cool bug

[Kali]

I don't know the proper name for these, I just call them "those big red and white mesquite bugs". True bugs, they are quite large - 2 inches or so when fully grown, and have the strangest smell - kind of like playdoh.

this one is probably an instar - not fully adult, although I don't know how many phases they actually have.

dorsal view


ventral view

sorry, not the best resolutions - it was almost dark and I was a long way from the computer to see if the shots came out. Plus it is a real cheapo camera.

[Ptah]

1. Another desert being I've never heard of or seen

:thumbsup:

Thanks, Kali

[Kali]

5. most welcome, sir

everything OK with your Mom?

[Ptah]

6. She's back home, walking and talking.

Thanks for asking, ya battleax!

:hug:

[Kali]

8. ...

;-)

[Ptah]

9. : : :

:applause:

I'm hoping to see this soon:

[u4ic]

2. Ack!

Where's my vacuum? :scared:

[Kali]

7. they are kind of big - might clog your vacuum!

:P

seriously - I have never seen them anywhere but in mesquite trees and not very often at that. usually one tree will have a group of them on one or two branches, maybe 10 or 15 of them total and they are pretty slow moving (if at all) unless you disturb them, then they just walk around - never had one in the house or anything like that

[idgiehkt]

3. cool!

I know there are several entymologists around here, maybe you can get an I.D. on it. I wish we had exotic ones like that around here. I have cicadas in my trees but I don't get to see them much except when they die.

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. That's definitely a neat bug.

[RushIsRot]

10. Send these folks a photo and ask.

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

[Kali]

15. that is looking like a great site!

I'm enjoying the political slant in the comments to requests on the front page! will book mark it.

[MonkeyFunk]

11. not surprisingly

it's called the Giant Mesquite Bug

http://bugguide.net/node/view/57690/bgpage

[Kali]

13. wow googling Thasus acutangulus led me to a site that sells them!

for $25 each. Crazy.

[MonkeyFunk]

14. ooh!

Start your own business - sell 'em for $24!

[stuntcat]

12. Party Bug!

very nice