The week was marked by the support I got from the Beetles of Britain and Ireland Facebook Group when I tried to identify a Staphylinid beetle. This family is often not the easiest and there are quite a few to choose from. I managed after a couple of hours of wrestling with Lott and Anderson to get to the correct genus, and with some confidence. But then I got stuck. Partly out of frustration I made a very incorrect identification, wrong subgenus. However, I was put back on track by HS and there was then a trans-European effort which eventually got the beetle identified. Coleopterists from our own NHM, and from the national natural history museums of Austria and Denmark got involved and to whom I am most grateful (especially, helpful as ever, CW, HS and on this occasion AKH from Copenhagen who finally nailed the ID). A degree of perseverence was required, I think I put about six hours into this. The reward was a new beetle for the county, Quedius fuliginosus.
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| Quedius fuliginosus. |
It was the (not very good) photo of the head that finally nailed the ID, the head shape and antennae being the key features.
I wrote elsewhere: - A very wonderful thing about FB and the internet in general is how we can communicate across the world and cooperate. In identifying the beetle in the previous post, which has been determined as Quedius fuliginosus, experts from London and elsewhere in the UK, Copenhagen and Vienna all gave their opinion, shared their current research and offered help and advice. Fabulous. But that all humankind could cooperate so...
The other good beetle stuff was finding Hydrothassa hannoveriana again. I searched the Hoy site to no avail, drainage work has taken place. But a trip to Brodgar produced three. A fab wee Chrysomelidae and actually, in a Scotland perspective, Orkney is even more important for this species than for C. intermedia. There are very few UK records.
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| Hydrothassa hannoveriana |
The birds have been good too. A Little Egret for a day doing what Little Egrets should do, wade around and catch things. And yesterday, a lovely pair of Garganey.
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| Little Egret on The Shunan. |
I nearly managed a great photo of a male Hen Harrier. If I used an EM-5 Mk111 and not a Mk11 or an EM-1 Mk11 or (ha-ha) the new OM1 (just check the price!) I would have likely nailed it because of the focussing system they employ. Hack and hope with the faithful EM-5 Mk11 didn't quite do the job.
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| A not quite sharp enough male Hen Harrier - next time. |
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| Dandelions are in full bloom, in places there are fields thick with them, wonderful |
4 comments:
Glad you got an ID and amazing the quality of the experts who are happy to give their time to help.
..and thank you for your help with that Lathrobium, much appreciated.
The subfamily key is a nightmare. Until you get to recognise them it's often simpler to photo match to genus or subfamily, then key to species. Bembidion-like last palp segment points to Paederinae
Yes, I hate that subfamily key, there are several couplets that are so frustratingly, is ? Isn't it? However, I was seriously amiss with that beetle, in that I didn't pay enough attention and presumed' presuming being a bad thing with Staphs, or any beetle come to that.
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