Nine PM, Saturday night. We backed into my spot on the driveway. As I was still gathering my things, S2 called out, "Dad, you better get your camera and take a picture of this already... then kill it so I can go inside." Why do these kids think I have to kill any bug they don't like?
.
"Whoa! What on earth is that?!! I've never seen anything like it! It's too dark. Hang on, Son. Lemme get that second flash out of the trunk.".
This thing was about two inches long, not counting the legs. I haven't figured out what it is, but are those cornicles sticking out of the thorax?!.
I took a few pics, but didn't see it bothering anybody, so I left it right there, unharmed..
Thanks to Fishing Guy we have an update: The Crane Fly (also called Mosquito Hawk) is harmless. The pointy tip at the end of the abdomen indicates that this one is female. The knobby protrusions are not cornicles as I had guessed, but halteres. They supposedly act like stabilizers, which is funny, because these things look clumsy when they fly.
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11 comments:
I wonder how the picture would have turned out if you had smashed the bug first? Hmmmmmm.........
UGHHHHH!
That was the first from an alien species sent to wipe out all of mankind! Any you blew it! Now it will multiply and take us all down...
Nice job Craver...
LOL
Just kidding, thanks for letting it live.... it just wants to live like everybody else. Besides if you killed it I would tell Bug Lady on you!
Craig
Craver: They look like a giant mosquito but it is actually a Crane Fly. The Discovery Channel has never done a special on them which is why Craig didn't know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_fly
Brother Greg, we only smush them when we're going to eat them. Yyekkhhh!
Craig Glenn, this species only grows to be two and-a-half inches long, though tropical ones can be as long as four inches. To a city boy like me, that sounds like something from Jumanji. They are not so noble as to prey on mosquitoes, but they tend to do damage to lawns. If I had known that back then, maybe I would have been a little more interested in a Picasso version of the picture (splat).
Thanks for the info, Fishing Guy! They have some beautifully colored ones on Wikipedia! And WOW, the details on their pics!!!
Craver: I thought your photo was very detailed on its own.
you are getting a lot of little creature photos! except, that they don't look so little on your blog.
Great shot Craver. But coincidence I was taking pics of one in my lounge last night. They look really horrible dont they?
Here is an intersting bit about them: Adults never feed.
Hahaha! You had to ASK why you should be the one to end the life of spooky insects?
Thank goodness Fishing Guy knows his bugs!
Very kind words, Fishing Guy. I appreciate your encouragement!
Oh, how I love these little bugs, nAncY! Well, I love taking pictures of them anyway.
Funny thing, Joan. It was pretty dark, and I didn't see much detail until after downloading the mini CD on the computer. It would have sent shivers if I learned later that it was some kind of stinging, nasty thing. Yeah, that's weird, that the adults are only interested in making baby bugs.
EG, it is bizarre how women have this reputation that they can tolerate more pain and deal with more disgusting things than men (diapers, running noses, etc.) but when it comes to bugs, that is just too much to handle. My wife even gets squeamish about the sound of an insect that is being dispatched underfoot.
That is not a complaint, mind you. I'd MUCH rather be called when there is a teeny spider on the wall than be pregnant and deliver a baby. That whole process leaves me in awe and wonder, and I have nothing but respect for women because of it.
wild!! cool shot of it though.
Of course, your child is right - that's what dads are for!
You saw me on Joan's blog:)
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