Insects on the head of a Hare....

Last Sunday a country walk in Norfolk turned up a very interesting find...

There was an old dead Hare in a ditch beneath some bushes, so being a keen skull collector  went down to take a look. Most of the flesh had already been eaten, and what was left was very dry and there was no smell, so unfortunately it was far too late for any of the Sexton Beetles, but I did find one adult Oiceoptoma thoracicum, which was great as I had never seen this species before.

Oiceoptoma thoracicum - pinned and drying out, 

the pins around it are to hold things in place.

Once I had a closer look at the skull and started the cleaning up process, I found lots of small beetle larvae. These are all Silphinae larvae, but I will have to wait for some to mature and develop into adult beetles before I can confirm the species. The wider looking larvae in the middle  is a young Oiceoptoma thoracicum. I have kept the larvae in a tub with substrate and food, so will hopefully have adult beetles soon...

For those of you also interested in the Hare skull itself, it's almost fully clean, so will post about it when there is progress, this is what it looked like after initial cleaning:

Giant Black Tachinid

Tachina grossa

15-22mm

May to late August

This large bulky fly is often mistaken for a bumblebee at first glance – especially in flight. Fairly frequent where it occurs, but localised to heathland and downland where the host species are found. 

Male specimen, found on downland on the Isle of Wight

The larvae burrow into the caterpillars of large moths, often of the Oak Eggar, where they parasitize the host – feeding and developing within. Adults are most often seen in bright weather, feeding at umbellifers, creeping thistle and other wildflowers, or basking on bramble foliage.

Profile and Ventral views of a Male specimen

Both sexes are very similar – huge rounded black body covered in bristles, yellow or cream face with brown eyes and a yellow ‘collar’ of fur behind the head.

Wings have a clouded yellow region at their base.

Legs are black and bristly with large yellow pulvilli (foot pads).

Can exhibit aggressive or territorial behaviour towards smaller flies whilst feeding at flowers.

 Male specimen above, and much larger Female below

Tachina grossa hand drawn illustration,
pigment liner, markers, watercolour pencil & ink, A4
Prints available, signed and numbered limited edition.

An Illustrated diptych featuring Tachina grossa can be seen here, based on religious icons and sacred connotations:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/insectopolis/11187636574/

Bloody Nosed Beetle & Lesser Bloody Nosed Beetle

Timarcha tenebricosa

Bloody-Nosed Beetle

12-22mm

April to early August

Slow moving rounded beetle feeding on bedstraws in the Galium genus. Named for the habit of exuding drops of red liquid from the mouth when alarmed. Most often seen on the stems of bedstraw or walking at the edges of country and coastal footpaths. Usually in rough areas of low vegetation and on downland, appearing more frequent in southern coastal regions.

Male & Female found mating on bedstraw

Common, but can be difficult to spot as they are most active at night.

The elytra are fused and the entire body has a strong blue or purple iridescence.

Females usually larger than males - males with much larger tarsal pads on the feet – used to grip the female carapace during mating (as seen in the photos above).

Females lay eggs in small groups on the leaves or stem of bedstraw in spring, and the larvae remain on the plants feeding until September when they mature and pupate.

Larvae are also blue-black and very rounded with a segmented body.

Timarcha goettingensis

Lesser Bloody-Nosed Beetle

8-12mm

April to early August

Very much like a small version of T.tenebricosa with a slightly rougher, pitted surface texture.

Often abundant in large numbers with many mating pairs in localised areas of downland – more frequent in coastal areas. Adults and larvae feed on small members of the bedstraw family and other low growing plants. More likely to be seen on very short grassland than T.tenebricosa where they can appear like rabbit droppings at a glance.

Flightless with fused elytra.

Females larger and rounder than males. Males with larger feet. Both sexes are often more strongly blue or purple than T.tenebricosa. 

Comparison of T.tenebricosa and the much smaller T.goettingensis

Oil Beetle

Meloe proscarabaeus

18-40mm

March to early June

Large flightless beetle, most likely to be encountered along coastal paths including cliff-tops. Named for the ability to exude a yellow or orange oily liquid from the leg joints. Oil Beetles occur only in areas with a good mix of wildflowers and solitary mining bees, but in these areas can be very frequent when the adults emerge in spring – sometimes up to ten beetles being seen in a two metre stretch of path, but always very localised. The females are much larger than males, with gravid abdomens. 

Large female - Coastal cliff path, Isle of Wight. April

The male antennae exhibit a very noticeable cupped section about halfway along their length, and the abdomen often tapers more than the blunt tail end of the female.

Adults are black with a blue sheen and pitted texture all over the head thorax and elytra.

 Three females and smaller male below

Each female can lay around 1000 eggs which she deposits in a burrow. The fast moving hatchling larvae are known as Tringulins and clamber to the tops of flowers in vast numbers to hitch a ride on various solitary bees. Once taken back to the nest burrow of the bee, the larvae develops into a more grub-like, typical beetle larvae, feeding on the eggs and pollen stores of the bee. 

 Very large female, just over 40mm long

When the mature larvae pupates it will remain hidden within the host’s burrow until the following spring. When the adults emerge they feed on the foliage of various low growing plants. A similar species is M.violaceus, which has a stronger blue sheen, more finely pitted texture and is found in a wider northern area than M.proscarabaeus. 

Spot the male and female!

This pair had been mating by the side of a coastal path, April 2014

Within a few feet, there were at least 9 others, and one crushed on the path

Hornet Robber-fly

Asilus crabroniformis

22-29mm

Mid June to October

Large predatory robber-fly now restricted to a handful of locations in southern England. Very localised where it occurs in or around rough grazing pastures, often preferring sites with a good mix of wildflowers. Unimproved grassland - and lack of pesticide use is vital to this species.

 Female

 Male

Mainly seen perched on old dung or atop a ‘lookout’ spot on vegetation from which it darts out to grab passing prey, often dung beetles, smaller flies, butterflies or grasshoppers. When disturbed, short darting flights are made close to the ground to hop to another perching spot, appears very wasp-like in flight.

Mating pairs

Wings are clouded orange-brown with darker markings towards edges,very bristly body with strong legs and tarsal claws.

Both sexes are equally sized but females may appear more bulky. Males have a club ended abdomen whereas the female abdomen ends in a pointed ovipositor which is used to lay eggs in large animal dung. The larvae are also predatory, feeding on beetle larvae and other small invertebrates within the dung and surrounding soil.

 One of two male specimens found dead in cattle grazing field on the isle of Wight, antennae are missing. 

Illustration - pigment liner, markers & acrylic, A4

https://www.facebook.com/ArtOfCarimNahaboo

Harmless, but will attempt to pierce skin with beak-like proboscis if handled.

One of the Britain’s largest fly species. 

Giant Wood Wasp / Horntail

Urocerus gigas

28-52mm (including ovipositor of female)

Late April to October

A very large and impressive insect which resembles a wasp or hornet, but is completely harmless. The long ovipositor on the abdomen of the female is used to drill into dead or sickly pine trunks where eggs are laid and the larvae develop feeding on the wood for around three years.

The egg laying procedure can take a long time in which the female is pinned to the tree, making it a target for predators. The ovipositors of predated females can be found protruding from the wood.

Males are smaller and lack the ovipositor, and the yellow of the abdomen is often more orange-red or brown. The wings of both species are clouded slightly yellow-brown and in flight the insect could easily be mistaken for a hornet.

Illustration - pigment liner, markers & acrylic, A4.
https://www.facebook.com/ArtOfCarimNahaboo

Legs very bright in female and banded in male, entire thorax covered in fine black hair.

Fairly widespread in areas of suitable pine or mixed woodland, including plantations, although most often encountered in Scotland and Wales and never common. Also seen around sawmills and even emerging from the timber of new houses.

I have only ever seen one specimen, for a second, as it buzzed past my head in mixed woodland, if you know any good sights to see these beasts let me know!
Specimen in the photo was collected by someone in Scotland - found dead in a bucket of water. 

Green Tiger Beetle

Cicindela campestris

12-17mm

Late March to early September

A very fast running, sun loving predatory species. Can be very common in localised areas, especially coastal cliff habitats with bare open ground. Also inhabits heathland. 

The larvae live in vertical burrows where their large circular head forms a trap door, and any passing prey is grabbed by the powerful jaws. 

Adults are brassy green, often with a blue sheen in certain lights, and variable cream patches on the elytra. Females can be identified by the two small black indentations on the elytra, whereas males have enlarged tarsal segments on the forelegs.

Often seen from a distance as they scurry around in search of prey, but often very difficult to get close to as they will readily take flight at any disturbance. In flight the strongly metallic turquoise abdomen can be seen when the elytra are open – making the beetle appear as a blue or green flash as it buzzes past.

Huge serrated jaws are very noticeable, along with the large bulbous eyes, making this species very distinctive. 

There are many similar species of Tiger beetle throughout the world, one of the most colourful is Cicindela chinensis japonica - the Japanese Tiger beetle.

Illustration - pigment liner, watercolour pencil & acrylic. A4 

More of my insect illustrations can be seen here:
https://www.facebook.com/ArtOfCarimNahaboo