Mysterious insect!
Location: Slovenia
October 31, 2011 10:57 pm
http://imgur.com/a/SQe1O
These photos were submitted by a friend. The only info I have is that it’s from Slovenia.
I am thinking it is a beetle with the elytra missing due to a cruel individual pulling them off or due to a genetic mutation. Maybe Chrysomelidae?
What do you think?
Signature: Joseph_P_Brenner
possible Barklouse
Dear Joseph,
We agree that this insect is quite beetle-like, but we haven’t a clue as to its identity. We are posting your photos in the hope that we will be able to provide you with an identification.
Barklouse, perhaps
We are also planning on contacting Eric Eaton for assistance. The closeup of the head should be very helpful.
potentially Head of Barklouse
Eric Eaton has a suggestion
Hi, Daniel:
My gut reaction is that this is some kind of barklouse, order Psocodea. Beyond that I have no idea.
Eric
Thanks, Daniel.
My buddy got in touch with Dr. Vassili Belov and Dr. Belov thinks it’s Malthodes or Malthinus with the elytra amputated. I think he is correct. Definitely looks like one of those 2 soldier beetle genera.
Thanks again!
Is this a bagworm?
Location: Fish Hoek, Cape peninsular
October 24, 2011 4:15 am
I found this group under a rock each measures about 8 mm long.
I am in Fish Hoek, Cape peninsular area.
(In Zimbabwe we used to get big bagworms that made their sleeping bags out of thorns etc)
Signature: Brian
Possibly Caddisfly Pupae
Hi Brian,
We don’t know what this is, but we don’t believe they are Bagworms. Our best guess is perhaps the Pupae of Caddisflies or Caseworms. The larvae are aquatic and build “homes of sticks, shells or grains of sand. Each species has a very distinctive case. Caddisflies also spin silk. Was this rock overhang near a stream? If not, then we are most probably wrong. We hope one of our readers can provide some information. The North Carolina State University Entomology website has a nice page on Caddisflies.
Hi
Interesting – thanks for the comments!
There is no steam nearby – in fact I on a very rocky and rather dry area of sandstone hill/mountain about 2.5 km from the ocean. (Fynbos)
The drawings on the www.cals.ncsu.edu website are similar – but I think I will have to ask the local university Zoology Dept
Thanks
Brian
Then Caddisflies must be wrong. This needs more thought.
Mantis- Arusha Tanzania
Location: Arusha Tanzania. October
October 20, 2011 2:30 am
Dear Bugman.
I would just like to share this picture of a Mantis that found its way into our house. She was non too pleased when I tried to put her outside. She responded by spreading her wings, then she sat up and turned her raptorial legs outwards to flash an inside streak of blue…quite impressive, very aggressive!
Signature: Teena
Devil's Flower Mantis
Hi Teena,
The threat posture seems to be globally universal for many Mantis species when they feel threatened. We will try to identify you species. The shield structure of the thorax is a significant identifying trait for your individual. It is not pictured on the African Mantis Study Groupwebpage.
Devil's Flower Mantis
Thanks so much Daniel for your email.
I am forwarding some pics of the mantis in different positions if that helps in the identification.
I have lots of interesting photos of invertebrates which I would love to share with the group. I certainly do not expect you to find the species of all of them. Is there a place on your website that I can post just for the sake of sharing- or is going through the identification request the way to do it?
Once again many thanks- your time is much appreciated.
Teena
Devil's Flower Mantis
Hi again Teena,
This is really a beautiful Mantis. We suspect one of our readers might be able to supply an answer in the future. Providing a comment on the posting will allow you to be notified in the future if that identification takes weeks, months or years. Though our editorial staff does not deal much with the social networking components of the website, we do have active Twitter and Facebook users and the postings there are not controlled, unlike the website proper.
Devil's Flower Mantis
Update: Unknown Mantis identified as Devil’s Flower Mantis
Shortly after posting these photos, Neftali wrote in and identified this awesome Mantis as Idolomantis diabolica. We did some additional research and learned it is called a Devil’s Flower Mantis. There is a great photo by Igor Siwanowicz on PhotoNet. There is also a nice photo on BioLib and it made the Rogue’s Gallery of the 10 Most Disturbing Bugs on Oddee.
Dear Daniel thank you very much for the identification of this beautiful Mantis as well as all the interesting links. Kind regards Teena
Teena Payne
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Cerambycid in Africa
Location: Kenya, Africa
October 17, 2011 10:25 am
My friend is conducting research in Africa (Kenya) and sent this Cerambycid photo to me. Any idea?
Thanks so much!
Signature: Cera
African Longicorn
Hi Cera,
We do not recognize this lovely Longicorn species. We will post it as unidentified in the hope that in the future we may get an answer. Those furry front feet are probably a good diagnostic feature.
Update: Karl does some research
October 28, 2011
Hi Daniel and Cera:
I think you are correct Daniel in suggesting that the furry front feet may be diagnostic, and I therefore believe that the genus is probably Lasiopezus (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Ancylonotini). My first thought was that it might be L. sordidus, but that species is apparently restricted to West Africa. I was not able to locate images of all the half dozen or so species that do occur in Kenya but of the ones I was able to find L. nigromaculatus appears to be the closest match. That said, it doesn’t look quite right, mostly because the color of the mottling seems more brown than black and the overall effect is less contrasting. I like the genus but I suspect the species is one for which I was unable to locate an online image. Regards. Karl
Thanks for all the links Karl.
red-legged Nephila image on Google Image search results
October 14, 2011 10:18 am
I’m going to guess that this is NOT the sort of question that normally interests you guys, but I’m running into some odd (I think) data manipulation with regard to my image, and Nephila rufapoda in general. If you don’t mind, I’m going to send you a second image of the same red-legged Nephila from Taiwan. If you decide to publish that and comment on it, then I would expect it to turn up in Google Image search results -as did the first image of the same spider. It would be interesting to find out whether or not the image was subsequently removed.
I’m not usually like this, by the way. This is my first internet mystery.
Signature: Dane Harris
unidentified species of Nephila
Location: Taiwan
October 14, 2011 10:24 am
I have a second picture of that unidentified Nephila species from Taiwan. My friend Thomas Evjue has pointed out that the pedipalps on the critter in my picture are red, whereas the pedipalps in the only picture of Nephila rufapoda are black after the first joint. Is that enough of a difference to denote a different species, or could the difference be explained by geographic isolation?
Signature: Dane Harris
Golden Silk Spider
Hi again Dane,
We cannot say for certain if this is Nephila rufopoda, a subspecies or a different species. Thanks for sending another photo to accompany your previous photo.
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¶ Posted 15 October 2011 § Orb Weavers ‡ ° Also tagged: Possible African Mantis – Bark Coloured
Location: Zambia – North Western Province
October 11, 2011 3:04 pm
The following bug landed on my wifes foot. She became startled and tried to push it off. It bit her foot. Her foot swelled up and was quite painful for several days. See image 3 which was taken after 24 hours. She saw a doc who gave her an anti-biotic. Her foot got better after 3-4 days but still sore 6 days later. I have seen bugs like this several times in the last 6-8 weeks. Is it a type of African mantis?
Signature: Ken
Unknown African Mantis
Hi Ken,
In answer to your question, Yes, this is a mantis. We don’t recognize the species and African insects can be very difficult to correctly identify. Many are probably not yet described and there isn’t much internet information available on African species. We are surprised to hear about the reaction your wife had to her encounter with the mantis. We are not yet ready to agree that it was a bite. Mantids have sharp spines on their raptorial front legs, and it is our editorial staffs experience that Preying Mantids will stab an attacker before they will bite. We are also curious if this was an individual allergic reaction of if this Mantis actually has some type of defense venom. We have not heard of any venomous Mantids, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. We would be more likely to presume that perhaps there was some foreign substance on the Mantid, like perhaps some plant toxin or other agent, and that caused the reaction.
Reaction to Mantis "Bite"
The red spots at the base of the forelegs should be a good diagnostic feature in our attempts to identify this Mantis. We also hope to elicit the assistance of our readership in this identification.
Unknown, possibly venomous, African Mantis
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Sierra Leone Spider
Location: WAPFR, Sierra Leone
October 10, 2011 9:20 am
Hi – I found this spider on my backdoor in the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone this week. At first it looked dead but when I nudged it, one of the front pairs of legs moved around a bit. It seems to group it’s legs into pairs… I’ve never seen one like this so am fascinated to get any more information. Thanks!
Signature: Keira
Unknown Spider from Sierra Leone
Hi Keira,
We do not recognize your spider, and it has been our experience that other than moths and butterflies, African insects and arachnids can be very difficult to identify because there is not much credible internet information available, and we also suspect that many species have still not been correctly described. We suspect this is one of the Orbweavers, but we are not certain. This posture is often seen in members of the genus Argiope which your spider somewhat resembles, though Argiope species are usually more brightly colored. We are posting your letter and photo and tagging it as unidentified, and we hope to eventually be able to provide you with an answer.
Karl is knocking identifications out of the ball park!!!
Fri, Nov 4, 2011 at 2:47 PM
Unknown Spider from Sierra Leone – October 10, 2011
Hi Daniel and Keira:
It looks like a Net-casting Spider (Deinopidae) in the genus Deinopis, often referred to as Ogre-faced Spiders. The genus occurs globally, primarily in the southern hemisphere and particularly in Australia and Africa. The leg posture is typical and their hunting tactic is unique. They spin a web but rather than creating a stationary web that passively captures prey, they hold the web in their front four legs and drop with it onto passing insects as they hang in suspended ambush. The prey becomes entangled in the net and a quick bite then immobilizes it before it has a chance to struggle free. There are at least three genera of Deinopids in Africa (four globally) but the size and appearance suggest it is a species of Deinopis. Most online images are of Australian species, especially D. subrufa, and I was unable to determine a particular species name for this one. Regards. Karl
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¶ Posted 10 October 2011 § Spiders ‡ ° Also tagged: I.D. Please
Location: Durban ; South Africa
September 18, 2011 1:24 am
These little guys are between 0.5mm and 2mm in size. They live along with along with black aphids on ”sacred basil” plants and dandelions.Its now spring in our part of the world.
Any idea what they are – I am thinking possibly some type of scale insect
Many thanks
P.S. Permission granted for all non commercial use.
Signature: Russ
Unknown Hemipterans
Hi Russ,
We disagree with your identification of Scale Insects, however, we believe you have the order Hemiptera correct. In addition to Scale Insects, Hemiptera includes True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers and Aphids. The individual closest to the camera in your photo appears to have secreted a waxy substance, another characteristic of many members of the order Hemiptera. We are posting your photo and tagging it as unidentified until we are able to provide you with something more definite.
Many Thanks. I’ve attached a 3rd photo of one with a longer
“tail” (about 2.5mm). I suspect it is all “wax”.
Russ
Possibly Coccid
Thanks for the additional photo Russ. We believe this may be either an Ensign Coccid in the family Ortheziidae, or some closely related family. We used BugGuide for research, and the site is devoted to North American species. We will continue to research this. This photo from BioLib of a European Ensign Coccid supports our theory, but it also appears that the Coccids are more closely related to Scale insects than we originally thought, so your initial suspicion is proving to be more accurate than we admitted.
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