What is this? Prehistoric??
Location: Indiana
August 12, 2010 2:21 pm
Hi, I was outside waiting for a friend, I was leaning on my door frame, and I felt a like pinch or sting, and so I stood up and this is what I saw!!
I live in Indiana, it has been in the high 90’s all week, we have had some rain this summer and high humidity.
I have some pics for you, this bug is about 1/2 inch long nmd maybe same wide, probably not as long..
Please let me know if you can, thanks!
Heather Kreeger
Decapitated Head, but from what???
Hi Heather,
We believe this is a decapitated head. It looks similar to the head of a Preying Mantis (see BugGuide), but not exactly. We will contact Eric Eaton for assistance. We suspect the body of this insect was eaten by a predator.
Update: We believe we figured it out after sleeping on it.
August 13, 2010
It looks like the head of a Cicada (see BugGuide). Perhaps a bird feasted upon the body and left the head behind. Cicadas have piercing and sucking mouthparts, and it is possible that there were still some nerves active, and though the Cicada was “dead”, the head was still able to bite. Though Cicadas are not considered to be biting insects, we have received reports in the past that a person has been bitten, and it was reported to be quite painful.
¶ Posted 13 August 2010 § ‡ ° Full frontal cicada
Location: Boone County, MO
August 8, 2010 4:32 pm
Here’s what I thought was a nice image of a cicada I found bumming around on my front porch. I gave up identifying it to species when I realized there were several in my area and I couldn’t tell them apart. Maybe you can help me out there!
I love you guys. I have a link to your site on my blog
http://mycologista.blogspot.com/
(I’m always finding all kinds of other things when I’m out looking for mushrooms). Please keep doing what you do (and feel free to edit this letter).
lisa
Mycologista
Annual Cicada
Hi Mycologista,
We can’t imagine what to edit from your email. Surely not the praise you lavish upon us. Since you have given permission to edit, we have taken the liberty of rotating your photograph to allow for a larger file to post. Like we tell our students, when you are aiming down on the subject, proper orientation of the print is subjective since up is behind the camera. In so doing, we oriented the lighter side of the image up since the light generally comes from above. This is one of the Annual Cicadas in the genus Tibicen. As you have indicated, many species look similar, and because we like the name, we often identify Annual Cicadas in the genus Tibicen as Dog Day Harvestflies, though that name should only apply to Tibicen canicularis, which typically ranges farther north (see BugGuide). Annual Cicada is a safe name, but it is misleading since the Cicadas actually live underground longer than a year. The name refers to the fact that adults appear each year unlike the Periodical Cicadas or Seventeen Year Locusts.
¶ Posted 09 August 2010 § ‡ ° Arizona Cicada
Location: Peoria, AZ USA
August 8, 2010 1:55 pm
8/7/10 heard this guy buzzing in a palo verde and searched him out. I know its a cicada but was wondering exactly what kind.
Jeremy
Apache Cicada
Hi Jeremy,
Your Cicada is in the genus Dicerprocta, and we found a nice posting on BugGuide that explains how to properly identify the three species in the genus found in Arizona. In a comment, Jerry Bunker quotes a 1928 publication by William T. Davis that includes this description: “Diceroprocta apache Hind margin of pronotum or collar yellowish, or straw colored; eyes reddish and membranes at base of both pair of wings pale; often straw-colored. Pubescence at base of abdomen golden.“ We believe your have Diceroprocta apache based on the description and photo, but it has no common name, though Apache Cicada does seem very appropriate. We would like to see someone propose Apache Cicada as the official common name, and for now, we will label it as such.
How exactly do you go about suggesting the name, or who would I send the suggestion too?
We will research your request and provide a response.
Eric Eaton responds
Daniel:
I know the Entomological Society of America has a committee on Common Names, but generally they have been loathe to bother with any species that are not of great economic importance (especially invasive species from overseas). So, good luck with that. Otherwise, official common names have been “certified” by the Dragonfly Society of the Americas and the Lepidopterist’s Society, maybe the North American Butterfly Association.
The point is that common names for non-pests tend to be assigned wholesale to other groups that ‘suddenly’ become popular to folks. Otherwise, it is an operation in randomness that sometimes does lead to consensus (and I do believe I have heard “Apache Cicada” applied to that species before).
Eric
Thanks guys. I know you are busy so the fact that you took the time to answer my questions means a lot.
¶ Posted 09 August 2010 § ‡ ° What is this?
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
August 2, 2010 6:13 pm
Found this bug on my house and just wanted to know what it is?
David
Cicada
Hi David,
Now that the dog days of summer have arrived, we expect to be getting numerous requests to identify the Annual Cicadas in the genus Tibicen, which are sometimes called Dog Day Harvestflies because of their resemblance to flies (though much larger) and their appearance toward the end of summer. You may also hear the din the males create as they call to mates from the tree tops, sounding like a chainsaw. We can hear our own Southern California Cicadas in the trees right now, though they are nowhere near as loud as the eastern species.
¶ Posted 07 August 2010 § ‡ ° Bug found in Kruger National Park
July 10, 2010
Last February my girlfriend and I spend 5 days driving around in Kruger National Park and found this fellow sitting on a trunk next to our cabin in Satara Restcamp. I know for a fact they are preyed upon by Yellow-billed Hornbills as I saw one trying to swallow on whole. They are about 50mm in length and width and are equipped with preying mantis like frontal pincers. No idea what they are, even after trying to find them online. Could you guys help?
J.W. Smienk
Kruger National Park (South Africa)
Cicada Exuvia
Dear J.W.,
This looks to us like the exuvia, or sloughed off larval skin, of a Cicada. The immature Cicada lives underground feeding from plant roots. When it is ready to metamorphose, it digs to the surface and molts for the final time. The Exuvia or cast off exoskeleton is left behind when the adult Cicada flies away.
¶ Posted 11 July 2010 § ‡ ° Gigantic Fly?
June 29, 2010
I found this bug on a Tomato plant (June ’10). Its’ body (not counting the wings) was slightly larger than a US Quarter. It didn’t appear to be eating any of the plant and didn’t move until a couple of hours after I had taken the picture when it moved underneath the leaf – this was after sunset.
Chris
Twin Cites, MN
Cicada
Hi Chris,
Whenever we get an email with a reference to a large fly in the subject line and the email arrives in mid to late summer, we immediately suspect a Cicada, and this was the case with your letter even before we looked at the photo. Your Cicada is probably in the genus Tibicen. Appearances generally begin in July, so your individual is earlier than most, and the size you indicate is smaller than most. We are reluctant to try to identify your Cicada to the species level, but one good candidate might be Linne’s Cicada, Tibicen linnei, which is profiled on BugGuide. One photo on BugGuide with a finger for scale indicates that it is in the size range of your specimen, and the data page on BugGuide shows that Minnesota is likely in the range and that there are some reported June appearances (though they are in the southern portion of the range).
¶ Posted 30 June 2010 § ‡ ° Newly hatched insect
May 28, 2010
We live on the west coast of Mexico. This insect/larvae was protruding from the leg of a piece of wooden furniture on our patio late last night. It seemed to be hatching, and the “husk” it was hatching from had active legs. Its wings eventually dried and it flew away. It was about 2.5 inches long! THANKS!
Karen Knapp
12 km north of Puerto Vallarta, MX
Cicada Metamorphosis
Hi Karen,
Congratulations on your good fortune to witness the metamorphosis of a Cicada.
Cicada
Oh Daniel, thanks for your quick response! It is such a beautiful creature, and its color was the freshest green I’ve ever seen. Quite a privilege to witness this – and to think that our dog almost ate it! That’s what drew our attention to it. We are about to enter our rainy season here, so the cicadas may play a role, right? Thanks again!
Saludos,
Karen
Hi again Karen,
Cicadas emerge during the summer months. Your dog probably knows a good meal. Cicadas are edible and they are high in nutritional value.
What is this?
May 23, 2010
Found this bug on a palm tree… looks like it is eatting another bug. it’s about 2 or 3 inches long. Big Bug…
Eddie Ravo
Lutz, FL
Cicada Metamorphosis
Dear Eddie,
You have not witnessed a food chain incident, but rather, the metamorphosis of a Cicada. The immature Cicada lives underground for several years. When it nears maturity, it digs to the surface and climbs a vertical surface where it splits its exoskeleton and emerges as a winged adult. You have mistaken the cast off skin or exuvia for prey.
¶ Posted 23 May 2010 § ‡ ° Tagged: Top 10 
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