Subject: unkown bug
Location: Brigadoon Western Australia Perth
December 10, 2013 7:02 am
Hi,
I don’t know much about entoemology and generally find the answers to my questions of what’s that bug from my family and friends. This time however I’ve not managed to find an answer and google hasn’t yielded any results. I would very much like to know what this is so I can stop traipsing the internet for an answer.
Signature: thankyo uvery much Chez

Hairy Backed Pie Dish Beetle

Hi Chez,
Many years ago, we received a similar image that we identified as a Pie Dish Beetle, but it took us five more years to identify it to the species level.  We believe you have submitted an image of a Hairy Backed Pie Dish Beetle, Helea perforata.

Hairy Backed Pie Dish Beetle

There are many more images online now than there were when we first were asked to identify this unusual Darkling Beetle, and now you can find great images on Friends of Queens Park Bushland where it states:  “Pie-dish beetles feed on dead and decaying plant material.  Pie-dish beetles lay their eggs in moist soil during summer and autumn, usually under clumps of rotting plant material, under which adults often shelter. Females of some species can lay up to 1,000 eggs during their life spans. The rate of egg production appears to be related to temperature. So is the time of hatching, which ranges from seven to fourteen days after the eggs were laid.
After hatching, the larvae can be found in loose clusters on the top of moist soil, dispersing as they develop. When fully grown, they burrow deeper into wetter soil where they build a circular pupal chamber and change into pupae. One to three weeks later, the adults emerge. At first they are soft and light brown, but they harden after about a week and the body becomes dark brown or black, the colour depending on the species. Soon after emergence, mating occurs and eggs develop three or four weeks later. Adult pie-dish beetles can be relatively long-lived (up to a year).”  Esperance Blog has an image of a mating pair of Hairy Backed Pie Dish Beetles.  Your comprehensive views of the individual you encountered are an excellent addition to our photo archive.

Hairy Backed Pie Dish Beetle

Yay!,
Thats an awesome name for a beetle and makes sense, we’ve recently built a compost bin by the house for our food scraps so I look forward to seeing more of these curious creatures wandering around the general area.
Thankyou very much
Chez

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Subject: black beetle
Location: stanford university hills, northern california
March 24, 2014 4:53 pm
it bugs me that i do not know the identity of this common bug
BTW – it likes mushrooms
Thanks
Signature: virusmanbob

Desert Stink Beetle

Dear virusmanbob,
This is a Desert Stink Beetle in the genus Eleodes.  They are sometimes called Acrobat Beetles because of the way they position themselves when threatened, with head lowered and rear end up in the air.  You can view additional images on BugGuide.

Dear Daniel -
This is awesome!  Thank you so much!
This is my first query to whatsthatbug and it works!
On my website, I posted your reply with attribution and a link to whatsthatbug:
http://www.stanford.edu/~siegelr/insects/eleodes.html
I am a frequent mushroom observer user and I am hooked on that as well.
Best, Bob

Why is that Desert Stink Beetle clinging to a twig?

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Subject: Black And White Beetle?
Location: Bulverde, Texas
October 6, 2014 5:19 pm
What’s that bug,
I found this little guy crawling up the outside wall of my house in Bulverde, Texas in early October. He was about 1-2 inches long, six legs, black and white pattern on his body. I was just wondering what he might be and thought these photos might be helpful to you.
Thanks!
Signature: Kelsey

Ironclad Beetle

Dear Kelsey,
This Ironclad Beetle,  Zopherus nodulosus, gets its common name because of its extremely hard, nearly impenetrable exoskeleton.

The post Ironclad Beetle appeared first on What's That Bug?.

Subject: Coleoptera in Namibia
Location: Namibia
February 1, 2015 4:11 am
This insect was in the namib desert in Namibia :
https://goo.gl/maps/2OQMc
Would it be called the tok tokkie beetle ? What is the scientific name ?
Signature:  A Traveler

Tok-Tokkie

Dear A Traveler,
According to Beetles in the Bush:  “‘Tok-tokkie’ refers not to a particular genus or tribe of tenebrionids, but rather a number of flightless species that have developed a unique “tapping” method of communication between males and females.  The name “tok-tokkie” is onomatopoeic, referring to the sound these beetles make when they tap their abdomen on the ground.  In the same way that fireflies have species-specific patterns of flashes, different species of tok-tokkies tap with differing frequencies.  The beetle makes the noise by raising its abdomen and then bringing it down on the surface of the ground several times in quick succession.  Males initiate the tapping and await a response from a receptive female.  Signals are exchanged back and forth until, eventually, the two locate each other and mate.  Females lay eggs in shallow excavations in the dry, sandy soil, and the larvae that hatch feed within the soil on the roots of small plants.”  Your individual is a Darkling Beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, so the name Tok-Tokkie is appropriate.  We cannot say for certain the exact species.

Two other images you submitted are also flightless Tenebrionids, so they can also be called Tok-Tokkies.

Tok-Tokkie

Subject: Coleoptera in Namibia
Location: Namibia
February 1, 2015 4:14 am
This insect was in the namib desert in Namibia :
https://goo.gl/maps/2OQMc
Thanks for your research !

Tok-Tokkie

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Subject: help identifying beetle?
Location: Oregon
March 26, 2015 2:18 pm
Hello! While backpacking at Cottonwood Canyon State Park in N/Central Oregon (E of the Cascades) this past weekend I found this beetle. Saw at least three of them. It is a sandy/dry location, lots of sagebrush.
Perhaps in the Carabidae (ground beetle) family? The gold accents really stand out. No one seems to know what it is and Google is failing me! Hoping you can assist. Thanks!
Signature: Audrey Addison

Dune Beetle

Dear Audrey,
We are certain that this is not a Ground Beetle, but we are not certain of its exact identity.  We believe it is most likely a Darkling Beetle in the family Tenebrionidae or a Leaf Beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, but alas, we are in a rush this morning and we don’t have time to research its exact identity.  We are posting your image and perhaps one of our readers will write in with an identity.  If not, we will continue the research tomorrow.

Eric Eaton confirms Darkling Beetle
Hi, Daniel:
It is a darkling beetle called a “dune beetle,” in the genus Coelus.  Never saw one of these when I lived out there.  Neat find!
Eric

Thanks Eric,
We are linking to the BugGuide page on the genus.  Checking out the comments, we do believe it appears more like a member of the genus Eusattus, and in our opinion, based on images posted to BugGuide, it looks closest to Eusattus muricatus, a species with a much greater range than other members of the genus.

Eric Eaton responds
Well, shoot, I don’t know.  I never saw Eusattus out there, either, though in Arizona and here in Colorado, Eusattus is most definitely most abundant in the *fall*, not the spring.
Eric

Awesome!! I struggled trying to find any information on this beetle! Thank you for your help!!
Audrey

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Subject: Identification please
Location: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Mandeville,+QC+J0K/@46.4093252,-73.355562,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x4cc61a68badd6b59:0x27b7c7ab189a85cd?hl=fr
June 1, 2015 6:33 pm
Hi,
Found this bug in a forest in Quebec (Canada). The city is called Mandeville. It was near a waterfall.
Can you identify it?
Thanks
Signature: Steve Morissette

Eastern Ironclad Beetle

Dear Steve,
Thanks to its resemblance to our familiar western Diabolical Ironclad Beetle, we quickly identified your Eastern Ironclad Beetle, Phellopsis obcordata, thanks to images posted on Bugguide where it states they are found:  “under bark of decaying hardwoods & conifers in association with polypore fungi (Piptoporus, Fomes) in dense boreal forests and at high elevation in Appalachian Mts; larvae feed inside fungi.”

Eastern Ironclad Beetle

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Subject: 3 Namibian Insects
Location: Namibia
November 18, 2015 9:44 am
But of course Daniel.
The small beetle-like insect was walking on the sandy-dusty ground of the Anderson Campsite at Waterberg/Namibia. The ground colour was black and the body was all covered with sand. My idea is, that this “shabby” appearance is perhaps a way to camouflage itself.
After the research I did today, I now think it could be a Mouldy Beetle (Eurychora sp). In the video I made, it sure looks like it. I´ve put my video (20.6 MB) and a pic from the web on my google-drive-account, you can watch it in the link if you like:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B5DefwrewQJrd0E2Q3RuQWIzb0U&usp=sharing
That´s all I know until now to image 3, hope it helps.
Thanks again,
bye, Becky, Munich-Germany

Camouflaged Insect

Thanks for the additional information Becky.  The segmented antennae are a very good indication this is a beetle.  At first glance we thought it was a True Bug, but the antennae structure overrules that.  We found some images of Mouldy Beetles on Margy Green Coleoptera and we believe you have correctly identified this critter.  Images on iSpot and  Africa Wild are also a very good visual match to your image.

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Subject: Strange bug
Location: Kwazulu Natal South Africa
December 9, 2015 7:49 am
Hi
Please can you identify the attached bug
Signature: Greg Griffith

Darkling or Ironclad Beetle

Dear Greg,
We haven’t the time to do the research at this moment, but this is either a Darkling Beetle in the family Tenebrionidae or an Ironclad Beetle in the family Zopheridae.  We will do additional research later today.

Update:  December 10, 2015
We believe we found this matching image on iSpot that is identified as a Darkling Beetle, and there is a really robust comment on the differences between Ironclad Beetles and Darkling Beetles that ends with this conclusion:  “I think the teneb in this observation belongs to the tribe Asidini of the subfamily Pimeliinae, but I don’t know the tenebs well at all.”

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Subject: Mystery beetle
Location: Chinguetti, Mauritania
January 21, 2016 11:04 am
I wrote 11/19/2015 and at that time only had a photo of the beetle on its back. It appears early in the morning when it’s still cool. It is 4cm long. In winter It appears all day long.
The manuscript librarian said there is another species in the evening that looks like this one but with grey spots on its back. It only appears at night. It walks on the walls and makes holes to sleep inside.
Neither bug eats manuscripts but we are curious as to what it is? Please help.
Thanks,
Signature: Michaelle Biddle

Darkling Beetle

Dear Michaelle,
Our hunch is that this is a Darkling Beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, but we do not have time to research a more specific identity this evening.  Your beetle does remind us of the Stink Beetles in the genus Eleodes that we have in the Los Angeles area and desert climates in the Southwest U.S.

Darkling Beetle

Dear Daniel –
Thanks for the information.  I notice the picture is already up on your pages.
Best,
Michaelle

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Subject: Please help me name this beetle
Location: Sydney Australia
February 19, 2016 5:37 am
This beetle flew through my bedroom window at night.
Kind of heavy, strong grasp, black with interesting pattern – yet flat border around its oval body.
Stayed for awhile, and flew away again..
I’m just very interested in knowing.
Signature: Tyler leigh

Pie Dish Beetle

Dear Tyler,
This is one of the Pie Dish Beetles, an unusual group of genera belonging to the Darkling Beetle family Tenebrionidae.  According to Australian Museum:  “The pie-dish beetles’ common name refers to their general pie-dish shape and broad body flanges (rims) around the edges of their thickened, hardened, fore wings (elytra) and the front part of the thorax or second body segment (prothorax). These flanges can often be quite large.”  The site also states:  “Adult pie-dish beetles forage on the ground at night, moving around quite quickly on long legs. Some species return to the same resting-place at dawn, often using mammal (mainly rabbit) burrows to shelter in. Other species are commonly found under pieces of wood, leaf litter, logs or stones. Some species in the genus Pterohelaeus are found under the loose bark of living and dead trees such as Eucalyptus. The adults are most active during the hottest months of the year.  The pie-dish beetles’ flattened body form with expanded flanges may have been an evolutionary adaptation for living for living under the loose bark of Eucalyptus. In the more recently evolved species, the flanges are even more exaggerated, serving to deter predators and possibly to play a minor role in water collection.”  More images can be found on Brisbane Insects.

Pie Dish Beetle

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Subject: Pie dish bugs?
Location: north west sydney, Australia.
April 6, 2016 4:07 am
We have been finding many of these in and around my home. Tonight this little guy was in my daughter’s bed. Are they pie dish bugs? And are they harmless?
Signature: Eddie.

PIe Dish Beetle

Dear Eddie,
We agree that this is a Pie Dish Beetle in the genus Pterohelaeus based on images posted to the Brisbane Insect site.  According to the Australian Museum:  “Adult pie-dish beetles forage on the ground at night, moving around quite quickly on long legs. Some species return to the same resting-place at dawn, often using mammal (mainly rabbit) burrows to shelter in. Other species are commonly found under pieces of wood, leaf litter, logs or stones. Some species in the genus Pterohelaeus are found under the loose bark of living and dead trees such as Eucalyptus. The adults are most active during the hottest months of the year. ”  Pie Dish Beetles do not pose a threat to humans.

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Subject: Beetle
Location: Sun Valley, CA
May 17, 2016 7:24 pm
Started seeing a lot of these guys walking around.
Signature: Don’t care

Desert Stink Beetle

This is a Desert Stink Beetle or Acrobat Beetle, a group of distinctive black Darkling Beetles that often stand still with the tip of the abdomen pointed up while expelling a foul odor, a survival strategy that explains both common names.  BugGuide also indicates Circus Beetle is name that describes the entire genus.  Your individual has a set of characteristics:  smooth elytra, pointed abdomen tip and broad pronotum, that is quite distinctive.  The closest match we could find on BugGuide is  Eleodes acuticaudus.

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Subject: unknown Beetle in Mexico
Location: Lake Chapala, Mexico
May 21, 2016 9:43 pm
This past year I moved from Albuquerque NM to the area just south of Guadalajara, Mexico so everything here is new to me. Right now the Mexican “Rain-Birds,” a Mexican version of the cicada are singing loudly in search of mates.
On a different subject though, I keep seeing these beetles on the side of the house. They seem remarkably placid, never moving around, sometimes staying in the same place for 3 days. They are beautifully ornamented.
I don’t see them eat anything (nor are they pursued). They don’t seem to be looking for mates. They have been around since early April.
Signature: Ken

Ironclad Beetle

Dear Ken,
This distinctive beetle is an Ironclad Beetle, Zopherus nodulosus, and it is a species well represented in our archives because the species is also found in Texas.  According to BugGuide, the range is:  “s. TX to Mexico.”

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Subject: Iron Clad Beetle?
Location: Angeles National Forest
June 26, 2016 1:25 am
Dear Bugman,
I found this guy at Wildwood picnic area in Angeles National Forest, located just north of Sunland, CA. I was wondering if I have correctly identified this insect as an “Iron Clad Beetle.” This bug had a pecular way of playing dead when I picked it up and gently placed it on my notebook for a better shot.
Signature: Jessica Chortkoff

Ironclad Beetle

Dear Jessica,
We agree that you have properly identified your Ironclad Beetle.  Because we wanted to be able to provide as much detail in the insect in the posting, we were forced to crop the image, meaning your name has been cropped out. 

Dear Bugman (Professor Marlos),
Feel free to crop my photos as needed. I put my name on them so nobody on facebook can steal them and use them as their own. I hope all is well at LACC. I had a really rough year and am spending my time working on a film about Angeles Forest. As I catalog the various insects I find there I plan to share some more photos soon, but will try to not overwhelm your site with too many at a time. -Jessica

Hi Jessica,
We didn’t realize that was you writing.  The different surname through us.  Good luck with your film and we hope things get better for you.  The award winning Collegian Times Magazine did quite well this past year thanks to your contributions.

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Subject: Namibian Beetle
Location: Namibia, Africa
November 1, 2016 7:16 am
Hello! I found this insect crawling on a petrified sand dune in Spitzkoppe, Namibia last April. I am having a very hard time identifying it. Thank you for your help!
Signature: Josh

Darkling Beetle, we believe

Dear Josh,
We suspect that this is a Darkling Beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, but though we have located several black and white striped African species online, nothing quite matches your lovely individual.  We couldn’t even locate a match on the Beetles of Africa site.  Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck.

Identification:  Cesar Crash provided us with this link to Margy Green Photo Design of Trachynotus sp. (Tenebrionidae) that sure looks similar.  This genus is not well represented on the internet and we did find a removed Ebay posting of a specimen for sale that was listed as “extremely rare.”

Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for your response.  I’m glad to have some further clarification as to its identity.
Thanks again!
Josh

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Subject: Beetle
Location: Sun Valley, CA
May 17, 2016 7:24 pm
Started seeing a lot of these guys walking around.
Signature: Don’t care

Desert Stink Beetle

This is a Desert Stink Beetle or Acrobat Beetle, a group of distinctive black Darkling Beetles that often stand still with the tip of the abdomen pointed up while expelling a foul odor, a survival strategy that explains both common names.  BugGuide also indicates Circus Beetle is name that describes the entire genus.  Your individual has a set of characteristics:  smooth elytra, pointed abdomen tip and broad pronotum, that is quite distinctive.  The closest match we could find on BugGuide is  Eleodes acuticaudus.

The post Desert Stink Beetle appeared first on What's That Bug?.

Subject: unknown Beetle in Mexico
Location: Lake Chapala, Mexico
May 21, 2016 9:43 pm
This past year I moved from Albuquerque NM to the area just south of Guadalajara, Mexico so everything here is new to me. Right now the Mexican “Rain-Birds,” a Mexican version of the cicada are singing loudly in search of mates.
On a different subject though, I keep seeing these beetles on the side of the house. They seem remarkably placid, never moving around, sometimes staying in the same place for 3 days. They are beautifully ornamented.
I don’t see them eat anything (nor are they pursued). They don’t seem to be looking for mates. They have been around since early April.
Signature: Ken

Ironclad Beetle

Dear Ken,
This distinctive beetle is an Ironclad Beetle, Zopherus nodulosus, and it is a species well represented in our archives because the species is also found in Texas.  According to BugGuide, the range is:  “s. TX to Mexico.”

The post Ironclad Beetle from Mexico appeared first on What's That Bug?.

Subject: Iron Clad Beetle?
Location: Angeles National Forest
June 26, 2016 1:25 am
Dear Bugman,
I found this guy at Wildwood picnic area in Angeles National Forest, located just north of Sunland, CA. I was wondering if I have correctly identified this insect as an “Iron Clad Beetle.” This bug had a pecular way of playing dead when I picked it up and gently placed it on my notebook for a better shot.
Signature: Jessica Chortkoff

Ironclad Beetle

Dear Jessica,
We agree that you have properly identified your Ironclad Beetle.  Because we wanted to be able to provide as much detail in the insect in the posting, we were forced to crop the image, meaning your name has been cropped out. 

Dear Bugman (Professor Marlos),
Feel free to crop my photos as needed. I put my name on them so nobody on facebook can steal them and use them as their own. I hope all is well at LACC. I had a really rough year and am spending my time working on a film about Angeles Forest. As I catalog the various insects I find there I plan to share some more photos soon, but will try to not overwhelm your site with too many at a time. -Jessica

Hi Jessica,
We didn’t realize that was you writing.  The different surname through us.  Good luck with your film and we hope things get better for you.  The award winning Collegian Times Magazine did quite well this past year thanks to your contributions.

The post Ironclad Beetle appeared first on What's That Bug?.

Subject: Namibian Beetle
Location: Namibia, Africa
November 1, 2016 7:16 am
Hello! I found this insect crawling on a petrified sand dune in Spitzkoppe, Namibia last April. I am having a very hard time identifying it. Thank you for your help!
Signature: Josh

Darkling Beetle, we believe

Dear Josh,
We suspect that this is a Darkling Beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, but though we have located several black and white striped African species online, nothing quite matches your lovely individual.  We couldn’t even locate a match on the Beetles of Africa site.  Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck.

Identification:  Cesar Crash provided us with this link to Margy Green Photo Design of Trachynotus sp. (Tenebrionidae) that sure looks similar.  This genus is not well represented on the internet and we did find a removed Ebay posting of a specimen for sale that was listed as “extremely rare.”

Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for your response.  I’m glad to have some further clarification as to its identity.
Thanks again!
Josh

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Subject: What Beetle
Location: Noida, U.P. India
December 11, 2016 12:22 pm
Dear Daniel,
Kindly assist in identifying this matt Charcoal coloured Beetle.
thanks
Signature: Aditi

Darkling Beetle, we believe

Dear Aditi,
We believe this is a Darkling Beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, and it looks similar to this individual posted to FlickR and to the Dusty Brown Beetle posted to Plantwise.  Because we will be away from the office during the holidays, we are postdating this submission to go live toward the end of the month.

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