The Grasshopper and the spider
Location: Healesville, Victoria Australia
January 21, 2011 3:55 pm
I had this cute little drama played out the other day and thought you might like to see. I tiny spider annoying a big grasshopper, I dont know what kind. Several times it swiped the spider off and each time the spider crawled back up by its web. Eventually the grasshopper lowered it down and they went their separate ways.
Signature: Linda in Healesville Australia
Unknown Grasshopper interacts with Spiderling
Hi Linda,
Your photo is quite amusing, however, we are having a difficult time trying to identify this somewhat distinctive Grasshopper. We cannot find a match on the Brisbane Insect website nor on the LifeUnseen website. The spider, which we believe may be a newly hatched spiderling, is well beyond our ability to identify, however, we do have a theory to explain the activity you witnessed. Newly hatched spiderlings often disperse by ballooning on the wind. They will climb to a high point and release a strand of silk that catches the wind and then carries the spiderling to a distant location, hopefully one that will result in a rich food supply. This will ensure that the young spiderling will not have to compete with siblings to survive. We believe the spiderling in your photo has mistaken the Grasshopper’s antenna for a twig and that is the highest elevation point it is able to reach at the moment the photo was taken. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in the Grasshopper identification.
Unknown Grasshopper with Spiderling Hitchhiker
I need my bug identified
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
January 21, 2011 11:39 am
Dear Bugman
I found this bug today, the 21st of January, in my garden. I would like to know what bug this is and what it eats, please.
We are experiencing summer here in South Africa and I live on the highveld in Johannesburg.
I have included three of my best photos of my bug.
Thanks very much
Signature: MAP
Weevil
Dear MAP,
This is some species of Weevil, but we are uncertain of its exact identity. Weevils belong to a large family of Beetles and many of them are characterized by a long snout which gives them a comical appearance. Many Weevils are considered agricultural pests of various crops and other Weevils will infest stored foods. We will continue to try to identify this species.
Weevil
¶ Posted 21 January 2011 § Weevils ‡ ° Also tagged: Quarter size black spider that looks like a Tarantula
Location: Kasane, Botswana
January 14, 2011 6:10 pm
I found a Quarter size black spider that looks like a Tarantula. My issue is that it is right by my potted plants and I don’t know if it is venomous. I love spiders but I live in the middle of know where and would not be able to seek medical attention if neccessary. Thank you.
Signature: Laura Marchitto Massie
Unknown Spider
Hi Laura,
This is a True Spider in the infraorder Araneomorphae rather than a Tarantula in the infraorder Mygalomorphae, but we do not recognize it. Those appendages at the tip of the abdomen are quite unusual and they should aid in the identification. We are posting your email and images and we hope to be able to provide you with an ID in the near future.
Unknown Spider
¶ Posted 18 January 2011 § Spiders ‡ ° Also tagged: Mantis
Location: Masai Mara, Kenya
January 17, 2011 1:03 am
Hi Daniel,
I found this little mantis inside my tent one evening here in the Mara (within the past 2 weeks). It was only about 3cm long (at the most)
Obviously, it has great camouflage for lichen and bark, but it stood out like a sore thumb on my khaki canvas.
Any ideas what family/genus it might be?
Signature: Zarek
Unknown Mantis
Hi Zarek,
We are posting your photo and letter and we will try to identify this pretty little Mantis.
4
Very abundant inch worm in Kasane, Botswana
Location: Kasane, Botswana
January 14, 2011 4:58 pm
I have seen this inch worm several times around my home in Kasane, Botswana. Right now it is the rainy season and is the only time I have seen this worm. It is very colorful and has almost feather like spikes. I did handle it and it was not poisonous. Do you know what this bug is or what it will become. It is very beautiful.
Signature: Laura Marchitto Massie
Unknown Caterpillar
Dear Laura,
We are not entirely convinced that this is an Inchworm, a name along with Spanworm given to the caterpillars of moths in the family Geometridae because of the way that they crawl. According to Bugguide: “larvae generally have only two pairs of prolegs (at the hind end) rather than the usual five pairs in most lepidoptera; the lack of prolegs in the middle of the body necessitates the peculiar method of locomtion, drawing the hind end up to the thoracic legs to form a loop, and then extending the body forward.“ The caterpillar in your photo has three pairs of prolegs, which is fewer than the five possessed by most caterpillars, hence its method of locomotion. BugGuide only indicates that “larvae generally have only two pairs of prolegs” which might mean that some individuals have three pairs. Your caterpillar also reminds us of that of the North American Funerary Dagger Moth which is depicted on BugGuide. We will attempt to get you a species identification, and until we determine otherwise, we will archive your letter with the Inchworms. Perhaps we can enlist assistance from our readership towards a conclusive identification of this interesting caterpillar.
Unknown Caterpillar
¶ Posted 16 January 2011 § Inchworms ‡ ° Also tagged: Strange Giraffe Bug
Possibly a Leaf Hopper
Strange Giraffe Bug
Location: Madai, Kunak, Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo
January 13, 2011 2:54 am
Hi Mr. Bugman,
I found this strange looking bug with long neck in a rain forest reserve in Malaysia called Pusat Sejadi Hutan Simpan Baturong Kunak. I found it near the waterfall. Can you help me out with this bug?
Signature: C.X Wong
Possibly a Leaf Hopper
Dear C.X. Wong,
We believe this is some species of Leafhopper, or at least a member of the order Hemiptera. We are tagging it as Unidentified and we hope our readership will assist in providing additional information.
Possibly a Leafhopper
description of worm, have dreams of them
January 7, 2011 10:23 pm
I keep having this same dream over and over. In it there is a worm with either a red or orange head, four white segments behind, and on the first and last white segments, there are two black legs. They come burrowing out of the person’s body, and they come out singly, but there is a lot of them. What could these worms be?
Signature: Daniel
Is the Tetrio Sphinx the source of the Red Headed Dream Worm?
Dear Daniel,
WE are not in the business of dream interpretation, but we do have enough knowledge to know that dreams are a combination of many real life experiences and sensory data that are modified by psychological impulses including fears and desires. Perhaps you have a fear of parasites. There are numerous worms that can be found inside humans, including Tapeworms. There are also some internal parasites that are insects like the Human Bot Fly. There are also many somewhat wormlike insects with red heads that we have in our archives including the Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar, a Walkingstick from Ecuador, the Red Headed Centipede, the Red Headed Pine Sawfly Larva and the Azalea Caterpillar. We cannot say for certain that your dream worm does not exist, but since you are unable to send us an image of what is going on inside your head, we are going to have to leave it as unidentified.
Might the Red Headed Centipede cause Nightmares?
¶ Posted 10 January 2011 § Worms ‡ ° Also tagged: Brazilian tiny bug
Location: Paraty-Brazil
January 9, 2011 2:22 pm
Hi,
I wonder if you have an idea what these tiny little bugs could be, maybe nymphs, there were many on one leaf.
I found them in a shady part of the rainforest close to a river in the region of Paraty-Brazil.
Size about 3mm.
Thank you in advance!
Signature: Myriam
Immature True Bug
Hi Myriam,
These are immature Hemipterans, and they are probably True Bugs, but we haven’t a clue as to the family, much less the genus or species.
Immature True Bugs
¶ Posted 09 January 2011 § True Bugs ‡ ° Also tagged: 
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