Bryony ladybird (Henosepilachna argus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Henosepilachna argus

Adult Bryony Ladybird (Henosepilachna argus) at Laguna Campillo, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: 5-7mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

The Bryony Ladybird is a species of ladybird that is specialised to specific species of plants - a vegetarian species which feeds on the leaves of bryony plants as well as melons, gourds, cucumbers marrows and so on.   While in the the UK it is limited around London for the most part.  This individual however was seen in Spain where it is a more common species.

Related Species: 
Order: Coleoptera 
Family: Coccinellidae 
Genus: Henosepilachna 
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - ?

A widespread resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: A single individual at Laguna Campillo

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Clytus arietis

Adult Wasp Beetle (subspecies C. a. arietis) at Geddington, Northants - May 2016

Featured Subspecies: Clytus arietis arietis
Length: 9-18mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

This is a species which has developed wasp like patterns to deter predators, being harmless itself but by mimicking something poisonous may put off predators, which is is able to back up by simulating a buzzing like noise.  As a larvae they feed on the wood of deciduous trees that have been invaded by certain fungi, and the adults then emerge in May, but have generally died by the end of Summer.

Related Species: 
Order: Coleoptera 
Family: Cerambycidae 
Genus: Clytus 
SUBSPECIES: C. a. arietis, C. a. cloueti, C. a. lederi, C. a. oblitus 

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Three-Spot Leaf Beetle* (Lachnaia tristigma)

OTHER NAMES: *Name given here is speculative, based on a translated Portuguese common name
Latin Etymology: Lachnaia (?) tristigma ("three dot")

Adult Lachnaia tristigma at Laguna Campillo, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 


Despite the appearance, this species is not in fact a ladybird - the family Lachnaia appear to have evolved into mimicing ladybirds, presumable for protection.  They are in reality, members of the leaf beetle family and so more closely related to species like cardinal beetles that might be familiar to those in the UK.  I must admit, it's a pretty effective disguise - I'd assumed it to be a new ladybird species for me myself until I researched it later.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Lachnaia
SUBSPECIES: unknown

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - A widespread resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: A single individual at Laguna Campillo

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Great Diving Beetle (Dytiscus marginalis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Dytiscus ("little diver") marginalis ("of the border")

Adult Great Diving Beetle (subspecies D. m. marginalis) at Geddington, Northants - August 2011

Featured Subspecies: Dytiscus marginalis marginalis
Length: 27-35mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

One of the largest and most powerful predators in small ponds - great diving beetles are one of the few insects in the UK capable of regularly tackling vertebrates - they feed on small fish like stickleback and minnows in addition to tadpoles.  There are a number of fairly similar Dytiscus diving beetle species in the UK, but this species is the most common.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Dytiscidae
Genus: Dytiscus
SUBSPECIES: D. m. marginalis, D. m. czerskii

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington and several other sites

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Thick-Legged Flower Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

OTHER NAMES: Swollen-thighed Beetle, False Oil Beetle

Latin Etymology: Oedemera (?) nobilis ("noble")

Adult Thick-Legged Flower Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) at Mullion, Cornwall - June 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: 8-10mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

Also known as the False-Oil Beetle and the Swollen-Thighed Beetle, as the name suggests the distinctive feature for the males is the massive bulky thighs, combined with the metallic green shells.  This species is apparently a fairly common and widely distributed species in the UK, but I have only knowingly encountered it once - on a flower in Mullion is Cornwall.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Oedemeridae
Genus: Oedemera
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Mullion and various other sites

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

OTHER NAMES: Bloodsucker Beetle

Latin Etymology: Rhagonycha (?) fulva ("tawny")

Adult Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) at Geddington, Northants - July 2009

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: 10mm 
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

One of the most common and visible beetles in the UK, the Common Red Soldier Beetle can be found on various flowers throughout the Summer, often in fairly high numbers - particularly thistles like the one in the photo.  As beetles go, they are fairly long and slender, and reach about one centimeter long.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cantharidae
Genus: Rhagonycha
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington and various other sites

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Pock-marked Scarab* (Scarabaeus cicatricosus)

OTHER NAMES: * This species has no official English name, this name is a direct translation of the Latin one, but is entirely speculative.

Latin Etymology: Scarabaeus ("scarab") cicatricosus ("pock marked")

Adult Pock-marked Scarab* (Scarabaeus cicatricosus) at Donana, Spain - November 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: ?
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

This species took quite a bit of work to identify despite being by British standards a large and charismatic beetle species - it is a Scarab Beetle - a dung beetle and was abundant at El Rocio during out visit.  I eventually identified it by finding a scientific article about the dung beetle species of the site and then looking up photos of every species listed.  They feed on dung, and have the famous dung rolling technique associated with beetles of their family.  These Beetles however weren't doing that that we saw, but merely wandering around in the sandy scrub of the surroundings.  Though this species has no official English name, I was very pleased that the name I was going to propose for it turned out to be an exact translation of the latin name anyway.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Scarabaeus
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - ?

Scarce but locally abundant resident where suitable habitat exists.

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: Numerous around El Rocio

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa)

OTHER NAMES: Blood Spewing Beetle, Blood Spewer

Latin Etymology: Timarcha (?) tenebricosa ("dark/gloomy")

Adult Bloody-nosed Beetle (subspecies T. t.anglica) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - April 2015

Featured Subspecies: Timarcha tenebricosa anglica
Length: 20-23mm 
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Bloody-nosed Beetle is a large distinctive species of Beetle found through the UK - it is flightless and has a distinctive walking stance which makes it appear to have a very high centre of gravity.  It gets its name from a distinctive defense mechanism it has - when it feels threatened it exudes droplets of foul tasting bright red liquid from around its mouth to repel predators. This is another flightless species - the wing cases are actually fused shut.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Timarcha
SUBSPECIES: T. t. anglica, T. t. angusticollis, T. t. heyrowskyi, T. t. moravica, T. t. motschulskyri, T. t. normandiana, T. t. pauperata, T. t. submontana, T. t. tenebricosa, T. t. transgrediens

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Common Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)

OTHER NAMES: Red-headed Cardinal Beetle

Latin Etymology: Pyrochroa ("fire ?") serraticornis (?)

Adult Common Cardinal Beetle (subspecies P. s. serraticornis) at Geddington, Northants - May 2011

Featured Subspecies: Pyrochroa serraticornis serraticornis
Length: 10-18mm 
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

The Common Cardinal Beetle is a pretty common beetle species found throughout much of the UK - normally present around the edge of woodlands they are highly tied to trees for their habitat inhabiting both live and dead wood.  There are three Cardinal Beetles found in the UK, but the Common is, as one would expect from the name, the most common of the three.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Pyrochroidae
Genus: Pyrochroa
SUBSPECIES: P. s. kiesenwetteri, P. s. serraticornis

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington and various other sites

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

24-Spot Ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata)

OTHER NAMES: Alfalfa Ladybird, Alfalfa Lady Beetle

Latin Etymology: Subcoccinella ("sub-ladybird") vigintiquatuorpunctata ("twenty-four spotted")

Two adult 24-Spotted Ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata) at Geddington, Northants - May 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: 3-4mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The 24-Spot Ladybird is another highly variable species capable of having a wide range of spots up to 26.  More unusually though, unlike all other British ladybirds, its shell has a somewhat velvet-like quality with tiny downy hair like structures giving it a bit more of a matte appearance.  Also unusual is that this ladybird is often flightless - a sample in the UK found that none had wings under their wing cases, while individuals in other countries may have a portion of the population be winged.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Subcoccinella
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

22-Spot Ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata)

OTHER NAMES: Twenty-two-spot Ladybird

Latin Etymology: Psyllobora (?) vigintiduopunctata ("twenty-two spotted")

Adult 22-spotted Ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata) at Geddington, Northants - September 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?

Length: 3-5mm 
UK Status: Not Evaluated /IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The 22-Spot Ladybird is another of the small yellow ladybirds that are fairly widely distributed across the UK and the rest of Europe. Unlike most ladybirds however, instead of being an aphid specialist it feeds on mildew from shrubs and certain other slightly taller plants.  The obvious species for confusion is the more common 14-spot ladybird, but that has fewer and more rectangular spots.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Psyllobora
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington and several other sites

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Cereal Leaf Beetle (Oulema melanopus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Oulema (?) melanopus ("dark ?")

Adult Cereal Leaf Beetle (Oulema melanopus) at Newton, Northants - September 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: 6mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Cereal Leaf Beetle is a tiny beetle that feeds on grains including crops and so is considered an agricultural pest.  There are two very similar species which are essentially impossible to differentiate between without a very detailed examination, but I have placed this as Oulema melanopus rather than Oulema rufocyanea on a bit of an educated guess, although there is the very strong possibility that I am wrong.  They can cause substantial problems to crops in both their native range of Eurasia and the introduced range in North America.  They will consume most cereal crops, but the major staples of human consumption such as oats, barley, rye and wheat are particular favourites, probably contributing to it's success.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Oulema
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident.

 - Seen in Newton

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Black Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus humator)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Nicrophorus humator

Adult Black Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus humator) at Cornwall - April 2014

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Length: 20-30mm  /  Wingspan: ?
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED /  IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Sexton Beetles are large carrion feeding beetles found in many places around the world.  They bury the carcasses of small vertebrates which provide the food for their grubs to develop in.  The family is generally covered in distinctive bright red bars, but the fact this particular species is entirely black actually makes it the easiest of the UK species to identify.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Silphidae
Genus: Nicrophorus
SUBSPECIES: ?

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Cornwall in April 2014

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Adonis Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata)

OTHER NAMES: Spotted Amber Ladybird, Variegated Lady Beetle, Variegated Ladybug
Latin Etymology: Hippodamia (from various Ancient Greek mythical figures) variegata ("variegated")

Adult Adonis Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata - uknown subspecies) at Pitsford Reservoir, Northants - August 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?

Length: 3-6mm 
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

At a glance, fairly similar to the much more common two and seven spot ladybirds, the differences become apparent on closer inspection. Firstly, it has a distinctive more shieldlike shape compared to those species, and has spots which are more distributed to the rear of the species. It is also more specialised than them, only feeding on certain kinds of aphid compared to the more general diets of the commoner types.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera 
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Hippodamia
SUBSPECIES: H. v. doubledayi, H. v. var, H. v. variegata - 

Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen at Pitsford Reservoir

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Formosan Longhorn Beetle* (Olenecamptus formosanus)

OTHER NAMES: * This species does not have an English name, therefore, this name is speculative based on its latin name.

Latin Etymology: Olenecamptus (?) formosanus ("of Formosa" - ie. of the isle of Taiwan)

Adult Formosan Longhorn Beetle* (Olenecamptus formosanus) at Arashiyama, Japan - June 2013

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: ?
UK Status: Not Present / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

This is another species that falls into the category of no official English name and very minimal information on it (in English at least) available online.  Although the latin name (and by extension, my own speculative English name) suggests it is a Taiwanese species, it is found at least in Honshu in Japan, where I encountered this individual.  It's habitat seemed to be the forest floor of the hillsides that led up to the Monkey Sanctuary at Arashiyama, although given we were walking up this hillside, I must admit I didn't really want to stop to look at it beyond a few quick photographs.  I noticed it in the first place for its unusual brilliant white shell, and the massive antennae which you unfortunatly cannot really see in this picture.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cerambycidae
Genus: Olenecamptus
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - 高さゴーシロー髪切り  /  Takasago-shiro-kamikiri

Resident seen in Summer..

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: A single individual at Arashiyama.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List,.RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Green Chafer (Anomala albopilosa)

OTHER NAMES: Hawaiian Scarab

Latin Etymology: Anomala ("anomalous") albopilosa ("white hair?")

Adult Green Chafer (subspecies A. a. yashiroi) at Osaka, Japan - July 2013

Featured Subspecies: Anomala albopilosa yashiroi
Length: 15-26mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

During our original visit to Kyoto, this species was by far the most common species of large noticeable beetle - they were seen pretty much anywhere, including on streets with little greenery having landed on the pavement for reasons best known to themselves.  This particular individual had crashed into the fountain outside of Osaka Castle, so I proceeded to rescue it with the stick in the photo before putting it in the grass to dry off.  They are apparently a bit of an agricultural pest I have subsequently found out, but also are a major food source for at least several species of bat.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Anomola
SUBSPECIES: A. a.  albopilosa, A. a. gracilis, A. a. sakishimana, A. a. trachypyga, A. a. yashiroi, A. a. yonaguniana

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - アオドウガネ  /  Aodougane

A locally common resident.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: Common throughout Kyoto and Osaka

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .