Wheel bug
Arilus cristatus
39.2606, -81.6999
Field Notes
Description:
The wheel bug is a large bug (true bug, Hemiptera), ranging from an inch to an inch and a half in length. Its most noticeable feature (and its common namesake) is the cogwheel crest on its pronotum. It is the only insect in North America with such a trait, making it very distinctive.
Notes:
The wheel bug is surprisingly little-studied, and I have summarized most of the available scientific information about the wheel bug on my blog, which you can read here if you are interested in learning more about the wheel bug: http://normalbiology.blogspot.com/2011/01/inventing-wheelbug.html
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