Post your insects

[Geoff F]

No common name, Bruce; and I can't pronounce the Latin version!

Corizus hyoscyami.

[Slipper]

Some awesome shots on this thread. I look forward to getting closer with some tubes but meanwhile I like to get some colour into a "scene". (Well thats my excuse)





Thats odd, my pics are not showing today

[Geoff F]

Just an example of shooting for identification; which needs slightly different subject material.

The overall scene.



But there are several very similar species and the differences lie in the front leg 'toes'.



Now clearly identified as Platycheirus peltatus male.

[Geoff F]

Today started looking rather dull so I nearly stayed home. But glad I went on because there were some really interesting insects walking around. And towards the end I found a couple of large (4 ins long) Ichneumon Wasps laying eggs into an old dead tree stump.



It is probably Rhyssa persuasoria. She uses her antennae to detect grubs living under the bark then positions herself in a peculiar angle so she can get the ovipositor (as thin as a human hair) through the bark and lay an egg directly into the grub; where it develops as a parasite.



I have several other images to process, but these show how she operates.

[Geoff F]

Another scene from today. A pair of Spiked Shieldbugs.

[ajohnw]

Those are good Geoff. I particularly like the shieldbugs and hope to see the same type some day.

John
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[orlcam88]

Nice capture! If I saw that wasp, I'd need a tele otherwise I'd run!!! Scary looking thing.

....
It is probably Rhyssa persuasoria. She uses her antennae to detect grubs living under the bark then positions herself in a peculiar angle so she can get the ovipositor (as thin as a human hair) through the bark and lay an egg directly into the grub; where it develops as a parasite.

[Slipper]

Would appreciate some I.D. please

[Geoff F]

Potentially a wow species, John!

Is it the same as this one?



I've had that one double checked and it definitely is Stomorhina lunata. I found it yesterday.

That is a rare migrant originally from North Africa. They do occasionally spread northwards as far as Southern England but there seems to have been an increase in numbers recently. So are they now breeding here?

The one which I found was at the same site where I found one last year; so that tends to point towards a resident population.

Well worth sending that photo on to a specialist. Do you have a County Recording Scheme for wildlife?

[Slipper]

Good lord, really. That explains why I couldn't find its ID. It does look the same as yours.
I dont know who I would send that too, but I will have a look Geoff, thank you.
I will look tomorrow for a closer shot if it comes back.

Edit. I have one more shot.

[Franci]

Remarkable shots, Geoff and John.

I only have a Syrphidae on a Gentiana punctata. Given the weather conditions in Eastern Alps this summer, both rare!

[rudi]

One from today.
A female Crane fly I think. Please correct me iff I am wrong.

[Geoff F]

That second image is absolutely perfect, John.

I've now heard of some recorded as far north as Yorkshire so all information should be gratefully received by one of the various associations.

[Geoff F]

That cranefly, Rudi, is one of the Fold-winged Cranelies (Ptychopteridae). Possibly P. contaminata but I would need a closer look at the mid wing veins to be certain.

[jdathebowler]

Here's a Didea fasciata taken in my garden

Hoverfly Didea fasciata by jdathebowler, on Flickr

[Slipper]

That second image is absolutely perfect, John.

I've now heard of some recorded as far north as Yorkshire so all information should be gratefully received by one of the various associations.

I had a look for any organisation in Hampshire UK Geoff, but nothing obvious, I will search again.

[rudi]

Thanks for ID Geoff.Hope this is a better Crane Fly picture for identification.

[Geoff F]

Still some room for confusion with this tricky group, Rudi.

But the radial vein directly above the mid wing dark cross vein now looks a bit bowed to me; which tends to suggest it could be Ptychopterid minuta. However, positive identification relies on close examination of male genitalia and you have a female there.

I've just done a two day cranefly identification course and the greatest impact it has had on me is to convince me that a lot of craneflies are unidentifiable!

More of a chance with a dead specimen and a microscope but with so many species and variation between individuals of the same species it will often still be difficult. Which means that when working from photographs it will frequently be a case of merely getting to genus level.

ps. Didea is a species which I haven't seen so far this year.

[marlunn]

Fab shot of the cranefly Rudi, and now I know why I dont try to ID them at any real level Geoff

I was down in Dorset last week, Lyme Regis, family holiday, did not get the shot I wanted, we saw Hornet mimic fly, Volucella zonaria for the first time but I had the wrong lens on This fella flew past and landed at eye level so its a bit of a stretch and snap shot really - but interesting, the fly was as big as it was and took some carrying.

[rudi]

Thanks Marc, this cranefly was all in all not too skitisch....Lucky me. Nice background in your shot.

Thanks Geoff. Your help is very much appreciated.
I wonder iff there is an 'easy' (don't think that exists in bug terms..) guide (maybe online) where I can roughly determine
de bugs I photograph. For now I am already happy iff I can determine the genus on most cases. To know the species is off course a plus....

I found this
http://www.naturespot.org.uk/home
online guide. Other suggestions.???
Thanks.