The Melinopterus problem...

For some years I have wrestled with the identification of Melinopterus sphacelatus and M. prodromus. The other day there was a post on Beetles of Britain and Ireland FB Group of a Melinopterus that I recognised as M. sphacelatus but it was identified and then confirmed as M. prodromus. I offered a correction to the ID and confirmation, but it had me thinking. 

Melinopterus sphacelatus from 2024

My interest in these beetles has a connection with the film The Outrun. One of the entomologists who regularly visits Orkney has a particular interest in dung beetles in general and Aphodines in particular, and she'd got me interested in looking at them. Additionally, our pony's water proved irresistible to these beetles and I often found them, daily at times, struggling or drowned. In Orkney pretty much all the Melinopterus I found were M. sphacelatus. Indeed I must go back through my data and check any M. prodromus identifications (I have done, there were two and they still look good to me, and have been verified by DM. These still do not show on the NBN though.) 

Back to The Outrun. Aphodines are very sensitive to veterinary products and have significantly declined across the UK. On Orkney whilst I had a few species to light and some at our aforementioned pony field I went searching for more. A favourite walk was along the cliffs north of Skaill Bay and there lies the Liptrot farm. John Liptrot kept horses and the horse poo was full of Aphodines so I frequently searched there. On one occasion JL came and asked me what on Earth I was upto! In a friendly way. (And I did add a couple of species to the Orkney list via my poo investigating on his farm.)

 I spent yesterday morning at Comrie Community Woodland, firstly photographing bees on willow flowers, and then watching and photographing the caddis Philopotomus montanus along the burn, where there was an added bonus. 

Bumblebees are not fun to identify, I'm still pondering this one, a small worker. Or not, I've got the scale wrong, Bombus terrestris, queen, I think.

Field image

 

But I'd caught one a few days previously...

Philopotomus montanus, post capture image.

 The added bonus was a bee fly that settled nearby briefly and I managed to get some seriously rubbish images. I've not seen a bee fly for years, and never identified one to species previously so Bombylinus major is a welcome addition to the P-SL list, rubbish image or not.

Bombylinus major

I then went and rattled a Hawthorn bush and collected a few insects. Amongst which is a weevil that might be Anthonomous conspersus, which would be an excellent find.

Anthonomous conspersus (maybe)

There are various other beasts from the Hawthorn, including a barkfly that I don't recognise, more work to be done. 

Anyway, after all this activity, as we were leaving and I was putting the hound in the car I noticed an Aphodine on her coat. There is a pony field right by the car park so this was not a surprise, but as I picked it off I knew immediately that it was Melinopterus and not sphacelatus. I think this was because the pronotum is not so pitted and so the colour looks deeper black, there's less reflection maybe. Anyway beetle processed and photographed this morning and I was proven correct.

Less pitted pronotum maybe.

Showing the end of the pits on the 8th stria against a line drawn from the end of the scutellum. It may also be seen that the pits of the 7th stria continue on for some way. In M. sphacelatus the pits of the 8th stria stop beyond the line, or at least vaguely peter out in that direction.

Both this photo and the one above show a dense black edge to the back of the pronotum, not a hint of orange beyond the initial quarter.

Again showing the 8th stria pits stopping well short of the 7th.

Melinopterus prodromus.

I'm pleased with this record and as we are currently helping with some ponies nearby I must go and have a rummage through their poo.

 This week I've also found another very interesting beetle as I've set a pitfall in the garden baited with rotten meat. Along with the usual suspects I found this which after a bit of struggle has been confirmed as Omisita discoidea which appears to be rare or very uncommon this far north.

Omosita discoidea

And one of the usual suspects...

 

Unfortunately deceased in the trap, Oiceoptoma thoracium

Moth of the week was Lunar Marbled Brown. 

 

And there were a few other nice moths...

 

Double-striped Pug

Early Grey

Early Tooth-striped

Obsidentify had this as Seraphim, it would be a bit early. I think it is just the dark form of Mottled Grey

Water Carpet.

 

 Whilst I was closing the moth trap at around 04:20 a very large flock of Pink-feet went over, heard only of course. But later in the morning as I was working through my captures several more flocks went over, the largest being of 320; the total was probably well in excess of 800.

 

Around 160 in this flock.