New Species?
August 16, 2009
I was on the back of a pickup when a friend of mine noticed a yellow jacket on the bed, so I stepped on it. It wasn’t dead, and my friend noted that it was an extremely weird yellow jacket. I took a closer look at it and noticed that it was not a yellow jacket, it was a praying mantis. They’ve been discovered around where I and my friends discovered this one before, and I could not find any information on this species on the internet. When I stepped on this insect, its claws came off, but I recovered them off of the bed of the pickup. Also, there was some damage done to the abdomen where a possible stinger may have been, if this is a crossbreed, but I cannot tell.
SZW
Idaho

Wasp Mantifly: Unnecessary Carnage

Dear SZW,
We hope that had your realized that this was not a Yellow Jacket, you would have refrained from stepping on it. It is a harmless Wasp Mantidfly, Climaciella brunnea, or perhaps a related species.  It is related to neither wasps nor mantids, but is in the same insect order as lacewings and antlions.  It is a beneficial predator and it cannot sting or otherwise hurt you.

Yes, had I known I would not have stepped on it. Since I realized that I made a mistake, I am attempting to preserve this insect. It died in the container en route home. That pin is not in the insect, it is keeping it standing strait so it does not curl when it dries, so I can put it in with my collection. Well, thanks for letting me know what it is. I’m off to type a label.
SZW

ID request
August 7, 2009
Hi there! I’m a huge fan of the website!
We’ve had these hanging around for about 2 months here, and I can’t figure out what they are. They are nocturnal and seem to like my lights at night. They’re about 2″ long. They hold their wings either up like in this photo or folded along their sides like a damselfly.
Mike
Edgewood, NM at about 7000′ in the pinion forest

Antlion

Hi Mike,
We have been getting in trouble lately for making assumptions, but we will tempt fate again and go that route.  This is definitely an Antlion in the family Myrmeleontidae and your photo is stunning.  We are assuming that since you said they were nocturnal, that this photo was taken at night with an electronic flash, which would explain the way the eyes have been reproduced.  We found a similar portrait on BugGuide that generated much internet chatter, but the wing pattern on your specimen is very different.  We suspect you may have an individual in the genus Brachynemurus which is described on BugGuide as:  “Apparently a commonly encountered genus. Large. Abdomen soft, slender, long, usually (or always?) extends beyond wingtips. Wings long, venation fine and net-like. Wings not strongly marked in most species for which photos available. Antennae clubbed.” Your individual definitely has the long abdomen.  BugGuide also indicates:  “Food  Adults reported to feed on small insects. Larvae predaceous.  Life Cycle  Adults mostly nocturnal. Larvae reported to be pit formers.“  The larvae of Antlions that live in pits are called Doodlebugs.  They are found in sandy soil and they wait buried in the sand at the bottom of the pit with only their jaws exposed, feeding on the hapless ants and insects that fall into the pit.

Thank you!  Yes, the photo was taken at night with a flash.  If they eat insects, that would explain why they hang around the lights.
Mike

Possible Dragonfly?
July 21, 2009
Seen on my front door casing today. I took the photo without disturbing the bug. I assume it is a dragonfly, but was not sure due to the position of the wings. I would love to know the specific type of insect.
EmHem
Dallas/Ft.Worth metroplex

Owlfly

Dear EmHem,
This is an Owlfly, a Neuropteran in the family Ascalaphidae.  According to BugGuide they are:  “Bizarre creatures that look like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly. The body resembles that of other neuropterans, more-or-less, but the prominent antennae are clubbed like those of butterflies. Key characters:
Medium to large size
Clubbed antennae
Eyes large and bulge out from head
may rest in cryptic posture with abdomen projecting from perch, resembling a twig.” BugGuide also indicates “The two North American genera can be keyed easily based on structure of the eyes. Genus Ululodes has divided eyes.”  Based on that information, it appears your Owlfly is in the genus Ululodes.  Of the three species represented in the genus on BugGuide, your specimen most closely resembles Ululodes macleayanus.

Strange bee/mantis
Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 12:43 PM
My son had this bug on his pant leg yesterday…July 1. He lives in Saratoga County, NY. It had front legs like a praying mantis but when I dumped it out of the jar I broke it’s leg and I watched it chew it off. It has wings and tail end like a wasp or hornet. The head and front legs looked like that of a praying mantis but brown. It has a long neck, too. It is not quite an inch long
Wondering in NY
Malta, NY

Wasp Mantidfly

Dear Wondering,
This is Climaciella brunnea, commonly called a Wasp Mantisfly.  The interesting thing about the common name, which includes three different types of insects by way of description, it that it is neither a wasp, nor a mantis, nor a fly.  Other common names include Western Mantispid and Brown Mantisfly, according to BugGuide.  These interesting Neuropterans, related to Antlions and Lacewings, always cause a stir when they are encountered by our readership.  BugGuide also indicates they are “Predatory on other insects (and other Mantidflies), especially those coming to flowers. Also takes some nectar and sap.”

Need ID for Neo tropical Conservation Project
Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 6:18 AM
Dear Daniel,
Sorry about the misunderstood, I didn’t mean to say any thing bad about your students or about the way you judge them. I was actually trying to be funny but it didn’t work obviously. I have a strange kind of humour, maybe cause I m french, but well nobody’s perfect!
I am currently in Louisiana were they also are having a hard time conserving the coast line and the beautiful swamps…the problem is everywhere I m afraid.
I will be back in Ecuador next friday though.
I would like to ask you a favor: I have been having the photos I am attaching on my computer for a while and I don’t know how to classify the critters… Do you have any idea if these are hymenopteran, megalopterans, or some kind of hemipteran nymphs?
Sorry this is one of the first time I find myself so stranded with a species. I don’t have a scientific background at all, I m just learning as I go.
Thanks in advance.
Thierry
ecuador eastern slopes

Owlfly

Hi Again Thierry,
We are very happy that we can assist you with this difficult identification. We would wager money that these are Owlflies, members of the order Neuroptera, which includes Lacewings and Antlions, and the family Ascalaphidae. We haven’t a clue as to the genus or species. Here is what BugGuide uses as identification markers for Owlflies: “Bizarre creatures that look like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly. The body resembles that of other neuropterans, more-or-less, but the prominent antennae are clubbed like those of butterflies. Key characters:
Medium to large size
Clubbed antennae
Eyes large and bulge out from head
may rest in cryptic posture with abdomen projecting from perch, resembling a twig”. The social behavior is a bit unusual in our mind, but they may be feeding on some plant eating insect.

Owlfly Aggregation

Thank you so much Daniel for your help. Actually after I sent you the message I scrolled down you re web page and realized that some one had sent you a picture of an owlfly and imagined we could be dealing with one of them guys. Touche!
I’ m glad I learnt something as I didn’t suspect the existence of such creatures.
Good luck with everything. we’ll be in touch.

Larry the Bug
Sat, May 2, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Found on my wall around the bathroom light. Yes, that is my wall, the wings are translucent. We named him/her Larry, but never seen before. Stayed there most of the night, but was gone in the morning.
Stan the man
West Texas

Antlions

Dear Stan the Man,
Larry the Bug is an Antlion.  Antlions are Nerve Winged Insects in the family Myrmeleontidae.  The larvae are also known as Doodle Bugs and they dig small pits in the sand to trap ants and other insects.  The Doodle Bug lies at the bottom of the pit buried in the sand with just its jaws protruding.