Help! WTF is this bug, and why did I find it on my HEAD!
Location: Connecticut
September 27, 2010 10:22 am
Hello, for the past 2 days I’ve been paranoid about ticks. I shot my first deer on Thursday, and while skinning it a tick jumped off and landed in my hair. I felt it moving and had a friend pull it off. Today is Monday morning, and after 3 sleepless nights, i come into work on Monday Morning and feel a little itch on the back of my neck. I scratch, but feel the itch a little to the left a few minutes later. I feel something moving between my back hair line and the backside of my ear! I pull off this little guy. I have no idea what it is. I’ve look at all the tick, spider, mite, and bedbug charts but cant seem to find anything that matches. As you can see in the picture it appears to have 4 legs in the rear, and 2 forward legs with a semi-pointed abdomen. It’s about 1/2 a CM in width & Length. Can you please help me identify this thing? I HOPE TO GOD this is just just a normal bug that found it’s way into my clothes last night (Laid them over a travel bag on the floor last night) or my car, etc. THANKS!!!
Signature: Andrew
Louse Fly
Hi Andrew,
This is a Louse Fly in the family Hippoboscidae. Louse Flies are true flies that are capable of flying feebly. They feed on blood of warm blooded animals, and many are relatively host specific, but they are opportunistic and will feed upon a substitute species if the primary host is unavailable. Louse Flies that feed on sheep are known as Sheep Keds and there is a species found in North America, Lipoptena mazamae, that is commonly called the Neotropical Deer Ked. According to BugGuide: “This fly is a common obligate ectoparasite of New World deer. It has been collected on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from the southeastern United States to Brazil (Bequaert 1942) and other deer species in the tropics.“ BugGuide indicates the range to be: “Southeastern United States north at least to Virginia and west to Oklahoma and Texas. South to northern Argentina.“ Just because there are no reports on BugGuide of Neotropical Deer Keds from Connecticut does not mean the Louse Fly you found is a different species. BugGuide also has this fascinating information on the life cycle of the Neotropical Deer Ked: “Deer keds have a very interesting reproductive strategy. The female produces one larva at a time and retains the developing larva in her body until it is ready to pupate. The larva feeds on the secretions of a “milk gland” in the uterus of its mother. After three larval instars, the larva has reached its maximum size, the mother gives birth to the white pre-pupa which immediately begins to darken and form the puparium or pupal shell. The pupa falls from the deer and is usually deposited where the deer bedded. When the fly has completed its metamorphosis, the winged adult emerges from the puparium and flies in search of a host. After finding a host the adult fly breaks off its wings and is now permanently associated with that one deer. Both sexes feed on the blood of the host deer. They can live on a deer for up to 6 months.“
Wow thanks for the quick response. So it is deer related, and it has been in my hair… oh boy. Do you know if should I used some sort of special shampoo to ensure there are no more, or to kill any of that interesting larvae you mentioned? Since this appears to be in the early – non reproductive stages, do I even need to worry about larva being in my hair?
Since we are not experts, we generally refrain from giving health advice and we suggest that concerned individuals visit a doctor or clinic.
Strange Fly
Location: Eastern Ontario, Canada
September 7, 2010 3:03 pm
Can you please help me identify this insect that appears to have 4 eyes. i have never seen anything quite like this anywhere. was very friendly during vacation near Kingston Ontario. We named it the Raspberry Fly because of its colour and approximate size being close to a raspberry. the picture attached is cropped. It is sitting on a friends palm.
Signature: ?
Second Request
FeedBack
September 20, 2010 11:30 am
good afternoon, I understand your staff is small, i was just wondering what the screening process is. I sent in a picture of an insect I and anyone I show the picture to has never seen before. the title was “Strange Fly” (September 7th, 2010) I was hoping to send friends links to you site to see the bug.
Signature: Joe
Tachinid Fly
Dear Joe,
A name is much nicer than the interrogative punctuation mark you used on your original request. We apologize for never responding to your original request, but as you indicated, we do have a small staff. One person, The Bugman, responds to as many letters each day as time not spent on the time clock teaching college classes allows, and then The Bugman posts selected letters to the internet. A second staff member oversees the running of the website, ensuring that the web browsing public has the highest quality service that our means permit. This fly is a Tachinid Fly, possibly Hystricia abrupta, which you may see on BugGuide. This group of Tachinid Flies are parasitoids on caterpillars. Here is the explanation posted to BugGuide: “The most common hosts are caterpillars. Most tachinids deposit their eggs directly on the body of their host, and it is not uncommon to see caterpillars with several tachinid eggs on them. Upon hatching the larva usually burrows into its host and feeds internally. When fully developed it leaves the host and pupates nearby. Some tachinids lay their eggs on foliage; the larvae are flattened and are called planidia; they remain on the foliage until they find a suitable host.”
P.S. There are currently 9473 letters in our email inbox.
Hello Daniel,
Wow, some hobby! Thanks so much for your attention in this matter.
I apologize for seeming terribly impatient.
Thanks again!
Your help is very much appreciated.
Have a great day.
Joe
Fly Identification
Location: Greeneville, TN
September 18, 2010 12:41 pm
I encountered these in northeast TN (Greeneville) in the middle and end of August. The closest thing I can find to this bug online is a stiletto fly or a golden-haired robber fly. While visiting an area of predominantly farmland and woods, I found these everywhere. They were attracted to my bike as I rode through rural areas. The locals I stayed with didn’t recognize them either, so I’m not sure if they appear regularly or not. Thank you for your help!
Signature: Jennifer Grant
Red Footed Cannibalfly
Hi Jennifer,
You are correct about this being a Robber Fly, but you have the wrong species. We received so many identification requests for the Red Footed Cannibalfly, Promachus rufipes, in late July that we made it our Bug of the Month for August. We continued to get identification requests in August, so we suspect that the species was especially common this year. Insects often go through cycles when their numbers diminish and then surge.
What the heck might this be
Location: Queensland. Au
September 18, 2010 12:11 am
Hi guys,
Thanks for the info on the lacewing nymph. Now to this one. It is only about 3mm body length, has antennae and legs like a moth but appears to only have two wings like a fly. Do you have any idea on what type of thing it may be?
The book is looking good, hope it sells really well.
Signature: aussietrev
Bathroom Fly
Hi Trevor,
This is a Bathroom Fly or Drain Fly, probably in the genus Clogmia in the Moth Fly family Psychodinae. According to BugGuide: “Adults often found around sewage installations, in public washrooms, and bathrooms in homes, and are attracted to light; larvae live in organic sludge that forms on inner surfaces of drains and sewage pipes; pupae occur on the surface of the organic film that the larvae have been living in.“
Horse fly (with Lady Gaga shades)
Location:Tampico, Tamaulipas, México
September 15, 2010 1:18 pm
Hi there! What a great site you have here. This is my first post, i’m a bug fan myself and i’m constantly taking pictures of different bugs and looking for their scientific names. Sometimes I cannot find them, this is one of them.
I found it outside one of my classrooms at the university. The first thing that caught me were the fantastically multicolored eyes on this (a Tabanidae, I believe), but I wanted to know If there was a more specific name to it.
I took the pictures with my cellphone, so they’re as close as I could get to this fashionista fly.
Thanks!
Signature: Rexnatus
Horse Fly
Dear Rexnatus,
WE agree that this is a Horse Fly in the genus Tabanus, but we believe attempting to identify it to the species level may be beyond our capabilities. Perhaps a Dipterist with a specialization in Tabanidae will write in. Once the climate gets warmer in the southern portions of North America and close to the Central American divisions, there are certain species that are not as well documented on the internet and perhaps may not even be properly identified. Not only are the eyes on this female Horse Fly (notice the space between her eyes) quite spectacular, but she has on black leggings. We would love it if this was a new species that could be called Tabanus rexnatus. Maybe she is not a distinct species, but rather a southern subspecies. In that case she could be Tabanus unidentified gaga.
Karl has some thoughts
Horse Fly from Mexico
Hi Daniel and Rexnatus
Similar color patterns of the eyes and legs appear in a number of nearctic and particularly neotropical horse flies so I can’t be absolutely certain, but this really looks like a female Striped Horse Fly (Tabanidae: Tabanus lineola). I don’t know if the species is named for those amazing eyes or the prominent white dorsal stripe on the abdomen, a feature that is unfortunately not visible on the photo posted by Rexnatus. The species is found in the eastern and southern USA, as well as the Gulf Coast of Mexico. There are numerous images on the Bugguide, and a set of photos have been posted by Thomas Shahan on flickr. The latter photos are quite spectacular and show the striking differences between the female and male eyes. Regards. Karl
¶ Posted 16 September 2010 § ‡ ° pond larvae
Location: Noblesville, Indiana, USA
September 13, 2010 11:30 pm
Found this in our backyard Koi pond. It’s an all-natural pond, with a bog pond for a filter. This was hanging around the water lettuce. It seems to swim around pretty well. and it’s about 2 inches long.
Signature: Koi pond amatuer
Horse Fly Larva
Dear Koi pond amateur,
This is the larva of a Horse Fly. It is our understanding that they might bite. You can compare your individual to this image on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 14 September 2010 § ‡ ° Large ant/wasplike bug with transparent section of abdomen
Location: Cambridge, MA
September 12, 2010 4:50 pm
We found this bug in our apartment in Cambridge, MA, a couple of days ago. Behaviorally, it was very attracted to light, much like a fly, but is shaped very strangely for a fly. The body is about 3/4 inch long. Once we got a good look, we also noticed that the top section of the insects’ abdomen is completely transparent! Very strange!
Any idea what this could be?
Best,
Signature: Adena
Black Soldier Fly, AKA Window Fly
Hi Adena,
Though BugGuide refers the common name Window Fly for members of the family Scenopinidae, Charles Hogue in his book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin calls the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens, a Window Fly because of the clear areas in the abdomen. According to BugGuide it is a: “Large soldier fly, all black with bright white tarsi. Underneath, first abdominal segment has clear areas. Wings have purplish sheen. Likely a wasp mimic, it buzzes loudly. In particular, it appears to mimic the Pipe-organ mud dauber…“.
Please identify each bug
Location: Southeastern Iowa, Van Buren County, United States.
September 12, 2010 6:45 pm
I would like you to identify each of these bugs for me please. I am 14 and need them identified for a school project.
Thank you
Signature: Carson Schuck
Horse Fly
Dear Carson,
We do not do people’s homework since we have enough of our own preparation to do for school. Your fly is a Horse Fly, but we have not been able to identify the species on BugGuide, though we believe we found an unidentified match in the genus Tabanus on BugGuide, though because of the angle on your photograph, we are unable to determine if it has the same number of abdominal stripes as the BugGuide image.
Student wants Collection identified
¶ Posted 12 September 2010 § ‡ ° 
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