bug ID ??

[hatcreekbruce]

I fished Manzanita Lake this past week. One early afternoon I noticed some bug struggling on the surface and went over to investigate. This bug was HUGE. It would estimate at least 1 1/2" in length. It had bright yellow antennae, yellow eyes or maybe bright yellow just behind the eyes, and a very thick black body. The fairly long legs were a short black stripe followed alternately by a bright yellow stripe. The wings (definitely not caddis wings) were stubbier than I thought should be for a bug this size.

I didn't want to touch it as I didn't know what it was. The bug latched onto my rod and then I lifted it onto the side bag of my pontoon boat. I got out my camera to take a couple of pictures of it but the darned thing flew off before I could get a picture.

For all I know (which admittedly is not much) this bug might not be aquatic at all and just some terrestrial creature. The fish showed no interest in it at all.

Bruce

[willies99]

Might be able to find it here.

https://www.insectidentification.org/insects-by-state.asp?thisState=California

Please let us know if you do.

Thanks,
Dan

[hatcreekbruce]

Dan

Great reference site for insect ID. Thanks for sharing this. I went through all of them and didn't find the bug I rescued. But my guess would be that it is some kind of beetle from the looks of beetles I found on the site. With all the dying trees around the lake I am sorry I saved the life of this "beetle."

Bruce

[gitt]

Google “cicada”

[hatcreekbruce]

Gitt

Your suggestion of a cicada looks very similar to what I saw but the coloring is wrong. My critter definitely had yellow antennae and yellow eyes. Maybe mine is a subspecies of this cicada. Thanks for your help.

[Odonata]

Interesting. I grew up back east, and cicadas were present all summer; you could hear their "songs" pretty much everywhere.

The coloration I saw back east was different depending on the "brood" -- they spend between one and 17 years underground. I personally saw the annual variety, which was green, and the 13 year species, which was red / orange. And of course you only saw the 13 year brood, well, every 13 years :)

I've only seen cicadas very occasionally out in California, mostly their molted shells -- they emerge from the ground, shed their skins, and spend the rest of their brief adult lives mating, singing, flying and laying eggs. I have never seen any that were yellow in color, but I don't know the species out here very well.

Cicada song and fireflies -- two of the very few things I miss about living back east (but definitely not the humidity or snow/ice). Brings back some memories :)