Subject: Flying bug
Geographic location of the bug: New Milford, CT
Date: 06/09/2019
Time: 01:10 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: This big guy flew into me as I was walking by and clung to my shirt. I brushed him off and I may have killed him!
How you want your letter signed: Jackie
Eyed Elater
Dear Jackie,
The Eyed Elater is harmless. It is the largest Click Beetle in North America.
Subject: Bug with cool “fake” eyes
Geographic location of the bug: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: 06/04/2019
Time: 11:21 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Dear Bugman,
This bug has been hanging out on the drop ceiling in my office going on two days now. From a distance I assumed it would be a roach, but was pleasantly surprised on closer inspection. This bug is about 5 cm long.
How you want your letter signed: Curious Veterinarian
Eyed Elater
Dear Curious Veterinarian,
The Eyed Elater, the largest Click Beetle in North America, has very effective protective mimicry. The false eyespots on the Eyed Elater are thought to deter predators like birds that will pass up a nutritious meal after perceiving that it might be a predator like a snake rather than a tasty morsel.
Subject: What is this
Geographic location of the bug: Winston Salem NC
Date: 05/12/2019
Time: 03:43 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Please tell me what big this is
How you want your letter signed: Nancy Tuttle
Eyed Elater
Dear Nancy,
We are very excited that your query is allowing us to post our first image of an Eyed Elater this year. The Eyed Elater is a species of Click Beetle, a family that includes many members that are able to right themselves if they find themselves on their backs by snapping the body and propelling the insect into the air, inevitably landing on its feet while producing an audible clicking sound. The false eyes provide excellent protective mimicry by discouraging predators who might sense a larger creature with large eyes that might try eating the predator.
Subject: Beetle in Northern Ghana
Geographic location of the bug: Tomale, Ghana Africa (Northern Ghana)
Date: 03/30/2019
Time: 12:17 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: My sister is in the Peace Corps in Northern Ghana, and woke up to this beetle crawling on her in the early morning hours. She is not sure what it is, and we can’t seem to find anything online. Can you help us identify it?
How you want your letter signed: Sister in the States
Click Beetle
Dear Sister in the States,
This is a Click Beetle in the family Elateridae, and its antennae are quite distinctive. It looks very similar to this Click Beetle from Uganda that we posted many years ago.
Subject: Torquoise headed beetle
Geographic location of the bug: Todos Santos, Mexico
Date: 01/09/2019
Time: 05:05 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi! This gorgeous fellow tried to bite my husband on our holiday. I can’t find a pic anywhere of what it might be and was hoping for your help to identify it.
We will enjoy hearing back from you!
Thank you – The Andresen Family
How you want your letter signed: Kelly Andresen
Ruby Click Beetle
Dear Kelly,
This gorgeous Beetle is a Ruby Click Beetle, and we are curious about the “bite” you mentioned. Click Beetles are not venomous nor poisonous, and they are not known to “bite” humans, though we recall Eric Eaton stating once that “if it has a mouth, it can bite.”
Subject: jewel beetle?
Geographic location of the bug: San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico
Date: 09/06/2018
Time: 05:09 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Can you please identify this beetle? It’s about 1.5 inches long
Thank you
How you want your letter signed: Mike Hubbard
Ruby Click Beetle
Dear Mike,
While this is NOT a Jewel Beetle in the family Buprestidae, it is a beetle with a jewel mentioned in its common name. It is a Ruby Click Beetle, Chalcolepidius rubripennis. The Ruby Click Beetle is well represented on iNaturalist.
Ruby Click Beetle
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