Phasmids
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long black body with a yellow stripe down the middle, spindly legs.
November 16, 2009
Seen on my drive way. Did not move when it was approached. Haven’t seen it move or fly, but have seen it in a couple of different places.
Curious
Gainesville, Florida
Muskmare
Dear Curious,
This is a Muskmare or Two Striped Walkingstick.
i am wondering what this bug is i have never seen it before
November 16, 2009
I’ve seen grasshoppers this big, but this seemingly isn’t one of those (no wings). They were mating when photographed; I assume that the male is the smaller of the pair. I couldn’t get the female to pose on the ruler, as I desired, but I estimate she’s about 3.5 inches long. November 15, 2009. Homosassa, Florida Insects are mating: the larger (female?) is about 3.5″
Julie
Homosassa, Florida
Mating Muskmares
Hi Julie,
These are Two Striped Walkingsticks, also called Muskmares. The female is larger.
MUSKMARE AND MATE??
October 4, 2009
I have never seen anything like this in the 12 years I have lived in Florida. I had NO idea what it was until I came to your website and was able to identify it, so thank you. I am attaching a photo for you to enjoy.
S.Peters from Port Orange, FL
Port Orange, FL
Muskmare and Mate
Dear S. Peters,
Thanks for sending another image of a Muskmare and her mate, a pair of Two Lined Walkingsticks. As we noted in our earlier posting, this species is capable of spraying a noxious substance with great accuracy over some distance, and they are good at hitting the eyes of a potential threat. The effects wear off shortly, but will cause the eyes to water and blur as well as sting. The latest information posted to BugGuide has the potential for harm as more serious: “Members of this genus can deliver a chemical spray to the eyes that can cause corneal damage.”
What is this
October 3, 2009
I have lived in Florida since 1979 and I have necer seen one of these.
I went out side my house around 10:30 last night and this bug was sitting on some deco blocks next to my house. He didnt git scared of me even though I got with in an inch of him. It looks to me that he has atleast 12 leggs and an unusual pattern on his back.
Meto
Orange county florida
Muskmare and Mate
Dear Meto,
The female Two Striped Walkingstick, Anisomorpha buprestoides, is known as a Muskmare, and she is carrying her diminutive mate on her back. BugGuide has additional information on this species, which is capable of spraying a noxious fluid into the eyes of an attacker with amazing accuracy, so beware.
Thank you I am glad I didnt try to catch it. Is it harmfull to pets?
Somewhere in our archives, we believe there is an account of a pet being sprayed. The effects wear off and do not create any lasting damage.
Costa Rican Walking Stick
August 15. 2009Hi Bugman:
I traveled to Costa Rica this past winter with few expectations but with a clear objective to finally find a walking stick (family Phasmatidae). Our weather was pretty awful and despite two weeks of considerable searching I had no luck until the very last day when I spotted this Metriophasma diocles clinging to the underside of a leaf in Carara National Park. Even turning the leaf over for a closer look did not convince some of the people with me that it was actually a living creature. So I tapped it gently with my finger and was immediately rewarded with a spectacular startle display. It relaxed after a short while and resumed a more cryptic posture along the stem, but by this time a small crowd was gathering and it decided it had had enough. It flew away, very slowly but with surprising grace, and took cover on a higher branch. Regards.
Karl
Walking Stick from Costa Rica: Metriophasma diocles
Hi Karl,
Thanks for this wonderful contribution to the website. We found some other photos online for a link.
Walking Stick from Costa Rica: Metriophasma diocles
spraying bug in Mexico
August 7, 2009
I work in the rural Yucatan Peninsula with local Mayans. One of my workers was sprayed in the eye by an unknown bug or bugs. The bug carried another bug on its back. Both are similar, but the carrier was much larger. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good foto. I send what I have, which is really just a piece of the larger of the two. They workers killed the bugs and I collected what the ants had not yet eaten. The workers said the bugs resemble crickets, only larger. Their name for the bug in Maya translates “little brother bug,” because they say the smaller of the bugs attached to the larger, is the little brother. Thanks for any help. I want to make sure my guy will be OK or if he needs any special treatment. Thanks!
Patrick
Yucatan Peninsula, MX
Mayan Little Brother Bug fragment
Hi Patrick,
We hope you are not offended if we say that your description was far more helpful with the identification than your blurry photos. Your spraying insect is a Walkingstick in the family Pseudophasmatidae, the Striped Walkingsticks, and quite possibly in the genus Anisomorpha. There are two species north of Mexico, one of which is the Two Striped Walkingstick or Muskmare. According to BugGuide: “Members of this genus can deliver a chemical spray to the eyes that can cause corneal damage (references quoted Texas entomology).“ Most reports we receive say the effects wear off after several hours. The females are called Muskmares because of the spray and because the smaller males ride the backs of the females during the mating process. We are intrigued that Little Brother Bug is the Mayan name.
Mating green embiopterans/ earwigs??
June 8, 2009
Work in a park in Berkeley, CA. Riparian, bay-oak-eucalyptus-pine woodland habitat. These two found together June 8, ‘09 around Noon. Wingless (yes, wingless), they were the same green color as katydids, white stripe along abdomen (like a tomato hornworm stripe).
Pinchers on abdomen. Female’s (? larger bottom bug- I assume is female) pinchers were open when found, closed after disturbed. Male’s (smaller bug on top?) pinchers open whole time of observation.
Male’s legs and antennae a reddish-brownish-purple; no similar color found on female. Antennae thin, segmented, not clubbed. Chewing mouthparts like a grasshopper’s.
No “swollen” front legs– therefore not embiopterans? No platelike/ scalelike/shiny anything on their bodies (as would be expected from an earwig.) They were pretty squishy -bodied.
Also, 3 darker green thin stripes running along the body, evenly spaced, mesio-dorsal, and 2 lateral darker stripes. Also seemed like thorax was divided into 2 sub-segments.
I love these cute lil guys. Any thoughts? I got nuttin. Thanks for your time.
PS- I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE!!! Hooray curiosity!
Mega-curious Meg
Berkeley, CA
Timemas Mating
Dear Mega-curious Meg,
This is one of our favorite letters ever, for numerous reasons. First, your enthusiasm is positively contagious. We just got a new computer and we are trying to catch up on old mail. Your letter arrived during a week long absence, and our sloooowwwwwww old computer did not allow us to post as much mail as we would have liked. The minute we saw your subject line, we were intrigued. Imagine our glee when we opened your letter and saw photos of a genus of insects whose range is pretty much confined to California and Mexico. These are Timemas. They are the only genus in the family Timematidae and they are classified in the order Phasmatodea which includes Walkingsticks. BugGuide has some photos, including a mating image. We are thrilled that your letter also includes a mating image of Timemas. Here is what Charles Hogue has to say about this fascinating insect in his book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “Timemas are not typical walkingsticks. They are only 1/2 to 1 inch (13 to 25 mm) long and are considerably shorter and stouter than the other local species. Although usually mottled green in color, brown or pinkish individuals frequently occur. There are several local species; Timema californica seems to be dominant. It lives on chaparral shrubs and oaks in our surrounding mountains, especially the Santa Monicas and San Gabriels. Individuals may be common in the spring on Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa) and wild lilac (Ceanothus). When disturbed this insect can produce a disagreeable odor.” Again Meg, thanks so much for your wonderful contribution, and we hope our letter hasn’t arrived too late to be of benefit.
Timema
Maremask Walking Stick
Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 2:28 PM
Hi Bugman! I love your website without it I would not have been able to figure out what this bug was! I was letting my dog out one night and found this on my patio…I thought it was a stick at first then I looked closer and discovered it was a weird bug…so I immediately came in the house and went to what’s that bug! So I thought I would send it to you! Great pic huh?
Kajun Kate
Louisiana
Two Striped Walkingsticks Mating
Dear Kajun Kate,
These Two Striped Walking Sticks are also known as Muskmares. Theoretically, only the female would be a Muskmare and her mate should be a Musksire or Muskstallion. Two Striped Walkingsticks, Anisomorpha buprestoides , are able to spray a noxious substance with amazing accuracy into the eyes of any perceived threat.
Big Stick Insect
Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 6:21 AM
Hey there.
More than 30cm long, including legs. For sure one of the longest insects in the world.
When it saw me, it starting to move in my direction, leaving the handrail, and trying to grab my lens!
Found during the morning, on the handrail of the plank walk.
Joana Garrido
Niah National Park, Sarawak, Borneo
Walkingstick
Hi Joana,
Thank you for sending us your spectacular images. This Walkingstick is so delicate looking. While it may be one of the longest insects in the world, it definitely falls into the rail-thin fashion model category. That headshot is priceless. We will try to get a species identification.
Walkingstick
Update: Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Daniel:
What an amazing creature! I can’t be certain about this one (I think I will continue looking) but it looks like it is probably in the genus Phobaeticus, possibly P. kirbyi. The genus has the distinction of having the two longest insects in the world (the record holder is P. chani, also from Borneo). According to Wikipedia, the holotype for P. kirbyi “…measures 328 millimetres (12.9 in) excluding legs and 546 millimetres (21.5 in) including legs. This makes it the second longest known insect in terms of body length, behind Phobaeticus chani with 357 millimetres (14.1 in).” The specimen in the photo looks like it is probably a male, which are typically smaller and less robust than the females. The following link connects to the best image I was able to find, showing a mating pair (it’s a little hard to figure out the tangle). Regards.
Karl
Link: http://phasmatodea.com/index. php?module=xd_gallery&func= image&xdpage=&xgi=1433&xgc=356
Australian Bug
Sun, Jan 4, 2009 at 4:25 PM
Hi There Bugman!!
I found your email address on a site and wondered if you could help with the identification of the attached bug he is 6 – 7″ long and very calm and happy to be on my porch – not sure if I like him there though!!!
Thankyou
Angie
Qld Australia
Goliath Stick Insect
Hi Angie,
With not too much effort, we identified your Stick Insect as the Goliath Stick Insect, Eurycnemma goliath which feeds on the leaves of eucalyptus trees. We first located it on the Brisbane Insect Web Site, which incidates “Goliath Stick Insects are the master of camouflage. We notice that they have at least the following methods to hide themselves from predators;
1. Their bodies, colour and shape made them look like part of the plant.
2. When staying motionless, they always put their front legs in front of their head, to made themselves look more like part of the plant.
3. They usually feed at night, during the day time they just hang motionless on the plants.
4. They eat the whole leaf, usually they do not leave part of the leaf uneaten, like most grasshoppers do.
5. Even when they move, they simulate the swaying motion, like the movement caused by the wind blowing.
6. Their eggs, called ova, look like seeds, so the predators do not notice the insect by the seeds.
7. They discard their dropping, called frass, very far away so that the predators do not notice the insect.”
Then we found more information on raising it in captivity on the Microcosmos Website. Also, we believe he is a she.
Walking Stick on Maui but where’s it from?
Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Walking Stick on Maui but where’s it from?
Aloha from Maui again. Here’s a walking stick found earlier this month in the late afternoon. The folks at BugGuide and the Bishop Museum, Honolulu seem to be stumped about where this guy/gal came from. It was attached to my back window. About 5-6″ long. Love how the long legs have the antennae tucked between them in the front of the body. It was gone in the morning. About 2 weeks later, another one showed up on the other side of the house. Will send that separately. Imagine my surprise to see this second walking stick on the front door of my house. This one was shorter about 4-5″, much more ‘awake’ than the other one. They do not appear to be the same kind of walking stick from their leg position and coloring, unless this is an earlier version in their life cycle. Mahalo nui loa – Thanks for all!
Eliza
Ha`iku, Maui
Walkingstick
Hi Eliza,
If your local museum and BugGuide are stumped, we don’t know what more we can do but to post your photos and hope a reader can provide an answer. With the proliferation of exotic pets from around the world, many of which are insects, it isn’t entirely impossible that this is some exotic species that escaped or was released. The leg position in your first photo is a common resting posture of Phasmids.
Walkingstick
Update: December 15, 2008
Hello
I would just like to let you know IDs for some of the phasmid (walking
stick) pics you have on your site:
entry 23. 0ctober 2008 – this phasmid from Hawaii is Sipyloidea sipylus.
This species is not native to Hawaii, but to south east asia (like
Malayisa for example). But it has been introduces to several new
locations, like Madagascar and Hawaii
wishing you all the best
Dr. Bruno Kneubühler (Switzerland)
Mantis eating Leaf Creature
Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Hello Bugman. I thought your great web site might like to see this shot I took of a Mantis snacking on some kind of leaf look-a-like insect. I almost passed right by them.
This is in a “Lum Yai” fruit tree in Northern Thailand.
Love your site!
Dan
Northern Thailand in foothills.
Mantis eats Leaf Insect
Hi Dan,
Thanks for sending us your wonderful Food Chain images. Since our site migration a few months back, our readership is now able to click on the smaller image to enlarge and your photos really demand this closer inspection. We believe your leaf creature is a Phasmid known as Phyllium siccifolium. Bugsincyberspace.com has some nice images of living individuals.
Mantis eats Leaf Insect
