Insects 2016

[Geoff F]

I love my little Sony compact camera (Sony DSC-HX20V), which I bought used for under a hundred quid on eBay. It's so easy to slip in a pocket and darned if it sometimes doesn't take better macro pictures than my big fat, expensive DSLR. The trouble is there's not much control. Sometimes (as with this small hoverfly), it works great. Sometimes it just won't focus on anything at all at this range. The DSLR is a lot more work but it's a heck of a lot more reliable. The other problem is that with such a short focal length the Sony has a very short macro working distance - 1cm! Many insects are not as tolerant of you shoving a lens up their nose as this hoverfly was. But when everything works out, the Sony is a little star.

Platycheirus albimanus/scutatus agg.

Do you have a first name? We tend to mostly use first names on this site.

I have had a few looks at this image and now tend to lean more towards Platycheirus albimanus. The abdomen spots seem more bronze than yellow and the front tarsal segments appear to be deeper than wide. Scutatus is more narrow in depth but wider.

With those water species, Bruce, I was on the edge of a shallow pond bank with my tripod legs well splayed.

Mating Merodon, means you are going to lose a few daffodil bulbs Mark, but I have never found them to be a serious pest in my garden. You have beaten me with the Eristalinus shot; I went off looking for some today but returned empty handed.

[Geoff F]

So what did I get today. Not really a great deal and most of what I did find was a bit flighty, refusing to pose for a photo.

We had been discussing Rhagio scolopaceus so here is the rather similar Rhagio tringarius.



There was a Tortoise Beetle which pretended to be not at home!



I tried to get this Cantharis pallida from a side view for identification but it remained partly in shadow until it legged it - as fast as those six legs could move!



A few others still to edit including some Ichneumons but I'm not over confident quality wise; and certainly no chance of an identification.

[Geoff F]

This 'Ichneumon' was running around jumping from leaf to leaf with its antennae continuously twitching, so not a great shot. But when I looked closer for a bit of editing, I realised it is a Sawfly not an Ichneumon. Tenthredo livida.



About time for somebody to start a new insect thread now?

[marlunn]

new thread started suprisingly called Insects 2016 part 2

please post there - lets see how many threads of this length we can get in this year

[James G]

I'm photographing more than I can identify or process at the moment.... but here's a few from the last week or so...

#1 Moth Fly, Percoma sp is the best I can do? Definately not keen to stay still!


#2 Plain Gold Micro Moth, Micropterix cathella... about half the size of the Moth Fly above


#3 Ensign Fly, Sepsis cynipsea... yet anther small one, and putting on a frantic display!


#4 No idea what this small fly is though it may be a variety of Stilt-Legged fly (very small though)


#5 This does look like a Stilt-Legged Fly, maybe Neria sp


#6 Crane Fly, Tipula sp


#7 Hoverfly Volucella bombylans male (Black variant)?

[James G]

Moving on to a few beetles....

#1 Red Headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis


#2 Red Headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis


#3 Harlequin Ladybird female, Harminia axyridis


#4 Harlequin Ladybird female, Harminia axyridis


#5 Swollen Thighed Beetle male, Oedemera nobilis


#6 Common Malachite Beetle, Malachius bupustulatis


#7 Rhinoceros Beetle male, Sinodendron cylindricum... (Havn't seen one of these since I was a teenager.)


#8 Rhinoceros Beetle male, Sinodendron cylindricum

[James G]

And a few more... Spiders and Insects

#1 Banded Demoiselle male, Calopteryx splendens


#2 Dock Shield Bug, Coreus marginatus


#3 Fly, Graphomya maculata, male


#4 Empis stercorea or trigramma?


#5 Nursery Web Spider, Pisaura mirabilis


#6 Nursery Web Spider, Pisaura mirabilis


#7 Orb Web Spider, Araneus diadematis female


#8 Orb Web Spider, Araneus diadematis female

[Geoff F]

You have certainly done well with some very difficult to photograph species there, James.

For the cranefly have a look at Tipula (Yamatotipula) lateralis.

[Geoff F]

There is a new Insects thread here.

Insects 2016 part 2