Unusual Orthoptera?
Location: Lawrence County Ohio (far southern ohio)
August 29, 2010 10:08 am Dear Bugman,
I wonder if you can identify this odd insect that I found on my front porch light. I live in rural Southern Ohio and have never seen any insect like this. Hopefully you can tell by the photo, it appears to be wingless, has extremely long curling antennae, and a large stinger or ovipositor. I believe it is order Orthoptera, and looks similar to the shield back katydid, but not exactly. Any ideas? Thank you!
Hilary duDomaine
Photo is too small to make out any details
Unusual Orthoptera New Photo Attached
Thanks for writing back! Attached is a much better picture taken with a digital camera. Hope this helps!
Hilary
Carolina Leaf Roller
Hi again Hilary,
Thanks for sending a much better image. Even though some parts of the body are obscured, we cannot imagine that this could be anything other than a Raspy Cricket in the family Grillacridadae known as the Carolina Leaf-Roller, Camptonotus carolinensis. You can compare it to this photo on BugGuide. The information page on bugGuide indicates it: “Hunts aphids at night” and “Bites through leaf in order to form flap. Flap is folded over, edge is pulled down with legs, and then edges are glued together with silk from gland on mouth. Sometimes uses empty Bladdernut (Staphylea) pods in which to hide instead of leaves.“ BugGuide also notes: “Runs rapidly. Antennae very long, at least five times as long as body. (These do not stick out of leaf shelter.) Ovipositor is upturned and carried over back.”
Wow thank you! That is definitely it! I have never seen one of these around my home, so it was great to get info on this unusual cricket! Thanks for your help,
-Hilary
¶ Posted 29 August 2010 § ‡ ° Curious what this odd-looking insect is.
Location: Elk River, MN
August 9, 2010 12:26 am
Bugman,
I was at a family gathering in Elk River, Minnesota on August 8th when I spotted this bug reared up on its hind legs atop the leaf of a bush in my father-in-law’s front yard. When I took my camera out to snap a photo, it quickly retreated underneath the leaf, and it jumped away when I tried to get it to climb on my finger.
I was wondering if you could take a gander at the picture and help me identify exactly what it is i took a picture of. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You
J Bistodeau
Two Spotted Tree Cricket
Hi J,
This is a Tree Cricket, most likely a Two Spotted Tree Cricket, Neoxabea bipunctata. The markings on the dorsal surface help to identify this species, and they are barely visible in your profile view. You can read more about the species on BugGuide.
Daniel,
My utmost thanks for your reply! I used the link, and looked up two spotted tree crickets. You are indeed correct in your identification! Thank you so much! Sorry the markings weren’t too clear on that picture – I took several pictures of it, and that was the only one that came out clear (all the other ones, the leaves were in focus but the bug was not). I am glad you were able to clear up my mystery for me! I am forever grateful!
Thank you,
Jason Bistodeau
¶ Posted 09 August 2010 § ‡ ° Crustacean like bug
Location: Biar, Spain
July 27, 2010 4:21 am
I found this bug in the garden, it is about 7cm long and looks a bit like a crayfish but I live in the mountains of Alicante, Spain and there is no water nearby. It walks fairly quickly and my dog is very interested in it. What is it?
Malcolm Robins
Mole Cricket
Hi Malcolm,
This subterranean insect is a Mole Cricket, and though they are found underground, many species can fly quite well, and they are attracted to lights. We get identification requests from around the world for Mole Crickets, including numerous submissions from the Middle East.
¶ Posted 27 July 2010 § ‡ ° Red Headed Bush Cricket ??
June 30, 2010
I found this little pair today. they were crawling around on my potted strawberry plants out front. I did not see any really great photo’s on the site, so thought I would send you a few.
Very small, wingless and hairy, they were a bit less than 1/4 of in inch long. Several of them on the plant, but they were too shy, and I’m not willing to kill one to shoot it. Patience and persistence, a few crossed words, and 2 of them finally allowed me to capture their image.
Hope you like them.
Rick Nelson (SCWIDVICIOUS)
North Carolina
Handsome Trig
Hi Rick,
Yesterday evening we posted a letter with a photo of a Red Headed Bush Cricket, bug technical difficulties have not allowed the image to show. We are also posting your photos. We prefer the common name Handsome Trig for the Red Headed Bush Cricket, Phyllopalpus pulchellus.
AKA: Red Headed Bush Cricket
¶ Posted 01 July 2010 § ‡ ° Red and yellow body, yellow hind legs. Cricket? Grasshopper?
June 30, 2010
Found this little guy on the island in my kitchen tonight. (I live in North Carolina, USA.) Never seen one, despite the variety of insect life wandering the woods behind our house–and coming inside. It’s probably only 1/2″ long or so. Not very big. I thought the coloring was unusual. I apologize that it’s not a better photo. So far I haven’t managed to do anything but trap him in a cup, so I may be able to get a better one when I get brave and convince myself it’s not an alien that will grow epically at midnight and eat me in my sleep.
Thanks!
Ruth
North Carolina
Handsome Trig
Hi Ruth,
This is the lovely Red Headed Bush Cricket, Phyllopalpus pulchellus, though we prefer the other common name, the Handsome Trig. You can see additional images of the Handsome Trig by visiting BugGuide.
¶ Posted 30 June 2010 § ‡ ° Big, bad Bulgarian bug.
May 5, 2010
Dear Bugman,
My friend found this wasp-like creature at her house in Bulgaria. I have been considering visiting her, but I’m just not so sure anymore. The beast is around 4 inches long. I have Googled manically, but with no luck. What is it?
Anna
Zmeevo, Bulgaria
Mole Cricket
HI Anna,
If avoiding Mole Crickets like the one in the photo is your only reason for not visiting Bulgaria, or staying any place for that matter, then you may want to consider relocating to Antarctica. Mole Crickets are found throughout the world, and they are harmless creatures that spend most of their lives underground. Many species can fly and they are attracted to lights.
Hi Daniel,
Oh, I was really just joking – I’m not freaked out by bugs, I just wondered what it was – mole crickets are incredibly rare in Sweden (where I spend most of my garden quality time) and it would be an enormous treat to see one. I remember it from my insect book, but the picture is from a different angle. Very excited and grateful to receive such a helpful and quick reply!
All the best from Rome,
Anna
¶ Posted 05 May 2010 § ‡ ° Identification Request
April 19, 2010
Hi Daniel,
I’ve got this type of bug that likes to come into my garage / room and I can hear it crawling in on my floor its a scratchy noise and I’m wondering what bug it is and if
it poses any harm. I also wouldn’t mind some info on it just out of interest so I know what I’m dealing with.
Found in: Perth Australia, in my garage
Thanks
Alastair
Perth Australia
Mole Cricket
Hi Alastair,
Thank you so much for resending your letter with the photograph attached. It is virtually impossible for us to try to piece together letters and images that do not all arrive together because of the volume of mail we receive. This is a Mole Cricket, a creature that is found in many places throughout the world. We get frequent identification requests with images of Mole Crickets from Iraq and Afghanistan, Australia, and many parts of North America. Mole Crickets are subterranean dwellers, and some species are capable of flight and are attracted to lights.
¶ Posted 19 April 2010 § ‡ ° Big brown, furry bug in Texas
April 10, 2010
Bugman,
I was startled today by this big brown furry bug I saw in the street. The three things I thought it was before I more closely inspected it were a scorpion, spider, or a beetle. However, it is definitely not a spider or a scorpion, Maybe a beetle.
Alex Duenas
Dallas, TX
Mole Cricket
Hi Alex,
We have been getting numerous requests to identify Mole Crickets lately. Mole Crickets, as their name implies, are subterranean diggers that are also capable of flying. Sometimes they are attracted to lights.
Thanks. I actually figured it out before you helped me but yea. I would have never guessed it was a cricket. It was much more scary looking than a cricket. I read that they ate rarely seen. Everyone I showed had never seen one so I guess that’s true. A cricket…haha…and I was afraid to pick it up. Thanks
¶ Posted 11 April 2010 § ‡ ° 
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