Skip to content

Tag Archives: WTB? Down Under

Immature Crusader Bug from Australia

Species identification
Location: Perth, Western Australia
November 10, 2010 2:45 am
Hello
I found this bug on a rose bush out the front of my house. It is about 1cm long and 2mm wide.
Signature: Adam Thorn

crusader bug nymph australia adam 300x206 Immature Crusader Bug from Australia

Crusader Bug Nymph

Hi Adam,
We learned that this immature bug in the family Coreidae is a Crusader Bug or Holy Cross Bug, Mictis profana.  We identified it on the Insects of Brisbane Website.  The adult has a diagonal white cross on its back which led to the common names.  According to the Csiro website, the Crusader Bug ranges throughout Australia.

Posted 10 November 2010 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Red BAnded Seed Eating Bug from Australia

Orange and black bug with white spots
Location: Perth, Western Australia
November 7, 2010 3:57 am
I’ve been seeing these bugs around for the last several years but neither I nor anybody I know has any idea what they are. I remember back before around 2000 I’d never seen one, then I started seeing them everywhere. Nowadays they’re pretty rare, again.
In any case, the photos are the best description I can give. They’re skittish little things, that act a bit like ants.
I live in Perth, in Western Australia. That’s really all the information I can give on them. Any ideas? And thanks.
Signature: Tom L.

seed bug australia tom Red BAnded Seed Eating Bug from Australia

Red Banded Seed Eating Bug

Hi Tom,
This appears to be a Seed Bug in the family Lygaeidae and it bears an uncanny resemblance to insects in the genus Lygaeus that are found in North America and that are pictured on BugGuide. Since the members of the genus Lygaeus are known as Milkweed Bugs, we tried to search the Brisbane Insect Website for matching images of Milkweed Bugs, and though there are several, they are not your insect.  We hope we are eventually able to provide you with a definite identification.

Identification Courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Tom:
It looks like a Red-banded Seed-eating Bug, Melanerythrus mactans (Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae). As far as I can tell there are four other Melanerythrus species in Australia, but M. mactans is the only one that occurs in the Perth area. It ranges throughout Australia, except Tasmania, as well as parts of Indonesia, Fiji and Western Samoa. I suspect that at least some of the distribution outside of Australia can be attributed to accidental introductions. According to the Australian Faunal Directory the species is arboreal, gregarious and partial to pecans.  Regards.
Karl

Posted 07 November 2010 § Seed Bugs ‡ Comments (4) ° Also tagged:

Cotton Harlequin Bug Nymphs from Australia

What’s my Australian bug please?
Location: Queensland
October 31, 2010 2:42 pm
I thought at first that they were really large lady bugs but they look a little more robust that that. Found on a hibiscus leaf in Queensland, Australia
Signature: Australian bugs are just bigger

cotton harlequin nymphs australia 300x257 Cotton Harlequin Bug Nymphs from Australia

Cotton Harlequin Bug Nymphs

You have submitted a photograph of Cotton Harlequin Bug Nymphs, Tectocoris diophthalmus, and you can find matching images on the Brisbane Insect Website.  They feed on hibiscus and related plants.

Posted 01 November 2010 § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Winged Weta from Australia

giant cricket like bug?
Location: sydney australia, garden apt.
October 31, 2010 8:43 am
i was hoping you could ID this bug for me. it was about 3 inches long with maybe 7 inch antennae. it’s body was thick and mobile, curling it’s pelvis under and then out again.
Signature: thank you!

winged weta pterapotrechus australia 300x161 Winged Weta from Australia

Winged Weta

Though your image is blurry and not the best quality, we were of the opinion that it represents a Winged Weta, but alas, we were having problems locating any information on Winged Wetas, also known as King Crickets.  We did find an online reference to the New Zealand Entomologist 26:  75-77 (December 2003) with an article entitled A winged weta, Pterapotrechus (Orthoptera:  Gryllacrididae), established in New Zealand. It is described as “a golden-brown insect.  Adults are 30 mm to 37 mm long, with enlarged hind legs, the males often being larger than the females.  It has long filamentous antennae; rows of large spines on the fore-tibiae, and adults of both sexes are fully winged.  Adult females have a 15 mm long slender curved swordlike ovipositor.  The forewings are soft and pliable, and wrap around the body behind the pronotum.  they extend a little beyond the tip of the abdomen.”  The included image is of a female, and since your specimen does not appear to possess an ovipositor, it must be a male.  Wikimedia Commons also has an image of a female Winged Weta.

THANK YOU!!!!
You guys are amazing!! I am an instant fan and SO grateful for your ID.
Many many thanks!!!

hi Daniel,
I just looked up what 37mm is in inches and this makes me think we don’t actually have a winged weta. our bug was at least 2.5 inches, i think more like 3 (63 – 70mm). making ours twice the size. and again, the antennae were at least 6 inches, but really more like 8. ridiculously long…i’m sorry the picture isn’t better!
there was no ovipositor but there seemed to be a something like a prong at the end of the body.
lastly, the wings looked almost moist. sort of papery and wrinkled.
could our bug be a baby? meaning, could that be why it’s hard to find, because it will soon look different from what it is now?

Your bug is not a baby.  We are inclined to think several things regarding the size discrepancy.  First, official sizes probably represent an average, not the extremes.  Second, the species in Australia may be different, but we still believe it is a Winged Weta.  Third, people often think the bugs they see are much larger than they actually are.

Posted 31 October 2010 § Potato Bugs, Wetas and Parktown Prawns ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mountain Huntsman Spider from Australia

Huntsman??
Location: north west sydney
October 26, 2010 9:12 pm
we found this spider in our ride on mower and was wondering what type of spider it was, it was about the size of an average hand.
Signature: tash

mountain huntsman australia tash 300x233 Mountain Huntsman Spider from Australia

Mountain Huntsman Spider

Dear tash,
You are correct.  This is a Huntsman Spider in the family Sparassidae.  We located a visual match on the Insects of Brisbane website that is identified as the Mountain Huntsman Spider, Isopeda montana and it is also pictured on the LifeUnseen website.

Posted 27 October 2010 § Huntsman Spiders ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Redback Spider from Australia

black and red spider
Location: North East USA
October 25, 2010 8:18 pm
Dear Bugman, I beg of your help. I am finding these red and black spiders (i believe) in the house. I live in CT. These bugs are so tiny maybe the size of a grain of rice. The first thing you notice is a little glossy redish black ball. I only find them on the rugs, havent seen them elsewhere. I have two new babies and I am soooooo scared. I dont have a camera to take a picture but I pray you can still help us.
I provided a picture of the closet spider i can find, this resembles the body structure but not the color or size.
Signature: BR

immature widow br 300x293 Redback Spider from Australia

Redback Spider

Dear BR,
You do have some cause for concern if your creatures are the same as the one in the photo, though we have our doubts since you did not provide your own photograph.  This is an immature Black Widow.  Black Widows are one of only a few North American spiders with a dangerously venomous bite, and young children would be more severely affected by a bite than a healthy adult would.  Again, we really doubt that the creatures you have found are Black Widows.

Ed. Note: It has been brought to our attention in a comment that the spider in the photo is most probably not a North American species, but a mature Redback Spider from Australia, which is why the location in which a creature is encountered is often critical information for proper identification.

i cannot thank you enough for you quick response, I dont believe they are either. The structure is similar but they carry a little ball like on them it allmost looks like a bead, if i look at it very close its a maroonish dark red color. We have recently discovered we have carpet beetles and i dont know if this may be related, again we find these spiders on the rug and between the rug and wall. any other advice would kindly be appreciated i will try to get a picture to you as soon as i can, you are all wonderful people for doing this for others. thank you again

2

Posted 26 October 2010 § Black Widow ‡ Comments (4) ° Also tagged:

Longlegged Fly from Australia

Green eyed bug with banded wing and body
Location: Downtown Sydney, Australia
October 22, 2010 8:57 pm
Apparently feeding on nectar along with bees etc. Approx 12 mm long.
I thought that such a distinctive looking insect would be easy to identify but I can’t come close.
The images are definitely of the same bug.
Signature: Mike Gordon

longlegged fly australia mike 300x223 Longlegged Fly from Australia

Longlegged Fly #1

Green eyed bug with banded body
Location: Downtown Sydney, Australia
October 22, 2010 9:01 pm
Similar to the preceding inquiry, but seems to be no banding on the wings, and a less well defined banding to the body. Also head and eye configuration looks different. On the same bush at the same time.
Also about 12 mm long.
Signature: Mike Gordon

longlegged fly australia mike 3 300x225 Longlegged Fly from Australia

Longlegged Fly #2

Hi Mike,
Both of your insects are Longlegged Flies in the family Dolichopodidae, and the Brisbane Insect website has some images of Australian species and it indicates:  “Adult Dolichopodid Flies feed on smaller soft body insects such as aphids.“  Your specimen with the banded wings and body appears very similar to Austrosciapus connexus, which is well represented on the Brisbane Insect website.  Information on the family as it relates to North American species may be found on BugGuide which indicates:  “Mouthparts are for piercing (with a short proboscis). Adults and larvae are predaceous on small insects. Although immatures of some species mine stems of grasses and other plants or live under bark of trees. Not much is known about larval feeding habits although some species are known to be predaceous.“  If the information that the adults are predators of Aphids is correct, you may have found them on the flowers searching for prey as opposed to feeding on nectar.

longlegged fly australia mike 2 300x203 Longlegged Fly from Australia

Longlegged Fly #1

Thank you, Daniel.
I think that I should have been able to find thees ones myself.
Mike.

Posted 23 October 2010 § Long Legged Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

March Fly from Australia

Black winged, orange bodied flying insect
Location: Downtown Sydney, Australia
October 22, 2010 3:33 am
I can’t find a photo that quite corresponds to this bug. It, and others similar, were apparently supping nectar from the same bush as lots of bees, hover flies and the like.
Seems to have a disproportionally small head. Attached photo shows 6 live views and three post mortem.
Signature: Mike Gordon

Bibionidae australia mike 300x223 March Fly from Australia

March Fly

Hi again Mike,
Upon seeing your new photos, we now believe the letter you sent last week contained a misidentification.  This is not a Sawfly, but rather, we believe, a March Fly in the family Bibionidae.  Unfortunately, the Brisbane Insect Website only contains images of a species that is not your insect.  Female March Flies often have significantly smaller heads and eyes than males.  Some confusion may arise as the name March Fly refers to Horse Flies in Australia.

Bibionidae australia mike 2 300x287 March Fly from Australia

Unknown March Fly from Australia

The new photos you have sent to us should enable a conclusive identification from an expert, but we are not having much luck finding any matches in our internet searching.  Perhaps one of our readers will provide an identification.

Bibionidae australia mike 3 300x249 March Fly from Australia

Unknown March Fly from Australia

Thanks, again, Daniel,
Following the lead that you have given me I think that I may have found it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bibio_hortulanus01.jpg
What do you think?
Mike.

Daniel,
Another link: http://www.diptera.info/photogallery.php?photo_id=910
Further defines the bug as female, as your email had suggested.
Mike.

Hello again Mike,
Biblio hortulanus appears to be a European species as indicated on this UK Insect website and it may have been introduced to Australia, or your insect may be a similar looking but distinct Australian species.

Don’t think I’ll worry about that!
Mike.

2

Posted 22 October 2010 § March Flies and Lovebugs ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Page 19 of 70« First...10...1718192021...304050...Last »