Nemophora degeerella (Linnaeus, 1758)

'Micromoths' are often dismissed as being small, dully coloured and uninteresting.

This one is certainly small:

Photographed June 2012 near Wimborne, Dorset, UK, using Olypus E-420 DLSR, with Zuiko 40-150mm lens and 3 KOOD magnifiers.

This picture doesn't do it full justice - in addition to the metallic colouring across its head and wings, the broad yellow stripe across its wings is accompanied by two narrow purple stripes which - for the purposes of a more interesting angle, aren't visible here.

Sorry, and all that.

Anyhow, this lovely little creature, perhaps better known as a (DeGeer's) Fairy Longhorn Moth belongs to:

- Adelinae     

- Adelidae        

- Incurvarioidea 

- Incurvariina       

- Monotrysia          

- Heteroneura          

See Also Crambus pascuella, Zebronia phenice, Laelia robusta, Metisella willemi, Acada biseriata, Anthocharis cardamines and Sphinx ligustri.

- Neolepidoptera         

- Glossata                      

- Lepidoptera                  

- Amphiesmenoptera        

- Panorpida                         

See also Megistocera filipes, Dolichotachina caudata, Diasemopsis meigenii, Metadon inermis, Episyrphus balteatus, Helophilus pendulus, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Chloromyia formosa and Panorpa germanica.

- Endopterygota                      

See also Andrena nigroaenea, Astata tropicalis, Vespula germanica, Synagris proserpina, Anthia fornasiini, Demetrias atricapillus, Neojulodis vittipennis, Melolontha melolontha, Cheilomenes lunata, Oedemera noobilis, Malachius bipustulatus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Phyllobius pomaceus and Hagenomyia tristis.

- Eumetabola                               

See also Pephricus, Grypocoris stysi, Ranatra and Anoplocnemis curvipes.

- Neoptera                                      

See also Humbe tenuicornis, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Cyathosternum prehensile, Heteropternis thoracica, Stictogryllacris punctata, Tettigonia viridissima and Sibylla.

- Metapterygota                                

See also Enallagma cyathigerum, Pseudagrion hageni, Lestinogomphus angustus and Rhyothemis semihyalina.

- Pterygota                                           

- Dicondylia                                           

- Insecta                                                   

- Hexapoda                                                

- Arthropoda                                                

See also Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Hyllus argyrotoxus, Alopecosa barbipes, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and  Pardosa amentata.

 - Ecdysozoa                                                    

- Protostomia                                                    

- Nephrozoa                                                        

See also Syncerus caffer, Hipposideros vittatus, Synchiropus splendidus, Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia, Zootoca vivipara, Lygodactylus capensis, Troglodytes troglodytes, Chalcophaps indica, Ardea goliath, Sterna hirundo, Burhinus vermiculatus, Tockus alboterminatus, Rana temporaria and Chiromantis xerampelina.

- Bilateralia                                                             

- Eumetazoa                                                              

- Animalia                                                                    

- Eukaryota                                                                    

And that's all, folks.



As always, the place to go for British Moths is UKMoths. Enjoy.

Tettigonia viridissima (Linnaeus, 1758)

On a whim, I took a trip to the Isle of Wight the other day. In amongst Ryde's endless pier, missed buses and angry Weimeraners, I encountered this:

Photographed in October 2013 near Culver Down on the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, UK, using an Olympus E-420 with a Zuiko 40-150mm lens and 3 KOOD magnifiers.

Although its colouring masks it very well in the scrubby vegetation it calls its home, this large katydid is rendered quite conspicuous by its song, one of the loudest noises I've heard from common British insects and performed without any inhibition with (quiet) observers mere inches away.

This, the largest of Britain's truly resident bush-crickets - exceeded in length by the more slender Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula, a rare seasonal migrant - is the Great Green Bush-Cricket

Tettigonia viridissima

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Like many katydids or, if you prefer, bush-crickets, it is an omnivore, in stark contrast to the usually herbivorous (although not always strictly) omnivore. Fear not, it doesn't eat humans but, having fairly powerful mandibles, it can deliver a painful (but venomless) nip if handled. 

Anyhow, with precisely this much ado, onwards with the taxonomy:

This delightful creature belongs to:

 - Tettigoniini

- Tettigoniinae

- Tettigoniidae  

- Tettigonioidea  

- Ensifera             

See also Stictogryllacris punctata.

 - Orthoptera             

See also Heteropternis thoracica, Cyathosternum prehensile, Lobosceliana loboscelis and Humbe tenuicornis.

- Panorthoptera            

- Orthopterida                 

- Polyorthoptera                

- Anartioptera                      

- Polyneoptera                       

See also Sibylla.

- Neoptera                                 

See also Pephricus, Grypocoris stysi, Ranatra, Anoplocnemis curvipes, Hagenomyia tristis, Phyllobius pomaceus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Malachius bipustulatus, Oedemera noobilis, Cheilomenes lunata, Melolontha melolontha, Neojulodis vittipennis, Demetrias atricapillus, Anthia fornasiini, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Andrena nigroaenea, Panorpa germanica, Chloromyia formosa, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Diasemopsis meigenii, Metadon inermis,Dolichotachina caudata Megistocera filipes, Crambus pascuella, Zebronia phenice, Laelia robusta, Metisella willemi, Acada biseriata, Anthocharis cardamines and Sphinx ligustri.

 - Manopterygota                              

See also Rhyothemis semihyalina, Pseudagrion hageni, Enallagma cyathigerum and Lestinogomphus angustus.

- Pterygota                                          

- Dicondylia                                          

- Insecta                                                  

- Hexapoda                                               

- Arthropoda                                               

See also Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Hyllus argyrotoxus, Alopecosa barbipes, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and Pardosa amentata.

 - Ecdysozoa                                                   

- Protostomia                                                   

- Nephrozoa                                                       

 See also Synchiropus splendidus, Rana temporaria, Chiromantis xerampelina, Hipposideros vittatus, Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia, Zootoca vivipara, Lygodactylus capensis, Troglodytes troglodytes, Chalcophaps indica, Ardea goliath, Sterna hirundo, Burhinus vermiculatus and Tockus alboterminatus.

 - Bilateralia                                                                

- Eumetazoa                                                                 

- Animalia                                                                      

- Eukaryota                                                                      

     

And that's all, folks!

For the rather depauperate British grasshoppers, you could do worse than the Orthoptera Recording Scheme website, which admittedly isn't the most user-friendly resource out there, but is chock-full of information once you find your way around... 

 

Sphinx ligustri (Linnaeus, 1758)

Time for a moth.

Photographed July 2013 in Bosham, West Sussex, UK, Using Olympus E-420 DSLR with 40-150mm lens and 3 KOOD magnifiers.

This moth, with a twelve centimetre wingspan, holds the honour of being the largest fully native moth in the UK, the Privet Hawkmoth:

Sphinx ligustri

(Linnaeus, 1758)

I would formerly have assumed that everyone knew that moths were nothing to be afraid of, a co-worker's over-response to a moth (and later, an equally harmless beetle) has given me pause. 

With the exception of a handful of Asian owlet moths in the genus Calyptra, which will bite and feed upon humans on occasion, but do not seem to be vectors of diseases, moths don't - and generally can't - bite. Nor can they sting. Their hairs and scales - particularly in some of the more colourful species - can be an irritant, but outside of serious infestations of specific pest species in food storage, this rarely builds up to a concern. 

This particular species is completely harmless, and feeds on privet, lilac and ash. In addition to flashing a colourful abdomen when disturbed, males can also hiss; again, in response to alarm. The rather conspicuously pink abdomen suggests that eating them isn't entirely without risk. 

Anyway, with that, on with the taxonomy: 

- Sphingini 

- Sphinginae 

- Sphingidae   

- Sphingoidea   

- Bombycina       

See also Metisella willemi, Acada biseriata, Anthocharis cardamines and Laelia robusta.

- Cossina               

- Ditrysia                  

See also Zebronia phenice and Crambus pascuella.

- Heteroneura              

- Neolepidoptera            

- Glossata                         

- Lepidoptera                      

- Amphiesmenoptera             

- Panorpida                              

See also Chloromyia formosa, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Diasemopsis meigenii, Metadon inermis,Dolichotachina caudata Megistocera filipes and Panorpa germanica.

- Endopterygota                            

See also Phyllobius pomaceus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Malachius bipustulatus, Oedemera noobilis, Cheilomenes lunata, Melolontha melolontha, Neojulodis vittipennis, Demetrias atricapillus, Anthia fornasiini, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Andrena nigroaenea and Hagenomyia tristis.

- Eumetabola                                   

See also Grypocoris stysi, Ranatra, Anoplocnemis curvipes and Pephricus. 

- Neoptera                                          

See also Heteropternis thoracica, Cyathosternum prehensile, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Stictogryllacris punctata, Sibylla and Humbe tenuicornis

- Manopterygota                                    

See also Rhyothemis semihyalina, Pseudagrion hageni, Enallagma cyathigerum and Lestinogomphus angustus.

- Pterygota                                               

- Dicondylia                                               

- Insecta                                                       

- Hexapoda                                                    

- Arthropoda                                                    

See also Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Hyllus argyrotoxus, Alopecosa barbipes, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and Pardosa amentata.

- Ecdysozoa                                                        

 - Protostomia                                                        

- Nephrozoa                                                                                                        

See also Synchiropus splendidus, Rana temporaria, Chiromantis xerampelina, Hipposideros vittatus, Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia, Zootoca vivipara, Lygodactylus capensis, Troglodytes troglodytes, Chalcophaps indica, Ardea goliath, Sterna hirundo, Burhinus vermiculatus and Tockus alboterminatus. 

- Bilateralia                                                                 

- Eumetazoa                                                                  

- Animalia                                                                        

- Eukaryota                                                                         

I leave you with one more photograph to show the insect in context, not as well camouflaged if it might be if it hadn't mistaken a lamppost for a tree; 

Same date, place, and time; same camera with one less magnifier.

 And that is all, folks. 

Troglodytes troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758)

The random number generator was overridden again: 358 was the number, which would have given us the Nuthatch, of which I have only unsatisfactory images... after a brief turmoil I settled on 357, which gives us:

Photographed June 2012 in Warbarrow, on the Purbeck, Dorset, UK. Olympus E-420 DSLR with Zuiko 70-300mm telephoto lens.

This small but very vocal bird is

Troglodytes troglodytes

(Linnaeus, 1758)

known variously as the Winter Wren, the Eurasian Wren, the Wren or (misleadingly, as it is the only wren in its native range) the Common Wren. 

Anyhow, onwards:

- Troglodytidae

- Certhioidea     

- Passerida          

- Oscines              

- Passeriformes      

- Neoaves                 

See also Burhinus vermiculatus, Sterna hirundo, Ardea goliath and Chalcophaps indica.

- Neognathae              

- Neornithes                  

- Euornithes                     

- Aves                                

- Maniraptora                      

- Coelurosauria                      

- Tetanurae                               

- Therapoda                                

- Saurischia                                   

- Dinosauria                                     

- Avemetatarsalia                                

- Archosauria                                         

- Archosauromorpha                                

- Sauria                                                       

See also Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia and Lygodactylus capensis.

- Diapsida                                                        

- Romeriida                                                       

- Reptilia                                                             

- Amniota                                                              

See also Hipposideros vittatus.

- Reptiliomorpha                                                       

- Tetrapoda                                                                  

See also Rana temporaria and Chiromantis xerampelina

- Sarcopterygii                                                                

- Osteichthys                                                                    

See also Synchiropus splendidus

 - Teleostomi                                                                        

- Gnathostomata                                                                   

- Vertebrata                                                                            

- Craniata                                                                                

- Chordata                                                                                

- Deuterostomia                                                                         

- Nephrozoa                                                                                 

See also Cyathosternum prehensile, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Stictogryllacris punctata, Sibylla, Humbe tenuicornis, Dolichotachina caudata, Diasemopsis meigenii, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Megistocera filipes, Panorpa germanica, Acada biseriata, Anthocharis cardamines, Laelia robusta, Zebronia phenice, Andrena nigroaenea, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Hagenomyia tristis, Crambus pascuella, Demetrias atricapillus, Anthia fornasiini, Melolontha melolontha, Malachius bipustulatus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Pephricus, Anoplocnemis curvipes, Ranatra, Grypocoris stysi, Cheilomenes lunata, Rhyothemis semihyalina, Pseudagrion hageni, Enallagma cyathigerum, Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and Hyllus argyrotoxus.

- Bilateralia                                                                                     

- Eumetazoa                                                                                      

- Eukaryota                                                                                         

                                                                                

 And, seeing as this is a surprisingly common, if rarely seen, species across much of Europe, about which a vast amount of information is available (try the RSPB page or Wiki), that's all, folks!