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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:44 pm 
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Need help ID'ing these two beauties. Both seen in NWP in Oct and Nov. They have me stumped. Maybe I need a better Butterfly Book :wink:

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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:13 pm 
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Auntie Rose, paging through my Migdol, the second looks like a male pirateCatacroptera cloanthe cloanthe - NWP seems right for distribution.

The first I'm not sure about but I would guess is a female dotted blue Tarucus sybaris sybaris.

But I won't put my money on either. :tongue:

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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:41 am 
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Can anyone help with ID of these beetles? Seen in KTP in March 2010.

Image

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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 3:57 pm 
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I found this little guy a while ago.

At first glance I thought this was a pill millipede but I think it might be a roach of some kind. Any ideas?

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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:22 am 
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arks wrote:
Can anyone help with ID of these beetles? Seen in KTP in March 2010.

Image

Those are not beetles, but bugs. By this I do not mean goggas, but bugs as in stinkbugs, plant bugs, bedbugs, sonbesies and all those suckers. In short the Hemiptera. The two in the picture seemed to be mating in their usual tail-to-tail attitude. You often find large numbers of Pyrrhocoridae on a plant, and then the immature bugs often stick close together in crowds in much the same way as immature Pyrgomorphid foam grasshoppers do. They do it largely for the same reason, but in the case of bugs there often is an added detail in that the parents will defend the flock of youngsters from parasitic wasps and similar enemies.
Cheers.
Jon


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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:36 am 
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Susanb wrote:
I found this little guy a while ago.

At first glance I thought this was a pill millipede but I think it might be a roach of some kind. Any ideas?

Image

Hello Susan, nice shot!
You are quite correct. We have many indigenous species of veld cockroaches, and this is one. I cannot be sure, but it looks immature to me. My difficulty is that many of our roaches are in fact wingless, so those little wings stubs that I see on the thorax don't really prove anything. Two things that give it away are the 6 feet sticking out round the edge, and the delicate, thread-like antenna. In real life I also would expect it to be physically softer and far, far more agile than either a pill millipede or a woodlouse.
Note that our veld roaches are generally clean, attractive, interesting, harmless little beasts. They seldom come indoors and even more seldom cause any harm. Some of them actually are quite prettily coloured, and may be seen on veld flowers in season. Unfortunately they not only are agile, but have good vision and are very suspicious. It is very difficult indeed to get close enough to one to get a good picture, or even a good look.
Go well.
Jon


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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:01 am 
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Jon Richfield wrote:
Lee, I reckon that you are right. Immature Pyrgomorphids generally differ from the adults in colour and behaviour. For one thing, in the first few stages the nymphs (or larvae, modern entomologists are sceptical about the validity of the distinction, but suit yourself, it is harmless at worst), the nymphs as I say, tend to swarm somewhat. Those that emerge from one or a few neighbouring egg purses, will stick together and feed and move in a mass. Such youngsters commonly are shiny, waxy black with little spots of vivid red or yellow. In a mass like that they scare off many of their possible predators, and naive predators quickly learn that there is not much to catch and eat apart from a sickening, poisonous secretion.
Many insects with warning colouration form such defensive masses. You probably have seen similar groups of red Pyrrhocorid stinkbug nymphs on plants from time to time.
As the young Pyrgomorphids grow and pass through their various instars, they become less sociable and the red spots in their colouration become larger until they take over and develop into the adult pattern. I should guess that the one in the picture was in its last, or just possibly second last, instar.
I hope that someone finds that helpful.
Cheers.
Jon


WOW! Thanks for your guidance there, Jon! Sharing your knowledge in this field is highly appreciated and welcome!

Kind Regards

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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:36 pm 
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lee lewis wrote:
WOW! Thanks for your guidance there, Jon! Sharing your knowledge in this field is highly appreciated and welcome!


Gosh Lee, that is very complimentary. You are in every way welcome!

Go well,

Jon


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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 2:36 am 
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Jon Richfield wrote:
arks wrote:
Can anyone help with ID of these beetles? Seen in KTP in March 2010.

Image

Those are not beetles, but bugs. By this I do not mean goggas, but bugs as in stinkbugs, plant bugs, bedbugs, sonbesies and all those suckers. In short the Hemiptera. The two in the picture seemed to be mating in their usual tail-to-tail attitude. You often find large numbers of Pyrrhocoridae on a plant, and then the immature bugs often stick close together in crowds in much the same way as immature Pyrgomorphid foam grasshoppers do. They do it largely for the same reason, but in the case of bugs there often is an added detail in that the parents will defend the flock of youngsters from parasitic wasps and similar enemies.
Cheers.
Jon

A VERY belated :redface: thank you, Jon, for the ID and for the most interesting additional info 8) . I have been in SA and rarely on the forum for the past 2+ months, so catching up only slowly :wink: But the ID is very much appreciated!

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 Post subject: Butterfly ID needed
Unread postPosted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 2:49 am 
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Can anyone help with ID of these three butterflies? The first two were seen in KTP in March 2010.

1.
Image

2.
Image

The third was seen at Cape Point in September 2010

3.
Image

Thanks!

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 Post subject: Re: Butterfly ID needed
Unread postPosted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:52 pm 
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Hi arks :) Those are some really pretty butterflies!

I've never ID'd a butterfly before, but i'm going to try these ones. High probability of me being wrong, but i'm sure someone will correct me.

1. There are a few things it could be, but it looks a bit like a Meadow White (Pontia helice)

2. Again, more things this could be, but i'm going with a member of the Orange Tip family. It could be a Sulphur Orange Tip (Colotis auxo)

3. I feel a little more confident about this one. I think it's a Thysbe Copper (Chrysoritis thysbe)

Would like to see what others have to say.


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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:57 am 
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Location: Marloth,is where i want to be.
Hi can anyone ID this,in my garden about 30-35 mm long.

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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 6:02 am 
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What a beautiful Moth. I don't recognize it, and cannot find it in my Insect books. I hope someone can identify it for you.

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 Post subject: Re: Insect ID needed
Unread postPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:12 pm 
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it could be forester or Burnet moth. Burnet moth has the metalic colouring with club antennas and red lines/spots. Sorry cant confirm, i forgot my book in the bush. Will only be back in two weeks


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 Post subject: Re: Butterfly ID needed
Unread postPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:38 pm 
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this is a wild guess
1. zebra white
2. orange tip
3. one of the coppers ?natal copper or perseus opal copper


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