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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Unknown Caterpillar from Florida on Annona salzmannii is Fruit Piercing Moth Caterpillar

Caterpillar ID
August 16, 2009
Hello bugman,
I was hoping you could help me with an ID of this Caterpillar. I took this shot yesterday in Coral Springs Florida, US. It has been eating the plant you see it on (Annona salzmannii ) a fruit tree from South America. I’ve seen a couple of these in different parts of the county but they are always on plant in the Annonaceae family.
Thanks for your help
Eric Bronson
Coral Springs, Florida

Unknown Caterpillar from Florida

Fruit Piercing Moth Caterpillar from Florida

Hi Eric,
Our quick search did not turn up an ID for this distinctive caterpillar.  We will try to do additional research, but for now, we will post your image in the hope that one of our readers can supply an answer.

Cool, I suspect it may be a new invasive species. I did my homework before I submitted it to you, and I couldn’t find anything about this online or in my reference books. I hope we can figure out what it is. That I keep finding them on Annonaceae plants may be a good clue.
Thanks again for your help
Eric Bronson

Hi again Eric,
You should post a comment on our posting of your caterpillar, so if anyone writes in with an identification, you will receive a copy of the comment.

Identification courtesy of Karl
Eric:
I am fairly certain this is a Fruit-piercing Moth caterpillar (Noctuoidea: Erebidae: Calpinae) in the genus Gonodonta. Alternative taxonomic systems place this genus in the sub-family Catocalinae. Caterpillars of this group tend to be variable and several species look similar to begin with, so nailing down the species is difficult. To me it looks most similar to G. bidens, but it could also be G. pyrgo or G. incurvata. If it is any of those three then it does belong in Florida. If it is a similar species from further south (there are a few) then it is a visitor, or perhaps an invasive. One example of a G. bidens caterpillar can be found at: http://www.tulane.edu/~ldyer/lsacat/index_frames.htm (click on ‘Noctuidae’ to get to a species list).  K

Hi again Eric:
I forgot to mention that if you follow the link provided you will see that (in Costa Rica) the Annonaceae are given as host plants for G. bidens. That was a good and useful observation on your part. K

Posted 16 August 2009 § moth caterpillars ‡ Comments (5) ° Also tagged:

Flying Ant, but which one???

Katydid wasp party?
August 9, 2009
When I went out onto our deck this morning, I was greeted by a swarm of these small black insects. They seem to be congregating around our grill. After determining they didn’t seem to be intent on stinging us, my wife and I pulled out the flyswatters and began clearing the area. Yeah, this probably qualifies as unnecessary carnage, but there was no way we could enjoy our deck with 50 or so of them buzzing about.
From my searching, I think it’s a katydid wasp. There doesn’t seem to be much information about them other than lots of pictures. Should I be looking for a nest nearby?
John
Marion, IA

Flying Ant, we presume

Male Flying Ant

Hi John
This is not a Katydid Wasp.  We believe it is a reproductive Flying Ant, but we need assistance as to the family, genus and or species.  We will solicit assistance in this matter.  The jury is still out regarding Unnecessary Carnage as there may have been a justifiable reason to remove this nuptial swarm.  We have been getting so much heat lately in the Unnecessary Carnage arena that we don’t want to be hasty in this situation.

Flying Ant: Justifiable death or not???

Flying Ant: Justifiable death or not???

Update from Eric Eaton
You’re welcome.
Yes, the winged ant is a male, subfamily Formicinae….looks like genus Formica.  What the person describes is swarming behavior (aka “nuptial flight”) that was probably a “one night only” event.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
We will link to the genus Formica on BugGuide.  Ants perform a vital service with regards to the balance of nature, and native ants are often compromised by the introduction of exotic species that throw things out of balance, like the introduction of Argentine Sugar Ants in many places of the world.  We don’t believe these mating ants constituted a threat, and if killing them could have been avoided by sweeping them out of the way, or by some other means, that was probably a better alternative to swatting.

Unnecessary Carnage Comment
August 9, 2009
RE: unnecessary carnage
I love your site, and visit it several times a day. Many thanks for posting such lovely images and so much information (you helped me ID a one-eyed Sphinx moth here in Seattle)! I also love the fact that you tell folks when they have committed an act of unnecessary carnage, but sadly, you have been very hesitant to do so lately… Please don’t let one or two unhinged people keep you from providing a vital service- letting humans know that insects are innocent until proven guilty!
Leah S.

Posted 09 August 2009 § Ants ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Root Borer from Mexico

Large cranky beetle
August 3, 2009
I found this guy in a new house I’m building in the fron yard, I grabbed him to get a better picture, with a better sun exposition, but it got really mad at me, so that when I let it free, it was chasing me really fast and it was very difficult to get the camera to focus and I guess it most be still looking for me somewhere.
Do you know what type of beetle it is?, it was around 4 in long.
Jorge Farias
Jalisco Mexico

Unknown Mexican Prionid

Root Borer from Mexico

Hola Jorge,
This is a Root Borer in the subfamily Prioninae, but we are not certain of the species.  Hopefully, one of our readers will be able to supply an exact species for us.

Unknown Mexican Prionid

Unknown Mexican Prionid

Thanks Daniel!
I hope I can catch a midge in action. By the way, the root borer you posted is a Palo Verde beetle (Derobrachus geminatus). We have lot’s of them in Tucson- they’re HUGE, and they’re really active right now, during the monsoon. I like their fancy spiked collars! Here’s another!
Emily

Hi Emily,
Thanks for the suggestion on the Mexican Prionid.  We agree that it is a Derobrachus, but there are other species of Derobrachus in Mexico and we are just not certain that this is a Palo Verde Root Borer or perhaps one of the  others, like possibly Derobrachus sulcicornis.  Jalisco is in central Mexico which supports our theory that this may be a different species.  Since insects do not respect international borders, if this submission had been from Sonora or Chihuahua, we would say the Palo Verde Root Borer would be a more certain possibility.

Update from Eric Eaton
August 4, 2009
Hi, Daniel:
I agree with the identifications for both of the beetles:  A species of Derobrachus, and an example of the “lion beetle” as offered by others.  See what a great community you have created?:-)  I tell you, I learn as much from WTB as I contribute….
… Keep up the great job, Daniel:-)
Eric

Posted 03 August 2009 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Unknown Caterpillar from South Africa is Carpenter Moth Caterpillar

Huge red and yellow caterillar???
July 30, 2009
Hi, I am staying in the eastern cape of South Africa and yesterday spotted this caterpillar? grub? crawling along the ground. It was approx 3″ long and appeared to be trying to burrow or dig into the ground. It moved like a caterpillar – that is to say it lifted the centre of its body off the ground as it moved. The local men told me it is a ‘worm’….. but we wondered what is it really?? I have tried looking online but no luck. I hope you can help!
Sarah
Eastern Cape, South Africa

Unknown Caterpillar from South Africa

Carpenter Moth Caterpillar from South Africa

Hi Sarah,
We are fairly certain that this is a Giant Silk Moth Caterpillar in the family Saturniidae, but we could not locate a matching image on the World’s Greatest Saturniidae website.  We will contact Bill Oehlke to see if he knows what species this is. Perhaps one of our other readers will be able to supply an answer.

Bill Oehlke responds
July 31, 2009
Daniel,
I do not know that one. i do not think it is a Saturniidae species.
Bill Oehlke

Possible ID from Karl
August 14, 2009
Daniel:
Another possibility is that this impressive larva is a Carpenter Moth (Cossidae), some of which can be quite large.  Carpenter moths are stem and root borers, hence the common name for the group.  In most species the larvae live out their terms (up to 5 years) within their woody tunnels and galleries and therefore have no need for bright colors; most are white or cream colored. Some species, however, do change hosts occasionally when they run out of food, their host dies, or to burrow underground to pupate (could the latter behavior be what Sarah observed?). Such species can be brightly colored, often a warning to potential predators of toxicity or bad taste. A good example is the Goat Moth (Cossus cossus) of Europe and northern Africa, which bears considerable resemblance to the larva in Sarah’s photo. I was particularly struck by the similar markings on the pronotal shield, just behind the head. The Goat moth is one example of a Cossid moth larva that does leave its tree in the final stages of development to pupate underground. The Cossidae are well represented in South Africa, including at least two Cossus species (C. windhoekensis and C. terebroides) but descriptive information about larvae is difficult to find and I was not able to identify a potential candidate genus or species. Regards.
Karl

Update
November 11, 2009
unknown caterpillar from eastern cape
On a 12/09/09 trip to an inselberg Touwsberg(S33 33 53 E21 03 03) in the w.cape I collected a similar caterpillar.It emerged on 06/11/2009) and was identified by Herman Staude as being probably Macrocassus toluminus of the family Cossoidea–stem borers which take years to complete their cycle.The most probable foodplant was Acacia karoo.Have pic of male that emerged.G
Geoff Wyatt

Posted 30 July 2009 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Unknown Orthopteran from Borneo

What is this insect?
July 28, 2009
I took this photo at Poring Hot Springs in Sabah, Borneo. It was about 15 cm long, at least half of that being the antennae.
Susan
Borneo

Unknown Katydid from Borneo

Unknown Katydid from Borneo

Hi Susan,
When it comes to tropical insects, identification for us is often a c%#p-shoot.  With that said, we are relatively certain that this is an Orthopteran, and more specifically, one of the Long Horned Orthopterans in the suborder Ensifera, and probably one of the Katydids in the family Tettigoniidae.  We would like a second opinion on that and perhaps one of our readers will be able to come up with a genus and species.  Karl, are you busy?

Hi Daniel:
Not unexpectedly, Borneo is blessed with an impressive diversity of katydids (Tettigoniidae), most of them poorly documented on the internet. My hunch is that Susan’s bug is in the genus Pseudophyllus which has many of the right characteristics (large size, green color and, at least sometimes, dorsovdentral compression). Most species also have the shoulder spots evident in Susan’s photo, although I couldn’t find any images that looked quite right. It is a relatively small genus with at least three representatives on Borneo (P. dyaka, P. colosseus and P. hercules). Nothing else I found came close, but if I find the time I may try to look again. Regards.
Karl

Update
July 29, 2009
Wow, thanks! Well, i’m thrilled about that because that’s what I thought it was but a naturalist friend of mine said it couldn’t possibly be a katydid. It’s always so gratifying to be vindicated. LOL! BTW, did this go up on the blog? Don’t you think he’s beautiful? Anyway, I’ll look forward to the other opinions, too.
Thanks again, Daniel.
Susan

Posted 28 July 2009 § Katydids ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Unknown Pink Inchworm

Pink Caterpillar
July 18, 2009
This tiny pink caterpillar moved in inchworm fashion and was particularly interested in the pollen/nectar of my Coreopsis flower. About 3/8″ in length, really tiny.
sankax
Minneapolis, MN

Unknown Pink Inchworm

Unknown Pink Inchworm

Dear sankax,
While we cannot tell you the species, this Inchworm or Spanworm is the caterpillar of a moth in the family Geometridae.

Posted 19 July 2009 § Inchworms ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Pine Devil Moth Caterpillar

What did my son find?
June 20, 2009
My five year old LOVES catepillars and he found this one in Southwest Georgia on a Confederate Jasmine vine. It is about 1.25 inches.
J. Brooks
Southwest Georgia US

Unknown Caterpillar: Slendid Royal Moth???

Pine Devil Moth Caterpillar

Dear J.,
We wonder by chance if your son raised this caterpillar to see what the adult is.  We have been unsuccessful in pinpointing the species, but we have a far-fetched theory.  We believe this most resembles the Splendid Royal Moth Caterpillar, Citheronia splendens pictured on BugGuide.  There are several subspecies in Mexico and BugGuide lists sightings in Arizona and Florida.  You are in south Georgia, and if there is an established population in Florida, it is entirely possible that your caterpillar might be a Splendid Royal Moth Caterpillar.  The size you indicate would mean this is not the final instar for the caterpillar, and that it will grow, molt and change appearance before becoming a pupa.  We expect that as soon as this is posted, someone will write in with an obvious identification that will make us feel foolish.

Update:  with correction by Bill Oehlke
Seems we weren’t too far astray.  Bill Oehlke believes this to be a Pine Devil Moth Caterpillar, Citheronia sepulcralis, a member of the same genus.

Daniel,
Citheronnia splendens sinaloensis would be far from natural habitat in Florida or Georgia. I believe it is an early  instar of Citheronia sepulcralis.
Bill Oehlke

I think that is what it is!! I found a sightings map and there have been some sighted about 45 miles west and southwest of my location which is Thomasville, GA. There is a Pitch pine behind our house…which is very unusual for this area.  Must be where he came from. Can’t wait to tell my son what the caterpillar was. By the way, he did not raise it. We found it and released it. Thanks so much for your help!!! I’m sure we will be contacting you again because he is in the yard daily looking for “bugs”
J

Posted 18 July 2009 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Unknown Longicorn from Jamaica

A friend of mine is inquiring …
July 5, 2009
A friend of mine is inquiring about the name and type of insect this is. After much searching on the internet and books of insects, I am still not able to identify it. Thank you in advance for your help.
• Your letter to the bugman    This picture was taken outside of a house in Jamaica, West Indies. The insect as unsual antenaes. They look like twigs and are longer in length then the body of the insect.
not sure
Jamaica, West Indies

Unidentified Cerambycid from Jamaica

Unidentified Cerambycid from Jamaica

Dear not sure,
This is some species of Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We will try to do additional research.

Update from Eric Eaton
July 20, 2009
Daniel:
The Jamaican longhorn is probably <i>Neoptychodes trilineatus</i>, or at least in that genus, eh?  No problem, maan….:-)
Eric

Posted 18 July 2009 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Unknown Immature Green Hemipterans on Cedar

Looks like a green box elder bug
June 10, 2009
I found these green bugs crawling all over one post on my cedar fence and I can not seem to identify them. I don’t believe they’re termites but I’d like to know if anyone can identify them.
Judd
Northern Illinois

Unknown Hemipteran Nymphs

Unknown Hemipteran Nymphs

Dear Judd,
We are continuing to try to catch up on old mail from during our holiday, and when we opened your photo, we became very intrigued.  These are immature Hemipterans, the insect order that includes True Bugs and other sucking insects like Cicadas and Aphids.  We haven’t a clue what your insects are, and we hope our readership will be able to provide an answer.

Posted 15 July 2009 § True Bugs § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mexican Noctuid Moth

Black and White Moth
July 13, 2009
This black and white moth was on our window at night, attracted to the light.
David Brownell
Jocotepec, JAL, Mexico

Unknown Mexican Moth

Unknown Mexican Moth

Hi David,
Thanks for writing back and providing a location.  Though it resembles the Giant Leopard Moth of the U.S., this is a distinct species.  Its legs are quite distinctive.  Though we believe it is a Tiger Moth, we aren’t certain.  We will contact Arctiid expert Julian Donahue to see if he can identify your moth.

Update from Julian Donahue
Mistaking this moth for a tiger moth is a common one–it has even fooled professional collectors from whom I used to purchase Mexican tiger moths for the Museum (consequently, we have a lot of them in the collection!). (ed. Note:  Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History)
The moth is in the Noctuidae (to which the tiger moths have been recently relegated as a subfamily: Arctiinae), in the subfamily Pantheinae. It is in the genus Lichnoptera, and its crisp black markings on a white ground make it very similar to Lichnoptera decora, the only member of the genus that occurs in the United States. Poole’s catalog of the world Noctuidae has 15 species of Lichnoptera, all but decora described from Mexico and various countries in Central and South America–and most of these are not as boldly marked as decora (I’m fairly certain that decora also occurs in Mexico). The larvae of L. decora have been reported feeding on apricot.
Julian P. Donahue

Another Correction
Daniel:
I believe this is an Owlet Moth (Noctuidae); subfamily Pantheinae.  It looks very similar to Lichnoptera decora, a species that also occurs in the southwestern USA, but it is virtually identical to photos of L. cavillator in my copy of “Butterflies and Moths of Costa Rica” (Chacon and Montero). Anyway, I believe Lichnoptera is the genus. Regards.
Karl
http://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/zeeb/butterflies/figs/moths/Noctuidae/Pantheinae/L_decora.jpg

Posted 14 July 2009 § Moths ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Leafhopper from India: Darthula hardwickii

Unusual cicada/moth like creature with upright tail
June 6, 2009
Hi bugman,
I found this insect on my backyard and looks quite strange. Its about an inch and a half from the head to the tail. I scoured the net but could not find a match. I hope you’ll help me identify this bug.
Thanks.
Buglover
Darjeeling, India.

Unknown Free Living Hemipteran

Leafhopper

Dear Buglover,
Despite the speed of our new computer, we really cannot take the time to research this awesome insect at the moment.  We have been posting old submissions for hours in an attempt to catch up on mail, but the laundry is in need of attention and there is gardening to do.  You are correct in that this is a Cicada Like insect.  It is in the Suborder Auchenorrhyncha which includes Cicadas and other Hoppers.  We hope one of our readers can supply you with an answer until we can take the time to do some research.

Unknown Free Living Hemipteran

Leafhopper

Update from Karl
August 12, 2009
Hi Daniel and Buglover:
This has to be one of my all-time favorite WTB postings, and one of the most challenging.  I really would have thought that such a strikingly beautiful creature would be much easier to track down. It seems the “hoppers” fall into one of those taxonomic twilight zones where there is continuous debate about phylogenetic relationships. I had myself convinced that it was a fulgorid planthopper (Suborder Fulgoromorpha = Auchenorrhyncha), but it actually belongs in the obscure and very primitive family Aetalionidae (Suborder Cicadomorpha: Superfamily Membracoidea) and is therefore more closely allied to the leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) and treehoppers (Membracidae). I believe the species (finally) is Darthula hardwickii, but unfortunately I could find out nothing about the biology of this curious bug. Buglover’s photos are amazing and they match perfectly with a lengthy description provided by Kirkaldy (1900), including: “Face concealed beneath the frontal edge of pronotum…pronotum moderately compressed with a central strong longitudinal lunulate ridge…abdomen provided with a long apical process, about or nearly as long as the whole body, covered with long bristly hairs, with a strong triangular tubercle at base… the [wing] veins raised and prominent”. Apparently it is the largest known leafhopper, at a length of 28 mm, including the 12 mm abdominal appendage. The distribution is given as the Himalayan region from India/Nepal to western Yunnan, China. For another look there is a set of two incredible macro shots of the same creature on flickr (labeled “unidentified Fulgoroidea”). Thanks Buglover – that was awesome!
Karl

Posted 13 July 2009 § Aphids, Scale Insects, Leafhoppers, and Tree Hoppers ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Running Crab Spider

Green spider captured
Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 2:16 PM
I captured this spider at my wife’s request, it was sitting inside the carport.
Haven’t seen a green one before but have seen brown ones.
Steve
Kearns, utah

Nursery Web Spider???

probably Running Crab Spider

Hi Steve,
We believe this is a Nursery Web Spider in the family Pisauridae, which includes the Fishing Spiders. These are large spiders and your photo does not indicate scale, nor does your letter provide any indication of the size. We are uncertain of the exact identification, but we do believe the family is correct. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide more specific information.

Update from Eric Eaton
Daniel:
Hard to tell, especially without a size being given, but I would suspect this is actually a running crab spider in the genus Tibellus, family Philodromidae.  A close-up of the eye arrangement would also be telling…..
Eric

Posted 09 July 2009 § Crab Spiders ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

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