Wildlife June 2010

[Paul T]

Pretty thing, isn't it.

[Mick McLoughlin]

A Longhorn beetle pictured last week.

[daveyp1970]

what a thing that is Mick,i can't say i have seen a long horn in the flesh.

[Ragged Robin]

Nor me, it really is a handsome beetle - would like to know more about it - was it in your greenhouse Mick?

[Mick McLoughlin]

Robin not in the greenhouse just on the drive outside. I've done a bit of digging and think I may have found the species. Agapanthia villosoviridescens, perhaps Anthony may be able to confirm?
http://www.cerambyx.uochb.cz//index.htm this link takes you to the front page where you can put a search in for species.
This has a bit of information from your area Dave:
http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds3/insectslonghornbeetles.htm

[Ragged Robin]

A fantastic link, Mick, and great photos for ID, thanks 

[Kees Green]

The long horn beetles are quite common, the larger species are very good hissers.
New Zealands largest species is the Huhu beetle Prionoplus reticularis , scares a lot of people when it is attracted to light. A lot of people eat Huhu grubs, they taste like peanut butter.
Attached a pic-hope it works.

 edit by maggi: it does work but I'm replacing it with a jpg which is easier!

[Ragged Robin]

A lot of people eat Huhu grubs, they taste like peanut butter

Kees, what we find strange others love - in Cameroun on safari we were offered a termite queen larva as a speciality!  In fact we tasted lots of things there for the first time - snake was the best! 

[angie]

Can anyone give me some information, I haven't managed to take a picture or catch this beetle as it is very fast. It lives in my pond and I don't like the look of it, its big What I would like to know would it harm my baby fish. Sorry no picture, I will try again today to fish it out, it seems to come up fast for air and then dives down, its black and brown.

Angie

[Peter Maguire]

Angie,
If it's big (2.5-3.0cms), and black with brown margins to the various body parts, then you may have a Great Diving Beetle Dytiscus marginalis. If you're trying to fish it out use a net, they have strong jaws - if you succeed with that, you may in future have to deal with the larvae if it's laid eggs. Speaking from personal experience, they bite also! If one has flown in then there's always the possiblity that others could do so in future.
Both adults and larvae are predators (anything up to the size of fish, newts, etc).
Here's a link for identification: http://www.eol.org/pages/1171540

Peter

[daveyp1970]

A fantastic link, Mick, and great photos for ID, thanks 

i agree, Mick i would of not thought they were in my neck of the woods,now to find them.

[mark smyth]

The problem with plastic dumped at sea
http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=potw

[fredg]

Has anyone noticed it's July now?

[mark smyth]

oh yes so it is and half way through

[Maggi Young]

There is a July thread, started by Fred here-
 http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5776.0

I haven't split the posts from July in this thread across to the July one because some refer back to June comments