Adult Antlion
February 3, 2010
I photographed this adult antlion a little past midnight on Dec 22, 2009 on Necker Island, BVI. I was wondering what particular species it was.
Donald Gudehus
Necker Island, British Virgin Islands
Antlion
Hi Donald,
The exact species identification of this lovely Antlion would be a job for a specialist in Neuropterans, or even more specifically, a specialist in Myrmeleontids. Alas, we here at What’s That Bug? do not fit that bill, but perhaps a Myrmeleontidist will write in with a response.
¶ Posted 03 February 2010 § ‡ ° Friend of The Ants
January 15, 2010
This unidentified creature was found along an ant trail in the window frame of our bathroom in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia. Although it looks like a lump of glue with some dirt sticking to it, underneath is has six widely spaced white legs with which it moves very slowly. There were two or three of these hanging about with the ants. Any ideas?
Thanks, Jane
Coastal Region, Sydney, Australia
Debris Carrying Lacewing Larva
Hi Jane,
We believe this is a Debris Carrying Larva of a Green Lacewing, and we don’t think it is a friend to the ants. It may be preying upon the ants. According to BugGuide: “It seems that the trash carried by these larvae confers some protection against predatory ladybeetles.“ The Insects of Brisbane website also contains some images of the larvae and adults of species from Australia.
unknown dragonfly-type insect
May 28, 2009
Hello
I found this insect in my home entrance.
Four similarly sized wings, folding back.
Large eyes with a small “ball” on each antenna tip.
Abdomen and rear held straight up. Six legs.
Size compared to pen in picture.
Rotem Ziser
Zichron Yaakov, Israel
Owlfly
Dear Rotem,
It was a very slow day here at What’s That Bug? and we posted a few new letters and decided to dig way back into the unanswered mail for a few more. Your letter was selected at random. This is an Owlfly, a relative of Lacewings and Antlions.
¶ Posted 21 December 2009 § ‡ ° foud a very unusual bug looks like a cross between praying mantis,damsel fly,wasp.
December 2, 2009
I live in new york.Long Island to be specific.I found a strange very hard to identify bug,damsel fly, praying mantis … WASP?)looks like a mixture of the first two .Has only four legs,two hands or pincers in front like a praying mantis(fold in just like a praying mantis.The eyes are separated like a damsel fly.Only two wings that lay down towards back when resting(but dragon fly or damselfly in appearance),longish body more like a wasp body than a dragon fly body.The bug is aprox.3/4 in long from had to end of body/aprox.1in. from head to end of wings. I just cant identify this bug.My son thinks it’s a mutant.Please help me identify it!I have videos of it and photos.
Annette lubczenko
USA/New york,long Island
Mantidfly
Hi Annette,
This is a Mantidfly, and it is related to Lacewings and Antlions. We believe it is Leptomantispa pulchella, based on images posted to BugGuide.
Mantidfly
¶ Posted 13 December 2009 § ‡ ° mantid mantis? whats with the wings?
December 3, 2009
I recently sent you a photo of a unusual bug that entered my home and I caught on the wall.I realy had no idea what it was. looked like a damsel fly /praying Mantis.Well I think it might be a Mantis/mantid baby.I decided to feed it a small amount of cat food on the end of a stick or pencil and it attacked it.I learned that baby mantids or mantisis would eat that so I figured if it ate it I might find out what the heck this bug is…well what do you think?I have great photos/videos of it eating/attacking it also. It’s funny this bug came in my home I have always been facinated by THE PRAYING MANTIS/MANTID .I am going to raise it and see what I get.
Mantislover
northeast/new york/Long Island
Mantidfly
Dear Mantislover,
We hope you can find it in you to love more than one family of insects, because this is not a Mantis. Despite appearances, your Mantidfly in the family Mantispidae is not remotely related to a Preying Mantis. It is a Neuropteran and is related to Lacewings and Antlions. Thanks for the awesome images. BugGuide has many examples of Mantidflies pictured.
Mantidfly
¶ Posted 03 December 2009 § ‡ ° Blue bug with translucent wings
September 6, 2009
I was laying in bed with the TV on at night and my cats kept indicating there was a bug (they usually meow a certain way). I looked at the ceiling and could see the shadow of some sort of flying bug. I turned the light on and the bug was not there. I looked hard for it and couldn’t find it. I turned the light and a minute later the cats were freaking out again. I looked up and there was the shadow. I turned the light on again and I could not see it. So I stood on the bed and looked closer at where the shadow at been. There was a small flying bug, about an inch long and maybe 2 inches or width, with almost translucent blue/green wings. I killed it immediately but it was odd b/c I’ve never seen anything like that.
Marti
SW Missouri (Ozark, MO)
Lacewing smashed for no reason
Dear Marti,
This Lacewing is a [relatively] harmless, beneficial predator and it did not deserve to be smashed for entering your home.
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
What on earth is this?
August 10, 2009
I’ve scoured the Internet, and I can’t figure this out. It looks like a damselfly with antennae. This was taken 7/16/08 at night. It was drawn to my porch light.
shane
Crawford County, Arkansas
Antlion
Hi shane,
This is, in our opinion, the most beautiful North American Antlion, Glenurus gratus. You can see more images on BugGuide which states: “Larvae reported to live in cavities such as tree holes (among sawdust) and in burrows of Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, a threatened species.“
THANK YOU! That was driving me nuts.
-shane.
¶ Posted 11 August 2009 § ‡ ° 
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