Sunday, August 02, 2009

Weird Bug


Weird Bug. Once again I find myself at a loss for an ID. I have no idea what this is. Some kind of really cool, funky beetle but WHAT? It was crawling on one of my staghorn ferns and is about 3/4" long. No antenna visible. I'm wondering if it spends it's life burrowed in something and, hence, has no need for antenna. Any guesses are welcome.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Looks like a cicada. They come out after being underground for 7 years, sounding like buzzsaws in the heat. They mate, lay eggs, and then die. You may find their exoskeletons on tree trunks where they've come out of the ground and molted. Some have very red eyes.

Wayward Hawaiian said...

Another person said that it might be a spittlebug. I looked at the cicada and spittlebug pictures and am not quite convinced.

Spittlebugs feed on plant sap. The nymphs when hatched begin to feed and surround themselves with residue from there droppings that is the froth or spit-like looking substance (hence the name spittlebug) This spit protects them until they are adults. The nymphs sometimes move from their froth to that of others.

Read more: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/black-beetle-with-yellow-striations-and-red-blotches.html#comments#ixzz0Ng2T4mUF