As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Name That Bug? [Solved]

PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
edited May 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
Ok, this feels stupid but I don't know what kind of bug this is. I've seen a couple inside, and I'm hoping it's not something that'll cause problems. So I chased one down and caught it in a bottle of water I was drinking, hoping to identify it. But other sites seem to expect me to know more than I do. I took pictures, but it's got six legs, looks to have two sets of wings. It's small, only like an inch long. It doesn't seem to be able to fly too well, but it moves pretty fast on foot. It can stand on the water in the bottle, but I don't know if that's tough for bugs or not. Can anyone tell me what this one is?

bug1.jpg
bug2.jpg

edit: I should add that I'm just north of Baltimore, Maryland, in the USA. It's the start of summer here.

PolloDiablo on

Posts

  • NightDragonNightDragon 6th Grade Username Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    You should try these guys:

    http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

    My mother and I have searched that site, and once or twice emailed them with a picture, and it's been great for identifying bugs (for those curious about such things) :P. I'm almost positive you could find an answer there.


    [edit] also, be warned - some of the bugs on that site are absolutely horrifying.

    NightDragon on
  • Bendery It Like BeckhamBendery It Like Beckham Hopeless Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    looks almost like a Jerusalem cricket

    Bendery It Like Beckham on
  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    You should try these guys:

    http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

    My mother and I have searched that site, and once or twice emailed them with a picture, and it's been great for identifying bugs (for those curious about such things) :P. I'm almost positive you could find an answer there.


    [edit] also, be warned - some of the bugs on that site are absolutely horrifying.

    holy jesus buttfuck christ

    I had never seen a brown recluse bite before, what the fuck.

    Besides that, I'll check there too.

    As for the cricket, that's what it looks kind of like to me too, but the wings and head don't quite fit.

    PolloDiablo on
  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    It's a soldier beetle. An oddity to the beetle world, really.

    I think that particular one is the margined soldier beetle.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • NightDragonNightDragon 6th Grade Username Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Yep, Bowen's got it. "Margined Leatherwing Beetle"

    From a quick Google search, it seems that they're harmless. They eat nectar/pollen, and other bugs.

    NightDragon on
  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Yup, most beetles have the plate like feature on the top part of their thorax, and an ~11-part segmented antennae.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Awesome, thanks. I'm impressed by your ability, I had never seen one of these before. I released it outside, but there's an apocolyptic thunderstorm at the moment, so maybe it hates me for it.

    I also feel the need to point out that in a google search for "Margined Leatherwing Beetle wikipedia" the only wiki pages to show up are for Batman. This is truly an enlightened age.

    PolloDiablo on
  • Fuzzy Cumulonimbus CloudFuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Sure it isn't a box elder beetle?

    box%20elder%20and%20milk%20weed%20bug.jpg
    one on left

    Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud on
  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    No, the wings are diffferent, and it's not as rounded in the middle. I'm pretty confident now it's a margined leatherwing beetle, or something visually indistinguishable from one.

    PolloDiablo on
  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    http://bugguide.net/

    I used that, because it's much easier to look through possible bugs, if you know what type of bug it is. Since I knew it was a beetle it was really easy to find it.

    http://bugguide.net/node/view/63294

    This is yours. They're very similar to lightning bugs, too, which are also part of the beetle family (the other reason I was able to locate them quickly).

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
This discussion has been closed.