large black bug with brown legs
October 17, 2009
we found this bug last night outside our front door. it has sux legs and two larger feelers on wither side of its body. its body is black and legs are brown. it crawls sideways and very fast. tried catching it but it was too quick for us
Rhiannon
Wickenburg, Arizona
Tailless Whipscorpion
Dear Rhiannon,
Once we turned to BugGuide to substantiate our simple response, that response suddenly became a bit more complicated. We have always referred to this fascinating creature as a Tailless Whipscorpion, but now that we have noticed that BugGuide has taken its identification to the species level, Paraphrynus mexicanus is being commonly called a Tail-less Whip Scorpion, but the order Amblypygi is still being called Tailless Whipscorpions. The species information page on BugGuide states: “Primarily denizens of humid tropics, most North American species are found in Florida and Gulf states, where they occasionally enter houses” but interestingly, all the submissions have been from Arizona. We prefer the non-hyphenated, compound word spelling of Tailless Whipscorpion indicated on the order information page of BugGuide. These are shy, nocturnal, harmless predators that do not have any venom, and despite the frightening appearance, they are perfectly harmless, though foraging cockroaches, if they could contribute to this web page, might disagree. They are capable of rapid, crablike, sideways, scuttling locomotion.
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Posted 17 October 2009
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WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN MISSOURI????
August 13, 2009
Dear Bugman,
This is my favorite site ever. it’s taught me to love all little creatures. I am beginning an Entomoly course this month, ( wish me luck). ANYWAY, I was on vacation last week at the Lake of The Ozarks, in Missouri. Osage Beach area. This little guy was about to crawl acrossed my friends foot! I wrangled him, took a few pictures, ( which really ticked him off), and then released him away from where kids play and walk. I talked to the hotel, and they say they never get scorpions this time of year. Could I have BROUGHT HIM WITH ME??? Im from Arizona. He was outside when I found him though. It was about 1am, about 30 feet from the lake. THANKS!!!!
Sherri the Love Bug.
Lake Ozark, MO (Central missouri)
Striped Bark Scorpion
Hi Sherri the Love Bug,
This is a Striped Bark Scorpion, Centruroides vittatus, and according to BugGuide, it is reported from Missouri. According to BugGuide, the range is: “Populations of this scorpion encompass a large geographic range that includes southern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, several of the states in northern Mexico, Texas, western Louisiana, western Arkansas, southern Missouri, Oklahoma, and much of Kansas.” Kari J McWest is credited with the following identification description on BugGuide: “A very important clue is the ‘triangle’ on the front of the carapace; long, slender appendages, which are noticeably more elongate in males than in females; two broad stripes down back, with orange bars on each tergite (dorsal plate); hands and fifth metasoma (tail) segment are darker, especially in young and freshly molted specimens; broad stripe on the back of the tail.” BugGuide also remarks: “Venom is a mild neurotoxin, sting is quite painful. Some people might have a severe allergic reaction requiring medical attention This is the most common scorpion in the USA.”
Of course we wish you luck in your entomology class. If your class is in Arizona, we would like to propose a topic of research for you. That would be one good way to impress your instructor from the start. You will probably have to write a research paper. The Blister Beetles are in the family Meloidae and their complicated life cycles are fascinating. Additionally, Arizona probably has the greatest diversity of Blister Beetles in the U.S.
Striped Bark Scorpion
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Posted 14 August 2009
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cancle
August 12, 2009
i would love to have more information from the cancles. my name is eternity and i’m 12 years old. this is my cancle…
mexico,nay.
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Eternity,
In Mexico, the name Cancle is used for the Tailless Whipscorpions in the order Amblypygi. According to BugGuide: “Life Cycle Males deposites a spermatophore which the female picks up with her genitalia. The mother broods the eggs in a special sac under her abdomen. After hatching, the young climb on to the mother’s back and are carried around until able to fend for themselves. Remarks No venom glands, and do not sting or bite. If disturbed, they scuttle sideways.” Since they don’t have venom, Tailless Whipscorpions are harmless. They are shy nocturnal hunters that will feed on the cockroaches they encounter in the home. We are very happy to have received your letter full of wonder about this magnificent creature since earlier today we posted a very disturbing letter from a person who smashed, poisoned and fed to ants a Giant Vinegaroon, another order of Whipscorpions. We are thankful to hear about your curiosity concerning the wonders of nature.
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Posted 12 August 2009
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DISGUSTING bug
August 11, 2009
I found this bug crawling on my porch. It was so disgusting looking that I had to smash it. After I took the photo, I grabbed a can of poison and drenched it then I threw its mangled body in a raging ant colony I disturbed.
Can you please identify it?
buglover101
northeast us
Giant Vinegaroon
Dear buglover101,
The facetiousness of your signature is anything but amusing to us. This is a Whipscorpion or Giant Vinegaroon, Mastigoproctus giganteus. According to BugGuide: “The vinegaroon is nocturnal and has poor vision. The whiplike tail is used as a sensory organ, as is the first pair of legs, which is not used for walking. Although its tail in unable to sting, this creature can spray an acidic mist from a scent gland at the base of the tail when disturbed. The spray is 85% concentrated acetic acid/vinegar, hence the common name ‘Vinegaroon.’ The heavy pinching mouthparts (modified pedipalps) can also inflict a painful bite. Although very unlikely to attack humans, it can certainly defend itself if provoked.” Sadly, this poor individual didn’t stand a chance against the arsenal you threw at it. In our opinion, this is a textbook example of what we consider to be Unnecessary Carnage. We are puzzled by the stated location in your email as the Giant Vinegaroon is a southern Arachnid.
A Reader Comments
Vinegaroon, and my big spider
August 14, 2009
I suspect that “buglover101″ was messing with you, with the description of torturing the vinegaroon and throwing it to enraged ants. Especially since you noted that the vinegaroon is a southern arachnid. Anyway, any chance you could help with the big striped spider I sent you last Sunday? I think the pictures are great (you can really see her brown eyes) but I can’t identify her. Thank you for the wonderful website, even if you don’t get to my spider!
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
The thought had crossed our mind that buglover101 was yanking our chain since this does seem to be a bit of an overreaction, but the photo is still a smashed Giant Vinegaroon. The smashing alone would warrant Unnecessary Carnage and the postmortem corpse defiling is truly over the top. It reminds us of the defiling of Hector’s corpse in the Iliad, an act perpetrated to raise the hackles of the Trojans. Perhaps we are just too gullible, but we tend to believe what people write to us.
Since your letter brought up a relevant point that we wanted to post, we went through hundreds of recent emails to track your name and located your previous unread query. The spider is a Wolf Spider.
Exiguous scorpion listings
July 28, 2009
Dear WTB,
There seems to be a mysterious lack of scorpions listed on your site (which is a great site, BTW) so thought I’d make a submission. Not sure of the actual ID but think it is a Hentz Striped Scorpion (Centruroides hentzi). The picture was taken just before I hit it with my shoe. Just joking! Don’t want to end up on your Unnecessary Carnage page. This was found on a coworker’s bedroom wall one night several months ago right under the light switch. It miraculously was not squished, but brought in to us for identification. It is residing in Critter City for the moment until a positive ID can be achieved.
KICA Maint
Kiawah Island, SC
Hentz Striped Scorpion
Dear KICA Maint,
We agree on two counts. Yes, there is a noticeable dearth of scorpions on our website. Perhaps some older postings were lost in the site migration last September. We cannot recall posting any scorpions since that time. Part of the problem probably resides with our editing of letters. Much of our editing is unintentional because we are unable to read all of our mail. We gravitate to subject lines that catch our attention, and some days we are able to devote more time and post more letters than other days when we are too busy conducting our lives. On the second count, we agree that this appears to be a Hentz Striped Scorpion, though we are far from experts on the topic. According to BugGuide, the Hentz Striped Scorpion is found in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Your sighting may be normal range expansion since it is not far from the typical range. The genus Centruroides is in the family Buthidae. Here is what BugGuide has to say about the family: “The family Buthidae is the largest scorpion family with over 50 genera and over 600 species worldwide. Of the known 25 (or so) species of dangerous scorpions, only one species is NOT in the family Buthidae (it’s Hemiscorpius lepturus, in the family Hemiscorpiidae, and it has a highly virulent haemotoxin). Dangerous buthids are in the genera Centruroides (North America and Mexico), Tityus (South America), and Androctonus, Parabuthus, Leiurus, Mesobuthus, and Hottentotta in the Old World. Oddly, with all the deadly animals in Australia, none of the buthids there are known to be dangerous.“ Thanks for your submission.
Hentz Striped Scorpion
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Posted 28 July 2009
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can you identify this please?
July 25, 2009
hi
this bug found in my kitchen in north London United Kingdom.
however have recently returned from central America / Caribean holiday.
for scale one picture contains a shaving razor handle.
thank you
john
j davey
london U.K
Whipscorpion
Dear j davey,
First off, this has to be the smallest digital file we have ever had sent to us. Despite our feeble eyesight, we have no doubt that is is a Whipscorpion in the order Uropygi. It is not native to England and it is found in the Caribbean. It is also a nocturnal hunter that may take shelter in a suitcase or other dark place. It would seem customs did not do a thorough search. Whipscorpions are perfectly harmless to humans despite the fierce appearance as they have no venom.
thank you
yes, looks just like it
sorry about the size of the file, didn’t realise it was so small, it was taken using the camera on the phone.
thank you for your help
any idea of a good home for it?
john
We would recommend a local pet store that sells Tarantulas.
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Posted 27 July 2009
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Crazy bug with crazy tail
Hi,
I was camping in southern New Mexico a few days ago and this insect came into the bathroom. I’ve never seen anything like it! Its body was about 3 inches long, and the tail (is that a tail?) was probably an inch and a half on top of that. It was moving slowly, made a loop around the bathroom, and left. From some of your other posts, I think this might be a solpugid, but i’ve never heard of or seen these guys before so any info you have would be really cool. thanks!
nick
outside Carlsbad, NM
- Whipscorpion
Hi Nick,
This is a Whipscorpion, and it is an Arachnid, not an insect. Arachnids like Insects are a class of Arthropods. The Whipscorpion and Solpugid are both Arachnids, but in different Orders. Whipscorpions do not have venom and are perfectly harmless to humans. The same cannot be said for tiny creatures. Whipscorpions are nocturnal predators that feed on insects, other arachnids and even small lizards. We believe your specimen is Mastigoproctus giganteus, sometimes called a Giant Vinegaroon or Grampus. Your photo is quite detailed and beautiful. Here is what BugGuide has to say about the Giant Vinegaroon: “The vinegaroon is nocturnal and has poor vision. The whiplike tail is used as a sensory organ, as is the first pair of legs, which is not used for walking. Although its tail in unable to sting, this creature can spray an acidic mist from a scent gland at the base of the tail when disturbed. The spray is 85% concentrated acetic acid/vinegar, hence the common name ‘Vinegaroon.’ The heavy pinching mouthparts (modified pedipalps) can also inflict a painful bite. Although very unlikely to attack humans, it can certainly defend itself if provoked.”
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the quick reply and very detailed information! I was curious about whether it was an arachnid or insect, because the first pair of appendages looked anatomically just like the legs, but were so much longer and, as you said, were being used as feelers and not for locomotion. i had no idea that there were arachnids that only walked on six legs! very cool.
best,
nick
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Posted 21 July 2009
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What is this insect?
Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 4:04 PM
We had just put some towels that were drying into our beach bag, when we noticed a long black thread-like thing inside the bag. Upon further review we saw some sort of insect, with long black legs, a brown body like a HUGE grasshopper or beetle, with pincers like a crab. We convinced it to leave the bag, but it was not aggressive in any way. it scared the hell out of my wife who now wonders if there are more, is it dangerous, did it lay eggs???
Jerry & Nora
Zihautenejo, Mexico
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Jerry and Nora,
This is a harmless Tailless Whipscorpion, and it is an Arachnid, not an insect. Tailless Whipscorpions are shy, nocturnal predators, any your specimen was likely just hiding from the sun and heat inside your bag. In Mexico, there are many superstitions about the Tailless Whipscorpion, but the rumors that it is dangerous and venomous are not true. We have had one reader report that the Tailless Whipscorpion is known locally in Mexico as a Cancle, but we cannot verify that in our web research. We doubt that it laid eggs.
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Posted 22 February 2009
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Beetle from Cloud forest in Ecuadorian Andes
Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 8:46 PM
We just got back from Milpe in Ecuador (elevation 1500 meters) and came across this beautiful beetle. Can you ID?
BTW. We saw an almost identical Scorpion bug in the Amazon as the one noted in Thailand. I am attaching pic. Amazing how they can be found in areas so far away from each other.
Mtnchk
Milpe Ecuador
Click Beetle: genus Semiotus
Dear Mtnchk,
We not be able to ever get you a definitive species identification on your beetle, but first we need to start with the family. We are not sure if your beetle is a Jewel Beetle (AKA Metallic Wood Boring Beetle) in the family Buprestidae, or a Click Beetle in the family Elateridae. Our first thought was a Buprestid because of the coloration, but the thoracic area has us inclined to speculate that this is an Elaterid. Click Beetles get their common name from their ability to snap their bodies at the junction of the thorax and abdomen. If the beetle finds itself on its back, this ability allows it to right itself by snapping its body against the hard ground, propelling the beetle high into the air and producing an audible clicking sound. Most North American Click Beetles are drab in coloration, but some tropical species are brightly colored. We hope one of our expert contributors will be able to at least narrow the family and perhaps identify the species.
Tailless Whipscorpion
Also, thanks for including your Ecuadorean example of a Tailless Whipscorpion.
Update: from Eric Eaton
Hi, Daniel:
It is indeed a click beetle, in the genus Semiotus. The whole genus is quite colorful!
Eric
Dear Daniel,
This is fantastic. I really appreciate your quick and thorough response. What a great website you have and I have actually given you a very positive rating as a new website for “Stumble upon” where I was when I came upon your website. I hope this gives you many more hits which lead to some financial gains- you certainly deserve it!
Mtnchk (Rebecca
Update:
Hi Daniel
It goes by the common name ‘Cucuya’ in Ecuador and it is a click beetle (family Elateridae); probably Semiotus illigeri. It occurs in Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia and Ecuador. Semiotus is a large neotropical genus with 31 representatives in Ecuador. Images are hard to find but the ‘Natural History Museum of Los Angeles’ has posted a report on the genus that includes numerous distribution maps and excellent color plates (look for Figure 227). Regards.
Karl
http://www.nhm.org/research/publications/Contributions_in_Science/CS514.pdf
a bug found in Middle of Thailand.
Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 3:36 AM
we found this bug in a cave in the Middle of Thailand. It walks as the crab, and has 4 pairs of legs and 1 pair of pliers.
the of the bug is about 15cm in width and 10cm in length.
more detail in the image.
Hans Ngo – www.bikechina.org – The Ghost Rider Team
A bat cave in middle of Thailand.
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Hans,
We have gotten photos of harmless Tailless Whipscorpions from many places around the world. These are shy nocturnal hunters that are totally harmless since they lack venom.
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Posted 10 February 2009
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what´s this?
Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 12:18 PM
is this a spyder?, what is it. Dangerous???, found under a pyle of stuff
gabriel
mexico
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hola Gabriel,
We never tire of posting images of the harmless, shy, nocturnal, predatory Tailless Whipscorpion. They are Arachnids, but not spiders.
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Posted 15 January 2009
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Costa Rican spider
Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Costa Rican spider
We recently visited the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, and came across this spider on the back of a building at the Cerro Escondido eco-lodge (up a rocky path from Montana Grande in the Karen Mogensen Reserve). I’m curious to find out what it is, because it looks like a mix-mash of everything.
Deborah Dearth
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Deborah,
This is a harmless Tailless Whipscorpion, a shy nocturnal predator.
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Posted 07 December 2008
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