An unknown biter

[Tony Harris]

My wife has been bitten/stung by an unknown assailant. The beast was 20-25 mm long and appeared to be cylindrical in form and 2-3 mm in diameter. It "appeared" from the packaging of a loaf purchased from the Local Farm Shop. (So it might be a common field pest), After biting/stinging my wife it scuttled across the kitchen work-top into the gap at the back. Efforts to find it for identification have failed - so no photo.

Whatever it was, it injected a mild venom which produced a painful weal on my wife's hand. The discomfort spread to her arm. Two days later the hand is still a bit sore, but the weal has nearly gone.

The beast did not appear to have wings and was not segmented. It had legs, but the number is not known. If any member would like to offer an identification, we would be grateful.

[bigdave60dog]

Would you know if it was a centipede?. All centipedes have venomous bite, some British species can penetrate human skin but do not do much harm really.
Some beetle grubs bite but most are pretty slow movers.

[theresa dockery]

Originally Posted by bigdave60dog

Would you know if it was a centipede?. All centipedes have venomous bite, some British species can penetrate human skin but do not do much harm really.
Some beetle grubs bite but most are pretty slow movers.

I am always attracted to threads where there is almost no hope of a positive ID!

I agree with you on centipede as a possible culprit - the reddish-brown Lithobius species can give a nasty nip!

Tony - what colour was the beastie?

Earwig is another possibility...they quite often get into houses and would definitely 'scuttle' away. They don't deliver much of a nip though.

[Tony Harris]

Theresa and Big Dog

Thanks for your responses. The beast was black, very black, not shiny. Dorothy says it was a walking matchstick - no sinuous body movement.

But it did shift too quickly for her to recognize it for drawing purposes.


Tony

[Acutipuerilis]

Sounds like a rove beetle - one of the larger Ocypus, for example. I've been bitten by one once, although it didn't react, but that could just be a spot of infection.