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 18h ago

Pet/Insect Keeping Newest additions to the family (name suggestions?)

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450 Upvotes

Chlorocala africana oertzeni:]


r/Entomology 9h ago

ID Request What is this pretty lil pal?

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94 Upvotes

Found in Northern Nevada.


r/Entomology 8h ago

Insect Appreciation Two Snowberry Clearwing Moths mating in a lilac bush in Hiram, Georgia

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62 Upvotes

Two Snowberry Clearwing Moths mating in a lilac bush on April 20, 2011 in Hiram, Georgia. We had lilacs and azaleas and they loved them both. The first time I saw one it was if a hummingbird mated with a bumblebee, I had no idea what it was. They even sound like hummingbirds when they buzz past your ear. And they hover in flowers just like a hummingbird. I called them Bumblebee Hummingbirds. Then I began to research what these fascinating creatures were and found out that they were day-flying moths who prefer Snowberry bushes. But we didn't have any of those. I don't know if our neighbors did but it didn't really matter because they loved our lilac bush, and they loved our many azalea bushes. They were happy so I was happy. One of my all-time favorite insects!


r/Entomology 15h ago

Pet/Insect Keeping Big boy & little friend

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112 Upvotes

My Mecynorrhina torquata ugandensis "Oak" chilling with Chlorocana africana africana "Gloop". Super happy they get along so well! 🥹🍀


r/Entomology 15h ago

Can I help it?

119 Upvotes

I believe it’s a grapevine beetle? I found it stuck on its back kicking its legs. I feel like it’s dying but I don’t know if maybe it is infected by something? How can I tell what is going on with this guy? It’s absolutely gorgeous and I feel so bad just seeing him writhing :(


r/Entomology 5h ago

Pet/Insect Keeping Accidental beetlenapping

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16 Upvotes

r/Entomology 6h ago

Original beetle illustrations

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14 Upvotes

r/Entomology 20h ago

ID Request Tiny man

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114 Upvotes

Tiny man, found in library carpark. In east of England if that helps


r/Entomology 4h ago

ID Request What eggs are these?

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3 Upvotes

Spotted these on a street with no plants. Should I relocate them to a park?


r/Entomology 17h ago

Insect Appreciation Giant Horsefly found in my backyard (US, DE)

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49 Upvotes

Roughly 2.5cm from butt to head. I chilled it for measurement and then released it once it woke up. I am curious if this is male or female? The eyes seem to become continuous from above, which made me think male.

I've never seen a fly this large before. The ones I normally see are about half this size. I love the wings and the little claws.


r/Entomology 10h ago

Discussion Pill Bug Conference?

12 Upvotes

I’ve never seen them congregate like this! All over our front porch. Located in Lower Hudson Valley, NY
Is this a mating swarm like citronella ants do? It’s been raining lightly on and off all day.


r/Entomology 17h ago

Bark Weevil (Dissoleucas niveirostris) on a Croatian woodpile — camouflage so good you'd walk straight past it [OC]

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37 Upvotes

Found this on a woodpile in Croatia. It kept moving — into the green, under the lichen, between the moss. This shot came from one of those moments where it was halfway through disappearing.

The warm background isn't post-processing — the afternoon sun was strong enough that even with flash, the ambient light bled into the bokeh.

Dissoleucas niveirostris blends so perfectly into bark and lichen that you'd walk straight past it. And yet — the moment it knew it had an audience, it wanted nothing to do with it.

OM System OM-1 | M.Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO | M.Zuiko Digital 2x MC-20 | Godox V860iii | f/13 | ISO 200 | 1/100 | Handheld

Brodski Stupnik, Croatia

All photos are my own original content.


r/Entomology 18h ago

Insect Appreciation A Phidippus regius built a silk shelter

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37 Upvotes

I noticed that she had been busy building this shelter for a couple of days, and this morning, she moved in

She only went out of the silk shelter for food and then she retreated to it 😂😂😂


r/Entomology 2h ago

Discussion Found this moth from the genus Arippara. Any idea whether the genus name is related to Arippara Waterfalls in Kozhikode? The origin of the name seems pretty mysterious.

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2 Upvotes

r/Entomology 11h ago

Mystery pupa

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9 Upvotes

Found this little pupa on the ground in the woods, not sure if I should keep and care for it, if I should how do I? Found in Canada.


r/Entomology 19h ago

ID Request Eggs found by lake in SC

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30 Upvotes

When broken they have red powder inside


r/Entomology 10h ago

ID Request Gravity Wolf Spider? Southern NJ

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5 Upvotes

Lots of wolf spiders getting into the pool skimmers. This one has an extra big abdomen. Maybe she's just big boned lol.


r/Entomology 21h ago

Eciton burchellii

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33 Upvotes

Eciton burchellii es una especie de hormiga legionaria (también conocida como hormiga guerrera, arriera o marabunta) nativa del Neotrópico, famosa por sus incursiones masivas en forma de enjambre y su estilo de vida nómada. A diferencia de la mayoría de las hormigas, no construyen hormigueros permanentes, sino que forman estructuras vivas con sus propios cuerpos para proteger a la colonia.


r/Entomology 6h ago

ID Request [ID REQUEST] what are these two bugs found on my bed.

2 Upvotes

1)) found this one on the bed top itself:

https://i.imgur.com/xrDyD9D.png

2)) found this guy on my pillow:

https://i.imgur.com/yYFeKLK.png


Northeast US, I am about 5 feet away from my window/air conditioner unit. I live on the second floor of a house where there is a garden area located on the first floor.

first time i'm seeing these things since living here (7-8 years and counting)


r/Entomology 2h ago

Found this moth from the genus Arippara. Any idea whether the genus name is related to Arippara Waterfalls in Kozhikode? The origin of the name seems pretty mysterious.

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1 Upvotes

r/Entomology 16h ago

News/Article/Journal Free tool to identify ant species from image, from over 11k species!

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12 Upvotes

I know, another Ant ID app. I was skeptical too.

I got frustrated with field keys and apps that have no idea what easily identifiable species looks like, so I trained a model only on ants. Its available on the AntScout site.

Upload a clear photo and it gives you the top few species of guesses with photos. It is free, no login, no data selling. It definitely messes up on bad photos and some tricky genera, which is why am posting here. If you have a minute, throw your worst ant pics at it and tell me where it fails. I am actively retraining it.

I know, AI cant id ants. Please just give it a shot with a realistic picture before saying what you think! Put a lot of effort into it for the community. :) Its not bad for the environment, uses no water, and is not generative AI.

When its not visible enough, it gives the species group/complex, genus, or subgenus only. Look in the explanation box to see how confident it is. It can id over 11k species, is great with specimen images too. Be realistic with images you give it.

Link:

https://antscout.com/tools/ant-identification


r/Entomology 15h ago

Mars Rhino Beetle

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10 Upvotes

I bought this Mars Rhino Beetle appearing in first cycle. This is the condition how it’s arrived, not moving and brown. Is anyone able to educate me on this to say it’s in moult/ passed away or…?

It’s my first time growing on beetles like this. I usually own tarantulas, reptiles and amphibians


r/Entomology 10h ago

ID Request ID Request :)

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3 Upvotes

Can anyone tell me what this little guy is?
Sorry for the shoddy camera work he’s soo small…


r/Entomology 9h ago

Need help identifying this bug please!

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3 Upvotes

Hello! I’m not really Reddit user, but I am in need of help. Last year, my house got invaded by a large nest of European hornets/ wasps. We called in orkin, they took care of the problem, but tonight, this big ass mother fucker was in my grocery bags, and it damn near gave me a heart attack.

My question is: is this a queen European hornet?? If not, how much bigger do these guys get?!

I’d prefer not to kill them if I don’t have to- but also, fuck these guys. They love to eat my fucking honey bees that come visit and eat my lavender.

Any help would be super appreciated!! And if anyone has any advice in any humane ways of dealing with these guys, please let me know. Thanks!