There's the strangest-looking bug on my refrigerator

[Syrinx]

I haven't squashed it yet, because I'm trying to figure out what it is.

It looks like a combination of a roach and a butterfly.

It looks like a roach with butterfly wings. The wings are off-white, with what looks like black "O"s on it. I've never seen anything like it before.

What the heck is it?

[AlienGirl]

1. Can you get a pic of it?

Where do you live?

Tucker

[Syrinx]

2. I'm in Alabama

But I don't have a digital camera, or anything. It's so freaky.

[AlienGirl]

5. What are its legs like?

Could it be a grasshopper-type insect?

[Syrinx]

7. It looks nothing like a grasshopper

[AlienGirl]

9. Anything like this?

[Syrinx]

16. nope

The wings are opaque.

[AlienGirl]

22. Long shot, but could this be it?

[Syrinx]

25. Afraid not

That actually looks like a stingray. :)

[AlienGirl]

27. That's a luna moth

My favorite insect ever.

[patriotvoice]

32. Luna moths...

... are gorgeous.

I remember once, about 7 years back, I was pumping petrol at a filling station just up the road. The attendant -- a gay man, mid 40s, with whom I chatted each time I visited the station -- pointed out a luna moth walking into the store.

He flatly interrupted our conversation on Bauhaus to make the observation, and I'm glad he did. Just as I turned to look at it, some punk teenagers came strolling in and harshly brushed it aside.

The attendant was dizzingly mad. He cursed at them, asked them if they knew what beauty was, and so completely enraged that he told them to get out.

They were much taken aback as they skurked out.

We talked a bit more about the sadness of humanity, and I left. That happened to be the last time I chatted with the attendant, but it was a good parting converation.

[EstimatedProphet]

3. Do the wings fold into a shell or carapace or something?

Or are they always exposed?

[Syrinx]

8. I'm not sure what carapace means, but....

The wings are exposed, it hasn't moved since I noticed it. It's just hanging on the front of the fridge.

[patriotvoice]

26. To which part of the refrigerator...

... is it attached? The freezer door or the refrigerator (proper) door?

Is the kitchen brightly illuminated?

[patriotvoice]

4. Identify

How many legs?
Is the body hairy or scaly?
Body length?
"Wing" span?
Number of visible divisions in the body?

[AlienGirl]

6. With wings, it's gotta have 6 legs

It is an insect, rather than one of the other arthropods.

[patriotvoice]

12. Not necessarily...

... if it's in a stage of development where it has a different number of legs, this information will help corroborate. Eg, ectoparasites.

[Syrinx]

11. I'm no expert on insects

But I only see two legs, but it looks like it has two pairs of antennae (sp?).

And I can only see the wing-side, so I'm not sure about sections. Maybe I'll kill it later and see.

It's about two inches from top to bottom.

[AlienGirl]

14. Don't kill it!

One pair of apparent antennae are legs.

Do the wings lie flat, or are they folded up like a butterfly's?

[Syrinx]

18. I'd say they are kind of folded up

[AlienGirl]

20. Are the wings large in relation to the body?

[patriotvoice]

24. Related question: are the wings longer than the body...

... or are they shorter. Eg, the Bella moth is larger, but

the Snowberry clearwing has a longer body:

[patriotvoice]

15. Perhaps...

Bella moth?

[Syrinx]

19. nope

Doesn't look like that.

[patriotvoice]

21. Can you describe how your specimen...

... differs from the Bella Moth?

Eg., are the wings or antennae hairy?

Also, are you in North, South, East, or West Alabama?

[Syrinx]

29. nothing hairy about it

And I'm in West Alabama, in the Tuscaloosa are, not terribly far from the Mississippi border. Less than an hour's drive, surely.

[EstimatedProphet]

17. I recommend this

Get a ziplock bag or a jar or something you can put it in.
Get it inside.
Put it in the freezer. This will kill it humanely. You can then pin it to a piece of cardboard or styrofoam to help ID it.

[Syrinx]

31. done

But I'm not sure what I'll do with it next. :shrug:

[AlienGirl]

35. Aww, man

Just like humanity...always has to kill what it wants to understand.

[patriotvoice]

36. Cryogenics

perhaps.

[EstimatedProphet]

39. How to pin it

Get a stiff piece of cardboard or styrofoam-make sure it's thick enough to be durable, and won't crush easily.
After about 24 hours, take the bug out of the freezer. Lay it legs down on the cardboard or styrofoam. Put a pin through its back into the cardboard. Then very gently start to extend the wings, and put pins through them when they are extended too. Now, you've got a specimen that you can photograph, or take to someone, or mount, or whatever. I'm sure someone on the board would be able to identify it if you can get a pic of it; otherwise, Barnes and Noble has some very good books on identifying insects. I recommend Petersens Field Guides.

[Kathleen04]

10. Sounds like a moth...

Could it be a moth?

[Syrinx]

13. It doesn't look like any moth I ever saw

Times like this I really wish I had a digital camera.

[JaySherman]

23. It's name is Oscar.

:evilgrin:

[EstimatedProphet]

28. Oscar isn't a bug!

He's an otter/naked molerat/badger cross.

[JaySherman]

38. He's developed shapeshifting abilities.

He can now transform himself into a cockroach/butterfly/moth cross.

[AlienGirl]

30. How many black"O"s per wing?

Could this be Our Friend The Sphynx Moth?

[Syrinx]

33. I'd say about 30

But I didn't count them. I get "image not available" when I try your link.

[patriotvoice]

34. I think...

... if it were a moth, it would have had to have been a Bella, further corroborated by the 30 "o"s.

It's been characterized as hairless, so I'm switching to a roach (or beetle) theory. One of my previous questions is about where it is on the refrigerator and if it is lumiphobic. If it's lumiphobic, it's probably a Deutsch roach, otherwise an Asian variety.

On the question of the "o"s, are the "o"s actually "rings" or are they solid black "circles"?

[A-Schwarzenegger]

40. It's the tic-tac-toe bug.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

37. Let me know if you need any tips on cooking it

:D