Scarce Fungus Weevil
I really like these, quite stupid looking but they have an unfathomable charm. I also like the way they manage to lood like bits of dried-up bird shit both ways up. Anyway I found five yesterday, three whilst looking at piles of dead wood and a couple whilst poking about in Cramp Ball fungi.
Brazenly sitting out waiting to be found
Hiding in a hole behind larval dinner
I'm assuming that the individuals I found on dead wood piles (where no Cramp Ball fungus was evident) have just used this as a winter refuge, but not entirley sure. On this particular tree, I found a couple of the weevils and also set about cutting a couple of Cramp Balls open.
You can have your King Alfred's Cake and eat it
Within one of the balls I found a couple of another fungal-eating beetle ...
Biphyllus lunatus - substantially smaller than the weevils it shares dinner with
Right next to one of the balls on the aforementioned tree, I also found a Psychid case that I'm not at all convinced about. It doesn't look right for Narycia duplicella which is the most likely species in VC55, and it doesn't match other species I've seen before. I've retained the case but no idea if it is tenanted with a pupa (possible at this time of year) or vacated.
I also noticed this on another trunk in the same area ...
Diurnea fagella - female
Another more surprising find in a part-broken Cramp Ball was this new-for-me spider ...
Snake-back Spider (Segestria senoculata)
Otherwise; I saw and heard Raven, Red Kite, Kestrel and Buzzard whilst mooching about, bumped into a couple of Muntjac that stopped and looked at me briefly before sloping off as I tried in vain to prep the camera, saw a good few butterflies including Orange-tip and also a couple of early Common Heath moths.
Here's a few other random bits.
Dark-edged Bee Fly - abundant!
Two-toothed Door Snail (Clausilia bidentata)
White-legged Snake Millipede - (Tachypodoiulus niger)
Uncooperative Heliophanus flavipes
Some sort of beetle larva with a woodlouse I can't be arsed to check
3 comments:
Final pic is of a cardinal beetle (plus woodlouse that I can't be arsed to ID for you ;) ) and I think you can tell them apart as larvae, but can't recall how. Your psychid case seems very heavily 'algaed up' for an active case, I'd expect at least a couple of seasons would be required for that much algae to form, but that's just my own thoughts which could be wildly out. Deffo not Narycia duplicella, sort of looks like a very weathered Diplodoma - maybe? And lastly, I've still to encounter that beast of a weevil, so am ever so slightly green with envy at those pics. Five? That's just taking the piss, mate!
Not seen a Platyrhinus this year yet, but they are great beetles. A charismatic weevil, who'd have thunk it :)
We seem to do well for these in VC55, and I seem to find them easily at Ketton Quarry. I still get a daft grin on my face when I find one though.
Larva is Red-headed Cardinal Beetle - thanks Seth. Think you're right on the case being old as well but I'll sit on it for a while before damaging it. We have Diplodoma laichartingella in the VC but only 2 records of adults - no cases found.
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