From the monthly archives: "February 2017"
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Thing on Boat Terrifies Owner

On · Category: Uncategorized Tagged With: · 1 Comment

Subject: terrified boat owner.
Location: Mississauga Ontario
February 19, 2017 4:04 pm
I have a boat thats been on the hard in Ontario Canada for 3 years, I have just purchased it and after looking at a video i took of the inside.
I noticed something big and scary, I have done every google search detailing what i can see and i can find nothing and i have to go work on this boat in a week and i am terrified for my life lol
any help would be greatly appreciated.
Signature: David Harvey

Thing on a Boat

Dear David,
We have no idea what this Thing is, but it does not look like an insect.  We also have our doubts that it is a living creature.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Slender Springtails

On · Category: Springtails! · Add Comment

Subject: Tiny guys
Location: Raleigh, NC
February 18, 2017 7:00 pm
Found dozens of these on my porch railing. Very small, maybe 2mm or so. Has been warmer recently, didn’t notice them during the winter.
Signature: Kyle

Slender Springtails

Dear Kyle,
These are Springtails in the class Collembola, probably the family Entomobryidae, the Slender Springtails which are pictured on BugGuide.  Springtails are extremely common Hexapods that are found throughout the world.  We consider Springtails to be benign, but they may become a nuisance if conditions are ideal and they become too plentiful.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Smoky Brown Cockroach Nymphs

On · Category: Cockroaches Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: What’s this bug?
Location: North Carolina USA
February 19, 2017 8:17 pm
Found about 10-15 of these on a wood frame of an art print I picked up at a thrifty store. At first they looked like a clump of dead bugs but when I started to wipe the clump off the art frame, the little bugs started to scatter. We’re in North Carolina and it’s February.
Signature: Thank you! Amy

Smoky Brown Cockroach Nymphs

Dear Amy,
Thanks to this BugGuide image, we feel confident that these Cockroach nymphs are Smoky Brown Cockroach nymphs, Periplaneta fuliginosa.  According to BugGuide:  “Early instars are black insects with characteristic white markings on the distal antenae, proximal antennae, thorax and abdomen.”

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Fungus Gnat Larvae from South Africa

On · Category: Gnats · Add Comment

Subject: catepillars
Location: Mpumalanga south africa
February 20, 2017 12:32 am
Hi there
I know the precessionary caterpillars. These ones move like, and obviously mimics a snake. they are much smaller. is it maybe the early stage of precessionary catepillars?
thanks
Signature: wetie

Fungus Gnat Larvae

Dear wetie,
We believe these are Fungus Gnat larvae from the family Sciaridae.  According to iSpot, Fungus Gnats are found in South Africa.  According to BugGuide:  “Sometimes abundant enough to form a crawling mass of several inches across and several feet long, similar to armyworm migrations.”

Fungus Gnat Larvae

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Katydid specimen from Mexico

On · Category: Katydids · 2 Comments

Subject: Orthoptera identification
Location: Mexico Chiapas
February 20, 2017 10:24 am
HI,
I recently purchased this specimen. It came with no name, other than Orthoptera ssp. The location on the collection data did indicate Mexico Chiapas. It’s quite beautiful. Anyone know what the genus and species name is?
Thanks!!
Signature: Bug Lady

Katydid

Dear Bug Lady,
Your file is labeled as “Grasshopper” but this is actually a Katydid in the family Tettigoniidae.  We believe Katydids sometimes lose their color after death, so many bright green species appear quite faded as mounted specimens.  We will contact Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki to see if he can provide a species name for you.

Thank you!! Any help is greatly appreciated!
Katja Hilton
Amazing & Beautiful Butterflies

Piotr Naskrecki provides an identification.
Hi Daniel,
This is Moncheca pretiosa (Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae: Copiphorini).
Cheers,
Piotr
Piotr Naskrecki, Ph. D.
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University

Ed. Note:  As we suspected, the living Moncheca pretiosa we have in our archives is much more beautiful than the mounted specimen.

Thank you so much…Wow, they really do fade!
Katja Hilton

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Golden Buprestid

On · Category: Metallic Borer Beetles · Add Comment

Subject: Beetle
Location: Portland, Oregon
February 19, 2017 5:13 pm
I found this beetle indoors today. I think it is a Golden Buprestid Beetle. I want to know if it is a good bug or a bad bug.
Signature: Lois Biz

Golden Buprestid

Dear Lois,
We agree that this is a Golden Buprestid, but when it comes to insects, “good” and “bad” are such relative terms.  Since the native range of the Golden Buprestid includes Oregon, this is a native species for you and native species occupy a place in the food chain as well as in the complicated, interconnected web of life in an ecosystem that we feel compelled to maintain that all native species are good in the overall scheme of things.  Introduced species can throw off the balance of life in a geographic region to which they have been introduced if they have no natural enemies to help control their populations, so we often consider introduced species to be problematic in their new homes, a consideration that lead to the creation of the Invasive Exotics tag on our site many years ago.  According to the genus page on BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on wood of various conifers and deciduous trees, incl. Fagus (Beech), Populus (Cottonwood), Acer (Maple), and Quercus (Oak).”  It is our understanding that native Metallic Borer Beetles are never plentiful enough in their native surroundings to do significant damage to healthy trees, unlike the related and introduced Emerald Ash Borer that has decimated populations of Ash trees in eastern North America.  As a point of interest, Golden Buprestids have been known to emerge many years after lumber has been milled.  Seems milling the lumber slows the maturation process, but the larvae are able to survive and continue to feed on the dead wood.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination