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Local Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths of the L.A. Region with Daniel…
Make plans for your own local National Moth Week event!!!
Posted February 1, 2012
What's That Bug? will be working the the…
creepy crawler unidentified
Location: Horjul, Slovenia, EU
January 31, 2012 8:21 am
Found this thing trying to eat my hardwood floor! The noise…
November 12, 2011
What's That Bug? is profiled on High Country News.
Rock star status
November 14, 2011 11:22 am
Dear Daniel, Thanks for…
Unknown Silver-Black Spider from Nepal
Location: Nepal, Bandipur
December 22, 2011 12:51 pm
Could you help to identify this big spider?
May be a Silver Orb Spider ???
Found: 18. Oct. 2011, on an external, insect-trapping web.
Signature: Jürgen J. Müller
Orbweaver
Hello Jürgen,
Our research did not turn up anything conclusive. We agree that this is an Orbweaver, and it might be in the genus Argiope. Perhaps in the future, we will be able to provide a more specific identification.
What is This?
Location: Glenview, IL
November 7, 2011 4:29 pm
Found these bugs on the outside of paper bags of wheat in our basement
Signature: Brittany Priz
Booklice
Hi Brittany,
You have Booklice tiny insects that are often found in homes, especially damp cellars and garages. According to Charles Hogue in his wonderful book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “The most common is the true Book Louse (Liposcelis bostrychophila), a cosmopolitan pest for the food industry, households, museums, and libraries. Although it is a contributor to the allergens found in house dust and its feeding may do minor damage to book bindings and paper, the presence of the Book Louse is usually no more than an annoyance. Out of doors, this species lives on woody vegetation, on fungi in gournd litter, in soil, or in animal nests.” See BugGuide for additional photos.
Booklice
Fly
Location: Denton, Tx
November 7, 2011 9:16 pm
What type of fly is this?
Signature: Anthony K.
Bee Fly
Dear Anthony,
This is a Bee Fly in the family Bombyliidae, a group of pollinating insects. We believe we have correctly identified your individual as a member of the genus Geron based on this image from BugGuide.
Is this a cockroach??
Location: Cary, NC
November 7, 2011 7:28 pm
We have been finding these small (maybe 1/2 inch?) bugs that look like baby cockroaches to me (horrifying!!). But they don’t actually look like anything I can find online. I want to make sure they’re just outside roaches that wandered in and not the start of an infestation! We have found them everywhere from the linen closet to the sink to the guest room to the bathroom etc.
Signature: Terriifed of bugs!
Smoky Brown Cockroach Nymph
Dear Terriifed of bugs!,
We believe this is an immature Smoky Brown Cockroach, Periplaneta fuliginosa, and you can find additional photos on BugGuide. We have read that the adults fly and can enter homes, though we are not certain if this is a species that regularly infests human domiciles. We tend to think of it as an occasional visitor, though we might be wrong.
Thank you so much! I was not able to find a picture of anything similar before but the bug guide has an exact match!!! I am not thrilled that it IS a cockroach but I am thrilled to know what it is.
Thanks again!
Amy
Local Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths of the L.A. Region with Daniel Marlos
When Sat, February 25, 2012, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Where Theodore Payne Foundation, 10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley CA 91352
Description This illustrated overview of butterflies and moths that frequent our local gardens and wild lands includes images of both adult and larval stages, as well as interesting facts on their habits and food preferences. Daniel is an artist and photographer and the author of The Curious World of Bugs: The Bugman’s Guide to the Mysterious and Remarkable Lives of Things That Crawl. The program includes an exploration of Daniel’s popular website, whatsthatbug.com, and ends with a book-signing. Location: Education Center.
Fee: $20 Theodore Payne members, $25 non-members
To register, call 818 768-1802.
Thanks and Happy Winter Solstice! – Lili
Lili Singer
Director of Special Projects and Adult Education
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants, Inc.
10459 Tuxford Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352
818 768-1802
www.theodorepayne.org
lili@theodorepayne.org
Mourning Cloak: Winter Butterfly
Congo, Kinshasa spiked and yellow banded caterpilalr and pupa
Location: Kinshasa, Congo
December 22, 2011 4:06 pm
Mr. Bugman,
Can you please help us ID the caterpillar and pupa in the following photographs from Kinshasa, Congo ?
Thanks
Signature: Katy and her dad
Large-spotted Acraea Caterpillar from the Congo
Dear Katy and her dad,
Can you confirm if the caterpillar pictured metamorphosed into the attached chrysalis, or if they are different species? We will contact Keith Wolfe to see if he is able to identify this species which we believe is a member of the Brush Footed Butterfly family Nymphalidae.
Two views of a Large-spotted Acraea Chrysalis
Daniel,
We are not completely sure that they are the same but the chrysalis
was in the same place we left the caterpillar 3 days prior. Katy’s
mom says she thinks she saw it already attached there in yellow form.
Thanks for your help!
Keith Wolfe responds.
Dear Katy, Dad (plus Mom), and Daniel,
This is the larva and pupa of the Large-spotted Acraea, Acraea zetes. I will write more after returning home tomorrow. Merry Christmas!
Best wishes,
Keith
Daniel and Kieth,
Thanks much for the ID and Merry Christmas.
Katy and her mom and dad.
Keith Wolfe elaborates:
December 28, 2011
Hello again Katy, Dad, and Daniel,
Yes, with luck, your chrysalis will metamorphose into Acraea zetes (http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/heliconiinae/acraea/index.html#zetes); here’s the same caterpillar from Gabon — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31963237@N00/455607804/. However, with something like 135 species of Acraea recorded from the DRC, most of whose immature stages are unknown, it’s entirely possible that my long-distance ID is wrong. Thus, please let us know the outcome, preferably showing the resulting butterfly to a local authority or carefully comparing it to a reliable reference. Disclaimer: the hyperlink appearing in my initial response was inserted by the ever-helpful Bugman.
Cheers from a chilly California,
Keith
Keith,
Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us!! We brought the chrysalis into the house with hopes to see it emerge and if lucky, document the event as it occurs. At the very least we will get pictures of the emergent butterfly before releasing it .
Stay warm and Happy New Year to you both.
Katy and her dad.
UPDATE: December 29, 2011
Daniel and Keith,
We got emergence ! Unfortunately no one was home when it happened to get pictures of the process but we got pictures of the butterfly here :
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/globalvoyager/sets/72157628623329555/
Does it look like Acraea zetes after all ?
Thanks
Katy
Acraea Chrysalis prior to emergence
Daniel and Keith,
We were lucky to find the butterfly after emerging yesterday. Unfortunately everyone was out of the house when the event occurred sometime between noon and 4pm. You can see pictures of the chrysalis that morning and the butterfly in the series created here. I hope species confirmation can be made with picture of the butterfly form.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/globalvoyager/sets/72157628623329555/
Thanks again.
Newly Metamorphosed Acraea
Dear Katy and her dad,
We would love to include the emerged imago on our site, however, we would like to request that you attach the images to your response as it is not possible to grab the images from Flickriver.
Newly Metamorphosed Acraea species
Daniel,
Please find images attached
Large Spotted Acraea or closely related species from the Congo
Dear Katy and her Dad,
We are thrilled to get your new photos for our website. In addition to creating an addendum to your December 22 submission of the Acraea Caterpillar and Chrysalis, we will be creating a brand new posting that links to the original.
Longhorm Weevil?
Location: South-East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
November 12, 2011 8:56 pm
Dear BugTeam,
Thank you for such a wonderful site: I often spend hours browsing all the different insects from around the world. 
I was wondering if you would be able to help me identify this beetle I found on my washing this (mild November) morning. It looks like a weevil, but the antennae have me stumped: I’ve never seen a weevil with such long, furry antennae before.
Many thanks for your help,
Signature: Jen
Longicorn
Dear Jen,
This is some species of Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It appears to be posing on a fingertip, which would imply that it is quite small. We are having trouble finding a species identification. Your mention of the furry antennae is noteworthy. Though tufted antennae are not rare among Longicorns, they are often a distinguishing feature. We could not find an exact match on the Brisbane Insect website, however, there is one example identified as belonging to the genus Pentacosmia that looks similar to your beetle. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist us in this identification.
Unknown Longicorn
what’s that moth
Location: Grand Teton National Park, Surprise Lake Trail
November 13, 2011 12:54 pm
Large moth found sitting in low shrubs mid-day, July 27, 2011, at about 8000 feet elevation in Grand Teton National Park. Large size and bright color really made it stand out – it was over an inch long. I’m guessing it may be an atypical (lacking black bands) western sheep moth. Would love to know what it is. Thanks.
Signature: Larry
Elegant Sheep Moth
Hi Larry,
We apologize for the delay. We agree with you that this is a Western Sheep Moth or Elegant Sheep Moth, Hemileuca eglanterina. As you indicated, some individuals lack the black bands that make the wings resemble a stained glass window. See BugGuide for more photos of the Elegant Sheep Moth.
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