need bug ID-ed
Location: Columbus, OH
October 26, 2011 10:06 pm
What is this bug??? It moved like a stink bug (I have gotten very familiar with stink/squash bugs this year). I found this on a grave monument in Columbus, OH. Fascinated by its crazy spiked mohawk thing.
Signature: ohiodave
Wheel Bug
Hi ohiodave,
This amazing creature is called a Wheel Bug and your observations about it looking like a stink bug is justifiable since they belong to the same insect order Hemiptera. Wheel Bugs are predatory Assassin Bugs. In the past two weeks, we have received numerous identification requests for Wheel Bugs from many parts of Eastern North America.
1
unknown insects to identify
Location: Lemnos Island – Greece
October 26, 2011 4:55 am
hello, its been long time since i last took some micro photos in my free time.
now i started again and i took some nice pics i would be honored if you could help me find what these little things are. location is always Lemnos Island, Greece.
yesterday, i shot a weird furry bug or spider-like creature, and i wonder what it is to find some more info.
also, if we generally have to name this little insect, do we call it i.e. a spider ?
I rearely see such things. This is the second in 5 years time 
i attached a pic for you (zoomed from original file).
The other 2 photos are strange too.
No2 Looks like snakeshaped-eggs on wire ? Taken May 1st 2007. Same location.
No3 looks like a nest to me. Taken December 16th. Same location.
Signature: Vassilis Triantafyllidis
Velvet Mite
Dear Vassilis,
We are only going to address your red, furry, spiderlike creature at the moment. This is a Velvet Mite in the family Trombidiidae. Velvet Mites are relatively large. They are often found in arid environments immediately following rain, when they become quite conspicuous because of their bright coloration. Adult Velvet Mites feed on insect eggs and larvae are parasites on a variety of insects and and arachnids according to BugGuide. According to Charles Hogue in his book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, Velvet Mites prey upon Grasshoppers.
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¶ Posted 27 October 2011 § Mites ‡ ° Nicaraguan beetle
Location: Central America
October 26, 2011 7:12 am
My daughter teaches in Nicaragua and someone found a beetle the size of a softball. Wondering what it is and the range. Also, she noted that it almost bit another’s finger off (probably an exageration).
Signature: RolloMartins
Female Hercules Beetle
Dear RolloMartins,
This is a female Hercules Beetle, probably Dynastes hercules, the largest beetle in Central America. The male has impressive horns.
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Tiny Purple Spotted Bug – Hawaii
Location: Koolau Mountain Range, O’ahu, Hawaii
October 26, 2011 12:17 am
Picture taken Saturday, July 16, 2011 9am
Went hiking one morning with a friend. I wanted to take some nice pics of the moss growing on the moist cliffs. Set my camera to macro mode and got as close as I could. And to my surprise this cute little guy walks into view! Any idea what it’s called? Thanks!
Signature: BK
Globular Springtail
Dear BK,
This appears to be a Globular Springtail, and it looks very much like a species represented on BugGuide, Dicyrtomina ornata. We are not certain if it is a related species or the same species. According to BugGuide, it is “Very common in the UK. Probably an introduced species” in North America where it has been reported in the Pacific Northwest and the areas around New York.
1
Mystery Beetle with fan-like antennae
Location: Central Ohio (in October)
October 25, 2011 3:29 pm
Hi! I found this bug while walking down the street and didn’t know what it was. It has very interesting antennae and seems like it should be fairly easy to identify but I cannot find it anywhere. I was just wondering if you could help me out. Thanks for your help!
Signature: Hannah
Cicada Parasite Beetle
Hi Hannah,
We looked at your photo last night and decided your entry would most likely take us some time to research, so we postponed until morning when our staff is fresh. At first glance we thought this was some species of Scarab Beetle, but searching BugGuide proved fruitless. We expanded the search to related families and we finally discovered the Cicada Parasite Beetles or Cedar Beetles in the genus Sandalus, a new genus four our site, and the family Rhipiceridae. According to BugGuide: “Adults active primarily from Aug to Oct” and “Adults apparently do not feed.” The most interesting information on BugGuide is “Species undergo hypermetamorphosis and are ectoparasitoids of nymphal cicadas (1) Species are infrequent to rare. (2) When encountered, often found in large numbers during the day, indicating that a pheromone was used. (1) On one day in late September, near Bloomington, Ind., 12 specimens were collected on hickory trunks or in flight in just 1 hour. Collecting at the same time in the same place during previous years had yielded no specimens. It is likely that these beetles were parasites on the brood of periodical cicadas which had emerged the previous year. (2) Rings (1942) recorded 16,846 eggs from a single female S. niger.” We thought we would need to create a new category for our new species, but upon searching our own archives, we discovered this posting of a Feather Horned Beetle from Australia, also in the family Rhipiceridae. In that particular posting, we wrote: “If the closest relatives found in North America (see BugGuide) are known as Cicada Parasite Beetles, it might be deduced that the same might be true of the Australian members of the family since Australia has such a robust population of Cicadas.” Thanks for sending us your photo and for starting our day with some exciting revelations.
1
BEATLE?
Location: NORHTEAST TEXAS
October 25, 2011 2:11 pm
DEAR BUGMAN I SPOTTED THIS BEETLE IN THE RIVER BOTTOMS OF THE RED RIVER OUTSIDE OF TEXARKANA TX
Signature: ERIC BATES
We prefer Tupelo Borer
Dear Eric,
The first time we ever saw a Bumelia Borer, Plinthocoelium suaveolens, we were aghast at its tropical beauty. We prefer the name Tupelo Borer. You can read about the Tupelo Borer on BugGuide.
1
What’s this bug?
Location: Gainesville, FL
October 25, 2011 7:30 pm
I found this bug hanging out on my front door frame at night. And it scared me as I’ve never seen this kind of bug before. I was afraid it might fly in my house as I ran in, but it did not move at all when I cracked my door open to check if it was still there. The next morning, I found it dead on the ground and took a couple of pictures. After searching the internet, I came to the conclusion it might be part of the Corydalidae family. However, I didn’t find an identical looking picture. Can you help me identify it? Thanks!!
Signature: Gee
Grizzled Mantis
Dear Gee,
We are sad to hear that some misfortune befell this lovely Grizzled Mantis, Gonatista grisea, sometime during the night. We identified it on BugGuide. The long wings indicate that this individual is a male.
Grizzled Mantis
What are these!?
Location: Branson, MO
October 24, 2011 2:09 am
Hey, was on a hike with the fam in Branson, MO and I found these caterpillar worm looking things all over this leaf. Here’s a couple photos for ya. Hopefully you can identify them for me.
Signature: Carson
Buckmoth Caterpillars
Hi Carson,
These sure look to us like Buckmoth Caterpillars, possibly Hemileuca maia based on this BugGuidephoto. Your email did not indicate if this is a recent sighting. We suspect it was earlier in the season. Please clarify. Was the tree an oak?
Buckmoth Caterpillars
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