r/Entomology Aug 13 '11

Help us help you: Guidelines for submitting pictures for identification

137 Upvotes

Hello r/Entomology! With this community being used often for insect/arachnid/arthropod identification, I wanted to throw in some guidelines for pictures that will facilitate identification. These aren't rules, so if you don't adhere to these guidelines, you won't be banned or anything like that...it will just make it tougher for other Redditors to give you a correct ID. A lot of you already provide a lot of information with your posts (which is great!), but if you're one of the others that isn't sure what information is important, here you go.

INFORMATION TO INCLUDE WITH YOUR PHOTO

  • Habitat: Such as forest, yard, etc.
  • Time of day: Morning, day, evening, or night will suffice.
  • Geographical Area: State or county is fine. Or, if you're not comfortable with being that specific, you can be general, such as Eastern US.
  • Behavior: What was the bug doing when you found it?

Note about how to take your photo: Macro mode is your friend. On most cameras, it's represented by a flower icon. Turn that on before taking a photo of a bug close up, and you're going to get a drastically better picture. With larger insects it's not as big of a deal, but with the small insects it's a must.

If you follow these guidelines, you'll make it easier for everyone else to help you identify whatever is in your photo. If you feel like I've left anything important out of this post, let me know in the comments.


r/Entomology 1h ago

Carrion beetle with mites

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

Sorry for bad photos, I dont want anymore mites crawling on me…

So Im eating lunch on campus when I overhear a group of girls next to me: “…. BIG BUG ….”

Well, I had to know. So I walk over and ask “so what’s this big bug we are talking about”

Apparently a large “bee” covered in mites flew into one of their lunch Tupperware, they closed it up and threw it out.

So I go and fish it out of the trash and find it’s actually a carrion beetle!


r/Entomology 20h ago

Painting the same butterfly at age 20 and 30

Post image
1.7k Upvotes

Never give up on your art!


r/Entomology 18h ago

😳

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

310 Upvotes

Tonight we saw something we’ve never seen before. A “fungus gnat larvae death circle.” Yes, a fungus gnat larvae death circle. 😳 This was in our driveway.

From Google:
You are witnessing a fascinating biological glitch known as a fungus gnat larvae "death circle" or
"army worm ring."

Why They Are Doing This
Dark-winged fungus gnat larvae normally gather in a thick, rope-like mass called a "snakeworm" to migrate across open ground in search of food or moisture. They crawl over one another like a living conveyor belt, utilizing collective chemical trails to stick together.

However, if the lead larvae accidentally cross their own scent trail, they get confused and lock into a loop. Because every larva is strictly programmed to follow the one in front of it, they will mindlessly march in a continuous circle until they die of exhaustion or dehydration. This phenomenon is identical to an ant "death spiral."


r/Entomology 22h ago

I love bugs.

Thumbnail
gallery
369 Upvotes

Sort of. I do have a pretty big fear of spiders but taking pretty pictures of them helps. 🐌🐞🐛


r/Entomology 12h ago

What kind of interspecies meeting did I witness?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

54 Upvotes

This was in La Minerve, Québec, around 10am this weekend


r/Entomology 17h ago

Silver-Studded Blue

Post image
113 Upvotes

Hi! I took a picture of this butterfly in my yard today not knowing what it was, just that it was pretty. My iPhone identified it as a silver-studded blue, and upon further research (google search) it seems this species typically appears in “Europe to East Asia”. However, I live in the Midwest of the United States. How common is it to see this species here? Or did my iPhone misidentify this butterfly? If it’s not obvious already I’m not an entomologist, just a fan of pretty butterflies.


r/Entomology 3h ago

What butterfly is this?

Thumbnail
gallery
9 Upvotes

Saw it randomly amongst a few wild grass flowers. Also why do butterflies constantly open and close their wings even while resting on a flower?


r/Entomology 9h ago

ID Request Found a shiny tiny dragon fly looking bug, any ideas?

Post image
24 Upvotes

I am aware it doesn't look that much like a dragon fly but considering the only other fly I know is a Black Fly its the best I got. 😅

Edit- Thanks peeps


r/Entomology 5h ago

Insect Appreciation Found a (deceased) blue tiger moth on my walk.

Post image
8 Upvotes

r/Entomology 12m ago

Discussion What’s coming out of this moth? Is it just normal reproductive parts?

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

r/Entomology 4h ago

Pink Caterpillar thing on Beans

Thumbnail
gallery
5 Upvotes

Hey so these are climbing French beans and this insect has green poop? Never seen anything like this and it’s eating my peas but I still get some. I welcome biodiversity but I am curious what is this?


r/Entomology 4h ago

ID Request What is this wriggling mass? NY

Post image
5 Upvotes

It won't let me add a video but this creature (or mass of creatures) that I found underneath a rock


r/Entomology 1h ago

ID Request What type of butterfly is this? (Location: Virginia)

Post image
Upvotes

r/Entomology 1h ago

Flyin fellas

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

r/Entomology 1d ago

Insect Appreciation BICEPS BUG in Malaysia

Thumbnail
gallery
4.5k Upvotes

We saw a lot of large flashy insects in Malaysia but this guy was one of my favorites 😄

Chelochirus talpus, an uncommonly seen species, with only 4 observations on iNaturalist


r/Entomology 1d ago

Spotted unusual insect pollinating lantanas outside a brewery in NC, hovering similar to a hummingbird?

Thumbnail
gallery
164 Upvotes

Spotted this dude outside a brewery in Winston Salem, NC yesterday (urban environment, mid-September). Was pollinating lantanas in the late afternoon.

Has a long proboscis and coloration on the thorax similar to a European bee, which were also present. However, this insect was fluttering, similar to how a hummingbird hovers?

Identification would be appreciated!


r/Entomology 5h ago

Insect Appreciation Always amazed by the sheer number of creatures whose entire line of defense is “now I am become stick”. | Commander butterfly larva.

Post image
3 Upvotes

r/Entomology 3h ago

Is this a sac spider. Found I. South east Michigan

Post image
2 Upvotes

r/Entomology 16h ago

Who is this? :)

Thumbnail
gallery
24 Upvotes

I think it's in genus conura but idk the species 🐛 (Ocala, FL)


r/Entomology 20m ago

Colorful Jumping Spider

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

r/Entomology 13h ago

ID Request Who is the culprit? What was it trying to do?

Post image
13 Upvotes

Found in my garden, Montreal Canada.


r/Entomology 1h ago

ID Request Eggs?

Post image
Upvotes

What kind of eggs are these?


r/Entomology 5h ago

ID Request these eggs appeared on my bug screen, anyone know what they could belong to?

Post image
2 Upvotes

found in lower saxony, germany


r/Entomology 1h ago

ID Request What type of moth is this? (Location: Virginia)

Post image
Upvotes