Large Bug with very large Mandibles
Location: Antsiranana, Northern Madagascar
August 29, 2011 10:36 am
Hi Bugman,
I wonder if you are able to identify the buy in the pictures as it has been puzzling me and my friends for sometime. it is between 1-2 inches long with the mandibles being 1 inch long. It was spotted in the early evening (about 8pm) not far from the sea in a remote location in the bay of Diego, Northern Madagascar. It was late last November and still in the dry season (towards the end). Any identification would be greatly appreciated.
Yours Hopefully
Richard
Signature: Regards

King Cricket

Hi Richard,
If you were in New Zealand, this would be a Weta, and if you were in South Africa, it would be a Parktown Prawn.  The close relatives in Madagascar are simply called King Crickets and they are in the family Anostostomatidae.  Here is a photo on Flickriver for comparison.  We believe the larger mandibles on your specimen indicates it is a male.  Here is a very informative website called Wetas Information.

King Cricket

Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for your rapid and informative response much appreciated. I have seen Wetas in NZ but never drew the comparison. The picture of the King Cricket confirms it for me.
Regards
Richard

Weird Bug
Location: Billings, Montana USA
June 2, 2011 11:41 am
I saw tis bug around October 1st 2008 in Billings, Montana USA coordinates 45°47′12″N 108°32′14″W
I think it was about 2 inces long not sure though.
Thanks for your help. Please write back soon.
Signature: Paul Foster

Potato Bug

Ed. Note
This email identification request nearly wound up in the trash after we supplied a quick response to Paul identifying his Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, and then we thought to retrieve it and post it because of several reasons.  First, Potato Bug sightings from more northern latitudes are not unheard of, but they are considerably less common than sightings from the arid Southwest.  Perhaps this has more to do with human populations as there are more people in Southern California than in Montana.  Our more selfish reason for posting this submission has to do with the urgency of the request.  We cannot really understand why a three year old photo needs to be identified soon.  We have a very small staff and we are unable to respond to even a small percentage of the requests we receive, especially during the summer months.  Since we will be out of the office the second week in June, we are preparing postings in advance so our faithful readership will not be denied a daily dose of What’s That Bug?  We appreciate your patience in our absence.  Please understand we are not checking email while visiting Mom in Ohio.  Upon our return, we expect to find hundreds of urgent requests in our mailbox. This is just a reminder that we try our best to respond to as many requests as possible.  Using a catchy subject line will get our attention and it will separate your request from the masses.  Also, including the name of an under-represented species in the subject line is sure to get our attention, and even more so if you use the scientific binomial.  Including a scientific name in the subject line will let us know that a serious fan of the lower beasts has written to us, and that intrigues us much more than a desperate housewife with a Carpet Beetle problem or a frantic college student that needs assistance with a project for a grade.  Please enjoy browsing our site in our absence.  Chances are quite good that the insect you want identified is already in our archives.

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Crazy Huge Backyard Bug
Location: Marin, California
April 22, 2011 12:03 pm
Hi, My son and I found this bug in our backyard in Marin, California yesterday (April 21). It appears somewhat like a non-flying bee/wasp (could it be a queen kicked out of nest?) and was moving very very slowly. The thing was HUGE – at leas 4 inches. It looked prehistoric and somewhat venemous. What is it?? Should I remove it from our yard if I encounter it again? Does it mean a colony of something dangerous is in our yard, or just an amazing creature? Thanks for any help!
Signature: Amazed by bug

Potato Bug

Dear Amazed by bug,
We hope you and your son will long remember your first encounter with a truly iconic California insect, the Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, a member of the genus Stenopelmatus.  Entomologists in recent years have realized that there is much more diversity in this genus than originally suspected, and BugGuide now indicates there may be as many as 60 North American species of this unique insect whose closest relatives are the Wetas of Australia.  Potato Bugs are not venomous, but they do have powerful jaws that might draw blood if a person carelessly handles a large individual.  Native Americans and Spanish speaking cultures have many myths and superstitions regarding this fascinating insect that is almost humanoid in its appearance.  There is no need to remove Potato Bugs from your yard.  They are subterranean dwellers that spend much of their time underground.  Potato Bugs comprise one of our most frequently made identification requests.

Potato Bug

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Beetle? Not sure…
Location: Coastal San Diego, CA
March 27, 2011 3:06 pm
Dear bugman, thank you for helping us out. My 2 1/2 year old son found this bug when we were clearing a space to set up a vegetable garden in my back yard. It burrows in the dirt. Is at least an inch long. It is spring in San Diego. Any help would be appreciated – my 2 sons are very curious, and so am I!
Signature: Thank you for your help, a curious mom

Potato Bug

Dear curious mom,
You have encountered a real Southern California icon, the Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, a subterranean relative of crickets and grasshoppers from the order Orthoptera.  Potato Bugs are generally encountered during the winter months, often after the rains.

Thank you. Do you mean potato bug as in grey rolly polly?

We have never heard of a Roly Poly being called a Potato Bug, but that is the problem with using common names.  Roly Poly is another common name for Pillbugs or Wood Lice in the family Armadillidiidae while Potato Bugs are Orthopterans in the genus Stenopelmatus.

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