Sunday, October 28, 2007

What's This Bug??

The other night this wee beastie was crawling around on me and on the desk in front of me. I got some photos of it making its way across a piece of mail, but they're not good ones... I couldn't get it in focus, and it tended to disappear in the flash, as if it were transluscent. But you can see it's shape, and pretty colors. I don't recall ever having seen one of these before. Have you? Can you tell me what it is?




4 comments:

myonlyphoto said...

no idea, too, out of many millions of bugs on the world, I think I have to wish you good luck, lol. Hope it is harmless. Anna :)

Anonymous said...

Hey, Jaya! I'm pretty sure it's an immature assassin bug, which is a predatory beetle. Check out:

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/assassin_2.html

There are a few photos that look like the one you found. Let me know what you think!

Translator

Jaya said...

Translator! How nice to see you again!!!

I'd forgotten about that wonderful 'What's That Bug' site!! Thanks for reminding me. It's a great resource.

I went and checked out the page with the assassin bugs. At first I was thinking, nope, nope, that's not it... but then, towards the bottom there is that one photo that does look like the same fellow as my bug. So, I think you may have solved the mystery, and that my visitor was an immature assassin bug. I'm glad he didn't bite me while he was crawling around on my arm!!

Jaya said...

Yes. Immature assassin bug it does seem to be, in the Zelus genus,... check out this photo, of another young one:

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/bugs/assassin/nymph2.jpg

and this photo of an adult:

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/bugs/assassin/zelus.jpg

" These assassin bugs are commonly found in trees and shrubs." (note they are NOT commonly found on Jaya's arm...)