www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

hi guy,

another superb beetle! and an absolutely beautiful image .
what sort of terrain did you find it in?
ive been taking in the local beetle fauna myself here in the new forest more so in the last couple of weeks and have found a couple of scarce longhorns and a leaf beetle, (pictured). they are wonderful creatures and fascinating watching them going about their business, mainly consuming large amounts of pollen from umbelliferae species, and mating.

gary.

The sycophanta was anomalously at over 2000m, above the tree line and surrounded by snowy areas! I was with an expert, who was the one who actually found it, and he said it had absolutely no business there and must have arrived by accident in one of the recent storms, or on a hiker's clothes, or dropped by a bird &c. The species is generally rare in CH anyway.

I love your New Forest beetles. I fear it would take me another lifetime even to begin to come to know these fascinating creatures.

Guy

Any ideas what this one is? Denise

That's a cricket - you can see the stridulatory apparatus on the hind legs. I'm sure there's a cricket expert in UK Butts!!

Guy

It's not Freddie Flintoff - that much I know

Cheers,

- Pete

hi denise,


perhaps misha could help id it, but to me it looks like our native field cricket, a species that is very restricted in its range and i think only saved from extinction in britain through carefull captive breeding and reintroduction projects.
if thats what it is, its a species that requires very specific habitat requirements.
were did you find it? as i believe the last wild colonys were in sussex.
perhaps its a member of an re-introduced colony.
im sure misha may have more imfo if that is what it is.

gary.

It wasn't in the UK, but in Spain.
My brother took this shot not far from Madrid, and didn't know what it was.
Sorry, I should have said that straight away.

Denise

hi denise,

that would explain it as its found across central and southern europe and down into north africa, britain as usual having its own genetic form with a narrow gene base so my marshall and haes guide tells me.

gary.

It is indeed a Field Cricket. There was supposed to be a re-introduction site somewhere in the New Forest, but I don't know where, or if successful.

Misha

hi misha,

perhaps back down at or near fawley, as ive read thats were the last viable site was before they built the refinary on it.

gary.

Hi all,

Picture of a Lesser Stag Beetle seen today at Quarry Hangers Nature Reserve, on the North Downs near Chaldon, Surrey.

Cheers,

Vince

This was on my lawn back in the spring. In fact there were a few around at the time. Not a great pic, but striking leg colour. Not a clue what it is.

Looks like a Oil beetle, tried moving one once, now I know why their called Oil beetle, Yuk

Gruditch

OMG did it wee on yer? Do you know the Latin binomial Gruditch?

Ok i looked on Wiki. It's a Meloe i think, and that wee is some nasty stuff....i see what you mean now.

Meloe proscarabaeus is the full name.

Misha

Thanks for that Misha, i'll be able to caption the pic now.

My son found this one today on moorland.... approx 1cm long, no idea what it is, but it was rather attractive....