Identify That Mysterious Bug! Quiz

Answer: Collembola

After collecting it, I brought it into my lab and looked at it under a microscope. Though it was extremely small, I could make out a furcula, a small fork-like structure used for jumping and diagnostic of Collembola. Collembolans are also known for being very small and living everywhere, even Antarctica. So it was no surprise I found it in my water pitcher.

They are usually found in soil though, and can be found in large numbers in ground based traps such as a pit-fall trap.

Answer: Dermaptera

Dermaptera, commonly called earwigs, are small ant-like insects that often live in old buildings. These pincers are actually called cerci and though they look scary, they are harmless. Cerci are usually used for sensing vibrations, but can also be used to catch or hold prey.

However, they never bite humans, so don't worry. Thysanura (silverfish) and Isoptera (termites) are also good guesses, but Thysanura aren't found around food as much and don't look like ants and Isoptera never have abdominal appendages.

Answer: Mantophasmatidea

Some scientists have decided to lower this group to simply a family and put them with Grylloblatodea (rock-crawlers) in an order called Notoptera. Their name comes from a combination of mantids (Mantodea) and walking sticks (Phasmatodea). To me they look more superficially similar to grasshoppers.

These were discovered in Namibia which has one of the most unique deserts on the planet with a large number of endemic animals.

Answer: Diplura

In fact the specimen I had and those of Diplura are extremely similar, no matter how hard I looked at it. The one key characteristic that I knew made it not Diplura was its external mouthparts. All Diplurans have internal mouthparts. One thing that you always need to keep in mind when identifying insects is that your specimen might be an larva, nymph, or pupa, in which case they will often look nothing like the adult you are used to looking for.

Answer: Thysanoptera

Thysanoptera (literally "fringe-winged") is the order of thrips. Thrips are very tiny flying insects that are found all over the world. All Dipterans have two wings. All Hymenopterans have a pinched waist and are not torpedo shaped. They are also not abundant in the way that thrips are.

They may be extremely small and have fringed wings though. Trichoptera also are not common in this way and are much bigger. A thrips is not the easiest thing to identify, but they always have a distinct torpedo shape to them.

Answer: Cicadidae

In the order, Homoptera, Cicadidae or cicadas, are one of the most amazing animals. One particular genus (Magicicada) has a habit of emerging every seventeen or thirteen years in huge numbers. They are very docile and completely harmless. (Except my mentor, Dave, told me a dog he knew ate too many and died of them clogging his intestines).

This particular brood, Brood X, is actually the biggest, but we will have to wait until 2021 before they emerge again.

Answer: Gerridae

Gerridae is the family of water striders. They have small hairs on their tarsi (feet) that help increase the surface area and in turn the force of the water tension against their feet, allowing them to walk on water. Notonectidae (backswimmers) use a similar technique and float on the water too.

Answer: Psychodidae

From my description of a fly that "looked like a moth," the first thing that should come to mind is a moth fly. These little guys often live near unused water in dark, damp places (exactly like a basement bathroom). The characteristic of relatively long antennae too, is very unusual in the order Diptera. Most of these flies are completely harmless, though possibly annoying like house flies.

Answer: Cerambycidae

Individuals from this family are commonly called long-horned beetles, since their antennae are so long. They come in many different colors and are typically very vibrant. The hard shell (elytron) is diagnostic of the order of beetles, Coleoptera. This can occur in some bugs (Hemiptera), but they are easy to tell apart since all beetles shells have a line running down their back which is how the shell opens to allow the wings to move.

This family like the other three families contains a huge number of insect species and is one of the largest families of any living thing.

Answer: Saturniidae

Nymphalidae and Papilionidae are both families of butterflies and no species of Sphingidae match the description. Saturniid moths are not the easiest to identify, but the easiest way is by their enormous size. This particular one I found is called a Luna moth.

They are endemic to eastern North America. A common name for them is giant silkworm moths. This name comes from the fact that some species' caterpillars (larvae) have been harvested for their silk.