I didn't have a camera on me so I'm going to explain this the best I can. I was in southern Indiana over the weekend and saw the cutest little bug, I'm not sure what it was. At first glance, it would have reminded you of a tiny hercules beetle. It had a singular horn coming off of the top of its head. However, I am 99% certain that it is not of the beetle family, possibly hemiptera instead. It was black in color, and had eyes on the side of its head (sort of like a hammerhead shark). Its face was "flat" in that it didn't have mandibles or anything really sticking out. I couldn't really distinguish a clear division between its head and abdomen. The body wasn't flat; it had, for lack of a better term, a hunchback appearance. Its legs were really thin except for towards the "feet" where they were a little wider. They sort of reminded me of the pads on a frog's toe. Its legs were really short though. I don't remember it having antennae, and it did have wings though they didn't stick out or anything. I only knew it had wings because it started to fly but then I guess chose not to. As far as its size, it was about 7 or so mm long. I really wish I could have taken a picture of it to help. I'm almost certain it was hemiptera, based off of descriptions that categorize that family of insect.
Can someone help identify?
- Thread starter Truff135
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This is going to be a guess, but if it was a true bug you have described a Bloodsucking Conenose, Triatoma sanguisuga. They do have antenna, but they are tiny. See if this is your mystery insect:
http://entweb.clemson.edu/museum/webonly/local/lmisc/lmisc50.htm
http://entweb.clemson.edu/museum/webonly/local/lmisc/lmisc50.htm
Definitely wasn't one of those. I guess this could have been a beetle, though it didn't really look like one. The "horn" on this one was on the very top of its head and stuck up in the air, not out in front.
It sort of resembled this:
The horn wasn't quite so long and thin, though, and the legs seemed a lot stubbier. This thing was also really small, and didn't look like it had a typical beetle-exoskeleton. I guess being as small as it was, it could have been a beetle and it just was hard to identify its features.
It sort of resembled this:
The horn wasn't quite so long and thin, though, and the legs seemed a lot stubbier. This thing was also really small, and didn't look like it had a typical beetle-exoskeleton. I guess being as small as it was, it could have been a beetle and it just was hard to identify its features.
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Kinda sounds like a dung beetle but I cant open the link for some reason, we have a couple different spp. here but im not sure they are where you are. Have to see a pic.
Yeah sorry, after posting I realized that link didn't work so I posted a pic. I'm gonna check out the dung beetle family and see if I can't identify the little guy. He was just so cute, I'll feel kind of dumb if I didn't know I was holding a dung beetle...lol
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We have allot of Phanaeus vindex here and they are quite pretty, Metallic green, pink and gold. The males have horns.
I've been doing my best to figure out which are native to Indiana, and I'm not having any luck. Also, is it unusual to find them on a park bench? I wasn't anywhere near a farm that I'm aware of, though the area where the wedding reception was at was kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Would fertilizer have attracted a dung beetle to a park-like area?
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Dung Beetle
The Dung Beetle, Phanaeus vindex, is located in your area. See if this looks like what you saw:
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg146.html
The Dung Beetle, Phanaeus vindex, is located in your area. See if this looks like what you saw:
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg146.html
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yep, and believe it or not dog parks are a big attractant for dung beetles
Hmm, well the one above (the black one in the pic I posted earlier) isn't exactly like what I saw, but it's really darn close. I think the only real difference is that my bug seemed a heck of a lot smaller than that dung beetle. I suppose it could have been a juvenile(?) - I'm not familiar with the life cycles of dung beetles. 
That phanaeus vindex is really pretty! I'm usually not a beetle person (the "crunch" noise when they get stepped on freaks me out), but I do admire their beauty. I don't think my bug was that particular one though, because it was solid black.
Thanks for your help everyone! I think I can say with about 99% certainty that I was cuddling a freakin' dung beetle, lol.
That phanaeus vindex is really pretty! I'm usually not a beetle person (the "crunch" noise when they get stepped on freaks me out), but I do admire their beauty. I don't think my bug was that particular one though, because it was solid black.
Thanks for your help everyone! I think I can say with about 99% certainty that I was cuddling a freakin' dung beetle, lol.
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A baby beetle is a grub, my daughter used to bring me small beetles and say " look daddy its a baby beetew" lol.Hmm, well the one above (the black one in the pic I posted earlier) isn't exactly like what I saw, but it's really darn close. I think the only real difference is that my bug seemed a heck of a lot smaller than that dung beetle. I suppose it could have been a juvenile(?) - I'm not familiar with the life cycles of dung beetles.
That phanaeus vindex is really pretty! I'm usually not a beetle person (the "crunch" noise when they get stepped on freaks me out), but I do admire their beauty. I don't think my bug was that particular one though, because it was solid black.
Thanks for your help everyone! I think I can say with about 99% certainty that I was cuddling a freakin' dung beetle, lol.
It was just some other spp, there ae soooooo many beetle spp.