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Tag Archives: food chain

Giant Ichneumon ovipositing

What kind of bug is this?

megarhyssa dawn 267x300 Giant Ichneumon ovipositing

Giant Ichnuemon

What kind of bug is this?
Location:  Warwick, Rhode Island
August 29, 2010 4:17 pm
These bugs just showed up and crawl all over the dead tree on the side of my house the long antenna looking thing seems to maybe suck something out of the tree! I have never seen these before and they look like they could be 2inches long some shorter some longer! Its the end of August so we are slowly going into fall.
Thanks, Dawn Bergeron

megarhyssa dawn 3 300x242 Giant Ichneumon ovipositing

Giant Ichnuemon ovipositing

Hi Dawn,
This insect is actually depositing eggs into the tree, not sucking something out as you thought.  Several days ago we decided to make the Giant Ichneumon our Bug of the Month for September 2010 so we included information on how the female oviposits her eggs in the wood of dead and dying trees that contain the burrowing larvae of the Pigeon Horntail.  The Giant Ichneumon is a parasitoid whose larvae feed solely on the larvae of the Pigeon Horntail.  Coincidentally, yesterday we posted an image of a female Pigeon Horntail, another impressive non-stinging member of the order that includes wasps, in the act of oviposition.  Though we wrote a lengthy response, we were not able to include images of the actual egg laying or oviposition process.  Your photos clearly illustrate the process of a female Giant Ichneumon laying eggs, though your species is different from the species in the Bug of the Month posting, which is Megarhyssa atrata.  We suspect your Giant Ichneumon is Megarhyssa macrurus. We are going to combine your letter and images with the previously selected letter to be a joint Bug of the Month posting for September 2010.

megarhyssa dawn 21 300x246 Giant Ichneumon ovipositing

Giant Ichneumon Ovipositing

Posted 29 August 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Sun Spider Eats in Captivity

Solpugid Feasting
Location:  Las Vegas
August 22, 2010 11:18 am
Hi guys. I have noticed that you don’t have many pics of sun spiders eating so I decided to send you a couple of pics. I have one that I captured in my backyard here in North Las Vegas and it has no problem eating in captivity. One pic is it feasting on a cicada and the other one is it eating a very much larger grasshopper.
Will

solpugid eats cicada will 300x266 Sun Spider Eats in Captivity

Solifugid Eats Cicada in Captivity

Hi Will,
Thank you for providing us with these images of a Sun Spider or Windscorpion in the order Solifugae feeding on a Cicada and a Katydid in captivity.  Sun Spiders are amazingly adept hunters that will probably eat anything they are able to catch, including small lizards and young mice, though their normal diet would consist of small arthropods.  Though Cicadas and Katydids are Arthropods, they do not normally crawl in the ground, sticking to trees and shrubs instead, so they probably do not contribute significantly to a wild Solifugid’s diet.

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Solifugid eats Katydid in captivity

Posted 27 August 2010 § Solpugids and Camel Spiders ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Robberfly Feasts on a Relative

Baby Red-Footed Cannibalflies!

robberfly ragdoll 300x240 Robberfly Feasts on a Relative

Robber Fly

Location:  Northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati, OH
August 17, 2010 7:56 pm
My garden has been hosting a red-footed cannibalfly this year that I’ve named ’Angel’ because she was ’bug of the month’ for August which pretty much makes her a ’Centerfold’ in bug land. :-)
I scan my garden for her and am usually rewarded with at least a glimpse of her every day.
Last Sunday, I spied a familiar profile, in miniature, on one of my wild phlox. A baby Angel!
Like its mother, it didn’t seem to mind my snapping camera. It was only about 1/2” long. I saw two others before the day was through.
The next day, I caught sight of one of them again and I was amazed at how much it had grown in a single day. It was feeding on what I believe to be a fly, but could be a small bee. It deftly caught prey suitable to its own diminutive size.
Amazing little predators.
Regards,
(p.s. Please feel free to edit my content as you see fit.)
Ragdoll

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Robber Fly eats Fly

Hi Again Ragdoll,
There is absolutely nothing to edit from your entertaining and delightful letter, but we would like to take the opportunity to make some corrections.  Your most recent Robber Fly is not a Red Footed Cannibalfly and we doubt we have the necessary skills to identify which of the 883 North American species indicated by BugGuide that it might be.  You also have a significant conceptual error in your letter that we would like to explain.  Insects undergo metamorphosis and they do not “grow” the way creatures without an exoskeleton grow.  The exoskeleton of an insect is rigid, and before an insect can increase in size, it must molt or shed its hard outer skin.  Insect nymphs and larvae grow after molting, but adults do not since they have reached the end of their metamorphosis.  A “baby Angel” would not have wings.  Instead it would be a wormlike larva.  Many fly larvae are known as maggots.  Your “baby Angel” is actually an adult of a distinct species.  The prey in your two food chain images appears to be a fly as well.

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Robber Fly eats Fly

WOW! Thanks for the spanking, Bugman! It’s totally humbling to be wrong so many times in a single letter. ;-)
I honestly appreciate all the corrections. The thing that’s weird is that the ‘tiny’ robber fly looks like it has the red legs, like Angel. All of a sudden, three of them appeared on the same day. The next day, I saw another, but it was a little larger and looked a little different. That’s the one with the fly.
The oddest thing of all, though, is that I have never seen a robber fly in my life till this year. I know that doesn’t mean they weren’t there, but I’ve always been pretty observant about the ‘wildlife’ in my gardens. Maybe it’s like when you learn a new word. You seem to hear it everywhere for awhile.
I find all your info fascinating and I appreciate the education. I’ve always loved to photograph insects, but I’ve only recently started to try to really learn about them. It’s  great that you put so much time into educating the clueless, like me.
Thanks again and warm regards,
Rags

Dear Rags,
No spanking was intended.  Trust us when we humbly acknowledge that we are often wrong and we depend heavily on our readership to provide needed corrections to our own identifications

Posted 20 August 2010 § Robber Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tobacco Hornworm (Caterpillar of the Carolina Sphinx) Parasitized by Braconid

Tomato horn worm and a killer?
Location:  South-Eastern Michigan
August 19, 2010 1:49 pm
I took this picture in my garden today, I was told that the caterpillar is known as a Tomato Horn Worm. I was wondering what kind of moth or butterfly does this caterpillar turn into (if it turns into one at all) and what are the white larvae on it’s body?
Thank you so much.
Curious about Critters

hornworm braconids michigan 300x225 Tobacco Hornworm (Caterpillar of the Carolina Sphinx) Parasitized by Braconid

Tobacco Hornworm Parasitized by Braconid Wasp

Dear Curious about Critters,
You caterpillar appears to be a Tobacco Hornworm, not a Tomato Hornworm, a funny distinction since both feed on tomato and other solanaceous plants.  According to BugGuide, the two may be distinguished from one another by:  “Larva: large green body; dorsal “horn” (usually curved and orange, pink or red) on terminal abdominal segment; up to seven oblique whitish lateral lines, edged with black on upper borders.  The similar looking Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, has eight v-shaped stripes and a straight blue-black horn. These caterpillars are often confused and misidentified.“  The cocoons belong to pupal Braconid Wasps which tomato feeding Manduca caterpillars.  This parasitized caterpillar will not mature, but if it had not become a living feast for the parasites, it would have buried itself in the ground to metamorphose into a juglike pupa (see BugGuide), and then emerged an adult Hawkmoth with narrow gray, patterned wings and yellow spots on the body (see bugGuide).

Posted 19 August 2010 § Hornworms § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Tomato Bug: But is it a Tomato Hornworm or a Tobacco Hornworm

a strange large bug in our garden
Location:  West Mifflin, Pa, 6 miles south of Pittsburgh PA in our garden
August 19, 2010 6:17 pm
We found this on our tomato plants & we have never seen anything like this. Any information you can share with us about it would be greatly appreciated, including what are the white things attached to it? Should we be concerned for any reason or take precautions, or just ignore it?
Thank you, Crystal Lyons

tomato bug crystal 226x300 Tomato Bug: But is it a Tomato Hornworm or a Tobacco Hornworm

Tomato Bug

Hi Crystal,
Alas, your Tomato Bug is not long for this world as it has been parasitized by a Braconid Wasp, mostly small wasps that lay their eggs inside of living insects, often caterpillars.  The female Braconid Wasp has an ovipositor and she injects the living hosts with an egg mass.  The Larval Braconid Wasps feed on the internal organs of the caterpillar, being careful to stay clear of vital organs that would cause the caterpillar to die and the caterpillar flesh to putrify and dry out, an unappetizing meal for the Braconid Larvae.  According to BugGuide, the Braconid Wasp that parasitizes the Tomato Bugs is Cotesia congregata.  Please forgive us for using a very non-entomological term, Tomato Bug.  Grandma used to call any large, green caterpillar with a horn a Tomato Bug.  She didn’t care if it was the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta (see BugGuide), or the Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata (see BugGuide).  She didn’t know it is not a True Bug in the suborder Heteroptera (See BugGuide).

Posted 19 August 2010 § Hornworms § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Robber Fly eats Bumble Bee

Ugliest Wasp EVER
Location:  North Texas
August 14, 2010 6:30 pm
Can you tell me what kind of wasp this is? This wasp will attack flying insects in the air,and if it catches them, seems to attach itself behind the insects head. Sucking out vital fluids perhaps? Also, when this wasp flies, it makes itself appear larger by keeping forelegs up above it’s head. Today one caught a bumble bee of which is in a couple of the photos.

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Robber Fly eats Bumble Bee

I do not know how it nests, I only notice these individually, on my blooming plants just waiting for a chance to catch something.
Curious about the ugliest insect I have ever seen.

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Robber Fly

Dear Curious atuiIhes,
This is a Robber Fly, and it is one impressive creature.  It looks very similar to the Hanging Thieves in the genus Diogmites, but not quite.  We searched BugGuide for related genera, and it most resembles members in the genus Saropogon, but there were no matches on BugGuide.  By doing a web search for Saropogon, we discovered the Key to the Saropogon of the United States page, and the description that seemed closest to your specimen is Saropogon birdi.  We searched that and came up with a photo on Flickr that looks identical to your specimen.  We also located a Midwest Biological Control News page entitled Know Your Friends with this tidbit on another member of the genus Saropogon:  “Saropogon dispar is the most injurious of a number of species in Texas that frequent apiaries — more than 700 of these flies were destroyed in one bee yard in a period of three days!“  We are relatively confident your Robber Fly is in the genus Saropogon, but we would like to try to consult an expert in the family for confirmation.  We will see if Eric Eaton can recommend a Robber Fly expert.

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Robber Fly

Daniel,
Thank you very much for getting back to me. After submitting the photos I looked at your bug of the month and kind of figured it out although I thought it was a hanging thief, it just didn’t hang.. lol    The next day I was out taking pics of butterflies, and one of the robber flies landed on my camera, I almost dropped the camera.. It was probably just trying to be friendly. Right!  Anyway, thank you so very much and I will be happy to know exactly which robber fly this is.
Rhonda, still slightly curious. :)

Update on Identification
August 17, 2010
Hi Rhonda,
We are still waiting to hear something from Robber Fly expert Dr. Robert A. Cannings, Curator of Entomology at the Royal British Columbia Museum who we emailed after posting your letter.

Update from Dr. Robert A. Cannings
August 18, 2010
Hi Daniel:  I don’t know Saropogons well, although I think you are
correct in assuming this is one. I’ve sent the photos to Eric Fisher in
Sacramento to check but he hasn’t replied yet. I’ll let you know when he
answers.
Cheers,
Rob

Update:  confirmation of Saropogon
August 26, 2010
Daniel, Eric Fisher says it looks like Saropogon combustus. So there you
are!
Cheers,
Rob

Posted 14 August 2010 § Bumble Bees § Robber Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mason Wasp captures Caterpillar

Food Chain
Location:  North Middle Tennessee
August 14, 2010 1:35 pm
Hi Daniel,
I thought this was a potter wasp a few weeks ago, but now I don’t know what it is. I noticed a hole bored in the bottom of the deck rail a couple of days ago. (Sawdust below it) I looked into the hole and it was empty. It was approx. one and a half inches deep. Today I saw this struggle going on and ran for the camera.

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Mason Wasp with Caterpillar

The worm/grub was almost more the the wasp could carry. I watch and snapped photos untill it finally got into the hole. It left the worm/grub in the hole. I will keep an eye on the hole to see if she closes it of just leaves it open. I never saw these black and white wasp looking things before this year. The adults appear to feed on pollen. Thanks and have a great day.
Richard

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Mason Wasp with Caterpillar

Hi Richard,
We believe we have correctly identified your Mason Wasp as Monobia quadridens on BugGuide which indicates:  “Usually nests in wood borings, but sometimes burrows in dirt banks. Sometimes takes over abandoned nests of carpenter bees or ground bees, also Sceliphron (mud dauber) cells. Nest is provisioned with caterpillars, and cells of nest are separated by mud partitions.“  A very similar looking species is Euodynerus bidens, also profiled on BugGuide.  The two can be distinguished from one another by this method:  “Nearly identical to Monobia quadridens. Large rounded white spots on the propodeum (smaller or absent in Monobia quadridens) and smaller rounded white spots on the temples (present only in Euodynerus bidens) are used to distinguish the two.“  Your photographs are beautiful.

mason wasp caterpillar richard 3 300x235 Mason Wasp captures Caterpillar

Mason Wasp with Caterpillar Prey

Posted 14 August 2010 § Potter and Mason Wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Spider Wasp with Prey in Tanzania

Two Tanzanian Bugs
Location:  Treetops Safari Camp, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
August 12, 2010 7:40 pm
While walking to our tree house accommodations at the Tree Tops Safari Camp in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, my daughter found these two intertwined bugs. What are they Bug Man?
AJ

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Spider Wasp with Prey

Dear AJ,
This is a spectacular safari image.  Your daughter is quite an accomplished photographer.  Does your daughter have a name, or is she just your daughter?  This is a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae, and the spider is most likely a Tarantula.  Spider Wasps are phenomenal hunters.  The female Spider Wasp locates a Spider and battles with it, generally winning.  The Spider is stung on the belly and is paralyzed but still alive.  The Spider Wasp then drags it back to a prepared burrow or excavates a burrow on the spot and buries the Spider after laying a single egg.  The egg hatches and the larval wasp feeds upon the comatose spider, eating it alive.  That ensures that the meat of the spider will remain fresh.  The Spider Wasp Larva feeds on non-vital organs first, and the spider eventually dies.  Only the female Spider Wasp hunts as the male who has no stinger is incapable of stinging.  The prey of Spider Wasps usually includes Tarantulas and Trapdoor Spiders, but in Australia they feed upon Huntsman Spider and some species of Spider Wasps prey upon Wolf Spiders.  The Spider Wasps are generally species specific when it comes to prey.  Adult Spider Wasps feed upon nectar and they are frequently seen on blossoms.

Bug Man…my daughter’s name is Kryss.

Thanks for that update AJ.  We have an issue with our friends and colleagues introducing their mates and or relatives at social events as “my wife” or “my boyfriend” or even “my mother” and our response is always the same.  “Does your wife (boyfriend or mother) have a name? or is she (he) just your wife (boyfriend or mother)?”

Posted 13 August 2010 § Tarantulas and Trapdoor Spiders § spider wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

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