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Tag Archives: Unidentified

Unknown Weevil from Brazil

A proboscis with antenna?
Location: Cambé – PR, Brazil
January 8, 2011 7:39 pm
It was found on a growing pit of one of my Nepenthes (the brown, not the green one). With 1cm. Photo – iPhone4 with a magnifying glass and pacience.
Thank you for your time.
Signature: Aloysio Paschoal

weevil brazil aloysio 300x210 Unknown Weevil from Brazil

Weevil

Dear Aloysio,
This is some species of Weevil in the superfamily Curculionoidea.  Weevils are the most plentiful beetles on the planet.  We will attempt a species identification for you and perhaps one of our readers will be successful in identifying this timy Weevil.

Thank you very much.
And I was here, thinking that maybe it could be a rare especimen.
Aloysio

Hello again Aloysio,
It may be a rare specimen, but we couldn’t say for sure until the species is identified.

Posted 09 January 2011 § Weevils ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Walkingstick from Puerto Rico

Stick insect
Location: Patillas, Southern Puerto Rico
January 7, 2011 2:41 pm
Thank you so much for this incredible resource. I live in the forest of Puerto Rico…Would love to know what this stick insect is called.
About 7inches long, incredible cartoony colors. What a character!
Signature: 3t

phasmid composite puerto rico 300x237 Walkingstick from Puerto Rico

Walkingstick

Dear 3t,
For identification purposes, it is best to have a nice dorsal view of good resolution as well as some details.  Your composite image obstructs some potential identifying features and the image resolution is quite low.  Your letter indicates that the colors are “cartoony” but you don’t provide specifics, and the lighting conditions under which the photos were taken appear to be incandescent which distorts natural colors.  With that said, we have attempted to identify this species, and we were quite hopeful when we stumbled upon 9 pages of Walkingstick photos on the Puerto Rico Wildlife website of Alfredo Colón, but alas, not of the images seems to exactly match your specimen.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in this identification.

Update: March 20, 2011
Hello Daniel…FYI on that incredible walking stick,
“A rare endemic Puerto Rican female Phasmid called Diapherodes acalus.”  From: Lic. Alfredo D. Colón Archilla. San Juan, Puerto Rico
I found a great site www.phasmatodea.org/species/achalus_diapherodes_72.html that confirmed it.
Many thanks to both of you.
High Regards, 3t

We love that the common name is Caballo de San Pedro.

Posted 08 January 2011 § Walkingsticks ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Male Net-Casting Spider from Australia

4 legged spider
Location: Sydney, Australia
January 5, 2011 6:25 am
Hello
This has me stumped. Never seen anything like it!
Looks a bit like a spider. Hangs around on the wall like a spider.
Seems to have a thin long body and 4 legs that spread diagonally.
WTB??!
Signature: Sincerely Jonathan

australian spider jonathan 300x225 Male Net Casting Spider from Australia

Net-Casting Spider

Hi Jonathan,
We do not recognize your spider and we are posting your letter as Unidentified since we haven’t the time to research this at the moment.  Perhaps one of our readers will have some luck.  You may also try scanning through the Spiders of Brisbane webpages.  There are some spiders that rest with two pairs of legs together, creating the appearance of four legs rather than eight, and this specimen appears to be one of those.

Identification courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Jonathan:
It appears to be a male Net-casting spider (Deinopidae), probably Deinopsis subrufa. You can also check out this site. Regards. Karl

Thanks Karl.  Trevor also supplied us with an identifying comment.

That’s great!  Thank you.
It does look a lot like this one:
http://www.wherelightmeetsdark.com/images/wiki/Netcasting_spider_Deinopsis_subrufa_3.jpg
I reckon that is what I saw or something very close.
Jonathan Young

Posted 05 January 2011 § Net-Casting Spiders ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Unknown Microlepidoptera

Black and White Striped Unidentified insect
Location: Montana
December 31, 2010 12:39 am
Hello. I have a random insect that appeared in my home a couple days ago. I live in Bozeman, MT and I had a Fraser fir in my house and I also have a couple herbs growing in my kitchen (basil, oregano, thyme). My camera wouldn’t focus any closer but zoomed in the picture is fairly good. Thank you very much.
Signature: Jenny

microlepidoptera jenny 300x227 Unknown Microlepidoptera

Unknown Small Moth

Hi Jenny,
This is a moth, and since it is small, it is somewhat unscientifically categorized as a Microlepidoptera.  We tried scanning the plates on the Moth Photographers Group without any success.  It looks similar to a Clothes Moth in the genus Eudarcia that is pictured on BugGuide, be we are confident that is not the correct classification for your specimen.  We do believe your moth is neither a Clothes Moth nor a Pantry Moth, and it may have been transported on the Christmas tree.  You did not indicate if this was an isolated specimen or part of an infestation.  Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck with a species identification.

Posted 31 December 2010 § Microlepidoptera ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Moth from Kenya

Numerous!
Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya
December 21, 2010 6:28 am
Hi Daniel,
I’ve got a few more for you to identify.
All from Maasai Mara in Kenya
…
- Picture three: Perhaps a moth from the family Cossidae? I don’t know. And it was very hard to capture on my camera without getting it overexposed.
Signature: Zarek

moth kenya zarek 232x300 Moth from Kenya

Moth from Kenya

Hi Zarek,
The family Cossidae contains the Carpenter and Leopard Moths, according to BugGuide.  We cannot say for certain that your moth is in the family Cossidae, but hopefully one of our readers may be able to supply additional information.  Your photo, despite the difficulty with getting a proper exposure, contains enough detail to be able to see many of the unique physical attributes of your moth that should facilitate the identification process.

Posted 22 December 2010 § Moths ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Unknown Fly from Kenya

Numerous!
Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya
December 21, 2010 6:28 am
Hi Daniel,
I’ve got a few more for you to identify.
All from Maasai Mara in Kenya
- Picture one: A tiny little insect about 1cm long. It seemed to float effortlessly above the grass
…
Signature: Zarek

fly kenya zarek 276x300 Unknown Fly from Kenya

Unknown Fly from Kenya

Dear Zarek,
First, we are thrilled to be receiving your submissions from Kenya, but placing widely divergent species in a single email makes for problems with our already ponderous system for archiving.  For posting purposes, we prefer only one species per letter.  You do not need to attach three images to each email.  We also noticed our inbox contains two additional emails from you today.  It takes considerable time to format each letter with images for posting and that does not include research time.  Interestingly, we also just posted a letter and photo of a Ghost Mantis from Kenya that was not supplied by you.  We are confining the image on this post to just the unknown Fly and we hope one of our readers can supply any information on this black beauty with white spots.

Posted 22 December 2010 § Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Probably Leaf Cutting Bee (OR NOT) and Plant Bug

Megachile?
Location: Hawthorne, California
December 10, 2010 6:27 pm
Just wondering if I have this bee correctly identified. If you can tell me what the other two guys are on the bloom in one of the photos, I’d be most appreciative.
Signature: Thanks, Anna

megachile anna 300x203 Probably Leaf Cutting Bee (OR NOT) and Plant Bug

Leaf Cutting Bee

Hi Anna,
There is a good chance that your bee is a Leaf Cutting Bee in the genus Megachile.  This is a genus that has been split into numerous subgenera, as evidences by the taxonomy on bugGuide.

Ed. Note: May 21, 2011
Now is one of those times that being more aware of insect anatomy and not making identifications based on superficial visual identifications would come in handy.  We no longer believe this is a Leaf Cutter Bee.  We don’t believe any Leaf Cutter Bees gather pollen on their legs.  It looks like this native Bee is gathering pollen on its legs, or perhaps it just has long yellow hairs on its legs.  We wish someone would write in and give us a clear cut explanation of what species of Bee this is.  I am going to include more native Bees in my Theodore Payne Foundation talk on Saturday, 28 May, 2011 at 1:00 PM.

megachile bugs anna 300x222 Probably Leaf Cutting Bee (OR NOT) and Plant Bug

Probably Plant Bugs with Leaf Cutting Bee

We believe the tiny Hemipterans in your photo are probably Plant Bugs in the family Miridae, but your photo isn’t detailed enough to provide any tangible evidence toward that speculation.  According to Bugguide, Plant Bugs in the family Miridae are usually “adults 2-15 mm.“

plant bug anna 300x219 Probably Leaf Cutting Bee (OR NOT) and Plant Bug

Quite Possibly a Plant Bug

Update from Anna:  August 20, 2011
Hi Daniel,
I finally got an answer from Steve Thoenes:
“I asked my friend Steve Buchmann and he wrote  the top one (on pink flower) is an Anthophora female, not sure of the  species.”
Hope this is of some help,

Posted 12 December 2010 § Plant Bugs § Solitary Bees ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Insects found in the Snow: Snow Scorpionflies and Fungus Gnat

snow bugs
Dec 10, 2010
December 10, 2010 11:37 am
I really tried to identify the 3 bugs on the snow I sent 12/1/10. At least I went thru your website and bugguide… I’m thinking you haven’t had much luck either. The one looks like a mini cranefly to me and I thought the other 2 were springtails, but they were solitary critters, and they are all wrong anyway! Any website suggestions I might peruse further? I can’t believe how addicted to bugs I’ve become since I found your website looking for an aquatic larvae! Never found the exact one, but I’m pretty sure it was some kind of beetle. Love your site and thanks for doing so much so well.
Signature: Cathy Schabloski

I wouldn’t be nekkid out here…
Location: Tonasket WA, near Canada
December 1, 2010 4:43 pm
Amazing what is out on the snow, and so very tiny and frail! I found 3 different kinds today. It’s about 32F now, and last week it was -12F. I think this one is a type of springtail, but had no luck with the other 2. I left them for you to crop as I feared loss of whatever resolution there is.
Signature: Cathy

snow bug cathy 1 300x253 Insects found in the Snow: Snow Scorpionflies and Fungus Gnat

Snow Scorpionfly

If I had wings, I’d fly south
Location: Tonasket WA near Canada
December 1, 2010 5:02 pm
Sorry, couldn’t find her, she’s about 2mm long. Why do I think she’s a she? I’ts 32F here and was -12F last week. Do I have no more sense than a bug? Actually, we both must love it here! And I know if this bug knew about your site it would love it as much as I do and be in awe of all you do. Thank you everyone that helps.
Signature: Cathy

snow bug cathy 2 300x239 Insects found in the Snow: Snow Scorpionflies and Fungus Gnat

Fungus Gnat

ovipositer? snow?
Location: Tonasket WA near Canada
December 1, 2010 5:21 pm
I’m just guessing here, maybe a type of springtail? only 2mm or so. Who would believe something this small at 32F and last week it was -12F. Where do the eggs/larvae/babies hang out until it gets warm(!) enough to come out and play? I saw 3 differnt kinds today. I am constantly amazed, both at the world around me and what y’all do out of the goodness of your hearts and the love of bugs.
Signature: Cathy

snow bug cathy 3 300x202 Insects found in the Snow: Snow Scorpionflies and Fungus Gnat

Snow Scorpionfly in the genus Bores

Dear Cathy,
We apologize profusely.  We wrote you back the day after you sent the three snow insects and we indicated we would research you insects and post them.  We forgot.  It is the end of the semester and work is piling up and we failed to deliver.  We can tell you that none of your insects are Springtails, be we still need to research them.  The one you believe to be a Crane Fly is some species of fly, and we believe it may be a Gnat.   At least we have posted your photos and as we research, we would gladly welcome any input our readership may provide.  You might want to post a comment to the posting and you will be notified in the future if any experts are able to provide any information.

Update and Correction: Snow Scorpionfly perhaps
Hi again Cathy,
We believe the insect with the ovipositor may be a Snow Scorpionfly in the genus Boreus.  You can check the Crane Flies of Pennsylvania website to compare the image of a female posted there.  BugGuide also has information on the Snow Scorpionflies in the genus Boreus including this description:  “Adults dark-colored with an elongated rostrum (“beak”), long antennae, vestigial wings, and long hind legs adapted to jumping; female has a straight ovipositor about the same length as the rostrum, and tapering to a point; males have a blunt rounded abdominal tip“.

Chen Young provides identifications
December 12, 2010
Good morning Daniel,
The two wingless images are not crane flies instead, they are Snow Scorpionflies in the genus Boreus, family Boreidae and order Mecoptera   I provided some short comparison in the crane fly website here for your informaiton   http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/cranefly/limoniinae.htm#Chionea
The fly with wings is a Fungus Gnat in the family Mycetophillidae.
Have a happy and safe holiday season.
Chen

Update
December 12, 2010
I had just come to the same conclusion about the scorpionflies, thanks to your recommended website. I wish I had had my camera today because I got to see the forked projections on the backside of the male, they can raise and fold them back down flat, and he has a sort of single “Mercury wing” coming off the back of his head. Thank you and Chen so much for your help.  Daniel, you certainly don’t need to apologize to me for being busy and forgetting a few things! Thank you again.
Cathy

Update:  Fungus Gnats can survive subzero conditions.
February 10, 2011
fungus gnat
February 10, 2011 7:58 pm
On 12/1/10 I asked you to identify what turned out to be a fungus gnat and male and female scorpion fly. I looked up the scorpionfly fly right away, probably because of the name… and found the heat of your hand can kill them! Well, I just looked up fungus gnat, and I don’t know if the one I read about is my exactr same one, but this tiny delicate thing can go to -60 and the abdomen freezes, but not the head! It will survive to -100. Here’s the website,http://alaskareport.com/news39/x71236_fungus_gnats.htm I’ve always liked bugs, but you and all your contributors have given me a new fascination for all of it! Thank you so very much.“
Signature: Cathy Schabloski

Thanks for the link and information Cathy.  This is fascinating.

Posted 11 December 2010 § Gnats § Scorpionflies ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

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