Identification.

This is the activity that I use my time for since I retired from my paid work, nearly two years ago now. Identifying species in the natural, and not so natural, world, and recording those identifications.

One of the aspects of retirement that some folk find hard is their own identification on leaving work. I've read and heard several accounts of these difficulties. One that sticks in the mind is of a prison officer who on his last day handed in his credentials, ID, keys etc. and after 30 years working in the same place that was it, finished, life completely changed in a moment. Fortunately, this was someone who found another purpose in their life, another passion, he had clearly been very good at his job and he was very good at what he did subsequently. But that's not true for many people, they struggle with the loss of routine, with the loss of status, with the loss of their very identity.

Fortunately, I never identified especially with my role, my job. I enjoyed it, it was challenging and interesting but it wasn't who I was or am. And when it finished I just let the other aspects of my life grow, or grow back. I was fortunate in that I had quite a few weeks of wind down, a bit of time to adjust to change, maybe everyone should have that opportunity? And I was pleased to go, I was no longer able to sustain the intensity of what my job required, and importantly I didn't want to do it any longer, I knew the time for change was upon me.

However, I know I am fortunate, amongst the older population there are many who retire and and lose themselves, no longer know themselves with nothing, they feel, to identify themselves.

Things happen quickly, indeed so quickly I've put this clip in the video twice! Orkney Vole crossing a footpath. (Best to play in YouTube I think, although that's a bit of a nuisance.)

Back in May I spent a lot of time trying to identify some Ichneumonoidea that I found in the pheromone traps. These were from family Campopleginae and they proved very difficult. I never got to an identification myself but I did learn a lot about identifying Ichneumoidea. In the end I took up a kind offer from AG to take the specimens.

There were two species involved that had been collected from the pheromone traps on 8th and 10th May. A single male of one species AG identified as Stenomacrus sp. This could not be taken further. The other specimens, four males and a female AG identified as Phobocampe species. The key for Phobocampe is almost impossible to use as it relies on subtle differences in the pattern of carinae (ridges) on the propodeum I believe. However, AG took my captures into the NHM and compared them against specimens in the collection. Result! Phobocampe crassiuscula, with the males and the female being assigned to the same species. This is a new species for Orkney, although it is believed to be common and found across Scotland. Many thanks to AG for persevering with these. I have a theory that these wasps might sense and be attracted to the pheromones as they might lead to hosts to parasitise. There's a decent PhD in that theory I suspect!

All male Phobocampe crassiuscula.

 I have a few Ichneumons to identify now, one I was given today, but most come from inside our house, I keep finding them on the windows. Presumably they are getting in via the conservatory, where we leave some windows open, and ending up on the large kitchen window which I keep checking. 

Adalia decempunctata, 10-spot Ladybird.

Ladybirds are very uncommon in Orkney, so one on said kitchen window was notable.

We've had some sunny days recently, and with the sun came the insects. Huge numbers of insects indeed. On Saturday afternoon the Wee Wood was heaving with hoverflies and other Dipterans (which I mostly chose to ignore) with moths and with a fair few Hymenoptera (now awaiting identification).

Glyphipterix simpliciella, presumed male.

This species was engaging in some interesting display behaviour, I presume these were males. In the past I've only seen this species nectaring in Dandelions and other yellow flowers.

(Best to play videos direct from Youtube it seems.)

Nettle-tap.

Sandy Carpet.

Syndemis musculana.

 In the garden a Great Yellow Bumblebee was a very nice surprise.

Bombus distinguendus.

 I've made a couple of trips to Loch of Wasdale. Mostly to hunt for Cheilosia hoverflies. I found the Cheilosia but failed to capture any to prove which species were there, unfortunately.

However, the trips to Loch of Wasdale were very worthwhile in other ways. Interesting birds, including Cuckoo x2, Willow Warbler, singing and on the migrant front first Whimbrel and then Greenshank. 

At Wasdale it would be impolite not to say hello to the Pelophilus borealis population.

And in doing this I came across a sought after beetle.

Plateumaris discolor.

I also found a large number of the Green Dock Beetle right at the shore's edge. There were mating pairs and gravid females. I can only think that this was a strategy to deposit eggs on fast growing tender new plants, but it seems a risky strategy.

Gastrophysa viridula, in cop.

There were some hoverflies that were more photogenically inclined.

Platycheirus manicatus, female.

There was also an interesting plant.

Common Water-crowfoot, possibly.

Apparently, although I thought this might be a straightforward identification this could be Brackish Water-crowfoot. Seed pods need to be dissected in order to be sure of the identification. Fortunately, a trip to pick up an Ichneumon this afternoon also resulted in my being given a small sample containing the required seed pods, dissection time tomorrow.

Finally, a note about my doom and gloom of the last post. In the meantime I've managed to find Arctic Terns nesting in three places, one of which is Skiba Geo where they seem to have returned after a brief absence. Just 15 sitting birds, and very few at the other two sites but they are there and nesting.

Arctic Terns, nesting Eider and Oystercatcher's beady eye.

Signs of a catastrophe, a visit to Sanday, more grey days.

My entomological FB and Twitter feeds are telling tales of woe for insects in England, in particular, small numbers being noted widely. Is this a weather related issue after last year or a climate trend? Here the problem is not with insects, although the cold weather has curtailed the mothing, but with sea birds, in particular Arctic Terns and the two skua species. 

On our trip to Sanday, 90 minutes each way by ferry, I saw very few Arctic Terns, one Bonxie and a possible Arctic Skua. There should be hundreds of Arctic Terns by now. The wee Arctic Tern colony at Skiba Geo has not established for the first time since we've lived here. Nine pairs were present initially, but they've left the site. I have seen a few skuas, three Arctic Skua visitations to the patch, and two Bonxie; about usual. But at Yesnaby very few, an Arctic and a couple of Bonxies the other day (and not one Arctic Tern). (Images posted in previous post, but I like them so hey-ho.)

Arctic Skua last week at Evie, there were three, Sandwich Tern pursued. Again, very, very few Arctic Terns at that site.

On the positive side, Gannets seems to be ok, the new colony at Marwick is continuing, Kittiwakes and Guillemots are at numbers that seem to equate to numbers from recent years, and there have been no impacts on Black-headed or Common Gulls from bird flu, as reported from England.

Whilst we try to move house we've resolved to try to do something "different" each week, or thereabouts. So last week we went to Sanday. I wanted to see if there was suitable habitat for Peleophila borealis, the loch shore ground beetle; there isn't. And also try to record some beetles for that island.

The lochs on Sanday all have sandy margins and shores, so I decided that was reason enough for a lack of the beetle. However, I searched the dunes near Start and came up with the weevil Otiorhynchus atroapterus which is NFM and I think new for Sanday.

Otiorhynchus atroapterus, similar to O. arcticus, but usually a tad larger and with fine hair-like scales.

Also present were Nebria brevicollis, I continue not to find N. salina, and a couple of nice Staphys, Lathrobium fulvipenne and a Gyrohypnus, probably angustatus, but it was a female so no dissection.

After lunch at 59 Degrees (recommended), we headed to Sands of Ayre where I discovered a carabid NFM and for Sanday, Calathus mollis.

Calathus mollis.

The other highlights from the Sanday visit were the impressive numbers of Turnstone and Sanderling, and a couple of smart, summer plumage, Great Northerns, which I failed to photograph.

Sanderlings, Turnstone and Start Point.

We didn't cross to Start as it was an incoming tide. There were probably 300+ Turnstone and 100+ Sanderling just near the narrows. Also of interest, ground nesting Fulmars.

Fulmar nesting on the ground.

Other events this week have included, managing to capture more Ichneumonoidea, these are awaiting identification; managing to identify a sawfly, and passing on my backlog for expert attentions (thanks JS)!

Dolerus gonager, er no not identifiable from these images.

Required a bit more attention.

Saw sheath, the crucial bit on Dolerus.

Saw of female.

I was a bit gung-ho and went for extracting the saw rather too promptly, with Dolerus it is the saw sheath that is important for most species. Fortunately I had already taken photos that showed the required bits for ID. (Thanks again JS for confirming the ID.)

A new hoverfly for Orkney is not an everyday event. I was asked to look at a couple of specimens from nearby Finstown. Cheilosia are awkward. The first turned out to be C. fraterna which I've identified previously, from Finstown. The other animal proved to be a different species. I spent a whole day on these, and in the end got to Cheilosia latifrons which was subsequently confirmed from my photos by RM at the hoverfly national scheme, chuffed!

Cheilosia latifrons (the full set of images for ID can be found on the Hoverfly UK FB pages).

I've made a few trips to Yesnaby, on two occasions to help others to see its specialities but a visit there is rarely wasted.

During two visits we found Chrysolina intermedia and have definitely proven that the adults feed on Plantago maritima, backing up the observations of the Species on the Edge team and MG who has carried out a large number of important observations of this species. More info, and images, on the Orkney Insects Open Forum FB pages. 

Chrysolina intermedia on Plantago maritima.

MG subsequently managed to find larvae feeding in the Plantago, a first for any of us interested in these fascinating, and ultra rare, beetles.

The usual suspects were also on show at Yesnaby, but a surprise was found under a stone.

Cantharis rufa (darwiniana) (Thanks MG.).

I've only once seen a large Catharid on Orkney previously, also at Yesnaby, and I managed to make a pig's ear of the photo and didn't take the specimen. Lesson learned, this went in a pot.

I photographed it (techy photos on UK Beetles FB site), tried two different keys and Mark Gurney's excellent picture guide, but I wasn't convinced of the outcomes. Fortunately, MG was directed to my posts and came up with the answer and explanation. Only two previous Orkney records, so a nice one, and also NFM.

Lastly, the pheromone traps have still been producing the occasional gem. Two Dolerus gonager, the occasional Ichneumonoidea (although of late my backlog to identify have come from windows in the house) and this excellent tiny beetle (slightly rubbish images).

Salpingus planirostris.

Second county record I think.

Moth trapping by light has taken a back seat it's been so cold, grey for days and days with a sharp wind in the north. The haul (ha-ha) on Monday night was three Hebrew Character, this pug which I think (SS?) is Grey Pug and a micro which escaped. That was with running two traps.

Grey Pug, I think. The wee pale and darker squares on the hind margin of the wing...?

Lastly, really... a trip to Birsay and I was grumpy, it was bloody cold and grey and the accompaniers were f***-a***ing about on the beach. I started turning stones over and was pleasantly surprised. Six of the tiger of the shore... Broscus cephalotes.

Broscus cephalotes.

...but know when to throw in the towel.

I've stopped trying to identify the Campopleginae that I spent so long on. Happily a more knowledgeable and experienced entomologist has taken them on (thank you AG). I've stopped because getting to a more definite identification requires experience with the family, which I don't have. The literature available can no longer guide me to an answer. But, I learned so much of the terminology and morphology that I could move on quickly to that next specimen and identify it.

 

Agrypon flaveolatum, male.

The shape is typical of the Anomaloninae. And this common species keys out relatively easily.

The photography using the EM5-11, 30mm macro and holding it to the microscope eyepiece is improving. Open the aperture, f3.5 is good; get enough light and as fast a shutter speed as you can; avoid noise by keeping the iso to around 500 or so. Using ethyl acetate to subdue or kill specimens is far better than using the freezer as the ethyl acetate keeps them supple. Ichneumons are pretty resilient so they can be stunned for quite long periods using this chemical (thanks for the tip MS). However, ethyl acetate dissolves some plastics so use glass jars. Best to set up a larger, wide necked, shallow jar with absorbent material in the bottom, a lid on top of that and then a small specimen pot to sit on the lid.

Face, clypeus, palps of the A. flaveolatum.

Propodeum (apical end of the thorax dorsally), showing the typical "disorganised" carinae of this species.

Teeth and front coxae, the coxae lack carinae (ridges).

The images are manipulated in Photoscape X which is free software. I guess I could probably do better with Adobe but it's expensive stuff.

Anyway, the learning on the Campopleginae was usefully employed. I've got three more animals to address now, all from the garden.

Ichneumon sp I think, possibly suspiciosus but I need to compare the tarsi with my images of stramentarsus. This one seems to lack a white spot on T4.

The moth trapping has not produced anything of interest, but I did find this Monopis laevigella on the garage floor.

Monopis laevigella.

A wander up on the moor located the usual Green Dock Beetles and also Heather Beetle which I haven't seen for a while.

Gastrophysa viridula, female top, male above.

Lochmeae suturalis.

I sometimes comment and offer identifications in Facebook Groups, particularly in our local entomological group. An interesting looking beetle popped up the other day, something unfamiliar to me. I quickly looked at my usual sources, noticed that nationally a particular species was being found and offered an ID. Fortunately I did hedge my bets a bit, because I got it wrong. I wasn't far away but a bit more attention to detail would have helped; less haste, more speed. I should have learned my lesson the previous day when I did exactly the same with an unfamiliar moth. No harm done, useful discussions came out of these two occasions, but with a bit more care and thought I'd have IDed these correctly. With any identification the answer and certainty lies in the detail. (Ok jizz IDs don't, but that doesn't really work with photographs.)

Bird flu still seems to be around. Following on from the previously mentioned Herring Gull and Cormorant there was a dead large gull near Skaill, a report of a dead Bonxie on Westray, and a drake Eider in the middle of a field near Birsay. Unusual behaviour seems to be an indicator of bird flu. On the plus side the Gannets at Marwick seem to be ok with the colony continuing to establish. However, there are not many Bonxies around. On a more cheerful note we found this pair of Eider nesting at Yesnaby.

Eider, drake top two, duck on nest I think, bottom.

The Spring Squill was flowering in carpets and there were hundreds of Scottish Primrose. We paid homage to the Oyster Plant.

Scottish Primrose.

Spring Squill in front of The Castle.

Spring Squill.

Oyster Plant.

The swell was surprisingly high.

Today we went to Evie. There were a few Arctic Terns, a Sandwich Tern and three dark phase Arctic Skuas.

Arctic Skua and Sandwich Tern.

The target species were somewhat less spectacular. A couple of fungi that infest Viola sp.

Urocystis violae on Dog Violet.

Puccinea violae on Dog Violet.

Urocystis violae is found only here and at one other site in Orkney. The photo of Puccinea violae was taken at Yesnaby where I'd found it the previous day, but it was located at Evie also. Gripping!

There are some other Hymenopterans but I'll save them for another day, phew!

Louise went to pick rhubarb for pudding but had to abandon the mission when she found the Blackbirds were nesting in the crown of the plant.