Photos: Curiosities - Home and Garden IPM from Cooperative Extension - University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Photo Gallery: Curiosities

Nearly all of our caterpillar, butterfly and/or moth entries are now in their own respective categories within our Photo Gallery so please look there if you know you are looking for one of those insect types.

: American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana) (Etna, ME; 6/12/2012)

: Margined Carrion Beetle (Oiceoptoma noveboracense) (Etna, ME; 4/11/2010)

: Barklice nymphs of Cerastipsocus venosus (often called “Tree Cattle” due to their herding behavior) (Searsport, ME; 8/6/2023) (Photo courtesy of J. Kristo)

: Barklice nymphs of Cerastipsocus venosus (often called “Tree Cattle” due to their herding behavior) (Searsport, ME; 8/6/2023) (Photo courtesy of J. Kristo)

: Blood-Colored Checkered Beetle (Zenodosus sanguineus) (These beetles are predators of woodboring insects) (Bridgton, ME; 10/20/2023) (Photo courtesy of Rebecca Long, UMaine Extension)

: Bot Fly (Genus Cuterebra) (likely either the Mouse Bot, C. fontinella, or Rabbit Bot, C. buccata) (Portland, ME; 6/18/2022) (Photo courtesy of Hazen Camber)

: Bronze Ground Beetle (“Bronze Carabid”) (Carabus nemoralis) (Stetson, ME; 5/21/2009)

: Bronze Ground Beetle (“Bronze Carabid”) (Carabus nemoralis) (Etna, ME; 4/3/2010)

: Brown Prionid Beetle (Orthosoma brunneum) (Etna, ME; 7/26/2023)

: Cicadas (comparing Periodical cicadas with an Annual cicada)

: An Annual / Dog-day Cicada found in Maine

: A newly-molted Cicada and its former exoskeleton; Photo courtesy of April and Lee Townsend (Portland, ME)

: The shed exoskeleton of an Annual Cicada following a molt

: Click beetle

: Click Beetle

: Eyed Elater
(a species of Click Beetle)

: Wireworms (Larval stage of beetles called Click Beetles)

: Wireworms (Click Beetle larvae)

: Crane Fly Larvae

: Example of a Crane Fly (this one is a “Large Crane Fly” in the Tipulidae family)

: Phantom Crane Fly (Family Ptychopteridae)

: Damselfly

: Dobsonfly larva
(also called a Hellgrammite)

: A male dobsonfly; Orono, ME (07/17/2018).

: Female dobsonfly

: Dogwood Sawfly Larvae on a dogwood (middle instar stage) (7/17/2020) (Photo courtesy of Susan; Monroe, ME) (compare with adjacent photos of the final two instar stages which are very different)

: Final larval instar of the Dogwood Sawfly (Macremphytus testaceus) (August 9th, 2009; Medway, Maine) (Similar to a White Pine Sawfly larva)

: Eastern Boxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata) (adult stage) (Hallowell, ME; 4/19/2021)

: Eastern Boxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata) (adult stage) (Hallowell, ME; 4/19/2021)

: Eastern Cicada-killer Wasp (Sphecius speciosus) (~1.5″ long; solitary and non-aggressive) (often mistaken for a Murder Hornet due to its size) (Raymond Cape, ME; 7/11/2022) (Photo courtesy of Paul Tracy)

: Eastern Cicada-killer Wasp (Sphecius speciosus) (~1.5″ long; solitary and non-aggressive) (often mistaken for a Murder Hornet due to its size) (Raymond Cape, ME; 7/11/2022) (Photo courtesy of Paul Tracy)

: Elm Sawfly (larval stage) (7/27/2009; Pittsfield, ME)

: Elm Sawfly adult, resting on a pea plant (7/1/2020; Edgecomb, Maine) (Photo by E. Kerr)

: Fishfly adult (July 16th, 2016; central Maine)

: Fishfly adult

: Four-lined Silverfish (Ctenolepisma lineatum)

: Giant Water Bug (“Toe-biter”)

: Giant Water Bug (“Toe-biter”)

: Giant Water Bug (“Toe-biter”)

: Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasp (Eremnophila aureonotata) (Rockport, ME; 8/30/2020)

: Hag Moth Caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium) on an oak leaf (Palmyra, ME; 8/17/2020) (Caution: caterpillar has stinging spines)

: Hermit Flower Beetle, Osmoderma eremicola (a type of fairly large scarab beetle) (Photo courtesy of J. Grant) (Plymouth, ME – 7/12/2020)

: Hermit Flower Beetle (Osmoderma eremicola) (Orono, ME; 7/1/2024)

: Horntail (also called a Wood Wasp)

: Horsehair Worm (these are not insects)

: Horsehair worm inside a 3.5″ diameter petri dish

: A Horsehair worm that has emerged from its host cricket

: House Centipede

: Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) getting nectar from Fall Phlox flowers

: Introduced Pine Sawfly larva (July 11, 2015) (central Maine)

: Introduced Pine Sawfly adult (Etna, ME; 4/15/2020)

: Katydid (Northern Bush Katydid, Scudderia septentrionalis) (Etna, ME; 8/6/2010)

: Locust Borer

: Lupine Bug (Megalotomus quinquespinosus) (superficially similar to a western conifer seed bug) (Jonesboro, ME; 9/28/2024) (Photo courtesy of Alan Brooks and Marilyn Dowling)

: Lupine Bug (Megalotomus quinquespinosus) (Jonesboro, ME; 9/28/2024) (Photo courtesy of Alan Brooks and Marilyn Dowling)

: Sugar Maple Borer (Glycobius speciosus) (6/13/2021; Panton, Vermont — but also found in Maine) (Photo courtesy of M.O. Metcalf)

: March Fly (“Lovebug”) (Family Bibionidae; genus Bibio) (likely Bibio femoratus) (Etna, ME; 5/27/2023)

: Mayflies (the immatures are aquatic)

: Mayfly (adult)

: Mayfly (adult)

: Metallic Wood-boring Beetle (Family: Buprestidae)

: Oil Beetle (female) (genus Meloe) (central Maine; late September 2019) (Photo courtesy of M. Pelletier)

: Pseudoscorpion

: Red-headed Ash Borer (Neoclytus acuminatus) (Jonesboro, ME; 4/11/2022)

: Red Flat Bark Beetle (Cucujus clavipes) (they are predators on other insects) (York County, ME; April 11th, 2022) (Photo courtesy of P. Wirth)

: Red-banded Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea) (also called the Candy-striped Leafhopper) (Etna, ME; 8/2/2009)

: Red-shouldered Pine Borer (Stictoleptura canadensis) (7/12/2020)

: Reticulated Net-winged Beetle (Calopteron reticulatum) – Camden, ME 8/14/2017

: Reticulated Net-winged Beetle taking flight (Calopteron reticulatum) – Camden, ME 8/14/2017

: Rhododendron Leafhopper (Graphocephala fennahi) (Greenville, ME; 8/26/2007)

: Robber Fly (female Efferia aestuans) (Scarbarough, ME; 7/17/2022)

: Rove Beetle (possibly Ocypus nitens)

: Rove Beetle (possibly Ocypus nitens)

: Gold-and-brown Rove Beetle (Ontholestes cingulatus) (Boothbay Harbor, ME; 6/3/2011)

: Hairy Rove Beetle (Creophilus maxillosus); Etna, ME, 6/9/2018.

: Hairy Rove Beetle; Etna, ME, 6/9/2018 (same specimen from the adjacent photo, but here it is displaying its defensive, ball-like posture)

: Leopard Slug (also called a Spotted Slug or Giant Garden Slug) (June 1st, 2012) (Northeast Harbor, ME)

: Leopard Slug versus Tawny Garden Slug

: Sapwood Timberworm (female) (beetle) (Hylecoetus lugubris) (Stetson, ME; 5/23/2022)

: Sapwood Timberworm (female) (beetle) (Hylecoetus lugubris) (Stetson, ME; 5/23/2022)

: Scorpionfly

: Silverfish

: Small-headed Fly (resting on the underside of a maple leaf in Etna, Maine, July 27th, 2018)

: Spider Beetle (Whitemarked Spider Beetle)

: Smooth Spider Beetle (Gibbium aequinoctiale)

: 3/11/16. A large mass of springtails. Photo courtesy of C. Senn. Lincolnville, ME.

: Closeup image of a Sprintail

: Closeup of a Springtail

: Spring Firefly larva (Genus Pyractomena) (5/10/2024; Fort Kent, ME) (Photo courtesy of Rebeccah Douglas-Leblond)

: Firefly larva (Genus Pyractomena) (9/30/2024; Kennebunk, ME) (Photo courtesy of Kari Gates)

: Small Winter Stoneflies (Old Town, Maine; 3/11/2022) (possibly Allocapnia recta) (Photo credit: courtesy of Edward S. Grew)

: Stonefly (adult) (the immatures/nymphs are aquatic)

: Stonefly (adult)

: Example of a Syrphid Fly (feeding on Queen Anne’s Lace pollen)

: A species of Syrphid fly: Toxomerus marginatus

: Syrphid flies (droneflies) feeding on pollen of narrow-leaved goldenrod flowers (Schoodic Point in Acadia National Park; 10/10/2017)

: An example of a Hover fly or Syrphid fly that mimics bee/wasp-like patterning

: A Tachinid fly in the genus Cylindromyia (they are common flower visitors in open/weedy areas)

: Tachinid fly (likely Hystricia abrupta) (Newburgh, ME; 7/28/2020) The adults of this species feed on nectar and their larvae develop inside caterpillars (Photo courtesy of J Atherton)

: Pair of mating Tachinid flies (Juriniopsis adusta) (Alfred, ME; 7/11/2024) (Photo courtesy of Judee Meyer)

: Pair of mating Tachinid flies (Juriniopsis adusta) (Alfred, ME; 7/11/2024) (Photo courtesy of Judee Meyer)

: Tanbark Borer / Violet Tanbark Beetle (Phymatodes testaceus) (Cape Elizabeth, ME; 5/4/2023) (Photo courtesy of MB)

: Three-lined Potato Beetle (Lema daturaphila) (central Maine, 7/20/2021) (very common on tomatillo plants; uncommon on potato in spite of its name)

: Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) (Orono, ME; 5/12/2022) (Photo credit: courtesy of Edward S. Grew)

: Tortoise Beetle (larva); Photo by G. Dill, staff

: Narrow-winged Tree Cricket (Snowy Tree Cricket) (Oecanthus niveus) (Wells, ME; 8/24/2022) (Photo courtesy of Tom Baxter)

: Two-spotted Tree Cricket (Neoxabea bipunctata – female) (Wells, ME; 9/4/2022) (Photo courtesy of Tom Baxter)

: Water Scorpion

: Water Scorpion

: Water Striders on Mount Desert Island (August, 2010)

: Western Conifer Seed Bug

: Western Conifer Seed Bug with its wings spread partway open to reveal the abdominal patterning (When the insect is at rest, the wings are folded neatly over the abdomen, but when people see one like this they will often not recognize it as a western conifer seed bug)

: Winter Firefly (Ellychnia corrusca) (5/3/2011; Etna, ME)

: Winter Firefly (Ellychnia corrusca) (5/3/2011; Etna, ME)

: Example of a wood roach (Dusky Cockroach, Ectobius lapponicus) (male) (Stetson, Maine; 7/13/2015)

: Example of a wood roach (Tawny Cockroach, Ectobius pallidus) (male) (Acadia National Park, Maine; 10/11/2009)

Additional Photos and Information:

American Carrion Beetle
Backswimmers and Water Boatmen (UWM)
Barklice (Cerastipsocus venosus) (“Tree Cattle”) (BugGuide.net)
Blood-colored Checkered Beetle (BugGuide.net)
Bot Flies (BugGuide.net)
- Mouse Bot Fly Cuterebra fontinella (BugGuide.net)
- Rabbit Bot Fly Cuterebra buccata (BugGuide.net)
- Bot fly larvae and pupae (BugGuide.net)
Boxelder Bugs (BugGuide.net)
Bronze Carabid / Bronze Ground Beetle
Brown Prionid (Beetle) (BugGuide.net)
Carrion Beetles
- American Carrion Beetle
- Margined Carrion Beetle
Cicadas
Click Beetles
Crane Flies
Damselflies
Dobsonflies
Dogwood Sawfly (Iowa State Univ Extension) (additional images, including the adult stage: BugGuide.net)
Eastern Boxelder Bugs (BugGuide.net)
Eastern Cicada-killer Wasp (Missouri Dept. of Conservation) See also: Sphecius speciosus (BugGuide.net)
Elm Sawfly
European Ground Beetle
Eyed Click Beetle (Eyed Elater)
Firefly larvae (Genus Pyractomena) (BugGuide.net)
Fishflies
Flower Flies (also called Hover Flies or Syrphid Flies)
Four-lined Silverfish (and Firebrats)
Giant Water Bug
Glire Bot Flies (BugGuide.net)
- Mouse Bot Fly Cuterebra fontinella (BugGuide.net)
- Rabbit Bot Fly Cuterebra buccata (BugGuide.net)
Gold-and-brown Rove Beetle (BugGuide.net)
Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasp (BugGuide.net)
Ground and Tiger Beetles (Penn State)
Hag Moth Caterpillar (BugGuide.net)
Hermit Flower Beetle (BugGuide.net)
Horntails
Horsehair Worm
House Centipede
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (BugGuide.net)
Introduced Pine Sawfly
Katydids (also known as long-horned grasshoppers)
Leopard Slugs
Locust Borer
Lupine Bug (BugGuide.net)
March Flies (Univ. of Wisconsin)
Mayflies (Michigan State Univ. Extension)
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles (Univ. of Minnesota Extension)
Narrow-winged Tree Cricket (BugGuide.net) | Listen to the ‘call’ made by a similar species (Singing Insects of North America)
Oil Beetles
Praying Mantids (Univ. of Kentucky)
Predaceous Diving Beetles (BugGuide.net)
Pseudoscorpions (BugGuide.net)
Red Flat Bark Beetle (Penn State / New Kensington)
Red-headed Ash Borer (BugGuide.net)
Red-banded / Candy-striped Leafhopper
Red-shouldered Pine Borer (BugGuide.net)
Reticulated Net-winged Beetle (BugGuide.net); See also (similar species; Banded Net-winged Beetle (Univ. of Florida)
Rhododendron Leafhopper (BugGuide.net)
Robber Flies (NC State Extension)
- Efferia aestuans (BugGuide.net)
Rove Beetles (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Gold-and-brown Rove Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Hairy Rove Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Ocypus nitens (BugGuide.net)
Sapwood Timberworm (BugGuide.net)
Scorpionflies (Univ. of Kentucky)
Silverfish (and Firebrats)
Small-headed Fly
Spider Beetles (people sometimes mistake these for spiders, bed bugs, or ticks)
Springtails / Snowfleas
Spring Firefly larvae (Genus Pyractomena) (BugGuide.net)
Stoneflies (the nymphs are aquatic) (BugGuide.net)
- Small Winter Stoneflies (Family Capniidae)
- Winter Stoneflies (Family Taeniopterygidae)
Sugar Maple Borer (BugGuide.net)
Syrphid Flies (also called Hover Flies or Flower Flies)
Tachina (Tachinid) Flies (BugGuide.net)
- Cylindromyia (BugGuide.net)
- Hystricia abrupta) (BugGuide.net)
- Juriniopsis adusta (BugGuide.net)
Tanbark Borer / Violet Tanbark Beetle (often encountered when they emerge indoors from oak firewood) (BugGuide.net)
Three-lined Potato Beetle [pdf] (UNH)
Tiger Beetles (Texas A&M)
- Tiger Beetles of Vermont (iNaturalist)
- Maine IF&W: Rare Tiger Beetles
- Ground and Tiger Beetles (Penn State)
- Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (BugGuide.net)
Tortoise Beetles
Tree Crickets
- Narrow-winged Tree Cricket (BugGuide.net) | Listen to the ‘call’ made by a similar species (Singing Insects of North America)
- Two-spotted Tree Cricket (BugGuide.net)
Water Boatmen (UWM)
Water Scavenger Beetles (Texas A&M)
Waterscorpions
Water Striders
Winter Firefly
Western Conifer Seed Bug
Wood Roaches