fiber optic penis?
July 26, 2009
I knew that subject line would get your attention. I recently took some pics worthy of your BUG LOVE page, but I didn’t know what kind of beetles they were. Then today I checked your site and there it is- a banded longhorn. If you care to zoom in a bit you’ll understand the subject line.
Vince
Northern Indiana
Mating Longhorns
Dear Vince,
These mating beetles may be the Banded Longhorn, Typocerus velutinus, or they may be one of the 15 other members of the genus identified on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “Prominent genus of flower longhorns. Many, if not most, have a zebra-like or spotted pattern. This is probably mimicry of hymenoptera. Several are distinctively marked on elytra: T. velutina, zebra, lunulatus. However there is some variability, some T. velutina, in particular, are weakly marked. Other species must be identified under magnification or from very high-quality photographs. These include T. acuticauda and T. deceptus.“ Thanks for sending your graphic photo of a mating pair.
Bug love (Boxelder style)
July 26, 2009
I belive these to be, Boisea trivitata. Having a little fun on my screen. Just outside, is a boxelder tree, where there are thousands more. Can’t tell which is male, and which is female. Can you help?
Terry
Mound, MN
Mating Boxelder Bugs
Hi Terry,
Thanks for sending us your photo of mating Eastern Boxelder Bugs. We almost never get submissions from people who know what they are, but rather they want the large congregations of insects in their yards identified. We are especially fond of some of the alternative names for Eastern Boxelder Bugs, including Democrat Bug, Populist Bug, Politician Bug. According to BugGuide: “Apparently these political terms are primarily used in the Central Plains states as I’ve seen references to such from KAN, NEB, & IOWA. “
Unknown beach beetle
July 17, 2009
These beetles were discovered during horseshoe crab spawning season on Pickering Beach, Delaware. I’ve yet to find a good match in any of our bug books. We did collect one that looked very dead, but it crawled inside a crab carcass and hasn’t been seen since. Can you help with an ID?
I’ve been visiting periodically since last July when I identified and observed a grapevine beetle from July through the end of November.
LKStimeling
Pickering Beach, Delaware
Hastate Hide Beetles
Dear LKStimerling,
Were it not for the antennae on the individual on the far left, we would say that these are Carrion Beetles, more specifically, the Northern Carrion Beetle, Thanatophilus lapponicus. BugGuide has several images including some mounted specimens. One photo of a specimen from Alberta Canada is a dead ringer, but for the antennae. The individual in your photo on the far left most certainly has lamellate antennae which Comstock in our 1940 edition on page 41 defines as “the segments that compose the knob are extended on one side into broad plates.” On page 487 of the same volume under the family Silphidae, he writes: “The segments near the tip of the antennae form a compact club, which is neither comblike nor composed of thin movable plates; sometimes the antennae are nearly filiform.” Finding these beetles during the spawning of the horseshoe crab might be significant. Since Carrion Beetles are attracted to putrefying flesh, and since there is probably a bit of carnage during the mating, the presence of Carrion Beetles makes sense. Since we have pretty much decided that this if probably NOT a Northern Carrion Beetle, based on the antennae alone, we are stumped. The lamellate antennae are often found in the Scarabidae, but we aren’t happy with that ID either. We are forwarding this mystery to Eric Eaton to clean up. As a side note, we are thrilled that your photo includes what would seem to be a mating pair in the center, which qualifies this image for our Bug Love page.
Immediate Update
Immediately upon posting we decided to do additional research. We backtracked to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea that includes both Scarab Beetles and Carrion Beetles. There we found the family Trogidae, the Hide Beetles. We found our match, antennae and all, and now we need to try to determine the genus. Our frontrunner is Omorgus scabrosus, based on the drawing of the scutellum by Phil Harpootlian on the family page on BugGuide. That would make this a Hastate Hide Beetle. Since they are found on carrion in the late stages of decomposition, all that we stated earlier regarding the presence at the Horseshoe Crab spawning holds true. Since our archiving taxonomy is sketchy at best, we will be filing this with the Carrion Beetles.
South-African Grasshopper
June 10, 2009
I saw many of these grasshoppers in this part of South-Africa. I really wonder what type it is and why this species if flourishing?
David
Tsjisjikamma National Park, Plettenburg Bay, South-Africa
Mating Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers
Dear David,
These are mating Gaudy Grasshoppers, or Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers, or Bush Locusts in the family Pyrgomorphidae. We believe your species is Phymateus leprosus. One of the reasons this species is flourishing is that it is poisonous, and not many predators will touch it.
What R These?
July 13, 2009
Hi
These are found on one paticular plant right now which they feed upon and become intimate as well. I’ve included a pic of the plant. The beetles are1/2″ in length at most. I have never seen these in the field that I walk on a regular basis for the past 5 years. Are they new to this area. Thanks
Yeffer
Eastern Ontario Canada
Common Red Soldier Beetles
Hi Yeffer,
The Common Red Soldier Beetle, Rhagonycha fulva, is, according to BugGuide: “well-established in British Columbia and Quebec [Pat Bouchard]; recently recorded in Ontario from BugGuide photos … native to Eurasia; introduced to North America some time ago.” BugGuide also indicates: “adults feed on small insects that visit flowers larvae feed on snails, slugs, and ground-dwelling insects” and especially interesting, that it is also called Hogweed Bonking Beetle. “ The Garden Safari website indicates it is because “The Hogweed Bonking Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) is often seen in copula on plants and flowers.”
Common Red Soldier Beetle
Metallic looking beatle skeletonizing grape leaves
Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 7:34 AM
We have a swarming of metallic looking beatles skeletonizing our grape leaves. It isn’t anything like the pictures of Western skeletonizing bugs shown.
wlarson
Iowa
Japanese Beetles
Hello wlarson,
These are mating Japanese Beetles, Popillia japonica , an invasive exotic species accidentally introduced to New Jersey in 1916. Since that time, the Japanese Beetles have spread throughout much of the eastern U.S. BugGuide does not list any sightings in Iowa, but there are reports from many surrounding states and the westernmost reports on BugGuide are from Kansas. Japanese Beetles feed on the leaves, flowers and fruits of countless ornamental plants, and they are most fond of roses. There are commercial traps available that lure the Japanese Beetles with bait and keep them from feeding on the plants. Mom in Ohio says the Japanese Beetles make the leaves of her plants look like lace doilies.
Possible Lime Hawk introduction to NW Washington State
Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 8:02 PM
Greetings
Early today my mother was in the back yard and discovered these motrhs in the midst of breeding. We took pictures and then she went back and captured one of them.We had never seen anything like it( and since they don’t seem to be indigenous , I know why…)
Dave Hinds
Samish Island ,Washingon
Mating One-Eyed Sphinxes
Hi Dave,
Despite the resemblance to the introduced Lime Hawk Moth we just posted, your mating One-Eyed Sphinxes, Smerinthus cerisyi, are in fact native to the U.S. and range in Washington state. You can read more about this lovely moth on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.
what is this bug?
Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 2:15 PM
these 2 bugs were discovered 3pm july 3rd on our maple tree. They are each about 4inches across. please help us identify!
Katharine Mead
ne ohio
Mating Imperial Moths
Dear Katharine,
We are quite thrilled to post your photo of a pair of mating Imperial Moths. Just yesterday we posted a photo of a single male. Of your pair, the upper moth is the female. Female Imperial Moths have mostly yellow wings while the male has more purple markings.
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