whats this bug.
we found these bugs one night while sitting outside, the fact that they were there didn’t worry us. but what worried us was the fact that the bugs “watched” us, they turned there heads around and fully “looked” at us. unfortunately they were exterminated as there were young children present. what are these bugs and are they harmful? there were 2 but ants got them. this one was the most intact
julie greenwood
perth western australia

Hi Julie,
These are the remains of a harmless Mole Cricket. Mole Crickets have a nearly worldwide distribution. They are omnivorous, nocturnal, underground dwellers that are sometimes considered agricultural pests. In an effort to educate the public about random acts of killing, we have created an Unnecessary Carnage page in an effort to keep the public from killing first and asking questions later.

Finding a Pine Tree Cricket hints
Hi Bugman,
I thought some bug lovers would be interested in seeing how well a Pine Tree Cricket blends in with its habitat. It took me two visits to find this little tree cricket. Now that I see how they position themselves on a branch, I’m sure it will be much easier to find more. This is a 6 foot high ornamental shrub–the tree cricket was about 5 feet up and about 2 feet in. I wasn’t sure I would even be able to find a Pine Tree Cricket in Wisconsin—but I finally have. Love your site,
Nancy Collins Racine (in Southeastern Wisconsin)

Hi Nancy,
Your hints will also apply to other Tree Crickets in the genus Oecanthus as well as the Pine Tree Cricket, Oecanthus pini. We located a website with additional images and information.

Restless Bush Crickets?
Dear Bugpeople,
I took the enclosed picture of these very cute crickets on a potted plant along my front walk in suburban Philadelphia. I believe they are restless bush crickets, though they seemed pretty placid at the time. The big one on the left seems to be a female, while the other two seem to be males. Do you concur? Thanks for maintaining a wonderful website,
John Hufnagel in Upper Darby. PA

Hi John,
Thank you for sending in your wonderful image of correctly identified Restless Bush Crickets, Hapithus agitator, a new species for our site. There are many nice images on BugGuide as well.

large iraqi bug
My husband took this picture of a large >2.5 in insect found in a workspace in Iraq. It appears to be similar to a Jerusalem cricket. Is that what it is? If you could give me any information I could send to my husband and his coworkers (diet, lifecycle, etc), I would appreciate it. Thanks,
Camille

Hi Camille,
We get Mole Cricket inquiries from around the world, and many from Iraq. Mole Crickets live underground where they eat plant roots.

Mole cricket??? Strange critter in Iraq
Just got this note and picture from my son in Iraq. I think it’s a mole cricket. Am I right? Thanks!
Barbara

[W]hat on earth is the critter in the attachment? It’s about 2 inches long, and it was crawling around the office recently. It has 6 legs and a jointed exoskeleton. It did not jump, and it made a "crack" that was clearly audible from more than 20 feet away when I stepped – not stomped on it.

Hi Barbara,
You are correct. This is a Mole Cricket and we have gotten numerous submissions from Iraq.

Scary Hissing Bug!
Hello,
We this bug land in our swimming pool on the weekend. We weren’t able to get many good photo’s but these few have the most coverage. My partner picked it up to remove it from the pool and just before putting it down in the garden, it tried to take a chunk out of him….! Can you please help us find out what type of flying bug this is, I’ve looked on a couple of websites but can not find any pictures of it. 2 of us think it may be some kind of locust…?? It was outside in the pot plant then by the end of the night it was in the laundry, although I’m unable to locate it at the moment I’m sure he will come out of somewhere when I’m not suspecting it..! It would be greatly appreciated if you could help. Cheers,
Elle & Mark

Hi Elle and Mark,
For now, all we can tell you is that this is an Orthopteran, the order that includes grasshoppers, katydids and crickets. It is a female, as evidenced by the large spikelike ovipositor. Now comes the big question. Where are you located??????? There is a family, Anostostomatidae, of primitive insects found in New Zealand known as Weta, and there are some similarities. The hissing and aggressive posture are indicative of Weta, but Weta are wingless. This is probably some species of Long Horned Grasshopper or Katydid in the family Tettigoniidae. The last time we tried to email Eric Eaton, the communique did not go through. We will see if he has an opinion here. Here is what Eric thinks: “That is a female katydid of some kind, probably neotropical, and probably predacious, as are many katydids with strong jaws and heavy spines on the front legs.”

Hello,
Thank you so much for replying so soon. We are in Perth, Western Australia. I’ve never seen this type of bug/insect before, but he was huge..! Where do these things usually reside? as they are so big we thought we would have seen it before. He kept making a hissing sound that was loud enough to hear from about 4 foot away..! Feisty little fellow..!!! Thanking you in advance.
Elle & Mark

Hi again Elle and Mark,
Thanks for the location. Eric Eaton says a Predaceous female Katydid but does not know the species. A quick web search did not give us a conclusive answer.

Update: (07/03/2008) Katydid IDs from Piotr Naskrecki
Hi,
I have been looking at the page with unidentified katydids (Katydids 2), and thought I could help with some ID’s. From top to bottom they are: Australian “katydid” – not a katydid but Gryllacrididae, unknown species