Insect ID please

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southern-ct-4
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Insect ID please

Post by southern-ct-4 » January 2nd, 2019, 12:49 pm

Anybody know what these are? I've never seen them before. First saw them about a week ago after a heavy rain. Then didn't notice them for about a week, now I'm seeing them again, after another heavy rain. Not sure if coincidence or if the rain is bringing them out.

They are maybe 1/4" to 3/8" long.


Image


Thanks!

TimmyG
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Re: Insect ID please

Post by TimmyG » January 2nd, 2019, 1:26 pm

Google Images suggests a firebrat, but the legs seem too long and slender. But those long tail-like appendages do scream silverfish, firebrat, or something else in the insect order Lepismatidae.

southern-ct-4
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Re: Insect ID please

Post by southern-ct-4 » January 2nd, 2019, 1:32 pm

Thanks. Should I be concerned (if it's one of the insects you mentioned)? Should I put down some sort of insecticide granules? Or just spot spray as I see them?

TimmyG
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Re: Insect ID please

Post by TimmyG » January 2nd, 2019, 1:33 pm

Make that the insect family Lepismatidae or the order Zygentoma. "A conspicuous feature of the order is that the members all have three long caudal filaments."

You should Google to address concerns. I know nothing more.

southern-ct-4
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Re: Insect ID please

Post by southern-ct-4 » January 2nd, 2019, 1:42 pm

Understood and will do. Thanks again.


TimmyG
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Re: Insect ID please

Post by TimmyG » January 2nd, 2019, 3:33 pm

More than anything, I was trying to share just how powerful Google Images has become. I just right-click on the photo and choose ""Search Google for image" in the context menu. Some may dismiss the value of "Google-fu", but don't ignore the tools available to you. I readily picked up on the tail-like appendages and would have suggested that it's something related to a silverfish (recognizing that it's not a silverfish), but Google Images provided a quick means to expand that ID and be more detailed.

You'd be amazed how often Google Images can assist with weed ID. I'm well versed in weed ID, but even I get stumped once in a while.

bpgreen
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Re: Insect ID please

Post by bpgreen » January 3rd, 2019, 12:17 am

Interesting. Google identified it as a house fly for me and all of the visually similar images were spiders.

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Re: Insect ID please

Post by TimmyG » January 3rd, 2019, 12:42 am

Open the image first in postimage. You get "Best guess for this image: house fly" when you click on the smaller thumbnail in the post. The extra resolution is key.

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Re: Insect ID please

Post by TimmyG » January 3rd, 2019, 1:04 am

Your insect appears to have only a pair of caudal filaments, a.k.a. the cerci, not three. If so, you're looking at something from a different insect order than Zygentoma. You could try using this insect ID resource.

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Re: Insect ID please

Post by TimmyG » January 3rd, 2019, 1:12 am

Guessing that I see wings in the pic, I came up with order Plecoptera: the stoneflies. I think that's your ticket. Google the order for images.

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Re: Insect ID please

Post by TimmyG » January 3rd, 2019, 1:31 am

Check out the Scientific American guest blog "Winter stoneflies sure are super cool". Got a stream nearby?

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Re: Insect ID please

Post by bpgreen » January 4th, 2019, 1:54 am

TimmyG wrote:
January 3rd, 2019, 12:42 am
Open the image first in postimage. You get "Best guess for this image: house fly" when you click on the smaller thumbnail in the post. The extra resolution is key.
That makes a lot of sense.

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Re: Insect ID please

Post by southern-ct-4 » January 4th, 2019, 9:53 am

TimmyG wrote:
January 3rd, 2019, 1:31 am
Check out the Scientific American guest blog "Winter stoneflies sure are super cool". Got a stream nearby?
A couple houses down there's a stream. I don't have any. Never noticed these in the 6 years we lived here. Strange...

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