What is this?
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
April 15, 2011 6:55 am
My friend’s son got bit by this weird looking thing. It caused the boys hand to swell up and has left a brown spot like what a bee sting would leave.
We’re curious as to what this is. If you could help us out that would be great.
Thank you
Signature: .
Assassin Bug
Dear .,
This is some species of Assassin Bug. There is an excellent website dedicated to the Insects of Brisbane, but your relatively drab looking Assassin Bug does not appear to be represented among the colorful Australian species that are pictured there. The Assassin Bug Biology page contains some very general information. Very few Assassin Bugs prey upon warm blooded creatures, and most limit their diets to other insects, however they are quite capable of inflicting a painful bite with their stabbing and sucking mouthparts if carelessly handled or if haplessly encountered. We do get a fair share of reports of people being bitten by Assassin Bugs, but the effects of the bite do not last very long, nor are they life threatening, however, they are often reported to be quite painful.
What’s this funny insect?
Location: Sydney, Australia
April 13, 2011 7:03 am
This creature was on the wall the other day. I have never seen anything like it. Any idea what it is? Is it dangerous? The spike on the back looks a bit scary!
Signature: Carey
Bagworm Moth
Dear Carey,
Just a few days ago, we had another identification request for this flightless female moth from Australia, and it was identified as a Bagworm Moth, Cebysa leucotelus. Only the females are flightless. We suspect that is an ovipositor protruding from her abdomen.
Female Bagworm Moth
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for that! I hope she laid her eggs outside first.
Carey
Pretty Little Beetle
Location: New South Wales, Australia
April 11, 2011 10:50 pm
We passed this on our way to Bondi Beach in Australia. It was just a few blocks from the beach. It seemed to be dead. It didn’t move. It was raining that day so I didn’t have my good camera. The colors were much brighter than the photo.
Signature: Thanks! Heather
Cotton Harlequin Bug
Hi Heather,
This is a Cotton Harlequin Bug, Tectocoris diophthalmus, a relatively common Jewel Bug in the family Scutelleridae. It is not a beetle. You may visit the Brisbane Insect Website for additional images of this lovely little creature.
unusual bug
Location: eastern suburbs Sydney
April 9, 2011 2:27 am
I came across this bug in my backyard 9/4/11. It’s about 8mm in body length.
Second image the next day after being kept under a glass. What looks like thousend of eggs!
Signature: Heinz57
Unknown Moth
Dear Heinz57,
This is a Moth, though we haven’t been able to come up with a conclusive identification. We also don’t know if her wings failed to expand after metamorphosis, or if this is a flightless species with vestigial wings. Many female Tussock Moths are flightless, and the markings on your specimen match those of Oligeria hemicalla pictured on the ButterflyHouse website, but we are unable to locate an image of a female moth. The Painted Apple Moth is an example of a Tussock Moth in the family Lymantriidae that has a wingless female. The photos on Wikipedia indicate that it is not your species, though the eggs look quite similar. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to supply an identification.
Unknown Moth lays eggs
Karl provides an identification
Unknown flightless moth lays eggs in Australia
Hi Daniel and Heinz57:
The looks like a female Australian Bagmoth, Cebysa leucotelus (Psychidae). It is native to southern Australia and has recently shown up in New Zealand. Apparently the larvae feed on lichens growing on tree trunks, rocks, etc. and the lichen fragments get incorporated into the larval cases, or ‘bags’. Only the females are flightless. Regards. Karl
Orange beetle eating/killing a spider?
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
April 6, 2011 5:28 am
Hi Bugman,
My sister took this photo in her backyard in Melbourne, Australia,
She said that it appeared that the beetle/bug was dragging the spider along and thought that the spider was the prey. Eventually the bug dropped the spider and she didn’t see what happened to either of them. You can probably tell from the photo that both spider and bug were pretty massive.
I thought the bug might be some sort of assassin bug but it doesn’t really look too much like any of the photos of them I’ve been able to find on the net.
Any ideas?
Signature: Madeleine
Spider Wasp with Huntsman Spider
Hi Madeleine,
This magnificent predator is a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae and we believe it is Cryptocheilus bicolor which is pictured on the Brisbane Insect website. The drama would seem to imply that the Spider Wasp is going to enjoy a large meal, but in fact, Spider Wasps feed on nectar. Female Spider Wasps provision a nest with Spiders that are paralyzed, but not killed, by a sting. The Spider Wasp lays a single egg on the paralyzed Spider which then provides a fresh meal for the larval wasp. If the Spider was killed first, it would dry up and the wasp larva would starve. Keeping the Spider paralyzed ensures a fresh meal for the larva. Many Spider Wasps are selective about the types of Spiders they hunt, and Cryptocheilus bicolor is generally associated with Huntsman Spiders. The nest is of this species is an underground burrow, and once the prey has been paralyzed, the Spider Wasp must transport the heavy load to the nest. We believe the Spider Wasp climbs to a high point and glides with the prey since taking off in flight with so much weight would not be possible. The bricks in this photo provide a nice sense of scale.
Spider Wasp with Huntsman Spider
Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for your quick and very informative response!
This is definitely the insect that is pictured – the photo and behavioural traits match exactly… What an interesting life cycle!
I will pass this information on to my sister who will be very pleased to see the “mystery” solved. She will perhaps also be happy to know she has a native creepy crawly that is keeping the huntsman numbers down a little!
Thanks again for getting back to me.
Kind regards
Madeleine
big scary looking bug!!?!?!
Location: South Australia
April 3, 2011 5:45 pm
This bug was found in a container that was shipped to Bunnings (local hardware store in Australia). it is in a white bucket with base diameter approx 250mm. local quarantine guys came to pick it up and said it was a ”standard bug found in the waterways of Queensland…..” and took it away. The guy from bunnings said, ”the container didn’t even come from Queensland???”
Signature: ?????
Giant Fishkiller
Dear ?????,
This is a Giant Water Bug in the genus Lethocerus, and they are found in many parts of the world, including Australia. In North America, the common names include Electric Light Bug because they are attracted to lights at night, and Toe-Biter because they will bite if carelessly handled or accidentally stepped on while swimming. The Australian Museum website provides another common name that is new to us, and perhaps unique to Australia: Giant Fishkiller. Giant Water Bugs are predatory and they will prey upon almost any small aquatic creatures they can catch, including small fish. Your letter did not indicate the source of the container.
Bug in Backyard
Location: Penrith, NSW Australia
April 3, 2011 12:12 am
Hello,
I found a whole bunch (about 50-100) of these bugs on the wooded surround of my backyard water feature. Is this bug going to be a problem? How do i get rid of it? Should i get rid of it a certain way?
Signature: Thanks! Ben
Pale Cotton Stainer Nymph
Dear Ben,
This is an immature True Bug and many nymphs are difficult to distinguish from one another. Your insect has a strong resemblance to an immature Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus suturellus, a species found in North America and profiled on BugGuide. The Brisbane Insect Website indicates that a member of the genus is found in Australia, the Pale Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus sidae, but no photos of the nymph are pictured. Nymphs undergo five molts before becoming adults, and each, though similar to the previous, is slightly different. The immature Pale Cotton Stainer pictured on the Queensland Government website appears to be an earlier instar than the individual in your photograph, as the wingpads are smaller. A photo of an immature Pale Cotton Stainer that looks quite similar to your specimen can be seen on the Infonet-biovision webpage on Cotton pests by scrolling down the page. As we stated originally, immature True Bugs are difficult to positively identify, and this may be another member of the Red Bug family Pyrrhocoridae or even a member of a different family. Many True Bugs form large aggregations of immature as well as mature individuals, and they can get quite plentiful at times.
¶ Posted 03 April 2011 § Red Bugs ‡ ° Also tagged: Stick-shelled beetlepillar
Location: Australia (Sydney Basin)
April 2, 2011 10:50 pm
My daughter found this wandering around my backyard. I’ve seen these before but always assumed they were a cocoon, rather than a sort of shell. This one has been around the backyard for at least a month as I have seen it hanging from trees, then mysteriously vanishing.
I also have video of it checking out the camera
Signature: Carey
Large Bagworm
Hi Carey,
This is a Bagworm in the family Psychidae, and we quickly identified it as a Large Bagworm or Saunder’s Case Moth, Metura elongatus, on the Brisbane Insect Website. The caterpillar forms a silken case containing plant material from its food plant that it remains in, eventually pupating inside of the case. The adult female is wingless and she never leaves her case, using pheromones to attract a mate. The Butterfly House website has images of the entire life cycle.
Thanks for that, my daughter was fascinated (so was I) to see
photographs of the adult moth.
Cheers
Carey
¶ Posted 03 April 2011 § Bagworm ‡ ° Also tagged: 
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