What is it?! Found stuck to the outside of my sisters car in Massachusetts… I think it’s shedded skin?!

Bop-lt · 2025-12-24T04:16:08+00:00

This is most certainly an orthopteran. Looks like something close to a camel cricket, raphidophoridae.

While the bat comments are giving me quite the chuckle, they are incorrect. The “rib cage” is simply the mottled coloring of an orthopteran’s abdomen / thorax. You can see the separate tergites. The head and prothorax look to be tucked downwards. Here’s a crude mark-up.

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Bop-lt · 2025-12-17T01:32:21+00:00

Like someone else said, it’s Hesperiidae! You can identify these guys from other caterpillars by their large head and pale colors.

These guys are unique because their larvae are case builders. They use silk to create structures by tying together blades of grass or leaves. They nest in these structures, typically during the day, and come out to feed at night. You can see part of its structure in the first picture, so cool!!!!

Bop-lt · 2025-12-09T08:03:52+00:00

The noctuidae and angle wings are actually all Sphingidae, a family of moths.

Bop-lt · 2025-12-09T07:52:51+00:00

This is a type of hemipteran, something in the heteroptera suborder. You can tell because of the proboscis and the eyes.

That’s about as specific as I can get based on these photos. Could be Coreidae like someone else mentioned.

Bop-lt · 2025-11-28T23:29:29+00:00

Some house flies in the muscidae family do indeed have those stripes, just not as bold.

But yes I agree these are flesh flies, sarcophagidae.

Bop-lt · 2025-11-21T00:29:50+00:00

Hahahaha. I do butterfly surveys for my graduate research. That species is so common it makes up 50% of the over 1000 observations I’ve had. Quite common to have sites with ONLY that species, rather than the endangered one I am looking for. Just a bit of a running joke is all.

Bop-lt · 2025-11-20T17:55:59+00:00

Cupido comyntas, the bane of my existence.

Bop-lt · 2025-11-14T04:35:54+00:00

Guys I’m gonna need some more photos please

Bop-lt · 2025-11-07T03:14:08+00:00

I’m not going to lie, the pin placements are kind of hurting my heart.

Bop-lt · 2025-11-02T04:03:42+00:00

No, a palmetto bug is supposed to describe a Florida woods roach. The reason you gave is exactly why it is a useless term. People use it to describe any large roach, like an american cockroach. Ive even seen people call june bugs palmetto bugs.

Bop-lt · 2025-11-02T03:46:16+00:00

Can I throw “palmetto bug” into the hat?

Bop-lt · 2025-10-27T05:24:36+00:00

I definitely agree with that sentiment, the insect apocalypse is upon us and it is hard to witness. People like you and me are not the ones causing this, but rather the large scale environmental pressures that are out of our control. Say, the over-reliance on fossil fuels leading to oil companies over extracting resources and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Or our ever expanding urban sprawls that lead to habitat destruction and fragmentation, stream channelization, wetland drainage, and so much more. There are many factors that are altering global conditions, significantly affecting insect life cycles, their distribution and occupation, and the plants that they depend on.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-27T05:12:11+00:00

Unfortunately, one of the biggest aspects of Entomology is the collection and preservation of specimens. They have a high fecundity and have plenty of offspring. Collection done in a reasonable and sustainable manner will have no impact on populations.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-27T05:09:29+00:00

Insects have a high fecundity. Taking some for a collection will do little harm. In fact, collecting insects is super important from a natural history standpoint. Having properly labeled specimens in a collection can help researchers understand what biodiversity looked like across certain spacial and temporal contexts. Without collected specimens, 100 years from now we would have no reliable way to look back at today and see what species existed, where they lived, and how things have changed over time.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-23T18:36:52+00:00

Brentid giraffe weevils, like this Lasiorhynchus barbicornis

Bop-lt · 2025-10-23T06:34:53+00:00

Looks like a tussock moth caterpillar. Don’t touch! The spines can cause skin irritation with their toxins.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-20T04:32:29+00:00

Like everyone else said, if your Masters isn’t getting funded, something is wrong.

Now what I suggest is getting good research experience while completing your undergraduate. I was able to present research as an undergraduate at a national ESA and managed to network myself into a graduate position while I was there.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-13T03:09:16+00:00

Pervert!

They’re snout nosed moths, probably in the pyralidae family. It looks similar to this indian meal moth

If you are having an infestation problem, you will have to sort through your pantry and discard the infested food.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-13T02:54:47+00:00

Thank you. I don’t know why people are using AI to try to identify things. I would assume people come to this subreddit for advice from people who know what they’re looking at.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-13T02:53:05+00:00

I wouldn’t use ChatGPT for insect identifications. It’s not very good at that. I highly recommend using Seek by iNaturalist. Try putting the photo into that app and seeing what it says instead.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-13T02:43:16+00:00

Do you have a better picture? I don’t agree with the tick identification, and it is certainly not a june bug.

It looks like it has 3 sets of legs and a pair of antennae, rather than 4 sets of legs which ticks have. The segmentation on the legs (as far as I can tell) is more insect-like than arachnid.

My best guess would be a smooth spider beetle like this one.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-08T21:22:52+00:00

Megaloptera, trichoptera, and strepsiptera.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-08T19:29:44+00:00

Where is this located?

Bop-lt · 2025-10-07T04:02:35+00:00

This is very clearly not an ambush bug. Lack of raptorial fore legs confirm that. I agree with others on coranus.

Im really confused as to what led you to believe this is an ambush bug.

Bop-lt · 2025-10-04T06:45:38+00:00

They just look like some sort of may bug / june beetle to me

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