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Check out the Frequently Asked Bugs in the FAQ.

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Welcome to whatsthisbug!

Got a photo of a bug you'd like identified? Submit it here and we'll try to figure it out!

Before you post, we are not going to kill it with fire, so don't ask!

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.

Cite/link a source whenever possible.

I don't need an ID, but can I share a cool bug? Yes! This subreddit is also a community for any arthropodic discussion.

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

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Submission guidelines:

• Indicate the geographic location.

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

• Provide any other information you feel could help!

IDing tips:

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

• 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.

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ID guides by region:

Central and South America:

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

Europe:

• Beetles of Poland (in Polish)
• British Lepidoptera
• European Coleopterans (it's in German)
• European Heteropterans (it's in German)
• Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
• Orthoptera of Europe, The
• UKMoths

U.S. and Canada:

• BugGuide
• Butterflies of America
• Generic Guide to New World Scarab Beetles
• Insect Identification (work in progress)
• Moth Photographers Group
• Pacific Northwest Moths

Worldwide:

• AntWeb
• BOLD Systems
• Carabidae of the World
• Discover Life's caterpillar guide (work in progress)
• Discover Life's insect guide (work in progress)
• Species File Software
• Treehoppers: Aetalionidae, Melizoderidae, and Membracidae
• Worldwide Cerambycoidea Photo Gallery

Glossaries:

• Amateur Entomologists' Society
• Auburn University
• Gordon's Entomological Glossary
• insect anatomy

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Friends of /r/whatsthisbug:

• /r/animalID
• /r/entomology
• /r/mantids
• /r/species
• /r/spiders
• /r/whatsthisplant
• /r/mycology

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Post defects/suggestions here.

Please stop assuming that all heteropterans are assassin bugs. 84% are not.

Plinthocoelium suaveolens suaveolens from Beetles in the Bush

submit a bug