Subject: Unidentified Insect
Geographic location of the bug: Southern Pope County, Arkansas
Date: 09/25/2021
Time: 12:14 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I saw these bugs on my doorjamb at about 8PM 9/25/21. The temperature was about 65 F/18.3 C degrees. For reference, my thumb in one picture is 3/4 inch/18mm wide. I’m in a small neighborhood built on a reclaimed swamp. Some remaining wetlands, open fields, and a small patch of woods are also nearby.
How you want your letter signed: Miah
Dear Miah,
These are Striped Walkingsticks in the genus Anisomorpha, a group that are commonly called Muskmares because mated pairs, with the considerably larger female carrying her diminutive mate, resemble a horse and its rider. Approach with caution. Striped Walkingsticks are able to shoot a noxious substance into a predator’s eyes with amazing accuracy.
Thank you so much for the ID! She was so thick, I never would have guessed she was a type of walking stick. I always have the long twiggy ones in mind when I think of those, which is probably why I couldn’t find her on any ID sites.
I just read that they have been reported eating rosemary, and I do have a large rosemary plant only a couple of feet from where I saw this. Bugs are cool!