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Bugman speaks at Theodore Payne Foundation
Bugman speaks at Theodore Payne Foundation
Bugman speaks at Theodore Payne Foundation
Posted 1 day ago

Make reservations now and support the non-profit Theodore Payne Foundation!!!
Local Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths of the L.A. Region with Daniel…

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Bugman speaks at Theodore Payne Foundation
WTB? sponsors National Moth Week event Saturday, 21 July 2012
WTB? sponsors National Moth Week event Saturd…
WTB? sponsors National Moth Week event Saturd…
Posted 9 days ago

Make plans for your own local National Moth Week event!!!
Posted February 1, 2012
What's That Bug? will be working the the…

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WTB? sponsors National Moth Week event Saturd…
Bug of the Month February 2012: Mole Cricket from Slovenia
Bug of the Month February 2012: Mole Cricket…
Bug of the Month February 2012: Mole Cricket…
Posted 10 days ago

creepy crawler unidentified
Location: Horjul, Slovenia, EU
January 31, 2012 8:21 am
Found this thing trying to eat my hardwood floor! The noise…

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Bug of the Month February 2012: Mole Cricket…
What's That Bug? makes High Country News
What’s That Bug? makes High Country News
What’s That Bug? makes High Country News
Posted 90 days ago

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…

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What’s That Bug? makes High Country News
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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

probably female Grasslike Mantis

Please help us settle a question
August 2, 2009
A little girl caught this insect at Brazos Bend State Park yesterday, and brought it back to the Nature Center for identification.  Some of the volunteers said it was a Walking Stick.  Others said it was some type of Mantid, possibly a juvenile since it did not appear to have wings.
Please let me know what it really is so I can let the little girl know..
Thank you very much.
Glen Kilgore
Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer (southeast Texas)

grasslike mantis glen 300x182 probably female Grasslike Mantis

Female Grasslike Mantis

Hi Glen,
This is most definitely a Mantis, and we believe it is a female Grasslike Mantis, Thesprotia graminis based on images posted to BugGuide.  According to BugGuide: “A long, slender mantis that is often confused with a walkingstick, especially when it moves with its forearms outstretched. Males have long wings and are good fliers. Females are wingless and resemble a pine needle.“  Since the timestamp of your email indicates you contacted us an hour ago, you can go online and show the girl the answer to her question.

Related Posts

Posted 02 August 2009 § Preying Mantis ‡ Comments (0) °

Common Whitetail: Teneral Male

Dragonfly – Whitetail?
August 1, 2009
These big guys follow my mom around while she gardens all the time in the summer, I think mostly because she uproots the rocks around the garden’s edge and exposes a ton of little insects that all flee. This time she asked me to follow her around as well to get a good shot of one. I managed to catch this girl (I think) as she perched on top of one of the hanging flower pots that was taken down to be watered, though she was really flighty for almost 20 minutes before she surrendered. The picture turned out well enough to come try and find a match, and after some browsing on your site, I think this one is a common whitetail female. They are so pretty and they usually have no shame when it comes to saying hi to us.
Jere
South-east MI

common whitetail teneral male jere 300x250 Common Whitetail: Teneral Male

Common Whitetail: Teneral Male

Hi Jere,
You are correct about this being a Common Whitetail, Plathemis lydia, but it is not a female.  It is a teneral male.  According to the University of Florida Dragonflies and Damselflies web page: “When naiads are ready for their final molt they leave the water and crawl onto the bank or vegetation where they will molt into adults. Much like a caterpillar emerging from a chrysalis, they will need to pump up their wings and allow their bodies to harden before they can be effective fliers. A newly emerged odonate is teneral (soft). A teneral dragonfly has glossy wings and the colors on the body are often pale. Several days after emmerging hardened completely and will have taken on the colors of an adult dragonfly.“ According to BugGuide on the Common Whitetail information page:  “Immature males have the same body pattern as females but the same wing pattern as mature males.” BugGuide has excellent photos illustrating the differences between male and female Common Whitetails.  Your letter contains some fascinating dragonfly behavior observations.

Related Posts

Posted 02 August 2009 § Dragonflies and Damselflies ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Virginia Creeper Clearwing

wasp mimic moth?
August 1, 2009
Hello fellow bug-nuts,
I’ve seen this moth on our central MN property several times. Maybe some sort of borer? I can’t ID it, and believe me, I’ve tried. Thanks many times for your terrific site!
Don D
St. Augusta, Central Minnesota

virginia creeper clearwing 300x214 Virginia Creeper Clearwing

Virginia Creeper Clearwing

Hi Don,
Thanksfor the compliment.  This is indeed a Wasp Mimic Moth in the family Sesiidae.  We quickly identified it as the Virginia Creeper Clearwing, Albuna fraxini, on BugGuide.  In addition to Virginia Creeper, the larvae bore into several types of ash trees.

Posted 01 August 2009 § Clearwings ‡ Comments (0) °

Hanging Thief eats Red Wasp

Crane Fly with a hefty meal I suspect?
August 1, 2009
I was at a park and I saw a pair (attached) of flying insects buzz by and so I naturally went over to have a look. I was expecting a mating pair but then I saw this. The blurry picture was while what I suspect is a Crane Fly was grappling for better control of the wasp (also a very windy day). I’m curious, is this indeed a Crane Fly?
Jeff
Mount Pleasant, SC (near Charleston)

hanging thief eats wasp jeff 230x300 Hanging Thief eats Red Wasp
Hanging Thief eats Red Wasp

Hi Jeff,
Your predator is a Robber Fly known as a Hanging Thief in the genus Diogmites which may be viewed on BugGuide, and the prey is a Red Wasp, Polistes carolina, which can also be viewed on BugGuide.  Hanging Thieves often catch their prey while flying.  Hanging Thieves get their common name from their habit of hanging from one leg while eating.

Posted 01 August 2009 § Paper Wasps § Robber Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

White Cicada from Korea: Lycorma delictula

Black bug with red and white spots from South Korea
August 1, 2009
I have already spent countless hours on the web (both Korean and English) trying to figure out what this is when I already am not too fond of looking at bug pictures. It’s a little less than an inch in size and saw them everywhere in a park in Seoul and on hiking trails (still in the middle of Seoul) back in the middle of July. When approached it changes the direction its facing much like a spider and when threatened, it jumps away– pretty far for a little guy. I didn’t get to take a picture, but from the profile its body tilts in a 45 degree angle at rest. Please help me sleep.
Judy
Seoul, South Korea

lycorma delictula korea judy 300x254 White Cicada from Korea: Lycorma delictula
Lycorma delictula from Korea

Hi Judy,
Two weeks ago we received some photos of this interesting Fulgorid Hopper, Lycorma delictula, and it was Karl who made the identification for us.  Here is the excerpt from that identification.

Another Update from Karl
Unknown Chinese Hemipteran
July 31, 2009
Daniel:
I dug a little deeper and found an interesting story behind this handsome creature.  The species is Lycorma delictula (Family Fulgoridae : Subfamily Aphaeninae) and it has the erroneous common name White Cicada. Originally from southern China, it has been on the move recently and appears to have made quite a nuisance of itself outside of its natural range, particularly on the Korean Peninsula. I even found one reference in a report on China-Korea trade relations where it was referred to as “adding insult to injury”. It makes a living by sucking tree sap. Regards.
Karl

Goodness– I had a hunch it might not native to Korea since I couldn’t remember seeing them while growing up, even though they seemed to be everywhere this time.  Thank you so much for the identification.  
Judy
Thank you so much for identifying this for me so fast.

Posted 01 August 2009 § Aphids, Scale Insects, Leafhoppers, and Tree Hoppers ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Moving 39 Fry to Growout Tank; Lefty and Digitalis spawn and eggs turn white

Where we left off …
July 26, 2009
There should be 201 fry from various generations and parents in the grow out tank now.

Saturday August 1, 2009
I have currently captured 25 fry from the nursery aquarium to move to the grow out tank.  This is necessary since two days ago, I siphoned out a small quantity of fry from the community aquarium after allowing Boris and Media Luna to care for their hatchlings.  This would bring the total in the grow out tank to 226, given that there may have been some losses.

Also, yesterday, I noticed that Lefty and Digitalis had spawned again, and it was a large number of eggs.  Sadly, today all of the eggs look white.

I caught 14 more fry to move (total 240).

Posted 01 August 2009 § aquarium ‡ Comments (0) °

Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar

Bander caterpillar, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
August 1, 2009
Hi. I found this gorgeous caterpillar hanging on to a stalk of poison hemlock yesterday in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco yesterday. (It’s August first today.) I’m dying to know what kind of butterfly or moth it will become.
Thanks
Harvey
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

anise cat harvey 300x177 Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar

Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Harvey,
This is an Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar, Papilio zelicaon.  The caterpillars are generally found on sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) which is an introduced plant.  It is also found on carrot tops and parsley in the home garden.  According to Charles Hogue in his book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, “Before the introduction of these foreign plants, the larvae fed on various native umbellifers, such a Lamotium, Heracleum, and Tauschia species.”  We have never heard of them feeding on Poison Hemlock, Conium maculatum, but as it is in the same family, Apiaceae, as the other plants, this is not unusual.

2

Posted 01 August 2009 § swallowtail caterpillars ‡ Comments (0) °

Hairy Necked Tige Beetle, Pacific Coast Tiger Beetle, or other species???

2 pollinators 1 fuzzy-legged jumper
July 31, 2009
1 green pollinator, 1 brown pollinator, 1 maybe cricket with fuzzy grayish fizz on legs…all at coast in San Luis Obispo County, CA
Denise
San Luis Obispo County, CA coast

hairy necked tiger beetle denise 300x170 Hairy Necked Tige Beetle, Pacific Coast Tiger Beetle, or other species???

probably Hairy Necked Tiger Beetle

Dear Denise,
It is impossible for us to respond to every email we receive, so we must select which letters get responses and further cull from those for posting.  It is very difficult for us to deal with three different species in one letter.  With that clarified, your “1 maybe cricket with fuzzy grayish fiss on legs” is actually a  Tiger Beetle, in the genus Cicindela which has numerous species continent wide that resemble your individual.  You may scan the possibilities on BugGuide as we have done in an attempt to properly identify your individual. We believe the Hairy-Necked Tiger Beetle, Cicindela hirticollis, it a strong candidate for the proper identification.  According to BugGuide, it is found in California, and there is a photograph of a specimen collected in Marin County.  There is also a set of photos of a live specimen in Ventura County.  It also resembles the Pacific Coast Tiger Beetle, Cicindela bellissima, though the range of that species, according to BugGuide, is more north, though the range map might not be comprehensive.  If you resubmit your other requests with more a more detailed letter, we may be able to provide an identification if time permits.

Posted 01 August 2009 § Tiger Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

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