The "What is this bug?" thread

[mountainm]

Potential candidate

from http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Pond.htm

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=1361

Loves mint.

 

[British Red]

I know idents are hard on caterpillars - so lets just share this handsome fellah - maybe 2" long


Caterpillar by British Red, on Flickr


Caterpillar by British Red, on Flickr


Caterpillar by British Red, on Flickr


Caterpillar by British Red, on Flickr

Red

 

[leedsbrew]

Walking into work this am and found this critter on the glass of the fire door! I've never seen one before but it is quite obviously Emmelina monodactyla! Or so I believe!

It was still there by home time (it was definitely alive lol)

 

[Harvestman]

Potential candidate

from http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Pond.htm

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=1361

Loves mint.

Excellent call.

 

[Harvestman]

Walking into work this am and found this critter on the glass of the fire door! I've never seen one before but it is quite obviously Emmelina monodactyla! Or so I believe!

It was still there by home time (it was definitely alive lol)

Plume moth. Your guess is as good as mine about which species. That's a seriously specialised group.

 

[Harvestman]

Walking into work this am and found this critter on the glass of the fire door! I've never seen one before but it is quite obviously Emmelina monodactyla! Or so I believe!

Plume moth. You may well be right about the species too. Frankly, your guess is as good as mine. They are a difficult and specialist group.

 

[Harvestman]

Red, will you still admire those caterpillars if I tell you they are the larvae of the Large White butterfly, a.k.a. the Cabbage White?

 

[British Red]

I thought that it might be (we give them six cabbages each year to feed on). Its far bigger than any I have seen previously though - at least 2"

 

[Mad Mike]

Under my front door when I got home

Privet hawk moth larva Sphinx ligustri I think.

I don't have Privet or Lilac there is some Ash. I picked it up & put it by a habitat area with leaf litter, they are quite heavy.

Mike

 

[Harvestman]

I agree, and they will feed on ash.

 

[Emdiesse]

Hi Harvestman,

I stumbled across a hole the other day with a tonne of web... naturally my desire was to tickle the web with a piece of grass to get a glimpse of the occupant... unfortunately tickling webs with one hand and taking photos with the other is not my forte and neither is identifying spiders.... so... I'll put this one out for the expert.

 

[Harvestman]

You didn't do so badly Emdiesse. That's a female Tegenaria, the sort of lovely lady that the handsome chap in Dave53's thread is looking for. He must be after her for her good looks, because housekeeping is clearly not her strong point by the look of that web.

 

[Emdiesse]

You didn't do so badly Emdiesse. That's a female Tegenaria, the sort of lovely lady that the handsome chap in Dave53's thread is looking for. He must be after her for her good looks, because housekeeping is clearly not her strong point by the look of that web.

I should have known, it did look like one... but I haven't ever seen one in this kind of environment before (Middle of a large park, in some small woodlands). I have only ever seen them in or around houses, the last one I found was in a garden pot. I learnt that they were a) very quick and b) they ambush their prey if I am not mistaken.

Dave53's poor male Tegenaria... he'll never find her is he stays indoors, she's out gallivanting!

 

[Harvestman]

I should have known, it did look like one... but I haven't ever seen one in this kind of environment before (Middle of a large park, in some small woodlands). I have only ever seen them in or around houses, the last one I found was in a garden pot. I learnt that they were a) very quick and b) they ambush their prey if I am not mistaken.

Their sheet web really does little more than slow prey down, rather than entangle it properly, but that gives them enough time to rush out of their retreat (the hole at the back) and subdue the prey. They mainly rely on stuff blundering onto the web, or falling onto it from above, where they put a number of threads that further limit prey attempting to leap or fly away. the 'knock down' threads tend to get in the way and prey drops back onto the sheet.

Tegenaria are sit-and-wait predators on the whole, so we tend only to see the big males when they go looking for a mate (he has to go to her - she won't come to him), but they are equally at home in woods, quarries, and urban settings, so long as there is a crevice that they can base their web around. We just tend to see them in houses, for obvious reasons.

 

[Niels]

This spider had many children and little balls hanging in his web. Are they winter food supplies for the spiderlings?

 

[Harvestman]

No, each of those 'balls' is a silk-wrapped ball of eggs. The silk used is rather papery and non-sticky in order to protect the eggs and stop them drying out.

I'm trying to work out which species of spider that is, and not having any success. I'm reminded of a cave spider, but it isn't. Might be something that doesn't occur in the UK, might just be I don't recognise it from that angle.

 

[Niels]

No, each of those 'balls' is a silk-wrapped ball of eggs. The silk used is rather papery and non-sticky in order to protect the eggs and stop them drying out.

I'm trying to work out which species of spider that is, and not having any success. I'm reminded of a cave spider, but it isn't. Might be something that doesn't occur in the UK, might just be I don't recognise it from that angle.

Thanks. I should have known. I thought it was a Tenagaria spieces or is that silly?

 

[Harvestman]

Not silly, but Tegenaria sits on top of its sheet. Your spider might be one of the larger money spiders, which hang below a silk sheet, or it could be a Theridiid (Comb foot) or a Metid (Cave spider family). My guess, after some thought, is a Theridiid, due to the shape of the egg sacs. I'd like to see a dorsal view of the adult to be more sure.

 

[Harvestman]

Oh, I wonder. Nesticus cellulanus, the cellar spider? Possibly.

 

[Niels]

Oh, I wonder. Nesticus cellulanus, the cellar spider? Possibly.

He was in the goat milk tank room if that's any help. Many many spiders in there. Shame it was to dark for proper macro shots...