Strange bug needs ID.

Ugggh,

I nearly threw up in my mouth when my brother sent me this image. He was going to the fridge late at night and after he turned on the light in the kitchen he saw this!!




We have never seen anything like this before. My mom sent this pic into a website that Id's bugs but its not a discussion board, you just wait for a reply. My mom did find a similar grasshopper species online but it is from Louisiana. Nicknamed devil bug or something like that.

I will post the name of the bug she found while researching when I can as it sounds as if it is the bug in question. Just not sure why it would be in Central NJ.

For size, the bug was captured in a regular drinking glass and you can see my brother's fingers at the bottom left of the pic.

Said bug was put across the street as my brother ran his but off back inside the house after he put it there.

As this is probably not a cryptid, please put where necessary mods.

It is definitely a cricket and by the length of its antennae and legs, it could be a cave dwelling cricket. Are you near any caves by any chance?

Edited to add:

www.entomology.umn.edu...

It is definitely a cave cricket.

[edit on 16/7/09 by Lebowski achiever]

reply to post by Lebowski achiever


No caves nearby but we do have a crawlspace and my brother in law does travel around the US as a trucker.

Thanks for your reply.

is camel cricket dontchaknow ...Rhaphidophoridae
en.wikipedia.org...
did you just move to a new area and are seeing these around you?

I moved to the south and saw them and thought they were strange then i just had to get used to them because they're everywhere in the south.

-

I think that's a giant weta

[edit on 16-7-2009 by Zoopedia]

Definitely a contender, waiting for a reply from my mom, yes I'm 44 but still tight with mom. The only difference may be the carapace and the rear legs but so far thats a good possibility.

She's been in this house for 40 years, hence the weirdness we've never seen one.

Here is an excellent place to ID bugs :

Bugguide

You can find most anything in N. America here. Good luck.

[edit on 16-7-2009 by Skelkie3]

reply to post by Skelkie3


weird, link is not working. I will also get the correct name of where mom asked for help when I get it.

reply to post by Kellter


Try again, my mistake - sorry.
Bugguide

Looks like it's a cave or camel cricket.

It looks similar to one that my dog ate a week or two back. Except it wasn't as light as that one, it was darker.

I don't know what it is either, just thought I'd share my story.

Yes, as someone has said Camel Cricket ( Rhaphidophoridae ), her's a pic :

Ugly Cricket

Found in a N.Jersey basement, no less !

[edit on 16-7-2009 by Skelkie3]

reply to post by Skelkie3


That looks like it! From NJ adds to it. Weird that it would be around here.

Ugh. Hate those things. As everyone said, it's cave cricket. They creep me out because they jump with no rhyme or reason, in zigzags and straight up in the air..haha. They get pretty big too. I've seen them actually inside their namesakes at about the size of my hand!

"For Insects:
davesgarden.com...
This is an alright database. It takes a little more searching to find things. The best thing to do is search by Order or Order Common Name, using the images on the right as a guide. So, say it's kind of large, stands on back legs, and looks kind of like a mantis. Click on "Mantids". There are two common family names, so click on both. First, go through the pictures that are available and see if one of them resembles what you are trying to identify. If not, you can copy and paste the species names into Google Images to see if you can find it there. Although this is kind of tedious, there are not many databases around for insect identification.

www.amnh.org...
This is a dichotomous key to determine the order of the insect.
Another good tip is, if you know where the insect is from, you can search for that in Google- such as "Insects of Maine." You may come up with some good information. If you know the insect is a type of bee or stinging insect, search for "Stinging Insects" and you can look in picture searches, too. If you know it is an ant or butterfly or some general type of insect, you can search for that along with a color to narrow your search, such as "Green Butterfly." Remember, moths have feathery antennae, butterflies have segmented antennae. "

From my thread: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Not a cryptid, but hope you will find these links useful next time. I vote for Camel Cricket.

Just for reference, this is what Mom thought it was.

Devils horse

But you guys came through as always.

Thanks,

off to check my basement with a flamethrower.

I say cave or camel cricket, my brothers old house was full of them!! Disgusting looking creatures! Poor things.

reply to post by Kellter

If you believe that crickets are vegetarians, you would only be part right. The main part of a cricket’s diet is greens, including fresh seedlings, garden fresh fruits, tomatoes, and has even at times been the cause of whole fields being destroyed. This latter destruction is usually attributed to grasshoppers, but crickets have been known to reap similar damage to fields during dry spells, causing large groups to travel together in search of food. If left unchecked in houses, especially in large numbers, they will cause damage to clothing and other fabrics. They also have been known to feed on other insects, as in the smaller ones that live among ants.

www.essortment.com...

Good news is they don't eat people, right?

strange that it has those three what seem to be toes at the end.

I don't mind insects unless they try to use me as a landing zone.

reply to post by Kellter

In the UK this is what we call a Devil's Coach Horse... A little different from your Coach Horses. Wicked name though, imagine 6 of these, dinosaur sized pulling the bad man's coach!


[edit on 16-7-2009 by and14263]