What Spider is this
October 27, 2009
This spider eated his mate.
mr
Costa Mesa, CA
Orbweavers Mating
Dear mr,
We are uncertain what species of Orbweaver you have sent our way. We couldn’t even say for sure if this is an Araneus. Perhaps one of our readers can tell. Your photos are amazing. It isn’t unusual for female spiders to eat their mates.
Orbweaver eats her Mate
Mountain Bug love
October 16, 2009
Found these two love-bugs while hiking a mountain in the Hudson Valley region of New York state during late spring. I’m not sure what they are, but I think they’re in love 
.
Tori
Hudson Valley, New York
Mating Purple Tiger Beetles
Hi Tori,
These are mating Tiger Beetles in the genus Cicindela. There are numerous species illustrated on BugGuide. We believe they may be Purple Tiger Beetles, Cicindela purpurea, though we would prefer to have an actual expert confirm the species ID. You can check out the photos and description of the Purple Tiger Beetle on BugGuide.
Dave Gracer’s comment
What’s cool about this pic is that the female has got some food, most likely supplied by the male as a token. In other words, sex for food. Other kinds of animals do this — I don’t know how many, but I know that roadrunners to it. Pretty fascinating, when you consider the possibility that there are some vague analogies in our species.
Huge Bug Killed Mouse, what is it?
September 30, 2009
We found this when we were checking our mouse traps yesterday. As you will notice, it is about the same length of the mouse and its thorax (don’t no if I am using this correctly, but the width of its body not including the legs) was as wide as a pencil. The mouse trap is still set, but the mouse is dead, presumably at the hands of the creature seen next to it, therefore, it is possibly posionous as well. Can you help us figure out what this is, and is it dangerous. P.S. Our house has many small centipide looking things, at the absolute biggest they are 2 inches, but very narrow, could this just be a mutated version of those?
Person who lives in the basement with this thing
Basement
House Centipede eats Mouse
Dear Person who lives in the basement,
WE are enthralled with your image of a House Centipede with a mouse. Though we have not heard of House Centipedes preying upon small mammals, your photo would indicate that this is a possibility. House Centipedes do have venom, but they are not dangerous to humans.
Assassin bug dining on Japanese beetle
September 20, 2009
While out scouting for butterflies, I came upon this slightly grizzly scene of a wonderful assassin bug dining on a Japanese beetle. Glad it wasn’t me!
This was taken on June 30, 2009 in Orange County, VIRGINIA — the original OC 
Lynne from Virginia
Orange County, Virginia
Wheel Bug eats Japanese Beetle
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for sending your wonderful Food Chain documentation. More specifically, the Assassin Bug is a Wheel Bug. We are sure your photo will bring great joy to many gardeners who are plagued each year by the appearance of the scourge, the Japanese Beetle. The invasive exotic Japanese Beetle appears in great numbers each year and feeds on many ornamental and food plants, including roses. We have heard that this year in Ohio, the Japanese Beetles can still be found despite the late date.
Mean Looking Armored ?
September 13, 2009
I found this bug in a web on my fence walkthrough. I have never seen anything like it. 6 Legs, “Spiky armor” down it’s back. and it’s head is like a needle. This is one mean looking bug! I don;t know weather it made the web or just got caught in it. On it’s lower-side, very back there is a red spot and it seems that it’s dripping down the web in the photos.
David
West, Lafayette, Indiana
Wheel Bug trapped in web
Hi David,
This is a predatory Wheel Bug and it is reported that the bite is quite painful. Wheel Bugs do not form webs and this individual has been trapped in a Spider’s Web.
orange beetle with triangle on thorax in an argiope’s web
September 3, 2009
Around noon today, I saw this small beetle get caught in the web of the largest Argiope aurantia spider I’ve ever seen. I live in Fort Pierce, Florida. The beetle has an orange abdomen and legs, but a yellow and black thorax and head. There is a yellow triangle pointing towards the abdomen on its thorax. What could this beetle be? I don’t think I’ve seen one before.
I’ve also included a picture of the spider, in case you want to use it on your site.
Thanks!
Gary
Fort Pierce, FL
Delta Flower Scarab in Orbweaver's web
Hi Gary,
This lovely beetle is a Delta Flower Scarab, Trigonopeltastes delta. The beetle gets its common and scientific name from the shape of the marking on the thorax that resembles the Greek letter delta. According to BugGuide: “Adults take pollen and/or nectar. (Possibly eat vegetative parts as well?) Food plants include Goldenrod (Solidago), Feverfew (Parthenium), Coneflower (Echinacea), and Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccafolium).“ Golden Orbweavers are also called Writing Spiders because of the pattern of the stabilimentum in the web that is believed to help camouflage the spider. We are quite happy to add your images and letter to our Food Chain pages.
Golden Orbweaver eats Delta Flower Scarab
Large redand yellow bee/wasp?
September 2, 2009
Would like to know the name of this bee-like bug that I found eating a dragonfly
Wondering999
Odenton, Maryland
European Hornet eats Dragonfly
Dear Wondering999,
The predator in your photo is a European Hornet, Vespa crabo, an introduced species, so we are tagging it as an Invasive Exotic. You can read about the species on BugGuide. The prey seems to resemble one of the Pilot Darners in the genus Coryphaeschna, but we are uncertain if the range is a far north as Maryland. We would love assistance with the Dragonfly ID. We didn’t have much luck on this Dragonfly of Maryland page.
What is this parasite on the cricket?
September 1, 2009
We found a wild cricket with the lump on its side. We were not sure if it was a growth or a parasite. Later I found another one and removed the lump. It appears to have legs and was attatched at only one point. The pictures show one with the parasite attatched. The other shows the underside of the parasite.
David and Deanna Brown
Clark County Indiana, in a garden.
Cricket with Parasite
Hi David and Deanna,
About a year ago, we posted a similar image and surmised that it might be a Tachinid Fly that had parasitized the cricket in question and linked to an online article on Tachinids parasitizing Crickets. Eric Eaton then provided us with this information: “Hi, Daniel: The object protruding from the deceased cricket is indeed a fly puparium (the rigid last larval ’skin’ enclosing a fly pupa). It could certainly be a tachinid fly, but there are also other flies that are parasitic on crickets, especially some members of the flesh fly family (Sarcophagidae). I’d personally be hard-pressed to identify even the adult fly once it emerges, though a dipterist (fly expert) could. Eric“ We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he agrees. The most common cricket parasite written about online is a Horsehair Worm.
Parasite taken from Cricket
Eric Eaton offers a suggestion: Rhopalosomatid Wasps
Daniel:
The cricket parasite is probably not a tachinid. See this:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/71173
Wish I had more time to expand on this, but I don’t at the moment.
Eric
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