Northumberland insect & arrachnid ID (1 Viewer)

lazza

Well-known member

• Apr 20, 2015

• #1

So, to add to my other Northumberland ID threads, here's one for unknown insects and arachnids that I come across. All help very gratefully received!

And I'll kick off with this lovely orange-brown spider, found on my garage door here in Morpeth yesterday. It was approx 1 cm long (including legs).

It seems to have characteristics of Steatoda Bipuncta or rabbit-hutch spider, but it seems rather pale and uniformly coloured compared to on-line pictures.

Any ideas?

 

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lazza

Well-known member

• Apr 20, 2015

• #2

And then this green sawfly also from the garden this weekend. I am thinking Rhogogaster viridis, but my guide mentions there are several similar species, and the thorax colour seems wrong (green in viridis, orange-brown here)

 

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Ficedula

velico ergo sum

• Apr 20, 2015

• #3

lazza said:

And then this green sawfly also from the garden this weekend. I am thinking Rhogogaster viridis, but my guide mentions there are several similar species, and the thorax colour seems wrong (green in viridis, orange-brown here)

Click to expand...

seems to lack 2r so not Rhodogaster, or even Tenthredininae. appears to be Nematus/Pachynematus

 

Last edited: Apr 20, 2015

ApusApus

Well-known member

• Apr 20, 2015

• #4

I think you are right with the spider id, although generally chestnut coloured S. bipuncta can be found in paler versions. The sawfly could be one of the Rhogogaster species but whether you can pin it down to a specific individual from the photos I'm not sure!


Shane

 

Last edited: Apr 20, 2015

lazza

Well-known member

• May 27, 2015

• #5

OK, another ID challenge from last weekend, on the Northumberland coast. Would I be right in thinking that these hoverflies are leucozona lucorum? In my guide, the only other similar species is volucella pellucens, which does not have such obvious brown coloration to its thorax.

Thanks!

 

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ApusApus

Well-known member

• May 27, 2015

• #6

lazza said:

OK, another ID challenge from last weekend, on the Northumberland coast. Would I be right in thinking that these hoverflies are leucozona lucorum? In my guide, the only other similar species is volucella pellucens, which does not have such obvious brown coloration to its thorax.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Spot on with L. lucorum.


Shane

 

Tiraya

San Diego CA

• May 27, 2015

• #7

The sawfly does remind me of Nematus but I couldn't put any weight to that.

 

lazza

Well-known member

• Jun 5, 2015

• #8

OK, a couple from woodland near my home today...

The first, a small green beetle, a weevil, I think. The only two similar looking species in my insect guide are phyllobius pomaceus or polydrusus formosus, but it does not look like photos on-line of either!

The second a moth, and I am thinking it could be a silver ground carpet.

Thanks!

 

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ApusApus

Well-known member

• Jun 5, 2015

• #9

I would say #1 is a Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus.


Shane

 

honeym

Well-known member

• Jun 5, 2015

• #10

Spot on with the moth id.
Martin

 

lazza

Well-known member

• Jun 8, 2015

• #11

Thanks, both.

Nettle weevil sounds about right, as I was wading through nettles when it bounced onto my shoe!

 

lazza

Well-known member

• Jun 23, 2015

• #12

OK, here's another from the weekend. I will admit this isn't actually Northumberland, but County Durham is near enough

I think this is a female common blue damselfly, is that right?

 

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lazza

Well-known member

• Jun 23, 2015

• #13

And then another from the weekend, this time most definitely in Northumberland. After some exhaustive searching, I have narrowed this beauty down to being a Panorpa scorpion fly. Had never seen anything remotely like it until this thing flittered out of an overgrown hedgerow as I tramped past. Is it possible to ID for certain?

 

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ApusApus

Well-known member

• Jun 23, 2015

• #14

You're right on both accounts but there are 3 species of Scorpion Fly in the UK and you really need to put them under a microscope to id them correctly.


Shane

 

lazza

Well-known member

• Jun 24, 2015

• #15

Thanks.

 

lazza

Well-known member

• Jun 30, 2015

• #16

Here's a moth from the weekend. I'm pretty sure this is a Ghost Swift moth, but the yellowness of the body looks possibly too bright... would appreciate a confirmation or correction!

 

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Andy Adcock

Worst person on Birdforum

• Jul 4, 2015

• #17

Looks good for Ghost.....


Andy

 

lazza

Well-known member

• Jul 8, 2015

• #18

My identification skills are clearly quite pathetic. Surely something as bright as this next one should be readily identified, but I cannot find anything much like it at all in my books. I am guessing it's some kind of leaf beetle, but I cannot find anything as vivid as this in my guides.

EDIT: Aha! A search on-line (for willowherb leaf beetle) brings up a similar blue beetle, Altica lythri...?

 

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Last edited: Jul 8, 2015

A

aeshna5

Well-known member

• Jul 8, 2015

• #19

Certainly Altica + probably A. lythri.

 

lazza

Well-known member

• Jul 9, 2015

• #20

I guess I should be posting these in the separate moth forum, but anyway, here's another, from the garden last night...

 

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