Frequently Asked Bugs

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

• Butterflies of America
• Generic Guide to New World Scarab Beetles

North America

• BugGuide.Net
• Insect Identification (work in progress)
• Moth Photographers Group
• Pacific Northwest Moths

Central and South America

• Coccinelidae de Argentina|Bolivia|Brazil|Chile
• Coleoptera Neotropical
• Neotropical Butterflies

Europe

• BioMap (Beetles of Poland) (in Polish)
• British Lepidoptera
• European Heteropterans (in German)
• Grasshoppers of Europe
• kerbtier.de (Beetle Fauna of Germany)
• koleopterologie.de (European Coleopterans) (in German)
• Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
• UKMoths

Australia

• What Bug is That?

Worldwide

• AntWeb
• BOLD Systems
• Carabidae of the World (subscription-based)
• Cerambycidae Catalog: Old World|New World
• Cerambycoidea.com (longhorned beetles)
• Discover Life (work in progress)
• jumping-spiders.com
• Sharpshooter Leafhoppers of the World
• speciesfile.org
• treehoppers.insectmuseum.org

GLOSSARIES

• Amateur Entomologists' Society
• Auburn University
• Gordon's Entomological Glossary
• Insect Anatomy

FRIENDS OF r/whatsthisbug

• r/animalID
• r/AskVet
• r/awwnverts
• r/Bedbugs
• r/Entomology
• r/herpetology
• r/insects
• r/invasivespecies
• r/mantids
• r/mycology
• r/pestcontrol
• r/spiderbro
• r/spiders
• r/tarantulas
• r/weeviltime
• r/whatsthisplant
• r/whatsthissnake

Plinthocoelium suaveolens suaveolens by Beetles in the Bush