Ground Beetle for id

rowanalder · #1 (**permalink**) 09-10-2011, 04:31 PM

Hi everyone,

Anyone know who this chap is, i've just run it through Martin Luffs key and I think it maybe Ocys harpaloides.

Cheers Guys.

Klaas Reißmann · #2 (**permalink**) 09-10-2011, 09:15 PM

Yes it is. I don't know if Ocys quinquestriatus occurs in the UK, but its base of the pronotum is different.

Regards
Klaas

Jason Green · #3 (**permalink**) 09-10-2011, 10:23 PM

...great stuff, Rowan!

rowanalder · #4 (**permalink**) 10-10-2011, 05:53 PM

Cheers guys,

Klaas, thanks for the conformation. Martin Luffs key does include Ocys quinquestriatus as a resident species and is listed as a very local species. Just wanted to make sure that I was with the right Genus.

Jason, finally getting to grips with the ground beetle key, for now anyways. Just got both of Morris's True Weevils keys, now the fun begins.

Thanks again,

Ro

Klaas Reißmann · #5 (**permalink**) 10-10-2011, 06:01 PM

Hi Rowan,

Ocys quinquestriatus is no common species, but is often overseen. In Germany most of all you can find this one on old walls at night and in the wintertime as long as there is no frost. You have to take a look at the walls in the dark by using a torchlight and if they occur on the wall you are able to find up to 10 beetles during a "night". So they are not in great numbers on the walls but its possible to find them.

Regards
Klaas

rowanalder · #6 (**permalink**) 11-10-2011, 12:07 PM

Hi Klaas,

Thanks for the info, might do some hunting around during the winter and try and find Ocys quinquestriatus .

Cheers,

Ro

Klaas Reißmann · #7 (**permalink**) 11-10-2011, 09:37 PM

Hi Rowan,

you can start it right now. Beetlewinter is beginnig in October and ends in March.

Regards
Klaas

rowanalder · #8 (**permalink**) 12-10-2011, 06:51 PM

Hi Klaas,

Had a quick look around the garden this evening only found P. madidus wasn't really looking for the Ocys sp. But got a Staph and a Flea Beetle today while out at work.

Was thinking of putting a few pitfall traps out in the garden over the winter and see what I get. Anything I should look out for beetle wise during the winter other than Staphs and Carabids?

Jason Green · #9 (**permalink**) 12-10-2011, 09:31 PM

RE winter beetles, add to that Apionidae/Curculionidae. Mid-January I had an unidntified Apionid and Taeniapion urticarium, then Nedyus quadrimaculatus - all on over-wintering foliage from Green Alkanet.

Klaas Reißmann · #10 (**permalink**) 13-10-2011, 06:41 PM

Hi Rowan,

pitfall traps won't catch any Ocys quinquestriatus or only rarely more or less by mistake. Ocys quinquestriatus is living on old walls with clavages, where they can hide in and a few growing plants in it would make it a bit better. I don't know if they are active in summer, and if they are, if they are on walls, too, or somewhere else. But in winter, between October and march you will find them only there or maybe if you put up some pitfall traps directly at the base of the wall.

Looking for beetles in winter:

There is a few species active only in winter. If there is some heath around your area, try to find Amara infima, Bradycellus ruficollis and Bradycellus caucasicus within the heath bushes. Therefor Amara infima needs the very open habitats, separate heath bushes in open sandy areas, jaggy vegetated. You have to lift the border of the heath bush, grab the material under it, even some of the sand, and throw ist on a brightly coloured textile where you can see the dark beetles very well. We do sieve this material before, to get out the abrasive parts, what makes it much easier to look for beetles.

You do the same for the other two species, but for Bradycellus caucasicus you need the parts of the heath growing a bit more dense, bushes growing close together with open parts in between and for Bradycellus ruficollis you need the heath grown absolutely dense, the heath bushes maybe old and breaking apart.

You can take a look for Phloiophilus edwardsii and Tetratoma desmarestii. Both need old woods with oak trees. Phloiophilus edwardsii needs the funghus Peniophora quercina growing on dead branches and stems. Forrest should be more open, so the sun can get threw. If you look for it by surching on the sunny side of the tree and on the fresh funghus (beautiful pink coloured) you should be able to find it. Tetratoma desmarestii needs different funghus which name I don't know. So it is impossible to explain what really to do.

Regards
Klaas