Bugs Show 'Insect'

Hi pdh,

Oh, never seen anything like that. Initial glance might suggest a cricket, but I would rule that out since the femur of the hind leg is no where near long enough and the segmented antenna would also rule out a cricket. I would therefore suggest that you are looking at a bug or a beetle, but I'm afraid I can offer nothing else by way of an ID for the beast.

Barrie
 
Thankfully I was able to identify these 2 from the catch in my moth trap of a couple of nights ago.
Both shots taken with a Panasonic G1 and 45mm, f/2.8 Leica DG Macro-Elmarit.

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Shuttle-shaped Dart, forewing length about 14mm

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White-spotted Pug, forewing length about 11mm. It's unusual to get such a fresh pug, they normally fade within about 2 days of emerging from the pupa, so I was pleased with this one.

Barrie
 
Some more from an overnight moth trap

These were caught last night and are nice freshly emerged examples. All images were taken using a Panasonic G1 with 45mm, f/2.8 Leica DG Macro-Elmarit. As the nights warm up and the year progresses so more species are being caught on any one night.

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Blood-vein, forewing length 16mm

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Marbled Minor, forewing length 12mm

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Small Phoenix, forewing length 15mm

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Foxglove Pug, forewing length 11mm

All images have minimal post processing of the raw file in Bibble Pro 5. There has been no cropping of any of the images.

Barrie
 
excellent, thanks ... Googling "blue dragonfly" just gets one a lot of images of blue damselflies!
This was one of many at a field pond, and I didn't note any green ones, so I'm guessing all the chasing and clashing in mid-air (amazingly noisily) was all about territoriality amongst males
 
excellent, thanks ... Googling "blue dragonfly" just gets one a lot of images of blue damselflies!
This was one of many at a field pond, and I didn't note any green ones, so I'm guessing all the chasing and clashing in mid-air (amazingly noisily) was all about territoriality amongst males

Absolutely right, territorial boundaries being established, also the females emerge about 1 week later than the males and will mature (that takes 5-7 days) somewhere else so they aren't bothered by the males until they are ready to mate. That being the case it will probably be next week before you'll see many females at that site.

Barrie
 
Paul,

Your Damselfly is an Azure Damselfly, note the U shaped mark on abdominal segment 2, later you'll probably get lots of Common Blue Damselflies, they are rather bluer with a club shaped black mark on abdominal segment 2. Also the "shoulder stripes", actually called antehumeral stripes are much broader in the Common Blue Damselfly than in this Azure Damselfly.

Barrie
 
good stuff ... both now correctly tagged on Flickr (there's a few more of each there should anyone care to look) ...

all these shot using E-P2/Olympus 70-300ED 4/3 lens + MMF-1 adapter
 
Wow, you all have been making great pictures in here! I'm sorry that I'd missed seeing so many since about April 30th, but am now caught up for the moment. This is a fascinating world!
 
Puss Moth

The two images of the adult moth were taken today with a Panasonic G1 and a 45mm, f/2.8 Leica DG Macro-Elmarit

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I thought I would also post this picture of a Puss Moth caterpillar, they are rather unusual, this was taken in 2007 with an Olympus E1, so not strictly compact. I was lucky enough to obtain what was a mated female at a light trap, I kept her overnight and she produced about 20 eggs and I reared the caterpillars to maturity.
The rear legs are modified to be tubes containing red tendrils, rather like the tendrils of a pea plant, which are shoot out and waved about when the insect feels threatened.
I first saw an illustration of these when I was a teenager, but had to wait something like 45 years before I saw one in the flesh, still I did do in the end.

Barrie
 
Wow - phenomenal close ups that you both have taken!!

Barrie, thank you so much for including that one of the Puss Moth caterpillar and including the details of their behavior - the world of animals and insects is astounding the more one knows about it. Wonderful!
 
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