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 .

Bronze Beetle (Chrysolina bankii)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Chrysolina ("gold thread") banski ("Banks'")

Adult Bronze Beetle (Chrysolina bankii) in Cornwall - May 2012

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

The Bronze Beetle is very aptly named - a beautiful metallic carapace that looks as if it's been hammered into shape.  This species took me a long time to identify, as most of the Chrysolina genus do not have widely noted common names.  It's taxonomy has been slightly tweaked - it was originally known as Chrysolina banksi".

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Chrysolina
SUBSPECIES: ?

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A local species.

 - Seen in Cornwall.

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

Sulphur Beetle (Cteniopus sulphureus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Cteniopus (?) sulphureus ("sulphur")

Adult Sulphur Beetle (Cteniopus sulphureus - unknown subspecies) at Geddington, Northants - June 2010

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: 7-10mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

A tiny but brightly coloured beetle found on the Southern coast of the UK, it favours plants such as wild carrot and wild thyme on dry grassland and sand dunes.  Locally they can apparently be very common, and can be seen feeding on pollen and nectar.  As there are no other entirely bright yellow beetles in the UK, even at this small size it is a distinctive species.

Related Species:
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Tenebrionidae
Genus: Cteniopus
Subspecies: C. s. analis, C. s. murinus, C. s. palpalis, C. s. sulphuratus

- 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 .

Blue Jellyfish (Cyanea lamarckii)

OTHER NAMES: Bluefire Jellyfish

Latin Etymology: Cyanea ("blue in colour") lamarckii (named for Jean-Baptiste Lamarck)

Adult Blue Jellyfish (Cyanea lamarckii) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - July 2014

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Diamter: 30cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

One of the most common Jellyfish seen in British Coastal Waters, the blue jellyfish possesses a mild sting and therefore should not be handled.  The taxonomy is unresolved as it stands as populations in the Pacific may represent separate species.  As with many jellyfish, they can appear en-mass in certain years, and large numbers get beached.

Related Species:
Order: Semaeostomeae
Family: Cyaneidae
Genus: Cyanea
Subspecies: unknown

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident of the coast

 - Seen on the shores around Trevose Head 

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