Is there an Entemologist in the Playground?

[John Cribati]

Okay, I've found this... thing on my kitchen counter, and immediately slammed it with a newspaper. It's still twitching, but that's beside the point. I placed a quarter next to it, for a size comparison, and took a picture with my phone.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs387.ash2/66594_1658819558202_1468554485_31626373_1575127_n. jpg

1: I think it's a mosquito. Am I correct?
2: Why the hell does this thing exist?

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

1st of all, I'm not an entemologist.

2nd of all, I find it really funny that you, Herpestidae, are asking about winged insect. The name and all, y'know?

EDIT: NEVERMIND! I got you confused with another poster, who's name means Wasp. Herpestidae are mongooses. Gorram, I'm slow today.

3rd of all, you've never been to Louisiana, I take it.

[John Cribati]

1st of all, I'm not an entemologist.

2nd of all, I find it really funny that you, Herpestidae, are asking about winged insect. The name and all, y'know?

3rd of all, you've never been to Louisiana, I take it.


Herpestidae is the scientific name for mongooses. If I were complaining about snakes, it would be ironic.

And I've been to Jamaica, where mosquitoes are normal-sized, but aren't repelled by American mosquito repellent.

EDIT: Darn it, you ninja'd my correction!

[Malfunctioned]

It looks like a Crane Fly or Daddy-Long-Legs to me.

[Toastkart]

I'm not an expert either, but it looks like an ordinary crane fly to me.

Crane Fly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_fly)

[Cobalt]

What the heck is-

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs387.ash2/66594_1658819558202_1468554485_31626373_1575127_n. jpg

OH MY GAWD.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Yah, Ichneumon is the waspy-one.

[Syka]

I'm not entymologist (*shudder* that would be the career from hell for me), but I have lived in Florida my whole life.

Looks like a mosquito. Also looks like that crane fly thing. But it's about normal for mosquito size here.

But then...OP ain't here.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I'm not entymologist (*shudder* that would be the career from hell for me), but I have lived in Florida my whole life.

Looks like a mosquito. Also looks like that crane fly thing. But it's about normal for mosquito size here.

But then...OP ain't here.

If you go into the marshes in Ontario, they're not as big as that, but there are clouds of them. They blacken the skies! :smalleek:

[John Cribati]

Well, whatever it was, it was fun lighting it on fire.

[Mando Knight]

or Daddy-Long-Legs
Interesting fact: that name is used for three different kinds of arthropod: crane flies (like the pictured insect), Harvestmen (arachnids belonging to order Opiliones), and cellar spiders.

I was initially thrown off by the quoted comment, since where I come from, the term is used almost exclusively for the arachnids.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Interesting fact: that name is used for three different kinds of arthropod: crane flies (like the pictured insect), Harvestmen (arachnids belonging to order Opiliones), and cellar spiders.

I was initially thrown off by the quoted comment, since where I come from, the term is used almost exclusively for the arachnids.

Aye, same here with me.

[Xyk]

I'm not an expert either, but it looks like an ordinary crane fly to me.

Crane Fly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_fly)

We call them Mosquito Hawks here because at one point it was believed that they eat mosquitoes. I'm pretty sure that was disproved. But yeah, it's the same thing. Almost definitely that.

[Lhurgyof]

Wait... I'm pretty sure that's just a male mosquito.... They're a lot bigger than the females and don't suck blood. Why'd you kill it? D:
They're around up here in Maine all the time, they never hurt anyone. :smallfrown:

EDIT: It's not a crane fly, it has a proboscis. Crane flies don't have those.

[Kislath]

I concur, and I AM a biologist with leanings in entomology ( but mainly a fish man ). The wide thorax suggests ( predatory ) cranefly, but the herbivorous mouth says otherwise. It's just a really big bull skeeter.

[TheThan]

I was initially thrown off by the quoted comment, since where I come from, the term is used almost exclusively for the arachnids.

same here, and we call those things Mosquito hawks. Though I don't think they actually hunt and kill Mosquitoes.

[Winter_Wolf]

Back home we call those "mosquito eaters". Because that's what they do, and as long as I've been alive no one I know has been bitten by one. They're harmless, beneficial even. And you killed it. :smallannoyed:

:smallbiggrin:

[kpenguin]

EDIT: NEVERMIND! I got you confused with another poster, who's name means Wasp. Herpestidae are mongooses. Gorram, I'm slow today.

Actually, if you're referring to Ichneumon, Ichneumon can also refer to the Egyptian mongoose.

So, either way, mongooses.

[John Cribati]

Back home we call those "mosquito eaters". Because that's what they do, and as long as I've been alive no one I know has been bitten by one. They're harmless, beneficial even. And you killed it. :smallannoyed:

:smallbiggrin:

I'd already slammed it with a newspaper before I took the picture. It wasn't going to live very long, anyway.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Actually, if you're referring to Ichneumon, Ichneumon can also refer to the Egyptian mongoose.

So, either way, mongooses.

... Why! Why do these Mongeese keep following me! :smallmad:

[John Cribati]

... Why! Why do these Mongeese keep following me! :smallmad:

It's Mongooses.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

It's Mongooses.

Yeah, next you'll be telling me that the plural of Moose is Mooses. I'm Canadian, I know about Meese! You can't fool me! :smallamused:

[Gullara]

Yeah, next you'll be telling me that the plural of Moose is Mooses. I'm Canadian, I know about Meese! You can't fool me! :smallamused:

Obviously the plural of moose is moosen. It's like ox.

Brian Regan, look it up.

[Rawhide]

Interesting fact: that name is used for three different kinds of arthropod: crane flies (like the pictured insect), Harvestmen (arachnids belonging to order Opiliones), and cellar spiders.

I was initially thrown off by the quoted comment, since where I come from, the term is used almost exclusively for the arachnids.
I had only ever heard of the spiders being called daddy long legs.


... Why! Why do these Mongeese keep following me! :smallmad:


It's Mongooses.

According to all Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Mongoose) entries, it's mongooses. But, according to Merriam-Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mongoose) and Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoose), mongeese is also sometimes used.


Yeah, next you'll be telling me that the plural of Moose is Mooses. I'm Canadian, I know about Meese! You can't fool me! :smallamused:

The plural of moose is moose (http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/500-599/nb504.htm).


Wait... I'm pretty sure that's just a male mosquito.... They're a lot bigger than the females and don't suck blood. Why'd you kill it? D:
They're around up here in Maine all the time, they never hurt anyone. :smallfrown:

EDIT: It's not a crane fly, it has a proboscis. Crane flies don't have those.

Less male mosquitos means less opportunity to mate, which means less mosquitos.

[Chaos117]

It's Mongooses.

Actually, it's Mongoosai, just like the plural of Sasquatch is Sasquatchai. :smallsmile:

and it's called a mosquito eater where I live too, but i don't think they actually eat mosquitoes.

EDIT: ^I think that male mosquitoes are generally smaller than females.

[Rawhide]

Actually, it's Mongoosai, just like the plural of Sasquatch is Sasquatchai. :smallsmile:

I am finding absolutely no evidence to support this whatsoever.


EDIT: ^I think that male mosquitoes are generally smaller than females.

I didn't say anything about their size, I was only countering the argument that they shouldn't also be killed.

[Asta Kask]

If you go into the marshes in Ontario, they're not as big as that, but there are clouds of them. They blacken the skies! :smalleek:

Good. Then we will camp in the shade.

[Lhurgyof]

Oh, well if it isn't a male mosquito even less reason to kill it.

But I try not to even kill insects, at all. I'm just weird like that.

[Maroon]

Those things are so common around here (the Low Countries), you might as well have posted a picture of a cow. I'm baffled you haven't seen one of them before.

It's what we here call a long-legged mosquito (because that's what it is). It's potentially annoying but basically harmless. They don't prey on mosquitoes but neither do they bite humans (some larval crane flies are predatory and may eat mosquito larvae, but adults of both sexes either feed on nectar or don't feed at all).

[John Cribati]

Well, I'm in New York; the only variation in Mosquitoes up here is that some have stripes.

[Mando Knight]

If you go into the marshes in Ontario, they're not as big as that, but there are clouds of them. They blacken the skies! :smalleek:

All the easier to kill them all with a flamethrower, then.