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Marine
Isopod: Sea Slater
(01/19/2008) this one scared my little son, what is it?
Hello from Australia!
This one scared my 1 y.o. son this morning as he was playing
next to the door, he saw it running around (not too fast).
The thing is I have never seen something like it. The
body itself was about 1 inch long at least, actually, the
board itself is 95mm wide, so it looks more like 30mm for
the body. The spray didn't bother him, only the light of the
flash when I took a picture. I didn't think to take a picture
of its belly once I picked it up. Its shell felt rather
robust while holding it, lots of feet underneath... and notice
the sort of tails with those spike bits pointing upwards.
One thing that might help: I threw it over the balcony
into the water (sea water) and to my surprise, it sank immediately.
Because I don't know if my son touched it by mistake I'm willing
to know if it is any harmful... We are located in Port Stephens,
NSW Australia. Please let us know your findings... thank
you for your help!
Greg
Hi Greg,
This is a Marine Isopod, sometimes called a Sea Slater, or
Beach Cockroach or Rock Louse. We just received a photo from
Florida as well. We suspect your specimen is in the genus
Ligia, perhaps Ligia
oceanica. They are harmless scavengers and can get very
numerous on rocky beaches. We are surprised that you have never noticed them since your house is on the beach. It is curious how this Sea Slater found its way into your home since they rarely stray away from the crashing waves. Perhaps a luckless seagull dropped it on your balcony.
Marine
Isopod: Beach Cockroach
(01/18/2009)
Hi,
Thanks for taking the time to look. Realize this is not a
true insect, but many of the "bugs" you i.d. are
not, so hope you can tell me what this little (about an inch
long) tank is! It was seen on a beach on Cedar Key in Florida
in late summer. Thanks in advance for any help.
Jacque Merritt
Hi Jacque,
This is a Marine Isopod. We are not sure if it is Ligia occidentalis,
which is found on the west coast, or some other species in
the genus. It is sometimes called a Beach
Cockroach Rock
Louse or Sea
Slater.
Oriental Hornets attack Ghost Crab in Oman
(12/02/2007) Air attack by hornets on crab
In Oman recently, observed some hornets attacking a crab which
was defending a piece of discarded food on the beach. Three
hornets ended up attacking together from different directions.
The crab just swiped at them with its big claw. The hornets
gave up in the end. Hope the pictures are of interest.
John Jackson
Hi John,
Wow, what action photos you have sent us. These are Oriental
Hornets, Vespa orientalis, and they are social wasps. We found
a website
that identifies them, lists the distribution as northern africa,
western asia and madagascar, and gives other information about
them. We are not sure what type of crab it is and we haven't
the time to research that right now.
Update (12/03/2007) crab vs. hornet
that has to be the funniest picture I have ever seen! It's
like David and Goliath. I guess the hornets thought it was
worth the try. I'm sure the crab was laughing! happy holidays
Lee Weber
Nottingham PA
Hi Lee,
We agree that these photos are quite amazing. We were in a
big rush to post them this morning before going to work.
Update: (12/05/2007) The crab and the oriental
hornets
Hi Daniel,
The crab in those really great pictures is a species of Ghost
Crab, genus Ocypode. They are called ghost crabs because at
least some of the species are so well camouflaged that they
are pretty much invisible on the sand until they move, which
is often very rapidly indeed! In the Caribbean they come out
of their burrows towards the end of the day. I don't know
which species this would be, as there are apparently 5 different
species in the genus in Oman. All the very best,
Susan Hewitt
Crayfish
(03/01/2007) do you know what type of bug this is?
Hello,
I found this bug in my yard today. It is roughly the lenght
of my palm and about the half of the width of my palm. He
has pinchers and looks like a miniture brown lobster. Thank
you
Angela
Hi Angela,
This is a Crayfish, a freshwater crustacean. They are a delicacy
in the south.
Sand Crab or Mole Crab
(02/19/2007) Brazilian coast bug
This is the picture of a very common bug in the coast of brazil.
It lives in the sand and it's size ranges from 3 or 4 mm to
3 cm. It's like some kind of betlee that buries it self in
the sand. Thank you very much
Javier
Hi Javier,
We have very fond memories of capturing Sand Crabs in the
interstitial zone of the beaches near Topanga Canyon, CA in
the 70s. Thanks for sending in a truly awesome photo of a
Sand Crab.
Hi guys,
Ah, one of my favorite kind of cute little critters, Mole
Crabs! This is Emerita brasiliensis, the Brazilian Sand Crab
or Mole Crab. It's one of the species shown at: http://www.usp.br/cbm/artigos/praia.html
Here on the East Coast of the US we have lots of really nice
Atlantic Mole Crabs, Emerita talpoida. From what I read, there
are in total four different species of sand crab on the Atlantic
coast of the Americas, and two species on the Pacific coast,
including your Emerita analoga (the other Pacific species
is more tropical.)
Susan
Marine Isopod from Japan
(01/30/2007) Japanese bugs
More pictures. hopefully these aren't too big. This creepy
crawly we saw on the beach. We liked calling them "seacockroaches"
but I'm assuming that they're some sort of louse. There were
tons of them, the smaller ones being browner in color, and
the older larger ones were darker in color. They collected
on breakwaters and seemed to like to keep away from the water.
Nick
Hi Nick,
This looks like some species of Marine Isopod to us. Isopods
are Crustaceans.
Marine Isopods
(08/20/2006) bug
Thank you for your wonderful and informative site. I have
to say upfront, I'm not a bug lover, but I find myself fascinated
by your site because I can at least identify the small creatures
that freak me out! Anyway, I digress... we live in Maryland,
directly on the Chesapeake Bay. At the shore front we have
a large stone rip-rap that protects the shoreline from erosion.
Every morning and late afternoon, these large rocks and the
adjacent pier, are covered in bugs. They are so fast and scatter
when we approach! There are hundreds of them and they will
swarm on the rocks and are not dislodged by the breaking waves.
My children think they look like 'Plankton' from Spongebob,
although they are different in color! Anyway, here are some
pics! Thank you again for all the information you provide.
GKS - bugged in Maryland!
Dear Bugged,
These are Marine Isopods, a type of Crustacean. They are closely
related to Sow Bugs or Rollie Pollies that are found in damp
spots in terrestrial gardens.
Crawdads for Dinner
(08/15/2006) Crawdad/Crayfish
OK, so I am supposed to be doing Scout stuff (minutes, updating
the website, etc) and I am stuck on your sight. Yes, I have
been looking at it for almost 2 hours now! As I peruse various
pages, I came across the crayfish. I couldn't resist! As you
may now know, we had a great time at Timothy Lake (Oregon).
Not only did we get to see a fabulous sight (the butterflies),
but my wonderful son and his buddy went snorkeling for crawdads.
At first I was a little skeptical to eat them, but YUM! You
don't have to post, but I thought you might enjoy the pictures.
BTW, thanks for the great site. I have already added to my
favorites and cannot wait to share with others. It's a lot
of work and dedication. Thanks to you there is a wonderful
resource for finding out What That Bug?
Jennifer
 
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for the kind letter, though we feel guilty you are
shirking your duties by indulging in the guilty pleasure of
What's That Bug? We have eaten Crawdads, and think they are
delicious as well. We like to distinguish between the term
Crayfish, to mean the living creature, and Crawdad as the
potential food source.
Fairy Shrimp
(04/19/2006) please tell us what this is
the kids and i went for a walk and thought we saw minnows
swimming around in swamp near home.when we looked closer found
out it was some kind of larvae . can you tell us what this
is? it swims on its back i think?
Steve
Hi Steve,
Fairy Shrimp are Crustaceans that are usually found in the
spring in ponds that dry up in the summer. Eggs are laid and
wait in the dry mud for spring rains or winter thaws before
they hatch. They are relatede to Sea Monkeys.
Leafcutting Bee lives with Hermit Crabs!!!
(02/11/2006) Bee/Wasp?
Hello Mr.Bugman.
WOW! What a Treasure trove of Bug Info! I am a Land Hermit
Crab owner and I have recently found a Bee or Wasp, Dont quite
know. She is Mostly Black with some thin White Stripes around
her Abdomen and Seems to have Some Fuzz on the Thorax. I am
in Western Massachusetts and Since it is Early February, Releasing
it out into the Environment is not an Option at this time.
Can ya Please Help me Identify her And if known, What May
I add to my Crab Habitat for food? The Pictures of her is
on a Piece of Cholla Wood. I am guessing that she is about
1/8 to 1/4 inch in Length. Thank you for any assistance.
Mike
 
Hi Mike,
This looks like a Leaf-Cutting Bee in the genus Megachile.
Female bees like cells in rotting wood or soil with circles
of leaves that they cut with their mandibles. The cells are
then filled with pollen and nectar and an egg is laid. The
best food source you can provide for your tenant consists
of fresh flowers, so you might be amassing a substantial florist
bill.
Triops: Tadpole Shrimp
(09/15/2005) Unknown insects in the puddle
Hello!
I’m from Russia , Ural region, Ekaterinburg city. This
summer my daughter discovers paddles along forest road. She
finds out those bugs. They swim at the bottom quick enough.
What is it? It looks like prehistoric insects. I made digital
photo in two projections - view from above, bottom view and
merged in one.
Best wishes!
Greetings,
These are not insects but Crustaceans. We believe they are
Copepods in the suborder Harpacticoida.
(09/20/2005) Copepods from 9/15
I believe these are actually Triops (not sure of the species).
You can buy them in kits to raise (lots of fun! And if you're
good, you can keep the colony going). Very old critter, related
to trilobites. They live in vernal pools and the like.
My triops (& mosquito pupae)
Janet Sugino Brinnon WA
Thanks for the correction Janet. Here is a link
with more information on these prehistoric creatures.
Request for Information
(06/19/2006)
Dear Bugman
Hi from France. My name is Eric and I study triops. That's
why I collect everything on the web concerning this branchiopod.
I saw on your website a message coming from Russia with a
picture of (unidentified !) species of triops. Do you think
that it could be possible to join this person ? Thank you
by advance
Eric
eric_gallerne@carrefour.com
Catching
Crayfish
(08/06/2005) Crayfish Heaven
Hello again Bugman,
If you like fishing for big game fish and you like to use
Crayfish, you should come up here because in the river by
my Grandmother's house (it's very rocky) you could probably
find at least 10 big ones underneath a rock. Here's a picture
of the biggest and the smallest ones I caught and let go today.
The biggest one was 4 inches (I measured them) and the smallest
one was 1 inch.
Bryce
Hi Bryce,
Your photo takes us back to our childhood.
Crayfish
(07/20/2005) bug I can't Identify
Dear Sir or Madame:
Attached to this E-Mail is a jpg photo of a bug unlike anything
I have ever seen before. I am no expert by any means, in fact
I normaill have no interest in bugs. However this particular
bug was appoximately 5 inches long and very strange looking.
I know the photo is kind of far away, my girlfriend took the
photo and was afraid to get to close. Regardless, if you could
help me identify this bug I would be greatly appreciate it.
The only guess I can make is possibly a whip scorpion.
Thank You,
Jeremy
Hi Jeremy,
This is a Crayfish, also known as a Crawfish, Clawfish or
Crawdad. It is a crustacean, a fresh water relative of the
lobster.
Crayfish
(06/23/2005) Unidentified Bug
Please us to learn what this bug is. We took a few pictures
for your
review. The tail looks like a lobster's tail. It has long
straight shaped pinchers. Dark brown in color with a few light
colored blotches on its tail. There are things underneath
it's tail shell, they may be eggs.
Mark
Hi Mark,
This is a female Crayfish (Crawfish, Clawfish, Crawdad) and
she is a fresh water relative of the lobster. They can survive
on land for long periods of time, burying themselves in the
mud.
Crayfish or Termite? You Decide
(06/06/2005) What is this?
Came across your website when trying to identify this “nest”
found in a nature reserve in South Australia . Is it
a wasp nest? Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.
Our first guess would be a Crayfish (or Crawfish or Clawfish
or Crawdad) Burrow, but it is shaped differently than the
ones we see stateside. I would also guess possibly a termite
mound.
Crayfish
Burrow
(04/07/2005) What's that nest?
Hello,
We have spotted two nests in the yard of a home we're looking
to purchase in southern Illinois that we'd like to have identified. The
picture shows one of these nests from above. The
nests are pillar-like, and knobby, not just piles of dirt. At
the core of the pillar is a hole that's approximately 1 inch
in diameter, the opening of a tunnel that runs into the yard,
evidenced by a curvy path of dead grass. The tunnel
is not soft like that of a mole. Any ideas? Thanks!
Kevin
Dayton, OH
Hi Kevin,
Your hole sure looks like a Crayfish burrow to us. These lobster-like
crustaceans will bury themselves in the mud when their ponds
dry up.
(04/08/2005) Crayfish Burrow
I would like to open by saying that I look at your website
a lot and find it very fascinating. Thanks for a great service.
I have never mailed before but I had to respond to a picture
that you put up today. I am born and raised in New Orleans,
Louisiana and would like to offer some info on the picture
titled " Crayfish Burrow (04/07/2005) What's that nest?"
You are correct that is a crayfish hole or down here better
known as a Crawfish. We have them anywhere near fresh water
and they are great to eat!
Thanks again.
Maureen
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