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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Cockroach with Oothica

Is this bug a cochroach?
November 6, 2009
Hi. I live in Westfield, NJ and over the passed month we’ve been finding these little bugs that move pretty fast around the house. Usually in the living room or kitchen. We’re not sure if they are cochroaches or not but we’ve laid a couple of bait traps around the house. So far we’ve spoted/killed around 8 this month.
What do you think? Thanks!
Michael
Union County, NJ

Cockroach with Oothica

Cockroach with Oothica

Hi Michael,
Your photo shows a female Cockroach with her oothica or egg case.  She is lacking the two parallel longitudinal dark streaks on the pronotum that identify a German Cockroach, so we are uncertain what species of Cockroach you have.  Your letter indicates that you have a species that infests homes, and the German Cockroach would be a likely candidate except for the markings.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to identify the species of Cockroach for you.

Suggestion from Eric Eaton
Daniel:
Wow, I have no idea.  I’d suggest contacting Dr. (?) Betty Faber at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.  She knows roaches very well and will surely recognize this one.  I’ll be interested to know myself!
Eric

Posted 07 November 2009 § Cockroaches ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Seagrape Sawfly from Honduras

Possible sawfly laying eggs
November 4, 2009
I was encouraged by Eric Eaton (Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America) to forward my question and photo to you for help in identification. He indicates that the insect is not a cicada, but is most likely a sawfly of some type. Thank you in advance for any guidance you can give!

My original question to him:
On September 8, 2007 I noted this (and numerous other identical) insects all laying eggs in similar clusters on the underside of leaves on a small tree. The tree had somewhat leathery leaves… perhaps a ficus of some sort? The location was within 100 feet of the ocean on the west end of the Honduran island of Roatan. I initially thought the insect was a type of fly – but am now convinced it is a cicada of some type. It seems to be morphologically similar to the Emerald cicada, Zammara smaragdina, from Honduras – photo at this site:
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Honduras/Hemiptera/Zammara%20smaragdina.htm
Over the last two years, I have contacted a series of individuals looking for help with ID, to no avail. Can you help?
Karen
West End of Roatan Island, Honduras

Unknown Insect lays eggs

Seagrape Sawfly lays eggs

Dear Karen,
First, let us say that your photograph is lovely, and the insect is an interesting specimen.  We are quite intrigued that Eric Eaton referred you to us since we constantly depend upon Eric to make corrections for us.  We do have several contributors who love the challenge of identifying exotic species that we post, and we hope Karl is reading.  Our first thought is that this might be a Free Living Hemipteran in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, which includes the Cicadas.  Eric Eaton has pointed out in the past that there are many exotic families found in the tropics that are not represented in temperate areas.  If Eric believes this is a Sawfly, we do not want to disagree.  We would strongly recommend that you provide a comment to our posting so that if six months down the line, your insect gets identified, you will be notified.  We do not maintain a database of email addresses for our readership, and though we send emails directly at the time of posting, once time has elapsed, we would not be notifying the querant directly. We would also inquire if you have any images showing the head of the insect as that might help to narrow the field of suspects.

Thank you for your comments.  With the help of both Eric Eaton and Dave Smith (research entomologist retired from the Smithsonian), I now have the identification for this sawfly.  Here is Dave Smith’s comment:
Argidae:  A sawfly, Sericoceros mexicanus (Kirby). For a good article on this, see:
Ciesla, W. M. 2002. Observations on the life history and habits of a tropical sawfly, Sericoceros mexicanus (Kirby) (Hymenoptera: Argidae) on Roatan Island, Honduras. The Forestry Chronicle 78(4): 515-521.
The plant must be seagrape, Coccoloba uvifera. Females lay eggs in clusters on the leaf, and stand guard over the eggs until they die. Larvae feed on the leaf edges. Sericoceros mexicanus occurs from southern Mexico to Panama. Other species of the genus are found from Mexico to S. Amer. and in Puerto Rico.

Once we had a name, finding more images online was easy.

Posted 05 November 2009 § Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies ‡ Comments (1) °

Unknown Eggs, possibly Amphibian, or maybe a fungus???

Slug or Snail Eggs, Maybe Not?
October 25, 2009
Dear Bug Man,
I’m pretty sure these are not bug eggs, but I am confident you can help ID these things.
I discovered this cluch of eggs under a pile of wet and decaying wood.
Thanks for the help,
W. Matthews
San Antonio, TX

Amphibian Eggs perhaps???

Amphibian Eggs perhaps???

Hi W. Matthews,
We agree they are not insect eggs, and we would also discount snail or slug eggs.  We believe they may be Amphibian Eggs, though it is also possible they are some type of fungus or mushroom.  Hopefully one of our readers may supply an answer.

Posted 25 October 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Golden Orbweaver

*Must see* – Garden spider laying eggs
October 16, 2009
North CarolinaThis garden spider is the only form of pest control we use in our veggie garden – we find a pest, and into the web it goes. My 5 year old loves to help too, he named her “yellow butt”. She was well fed enough this season to produce two egg sacs, the second of which I was able to get these great photos of. I checked in on her every 5 mins for an hour and watched her progress. These photos are of her attaching the eggs to the base, but before she has encased them all in silk.
Josh
North Carolina

Golden Orbweaver laying eggs

Golden Orbweaver laying eggs

Hi Josh,
This spectacular species, Argiope aurantia, has numerous common names, and we prefer Golden Orbweaver.  Your egg laying documentation is a wonderful addition to our website.  Thanks for the contribution.

Golden Orbweaver laying eggs

Golden Orbweaver laying eggs

Posted 17 October 2009 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) °

Green Lynx Spider with Egg Sac

Giant lynx spider with egg-sac?!!
October 5, 2009
Hi,
I found this HUGE lynx spider at my aunts house last week. It was guarding what looked like an egg sac. The spider was about an inch long, with large mandibles, and big, hairy legs. The egg sac was about half the size of a gum ball, but shaped like a gumdrop, with a flat bottom and a domed top. The outside was golden brown, and looked like curly wool.  I thought you guys would like to see these pictures since you don’t have any showing an egg sac. I hope you enjoy these shots. Keep up the good work.
Josh Kouri

Green Lynx Spider with Egg Sac

Green Lynx Spider with Egg Sac

Hi Josh,
Thanks so much for sending in your photos of a Green Lynx Spider with its egg sac.  We actually have images buried in our archives of female Green Lynx Spiders guarding their eggs.

Green Lynx Spider guarding Egg Sac

Green Lynx Spider guarding Egg Sac

Posted 06 October 2009 § Green Lynx ‡ Comments (0) °

Giant Katydid Hatchlings and Fall Webworm Damage

I’ve seen these brown leaves on Sideroxylon salicifolium and wonder what could be causing it.
October 1, 2009
Hello dear bug people. I keep seeing webbing and dead leaf clusters on Willow Bustic and wonder if the attached bugs/larvae that I saw today are the cause.

Brown Leaves: Insect Damage???

Fall Webworm Leaf Damage

Would you know what they are by these not so great pictures?
Thank you so much, Susan
North Key Largo, Florida

Unknown Web Spinning Insect

Giant Katydid Hatchlings

Dear Susan,
WE are really puzzled by these hatching insects, but the webbing they are constructing does appear to be on the brown clusters of leaves.  We are calling in the big guns and are requesting assistance from Eric Eaton.

Unknown Web Spinning Insect

Giant Katydids hatching in Webworm Nest

Update from Eric Eaton
October 3, 2009
Daniel:
I’m at a friend’s computer right now, but my quick answer is that those are most likely katydid nymphs hatching from eggs.  Probably giant katydids (Stilpnochlora couloniana).  They would not be the cause of the leaf damage, and certainly not the cause of the webbing, which may be a product of the Fall Webworm or a related caterpillar.
Hope this helps.
Eric

Posted 03 October 2009 § Katydids § Tent Caterpillars and Kin ‡ Comments (0) °

Long-Tailed Skipper laying eggs. Caterpillar too!!!

medium butterfly laying eggs on bean plant
September 25, 2009
I discovered this butterfly laying eggs on the two varieties of beans I have growing, a bush type and vine type. The bush type is planted next to a square of soy beans.
The insect is approximately 2 inches wide and their flight pattern is sporadic and jittery with a distinct blue color on her fuzzy bottom, with multi colored through primarily brown wings. I only got a good look while she was laying her eggs, perched on a bean leaf leaving behind a stack on pale yellow eggs (pin head size) on the underside of the leaf. I have found these stacks on the top, bottom, and sides of bush leaves.
Upon further investigation of the plants I discovered many catepillars or larvae nestled in leaf fold cocoons. These are also pictured they are yellow with dark (almost black) heads, two ‘big’ red eyes and tiny necks, tiny black feet closest to the head and yellow orange feet toward end, the larvae/catepillar is yellow in color and has an orange tinge at the rear.
I have included photos though I did not get a wing spread shot. In these you can see the eggs, larvae/catepillar, and butterfly resting on a bean leaf.
betty marie
Sarsota, Florida zone 9/10 for gardening

Long-Tailed Skipper laying Eggs

Long-Tailed Skipper laying Eggs

Hi betty marie,
We applaud your powers of observation.  You have photographed a Long-Tailed Skipper, Urbanus proteus.  We are thrilled to have the photos of the egg laying process as well as the caterpillars.  As your letter supports, the food for the caterpillar includes plants in the pea family.  BugGuide has some wonderful images of this lovely species.

Long-Tailed Skipper Caterpillar

Long-Tailed Skipper Caterpillar

Posted 27 September 2009 § Skipper Caterpillars § Skippers ‡ Comments (0) °

Golden Orbweaver with Egg Sac

6 yr old bug scientist needs your help again
September 21, 2009
Hi,
Earlier this summer, you helped us identify a silver argiope orb weaver that we found outside my son’s school. Since then, he’s found a Golden Orb Weaver in our back yard that we identified by using your sight. Over the weekend, she suddenly disappeared for a couple of days and we wondered what happened to her. Well, this morning, we found out. She was back – and with a very large egg sac.
I’ve attached pictures of her both before and after the egg sac appeared.
My son would like to know if you have any idea how many baby spiders we can expect and how long it will take them to hatch. Also – will the mommy spider survive this process?
Thanks for your help!
P.S. I tried to send this earlier today, but got an error message and couldn’t tell if it went through so if you get it twice, I apologize.
Mom of future “bug guy”
Aliso Viejo, CA

Golden Orbweaver with Egg Sac

Golden Orbweaver with Egg Sac

Dear Mom of future “bug guy”,
Several hundred spiderlings will emerge from this Golden Orbweavers Egg Sac, probably between 200 and 500.  Since you live where there is a mild climate, they mother spider might survive to see her spiderlings emerge, but in harsher climates, the Egg Sac will overwinter and the mother will die.  When the spiderlings emerge, they will balloon away on the wind on silken threads to disperse whichever way the wind blows.  They can travel quite far on the wind.

Posted 22 September 2009 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) °

Leaf Footed Bug hatchlings

Red spiders and red egg strip
September 8, 2009
I spotted a blob of something on the back wall of my yard in the shade of my palm tree. It was a 2″ long, vertical reddish strip, and clustered around it was a group of tiny reddish bugs or spiders. The bugs appear to have hatched from the strip. Later in the day I spotted similar reddish egg strips on our North facing (shaded) patio screen, but nothing had hatched from them at the time. Any ideas what these can be and if I should be concerned?
Carmie in Lakewood, CA
Shaded south-facing wall in Lakewood, CA

Leaf Footed Bug hatchlings

Leaf Footed Bug hatchlings

HI Carmie,
These are not spiders.  They are Leaf Footed Bug hatchlings, probably in the genus Leptoglossus.  We believe they are most likely Leptoglossus zonatus.

Posted 09 September 2009 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Luna Moth laying Eggs

Luna Moth laying eggs
August 28, 2009
Thought you might be interested in seeing the coloration of this Luna just after laying her eggs.
Boyd
A little East of Shreveport, LA

Luna Moth laying Eggs

Luna Moth laying Eggs

Hi Boyd,
We are very excited to post your image of a Luna Moth laying eggs.

Posted 28 August 2009 § Luna Moth - Rare Specimen ‡ Comments (0) °

Rabbit Bot Fly

never seen this one!
August 18, 2009
I was out shooting at Goose Lake Praire in Illinois and came across this red eyed black and grey bumble bee looking bug.Ive never seen one before …any ideas? One friend thought it was a bee fly but I cant find any photos that look like mine?! Also it looks like it maybe laying orange eggs or maybe thats part of the plant?
Denise
Illinois

Bot Fly Ovipositing

Rabbit Bot Fly Ovipositing

Hi Denise,
Someone has been hard at work on BugGuide identifying all the Bot Flies in the genus Cuterebra to the species level.  We do not have the necessary skills to perform that task for you.  Bot Flies are mammalian ectoparasites and they are generally very host specific.  Once we took a better look at your photographs, we realized that you caught this female Bot Fly in the act of ovipositing, or laying eggs on the grass.  We would need to further research this, but we believe the eggs hatch and then the maggots would attach to a passing/grazing host.

Bot Fly

Rabbit Bot Fly ovipositing

Comment from Karl
Daniel:
I think you are right on all points Daniel, except perhaps the ectoparasite part. It does look like a Cuterebra spp. which are opertunistic parasites of small mammals. According to the online Merck Veterinary Clinic (http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/71500.htm): “Adult Cuterebra flies are large and bee-like and do not feed or bite. Females deposit eggs around the openings of animal nests, burrows, along runways of the normal hosts, or on stones or vegetation in these areas. A female fly may deposit 5-15 eggs/site and >2,000 eggs in her lifetime. Animals become infested as they pass through contaminated areas; the eggs hatch in response to heat from a nearby host. In the target host, the larvae enter the body through the mouth or nares during grooming or, less commonly, through open wounds. After penetration, the larvae migrate to various species-specific subcutaneous locations on the body, where they develop and communicate with the air through a breathing pore. After ~30 days, the larvae exit the skin, fall to the soil, and pupate.” Sounds a bit nasty!  K

Hi Denise,
This is a female botfly, Cuterebra buccata which is a rabbit bot. Its host is generally Sylvilagus floridanus (and maybe other species of Sylvilagus in some areas). The larvae are sometimes seen in the neck or shoulder, and/or rump and hip of the rabbit. The red marks in the eyes are only observed in rabbit bots, and your location in IL helps narrow it to a few species. Luckily there is just enough of the white lower face showing in your photo to narrow it to C. buccata. They are not very often seen laying eggs, so nice to catch that on film.
equalrights4parasites

Comment from Eric Eaton
Daniel:
That is so awesome!  I know the guy who is working on Cuterebra, and I forwarded him your message.  His name is Jeff Boettner and he works in the building next door to me here at UMass.  He says that about 30% of the known bots from North America are already on Bugguide, and that the most difficult species to find are already documented, some probably imaged for the first time ever.  Keep those bots coming!
Eric

Professional Identification forwarded by Eric Eaton
Hi, Daniel:
Here is Jeff Boettner’s response….”C” is for Cuterebra, so it is Cuterebra buccata.
Eric

Awesome,
Thats C. buccata a rabbit bot. I sent a post but I am not in the loop with that group so may take a bit for it to be posted.
Jeff

Posted 18 August 2009 § Bot Flies ‡ Comments (2) °

Leaf Footed Bug Hatchlings: Leptoglossus species

Western Conifer Seed Bug Hatchlings?
August 9, 2009
We removed a bush in the front yard a few months ago and it was crawling with thousands of what we later identified as some sort of Western Conifer Seed Bug – using your site to identify them of course! A few days ago one was crawling on our wall and left a trail – my son called it a poop trail. A couple of days later there was a spot on the wall by the trail and looking closer revealed that it was hatchlings. We got a decent shot of the little guys and they have since moved on. Hope you can use this photo.
Holly S.
San Fernando, CA

Leaf Footed Bug Hatchlings

Leaf Footed Bug Hatchlings

Hi Holly,
There is a matching photo on BugGuide, but it is only identified to the genus level of Leptoglossus, and not to the species level. Though we did not see your adult insect, we are going to go out on a limb and say we believe this to be a close relative of Leptoglossus occidentalis, the Western Conifer Seed Bug.  We believe it is Leptoglossus zonatus which is quite in Southern California.  Unlike the Western Conifer Seed Bug, it has a jagged white line across the wings.  You can see images on BugGuide which also seem to match the unidentified adult image associated with the photo of the hatchlings.

Posted 09 August 2009 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

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