Northumberland insect & arrachnid ID (1 Viewer)

Rotherbirder · Sep 22, 2015

ApusApus said:
I think it's a Syrphus but you can't tell from this photo whether it's S. ribesii or S. vitripennis!

Shane

Your caution is to be applauded Apus; relatively few insect species can be identified to species from photographs - even good photographs! Lots of rash identifications appear on internet forums of all disciplines.

lazza · Sep 29, 2015

Any chance to put a name to this? Presumably a hover fly of some sort, maybe a Drone Fly?

ApusApus · Sep 29, 2015

Could be an Eristalis interruptus.

Shane

lazza · Oct 9, 2015

More hoverfly photos...

The first three, of the same insect, looks to be very similar to the unconfirmed Eristalis above, but I managed shots from several angles. Also, quite hairy.

And the second species - I'm really not sure. Not sure if it's a hoverfly, as it didn't hover, but was quite direct. It also "crawled" very fast, which is why the photos are pretty terrible! But hopefully the distinct yellow and black lateral stripes might help with the identification.

STS · Oct 10, 2015

4 and 5 show Tachina fera....perhaps, bearing in mind the comments above re. caution when IDing insects from photos.
Cheers,
Thomas

lazza · Oct 16, 2015

Thanks. That looks a good shout. I am thinking that the hover fly is a drone fly, Eristalis tenax, as I've been reading that the females are quite hairy...

And bearing these same comments in mind, and knowing that many caddis flies are remarkably similar and difficult to confirm in a photo.... is there any way to identify this, seen in our front porch last night?

lazza · Oct 20, 2015

OK, I'm guessing the caddis fly isn't possible to identify. I thought that might be the case

How about this fly? Could it be some kind of drosophila?

lazza · Jan 12, 2016

Hmm.... still some mystery species, so would still welcome any new suggestions for the above posts.

And now a new one, taken in late September last year, but not really looked at in any seriousness until today. Could this hoverfly be Eupeodes luniger. The curved spots that don't reach the edge of the abdomen seem to be quite a distinctive feature of this species....or...?!

aeshna5 · Jan 13, 2016

Hoverfly looks like Eupeodes luniger

lazza · Jan 13, 2016

Thanks aeshna5

lazza · May 12, 2016

So, not had much time for any "garden safaris" of late, but was out in the garden last weekend, and saw this long, thin insect, 8-10mm long, resembling an elongated ant!

ANy ideas?

aeshna5 · May 12, 2016

One of the very many rove beetles.

lazza · May 16, 2016

Thanks aeshna5.

Looking on-line, it could be Xantholinus sp. or maybe Gyrohypnus angustatus. It was in rotting timbers in the garden, which seems to fit with the latter, but I guess the photo (taken with my phone) can't really differentiate.

lazza · May 16, 2016

And a couple of subterranean larvae from this weekend.

One a bright orange-brown, fat larva, and the second a black-and-white legged larva that curled up its tail and raised its head in defence.

Any ideas?

honeym · May 16, 2016

Hi
Your first one is a moth pupa. On the basis that they are found all year round I'll guess Angle Shades. The only way to tell would be to look at the anal cremaster and compare it with the illustrations in Patocka & Turcani 2005 Lepidoptera Pupae. Central European species - or rear it through.
Martin

lazza · May 16, 2016

Thanks. I guess I should have known it was a pupa! I wonder if it could be Large Yellow Underwing, which I think is the same family, and we get plenty of in the garden.

Out of interest, how would I go about rearing it through?

honeym · May 16, 2016

Hi
It's also possible. Do you know this site http://www.ukleps.org ?
Just place the pupa on some tissue in a large jam jar, or similar, and stand a few twigs up in the jar (for the moth to climb up when it emerges). Make one or two small holes in the lid and place the jar in a shaded position at ambient temperature. Give the jara light spraying with water every few days and wait.
Once the moth has emerged and fully expanded its wings, release the moth where you found it, preferably in deep undergrowth so that it is not predated.
Good luck
Martin

lazza · May 23, 2016

OK, here's an intriguing one...

This spider was hiding behind my apple tree on the fence at the weekend, and I feel like I have narrowed it down (with some help) to it being a Running Crab spider species. It looks a dead ringer for a male Phildodromus dispar. Except that this is a species that lives nowhere near Northumberland (according to the National Biodiversity Network map, and information on britishpsiders.org.uk, the nearest observations have been south Cumbria or Lincolnshire).

Any other suggestions what it could be?

Or if my ID is right, is there an arachnid equivalent of a local recorder I can inform?!

ApusApus · May 23, 2016

No, it's definitely Philodromus dispar ........... a male one!

Shane

lazza · May 26, 2016

ApusApus said:
No, it's definitely Philodromus dispar ........... a male one!

Shane

Thanks. I have found a name for a local recorder, and have passed the record on

Northumberland insect & arrachnid ID (1 Viewer)

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