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 § ‡ ° Strange insect found in Iraq
April 3, 2010
I need help identifying an insect. I am currently working in Western Iraq. 2 Nights ago (April 2nd), I found this strange insect wandering my work site. It was about five inches long and moved very slowly. We had just had a rain storm the previous night. My main concern is for my coworkers’ safety. There are many poisonous animals in our area and I wanted to make everyone aware of a potential danger. I am grateful for any help you can offer. Thank you.
Anthony Bianchi
Western Iraq
Mole Cricket
Hi Anthony,
This is a Mole Cricket, and they are found in many parts of the world, and they are harmless.
¶ Posted 03 April 2010 § ‡ ° Cave Cricket?
February 23, 2010
Hi Daniel,
Another of the insects I saw in Sichuan, China. This one was a particular beast. Its body wasn’t much short of thumb size and as you can see its antennae are huge. I think it’s a cave cricket so I’d be very grateful if you could confirm that, and go any further with ID.
Its habitat was a forested mountain unlike your other submissions of cave crickets, so if it is indeed a member of this Family then I guess they aren’t just restricted to cave-like habitats. I also think he is far more handsome than your other submitted cave crickets, even if I do so say so myself.
Thanks
Ed
Danjingshan
Camel Cricket
Hi Ed,
This really is a lovely Orthopteran, but we aren’t certain that it is a Cave Cricket or Camel Cricket, and we would not rule out the possibility that it is a Katydid. We will contact Piotr Naskrecki to see if he can provide any more specific identification on this creature’s identity.
Camel Cricket
Eric Eaton provides an identification
Hi, Daniel:
The “Orthoptera from China” is indeed a camel cricket of some sort.
Eric
Hi Daniel and Eric,
Thanks very much for confirming the cricket is a member of Rhaphidophoridae.
There’s not much information on this group so I’ve given up trying to ID it
beyond family level.
Best wishes
Ed
¶ Posted 27 February 2010 § ‡ ° Cricket
February 14, 2010
My cousin found an unsual cricket at the backyard. It has wings and the head is black colored. It a little aggressive when I tried to touch it.
Raspy Cricket
After I took the pictures, it hopped liked a grasshopper with its wings still spread and headed towards the plants. I wasn’t able to take the picture with its wings retracted.
Neil Clark
Baguio, Philippines
Raspy Cricket
Hi Neil,
That is one crazy looking insect. It is a Longhorned Orthopteran in the suborder Ensifera, and we believe it is a Katydid in the family Tettigoniidae, most likely a predatory species. We will check with Piotr Naskrecki, an expert in the family, to see if he recognizes this spectacular creature with its aggressive threat posture.
Raspy Cricket
Piotr Naskrecki Responds
Hi Daniel,
This is not a katydid, but a member of Gryllacrididae, a distantly related
family. Most of them, if not all, are voracious predators that actively hunt
prey by constantly running along branches in search of insects. I cannot say
what genus it is, possibly Gryllacris or Caustogryllacris; very little work
has been done on this group since the 1920s.
Piotr
A wired black grasshopper???
January 1, 2010
i sent you guys this awhile ago, not sure if it went though,or if you just habvnt gotten around to identifiying it ot not, but yea outside my door one day in october i found this bug, captured it then set ti free later that evening,i wus confused about what kind of bug /insect it would be.?
i sent it in last time as ” Fred ”
British colubia ,canada
Field Cricket
Dear i sent it in last time as “Fred”
This is a common Field Cricket. In many cultures it is considered good luck to have a Cricket in the home.
Thank you very much i wus really curious about what kind of bug it wus, and your site askes “are we experts yet ?”
i would deffinetly say so, i have been on you site quite a few times and i think it is amazing all the diffirent insects!!
have a great day/night, and a good new year!
¶ Posted 02 January 2010 § ‡ ° 
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