The "What is this bug?" thread

[HillBill]

Looking at Eyed hawk moth caterpillar images i believe you are correct. Its the blue tail that gives it away then?

Just looked at the moth images too. Beautiful creatures. Natural selection champions perhaps

 

[Harvestman]

Yes, the blue tail seems to be distinctive, although it isn't a species I have seem before.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Not sure of this one.

 

[Adze]

Not sure of this one.

Try this:

Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa

 

[Adze]

Although another Google image search comes up with the White Ermine moth Spilosoma lubricipeda as another probable match - one sec and I'll attach some pics.

 

[Adze]

White Ermine moth: http://www.biolib.cz/en/image/id42955/

Ruby Tiger moth: http://www.habitas.org.uk/moths/larva.asp?item=6150

 

[Adze]

A couple more for Harvestman:

While taking a snap of this big lass:

I realised there was more than first met the eye as rapidly scurrying in the opposite direction was this wee chap:

The scale is approximately the same in both pics. Did I break up something beautiful by putting the larger one outside to prevent my jack russell from eating it, or did I save the little one's life?

Cheers!

 

[Harvestman]

The little one is a daddy longlegs spider, Pholcus phalangioides. At that size it would be a juvenile. Actually, if it it that small, there's a possibility of the the much rarer Psilochorus simoni, but that has a globular abdomen with a greenish-blue colour, and usually occurs close to the ground rather than the ceiling.

The big one is a Tegenaria sp, T. saeva or T.gigantea probably, depending on exactly where you live. It also looks like a male.

Your baby moth will require a bit more thought before I pass judgement.

 

[Robbi]

Harvestman might find this of interest............anyone who doesn't like spiders......look away now !

http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/tarantula-sheds-off-exoskeleton/1j4ut8z6m

 

[Adze]

It's Bushwacker's baby moth - the extra pics were ones I found Googling as an attempt to ID it.

Cheers for the spider info - my neighbour has just popped round with another even larger one - this one is truly massive. If the proportion of the abdomen is any way to tell, then this one is probably male too as the proportions are similar and it has huge palps.

Pics in a minute.

 

[Harvestman]

The palps are how you sex spiders. If the palps are swollen at the ends (as if he was wearing boxing gloves) then it is a male. They are his male bits.

As a general rule (and there are exceptions) males have smaller bodies and longer legs than females.

Still baffled by Bushwhacker's baby moth...

 

[Adze]

Managed to get some proper scale - the spider is in a Carte D'or ice cream tub - the ruler is immediately underneath the tub (no perspective tricks) The widest part of the thorax is very nearly a 1/4 of an inch!

 

[Harvestman]

Yep, male T. saeva or T. gigantea (T. duellica in old money).

Not big enough (!) or red enough for T. parietina.

All of them fall under the general heading of 'common house spider'.

 

[Adze]

Yep, male T. saeva or T. gigantea (T. duellica in old money).

Not big enough (!) or red enough for T. parietina.

All of them fall under the general heading of 'common house spider'.

The colour is quite red - my phone camera is washing it out a bit. I've taken some more with a better camera.

Without flash:

With flash:

 

[Harvestman]

Those are excellent pics, but it isn't T. parietina. Not red enough, not leggy enough, markings are wrong, palps are the wrong shape, and you are waaaay too far north in Cumbria.

There are very few records of Tegenaria from Cumbria (house spiders are damned difficult to survey for), but those there are are all T. saeva. Impossible to be certain from a picture though.


Bushwhacker, I give up on your baby moth. I don't know.

 

[British Red]

Okay - my first chrysalis of the year was found today.....would anyone care to offer an ID - I have multiple photos as high a res as you like Chryslaiseseses don't run away!

I'm thinking large tortoiseshell?


Chrysalis 2 by British Red, on Flickr

Red

 

[Bushwhacker]

It would seem that one of my independent sources thinks it's a White Ermine too.

 

[Harvestman]

Okay - my first chrysalis of the year was found today.....would anyone care to offer an ID - I have multiple photos as high a res as you like Chryslaiseseses don't run away!

I'm thinking large tortoiseshell?


Chrysalis 2 by British Red, on Flickr

Red

Could be. That or batman.

Beyond my ken either way, although it is a wonderful looking thing to find.

 

[Harvestman]

Actually, isn't large tortoiseshell extinct in the UK?

 

[Harvestman]

Mmm, apparently not, according to my book.