Currently viewing the category: "_Featured"
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

NEW TAG Gems From Our Archives: Ten Years Ago Today

On · Category: _Featured, Dragonflies and Damselflies Tagged With: · Add Comment

Mating Green Darners originally published July 25, 2007.
We really love this image, the type of image that inspired us to create the Bug Love tag long ago.

 

Hi! A friend of mine posted a link to this site in his blog and I fell in love with it instantly. I have some pictures of dragonflies I thought you might like, but I don’t know what kind they are. The one on my hand I found outside my front door, dead. =C The ones in the water I patiently followed around in the John Martin Reservoir until I could get close enough to capture their mating, and the one in the grass was one of hundreds that were flying around the city park. All the pics were taken in South Eastern Colorado. Thanks for your awsome site!

Dear Mysterious Photographer of Dragonflies
We really love your image of Mating Green Darners, Anax junius. We have written several times about this mating position and the male’s anal claspers. What is really great is that you have captured the female depositing eggs.

 

Related posts:

Possibly Ruby Meadowhawk Bug Art: Quilled Green Darner Damselfly “Tween” Male Blue Dasher Dragonfly
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Bug of the Month July 2017: Clematis Borer

On · Category: _Featured, Clearwings Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: What kind of insect is this?
Location: Northwest Ohio, U.S.A
June 29, 2017 6:32 pm
Dear bugman,
I happened to notice this strange critter while at work today. I work at a greenhouse with flowers and vegetables. Unfortunately I could only get one picture of it before it flew away, rapidly. It has a shiny segmented body and a small, waspish head. The long orange “tail” also appeared segmented, and quite fuzzy. I have looked and found nothing like it on the internet. Please help? Thank you!
Signature: Hanna B.

Clematis Borer

Dear Hanna,
Your description of this insect as “waspish” is spot on because this is a wasp-mimicking Clearwing Moth in the family Sesiidae, and we eventually identified it on BugGuide as a Clematis Borer, Alcathoe caudata.  The binomial species name is thus defined on BugGuide: “Caudata from Latin caud, meaning ‘tailed.’ Adult males have a long tail-like appendage on the abdomen. ”  Your individual is a yellow-tailed male.  We have no other images of identified male Clematis Borers on our site, but we do have several images of female Clematis Borers.  BugGuide also states:  “Larva bore into the roots of Clematis and Ribes species.”  According to Las Pilitas Nursery, the genus Ribes includes gooseberries and currants and Clematis is a popular flowering vine used in landscaping in Youngstown, Ohio.  It is the end of the month and we are selecting your submission as the Bug of the Month for July 2017 because we are so thrilled to now have both sexes of the Clematis Borer in our archives.

Thank you so much! I’m glad that it “bugged” me enough to ask! Happy that I have also provided a useful photo, albeit a slightly blurry one!
Hanna B.

Related posts:

Bug of the Moth June 2017: Carpenterworm Moth Bug of the Month November 2009: Halloween Bug or Florida Predatory Stink Bug Bug of the Month August 2012: Cow Killer, a Velvet Ant Squash Vine Borer
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

First male Eastern Hercules Beetle of the season

On · Category: _Featured, Scarab Beetles Tagged With: · 1 Comment

Subject: Possible Dynastes in Christiansburg, Virginia
Location: Christiansburg, Virginia
June 23, 2017 5:44 am
Dear Sir,
We saved this specimen from certain death by car tire and are wondering if you can identify him. I thought it might be a male Dynastes tityus but the yellow coloring does not seem to match that species.
Signature: John Burke

Male Eastern Hercules Beetle

Dear John,
You are correct that this is a male Eastern Hercules Beetle, and it is our first reported sighting of the season.  Because of your kindness, we are tagging your posting with the Bug Humanitarian Award.

Related posts:

Female Eastern Hercules beetle attacked in parking lot and rescued!!!! Male Hercules Beetle Female Hercules Beetle Ten Lined June Beetle rescued from feline
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Goldsmith Beetle

On · Category: _Featured, Scarab Beetles · Add Comment

Subject: Goldsmith Beetle
Location: Ogunquit, Maine
June 9, 2017 8:13 pm
Beautiful Goldsmith Beetle tonight, feel feee to post of you’d like!
Signature: Jen

Goldsmith Beetle

Dear Jen,
Your request was sent on the first day of our much needed holiday, and we just returned to the office Tuesday, so we are embarking upon the impossible task of responding to requests that arrived in our absence and posting the most interesting submissions.  Your Goldsmith Beetle image is gorgeous, and warrants featuring on our scrolling feature bar for a spell.

Awww, thanks! 🙂

Related posts:

First male Eastern Hercules Beetle of the season Dung Beetle from South Africa Scarab Beetle Grub from United Arab Emirates Two Scarabs from Greece: White Spotted Rose Beetle
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination