New answers tagged species-identification
2
That looks very much like a brown color morph of the Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis), which has been seen in the UK since 2008. The size is about right (around 4.0-4.5 cm wingspan).
This species is an invasive pest outside of its native range (Asia).
By Nagy Sándor (NagySandor.EU) CC BY 3.0, Link
According to the Royal Horticultural Society this ...
1
Lynx or Bobcat
Without a clearer image or a better sense of scale I cannot say which. Their silhouette is just too similar.
8
These are barnacles, which are interestingly related to lobsters. See the image for comparision (from here):
They have a mobile larval stadium, but once they mature, they attach to a hard surface. They can be found on ships, surfaces in harbours, on whales and obviously on lobster shells. See here and here for some more details.
0
After looking it up, I can, with some confidence, confirm that this is a book louse in the larval stage, as seen in this picture:
https://bpca.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Pages/A-Z/Booklice/booklice-1.jpg
I hope this answers your question!
0
Those scale-like green structures are likely to be the foliages of Platyclaudus species, they are attached densely on the branches of the plant. Hence the whole thing in your picture shall be the branch with the leaf from some kind of gynosperm tree.
It's common in Gynospermum the foliage is highly abbreviated and deformed(comparing to Angiosperm).
0
Certainly not cicada killers--those have yellow stripes on them, are considerably larger, and also have a very different shape of abdomen. They certainly look to have a hymenopteran "waist" so that means they aren't termites, they are some kind of winged ant. Possibly carpenter ants due to the large size (for ants) and the reddish-brown color.
0
I believe this is some sort of Cranefly larvae, see here: I've found these guys both directly in streams and along the banks of rivers, but also underneath rocks far away from major sources of water. There are different types of cranefly larvae, but they all have the same characteristics, (bulbous bodies, worm like, not easily noticeable arms, alien ...
2
@Alex's answer found a very close match with Pseudothemis jorina but as pointed out there that species is generally found in Southeast Asia, not Taiwan or Mainland China.
Pasting Pseudothemis jorina in the species search box in https://www.inaturalist.org/observations (found in this answer to Identify this large, beige or pine cone-colored squareish beetle ...
4
The closest match I can find is Pseudothemis jorina:
It's very similar to your pictures in regards of body shape and the light distinct band, although I'm not sure it would normally be found in Taiwan. It's more common further south like Thailand and Malaysia.
3
Looks like this species is Orthetrum triangulare commonly known as blue-tailed forest hawk.
It is an Asian fresh water dragon fly species.
As you mentioned that the dragonfly had a bluish hue, it became clear.
Since a similar type of this, called Orthetrum albistylum commonly known as black-tailed skimmer is found in Central and South Europe to China and ...
0
I doubt you'll get a positive ID from that photo. It might be some woodboring beetle, maybe genus Anobium or Hedobia. FTR, if they are chewing on your wooden floors, you might be able to hear them if you listen carefully.
I suggest you collect some, maybe even living, in a small tube and ask a specialist. My first idea would be someone at a nearby university ...
9
I think this is probably a checkered puffer Sphoeroides testudineus based on your location and picture, with the wave-reflection patterning on the dorsal surface and ventral speckling the most obvious features.
(image from https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/4403 )
Could be a different Sphoeroides, but I looked through other species ...
0
Sounds like a juvenile Crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci. Please edit this answer when you find a picture etc.
1
According to the Israeli Scorpions Field Guide, deathstalkers can have also pale metasomal segment V, so a black one isn't a sure identification sign although it is very common among deathstalkers. The characteristic of the Israeli deathstalker are 5 ridges along its back. The species of deathstalker in the Negev (and Israel) is Leiurus hebraeus.
1
I haven't found an official reference, just a mention that the metasomal segment V can be pale in some adults.
Perhaps after molting the colour is different?
Also, dont know if it is Leiurus quinquestriatus, L. hebraeus, or L. abdullahbayrami
I see picture with the same pale coloration at sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/…
1
They are common hollyhocks, they come in many colors. As a little kid from Chicago , I was impressed by flowers taller than me when visiting rural Wisconsin . Then the standard for hiding/decoration outhouses.
0
the Genus Cuscuta has over 200 species varying in color from yellow, to orange, and purple (sometimes but rarely can also be green).
The organism in the photo is not likely to be a subspecies of the usual dodders you find in your area, instead it is likely to be a different species entirely (while still belonging to the same genus).
The rope dodder (Cuscuta ...
1
It is a Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica), In Europe it is known as the domestic house spider.
Here's some photos of this species to prove the similarities:
What caught my eye in particular that made it more clear that it was this species was the color patterns on the abdomen and cephalothorax, the size you mentioned, the shape of the feelers as well ...
-1
It seems to be a Yellow-banded polybia wasp (Polybia occidentalis), a species of Potter wasp.
my doubts with this conclusion is that the abdomen of the insect in your photo is quite large compared to other observations of the species. Also, Polybia occidentalis is a species that exists in South and Central America, not up north in New York, Perhaps it is ...
1
For California trees, my go-to is A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us by Matt Ritter (Heyday, 2011). California trees can be challenging due to the extremely varied habitat and many introductions over the years.
Your trees appear to be younger specimens of Pinus pinea or the Italian Stone Pine, based on the description on page 14 in Ritter. No other ...
1
The hairy stem and leaf pattern remind me of elms. Wikipedia has an example of american elm seedlings which look quite similar to what you have to me:
-1
This animal is a sea cucumber. It is probably a "sweet potato" sea cucumber (Molpadia arenicola). Here is a useful link describing this animal with pictures quite similar to yours:
https://mexican-fish.com/sweet-potato-sea-cucumber/
4
This plant is a bellflower. Either a Campanula Takesimana or a Campanula Alliariifolia
0
Looks like some sort of cimbicid sawfly. Thanks @ArthurJFrost !
2
It is a wolf spider. It grows from about 1cm to 5cm long. Wolf spiders are usually gray with brown to dark gray markings. It does not spin webs, instead it actively hunts it's prey. Wolf spiders are agile, robust and have excellent eyesight$^1$. That is why you have noticed that it is quite aware of your movements.
Hogna radiata:
Alopecosa Kochi:
The bite ...
6
The plant is Convolvulus tricolor, the dwarf morning-glory. It belongs to the family Convolvulaceae.Blue, white, red and pink flowering cultivars of this plant are available$^1$. It is a annual/perennial growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a medium rate$^2$.
Image source
References:
Plantasm
PFAF database
1
Those look to me like fungus gnats. If you're looking to get rid of them, I've heard that putting a layer of rice hulls on top of the soil keeps them from reproducing. From what little I've read my identification doesn't go much deeper than superfamily, taxonomically, but it's a least a common name to work from.
Top 50 recent answers are included
