# What kind of bug flew at me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890 "2010-06-29T04:22:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/1 "2010-06-29T04:22:15Z")
I saw it on the ground on the way home. It was at least five inches long, and brown. Had long wings flat on its sides and two long tusk-like horns out the front. I poked it with a little stick to see if it was alive and it popped right up at my face! I’m ok with most insects but this one was kinda big. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/2 "2010-06-29T04:31:12Z")
Where do you live? ID’ing a specific insect is made a lot easier if there is a specific location to go by. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/3 "2010-06-29T04:31:52Z")
It would help to know where you are. Could it be a [Palo Verde Borer](http://images.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/palo_verde_root_borer_emily.jpg)? They’re pretty huge. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/4 "2010-06-29T04:37:38Z")
Rhino Beetle? > **[Rhinoceros beetles - Dynastidae](https://www.angelfire.com/ns/RhinocerosBeetles/)** > > Information on various species of rhinoceros beetles from around the world. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/5 "2010-06-29T04:41:31Z")
Check out this grub! [![](https://www.angelfire.com/ns/RhinocerosBeetles/images/MacteonL3.jpg) ](https://www.angelfire.com/ns/RhinocerosBeetles/images/MacteonL3.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/6 "2010-06-29T14:39:06Z")
Oh, yes. Location would help. I’m in Pennsylvania. Not a Rhino beetle-it was long and thin. The horns looked similar, though. Not a Borer-the wings were transparent. It had long antenna and the horns. I took a picture with my phone but then remembered I can’t put those on my computer. If not for the horns I would have said it was a mutated mayfly from Three Mile Island. Looking at my picture, though, the horns MAY have just been an odd shadow from the antenna. It’s gone today when I went to go look. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/7 "2010-06-29T15:00:18Z")
Some kind of [Dobsonfly](http://bugguide.net/images/raw/SQOR7QJRIQ3RP0S0MQS0W0H0IQQ0E0H0SQDR90FQI0FQG09RSQTRW0DR60Z00QJRMQCR0QTR0QK0.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/8 "2010-06-29T16:10:27Z")
Sounds like it might be a katydid to me. Some of them are brown. Their wings look like leaves. They have long antenna. So that’s my guess. ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/9 "2010-06-29T16:16:16Z")
Maybe a Praying Mantis and you mistook the front legs for horns? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/10 "2010-06-29T16:56:58Z")
The dobsonfly looks similar, except for the chompers. Maybe it was an out-of-stater. Could have been a katydid except for the back legs. I didn’t know Mantisis (Manti?) could come in brown. But it was lying flat, not up on hind legs. Wish I still had my digital camera. I’m not usually squeamish about large insects. ---
**Author:** ![Poor\_College\_Student](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Poor\_College\_Student](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poor_College_Student)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/11 "2010-06-29T17:12:06Z")
Not to hijack the thread, but I also have a “what bug is this?” inquiry: It was so cool, a friend an I hiked up the Superstition Mountains to the East of Phoenix, and when we sat at the top, there were these bluish beetle-looking bugs floating, just hovering in a single place, all around the air. We threw small rocks at one, and it’d keep dodging them and moving back to the exact same spot. It was crazy. ---
**Author:** ![TerpBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc8723/32.png) [@TerpBE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TerpBE)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/12 "2010-06-29T17:44:33Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > The dobsonfly looks similar, except for the chompers. If the “tusks” are long enough, you don’t really notice the chompers: [http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/beckenbach/dobsonfly.jpg](http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/beckenbach/dobsonfly.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/13 "2010-06-29T20:08:01Z")
> [@TerpBE](#): > > If the “tusks” are long enough, you don’t really notice the chompers: > > [http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/beckenbach/dobsonfly.jpg](http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/beckenbach/dobsonfly.jpg) YES! That was it exactly. Thanks very much everybody. **Poor College Student** , I hope your question gets answered as well. You’re welcome to use this thread or make your own. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/14 "2010-06-29T20:20:10Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I didn’t know Mantisis (Manti?) could come in brown. But it was lying flat, not up on hind legs. Wish I still had my digital camera. I’m not usually squeamish about large insects. Mantids do come in shades of brown, tan and yellow. I had a tan one as a pet for a while. I think it all depends on what they count on for camouflage in their species’ preferred area. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/15 "2010-06-29T20:23:52Z")
> [@TerpBE](#): > > If the “tusks” are long enough, you don’t really notice the chompers: > > [http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/beckenbach/dobsonfly.jpg](http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/beckenbach/dobsonfly.jpg) Holy shit that bug is clearly Hellspawn and must be destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![TerpBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc8723/32.png) [@TerpBE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TerpBE)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/16 "2010-06-29T20:44:53Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Holy shit that bug is clearly Hellspawn and must be destroyed. Here’s another one: [http://images.whatsthatbug.com/images/dobson\_christopher.jpg](http://images.whatsthatbug.com/images/dobson_christopher.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/17 "2010-06-29T20:51:42Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Holy shit that bug is clearly Hellspawn and must be destroyed. It sure is, which is why their larvae are call [Hellgrammites](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobsonfly)! ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-flew-at-me/544890/18 "2010-06-29T20:59:50Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > It sure is, which is why their larvae are call [Hellgrammites](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobsonfly)! You aint kiddin’! I’ve become used to my cockroach brethren here in Florida, but this bug would be annihilated on site. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Dobsonfly_Corydalus_cornutus_larvae.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Dobsonfly_Corydalus_cornutus_larvae.jpg)