Small insect on antennae
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
March 16, 2012 7:59 pm
Hiya, I’ve got this photo of a weta and it was only after downloading it from my camera that I noticed there was a tiny little insect attached to the weta’s antennae. Can you tell me what it is? It’s got claws like a crab or scorpion. This was taken in Karori, Wellington, NZ in my front garden. Lots of stones and trees.
Signature: Thank you, Angela
Phoresy: Pseudoscorpion hitches ride on Weta!!!
Dear Angela,
You have taken a marvelous photograph. First we must say that we love your New Zealand Wetas. They are amazing insects. The hitchhiker is a harmless Pseudoscorpion. The act of using another creature for transportation purposes is known as phoresy, and we have several interesting images of Pseudoscorpions engaging in phoresy on our website, including a House Fly, an Ichneumon, a Cranefly and a Longicorn. Thank you again for your wonderful photograph.
Pseudoscorpion on Weta Antenna
dragon fly?
Location: bay area, CA
January 29, 2012 6:20 pm
Hi,
I found this thing in our laundry room under a pile of clothes which had been sitting on the ground for about 4 days.
It looks like a new born bug because it shiny and fragile looking – but it’s rather large. Body is about 1 cm and head is 1/3 size of the body.
This is the second one of these I’ve found in our house in the last 1 year.
The first one was found in the washer – dead. It was larger than this one pictured.
It’s not clear yet if this an indoor bug that got in or an indoor bug period.
Looking at google, I see some dragon fly resemblance.
Please help.
Signature: i don’t care
Potato Bug
Dear i don’t care,
This is a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket. It is classified in the insect order Orthoptera along with grasshoppers and crickets. Dragonflies have wings and they are classified in the insect order Odonata. Potato Bugs are subterranean dwellers that often wander indoors during or shortly after a rain.
¶ Posted 30 January 2012 § ‡ ° Please help us discover what this creepy bug is!
Location: Southern California
November 16, 2011 8:53 pm
Hello,
This 2 1/2 inch wonder was waiting on our door step this evening. Scared the daylights out of us!
Would love to know who came to visit!
Thank you 
Signature: Mary
Potato Bug
Hi Mary,
The Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket or Niña de la Tierra (in Spanish according to Hogue) is not uncommon in Southern California.
¶ Posted 20 November 2011 § ‡ ° Bug found in Cathedrale Gorge Nevada
Location: Cathedrale Gorge Nevada
November 1, 2011 11:44 pm
We found the attached bug or insect in the sand of Cathedrale Gorge Nevada. What is it?
Signature: Sue Dangelo
Potato Bug
Hi Sue,
This distinctive insect is commonly called a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, and it is one of our most common insect requests from the western states.
¶ Posted 02 November 2011 § ‡ ° Tagged: Top 10 Looks like a huge ant
Location: Wyoming
October 22, 2011 8:14 pm
We found this bug crawling across the tarmac at an airport in Wyoming in mid October. It was about 3 inches long.
It seems like an awfully large bug for where we are at.
Signature: NutNut
Potato Bug
Dear NutNut,
Though they are most common in the arid Southwest, it seems that Potato Bugs or Jerusalem Crickets can be found in most of the western states.
¶ Posted 23 October 2011 § ‡ ° Fetus Bug
Location: Los Angeles, CA
October 18, 2011 12:35 am
We found this bug in our pool in Hollywood Hills, CA USA. What is it and is it harmful? Thanks.
Signature: Gabe Naghi
Potato Bug
Dear Gabe,
We knew by your subject line without even opening up your image that you had found a Potato Bug, one of our Top 10 Southern California identification requests. Native Americans and Spaniards gave Potato Bugs common names that referred to their humanoid appearance. BugGuide lists other common names as: “Woh-tzi-Neh (Navajo, variously translated as ‘old bald-headed man’, ‘skull insect’, or ‘bone-neck beetle’), Nina de la Tierra (Spanish, ‘child of the earth’), … Devil’s Baby.” Potato Bugs are also called Jerusalem Crickets, though they native and not from the biblical Holy Land. Potato Bugs in the genus Stenopelmatus were the only members of the family Stenopelmatidae, however recent taxonomic changes seem to have created another genus. According to BugGuide, there are “over 50 spp. in our area, mostly undescribed”.
¶ Posted 18 October 2011 § ‡ ° Large crawling insect
Location: Northern Utah
October 17, 2011 10:06 am
Hi there,
While hiking in the Lone Peak area of Utah, I saw this large insect crawling up the trail. It looks like an enormous cross between a bee and an ant. It was about 2.5 inches long, with a body about as thick around as a nickel. Any idea what it is?
Signature: Darrin Lythgoe
Potato Bug
Hi Darrin,
This is a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, a common insect in the Southwest. They are subterranean dwellers that often come to the surface after a rain. They represent one of our most frequently identified bugs and they are on our Top 10 list.
¶ Posted 17 October 2011 § ‡ ° Tagged: Top 10 Please Identify This Big, Scary Bug
Location: Near Salt Lake City, Utah
September 28, 2011 7:29 am
Hi,
I live in Eagle Mountain, Utah, which is about an hour southwest of Salt Lake City. I saw this giant, slow-moving bug walking on the road last night. Sorry the picture quality isn’t better; I only had my cell phone. It’s about two inches in length! Very meaty. We have a lot of soldiers returning here from the war, and they’ve brought camel spiders to our area. So, perhaps this bug also came from the Middle East. Thank you.
Signature: Jason Pyles
Potato Bug
Hi Jason,
We just finished posting a photo of another Potato Bug from Washington. Potato Bugs are also known as Jerusalem Crickets.
¶ Posted 29 September 2011 § ‡ ° 
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