What am i
Location: Melbourne australia
July 18, 2010 2:38 am
I took a pic of what seams to be some sort of nimph?
eexxxss
Larval Neuropteran, we suspect
Dear eexxxss,
The glaring dearth of information you have provided us is astounding. What size was it? What was the habitat like where it was found? We suspect that this is a larval Neuropteran, and it most closely resembles the larva of a Green Lacewing in the family Chrysopidae. You can compare your images to some of the ones on the Brisbane Insect website.
Larval Neuropteran, we believe
Clear with blue tipped wings moth?
July 14, 2010
Dear Bugman -
I walked onto my deck to clean it and saw this moth (?) sitting on the roof underhang. It was perfectly still and didn’t move even as I was mere inches from it.
It is approximately 3-4 inches long and only about 1-2 inches wide. It has a very long narry body, Its wings were clear / see-through, except for the tips, which were a beautiful periwinkle blue.
Curious in Arkansas
Bella Vista, AR
Antlion: Glenurus gratus
Dear Curious,
This is probably North America’s most beautiful and distinctive Antlion, Glenurus gratus, a species that is profiled on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 15 July 2010 § ‡ ° dragonfly that’s not
July 13, 2010
This was taken in the Galveston, Texas area in the back yard. At first it appeared to be a juvenile dragonfly but the wings are not correct for one, and it has extremely long antennae. It also seems to have some sort of silk it streams. I’ve searched and searched but can’t find it. What is it?
Mrs.Lubner
20 miles north of Galveston Island on the mainland of the Texas Gulf Coast
Owlfly
Dear Mrs. Lubner,
Your insect is an Owlfly in the order Neuroptera which contains Lacewings and Antlions, and in the family Ascalaphidae and the genus Ululodes. The genus Ululodes is characterized by grooved eyes which your closeup nicely illustrates. You can read more about this genus on BugGuide. We do not get many photos of Owlflies, and photos of the excellent quality you have provided are always desirable.
Owlfly
¶ Posted 13 July 2010 § ‡ ° Winged bug
June 24, 2010
This bug was clinging to the wall where I work (in Reno, Nevada), and although I’m really not a bug person myself I’m curious to know what sort of flying insect this is.
sistercoyote
Reno, NV
Antlion
Dear Sistercoyote,
Now that we have answered your question, perhaps you will be curious enough to look into the interesting life of your Antlion. The larvae are known as Doodlebugs.
¶ Posted 24 June 2010 § ‡ ° Sluggish insect near pond
June 13, 2010
Saw this guy on a blade of grass, near a small pond, on 4/11/2009. 1/2 inch or more, I think. Didn’t move at all. Came back later and it was gone.
Is this a lacewing?
Dave
Mountains between San Jose and Santa Cruz CA
San Francisco Lacewing
Dear Dave,
First we want to congratulate you on a wonderful photograph, and we want to acknowledge your skill with the suspected identity of this creature. It is a Lacewing, but a species that we were totally unfamiliar with. We quickly identified the San Francisco Lacewing, Nothochrysa californica, by matching your superior photo to the few images posted to BugGuide for this species.
¶ Posted 14 June 2010 § ‡ ° Strange bug on my window sill-
June 13, 2010
It is June in northern virginia. This bug we found in our living room window. It is a little under an inch long. has a large back section with wings and 2 sets of legs attached. Then a long “neck” like area and the head. Just under the head are 2 more legs that remind me of a praying mantis. It is brown/grey in color. What is that bug?
Morgen
woodbridge, VA
Mantisfly
Hi Morgen,
Thank you for submitting such well written letters and such beautiful photographs. Your letters are quite astute. You have compared this little Neuropteran to a Preying Mantis, and coincidentally, it is known as a Mantisfly or Mantispid. We have gotten letters in the past comparing it to a cross between a wasp and a preying mantis, though that tends to be the brown and yellow striped species. It should be easy to recognize a predator in this Mantisfly, since raptorial front legs are always, to the best of our knowledge, associated with predatory behavior. Based on photos posted to BugGuide, and to descriptions, we believe this to be Dicromantispa sayi.
¶ Posted 14 June 2010 § ‡ ° Clear wing wasp?
June 10, 2010
I was told by an Ag Agent that this is a clear wing wasp, but didn’t see any like it on your site.
This came in through a window one night in August, I had never seen anything like it so snapped a couple of pics. I livein middle TN on the Highland Rim. I thought it was a dragon fly until I saw the wing arrangement- they were not perpindicular to the body, rather in a “v” shape away from the body when extended, and ran the length of the body when folded.
The photo doesn’t do justice to the beautiful blue shimmer on the wing tips, they actually appear kind of pink in the photo.
Any idea what this was?
PS: Awesome site!
Teresa in Cookeville
Cookeville, TN
Antlion in the Mirror
Wow Theresa,
This narcissist is an Antlion, Glenurus gratus, and it appears to be admiring the distinctive markings on its wings. If we were half this good looking as this Antlion, we would primp in front of the mirror all day. Antlions are Neuropterans and they are related to Lacewings and Owlflies. This photo is absolutely gorgeous. We took the liberty of correcting the color balance by eliminating the yellow glare of the incandescent lightbulbs. That has enhanced the pink coloration on the wing tips. We are going to run your photo as teaser for a possible 2011 wall calendar. We are trying to ascertain the interest of our readership before we begin designing the calendar. We hope you would consider allowing us to use this image if we decide to produce a calendar.
Antlion: Glenurus gratus
An Antlion! At last, an answer!
He really did appear to be admiring himself in the mirror- I thought perhaps he had newly acquired his wings because he was flexing them down, then up as if to dry them, but now that you mention admiring himself I think he was.
You’ll be glad to know he was released unharmed.
Feel free to use the pic for your calendar- he was a beauty.
Thank you Theresa. It is still too early for us to determine if there will be a 2011 Calendar since putting it together will be considerable additional work. Keep checking back with our website for updates, especially closer to the end of the year.
Daniel
Green Little Bug
June 7, 2010
Its Green, Wings Twice Its Size And Looks Like A Fly Or Something.
Ositsraniellen
Chattanooga, TN
Green Lacewing
Dear Ositsraniellen,
The Green Lacewing in your photo is an important predator that consumes vast quantities of Aphids and other pests on cultivated plants. Lacewings are often attracted to lights at night. Green Lacewings are delicate looking creatures that are sometimes called Goldeneyes because of their metallic colored eyes.
Green Lacewing
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