/r/whatsthisbug

Photograph via //r/whatsthisbug

Bug identification! All insects, spiders, crustaceans, etc. welcome!

Filter posts by type:

ID Request Just Sharing Other

Frequently Asked Bugs

Carpet Beetle House Centipede Wheel Bug
Cicada Dobsonfly Household Casebearer
Cockroach Water Bug Oil Beetle
Mole Cricket Jerusalem Cricket Silverfish

Please also read our Wiki

Submit a bug!

WELCOME TO R/WHATSTHISBUG!

Got a photo of a bug you'd like identified? Submit it here and we'll try to figure it out! Best view for ID is top-down, well-lit, low-contrast photos. Pictures are preferable to videos for ID requests but we'll work with what you have.

I don't need an ID, but can I share a cool bug? Yes! This subreddit is also a community for any arthropodic discussion. But remember, every ID is needed! If you know the identity of your bug, do share it with the community!

Can I submit a dead bug for ID? Yes, but please bear in mind it’s always easier to ID living specimens. While we realize that extermination is sometimes necessary, comments promoting gratuitous violence against arthropods, or causing unnecessary suffering, (“kill it with fire” etc) will be removed. Linking to subs that explicitly promote hatred is not allowed.

DO NOT post pictures of bites or stings. Post pictures of the bug only. We CANNOT diagnose injuries or identify insects/spiders that allegedly caused bites. Seek medical advice before our advice if you didn't see a bug biting you.

Do not ask for home or garden pest control advice. Check /r/pestcontrol, /r/gardening or /r/Bedbugs for helpful info.

If your submission does not appear in the "NEW" bucket, message the mods to check the spam filter.


SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • Indicate the geographic location.

  • Provide a descriptive title. Avoid inflamatory or anti-bug rhetoric like "WTF is this nightmare fuel?" or "Do I need to burn my house down?"

  • Take the clearest and most detailed photo possible. Videos are OK, but pictures are best for IDing.

  • Indicate the size excluding antennae - the more precise the better.

  • Provide any other information you feel could help! If you could not take a photo of the bug, a detailed description (or even a drawing) may work.

  • Advertising items for sale or linking to shop sites (Etsy, ebay, etc.) is not allowed.


IDing GUIDELINES

  • Helpful answers only. Helpful answers are those that lead to an accurate identification of the bug in question. Joke responses, repeating an ID that has already been established hours (or days) ago, or asking OP how they don't already know what the bug is are not helpful.

  • Cite/Link a source whenever possible. Our "ID Guides" section below has some good ones. A search engine result page is not enough.

  • Don't make blind/random guesses. Our goal is to provide positive leads; false leads are counter-productive, e.g. "similar looking" is rarely good enough at the species level. If one is unfamiliar with the taxon, practice diligence, e.g. check other members of the taxon, as well as those of higher taxa. Especially for medically significant bugs, if you aren't 100% sure, leave the ID to someone more knowledgeable.

  • No medical or veterinary advice beyond identifying dangers and linking to a reliable resource such as CDC. Personal opinions and anecdotes will be removed. CDC Links: Ticks - Fleas - Kissing Bugs - Mosquitoes - Bed Bugs

  • We are not a pest control sub. Do not offer pest control advice beyond basic removal or exclusion of the bug in question or links to reliable sources or related subs such as /r/pestcontrol, /r/gardening, or /r/Bedbugs.

  • ID guides tend to be regional. While BugGuide.Net is popular, it only pertains to arthropods in the U.S. and Canada. For bugs outside the U.S. and Canada, try to search for a guide specific to that region. For example, if you want to ID a butterfly from Brazil, this would be a great guide.

  • In BugGuide.net, click on the "Browse" tab to switch to an ID-friendly, taxonomic view.


ID GUIDES BY REGION

Americas

North America

Central and South America

Europe

Australia

Worldwide


GLOSSARIES


FRIENDS OF r/whatsthisbug

Plinthocoelium suaveolens suaveolens by Beetles in the Bush

/r/whatsthisbug

1,170,108 Subscribers

1

Baby spider? Not sure what species

Found in Sydney AUS. Front is reddish colour and abdomen has light and dark brown colours. Apologies for the bad photo he was running around a lot

1 Comment
2024/12/01
10:31 UTC

2

What kind of moth is this?

Found in the balcans

1 Comment
2024/12/01
10:07 UTC

2

Please someone tell me what this is, it was in my sheets.

Location: Belgium, Europe

3 Comments
2024/12/01
09:57 UTC

1

What is this bug? [Taiwan]

Found in Taipei Elephant Mountain

0 Comments
2024/12/01
09:55 UTC

2

Found on my undies on the washing line.

Tried to do my own research but no luck (or I’m bad at this)

Live in Australia for reference .

0 Comments
2024/12/01
09:54 UTC

0

What bug is this???

This lil guy fell from the ceiling of my room idk what bug it is but he was jumpy and had claws on his mouth btw I whooped him with a broom and gave him a good bug spray bath didn't want any opps in my room😤

2 Comments
2024/12/01
09:28 UTC

1

Can anyone tell me what critter we have here? Brisbane

0 Comments
2024/12/01
08:37 UTC

1

[northern Italy] What's this caterpillar?

I found it in a tuft of black cabbage and wanted to help it turn into a butterfly.

0 Comments
2024/12/01
08:12 UTC

1

What is this alien looking bug, we live in australia and was found on our vinegar bottle lid

0 Comments
2024/12/01
07:56 UTC

60

My sister caught this thing at her home. Initially we thought it's some stuff toy but it's in fact a real insect. What is it?

13 Comments
2024/12/01
07:54 UTC

2

flat & dusty looking (beetle??)

i found this crawling around my apartment. his really abdomen is really flat, almost deflated looking. he doesn’t move very fast. what is it?

2 Comments
2024/12/01
07:29 UTC

1

Is this guy harmful for my ball python?

He probably came with one of the houseplants I bought how my ball python’s enclosure

2 Comments
2024/12/01
07:05 UTC

1

CT, USA - found in a hotel

3 Comments
2024/12/01
06:59 UTC

3

Found on pants

It’s quite small. Was walking down my leg. I live in Georgia right on the border and work in Tennessee.

8 Comments
2024/12/01
06:58 UTC

0

What is this spider?

Found this spider in the desert in Dubai.

4 Comments
2024/12/01
06:34 UTC

0

Is he danger?

7 Comments
2024/12/01
06:22 UTC

1

What are these little winged flightless fellas(not springtails) living in my compost? They leave my plants alone and are great decomposers.

This is an avocado I set in a pot of living soil these little things are always the first to start munching anything I add, I know they aren’t springtails, a type of mite or fungus nats what are they?

2 Comments
2024/12/01
05:52 UTC

1

Sorry for low quality picture

Thin green body with long wings, Arizona too!

2 Comments
2024/12/01
05:53 UTC

4

[Vancouver, BC] Came from either Costco steelhead trout, or grocery dill. Found it on my cutting board. Is this dangerous?

6 Comments
2024/12/01
04:56 UTC

3

2-3mm long beetle with pointed rear end found in wild mushroom, OR, USA.

https://preview.redd.it/tog8w4dw064e1.jpg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59ee26da9d5200b8403627b66cc78685b51d4d27

I Found a couple of these 2 or 3 mm long beetles in the gills of a mushroom growing in the wild, near portland oregon USA.

When I was taking photos they seemed to want to get back the gills of the mushroom to hide.

Thanks for any help.

1 Comment
2024/12/01
04:36 UTC

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