Subject: Bee mimic?
Location: Northern California (Sierra Nevada Foothills)
May 4, 2016 5:18 am
Hiya bugman,
What is this thing??? Looks like some kind of beetle to me, based on the antennae and wings, but that inverted abdomen is wild! Found in Northern California a couple of days ago. Please help us figure out just what this little critter is.
Thanks!
Signature: -M
Dear M,
We absolutely love to receive images of Lion Beetles, Ulochaetes leoninus, as they are not commonly seen. Lion Beetles are Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae and they are effective mimics of stinging bees or wasps.
You’re the best. I love your site. I’ve been using it since probably 2002 or 2003, but this is the first time I sent anything. Keep up the GREAT work; you’re literally one of the best sites on the entire internet in my opinion.
Best,
Marc
Dear Marc,
We had a rough day at work today and your comment really helped improve our mood.
Daniel,
Sorry it took me a week to respond to this, but I want you to know that there have been MANY days when WTB pulled me out of a funk just by looking at all the amazing specimens and knowledge that you have. It is seriously one of my favorite sites, and I visit all the time. Thanks to WTB I was able to identify quite a few of the crazy critters that have visited my home over the years… hellgrammites and their adult version Dobson flies; crane flies; solpugids; about 3 thousand different kinds of spiders (OK that’s an exaggeration); june beetles, and the bug that started it all for me — the house centipede.
Hope this Wednesday is going better than your last. 🙂
-Marc