Under Staphed

My beetle list doesn't include many members of the Staphylinidae, especially the very tiny and generally unfathomable ones. I can't go on ignoring them, but to be honest it's not often that I find one that at least has some sort of colouration or feature that might make it worth trying.

One of the few that I do recognise on sight is this one, and only because it's a big ugly brute which is as likely to attack you and rip your throat out. I found two in/under logs at Ketton Quarry yesterday ...

Ocypus olens - Devil's Coach Horse

However I also found a couple of smaller species that appeared to be worth taking to have a look, both turned out to be reasonably okay to key through - but the caveat is that with nothing to compare to you always have a doubt so these were sense checked on the Leics. Coleoptera facebook group.

The larger of the two was found under a log, and turned out to be another Ocypus sp., with the pronotal puncturing being the difference between it and another similar species.

Ocypus brunnipes

'Pronotum with a mix of larger and smaller punctures with the larger punctures outnumbering the smaller ones – the gaps between the punctures are comparatively wider, being much more than the diameter of the punctures.' Tasgius morsitans has course, close punctures with less gaps between them. Which is fine if you have a comparison!

The other one was actually in rotting wood, and quite a bit smaller but distinctly coloured. This one was actually easy to key through.

Atrecus affinis

I also potted another from sieved leaf litter, but having keyed it to genus I can't get any further at the minute with on-line keys.

Philonthus sp.

Other beetles included more Silpha atrata and Notiophilus biguttatus, a couple of Pterostichus madidus, and - I'm pleased to report - my ongoing luck/skill with finding this species at this site ....

(Really not very) Scarce Fungus Weevil

The only other thing I snapped was this bug, also sieved from leaf litter ..

Drymus brunneus - full house now for this group in the last few weeks!

Today has been dry and sunny, but cold and windy. Usually around this time of year I give the bird feeders one last clean and then put them away, but with the ongoing uncertainly about life in general I though I'd clean and re-stock them - staring at these may the only sanity I get on some days.

However as I nestled into a garden chair for half an hour with camera in hand, I had company and the game was up ...

Git