Dark Fishfly

On · Category: Dobsonflies and Fishflies · Add Comment

Subject: ID Please
Location: Western MA, USA
March 27, 2016 7:09 am
Hi,
I have looked around quite a bit & keep coming up empty handed. For some reason I got “doodlebug” stuck in my head, however that does not seem correct.
It was having issues navigating climbing the stalks & leaves of the low-lying, plants that were stream side. I am not sure if it had just emerged or had some fermented fruit….
Taken 6/3/15 – Holyoke, MA – At a reservoir. I have not seen one since….
Thank you….
Signature: Kristi

Dark Fishfly

Dark Fishfly

Dear Kristi,
Your Dark Fishfly in the genus Nigronia is only represented on our site with a two postings so we are thrilled with your submission and your excellent quality images.  Based on BugGuide images, we believe your individual is Nigronia fasciata.  According to BugGuide:  “Emergence of adults may be synchronized. Adults are diurnal (seen flying near streams) and also nocturnal, so come to lights. Eggs are laid on the underside of vegetation overhanging a stream. Larvae are aquatic, predatory. Perhaps take three years to mature in more temperate areas, such as West Virginia. Pupation occurs in earthen cells on the edge of streams.”  It is possible that the flight time in various locations is so brief that if one is not looking at that time, it could be years between sightings.

Dark Fishfly

Dark Fishfly

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Red Bycid from UK: Pyrrhidium sanguinium

On · Category: Longhorn Beetles · 2 Comments

Subject: Red bug UK
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
March 27, 2016 6:22 am
This was found this week in my house in the north east of the UK. Newcastle upon Tyne. It was about a centimetre in length.
I’d love to know what it is 🙂
Signature: Katie

Unknown Red Bycid we believe

Red Bycid is Welsh Oak Longhorn Beetle

Dear Katie,
Your request has us stumped.  Our initial impression remains that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, however we could not locate any matching images on the sites Nature Spot, the Website of the Watford Coleoptera Group or Eakring Birds.  Longhorned Borer Beetles and Leaf Beetles are grouped together taxonomically into the superfamily Chrysomeloidea, which means they share some physical similarities, and there is a red Lily Leaf Beetle that looks similar to your individual, however, the antennae in your images look more like the antennae of a member of the family Cerambycidae than of a Leaf Beetle in the family Chrysomelidae.  Information on the Lily Leaf Beetle can be found on The Telegraph.  We really don’t believe you have submitted an image of a Lily Leaf Beetle, but that is a possibility.  We are leaning toward this being a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Bycid, and we hope to have a conclusive ID for you soon.  Perhaps our readership will be able to assist us.

Update:  March 27, 2016
Upon receiving a comment that this is a rare Cerambycid, Pyrrhidium sanguinium, we located an Encyclopedia of Life posting indicating the common name is the Welsh Oak Longhorn Beetle.  The description on Forest Pests is:  “7-12 mm. Holomediterranean, common in broad-leaved forests. The main foodplant is oak. Larvae develop under the bark, and pupate in the heartwood, where the pupae overwinter. Adults fly in April and May.”  According to iNaturalist:  “larva of Pyrrhidium sanguineum feeds within dead surface sapwood (stump) of Quercus.”  The most information we located quickly is on the Worcestershire Record where it states:  “LITERALLY COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK  Roger Umpelby
This small (6-15mm long) bright red species seems to be establishing itself across the county with the latest record coming from the south-eastern corner of the county in Ashton-under-Hill in April 2009. As with several previous records the beetles emerged from cut logs both inside and outside. The original source of the logs is not known, but the timber had been stored in the wood yard in the village for well over a year, and since the beetle has a one-year life cycle, it must be established and breeding here. Previous county records are from March 2006 at Defford, Wyre Forest in 2008 and Drakes Broughton in May 2008.
This species is distributed throughout Europe and North Africa and into the Middle East. In central Europe it is one of the commonest longhorn beetles, but in the UK it is rare (RDB2). The larvae feed under bark of dead branches and trunks but, unlike some other longhorn species, eggs are readily laid in newly cut timber. Although oak is the favoured host, other deciduous trees are also hosts.
Sadly like other red beetles in the UK it frequently suffers from ‘mistaken identity’, as most gardeners assume any all-red beetle is a lily beetle Lilioceris lilii and kill them.”

Hi Daniel
How interesting! It could have come from the cut timber we bought for firewood I guess! I’ll keep an eye out for more. Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Katie

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Salmonfly from Canada

On · Category: Stoneflies and Snowflies · 1 Comment

Subject: Insect
Location: Maple Ridge, British Columbia
March 26, 2016 5:23 pm
I was working outside at a mill and we are situated along side the Fraser River. I always see strange bugs like the one pictured.
I’m trying to figure out what this insect is called.
I found it March 26th 2016( today)
The bug barely moved.I picked the bug up with a stick because the underside of his body was yellow. and I wanted to get a picture of it. The bug had a good grip.
I assumed it was just getting out of hibernation, as spring is upon us now.
I tried google image search, the result was dobsonfly, alderfly or fishfly.
Is this bug any of those three?
Signature: Corinne

Ebony Salmonfly, we believe

Ebony Salmonfly, we believe

Dear Corinne,
Though it resembles a Dobsonfly, Alderfly or a Fishfly in the Order Megaloptera, your insect is actually a Giant Stonefly in the genus Pteronarcys, commonly called a Salmonfly.  A comment posted to this BugGuide image indicates it is possibly the Ebony Salmonfly, Pteronarcys princeps, and the coloring matches your individual, but as the commentor indicates “two species here in CA and you need to see the naughty bits to tell them apart”, we cannot be certain of the species.  BugGuide lists British Columbia as a sighting location for the Ebony Salmonfly.

Probably Ebony Salmonfly

Probably Ebony Salmonfly

Ebony Salmonfly, we presume

Ebony Salmonfly, we presume

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Jumping Spider found in bunch of bananas in Canada

On · Category: Jumping Spiders · 2 Comments

Subject: Exotic Banana Stowaway or Fear Running Amok
Location:  Ontario
March 26, 2016 6:22 pm
Hi BugMan!!
I received a photo from a friend recently looking for some help IDing a spider because I enjoy searching through guides and web photos to try my amateur hand at insect identification. Fun fact: if you browse spiders on your phone on public transit people will move away from you 😉
Anyway, I am at a loss for this guy. My best guess has been something in the Salticidae family, but I cannot see a hint of green at the chelicerae, nor could I find those specific markings. I am frustrated and I must ask for help – hopefully, this is one of the lucky posts that makes it through.
Bit of background. Friend is a produce manager in southern Ontario and had this spider returned from a customer who stated that it had been found in bananas purchased there. Bananas came from Ecuador, but it’s pretty difficult to ascertain where the spider actually came from. Unfortunately, their company policy is to destroy any spiders that are returned in produce – BOO! and I have not seen the spider in person. The size has been stated to be approximately 1cm-1.25cm and she claims that there is no green (or blue, or any other colour) present at the chelicerae. Also, that the manner of walking is similar to a tarantula, but I don’t see the similarity in the hairiness and really think that the body structure is much more similar to a jumper.
Here’s hoping you can help end this frustration
Signature: A frustrated friend

Jumping Spider, but what species????

Jumping Spider, but what species????

Dear frustrated friend,
Your submission has caused us to lament the day that portable communication devices superseded home computers as the delivery method of choice for readers submitting identification requests to our site.  At that time, spelling and grammar took a back seat to garbled and incoherent communication replete with abbreviations and new acronyms.  The positive side of folks using cellular telephones is that they virtually all have cameras built in, which allowed more folks to capture images of the bugs they encounter, but verbal communication took several steps back as instant gratification caused terse phrases to replace complete sentences.  Thanks so much for your chatty request.  This is indeed a Jumping Spider in the family Salticidae, but we are not certain of the species.  Not all Jumping Spiders have metallic chelicerae.  The distinctive spinnerets at the end of the abdomen should make identification a bit easier, but our initial attempts have not provided a good species match for you.  We also want to comment on the produce policy of destroying spiders found on bananas.  There is a large Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria, that is now found throughout the world in warmer cities where bananas were shipped.  Many years ago, there were numerous stories of Tarantulas emerging from shipped bananas, and most of those Tarantulas were likely Huntsman Spiders.  The Huntsman Spiders, or Banana Spiders, are harmless, and they are actually quite beneficial in tropical countries where they hunt at night, feeding on Cockroaches.

Thank you Daniel. I really appreciate the confirmation.
It seems as though there may be some ramifications for my friend as a result of me adding the location in and I wonder if it’s possible if the town name could be removed?
I had asked if I could send it to your site and was granted permission for that (as it was her photo), but she was later warned about the potential for losing her job as a result of negative attention to the store and I was not informed until I sent your response. It’s a very small town with a single grocery store and I would hate for my friend to lose her job because she and I were trying to ID a spider.
My apologies for being a pain.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Done.

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Whitelined Sphinx

On · Category: Hornworms · Add Comment

Subject: Moth Identification
Location: Glendale CA
March 26, 2016 4:59 pm
I photographed this moth on the outside wall of my apartment building, next to the front door.
Date: March 26, 2016
Location: Glendale CA
I tried to identify it online, but no luck.
Can you tell me what moth this is and whether or not it is indigenous to California?
Thank-you for your help.
Signature: Bill in California

Whitelined Sphinx

Whitelined Sphinx

Dear Bill,
Not only is the Whitelined Sphinx indigenous to California, it can be found in all the continental United States as well as Mexico and Canada.  Caterpillars of the Whitelined Sphinx can be quite numerous in the deserts of the southwest when conditions are favorable, and when metamorphosis is complete, there are also large numbers of the adult White Lined Sphinx Moths seen feeding at dusk and dawn when they are frequently confused for hummingbirds because of they manner in which they fly.

Dear Daniel,
Thank-you so much for your extremely fast reply!
Before I contacted you, I looked up the entomology department
at UC Riverside, but they charge the general public $25.00 to
identity an insect. I am grateful that you have shared your
knowledge for free. Thank-you, again.
Sincerely,
Bill

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Mygalomorph Spider from South Africa

On · Category: Tarantulas and Trapdoor Spiders · Add Comment

Subject: Black spider
Location: Benoni East Rand Gauteng
March 26, 2016 1:00 am
Hi Bugman,
Before we moved into our new house one night, we spoted a strange looking black spider in the house. I’ve never seen one like this before, can you tell me what this is?
Signature: Boogie

Probably Trapdoor Spider

Probably Trapdoor Spider

Dear Boogie,
This looks like a primitive Mygalomorph Spider, a member of the Infraorder Mygalomorphae, the group that includes Tarantulas and Trapdoor Spiders.  We believe your individual is a Trapdoor Spider.  It does not look too dissimilar from the Horned Trapdoor Spider, Stasimopus filmeri, and other members of the genus pictured on iSpot.

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