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| 1 | 2 |  » Stats |
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| | Welcome to our newest member, pywacket4u | |  | | 
01-05-2010, 09:40 PM
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,029
| | | Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
All taken at Crossness Nature reserve on the Thames to the east of London today.
1. The closest I can find is Phyllobius pomaceus but I don't think it is... 
2. A grasshopper nymph. Lesser marsh - Chorthippus albomarginatus - would be my guess as they are the most common at Crossness but we do get C. parellelus there too... 
3. A cricket nymph. I'm pretty sure it's one of the coneheads and I'm thinking maybe long-winged - Conocephalus discolor - but would be grateful for confirmation or correction... 
4. I got some images of a male Chironomus luridus today and am wondering if this might be a female...  
5. An ichneumon. I. suspiciosus is the closest I can find in my books but it doesn't have red/orange legs like mine does...  
6. A hopper of some description. Anyone know a good book on these? 
Thanks in advance for any help.
Dave P.
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"A good man is hard to find, especially if he's hiding. In a field. With combat fatigues and a false beard." - Wilson Dixon
Last edited by pressld2; 01-05-2010 at 09:53 PM.
|
01-05-2010, 09:44 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Nanjing, China
Posts: 907
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
The hopper is Mocydia crocea. The best book on these is Biedermann & Niedringhaus, The Plant- and Leafhoppers of Germany, but it's a bit pricey. The RES keys will get you a good way, but are out of print and some of them are incredibly hard to use...
No. 3 is one of the grass bugs rather than a cricket - I'd go for Notostira elongata, probably. |
01-05-2010, 10:08 PM
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,029
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
Wow, that was quick - you didn't even have time to look the hopper up!
Thanks for the book details too. You're right it is pricey. I can find a second-hand copy for £99 but that's a little out of my reach at the moment.
Dave P.
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(a.k.a. "Horizontal Dave")
"A good man is hard to find, especially if he's hiding. In a field. With combat fatigues and a false beard." - Wilson Dixon |
01-05-2010, 11:11 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,192
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
1) Sitona sp.
2) Tetrix subulata - a groundhopper. Can't be grasshoper nymph because the wings are fully developed, which means its an adult. |
02-05-2010, 05:23 PM
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,029
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
Many thanks Matt.
I really must learn to stop making assumptions! I spent ages researching cricket and grasshopper nymphs without once stopping to think that they might not be.
It's a slow process at my age, but I'm learning! 
Anyone got any ideas for the midge or the ichneumon?
Dave P.
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(a.k.a. "Horizontal Dave")
"A good man is hard to find, especially if he's hiding. In a field. With combat fatigues and a false beard." - Wilson Dixon |
02-05-2010, 05:40 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Barnsley
Posts: 1,727
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
The 'midge' is a cranefly; might be an Ormosia or something related but that's off the top of my head.
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John Coldwell |
02-05-2010, 11:07 PM
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,029
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
Many thanks Oxycera. I had no idea there are small crane flies too! I thought they were all about the Tipula paludosa size.  I've found an image of Ormosia nodulosa on Wikipedia which looks identical to mine but as I can't find any images of the dozens of other Ormosia species that doesn't really help me narrow it down. I'm betting these are another lot that require a microscope to the genitals to be certain - am I right?
Dave P.
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(a.k.a. "Horizontal Dave")
"A good man is hard to find, especially if he's hiding. In a field. With combat fatigues and a false beard." - Wilson Dixon |
03-05-2010, 12:26 AM
|  | Knight Grand Cross of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London
Posts: 11,830
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
Evening Dave,
The Ichneumon, #5, looks like the images on the 'Net attributed to the name of Ichneumon minutorius, but with Ich's it's best to be cautious... Quote:
Originally Posted by pressld2  I'm betting these are another lot that require a microscope to the genitals to be certain - am I right? | I'd have to agree. Sometimes it can also come down to fine hairs or leg ratios, and these may show up best under the 'scope. Still, John's your man for this! Very nice shots, by the way! I've never seen that type of Cranefly. What's the thing to look out for with Chironomus luridus? 
Take care, Jason 
Last edited by Jason Green; 03-05-2010 at 12:31 AM.
|
03-05-2010, 07:27 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Barnsley
Posts: 1,727
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
Quote:
Originally Posted by pressld2 I'm betting these are another lot that require a microscope to the genitals to be certain - am I right?
Dave P. | The smaller craneflies usually have to keyed out (as opposed to image comparing). Genitalia examination I find useful, sometimes essential, for confirmatory purposes.
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John Coldwell |
03-05-2010, 09:17 AM
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,029
| | | re: Insects: Assorted unidentifieds
Thanks again guys! Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Green What's the thing to look out for with Chironomus luridus? | Hi Jase,
A non-biting midge the males of which have wonderful feathery antenae... 
Although once again, I'm using Collins Complete British Insects as my guide and the only Chironomid included is C. luridus on page 300. But Wikipedia lists well over 60 species in the genus Chironomus and there are loads of other genera of non-biting midges too. So it's perfectly possible that everything I've ever called C. luridus was actually something else! It's also possible that the picture in Collins is of something else unless the photographer caught it and pinned it under a microscope after taking the picture.
My crane fly was about the same size (8-10mm) and lacked the feathery antenae, hence my rash assumption that it might be a female Chironomid.
Dave P.
P.s. Nearly forgot!  mMny thanks for the Ichneumon suggestion.
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