Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Pack Forest
Washington State
July 10-12, 2009
Details...

Photos from the 2009 gathering
 
Photos from the 2008 gathering in Tennessee
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Long-horned and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae) » Flower Longhorns (Lepturinae) » Lepturini » Strangalia » Strange Virile Bycid (Strangalia virilis)
Photo#116149
Very strange wasp-like insect - Strangalia virilis
Copyright © 2007 crispin

Very strange wasp-like insect - Strangalia virilis
Lake Corpus Christi, San Patricio County, Texas, USA
May 28, 2007
I'm very anxious to learn about this one. See additional photos for notes on its strange flight.

Images of this individual: tag all
Very strange wasp-like insect - Strangalia virilis Very strange wasp-like insect - Strangalia virilis
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by crispin on 6 June, 2007 - 10:54pm
Last updated 15 June, 2009 - 10:46am

Moved
Moved from Strangalia.
… john and jane balaban, 15 June, 2009 - 10:46am login or register to post comments

This appears to be...
...a male Strangalia virilis, a south Texas species with greatly enlarged terminal abdominal segments.
… Ted C. MacRae, 27 June, 2007 - 12:24pm login or register to post comments

See
here.
… Jeff Hollenbeck, 6 June, 2007 - 10:59pm login or register to post comments

 
aha!
So, I'm the only person completely amazed by how they fly?
… crispin, 6 June, 2007 - 11:11pm login or register to post comments

 
No
but that could be typical of beetles to fly with their legs like that, I'm not sure.
I see a lot of flower scarabs around here, and they fly similar to what you have described.
… Jeff Hollenbeck, 6 June, 2007 - 11:30pm login or register to post comments

 
Legs in flight
To me at least, this is an interesting topic. I don't have shots of beetles, but do of lots of other insects in flight. Many of them are hovering, or preparing to alight.

Syrphids usually have the rear legs back and along the body, with front legs sometimes out front and along the body. Bumblebees' legs hang down below and are angled sort of back. Oddest are paper wasps. When flying through stalks of flowers, they have their legs extended pretty much straight down.
… Ron Hemberger, 6 June, 2007 - 11:48pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2010 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact