Insects and Spiders

Wow, nice find. It's an adult Antlion - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion, possibly Myrmeleon alternans - see https://www.gbif.org/species/2100603. Only two species have been recorded in the UK both rare. Antlions are typical of warmer climes. Larvae excavate pits in loose sand and wait at the bottom for prey to fall into their open jaws.

Knowledge.

Knowledge indeed @JoePablo - how the hell do you know so much about insects? I know you once mentioned something about the natural history museum. Your insect knowledge is insane!

Edit: their larvae are aggressive looking things!

Antlions do have some distinctive features:
as per Wiki,'Antlion larvae are unusual among insects in lacking an anus'.

This mothefucker needs to figure out where its head ends and its legs begin. Otherwise I’m into it.

@eskay I've always been interested but after lockdown in March 2019 I started walking in the countryside near me much more (what else was there to do - I've never got into Netflix box sets), bought a couple of good field guides, dug out my old DSLR and started looking at insects. There are some great web resources - it's never been easier to 'do' natural history - and I've sort of fallen into citizen science recording of what I see. I'm now recording Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies) at my local nature reserve. Only downside is all this is best done on windless sunny days which are also my favourite days for long rides in the Chilterns - cycling usually wins out.

Also most insects when you take a close look are both insanely bizarre and cool.

Think it was someone else from the Nat Hist Museum but I do seem to remember a far more informed comment from them on something than I could make.

I agree, they are incredible and this thread has really developed my fascination with them!

Terrifying.

From here the NG wildlife photographer of the year awards.

God I saw that the other day. Lovecraftian nightmare.

'hand sized' - I bet that thing can shift , couple that with its venom strength makes it an awesome predator.

Some nice insects and arachnids out today.

First up what I think is Siphona geniculata a relatively common Tachinid fly - if you like your flies hairy this is the place to go https://tachinidae.myspecies.info/

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one of my favourite hoverflies, Rhingia rostrata

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and a Harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

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Decent photography makes a difference too.

Don't recollect that Ghost white Tachinid fly...nice images.

@Ordinata thanks!

This was in the house today, Ambylyptilia acanthadactyla aka the Beautiful Plume moth. It's one of over 1,800 species of micromoths found in the UK, some of them real stunners!
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/tiniest-moths-in-the-world.html

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wow, never seen one of those before

I love a plume moth, something really structurally pleasing about that capital T shape

I especially like the plume moth and harvestman - cracking pics!

I found this on our fence this morning - 35-40mm long, antenae about the same again.

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Walking through the warehouse.

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@Jehannum ta! Looks like you found an Ichneumon wasp, probably Ophion obscuratus but as far as I can tell it's well named as it seems that it may not be a single species but a complex of related species. Pale body and stripes on the abdomen seem to be the best defining features https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/ophion-obscuratus

@Muddyfox69 that's a hoverfly, probably looking for some warmth and shelter as it's late in the season. Can't tell it to species level from that photo but the downward facing loop in the vein towards the tip of its rh wing means that it's one of the Eristalis hoverflies. Ones that come out early and late in the season when it's cooler tend to be darker. In the summer they are bright orange.

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/op­hion-obscuratus

Those are much smaller then Jehannum's, though?

35-40mm long, antenae about the same again

I imagine they may well be closely related.

@Oliver Schick I'd missed that. There is a good guide to Ichneumon wasps here https://www.nhm.ac.uk/content/dam/nhmwww/take-part/identify-nature/british-ichneumonid-wasps-id-guide.pdf obscuratus is on p40. The cream stripes on body seem do seem to be the characteristic feature of this species.

Having said that with many insects the only way to tell for sure what it is is to collect a sample and use a biological key.

Saw a nice, late hoverfly today Eupeodes luniger

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