Acherontia atropos - Death's Head Hawkmoth

Although Acherontia atropos is only a rare visitor to the British Isles, it's one of the most iconic moths and always stunning to see in the wild or captivity.

I have been rearing five death's head caterpillars with the intention of breeding the adults, all five are now in their pupal stage of metamorphosis, and one decided to make the transformation at the surface of the soil which meant I could get a series of photos of something I had never seen before...

The caterpillars themselves feed like there's no tomorrow, growing from 3mm hatchlings to 120mm monsters over the course of 4 or 5 weeks, in which time their colours and texture also changes. I was using a mix of privet and buddleia as the foodplant.

Eggs - laid singly on the stems or underside of leaves,
around 1mm across.

Hatchling caterpillars are translucent before
 beginning to feed and fatten up, shedding their skin as they grow.

The characteristic spiny tail horn can be seen once the
caterpillars are around 40mm long.

 The mature caterpillars become much heavier and broader after non-stop feeding, their colouration changes from green to yellow, and as they retreat to the ground to pupate the stripes fade from blue to orange.
The caterpillar finds a suitable spot below ground in soft soil (or in captivity - in a separate tub!) where it forms a pupal chamber - an oval space in which to shed it's larval skin one last time.

The transformation from caterpillar to pupa............

For around 4 weeks the pupae will remain underground until the adult moths are ready to emerge....

....For now, here's one from a group I reared last year: 

Back in July I illustrated Acherontia atropos, with limited edition prints still available,

as well as some older Death's head based illustrations which can be seen on my website or facebook art page.

http://www.carimnahaboo.com/

Art Of Carim Nahaboo - Facebook

Lucanus cervus

Lucanus cervus

Stag Beetle

35-55mm (excluding mandibles of male)

Late May to August

Britain’s largest beetle, the male stag beetle is immediately recognisable due to the huge antler-like mandibles. Found in areas of southern England in old woodland or where large quantities of rotting deciduous wood can be found – but only frequent in a handful of locations. 

A female and two males found in June 2009 near Epping Forest. 

The larger male had a deformed front leg and missing middle left leg - perhaps from moulting complications when emerging from the pupa. 

Larvae feed in rotten wood, often that of oak trees, horse chestnut, beech, buddleia and others - usually below ground where they can take around four years to mature. The adult beetles only live around two months – in which they will take flight in the evenings in search of a mate. Stag beetles can be attracted to tree sap, and some decaying fruits, although many adults never feed. The feeding mouthparts of the adult are adapted only to take in liquids, with the large mandibles of the male being adapted as tools for display and fighting, and the female’s short sharp mandibles being a defensive adaptation.

The orange mouthparts of this male are visible between the mandibles - lapping up sugar & water solution.

An early 3rd instar larva - the body is very translucent with the head capsule appearing very large. 

Eventually the larvae put on a lot of weight and the body becomes as large as the individual below:

Lucanus cervus larvae turn a darker, yellowish colour when mature and ready to pupate. 

The larvae builds a pupal chamber within the soil and rotten wood which protects the vulnerable pupa as it develops into an adult beetle. 

Adults are attracted to light and can often be observed on the pavement below street lamps. Many adults may be seen in a very small area year after year, and these emergence spots are also used by their predators, such as magpies, hedgehogs and domestic cats. The heads and thorax of predated stag beetles will usually be left uneaten, where they often still appear active even without the abdomen.

Male taking off from hand 

Female ready to take off, both specimens found June 2007

Both sexes have matte, slightly pitted, black head and thorax with more smooth, glossy chestnut elytra and small spines on each leg. Mandibles of the male are a more vivid chestnut often with a strong red appearance in sunlight. Males can vary significantly in size, with some being even smaller than females. The mandibles are much larger in relation to the body size on larger males, with a strong downward curve.

Large mating pair - the mandibles of larger males 

will meet the floor and hold the female steady whilst mating. 

(the light covering of hair is also visible on the ventral side of both beetles)

The large white or cream coloured larvae are occasionally found under rotten logs, the head is orange with large, strong mandibles. Larvae curl up in a ‘C’ shape and may try to bite or defecate if handled.

Stag beetles are harmless and very beneficial, but can pinch powerfully with the jaws if handled carelessly.

Male Lucanus cervus - pigment liner illustration, A4.
https://www.facebook.com/ArtOfCarimNahaboo

One of the best websites on British Stag Beetle life and behaviour can be found here:
http://maria.fremlin.de/stagbeetles/index.html

Pseudoscorpions

As the weather warms up, more insects fly inside the house attracted to the light. Last night a small crane-fly came indoors, carrying two hitchhikers....

These are Pseudoscorpions, tiny arachnids which resemble tail-less scorpions. There are around 27 species in the UK and many of these are widespread and fairly common - but very rarely seen due to their minute size!
Most Pseudoscorpions live in leaf litter, or beneath loose bark where they search for even smaller invertebrates to eat, including springtails, mites, and small insect larvae. They are completely harmless to humans, but can inject their prey with venom from their claws. Some species are found in old book collections where they specialise in feeding on booklice.

The crane-fly who carried the passengers.

Pseudoscorpions commonly attach themselves to flying insects - for a free ride to new feeding territory, which also exposes them to new potential mates from other bloodlines. I have previously found some larger species attached to larger crane-flies, so perhaps these are a choice mode of transport when they emerge from their pupa in the soil.

Photo to show size, body length just under 2mm

Male and female Pseudoscorpions perform a 'dance' to start the mating ritual, I think that was going on with these two, although they soon separated and walked away from each other.

Pseudoscorpion dance

Tawny Mining Bee

Andrena fulva

11-14mm

April to May

A striking solitary bee that can appear very bright when the sunlight catches the thick abdominal hair. Females make small volcano-like mounds in short grass including garden lawns, where they stock a burrow with pollen for their larvae.

 Female basking (blurry photo- taken from a distance!)

 Female emerging from nest burrow in sandy woodland path. 

The nest entrance is often higher in a cone shape due to the excavated soil. 

Widespread and common throughout much of England and Wales, appearing for only a few weeks in the spring, but absent from most of Scotland.

Females are much more vivid than males due to the dense hair, which also makes them appear more bulky. Males are duller – only being tawny on the thorax - with white hair on the face and long slender jaws. Older females will appear paler, sometimes fading to dull yellow.

Female comparison with smaller, duller male. 

Male specimen profile view showing the characteristic tooth on the underside of each mandible. 

Females bare a sting, but as with most mining bees it is not strong enough to pierce human skin.

Both sexes feed at various tree blossom, bramble blossom and low growing flowers such as dandelions and bluebells. Both sexes can often be seen basking on stones or vegetation like many other mining bees. 

Male feeding at dandelion flower.

Hornet

Vespa crabro

21-32mm (Worker)

28-39mm (Male & Queen)

Late May to October

Britain’s largest social wasp, the hornet is often feared due to its large size and loud droning buzz, but it is actually one of the most docile social wasps and even a fully active nest can be observed at very close range.

Queens emerge in mid to late spring, usually looking for a nest site after most other social insects. Occurring mainly in southern England and East Anglia, the preferred nest site is often a hollow tree in old woodland, but once established the workers will fly far from the nest in search of food. Emerging Queens may enter homes in search of suitable nest sites but can be easily let outside through a window. 

 Large Queen found searching for a nest site at the edge of a woodland clearing.

The first workers raised by the queen - seen around June - are much smaller than the workers and males produced later in the year. Males have longer antennae with 13 segments rather than the 12 of females. They are also stingless, much like other male wasps, and the abdomen has 7 segments rather than the female’s 6, ending in a blunter tip. 

 Male specimen

Another male showing darker variation in markings. 

Markings are chestnut-red and dull yellow, rather than the black and yellow of other social wasps, and the deeply notched eyes are brown. Wings are translucent orange-brown.

both sexes have a yellow head with very large powerful jaws for killing and macerating prey – including butterflies, wasps, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and sometimes carrion. Adults will also feed at tree sap and over-ripe fruits such as fallen apples. The three ocelli on top of the head are surrounded by a small patch of brown or red (examples of Vespa crabro from outside of Britain will have a red or brown tone to the whole top and back of the head). 

Queen Vespa crabro comparison with other British social wasp Queens.

Male Vespa crabro comparison with other British social wasp males. 

Unlike most social wasps, hornets are active both day and night, and can be attracted to lights, sometimes showing up in moth traps.

The large mated queens over-winter in sheltered spots - sometimes garden sheds, or under logs.

The hover-fly Volucella inanis is often seen buzzing around hornet nests as its larvae live as scavengers within the hornet colony. 

Queen and worker Vespa crabro showing size difference. 

The head of the Queen is also usually bulkier than any workers. 

The large hover-fly Volucella zonaria (left) is an excellent mimic of Vespa crabro - especially in flight where the colouration and sound mimics the hornet exactly.

Hornets are far less likely to be attracted to human foods as other social wasps, and are often attracted to carrion where they carve small pieces of meat away to take back to the larvae in the nest.