Now on ScienceBlogs: The Galaxy's Biggest Valentine
My scientific specialty is chronobiology (circadian rhythms and photoperiodism), with additional interests in comparative physiology, animal behavior and evolution. I am not an MD so I cannot diagnose and treat your sleep problems. As well as writing this blog, I am also the Online Discussion Expert for PLoS. This is a personal blog and opinions within it in no way reflect the policies of PLoS. You can contact me at: Coturnix@gmail.com
Buy the 2009 Science Blogging Anthology:
Buy the 2008 Science Blogging Anthology:
Buy the 2007 Science Blogging Anthology:
Buy the 2006 Science Blogging Anthology:
Add Scienceblogs to your Technorati Favorites!
« ScienceOnline'09: Interview with Sol Lederman | Main | Today's carnivals »
Category: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words • Insects • Invertebrates
Posted on: June 22, 2009 5:00 PM, by Coturnix
I am pretty sure it's a true bug (i.e., I am not being sloppy by calling just any ole' insect a bug). I got as close as I could with my iPhone, but the lighting was bad. This is on my porch and the bug is really large - about 1 inch in length of the body.
So, what is it?
Life ScienceTrackBack URL for this entry: http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/113066
Orac 02.13.2012
Tim Lambert 09.12.2011
ERV 11.26.2011
Tim Lambert 02.01.2012
Orac 01.26.2012
Comments
Actually, I think it might be a bat. Cover your hair. Bats will fly into your hair.
Posted by: Greg Laden | June 22, 2009 5:16 PM
Fred. That bug looks like a Fred to me. Or maybe a Mabel.
Posted by: Russell | June 22, 2009 5:26 PM
It's one of Assassin Bug Family members and you certainly don't want to mess with it. We have them a bunch here.
Posted by: Tanja Sova | June 22, 2009 5:35 PM
I agree with Tanja. It looks like Fred there has likely assassinated a rival bug from a prominent family and is looking for a place to lay low.
Just be cool, Coturnix, be cool.
Posted by: Glendon Mellow | June 22, 2009 6:02 PM
I'm not expert, but that looks more like what we call a giant stink bug. The size is right, as are those distinctively shaped rear legs. I don't know whether it's a "true" stink bug though. (Or even if "stink bugs" is a valid grouping, for that matter.)
Posted by: qetzal | June 22, 2009 6:10 PM
It's a leaf-footed bug (Order Hemiptera), hard to tell the genus from your pictures, but Family Coreidae.
Posted by: Adrian Thysse, FCD | June 22, 2009 6:34 PM
Adrian Thysse is correct.
It's a leaf-footed bug (Coreidae), probably in the genus Leptoglossus.
Pictures are too blurry to identify to species.
Posted by: Mark Metz | June 22, 2009 8:41 PM
It is indeed a coreid bug. We get a lot of those little cuties around our home every summer and fall, and are extremely fond of them. If you annoy it slightly (try prodding it gently with your finger) it will probably emit an odor like strong vinegar.
Posted by: Julie Stahlhut | June 22, 2009 9:40 PM
It is in fact a true bug. It has a sharp proboscis that is used for puncturing other insects and will cause a most painful "bite" if you should happen to get one in your trousers. It is a leaf foot bug, also called an assassin bug. Most likely it is Leptoglossus oppositus, but it is a blurry photo.
And that is all from the entomological community :)
Posted by: rangerjen | June 23, 2009 8:36 AM
That thing is fucking scary!
Posted by: Comrade PhysioProf | June 23, 2009 2:03 PM
At first, I thought it was an assassin bug, but then that's probably because I watched that silly guy let one bite him on "Bite Me" on the Travel Channel the other day. Apparently the assassin bug can cause Chagas disease because of bacteria that are excreted with its poo as it gorges itself on a host -the bacteria come in contact with the wound created by the proboscis when it pulls out and treads across.
But then I remembered a site I came across once that lets you search by photo. Like rangerjen posted above, I came up with Leptoglossus phyllopus -a true bug and member of the same order as the assassin bug.
I think most of the Chagas cases from assassin bites occur in Central & South America.
Anyway, here's the site and worth the bookmark when you want to find a particular bug: http://bugguide.net/node/view/93
Posted by: cfeagans | June 26, 2009 11:46 PM