Help me PLEASE
Hi Bugman,
All I can say is WOW!!!!! What a WONDERFUL site. The BEST bug site I’ve seen. Thank you. I love to photograph all sorts of "Creepy Crawlers and Fliers" I live in Chicago, Illinois, I can’t find any information on this UFB (unidentified Flying Bug). It’s body length is about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" long, Fly’s pretty fast and doesn’t sit still for photo’s. It took a a lot of shot’s to get this one. I’m sorry it’s not a very good shot. It’s quite intimidating when this thing flies at your head though. The branch that it’s sitting on is about the size of a mans index finger. Thanks again for having a GREAT site.
Glenn
Hi Glenn,
Thanks for the compliment. This is a Robber Fly in the genus Diogmites, the Hanging Thieves. Because of the bright orange coloration, we believe this is Diogmites neoternatus.
Unidentified Bug.
Dear Bugman,
I have attached a picture of a bug that has been, well, bugging us for the past couple of weeks, during our rainy season. They only seem to come out at night, very much attracted to lights and have a rather distinctive smell. They seem quite persistent as well as they have a knack of getting in everywhere. The locals up here in Orapa, Botswana have a name for it – Podile – but that doesn’t help my search at all. Also, great site – really informative. (and creepy.)
Regards,
Shaun Nel.
Snr C&I Software Technician
Debswana Diamond Company
Orapa & Letlhakane Mines
Botswana
Hi Shaun,
Nice photo of Burrowing Bugs or Burrower Bugs in the Family Cydnidae. We found a British Website with this information: “Salient features of adults. Terrestrial. Phytophagous (including one root-sucking burrower). Tiny to small; 3
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Posted 22 March 2006
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Unidentified Moth
I took a picture of this huge moth (almost 6" across) in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico in December 2005. It was sitting on the top doorframe of our hotel room. Can you identify it ??
Thanks,
Ron Boss
Hi Ron,
The Black Witch is a very common Noctuid Moth in Mexico. It is frequently found in the southern state, usually in the fall, and has been known to migrate as far north as Canada.
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Posted 19 March 2006
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Brazilian Caterpillar
Hi there
Just came back from Salvador in Brazil, where I came across this caterpillar (along with about 30 of its friends) on one of the plants. Someone told me there it was known popularly as largata de fogo, but no-one could tell me if it turned into a butterfly or a moth. It was about 5″ long and if you happen to brush against one of its spiny hairs, you really know about it! Have you come across this one before?
Yours
MARC FORDE
Hi Marc,
We don’t recognize your beautiful stinging Caterpillar. We will post it and perhaps someone will identify it.
Inchworm/Oak Besma? Butterfly?
Hello again What’s That Bug.
I noticed on the Caterpiller page you have the Inchworm/Oak Besma identification, but the picture is hard to see. I’d like to contribute my own. Again, these are found in my backyard in central Indiana. I have also included a picture of a butterfly I found at the Gatlinburg Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Aquarium in Tennessee. I searched the site, but I’m unsure as the type of butterfly it is. Can you help?
Thanks!
Heather Burdette
Hi Heather,
Your unidentified butterfly is a Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus, but a black morph. According to BugGuide: “A dark phase occurs in females through much of range, esepcially in southern states. The stripes are still faintly visible from some angles. The black females may be distinguished from other swallowtails from below, by the absence of the band of orange spots on the hind wing seen on Black and Spicebush Swallowtails, and lack of iridescent blue of Pipevine Swallowtails. ” We are not entirely sure your Inchworm is an Oak Besma. It appears to be feeding on a maple leaf and there are other Geometrid Caterpillars that look very similar. Bugguide lists the food plants as: “Oak, elm, poplar, willows, and white spruce.” So our verdict is maybe yes and maybe no.
Two spiders?
Hi Bugman. I have two pictures for you. The first is a diminutive spider I spotted on my back fence above my compost bin this morning. Can you identify it and tell me a little about it? I’ve never seen one shaped like this.
The second photo is gratuitous. I believe you may have received photos of similar spiders before, but it’s such a gorgeous bug I thought I’d send it anyway. I took the picture in Belize in Nov. 2003. Can you confirm the species?
Thanks for your help!
Ryan in Northern CA
Hi Ryan,
Your Belize spider is a female Silver Argiope, Argiope argentata. It is a tropical species which is also found in the Southern Continental states. Your small spider I am less sure about. It is difficult to tell based on your photo. It might be a male orb weaver which are often smaller and differently colored than the more commonly seen females.
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Posted 10 March 2006
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Unidentified caterpillar
Hello!
I hope you can tell me what this is. We found it in a pile of dead Live Oak leaves but it would not eat them. We have tried asparagus fern and other plants that were nearby, but so far it has not eaten a thing. This caterpillar is pale lime green with brown teardrop shaped eyes, and has a geometric pattern on its back. The pattern consists of two elongated diamond shapes which are lighter green and are outlined in light brown. The diamond shapes have a dashed green line proceeding up the center, and I have seen the “dashes” dissappear and reappear from the tail toward the head as it crawls, somewhat like lights around a movie marquee sign. There is a dotted line of light brown spots up each side of the body with each body segment having a dot in its center. Do you know what this is? I would like to know what it eats.
Thank-you very much!
Dawn Michel
Orlando, FL
Hi Dawn,
This is a caterpillar in the genus Heterocampa. Offhand, we can’t say what they eat, but armed with the name, you should be able to find out easily.
Turned on the overhead light in the porch of my home in Tucson, AZ and can’t identify this bug.
Hi there,
I was out last night, turned on the overhead light of our porch and found this bug flying around the light. I turned of the light and it proceeded to cling to the wall of the house next to the door. In fact, I believe it flew into me as I enter the house. Good thing it did not enter the house or there would have been mayhem with our two indoor cats. Anyway, I have attached a picture I took with my Canon 10D + Flash titled UFI (unidentified flying insect). Perhaps you can tell me what it is. It looks like a moth, and if it is, it’s certainly one I have never seen before.
Thanks in advance,
Stuart Levine
Tucson, AZ
Hi Stuart,
Your moth is a Striped Morning Sphinx, also known as a White Lined Sphinx. They are common throughout the U.S. and are often attracted to lights.
Still Unidentified
Hey Guys,
I’m living in CapeTown, South Africa and stayed in Cederberg for a week in December 2005 I managed to capture a dead species of one unidentified insect (which looks like a dragonfly/normal flying insect with its second pair of wings slightly modified)and missed the other (which resebles a cross breed butterfly/dragonfly??), but i did manage to capture them both on camera. Please could you have a look and see if you’ve ever come accross something similar or the same. I have contacted our Dr’s at the museum of CapeTown SA. but i still havnt recieved any reply yet??? Anyway maybe you guys could come up with something and hopefully get back to me. Many thanks
Clyde Phillips
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| Antlion |
Ribbon Winged Lacewing |
Hi Clyde,
One of your exotic insects is an Antlion. We are going to see if Eric Eaton will help us on the long tailed specimen. Here is Eric’s input: ” With the antlion is another Neuroptera, actually, but I can’t blame anyone for not having a clue. The Nemopteridae family is so bizarre. These are the spoon-winged, ribbon-winged, and thread-winged lacewings. I believe they are all found only in the Old World. The larvae are REALLY strange, many of them looking like giraffe-necked versions of antlion larvae!”
Many Thanks for your speedy reply, I have to say that I am a little too excited than I should be…lol, but its great to know that I’m not the only one that has seen these insects… You have a brilliant site and is great for the “ento-enthusiasts”, will be definantly spreading the word about your site, its a warm welcome from the far cry of insect websites. Many thanks and kind regards
Clyde Phillips
Unidentified scary bug – please help ID!
Hi Mr. Bug Man,
My name is Sara and my fiance recently found a weird and disturbing insect on the bathroom floor. When my fiance tried to coax the insect into a storage container with a pen the insect bit the tip of the pen and refused to let go. My fiance lifted the pen and was able to place the insect into the container while the insect remained attached to the pen. Although you can only see the upper 2 pinching mouthparts of the insect there are 2 more below the top two that move upward so the 4 parts come together to latch onto things like pens and other insects I imagine. We live in Leon, Guanajuato Mexico which is very arrid and located in the Sierra Madre mountain range. My fiance has lived here for 28 years and has never seen one of these insects here and we are hoping you can help us to identify this insect. We are very interested to find out if it is a larvae or adult, if it is dangerous at all and where it likes to live other than our bathroom so we can set it free as I´m sure it doesn´t like life in a tupperware container. Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you soon!
Sara Lerg
Hi Sara,
This is a Solpugid, also known as a Sun Spider or Wind Scorpion. It is not an insect, but an arachnid. They are not poisonous, so are harmless to people, though there could be a painful bite if provoked. Insects and other arthropods need to fear for their lives as Solpugids are fierce predators that use those formidible jaws to mangle prey.
unidentified spider
i just moved to guam 4 months ago, and since then there have been 3 giant spiders that have graced our front patio. i’ve enclosed 2 pictures that i took of the last one. it is about the size of my entire hand (my hand span is 5 1/2 inches from tip of middle finger to bottom of palm and from tip of middle finger to tip of thumb is about 7 inches) this thing terrifies me. i’ve heard that it is a wolf spider and very poisonous on guam. my husband used an entire can of raid spray before it finally died, and this was after it started chasing us down. so, it is huge and very aggressive. what is it? is it poisonous? can it hurt my puppies? i also think i found a baby one in my bathroom, which is disturbing, and it was about the size of a nickel. please enlighten me!
thank you very much,
monica
Hi Monica,
Fear not. The Giant Crab Spider, Heteropoda venatoria, is harmless. Your photo is of a male spider. These spiders are virtually ubiquitous in warm ports around the globe. They are also known as Huntsman Spiders or, because they sometimes find their way into markets on bunches of bananas, Banana Spiders. They do not build webs, preferring to hunt at night. A favorite food of theirs is Cockroaches, so they are more than harmless, they are beneficial.
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Posted 03 February 2006
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Help me to identify this one
I love your web page.
Thank You
Danilo Rivas
Brasil
Sadly, Danilo, we don’t know what species these Leafhoppers are either. Thank you for sending in such fascinating exotica from Brasil.
Update: (01/11/2007)
bug images on WTB
Dear Bugman, I enjoyed visiting your site. It really doesn’t compete with BugGuide.net, since you have posted lots of foreign insects that they bar from that site. For example, you have some really nice photos of the primitive treehopper Aetalion (which is tropical). I thought you might like to know about the following:
(3) The “unidentified leafhoppers” from Brazil are a sharpshooter (left) and a spittle bug (right). Sharpshooters are leafhoppers of the subfamily Cicadellinae that feed on very dilute sap, or mud puddles, and shoot out drops of excess water from their tail ends. Spittle bugs do not have the spiny hind legs of leafhoppers and sharpshooters.
Thanks for helping to spread an interest in Homoptera. We need to encourage the amateur.
Andy Hamilton
