The "What is this bug?" thread

[Broch]

The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know - and that was never more true than with insects. Every time I go down to the wood I see something new!

I thought this one would be easy with its bold markings, but I can't identify it. I thought it was a cranefly (Nephrotoma or Ctenphora) but none of them fold the wings back like this one.

Any ideas?

 

[Toddy]

Look for Tipula confusa, there are a few that fold their wings back like that.
I got the image from this site,

Tipula confusa | NatureSpot

www.naturespot.org.uk

 

[Broch]

I think it must be Nephrotoma quadrifaria (Tiger Cranefly) - I've found one photo of a male which is less colourful but with the wings folded back. I'll carry on searching tomorrow; I've given myself a headache searching tonight

 

[Toddy]

Not surprised; there are so many out there.
We get a lot of jennylonglegs flying around here, so it became a kind of sport to suss out 'which' jennylonglegs it actually was.

 

[daveO]

My guess would be spotted cranefly. It's quite lightly marked on the back of the head compared to the tiger. Hard to say for sure without seeing the detail of the wing and the abdomen markings though. There was one in my kitchen this morning

 

[Nice65]

My guess would be spotted cranefly. It's quite lightly marked on the back of the head compared to the tiger. Hard to say for sure without seeing the detail of the wing and the abdomen markings though. There was one in my kitchen this morning

Little bit of photo editing to remove some background, one angry little alien. Gotta love nature, that is for sure a “best steer clear of me” sign!

 

[Wander]

Whilst sitting and having a mug of earl grey I was joined by this little fella:

Anyone know what it is?
I looked in my books but couldn't find it. I Googled 'hairy centipede' and 'hairy arthropod' but no luck.
Cheers

 

[slowworm]

Whilst sitting and having a mug of earl grey I was joined by this little fella:

Anyone know what it is?
I looked in my books but couldn't find it. I Googled 'hairy centipede' and 'hairy arthropod' but no luck.
Cheers

If you google 'hairy beetle larvae' you'll find some results. Looks like a larvae of one of the beetles in the Dermestidae family. Possibly carpet or hide beetle?

 

[Wander]

I must say, I did have some trepidation doing a search for 'Hairy Beetle Larvae' about exactly what might come up. I did it using my 'sacrificial' search engine (we all have one of those, yeah? You know, just in case your other half also uses the same computer and as they start to type something in the search engine the auto-predict predicts things you rather it hadn't?), just in case.
But I needn't have worried.
Yes, it does look like a carpet beetle larvae.
Thanks ever so much.

 

[TeeDee]

No idea. Wingy thing , black and yellow so as far as I'm concerned could be a wasp.

In all seriousness - I'm fascinated that just one 'cell' of the wing has colour - like a stained glass window that to be filled in. Wonderful.

 

[Broch]

I believe it's Cordulegaster boltonii - Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

I had to look up the latin name

 

[henchy3rd]

The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know - and that was never more true than with insects. Every time I go down to the wood I see something new!

I thought this one would be easy with its bold markings, but I can't identify it. I thought it was a cranefly (Nephrotoma or Ctenphora) but none of them fold the wings back like this one.

Any ideas?

View attachment 68148

Looks like a tiger crane-fly & yes some do fold the wings flat over the abdomen.

 

[Nice65]

Little green fella, not sure what it is.

 

[slowworm]

A quick search suggests the aptly named thick legged.flower beetle, Oedemera nobilis.

 

[Nice65]

Here’s another mystery. Time was about 9pm, in a chalkland South Downs valley. You’ll hear the sheep and the farmer calling his collie back in.

These flying things were in all the hedges, mainly Elder which is in full flower, but also in the Hazel. They buzz very soft and low, are pretty clumsy, and seem to crash into the leaves on purpose. I couldn’t catch one to look at, but they appear led to be light to mid brown with translucent wings.

 

[slowworm]

Hard to tell but their flight and your description sounds like one of the chaffer beetles.

 

[Nice65]

Hard to tell but their flight and your description sounds like one of the chaffer beetles.

They do resemble flying acorns so you may well be right. Tried again to catch one last night, but short of whacking one midair, I couldn’t. Needs a net really.

 

[Keith_Beef]

On Sunday 19 February I found a caterpillar between two firebricks on a table under the cedar in our garden. I've been trying to identify it, but unsuccessfully.

There are pine processionary moths in the area, and there are traps set up on dozens of trees. But from looking at pictures, they seem to have longer hairs than the caterpillar that I found.


Can anybody here help me out?

 

[Broch]

Fairly sure that's what it is - Pine Processionary, Thaumetopoea pityocampa

 

[Keith_Beef]

Fairly sure that's what it is - Pine Processionary, Thaumetopoea pityocampa

Thanks, Broch.