From the yearly archives: "2008"

Geranium Plume Moth, we believe

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Pollen ?
Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 6:29 AM
Hi Bugman!
I don’t want to abuse but I have 3 different pictures. …
The second one is some kind of ‘spiky’ flying thing! It did not stayed long enough on the leave for me to take a better picture of it. It is about 2.5 inch long. … The 3 pictures were taken during summer 2008 in a Montréal park. And i’m sorry if I’m not expressing myself very well, I’m not used to write in english!
Thanks you Bugman!
Philippe
Montréal, Québec, Canada

Geranium Plume Moth

Geranium Plume Moth

Hi Philippe,
Because of our system of archiving letters, we don’t like to have more than one identification per posting.  Your second image is of a Plume Moth in the family Pterophoridae.  The size you give, 2.5 inches seems large to us, but we believe this may be the Geranium Plume Moth, Amblyptilia pica, as evidenced by photos posted to BugGuide.

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Oleander Aphids

On · Category: Aphids, Scale Insects, Leafhoppers, and Tree Hoppers · Add Comment

Pollen ?
Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 6:29 AM
Hi Bugman!
I don’t want to abuse but I have 3 different pictures. The first one we though it was pollen, but when we got close-up, we were surprised that they were small yellow bugs that we can’t identify (took at 11p.m)…
The second one is some kind of ‘spiky’ flying thing! It did not stayed long enough on the leave for me to take a better picture of it. It is about 2.5 inch long…
And the last one was taken on a grass piece, so they are very small and there’s a lot of them..
The 3 pictures were taken during summer 2008 in a Montréal park. And i’m sorry if I’m not expressing myself very well, I’m not used to write in english!
Thanks you Bugman!
Philippe
Montréal, Québec, Canada

Oleander Aphids

Oleander Aphids

Hi Philippe,
The yellow insects are Aphids, and we believe they are Oleander Aphids, Aphis nerii, a species introduced from the Mediterranean that now ranges over much of North America.  The species is now cosmopolitan.  According to BugGuide, they feed on milkweed as well as oleander and we get them every year on our potted Hoya plants.  BugGuide also provides this information:  “Males are apparently absent from North American populations–reproduction is by parthenogenesis.”

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Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth

On · Category: Tiger Moths and Arctiids · 4 Comments

Red & Blue insect, unidentified?
Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 7:14 PM
The attached pic was taken just outside a cypress dome at Myakka River State Park. I’m a park ranger in Florida at a different park and want to know what this guy is for my files. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
B. Logan
Central FL

Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth

Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth

Hi B,
This is a Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth, Cosmosoma myrodora.  As its name indicates, it is a moth that mimics a wasp for protection.  BugGuide provides this interesting bit of information:  “These moths display warning coloration, yet the caterpillars host on non-toxic Climbing Hempweed, Mikania scandens, (family Asteraceae), a weedy vine at field margins and roadsides that can completely obscure bushes and small trees. The adult male moth extracts toxins known as “pyrrolizidine alkaloids” from Dogfennel Eupatorium (Eupatorium capillifolium) and showers these toxins over the female prior to mating. This is the only insect known to transfer a chemical defense in this way. “

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Echo Moth Polka Dot Wasp Moth Default ThumbnailSecusio extensa, an Arctiid Moth, to be released in Hawaii to feed upon Fireweed Splendrous Hornet Moth from South Africa

Common Brown Ringlet from Australia

On · Category: Brush Footed Butterflies Tagged With: · 2 Comments

Brown-orange Australian Butterfly
Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 12:40 PM
The attached photo shows a brown-orange butterfly. It is the only photo I have of it. The antennae are striped and the horns appear to be bright orange at the tip. There seems to be a dark band across the top of the head, surrounded by a white patch. The neck is rufous. Clearly the spread wings provide the most obvious clues to its id. The forewings are plain brown. The hindwings are brown with a prominent orange pattern and an orange, black and white “eyespot”.
I suspect this is a skipper common to the northeastern region of Australia because I saw several. Wish I could provide more info but this is all I have for you. Any help you can give me will be appreciated.
Brown-orange Australian Butterfly
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia

Unknown Gossamer Wing Butterfly

Unknown Gossamer Wing Butterfly

In our opinion, this is a Gossamer Wing Butterfly in the family Lycaenidae which includes the Blues and Coppers, but we cannot find a matching specimen on the Brisbane Insects web site. We will continue to try to get an accurate species identification.

Correction
This is a common Brown Ringlet, Hypocysta metirius. It is found on the East coast of Australia, Queensland to Victoria.
See: http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_nymphs/CommonBrownRinglet.htm
Grev

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Huntsman Spider

On · Category: Huntsman Spiders and Giant Crab Spiders · 4 Comments

Spider almost the size of my hand
Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 6:26 AM
I found this very large, very fast, and very creepy spider this morning near the back door on the inside of the house here in east central Florida. It has me squirming and freaking out, especially because it ran away and hid and is still somewhere in the house. Please, for my peace of mind, what is that thing?
Kristina
Titusville, FL

Huntsman Spider

Huntsman Spider

Hi Kristina,
This Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria, is also known as a Banana Spider because it is believed to have been introduced to many worldwide seaport areas with warm climates from Asia with banana shipments.  The species is now well documented in Florida and Georgia according to BugGuide.  The Huntsman Spider is harmless and is a tolerated species in many parts of the world because it is a nocturnal hunter that feeds on cockroaches.

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Huntsman Spider or Wandering Spider from Borneo??? Rain Spider from South Africa Giant Crab Spider from Peru Huntsman Spider from Singapore

Poison Ivy Sawfly

On · Category: Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies · Add Comment

colorful sawfly larva
Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Hi WTB,
I took these photos more than two decades ago in Rhode Island, near an old lime kiln (I was looking for land snails). I always thought this was a caterpillar, but recently when I couldn’t find it in Caterpillars of Eastern North America, I was perplexed. I e-mailed the author of that book, David Wagner, and sent him these photos. He identified it as the poison-ivy-eating sawfly larva. I search the WTB pages and could not find this sawfly larva pictured, so I thought perhaps you would like it.
Keep up the good bug work!
Jeannie
Rhode Island

Poison Ivy Sawfly

Poison Ivy Sawfly

Hi Jeannie,
Long ago we posted an image of an unidentified Sawfly that looked similar. Thanks for sending your photo of a Poison Ivy Sawfly. Out of curiosity, do you have a scientific name?  We did a web search of Poison Ivy Sawfly and found Arge humeralis.  There is a matching image on BugGuide.  We searched our archives for the image we posted in 2007, and sure enough, it was found on Poison Ivy.

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