stag beetle. Anyway here is a picture of a cicada I thought you might like to post on your site. It’s a beautiful and very large cicada. I usually find plenty of annual cicadas all summer long but I rarely find these really big ones. Well I hope you like the picture. God bless!
Hi Isaac,
We believe your Cicada is in the genus Cacama, as evidenced by images on BugGuide. We wish you had provided us with a location. American Southwest??? Thanks for sending it to us.
Hey. I’m really sorry I forgot to give you my location. I live in Northern Alabama.
Update: (10/29/2006)
Cicada Identification
Hi There,
I thought I’d ID two of the cicadas you have posted on your web site. You tentitively ID the below as Cacama genus but these are not found in Alabama. They are a more western species grey in color and Cacama are small with small heads. This one is actually Tibicen auletes. The dead giveaway is its rather large size and heavy pruinosity with brown pronotal collar. I also help to identify a lot of the Cicadas on Bugguide. Well, hope that helps.
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
Trying to identify this bug
Hello Bugman,
I was babysitting my niece and nephew and found this bug on their swing set. I’d never seen anything like it and have been trying to identify it with no success. Hopefully you will recognize it right away and put me out of my misery!! Our mystery bug was between 2.5 to 3 inches long and had a hard body with a cone like shape at its tail. I don’t know if it matters, but we live in Oakville, Ontario Canada. Thanks for any help you can give us,
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Annual Cicadas are sometimes called Dogday Harvestflies. Though you have never seen one, we are sure you must have heard them buzzing loundly in the trees in the heat of the dog days of summer.
Update: (10/29/2006)
Cicada Identification
Hi There,
I thought I’d ID two of the cicadas you have posted on your web site. The cicada found here in the below image is Tibicen canicularis. T. canicularis is a more northern species and their range extends well into Canada. I also help to identify a lot of the Cicadas on Bugguide. Well, hope that helps.
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
Thought you might like this
Ater takig this photo i started snooping the web. Found your site and it was very usefull Feel free to post the pic as well as credit for the pic. I think i was very lucky getting this
Joe Tasse
Hi Joe,
We are thrilled to post the image you provided of mating Cicadas. In the past 24 hours, we have gotten numerous submissions of mating activity.
HUGE winged bug
Dear bugman,
After hearing a kind of a thud, I looked out and saw this bug had landed on my window screen. After the creepyness wore off, I was intrigued. I was able to take some pictures before my cat took notice and scared it away. It’s a bit dark, but would you be able to help me ID this bug. I could only see it from underneath, so I can’t say much about what it looks like. It was kind of dirty olive coloured, about 3cm long without wings, 4cm with wings. I’ve never seen a big winged bug like that! It looked like a giant fly. Thanks! I’m attaching a couple of pics. cheers!
The silhouette is definitely that of a Cicada.
Green beetle and cicada
Hello! I have two pictures for you, the first is a beetle I was hoping you could help me identify. I have seen this gorgeous metallic green beetle many times, but this time, I thought to grab a Ziploc to stick him in so he would be more cooperative while I tried to take his picture (he’s very fast for a beetle). Also, I thought I’d send you this cicada who I found singing his heart out on my deck the other day. He politely quieted down to pose for the picture. Do you know what those little red dots between his eyes are for? Thank you!
Gretchen Bertram, Iowa
Hi Gretchen,
What wonderful photos. The green beetle is a Tiger Beetle. It might take some time to identify an exact species. The Cicada is one of the Annual Cicadas known as Dog Day Harvestflies. The red dots are simple eyes known as ocelli. Many insects have ocelli as well as compound eyes.
Update (08/22/2006)
Hello Lisa Anne and Daniel,
I recently came across your website and I was pleased to see such a vibrant (and well-done) site. I’m an entomologist and evolutionary biologist (specializing on the systematics, taxonomy and evolution of tiger beetles and their close relatives) and I have to say that I’m impressed with your accuracy rate! It’s much, much better than other comparable sites I’ve come across over the years. The two of you must really love insects.
This is a specimen of Cicindela sexguttata. Although the name implies that they have six-spots, they regularly do not in a significant part of their range (especially in the midwest). They can have as many as 12 spots or often none at all. Nice find! Hope that helps. I thought there would probably be a lot of sexguttata photos, and it looks like there were. The name confuses so many people, especially in the midwest where they are usually immaculate (I’ve got some really weird variants as well, since I’m completing a revision of the entire clade that that species falls within). I’ll bookmark your site and check it out when I’m having trouble sleeping again!
Daniel P. Duran
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
What planet is this bug from?
Found on ground in Missouri.
Thanks
Dave
Hi Dave,
Cicada nymphs live underground feeding off sap in roots. As they mature, they climb to the surface and molt into winged adults that produce buzzing sounds in trees. They are more often seen than heard. The red eyes have us wondering if this is a Periodical Cicada that could take 13 or 17 years to mature, making it the oldest living insect. No brood is due this year according to this site, so it might be an off-season individual. Perhaps Eric Eaton can assist. Here is what Eric Eaton added: “I think the cicada is probably of the 13-year variety (the nymph I mean), though both 13- and 17-year varieties may occur there. There are several online sites for periodical cicadas (Magiciada), some of which include maps of all the different broods, and I’d suggest consulting one of those.”
cicada emerging
Location: Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA. 6/30/06 My 3 year old spied this critter in its hole made on the rocky trail. At the time I had no idea of what it was so extracting it from its burrow was out of the question. I’ve since learned that it is a cicada emerging from the ground. Thought a photo or 2 might be worthy of your cicada page.
Jeanine, Gabe 5, Jake 3
Hi Jeanine, Gabe and Jake,
This is the second report we have received (OK, yours was the first but we answered them out of order) of Periodical Cicadas emerging. The odd thing for us is that 2006 is not a year for a scheduled Brood or either the 13 or 17 year Cicada. Dare we blame global warming?
At the rate we’re going, cicadas & cockroaches may be the only ones around! A local cicada hunter ( I don’t think he’s a professional, just an enthusiast) will be searching the area we located the bug in with hopes of finding others this weekend. I now look forward to retracing our steps this time of year over the next 2 years to see how many we find. Your website is phenominal by the way. Thank you. You are definitely my # 1 stop for my many future IDs.
Jeanine
Clarification From Eric Eaton: “Sometimes, there are a few stragglers among the periodical cicadas that emerge a year later than the rest. Sometimes they emerge a year or so early, too. There should not be very many that are doing that, and this is pretty late in ANY year for them to be emerging. You should consult Dr. Gene Kritsky at the College of Mt. St. Joseph in Cincinnati. He is an authority on the emergence patterns of periodical cicadas. You can tell him I sent you:-) Eric”
what’s that bug?
Dear Bugman,
I live in Costa Rica near Lake Arenal. We have a common cicada there that makes a noise like a high pitched jet engine scream. It is so incredibly loud, if you have it in your house you have to find it or you will not sleep. I have the photo attached to this e-mail. Do you know the common and scientific name? I have web site that is a guide to the area that I live in. It has several photo galleries. One of them is a bug gallery and I am trying to find the name of the bugs in the gallery.
http://www.sabalito.com/Photos/Bugs_Gallery.htm
If you like bugs you would like this place. They are everywhere. Thank you very much,
Augustinus Linssen
Hi Augustinus,
What a beautiful Cicada, sadly, we don’t know what it is. Perhaps someone will write in with an identification.
Update (07/17/2006)
I looked in several books and catalogues here at the Field Museum and I believe I found your cicada with 98% certainty. The illustration was in black and white but the wing pattern body shape, and size were definite matches. Later in the week I can go through the collections –time permitting– and perhaps find a collected specimen. Common name: spotted cicada Taxon: Zamamara smaragdina
David Mendez
Field Museum
Chicago, IL
Pedator/Prey photos
Thought you might enjoy some pictures taken in southeastern Georgia of some golden silk spiders and their prey. I am particularly interested in the cicada, any ideas what species that is? (Skidaway Island, GA)
Thanks alot,
Anthony
Hi Anthony,
The Cicada is a Hieroglyphic Cicada, Neocicada hieroglyphica. Thanks for the great photo.
