From the monthly archives: "March 2015"

Countdown Seven more postings until 20,000: Red Spotted Purple Chrysalis

On · Category: brush footed butterfly caterpillars Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: Cocooned????
Location: Columbus, GA
March 27, 2015 7:11 pm
Saw this on my porch railing. Pretty sure that it’s a moth or a butterfly. Don’t even know if that’s right. Will continue to watch to see if I can capture it’s release. I took video but couldn’t load that so I’m doing pics.
Signature: Jami S

Red Spotted Purple Chrysalis

Red Spotted Purple Chrysalis

Dear Jami,
This is a very exciting posting for us.  We recognized your Chrysalis (proper term for the pupa of a butterfly) as a member of the Brush Footed Butterfly family Nymphalidae, but we did not recognize the species.  We quickly located what appeared to be a match to a Red Spotted Purple chrysalis on BugGuide, but since the angle of view is different, we could not be certain.  We found a similar camera angle on Nature Search, so we are now quite confident that we have properly identified the species as Limenitis arthemis astyanax.  Adult Red Spotted Purples are well represented on our site, but we do not have any images of chrysalides.  We especially love that your two images document the mobility of the chrysalis, which is generally thought of as an immobile stage of metamorphosis.  We hope you are able to document the eclosion of this beautiful butterfly and can send us additional images in the near future.

Red Spotted Purple Chrysalis

Red Spotted Purple Chrysalis

This is so cool. Thanks so much.

Related posts:

Fritillary Caterpillar Queen Caterpillar Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar Countdown 19 more posts to the 20,000 Mark:Mourning Cloak in Mount Washington

Countdown just Eight more postings until 20,000: Monkey Beetle we believe

On · Category: Scarab Beetles Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: Flying beetle
Location: Indio, CA. March 28, 2015
March 28, 2015 3:02 pm
Looks like swarms of this guy’s companions perished on our pool. Body about 1/4″ long. I fished this one out and photographed it as he dried off. Then he flew off shortly after the BUG 1 pic was taken. We have a lot of grass, trees and hedges around our lot.
Signature: Tony

Possibly Monkey Beetle

Possibly Monkey Beetle

Dear Tony,
We believe your Scarab Beetle is a Monkey Beetle in the genus Hoplia, possibly Hoplia callipyge based on images and the range information on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “Adults feed on flowers and foliage, often in groups … Larvae feed on roots of various plants during the summer, hibernate in a late instar, pupate in soil in spring; adults emerge in spring … Some are considered pests of ornamental plants and grapevines, especially H. callipyge.”

Monkey Beetle, we believe

Monkey Beetle, we believe

 

Related posts:

Countdown 13 more postings to the 20,000 mark: Shining Leaf Chafer What is the Grapevine Beetle going to do with that quarter????? Zig-Zag Fruit Chafer from South Africa Bumblebee Scarab from Italy

Countdown just Nine more postings to 20,000: Woolly Bears in Highland Park

On · Category: Woolly Bears Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: Caterpillers – foe or friend
Location: Highland Park, ca (county of LA)
March 30, 2015 8:50 am
Hi. I have been finding lots of black furry caterpillers on the ground in Highland Park, CA. The largest that I have seen is about one and a quarter inches long. I think that they are falling from the eves from businesses on Figueroa (around the 7000 black). There is no real vegetation for them so hide out in so they just cling to the innermost edge of the street. I would like to ID them. And if they should be saved where do they need to be placed (food supply)
Signature: Patricia

Woolly Bear

Woolly Bear

Dear Patricia,
Your images are quite blurry, but there is little doubt in our mind that this is a Woolly Bear, most likely the caterpillars of the Painted Tiger Moth, Arachnis picta, because we have seen large numbers this year in nearby Mount Washington.  They are general feeders that will eat a wide variety of plants commonly considered weeds.

Related posts:

Countdown 18 more posts to the 20,000 Mark: Painted Tiger Woolly Bear in Mount Washington Eyed Tiger Moth Caterpillar #9993: Ghost Grasshopper from Thailand Countdown just Eight more postings until 20,000: Monkey Beetle we believe

Countdown, just Ten more postings to 20,000: Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper from South Africa

On · Category: Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers Tagged With: · 1 Comment

Subject: Query-Locust
Location: about 15 km west of Port Elizabeth
March 30, 2015 9:59 am
On a January (2015) trip to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, we stopped the car to enable the pictured creature to cross the road. It was walking quite slowly, but determined. Body length was around 5cm (=2 inches). Not having any detailed field guide for S.African insects, I just couldn’t put a name to it, although I suspect it’s some kind of locust. We don’t see its like in the UK!
Signature: Neil Henry

Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper

Dear Neil,
This magnificent grasshopper is a member of the family Pyrgomorphidae and many individuals in the family are known as Toxic Milkweed Grasshoppers, Gaudy Grasshoppers or Koppie Foam Grasshoppers.  We believe we have correctly identified your individual as Phymateus leprosus subsp. leprosus based on an image on iSpot.  This seems to be a variably colored species.

Related posts:

Elegant Grasshopper from Rwanda Koppie Foam Grasshopper from South Africa Countdown 15 more postings to the 20,000 mark: Red Shouldered Bug Just One More Posting Until we reach 20,000 COUNTDOWN: Western Banded Glowworm or Male Firefly in Mount Washington???

Countdown 11 more postings to the 20,000 Mark: Jewel Beetle from Spain

On · Category: Metallic Borer Beetles Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: Large noisy beetles
Location: Costa Blanca, Spain
March 31, 2015 3:41 am
Hello, we live in Spain, on the East coast, near lots of pines. In the last few days the weather has warmed up and the giant flying beetles have come out. I know they are harmless but they scare me! They bump into things a lot and seem most active during the hot part of the day. Are they a form of wood boring beetle or a jewel beetle? They are huge – abut 1.5-2 inches. The back is irridescent greeny brown, (like camouflage) with white markings.
Thanks!
Signature: LloJo

Jewel Beetle

Jewel Beetle

Dear LloJo,
You are correct that this is a Jewel Beetle or Metallic Borer Beetle in the family Buprestidae.  We believe we have identified it as Chalcophora mariana on FlickR.  A subsequent search found it listed on the Invasive and Exotic Species of North America site where the common name Flatheaded Pine Borer is used.  According to INPN (Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel) the indigenous range is France and Spain.  Perhaps the most amusing information we found is that you can order a 60×37 inch Peel and Stick Removable Graphic Wall Decal from Amazon for only $99.99 plus $7.99 shipping.

Ha ha! That would be truly terrifying!
Thanks soooo much for your very quick response! Lots of great info for me to google…
Thanks once again
Jo

Related posts:

Jewel Beetle Our 20,000th Posting: Puss Moth Caterpillar or Oruga de Polilla Gato from Ecuador Jewel Beetle and female Stag Beetle found in gutter in Western Australia Western Sculptured Pine Borer is hiking trail casualty

Countdown 12 more postings to the 20,000 mark: Crablike Spiny Orbweaver

On · Category: Orb Weavers Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: bug identification request
Location: screened-in patio in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
March 30, 2015 12:49 pm
Hello,
I have 3 of these bugs on my patio, each with their own “spider” web. I’m curious what it is because it doesn’t look like a spider.
Thanks!
Signature: John Winer

Crablike Spiny Orbweaver

Crablike Spiny Orbweaver

Dear John,
This colorful and quite variable spider, Gasteracantha cancriformis, goes by a wealth of common names according to BugGuide, including:  “Crab Spider, Spiny Orbweaver Spider, Crab-like Orbweaver Spider, Crab-like Spiny Orbweaver Spider, Jewel Spider, Spiny-bellied Orbweaver, Jewel Box Spider, Smiley Face Spider, Crablike Spiny Orbweaver” as well as “Spinybacked Orbweaver”.  The common name we prefer is Crablike Spiny Orbweaver.

Related posts:

Golden Orbweaver in Canada Spined Microthena Orbweaver Golden Orbweaver