Sand Puppy?
September 7, 2009
We saw this out in the desert this past weekend at Five Mile Pass in Utah and would like to know what it is.
?
Desert
Dear ?,
This is a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket in the genus Stenopelmatus. There needs to be a thorough study of the genus in order to identify the different species. BugGuide indicates: “Capinera (1) states the genus needs revision, with 14 species currently described in the family, but more than 60 North American species likely–most presumably in this genus.” Potato Bugs have many colorful common names. At one point, we believed Sand Puppy was one of them, but now we believe that the creatures known as Sand Puppies are actually Solpugids.