Literate herring, this way.: Into the museum.

Saturday, 7 March 2026

Into the museum.

I arranged to visit the National Museum Collection Centre (part of our National Museum of Scotland). It is an amazing place, and many thanks to AW for spending time talking to me about various things entomological. I went in order to check out a couple of moths in the collection which I believed had been mis-identified. Well, probably correctly identified at the time, but now these identifications are considered unsafe. Criteria change as knowledge grows. And I also took along a bag of specimens to donate. The museum is keen to have firsts for Scotland and most northerly finds etc.

Anyway, here's the tray I went to look at:

Yponomeuta spp National Museum of Scotland Collections, many thanks to AW.

I've already got a reason to go back as I've been going through some old Orkney beetle samples. Unfortunately my prior labelling was not up to scratch and I worked through some specimens I'd previously identified, but not labelled as such :-( Anyway, sorted and specimens labelled and now ready to be taken to the museum next time I go.

Bisnius puella

Photo slightly awry for some reason. This last image is to remind me how to do these. I kept counting six punctures in each dorsal series, and that takes you off into other genera in both Lott and Duff keys. However, I think there are at least 7 punctures, see red arrows. So Bisnius puella. This the second Orkney record, thanks to BR for that info - NBN not up-to-date with these.

Platystethus arenarius worth going through the pots as I had found the first Orkney record of this species in 2019, now adding two more to the record. Quite a small beast 3.2mm.

Tachyporus hypnorum, awkward things to identify, this genus, as the colours vary within species. Elytral setae are the way to do them, but with old specimens the setae break off (have broken off) making it trickier. A common beetle across Orkney.

A bit of sitting in the garden photographing birds and the Bank Voles again.