it fly’s
from tucson arizona. there are very many of these insects outside my house. please tell me.
Mikie
Hi Mikie,
We haven’t gotten a photo of one of these for years. Your little beauty is a member of the Blister Beetle Family known as Iron Cross Blister Beetle, Tegrodera latecincta.
ID?
Hi, Bugman.
Can you identify the beetle in the attached photos? My dad has a bumper crop of them in his garden, about 30 miles outside of Dallas, TX. Love your site. Thanks for any wisdom you can impart. (My money’s on scarab beetle.)
amanda
Hi Amanda,
We wanted to be more specific than just a generic scarab beetle agreement, so we contacted Eric Eaton. He quickly wrote back: “Nice images. These are flower scarabs in the subfamily Cetoninae. They mimic bees, flying with the wing covers closed. This is probably Euphoria kerni, or a related species in that genus. Other possibility is Stephanucha sp., but they are apparently more northern, and also along the Atlantic coast. None of these are pests, just sometimes more abundant than usual. Eric”
damselflies
I discovered your wonderful website today and would like your help confirming or correcting my ID of these two damselflies. I photographed them April 4, 2005 in the desert about 1/4 mile east of Topock Marsh, Mohave County, Arizona. I initially identified them as male and female Vivid Dancers – Argia vivida.
Thank you,
Phil Bleicher
Hi Phil,
Though your photos are very nice, we are not prepared to give more than a possible agreement to your identification. Many species of insects, including Damselflies, need close specimen examination to make a positive identification. This often involves dissection of sexual organs or exact wing veinage assesment. The Vivid Dancer, Argia vivida, is common in the west.
Correction: Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 3:28 AM
Good morning,
If I may, this is a species of the genus Enallagma (Bluet).
I hope this helps,
Renaud, Switzerland
"Dirt hole" bug
I found this bug in a dirt "hole" that the bug apparently created himself. I noticed him in the bottom of it because of a small termite that was trapped by the soft-dirt sides, and could not crawl out of the hole. The bug was completely covered in the bottom of the hole, and only its pinchers would come out to try and grab the termite when it slid back down to the bottom. Just wondering what kind of bug it is.
I live in north Alabama, if that helps.
Thanks,
Trevor
Hi Trevor,
What a great photo of a Doodle Bug, the immature Ant Lion. As you observed, the larvae live at the bottom of a pit with only their formidable jaws exposed. There they wait patiently for ants or other insects to slip into their waiting mouths.
what’s this bug
Hi, any idea what this bug is? i found it nearby a stream channel. it’s not in my field guide. thanks so much. great web site.
Rebecca McCue
Hi Rebecca,
This is a species of Caddisfly, Order Trichoptera. They resemble moths and are poor fliers. Larvae are aquatic and the larvae build homes by cementing sticks and stones together, forming a tube which is used as protection as well as camoflauge. There are over 1000 species in North America. Sorry I can’t give you an exact species.
it’s a longhorned beetle, but what kind? Dear Bug Person, I found this on a coffee singles package this morning in our warehouse. I live in Spartanburg, SC and cannot tell if this is a Carolina Sawyer beetle or not. It has larger pincers than the sawyer beetle. We do receive foriegn shipments, maybe he hopped a ride overseas?!
Shane G
Hi Shane,
When we aren’t sure, we turn to entomologist Eric Eaton who usually knows the correct answer. Here is what he has to say: “My best guess is the “spined bark borer,” Elaphidion mucronatum. Those spines on the antennae are distinctive. Certainly that genus anyway.
Eric”
I like This
