Inspired by Geoff Dann's very successful "What is this fungi?" thread, and by the number of people asking and contributing to threads to identify bugs of all sorts, I thought we might want to start a similar sort of thread for creepy-crawlies of all sorts.
I'm a UK spider expert and a decent enough entomologist, with a smattering of knowlege of other groups, and there seem to be several other people on here with a knowledge of invertebrates, so let's give it a go.
Post up your pics of insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and anything else that comes under the general heading of 'bug', and we'll have a go at identifying it for you. Non UK species are very welcome, but obviously will be harder to identify given that most of the membership is UK based.
I'm going to start us off with a few general pics. Feel free to post your own to show, even if you know what it is.
Female Gatekeeper butterfly, also known as the Hedge Brown, Pyronia tithonus
Great Diving Beetle, Dytiscus marginalis, somewhat out of context
Female Four-spot spider, Araneus quadratus
Long-winged conehead (a sort of cricket), Conocephalus discolor. Found this today, for the first time. Rare in my part of the world.
Dragonfly. I'm seeking help on this one, as they are not my area of expertise. I think it is Aeshna cyanea, but am not certain, and don't know the common name.
So, what is this bug?
I'm a UK spider expert and a decent enough entomologist, with a smattering of knowlege of other groups, and there seem to be several other people on here with a knowledge of invertebrates, so let's give it a go.
Post up your pics of insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and anything else that comes under the general heading of 'bug', and we'll have a go at identifying it for you. Non UK species are very welcome, but obviously will be harder to identify given that most of the membership is UK based.
I'm going to start us off with a few general pics. Feel free to post your own to show, even if you know what it is.
Female Gatekeeper butterfly, also known as the Hedge Brown, Pyronia tithonus
Great Diving Beetle, Dytiscus marginalis, somewhat out of context
Female Four-spot spider, Araneus quadratus
Long-winged conehead (a sort of cricket), Conocephalus discolor. Found this today, for the first time. Rare in my part of the world.
Dragonfly. I'm seeking help on this one, as they are not my area of expertise. I think it is Aeshna cyanea, but am not certain, and don't know the common name.
So, what is this bug?