Any entomologist out there

[Pyro]

I consider myself a pretty competent armchair entomologist but this weekend I found something I have never seen (be it IRL or pictures) nor even heard about. Wondering if anyone might be able to give me a name on it.

AS I said in the topic line, I don't have any pictures I can post but the description speaks for itself:

Small, ~2cm long. Built and looks like a walking stick except the front pair of legs are held forward of the head and articulated like those of a praying mantis. Despite this articulation the front legs are not stocky like you see in mantids, they are however "spiked" like a mantid's.

Anyone have any guesses as to what this could be?

 

[schloaty]

Pyro,

Could be another species of mantid - can you describe the head? Could also be a baby of either a matid or a walking stick..

Or, and I've seen these things, if it has a proboscis instead of mandibles, it could be something entirely different - don't remember what they're called at the moment....Have to check my bug books at home.

 

[Pyro]

I am pretty familiar with mantids and this does not look like any I have encountered. Did not look like a nymph either.

Head was walking stick like. I'll see if I can find the bloke again, he has been around the same spot all weekend.

No proboscus.

 

[Presto]

did you see if it had wings, by any chance? walking sticks don't have wings, so that could help narrow it down.

www.bugguide.net - this website might be useful.

 

[Presto]

http://bugguide.net/node/view/4570

perhaps this guy?

 

[Pyro]

It has wing buds (like those found on some walking sticks.)

The photo you found is not the bloke I found. I fired off a couple pics last night, once I get them loaded I'll post them.

Quite literally the best description I can give is that it is a walking stick in every respect except for the mantid-like front legs.

 

[Presto]

well, my guess would still be that it's some sort of mantid.  the front legs that you are describing are characteristic of mantodea.

how about this guy?

 

[Coleonyx]

http://nature.berkeley.edu/~screws/trinidad dir/pages/IMG_1363.htm

this it?

 

[Coleonyx]

also known as the Thread Legged Bug

 

[Pyro]

Coleonyx,

Thats the guy!!

Here are a couple of my shots. Sorry about the focus, it is hard to macro a moving target

I have to say, the fore legs on this guy are a great argument for convergent evolution. IMHO

 

[schloaty]

Aha! It DOES have a proboscis!

I wonder if it's related to ambush bugs or assasin bugs?

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

SO its a walking stick species?

 

[Pyro]

Quote[/b] (schloaty @ June 28 2006,9:51)]Aha!  It DOES have a proboscis!

Yes it does, my specimine was just to small and hunched up for me to see it.

Quote[/b] ]I wonder if it's related to ambush bugs or assasin bugs?

According to the stuff I found online it is in the same family: Reduviidae. Just google "Thread Legged Bug" or "Emesaya" (the species most cited is brevipennis)

 

[PlantAKiss]

Quote[/b] ]brevipennis

A name like that could give someone a complex.

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

Oh sure PAK. Make fun of the poor little guys deficiencies!