What in the heck was this thing?
Asked by
Kairi (
794
)
August 23rd, 2014
I live in upstate New York. I was at work and this two inch bug climbed across the table. It was light brown and had a dark brown striped back that fanned out like a crab’s pinchers. It was very thin. It had long feelers and six or eight legs. I couldn’t really tell before I smashed it. Any idea what this abomination was? It kind of looked like a lobster, cockroach, and millipede were fused together.
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12 Answers
Could it have been a Jerusalem cricket (potato bug)?
I thought those were only found out west however.
It sounds really interesting, and I’m so sorry you smashed it before you got a picture. You said it was really thin. Was it thin looking at it from above or the side? Were the long feelers curved or were they straight? How long were the feelers? I can’t imagine what “a dark brown striped back that fans out like a crab’s pinchers” even looks like.
Could you post a drawing of it?
Oh… wait a minute. Was it an earwig? (photo not for the squeamish.)
@hominid no that isn’t it. A Jerusalem cricket is too fat
@snowberry I wish I could have got a pohoto but it was going to go inside a delivery on the counter.
It was thin from both the top and sides. The feelers were an inch or so long and straight. The curved back is kinda like the one on the earwig photo posted by @dappled_leaves. I can try and draw it later
@Kairi Is it close enough to the photo I posted that it might be a different species of earwig? I’m trying to think what else could look like that.
But also… a raised countertop is a weird place to encounter an earwig, unless it was accidentally carried there.
However it happened there, I’m sure it came in from outside. What you describe is not a “house bug”.
So maybe it had more than 6 or 8 legs? That would open up a whole world of possibilities.
hm it could be a different kind. but yeah, it was big and creepy. shudder
it didn’t have a lot of legs, so it was no more then 8, @snowberry
it prob did come from outside, though, since I have to personally go in and out once an hour as part of my duties
(how do I add a drawing on here…??)
I don’t know. I’m not computer savvy. But I’m pretty sure someone following this question will tell you soon. Also, you can click “contact the mods” at the top of this webpage (right next to the search window), and send them a quick question. Someone will get back to you with the answer.
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