# A strange insect
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 4, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792 "2008-08-04T11:10:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792/1 "2008-08-04T11:10:45Z")
I wonder if there is someone who can tell me about the strange insect I saw yesterday. I tried to take a picture of it, but it is blurred.
It looked some what like a dragon fly(a little smaller) It had 2 long feelers off of its head 4 long legs like a spider and 2 long strings coming out it’s back that were a good 3" long. It curls it’s body under so it looks like a ring.
Thanks ahead of time.
Monavis
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2008, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792/2 "2008-08-04T11:59:01Z")
Sounds like you saw a Mayfly.
I used to go to upper Michigan in the summer and these things were FUCKING EVERYWHERE. Living and dead, they covered every fucking surface of everything. The most annoying goddamn bug in the world. The good thing is that they provide food for fish.
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### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792/3 "2008-08-04T12:18:57Z")
[Mayfly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayfly)
But I don’t think you saw a mayfly…not in August.
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### Author:  [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792/4 "2008-08-04T13:56:42Z")
Mayfly does sound like a better fit because they look a lot like dragonflies. Just to throw another option out there, the [stoneflies](http://tolweb.org/Plecoptera/8245/1996.01.01) have two appendages sticking out their rear ([cerci](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerci)) which fits part of your description.
Mayflies sounds more likely given that the cerci were 3" long though.
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### Author:  [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792/5 "2008-08-04T14:14:47Z")
3" appendages off the tail sounds like too long for a mayfly.
Perhaps an Ichneumon wasp?
It has [a t least one very long appendage off the tail,](http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/Questions/Martin%20window%20bug.jpg) much longer than a mayfly.
Sometimes that (ovipositor, I think?) [looks like two parts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Megarhyssa.jpg) in images I’ve seen.
They’re also often depicted as [curling the tail underneath themselves](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.insectpix.net/images/Mini_Jungle/Gasteruption%2520spp%2520maybe%2520ns.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.insectpix.net/miniature_jungle%2520page.htm&h=265&w=475&sz=12&hl=en&start=11&tbnid=yyVoL5zQXatjcM:&tbnh=72&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dichnuemon%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG) perhaps when laying eggs.
Sailboat
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### Author:  [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2008, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792/6 "2008-08-05T11:52:17Z")
Thanks guys, I will look up both and see if that is the one.
Monavis
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### Author:  [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2008, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-insect/458792/7 "2008-08-06T11:23:25Z")
[QUOTE=Sailboat]
3" appendages off the tail sounds like too long for a mayfly.
Perhaps an Ichneumon wasp?
It has [a t least one very long appendage off the tail,](http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/Questions/Martin%20window%20bug.jpg) much longer than a mayfly.
Sometimes that (ovipositor, I think?) [looks like two parts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Megarhyssa.jpg) in images I’ve seen.
They’re also often depicted as [curling the tail underneath themselves](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.insectpix.net/images/Mini_Jungle/Gasteruption%2520spp%2520maybe%2520ns.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.insectpix.net/miniature_jungle%2520page.htm&h=265&w=475&sz=12&hl=en&start=11&tbnid=yyVoL5zQXatjcM:&tbnh=72&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dichnuemon%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG) perhaps when laying eggs.
Sailboat
[/QUOTE]
Hi Sailboat,
I looked up Ichneumon wasp, and it looked a lot like one. The color was duller brown and it had 2 antennae instead of the one, so I assumed it could be of the same species.
Thaks,
Monavis