I think we've successfully established that the poor little chap has a most unenviable name!

Felix.

For what it's worth I second Steve's identification, and what beauties they are!

I can't wait until oil beetle time in this country, they're a proper sign of Spring for me.

Felix.
Ps: Another great pic Martin.

I too have been doing a little investigation into these guys and it turns out that they are a thoroughly reputable bunch with some worthy aims, and some pretty high profile projects on the go.

Felix.

Oh, and 'scatophagid' is Greek for 'poo eater'.

I was trying to be polite...!

Felix.

Hmmmm. They also have a significant quantity of set specimens for sale too. One assumes they're the results of their breeding programmes! I noticed that they have Light and Dark Crimson underwing ova for sale too, the inference in the advert is that it's British stock. :? Also: The Swallowtail (P.m....

Hi Dave,

The fly is a Scatophagid, probably Scatophaga stercoraria. What a beauty.

Felix.

Hamearis wrote:Surely you use Mr Green when you realise that everyone else has a good camera, and you only have a Sony?
(Ducks)

Ooooh Ouch!!

Felix.

Looking good Pete.

I'm not totally au fait with 'emoticons'. Under what circumstances does one use Mr Green ?

I wouldn't want to be misinterpreted!!

Regards,

Felix.

Any idea how to get hold of a copy?

Cheers,

- Pete

I have sent you a PM Pete.

Felix.

So, nominations for the most bullet-proof camera please.... I think that the Nikon FM2n has gone down in history as pretty much bullet proof (almost literally) - hence it's popularity with explorers and pioneers even to this day, although it hasn't been made for a few years now. It really will take...

Well, melanism and cold do go together. Alpine forms are frequently much darker than their lowland cousins. Many non-genetic colour variants have also been produced by temperature experiments in the laboratory. Perhaps hiernalis is governed by some low temperature trigger? Of course! It would make ...

I thought you did. Good, at least that means that one of my mental faculties is still functioning fairly well. A vast manuscript entitled Aberrational and Subspecific Forms of British Lepidoptera, Part 1 - The Rhopalocera by Goodson & Read was put together a few years ago by the BMNH for their i...

No problem Pete.

Is it my imagination or did you at some point in time request information on an work (a key) that aids in the identification of the aberrations and subspecific forms of British Butterflies?

If you did I have the answer.

If you didn't, please ignore this post!

F.

Guy, Of course! and Martin's specimen is clearly old (or at least well weathered!) that would explain it. Mystery solved. Incidentally (and on a totally unrelated note), if you're interested in interspecific hybridization in European butterflies take a look at this paper - it's very interesting inde...

Hmm. yes yes. I've done a little research and the characteristic of ab hiemalis is the occlusion of the blue markings on the hind wind inner margin with black scales, together with heavier black scaling in the more usual areas. Those yellow eye spots are something else though. So I suppose that one ...

Nice photo's Martin, and a very lucky find. At first I thought ab. hiemalis but there is a key feature on your specimen which is the yellow 'eyes' on the hind wings, rather than the usual orange/red. This is an additional aberration that one wouldn't expect with 'pure' hiemalis . It's plausible that...

That's an excellently crafted letter Guy - succinct and to the point. Let us hope that the correspondence editor sees fit to publish it. Many thanks to you and to Pete for pulling it together. George: Surely weight of public opinion could eventually change or influence the way that the government th...

In many ways, the obsession with cameras and photographs is much healthier, but it is perhaps good to remind ourselves that over-zealous photographers can do just as much damage (through trampling habitat, interfering with butterflies' behaviour &c.) as over-zealous collectors. I agree entirely...

I think you have taken a part of a sentence and misinterpreted the meaning. I think Dave was saying that digital is either "better to work with", or "better than it used to be". If there's a wrong end of a stick to be grabbed, that will be me doing the grabbing...oops, sorry Dav...

trying to get "ticks" of species and end up inadvertantly descending upon well-known and fragile sites looking for that elusive species A case in point being Stockbridge Down last year, and the wanton damage done by hoards of people trying to photograph the black veined white. The place l...