Mite or Tick ?
November 19, 2009
i’ve finished my new Azureus tank a few weeks ago, and i’ve found, several times, during the last few days these bugs crawling around my water feature edges.
some info of whats in the viv:
NO Frogs In The Viv ATM !!!
few broms and some riccia starting to expand on the ground.
water feature of waterfall and a pond ( false bottom ). the substrate is a mix of Baltic peat and coco peat/shreds.
thats about it.
omer hauser
U.S.A
Unknown Mite
Hi omer,
We needed to do a bit of research just to understand your questions as you used so many abbreviations and words we did not know. Now we see you have set up a habitat for Dendrobates azureus, poisonous tree frogs, and that the plants are growing. This looks like a Mite to us. Not sure what though. Mites are not our specialty. Perhaps an acarologist will write in with an identification.
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Posted 20 November 2009
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November 19, 2009
Thank you so much!
I have one more bug picture that I have yet to identify. I took it when I was in the Daintree Rainforest in Australia. I looks like a stink bug to me, but I’ve never seen anything with the coloring and design.
Thanks again! I really appreciate your help!
Heather Scrowther
Daintree Rainforest, Australia
Unknown Large Stink Bug from Australia
Hi again Heather,
The Bronze Orange Bug, Musgraveia sulciventris, is one of the Large Stink Bugs in the family Tessaratomidae, and it looks similar to your specimen, but your individual is more colorful. You can see pictures of the Bronze Orange Bug on saveourwaterwaysnow.com and on the Brisbane Insect Website. We are relatively certain your bug is in the same family, and perhaps the same genus, and it might even be a color variation. We located images of another member of the genus, Musgraveia antennata, but it doesn’t match either. The Illustrated Catalog of Tessaratomidae has some similar specimens, but nothing exact. There are some unpictured specimens from the genus Oncomeris, and a picture of Oncomeris flavicornis flavicornis from New Guinea that has similar legs. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist us in an exact identification.
November 16, 2009
The butterflies inhabit a pond shared with 10 crocodiles in a village called Banani.
Puddling Caper Whites in Mali
This village is one of 10 Dogon villages located beneath the Bandiagara Escarpment which contains ancient Tellem cave dwellings in Mali, West Africa.
AJ
Puddling Caper Whites in Mali
Dear AJ,
Your photos are stunningly beautiful. These butterflies are a species in the group known as Whites in the family Pieridae. The butterflies are puddling, drinking water with dissolved chemical salts. This unusual practice is characteristic of many butterflies the world over. We will try to identify the exact species when we have time. We found one photo online on a Harvard website labeled Brown Veined White Butterfly that looks very close to your specimens. Continued searching found another visual match on the Birdman in Tanzania website, and the Brown Veined White is identified as Belenois aurota. The species often has spectacular migrations with thousands of individuals. The Marketgid Website also calls the species the Caper White. Maybe Karl can take a stab at this ID.
Puddling Caper Whites in Mali
Chinese beetle
November 10, 2009
Hello,
I saw these on a (low) hill path in Zhongshan in China yesterday and wondered what they are? Is it mother and child or a male/female couple? Thanks
Neil
Zhongshan city, GuangDong, CHina
Chinese Longhorn Beetles
Hi Neil,
The markings on your beetles are different than those on examples of Mango Stem Borers, Batocera rufomaculata, that we have posted previously, but there are enough similarities for us to question if this is perhaps a regional variation. Your beetles might be a closely related species in the genus Batocera, like perhaps Batocera davidis, or perhaps a member of another genus in the Long Horned Borer family Cerambycidae. In our opinion, this is a couple. Perhaps one of our readers can assist in this identification.
Update from Karl
Hi Daniel:
They are definitely a Batocera species (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Batocerini) but not B. rufomaculata. There are several similar looking species in Asia, but as far as I can tell only B. davidis and B. rubus occur in China. The B. davidis photo that you linked to does look very much like the ones in Neil’s photo, but most images of B. davidis do not show the prominent white spots on the elytra. This could be an example of regional variation, or it could be another case of misidentified photos on the web. On the other hand, there are numerous postings of B. rubus and they all appear very similar. For comparison, the ‘Siam Insect-Zoo & Museum’ site has excellent photos and descriptions of all the species mentioned here. I think I have to go with B. rubus. Coincidentally, I also came across a photo of mating B. rubus (subspecies mniszechi) from the Philippines that is remarkably similar to the one posted by Neil. Regards.
Karl
Stagmomantis Californica up close.
November 8, 2009
Hey WTB! I thought you might enjoy a couple pictures of this Mantid (which I’m quite sure is a Stagmomantis Californica, please correct me if I’m wrong) perched on a creosote branch.
Michael G.
Southern California, Coachella Valley.
Mantis, but what species???
Hi Michael,
Your photos are great. We aren’t certain that this is a Stagomantis. Perhaps one of our readers can supply a definitive identification.
Beautiful Beetle
October 28, 2009
As we live in the southern hemisphere, we are currently in the midst of spring with summer close at hand. For us, this means we will be seeing more and more bugs (woo-hoo). That being said, my kids and I found this beautiful beetle early this morning on the sidewalk outside their school. We immediately rescued it so that it would not get stepped on by the students. I let it walk around the palm of my hand so that we could let my children’s classmates admire it as well. It is a beautiful shiny hard-shelled beetle. When walking, it does so quite quickly, but remains fairly still for the most part. It is about an inch and a half from the tip of it’s nose to the tip of its rear, and the antennas add about another half an inch to its overall length, with a thickness of abo ut a quarter of an inch. I have searched and searched but I cannot identify what type of beetle it is. Any ideas? Another interesting note: Shortly after I returned home and placed it on a branch to retrieve my camera, it slowly and deliberately excreted something onto the branch from the tip of it’s rear. It would slowly move forward bit by bit as it attached the excretion to the branch. The beetle then ‘patted’ it to be certain it was firmly attached to the branch. The excretion is tan in color, about a quarter by an eighth of an inch, and has an oval-rounded shape to it. It resembles a very flattened rolly polly with a clearish tan coating over it. Could this be a single larvae? Thanks for anything you might be able to tell us about this wonderful creature.
Todd Madsen
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Unidentified Beetle from Brazil
Hi Todd,
We are requesting assistance with your beetle. Our initial impression is that it is a Leaf Beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. We hope Eric Eaton can verify that.
Unidentified Beetle from Brazil
Daniel:
Right on! Yes, it is indeed a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Hispinae. Many are leaf miners, but I can’t imagine this large species being one of them:-)
Eric
Karl locates some images online
Hi Daniel:
Everyone is right! Following Eric’s lead, the genus is Coraliomela (Hispinae: Alurnini). But there are several species in that genus in Brazil and there is very little information to be found, so that is likely as close as we are going to get. Chances are that at least some look quite similar (e.g., C. tetramaculata). Regarding the behavior described by Todd, I would guess the beetle was laying eggs – I can’t think what else it may have been doing. From what I could gather, some and perhaps all Coraliomela species feed on palms; the larvae of C. brunnea (an entirely red species), for example, are considered one of Brazil’s most important pests on coconut seedlings. I can’t tell if the plant in Todd’s photo is a palm. Regards.
Karl
Slug or Snail Eggs, Maybe Not?
October 25, 2009
Dear Bug Man,
I’m pretty sure these are not bug eggs, but I am confident you can help ID these things.
I discovered this cluch of eggs under a pile of wet and decaying wood.
Thanks for the help,
W. Matthews
San Antonio, TX
Amphibian Eggs perhaps???
Hi W. Matthews,
We agree they are not insect eggs, and we would also discount snail or slug eggs. We believe they may be Amphibian Eggs, though it is also possible they are some type of fungus or mushroom. Hopefully one of our readers may supply an answer.
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Posted 25 October 2009
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What might this be
October 18, 2009
Hi guys,
Been a while, hope all is well your end. Any ideas on this one? The front legs look mantid like. Is it a nymph stage of a mantis of some sort?
Aussietrev
Queensland. Australia
Unknown Australian Hopper
Hi Trevor,
Welcome back. This appears to be some species of immature hopper, possibly a Fulgoroid. The front legs remind us of Cicadas, but the head is different. We searched through many possibilities on the Geocities website of Australian Insects without luck. We haven’t the time to research the species as we are running late this morning, but perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide an answer.
Unknown Caterpillar
October 4, 2009
Hello bugman,
when cutting our Chamaedorea elegans, my husband felt a burning sensation to his arm. Obviously he touched two of this caterpillars, sitting on a leaf.
I searched your database, but couldn’t find a similar picture. Looks like a stinging slug caterpillar for me.
Thanks for your help,
Best regard
Claudia
Singapore
Unknown Stinging Caterpillar
Hi Claudia,
We are not certain that this is a Stinging Slug Caterpillar. It looks more to us like one of the Stinging Caterpillars in the subfamily Hemileucinae of the Giant Silkworm Family Saturniidae. We will try to get a second opinion.
Mosaic or hero darner?
September 3, 2009
At first I thought it was a low plane, but it was just this injured dragonfly. I’m guessing it’s a mosaic darner; it didn’t last long after it landed on the garden hose. The wingspan was a bit over 5 1/4 inches-pretty huge.
dexter
southeastern LI, NY, USA
Darner
Dear Dexter,
There are people out there far more qualified than we are to correctly identify your Darner. Hopefully, someone will write in with an identification.
Darner
Update from Eric Eaton
September 6, 2009
Daniel:
I believe the “unknown darner” is a “swamp darner,” Epiaeschna heros, one of the largest dragonflies in North America and a great find. Nice images of it, too!
Eric
Curiously looking insect.
August 30, 2009
It was sitting on top of one of our corn plants. Very very small, somewhere between 1/8th of an inch to 1/4th of an inch in size. I’ve never seen anything like it around here before.The picture should be sufficient.
Jonathan Campos
Los Angeles, CA.
Unknown Cixiid Planthopper
Hi Jonathan,
We don’t feel skilled enough to take this to a species or even genus level, but your insect is a Cixiid Planthopper in the family Cixiidae. There are numerous representatives on BugGuide. Perhaps an expert can come to our rescue and properly identify this Cixiid.
Update from Eric Eaton
August 31, 2009
Daniel:
… Cixiid planthopper is some species in the genus Oliarus (there are at least 50 species north of Mexico). Hope that helps.
Eric
Is this a Jewel Beetle?
August 25, 2009
Hi there,
This little guy flew into my house. I took him back out after admiring him a bit but the very next day, there he was again, clinging to the post I hang my purse on. He’s beautiful but I don’t want him to die in here, I’ve put a variety of leaves out for him since he just plain refuses to leave. Is he a Jewel Beetle? Thanks for your help.
Amy
Kaneohe, Hawaii
Jewel Beetle
Hi Amy,
Yes, this is a Jewel Beetle in the family Buprestidae, but we are uncertain of the species. Since it is an island habitat, Hawaii is one of those places where invasive exotic species can displace endemic endangered species, and we are curious to find out what species you have submitted. Sadly, since we must leave for work, we haven’t the time to research right now. Judging by her ovipositor, your specimen is a female.
