moth ID
Location: Termeil,NSW….state forest
January 30, 2012 8:18 am
translucent bug,2.5” long,turned up before rain not long after sunset,temp 30C plenty other bugs around,attracted to light…and there’s another moth and a Longhorn Beetle all in the one night.
Signature: Bugger
Ghost Moth
Dear Bugger,
Taxonomically, your three creatures are in three different insect orders, which screws around with our method of archiving postings, however, they are significant in that all three appeared in one night, so we are making an exception and keeping the posting intact. Your moth that is on the shoe is a Ghost Moth in the family Cossidae, and they are also called Goat Moths, Carpenter Moths or Wood Moths according to the Butterfly House website. The larvae are called Witchety Grubs. We just posted a letter yesterday with seven awesome images of a mating pair of Ghost Moths, so it would seem they are currently in season in Australia.
Poinciana Longicorn
We are nearly certain that your beetle is a Poinciana Longicorn, Agrianome spinicollis, and the larva is another wood boring grub. The photo from the Agriculture of Western Australia website is a match. The Queensland Museum website states: “This species is found in rainforest and open forest in eastern Australia. It is common in Queensland and New South Wales and also occurs on Lord Howe Island. The larvae are huge white grubs found in rotten wood, especially dead Poinciana or fig trees. It is an important pest of pecan trees. The large adults sometimes blunder into house lights. Identification Length 60 mm. This is a very large, broad longhorned beetle with khaki wing-covers and a reddish-brown thorax edged with a row of pointed ‘teeth’. The antennae are a little longer than the body.”
Your final insect is some species of Antlion in the family Myrmeleontidae and you can see some examples on the Brisbane Insect website. We believe it is most likely Heoclisis fundata which is pictured on Dave’s Garden.
Antlion
Green Bug
Location: California
December 7, 2011 12:06 am
Hey just found this bug on my wall. Couldn’t find anything on it, first thought it was a fly then a dragonfly but noticed it had long antenna which I didn’t see on other dragonfly pictures. completely stumped on this one.
Signature: Chris
Green Lacewing
Hi Chris,
This is a Green Lacewing and it is sometimes called a Goldeneye. This is a common beneficial insect that consumes large quantities of aphids as both a larva and an adult. Adults are frequently attracted to lights.
¶ Posted 07 December 2011 § ‡ ° interesting insect
Location: St Hedwig, TX
November 11, 2011 12:38 pm
During a shed building project this appeared. It was mid-August and the middle of a drought with temps hitting 100+ every day. It alighted on a telephone pole we had just set as a corner post. The creosote apparently didn’t bother it. It was about 2.5 in or so long. What is it?
We’re outside San Antonio, TX in a farming community.
Signature: Joy
Antlion
Dear Joy,
This magnificent creature is an adult Antlion in the genus Vella which we identified on BugGuide. We aren’t certain of the species and both similar looking species represented on BugGuide are found in Texas. Many folks are familiar with the larvae of Antlions which are commonly called Doodlebugs.
Antlion
1
¶ Posted 12 November 2011 § ‡ ° Weird stinging bug
Location: San Antonio, TX
October 15, 2011 5:24 pm
Hi,
This little bug was hanging out in one of the throw pillows on our sofa. It stung my wife about a week ago, but we never saw it. A few days ago, it stung me and I caught it in the act. I managed to kill it without squishing it and got some pretty good close-up photos of it. I couldn’t find anything like it on the Internet. It appears to have 6 lets, good sized pincers on its head, and some kind of stinger on its abdomen. It’s mostly bright green, with some brownish markings on it’s top side. Any idea what this thing is??
Signature: Thanks! Steph & Mike
Lacewing Larva Carnage
Dear Steph and Mike,
This is an Aphid Wolf. Lacewings and their larvae, which are known as Aphid Wolves, are beneficial predators in the garden that consume vast quantities of Aphids and other plant pests. We have received numerous reports of people being bitten by Lacewings as well as by Aphid Wolves, but the effects of the bite do not last long and they do not do any permanent harm. The advantages these insects bring to the garden far outweigh the annoyance of an occasional bite, and they should be tolerated.
Baby Dragon?
Location: South Korea
September 18, 2011 9:43 pm
While at work I ran across this little guy. Have no idea what it is but defiantly caught my attention.
Signature: Matt
Mantispid
Hi Matt,
Though it resembles a Preying Mantis, this Mantispid is not closely related. Mantispids are classified with Lacewings and Antlions in the order Neuroptera.
1
¶ Posted 19 September 2011 § ‡ ° Large flying insect
Location: Eglin AFB, FL
September 16, 2011 8:02 pm
I’ve never seen an insect like this. My second graders would like to know what it is.
Signature: insect identified
Antlion
Antlion.
Ed. Note: Our staff tries to respond to as many requests as possible, and many are never published live to our site. Occasionally our response is a concise identification, like our response above. Sometimes that results in additional dialog.
The insect I saw was about 4 inches long. It was as big as a dragonfly. The antlion is smaller than what I saw. Thank you for your thoughts. See attached photo.
Perhaps we should have supplied you with a link, but time does not always allow us the luxury of research for every response. We properly identified your insect as an Antlion. Further research leads us to believe it is Vella americana and you may verify our identification by comparing your photo to this posting on BugGuide.
Thank you your were a great help.
—Lucy
1
¶ Posted 17 September 2011 § ‡ ° Florida Bug
Location: Central Florida (Northeast Polk county)
September 12, 2011 6:34 am
This picture was taken on Sept. 11, 2011, in Central Florida (Northeast Polk county). Our best guess is a fishfly.
Signature: John Corn in Central Florida
Antlion
Hi John,
This is actually an Antlion and we believe the species may be Vella americana based on images posted to BugGuide. Additionally, BugGuide has a very nice quick description on the Myrmeleontidae (Antlion family) page that explains the visual differences between Antlions and Fishflies, as well as Dobsonflies and Owlflies.
1
¶ Posted 12 September 2011 § ‡ ° Mantis Armed Pony Bug
Location: Huntington, NY
September 2, 2011 5:05 pm
This interesting character showed up inside our house on Long Island a few days after Hurricane Irene blew through our area. He or she stayed close to the ceiling, wandered around a bit, and seemed to eat some charcoal off a drawing on the wall. We are extremely intrigued by this little bug, and were rather disappointed when we couldn’t locate him/her this morning. We would very much appreciate some assistance in identifying this particular insect. Thank you kindly! (photos taken by B. and may be published or reproduced by What’s That Bug only, please)
Signature: B & T W
Mantispid
Dear B & T W,
You have already noted the physical similarity, the raptorial front legs, between your insect, a Mantidfly or Mantispid, and a Preying Mantis, but they are not closely related. The Mantispids are Neuropterans that are related to Lacewings and Antlions. Some Mantispids mimic wasps, but they do not sting. We believe your species is Leptomantispa pulchella based on images posted to BugGuide.
Dear Daniel,
Thank you so much for your quick and informative identification!
We very much appreciate what you do!
Thanks again,
B & T
1
¶ Posted 03 September 2011 § ‡ ° 
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