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…
Stink Bug
Location: Elyria, Ohio
January 2, 2012 10:47 pm
Hi,
We live in northern Ohio. Every winter we get Stinkbugs in the house.…
Local Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths of the L.A. Region with Daniel Marlos
When Sat, February 25, 2012, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Where Theodore…
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…
looks like a moth maybe
Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 6:48 AM
this bug was on the front door all day and even when the door would be slammed shut it wouldnt fall off. i took pictures of it and we all want to know what it is. We were in Jamesport, NY (on Long island)
from ash
Jamesport, NY on Long Island
Spotted Apatelodes
Hi Ash,
Though it is easily mistaken for a Sphinx Moth, the Spotted Apatelodes, Apatelodes torrefacta, is actually a Silkworm Moth in the family Bombycidae.
Large black beetle
Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Hi there,
I was wondering if you could tell me what this bug is? I don’t think that I have ever seen one quite like this before. Plus I thought that my husband took an excellent picture of it and wanted to share with you. This creature is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long without the appendage that is sticking out.
Katie Thibeault
Hooksett, NH
Broad-Necked Root Borer
Hi Katie,
This is a female Broad-Necked Root Borer, Prionus laticollis. The appendage is her ovipositor and she uses it to deposit eggs in the ground.
Reddish Brown Stag Beetle
Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 12:26 AM
Tonight I was taking one of my dogs out, and saw him sniffing at something on the porch by the door mat. I looked closer and found this reddish brown stag beetle. It’s been over 15 years since I’ve seen one here. I have attached one photo, but I took a total of 16 very good full resolution pictures of him that I uploaded to my insects & spiders set on Flickr. If you want to see the others too, the link is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywayne/sets/72157621021785362/
Andrew Naylor
Frankton, Indiana
Reddish Brown Stag Beetle
Hi Andrew,
Though your Reddish Brown Stag Beetle, Lucanus capreolus, isn’t our official Bug of the Month, it is nice for us to be able to post a photo of another spectacular member of the genus. Our readers may read more about the Reddish Brown Stag Beetle on BugGuide.
Hexagenia limbata ?? Lovely and yellow
Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 5:33 PM
Dear Bug Person,
As a family of amateur naturalists, we implore you to help us correctly identify this lovely yellow specimen my son found near the banks of the James River today. We’d love to be able to add it’s name to our nature journals! It was struggling to fly when we found it and lifted it to a branch so it could be upright.
A Thousand Thanks
Sincerely, The Farmer Family
Richmond,Virginia
Mayfly Subimago
Dear Farmer Family,
We cannot say for certain that this Mayfly is Hexagenia limbata, but that is a good possibility based on the images posted to BugGuide. We will post your letter and hopefully, one of our readers who knows more about the order Ephemeroptera will be able to provide a definite answer. We do believe this is a subimago, or preadult and that it will molt one more time before becoming a true reproductive adult with clear wings. You may read more about Mayflies on BugGuide.
Unknown Butterfly
Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 11:15 AM
I work in the Nature Center running programs for children in Zion. We have this wonderful butterfly display but who ever did it did not identify the butterflies. This is the only one I have not been able to identify.
The trick is, it was pinned upside down so I can not see the upper part of the wings. Can you please help me out so I can sound smart when the kids ask me to name all the butterflies?
Since this is for educational purposes I hope I’m not stuck in unnecessary carnage!
Ranger Holly
Zion National Park, UT
Common Ringlet (underside)
Dear Ranger Holly,
We absolutely love your letter. Fear not. You will not be categorized as Unnecessary Carnage. In the interest of you sounding as smart as possible, you may now tell the children that this is a Common Ringlet, Coenonympha tullia. Jeffrey Glassberg in his wonderful book, Butterflies Through Binoculars The West, writes of the Common Ringlet: “Small. Variable, but distinctive. Usually with a single FW subapical eyespot (sometimes faint or absent) and a straight FW postmedian line. HW ground color varies (mainly geographically) from green-gray to brown to pale gray or off white. HW postmedian line characteristically jagged. HW eyespots prominent or almost absent.” Later, perhaps as a way to justify this vague set of identification characteristics, Glassberg writes: “As the Supreme Court has said about pornography, it is difficult to define, but you’ll recognize it when you see it.” We strongly recommend you getting a copy of Glassberg’s book for identification purposes.
beautiful green patterned moth
Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Can you please tell me the name of this very large, very beautiful moth? I found it hanging on my house this morning. Its body is about 3 inches long.
Eleanor Coyne
North Attleboro, MA. 02760 USA
Pandora Sphinx
Hi Eleanor,
Your moth is a Pandora Sphinx, and it is the second example we are posting to our site today.
Lime Hawk Moth in TN
Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 4:59 PM
We saw this strange moth land on our window screen. I hurried outside to take pictures and to show my husband. After snapping a few photos, we went back inside. About 2 minutes later, a Cardinal flew up and snatched the moth up. We went on your website to see what sort of moth this was, and we came across your PA Lime Hawk Moth post, and how we should contact you immediately. So, here goes!
Sarah and Keith Allen
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Pandora Sphinx
Hi Sarah and Keith,
Your moth and another submission we received earlier today are both indigenous relatives of the Lime Hawk Moth. They are Eumorpha pandorus, the Pandora Sphinx, which according to BugGuide, is found in the “Eastern United States (Maine to Florida, west to Texas, north to Nebraska and Wisconsin) plus Ontario and Nova Scotia “
Orange and Black Bug
Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 10:13 AM
We were enjoying a 4th of July BBQ in Cave Creek, AZ when this guy decided to join us. Right after I snapped the picture on my iPhone (attached) he flew away. His body was about an inch long. Can you help me figure out what kind of bug this is?
Desert Knight’s Ranch
Cave Creek, AZ
Long Jawed Longhorn Beetle
This really is an attractive Cerambycid or Longhorned Borer Beetle. We searched on BugGuide until we properly identified it as a Long Jawed Longhorn Beetle, Trachyderes mandibularis. It is found from Texas to California and south to Guatemala. Also, according to BugGuide, “Males have particularly long mandibles” which would indicate that perhaps your beetle is a female. It seems that females of the Long Jawed Longhorn Beetle have antennae nearly as long as those of the males.
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