beetles
Location: Namibia, Southern Africa
November 20, 2011 2:39 pm
Can you please identify these beetles. Images 1 & 2 were taken around 9a.m. on 13th April 2010. in the gardens of Nunda Lodge near Divundu, in the Caprivi Strip, Namibia. The beetles were very abundant and we saw them again when we returned in April 2011.
Signature: Roger Pinkney
Unknown Blister Beetles from Namibia
Hi Roger,
These colorful creatures are Blister Beetles in the family Meloidae. The larvae often feed on Grasshopper Eggs or they parasitize the nests of Solitary Bees. Adults feed on vegetation. They have a complicated life cycle. Blister Beetles get their common name because they exude a substance called cantharidin that can cause blistering of skin, so they should be handled with care. We need to leave to get to Whole Foods to buy some cheese for Thanksgiving dinner, but we will try to find a species identification upon our return.
Blister Beetles
Update
While your individuals look very similar to this unidentified species from Namibia the distinctive red markings evident in your photo are absent.
Dear Daniel, Many thanks for another swift identification. Glad we didn’t touch these beetles. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner. Kind regards, Roger.
Hi Daniel and Roger:
Your Blister Beetles probably belong to the genus Mylabris (Meloidae: Meloinae). It’s a very large genus (apparently over 200 species) so as usual I can’t be certain, but it looks very much like M. tricolor. The species probably occurs throughout Southern Africa as I also found references to it from Angola and Botswana, as well as images from Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. None of these images look exactly the same as those in the submitted photos but all are very similar. Variability in appearance is quite common within insect species, particularly if the species has a wide distribution, so that may account for the small differences. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any additional information about the species. Regards. Karl
Grasshopper
November 19, 2011
Hi Buggy!
I found this beautyful Grasshopper. It was about the size of my nail and I think it’s immature. Any clue about it?
The Location is Jaraguá, São Paulo, Brazil.
Cesar Crash
Grasshopper Nymph
Hi Cesar,
Please use our standard form for submissions in the future. We apologize for the delay, but we have been busy. We don’t know the species, but you are correct that this is a nymph. Often nymphs change their coloration drastically as they mature.
Grasshopper Nymph
I think my concept of delay is quite different from yours. It was so fast! And please do not apologize, I just have to thank you for everything I learned with you.
Muito Obrigado!
Identification Courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Cesar:
I believe it is an immature Lubber Grasshopper (Romaleidae) in the genus Zoniopoda. It looks a lot like Z. omnicolor (see enlargement here), but apparently that species does not occur along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. Another possibility is Z. tarsata, which is more common and more widely distributed than Z. omnicolor. I was only able to find one online image identified as an immature Z. tarsata, on a site for the Reserva Natural Isla Martin Garcia (once you figure out how to navigate through the site it is the third last image). (See adult Zoniopoda tarsata here.) Regards. Karl
Thanks much Karl. We now have to update the mating Heteropterans from Namibia. We didn’t read your identification yet, but we did notice you sent it.
I have never seen anything like this.
Location: Venice, FL
November 24, 2011 9:31 am
Found this insect in my boat in Venice, FL. Was about 3 inches long and strong as can be. Grabbed my boat hook hard enough I felt it grab it from the other end. Boat is parked near a Date Palm tree as well. Had wings tucked in, large front claws and a huge stinger. What is it?
Signature: Thanks, Jeff
Toe-Biter
Dear Jeff,
This is a Giant Water Bug or Toe-Biter. It is an aquatic insect that can also fly quite well. They can often be attracted to lights at night, sometimes in great numbers, and that has earned them another common name, Electric Light Bug.
Golden Orb Weaver
Location: Wilmington, NC
November 22, 2011 2:20 pm
I just wanted to share a pic of a beautiful spider with you. From the other pics on your site, I think she is a Golden Orb Weaver. She lived in our bushes for a while and then moved into the eave of the house next door. I’m generally scared to death of spiders, but I learned a lot from watching her.
Signature: Bridget
Golden Orbweaver
Dear Bridget,
This gorgeous Golden Orbweaveris also called a Writing Spider because of the zigzag stabilimentum that she spins into her web, presumably to help camouflage her from predators. She is enjoying a nice meal, but we cannot determine the identity of her prey. We also want to let our readers know that before we cropped your photo, it was dated August 11, 2011.
Golden Orbweaver
1
Photos from Off the Grid in Peru
Location: Sacred Valley, Peru, November 2011
November 22, 2011 1:48 pm
Heya Bug Guy! It’s been awhile since I have submitted photos and I owe you a giant thank you for your awesome website! THANK YOU!! I have a few photos for you today. First is what I believe to be a Silkmoth. They’re very common in the Sacred Valley of Peru and have a 4” wingspan. Second, I’ve a little green Crab Spider snacking on an unsuspecting Honeybee! He carried the bee around all day….I got the impression the spider bit off more than he could chew and wasn’t sure how to get his catch to the dinner table! Lastly, I believe is a Running or Giant Crab Spider. Every morning, I find one in my sink. Well, today I forgot and he took a sudsy bath in dishwater. I gently rinsed him, then very tenderly dried him in a towel where he embedded his fangs. I am happy to report that 3 hours later, he is up and running, good as new! And clean! Thanks again, you are my favorite resource as I learn Entomology!
Signature: Off The Grid in Peru
Giant Silkmoth: Copaxa medea
Dear Off The Grid in Peru,
We are thrilled to get your marvelous images. We are only posing the photo of the Giant Silkmoth at the moment because we do not like postings with multiple species unless they are logically combined. We hope we will have time to format your other images as well. We believe we have correctly identified your Giant Silkmoth at Copaxa medea based on photos posted to the Kirby Wolfe Saturniidae Collection website.
Caterpillar ID
Location: Scottsdale, Az
November 20, 2011 3:54 pm
We saw this insect at our home in Scottsdale, Az in early Nov 2011.
Signature: Stan
Orange Dog
Hi Stan,
This caterpillar that mimics bird’s dropping is commonly called the Orange Dog because it feeds on the leaves of orange and other citrus despite it being a native species and citrus being Mediterranean. The Orange Dog will eventually metamorphose into a Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes. Though Giant Swallowtails are native to the southeastern U.S., they have more recently been reported in parts of the Southeast, including Los Angeles, CA, most likely because of the cultivation of orange orchards and accidental introduction from Florida or natural range expansion because of the availability of citrus to augment the native diet of ” Common Pricklyash (Zanthoxylum americanum), and Common Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata)” according to BugGuide.
Tiny Little Guys
Location: Maryland
November 21, 2011 11:33 pm
Hi: I saw quite a few of these little guys around my garden this summer, in both of the colors shown. Not sure if it is the same bug that gradually changes color as it ages, or if the color is a gender difference, etc. They are about 1/4” long.
Thanks.
Signature: Barbara Thurlow
Tarnished Plant Bug
Hi Barbara,
In our attempt to identify your True Bug, we found this nymph of a Plant Bug on in the family Miridae on BugGuide that looks similar to your nymph, so we now suspect you have a Plant Bug which warrants additional research prior to posting. We believe we have correctly identified this as a Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris, based on photos and text on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “nymphs and adults feed on cotton, soybeans, and more than 50 other crops, plus commercially-grown flowers, fruit trees, forest tree nurseries, and weeds (Over half of the US cultivated plant species are listed as host plants for tarnished plant bugs(2))” and it is described as: “Adult: a pale yellow “Y” shape on the scutellum is the most notable feature; elytra vary in color from light to dark brown; cuneus usually yellowish or clear, with a small black spot at the tip; color and markings vary between sexes and between overwintering and summer adults. Nymph: yellowish-green with 4 black dots on the back.” The spots are visible in your photo of the nymph.
Tarnished Plant Bug Nymph
BugGuide also notes that it is: “The most common plant bug in the US”
Tarnished Plant Bug
Green bug on my passion flower plant
Location: Maharashtra, India
November 21, 2011 5:59 am
Saw this green and white striped bug on my passion flower plant. Cant see in the pic but it has red antennae. Its about an inch long.
Signature: Sukhie
Planthopper: Eurybrachis tomentosa
Dear Sukhie,
This is a Planthopper in the order Hemiptera, possibly in the family Fulgoridae, however, we were not able to find any matching images or an identification online in our brief attempt. Planthoppers have sucking mouthparts and they feed off the juices found in plant stems, leaves and fruits.
Identification Courtesy of Karl
I believe this is a Eurybrachyid Planthopper (Fulgoroidea: Eurybrachyidae), a small Old World family of Planthoppers (according to Wikipedia). The India Nature Watch forum site has several pictures of what appears to be the same bug, identified as Eurybrachis tomentosa. Regards. Karl
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