# Yard bugs (SW Pennsylvania)



## GregorSamsa (Apr 15, 2012)

Took a walkabout on our property this morning, thought I'd share. As spring & summer approach, I will update this thread.

Big red mites that I believe to be a Dinothrombium sp.



Margined carrion beetle (Oiceoptoma noveboracense) larvae feeding



This is exciting for me, because my intent in placing a dead opossum there was to bury it & attract these guys for a colony.... Never got to burying it. But now that they've come, I'm planning on digging & putting a small door over top, to maintain a natural feeding pit. Basically setting up an outdoor colony in the ground 

Lovely gal hanging out in a pile of dead bark...
Dolomedes tenebrosus

Reactions: Like 1


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## GregorSamsa (Apr 15, 2012)

*Some from last summer/fall...*

Cicindela sexguttata



Arilus cristatus



Argiope trifasciata



Agelenopsis sp.

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## GregorSamsa (Apr 20, 2012)

Not the best pic, but...
This lady has been living just outside my front door for about a month & I just noticed that she's got an egg sac. There are a couple more of this species hanging out on our deck as well.


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## GregorSamsa (Apr 20, 2012)

A slightly more clear pic of the last spider...

Reactions: Like 1


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## Shrike (Apr 20, 2012)

Wow, nice looking Dolomedes!  I know Hemiptera when I see it but that's about as specific as one entomology class will get you.  Is Arilus cristatus a type of assassin bug?  Very cool.


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## GregorSamsa (Apr 21, 2012)

Shrike said:


> Wow, nice looking Dolomedes!  I know Hemiptera when I see it but that's about as specific as one entomology class will get you.  Is Arilus cristatus a type of assassin bug?  Very cool.



Hey, thanks! That's one of two fishing spiders I've found around here since we moved in late last summer. I must say, I love living in the country. I never saw anything exciting in the city! 

Yup, that's a "wheeled" assassin bug... They've started showing up more around the area within the last year or so, Id never seen one untill last year- I think it was catfishrod that enlightened me as to what it was.


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## GregorSamsa (Apr 21, 2012)

June bug


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## GregorSamsa (May 8, 2012)

Not the clearest of pics, will upload from camera soon, but here are 2 of the 3 Phidippus audax that have moved into our home this week.


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## GregorSamsa (Jun 9, 2012)

Assassin bug of some sort...



Maybe a wheeled nymph? Thoughts?


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## Shrike (Jun 10, 2012)

The Cicindella you posted a pic of...are they the small beetles I keep seeing everywhere (mostly in the woods and adjacent to streams, ponds, etc)?  They're under an inch long, are extremely fast, and without fail, fly away whenever I try to get a picture of one.  Your picture is a dead ringer, but do the ones you see behave that way?

That certainly looks like Arilus cristatus to me.  

http://bugguide.net/node/view/454/bgimage

I'm wondering if the nymphs of that species quickly lose that color as they mature?  And why the red coloration? Is it aposematic? 

Sorry for the barrage of questions!


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## GregorSamsa (Jun 10, 2012)

Shrike said:


> The Cicindella you posted a pic of...are they the small beetles I keep seeing everywhere (mostly in the woods and adjacent to streams, ponds, etc)?  They're under an inch long, are extremely fast, and without fail, fly away whenever I try to get a picture of one.  Your picture is a dead ringer, but do the ones you see behave that way?
> 
> That certainly looks like Arilus cristatus to me.
> 
> ...


Sorry I may not have answers for your questions 

...I've only seen that Cicindella sp. a couple of times, and yes they were super fast & erratic when I saw them & flew away quickly. They were small, maybe 3/4" long. Our property is surrounded by woods & I saw them near our deck & surrounding gravel after a heavy rain. Sounds to be the same bug you're seeing. Their color is striking, isn't it?

Thanks for the link! I'm confident that it was indeed a wheeled nymph. I also wonder those things about the coloration... I would imagine it must be aposematic... The little guy was pretty small, but definitely showed some attitude when I got close to take a picture. It was threat posturing at my phone like mad! I've never seen a nymph before, I'm curious how fast they grow. We just recently started seeing wheeled assassins in our area, the fact that there are youngins hanging around my deck is exciting for me.


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## Shrike (Jun 10, 2012)

GregorSamsa said:


> Sorry I may not have answers for your questions
> 
> ...I've only seen that Cicindella sp. a couple of times, and yes they were super fast & erratic when I saw them & flew away quickly. They were small, maybe 3/4" long. Our property is surrounded by woods & I saw them near our deck & surrounding gravel after a heavy rain. Sounds to be the same bug you're seeing. Their color is striking, isn't it?
> 
> Thanks for the link! I'm confident that it was indeed a wheeled nymph. I also wonder those things about the coloration... I would imagine it must be aposematic... The little guy was pretty small, but definitely showed some attitude when I got close to take a picture. It was threat posturing at my phone like mad! I've never seen a nymph before, I'm curious how fast they grow. We just recently started seeing wheeled assassins in our area, the fact that there are youngins hanging around my deck is exciting for me.


The color on those beetles is definitely amazing.  I just wish they were more inclined to sit still 

You should try raising one of those assassin nymphs.  The transition from nymph to adult would impressive to see.  Just watch those fingers  I've heard a bite from Arilus cristatus is pretty painful.


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## GregorSamsa (Jun 13, 2012)

Shrike said:


> The color on those beetles is definitely amazing.  I just wish they were more inclined to sit still
> 
> You should try raising one of those assassin nymphs.  The transition from nymph to adult would impressive to see.  Just watch those fingers  I've heard a bite from Arilus cristatus is pretty painful.


I thought about that- after I knew what it was. But alas, have seen no more. Ill keep you updated  ...Yeah, id rather not get nailed by that proboscis. That's a pretty intense beak.


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## tarcan (Jun 18, 2012)

very cool, I need to get down to Pensylvania! That assassin bug with the big "wheel" is amazing!


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## GregorSamsa (Jun 26, 2012)

tarcan said:


> very cool, I need to get down to Pensylvania! That assassin bug with the big "wheel" is amazing!


Yeah, they're very cool... Just started showing up a lot around here last year.


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## GregorSamsa (Jun 26, 2012)

White crab spider (Thomisidae sp.)

(See next post... Forgot to attach... having a hard time adjusting to the iPhone.)


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## GregorSamsa (Jun 26, 2012)

Here we go...


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## DannyH (Jun 27, 2012)

GregorSamsa said:


> Yeah, they're very cool... Just started showing up a lot around here last year.


I'm in NJ and I saw one that looked exactly the sa,e on my fence today.


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## GregorSamsa (Jun 28, 2012)

Love this guy...


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## DeidraDisaster (Jun 28, 2012)

Very cool pics!  You are making me want to head out to the woods and see what I can find.  I know we have some cool insects hidden in Idaho, somewhere.


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## GregorSamsa (Jul 19, 2012)

DeidraDisaster said:


> Very cool pics!  You are making me want to head out to the woods and see what I can find.  I know we have some cool insects hidden in Idaho, somewhere.


Get out there! I bet that you would be pleasantly surprised. I see so many cool bugs living in the country that I never saw in the city.

And thank you ^_^


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## oldmanofthesea (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks for the post and pics. I have caught a few of the cincindella beetles this year in Delaware. I didn't know what they were til your post. They are a real jewel! I had two breeding in a terrarium. I hope they were successful. Thanks again for the post. Ron


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## GregorSamsa (Sep 13, 2012)

oldmanofthesea said:


> Thanks for the post and pics. I have caught a few of the cincindella beetles this year in Delaware. I didn't know what they were til your post. They are a real jewel! I had two breeding in a terrarium. I hope they were successful. Thanks again for the post. Ron


I hope they were too, Ron! Any update?


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## GregorSamsa (Sep 13, 2012)

Been awhile since I've been on, and somehow I only have a few pics to share...

Cute little crab spider- Misumenoides formosipes



This guy-  don't know what it is, but it was a curious little dude. Was very much interested in what I was doing. 



Blurry, but just spotted this Argiope aurantia with egg sac on the side of our house. 



I wish I would have gotten pictures of the mass quantities of jumping spiders that were hanging out here for awhile. One had babies on my porch, I kept her fed until she moved on. 

On another note, apparently critters think our home is a good place to rear their young... These Carolina wrens hatched on a shelf right by our front door. Very interesting behavior from the parents during the laying/incubating phases... They left the nest about a month ago.


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## McGuiverstein (Jan 30, 2013)

Shrike said:


> You should try raising one of those assassin nymphs.  The transition from nymph to adult would impressive to see.  Just watch those fingers  I've heard a bite from Arilus cristatus is pretty painful.


Take it from me, it _does_ hurt. Being the little aspiring entomologist I was at 10 or so, I went and picked one of them up and watched in disbelief as it plunged its proboscis into my thumb. Had me in tears..


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