”in-line branch” bug pod – don’t know how to describe
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
November 20, 2011 3:09 pm
Any idea what sort of insect grows inside these ”pods” on these shrub branches? When I cut them open there is a 1/4 inch ”grub” in the center.
They make great toy spinning tops.
Thank you for your time and your help!
Signature: cfunck
Goldenrod Galls
Dear cfunck,
This is a sight our editorial staff is quite familiar with having grown up in eastern Ohio. Interestingly, this is the first submission we have received of Goldenrod Galls despite having this online column for more than 12 years. These Galls are formed by the Goldenrod Gall Fly, Eurosta solidaginis. You may read more about this insect on BugGuidewhere it is stated: “Larvae form round galls on the stem of certain goldenrods, Solidago. They feed there, then pupate in early spring. Adults emerge April-May and mate near goldenrod.” Galls are growths on plants that are often caused by insects including flies, wasps and moths, and sometimes by mites. Galls are abnormal growths that generally do not harm the plant, and though they are usually produced by insects and other arthropods, they can also be cause by other sources.
Goldenrod Gall
Daniel,
Thank you so much for this information!
Kind regards,
Chris Funck
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male horsefly?
Location: Big Pine Key, FL
November 13, 2011 9:53 pm
Hello, I saw this fly this morning on my porch’s railing. I live in the Florida Keys. Didn’t seem scared by us. Feeds on nectar? Thanks
Signature: renzoreba
Horse Fly
Dear renzoreba,
You have the family correct, but not the sex. This is a Horse Fly, but the space between the eyes indicates she is a blood sucking female. We are unable to identify the species at this time.
Horse Fly
1
4 legged white booted dragonfly?
Location: northern minnesota usa
November 11, 2011 3:31 am
I seen this in my house in late summer in northern minnesota. This bug flew with all legs spred out gliding like it was flying squirrel. I am very curious as to what kind of bug it is. thank you
Signature: josh
Phantom Crane Fly
Hi Josh,
Though it somewhat resembles a Dragonfly, this Phantom Crane Fly is a true fly that is characterized by having two wings rather than the four wings that most insects possess. Your individual is missing two legs as a result of some trauma. Phantom Crane Flies, like other insects, have six legs.
1
Maggots of some sort
Location: Hamlin, NY about 5 miles south of the Lake Ontario shore
November 7, 2011 11:03 pm
Hi. I found these pods of worms or maggots in the gutter on the side of the road in front of our house one early morning on September 15, 2004. We are in Hamlin, NY about 5 miles south of the Lake Ontario shore. These pods of worms moved together like a single unit. Notice there are two kinds of worms in the pods. The majority of the worms are about 1/32” in diameter. The larger maggots, there was one or two in a pod, looked like a typical large green bottle fly maggot. I have not seen anything like this before or since then. I have shown these pictures to a lot of people and no one even has a guess as to what these might be.
Signature: What’s that bug?
Fungus Gnat Larvae
This curious phenomenon is an aggregation of Fungus Gnat Larvae in the family Sciaridae. Here is a photo from BugGuidewith some information. We don’t believe there are two species here, rather we suspect that some of the individuals in the aggregation are larger.
Fungus Gnat Larvae
¶ Posted 08 November 2011 § Gnats ‡ ° Weird worm
Location: western nevada
November 2, 2011 11:22 am
Hi, I’m wondering what this worm is. I found them inside a pumpkin and can’t identify them. please help.
Signature: Nate Dimitroff, Amateur Entomologist
Maggots
Hi Nate,
Your request did not indicate if these Maggots were found inside a pumpkin that was cut into, or if they were found in an already carved Jack-O-Lantern that was beginning to rot, which is our suspicion. Flies are attracted to organic matter that is rotting and if conditions are right, the Maggots that hatch from the fly eggs will develop quickly.
1
¶ Posted 03 November 2011 § Maggots ‡ ° What is this bug?
Location: Manassas VA
November 2, 2011 8:55 pm
I need your help. What is this cool bug?
Signature: Tom K
Male Asian Tiger Mosquito
Hi Tom,
Your insect is the introduced Asian Tiger Mosquito. According to BugGuide: “The Asian tiger mosquito is an invasive and aggressive species that was introduced to the United States during the mid-1980s. It was first collected in Texas in 1985, apparently having traveled from Asia in a shipment of used tires. These mosquitoes are vicious biters and have been known to transmit disease.” Unlike most Mosquitoes, the Asian Tiger Mosquito is a diurnal species that will bite during daylight hours. According to BugGuide: “Adult females feed on the blood of birds, humans, and domestic & wild mammals.” The antennae indicate that your individual is a non-biting male.
1
Foodchain, Spider and Fly
Location: Queensland. Australia
October 29, 2011 9:58 pm
Hi guys,
Thought you might like this picture for your food chain pages. A tiny immature Dolomedes Instabilis has caught itself an Austrosciapus connexus, one of the Long Legged Flys. The fly is about 6mm long.
Signature: Aussietrev
Water Spider eats Long Legged Fly
Hi Trevor,
We greatly appreciate that you take the time to identify your creatures prior to submitting photos, which makes posting your submissions so easy. According to the Find a Spider Guide for the Spiders of Southern Queensland website, Dolomedes instabilis is commonly called a Water Spider and their habitat is “On the surface of still-water ponds; this spider has the ability to run on water surfaces and to form underwater retreats in large air bubbles, although some pisaurids make their webs in green leaves or small twigs of shrubs and may never have occasion to ‘walk on water.’” The Brisbane Insect website has some wonderful photos and indicates the common name is Fishing Spider like its North American relatives. The Brisbane Insect website also indicates the common name of Austrosciapus connexus is the Green Long Legged Fly.
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Large fly(?) in Texas
Location: Dallas, TX
October 23, 2011 10:56 pm
Hello WTB
Please help me identify this LARGE fly(?) that my son found in our back yard.
- We live in North Dallas, TX
- It was found today, October 23
- It was found on a piece of playground equipment less than a foot from the ground
- It does not seem able to fly, but buzzes loudly when it attempts to
Thank you for all of your efforts. your site is my first stop when attempting to ID something new that we’ve found.
Signature: Brandon
Rabbit Bot Fly
Hi Brandon,
This is a Bot Fly in the genus Cuterebra, and we are nearly certain it is the Rabbit Bot Fly, Cuterebra lepusculi, a species we just posted last week. We are going to copy Jeff Boettner on our response so he can verify the identification since he has been providing correct species identifications for our Bot Fly submissions. If you still have this specimen, Jeff may request it for study purposes. Bot Flies in the genus Cuterebra are endoparasites of rodents and they have very interesting life cycles. Your photographs are excellent.
Rabbit Bot Fly
Daniel -
Thank you for the quick response, and thank you for the compliment on the photos. I’ve attached a much better photo here, now that I’ve had time to properly set up and shoot this one.
Jeff -
I just read your comments on WTB. I appreciate all of the great info. I will indeed post this on BugGuide.net. I’m excited about your interest in this find. This is a first for me, and I do a fair amount of amateur insect hunting and photography.
I do still have the live specimen, and would be happy to share it. No eggs yet, but I will send those as well if they come. How should I go about getting it to you in the best possible condition?
Feel free to look through the photos of my other finds on my website. The “nature” section can be found here:
http://www.themcmurrays.net/photos/nature/index.html
Kind regards,
-Brandon
Rabbit Bot Fly
Hi again Brandon,
Thanks for taking the time to take this stunning new photograph that is artful as well as accurately depicting the morphology of the Rabbit Bot Fly.
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