View allAll Photos Tagged Insecta
Nikon D300, below Novoflex, lens Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm /f2.8 T, flash Nikon SB400 + homemade diffusor. One exposure
Protapion fulvipes (Geoffroy, 1785) = Apion apicirostre Desbrochers, 1895 = Apion bergrothi Desbrochers, 1895 = Apion coxale Desbrochers, 1895 = Apion dichroum Bedel, 1886 = Apion lederi Kirsch, 1878 = Apion maculicoxis Desbrochers, 1897 = Curculio flavipes Paykull, 1792 = Rhinomacer fulvipes Geoffroy, 1785.
2 notonectid water bugs (1 whole, 1 partial); on shared slab with 49925b; scale bar: 5 mm with 0.1 mm div.
Kingdom=Animalia
Phylum=Arthropoda
Class=Insecta
Order=Coleoptera
Family=Cetoniidae revised subfamily Cetoniinae in Scarabaeidae
Orange beetle
Genus=Dilochrosis(Thomson,1878)
Species=walteri(Lea,1914)
Binomial name=Dilochrosis walteri
Common name=Flower Beetle
Green beetle
Genus=Eupoecila
Species=inscripta
Binomial name=Eupoecila inscripta(JANSON,1873)
Common name=Flower beetle
Insecta: Lepidoptera
Saturniidae, Saturniinae
Samia wangi
Tai Po Kau Headland, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong
Barranco de São Miguel,
Faro, Portugal 13-02-2019
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species: P. machaon
Binomial name
Papilio machaon
Linnaeus, 1758
Introduction
Back in the 18th century when Linnaeus created the System Naturae, the word Papilio was used as the genus name for every known species of butterfly in the world. Since then much has been learnt about the relationships between different species. Consequently most have been reassigned to new genera, and only about 215 of the 17600 currently known species are retained in Papilio.
Papilio machaon is widespread and common throughout much of the northern hemisphere. It occurs over the whole of continental Europe, eastward across temperate Asia to Japan; in Africa north of the Sahara; and throughout much of North America. In Britain it is locally common on the Norfolk Broads, an area of fenland and lakes in eastern England.
Individuals originating from France occasionally migrate across the English Channel and have been periodically recorded in Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex and the Isle of Wight, but such sightings are very rare - perhaps one or two sightings per year. Genuine migrants can usually be recognised by their faded and worn appearance. Fresh looking insects seen anywhere apart from Norfolk can be attributed to escaped or deliberately released livestock - both the British subspecies brittanicus and the continental gorganus are commonly reared by hobbyists. ( it is illegal to capture or breed stock of British origin, but nevertheless a widespread practice ).
There are no similar species occurring in Britain. On the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia machaon shares it's habitat with Papilio hospiton, which is similarly marked but has much shorter tails on the hindwings. In Algeria the distribution of machaon overlaps that of the Saharan Swallowtail Papilio saharae, which is identical in appearance except for the antennae, which have 30 segments in saharae, and 33-36 segments in machaon.
Habitats
Throughout most of it's range the Swallowtail shows itself to be highly adaptable, utilising a wide variety of habitats including sub-arctic tundra in Canada, prairies, woodlands and arid canyons in the south of the USA; hay meadows, roadside verges, river banks and sub-alpine pastures in Europe; high montane habitats in the Atlas mountains of north Africa, and semi-cultivated habitats in the Mediterranean area.
It's adaptability extends also to it's choice of foodplants - in North America the caterpillars usually feed on Compositae ( Artimesia, Petasites ), while in Europe Rutaceae ( Ruta, Haplophyllum ) and Umbelliferae ( Foeniculum, Peucidanum etc ) are used instead. In Britain however the butterfly is restricted to a single foodplant - milk parsley, and breeds only at a very small number of wet fenland habitats in north-east Norfolk. Individual specimens have been tagged and found to fly over quite a large area, often reaching adjacent fens, but the butterflies do not stray beyond the general area of the broads.
Several centuries ago the species almost certainly occurred as a resident species over a much wider area of southern and eastern England, but later contracted it's range to the Great Fen - a vast area of wetlands covering Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Following the drainage of this area, and it's conversion to agriculture, the butterfly was forced to contract it's range even further - to the Norfolk Broads. In such isolation the genetic diversity would have diminished, causing the so-called "sub-species" machaon brittanicus to become far less adaptable, and to acquire minor differences in appearance from the ancestral stock.
In the last 100 years the average wingspan of Swallowtails, and the average width of the thorax, have reduced in size, an indicator of further genetic impoverishment, which is likely to result in further contraction and eventual extinction. Expansion of the gene pool can only be accomplished by the introduction of genetically richer livestock from Europe, a policy which hopefully will eventually be adopted by conservation groups.
Although the butterfly only breeds in the wet fenlands and broads of Norfolk, migrants from France are periodically observed at coastal sites in Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent. On 1st Sept 2003 for example I watched an immigrant Swallowtail flying across a main road at Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire. In most years less than half a dozen are recorded, usually in August or September. Individuals very occasionally penetrate further inland, and are reputed to sometimes breed on chalk grasslands, reportedly feeding as larvae on wild carrot Daucus carota, although I know of no recent records.
It is planned that by the end of the 21st century the Great Fens which formerly occupied much of eastern England will be partially restored, leading to a sizeable increase in suitable habitat. Whether such a project is feasible in the face of population expansion however remains to be seen.
Lifecycle
The butterfly is bivoltine on the continent, emerging in May and August, but in Britain the second brood is either partial or non-existent.
In the Norfolk fens where the butterflies emerge in late May, they lay their large brown globular eggs singly on the fine leaves of milk parsley Peucidanum palustre. The eggs are nearly always laid on the upper foliage of tall plants which project above the surrounding reedbeds. They hatch after about a week.
The young caterpillar is black, marked with a band of white. It looks remarkably like a small bird-dropping as it rests openly on the leaves. According to Thomas the camouflage is not effective against spiders, which may predate up to 65% of 1st instar larvae. When fully grown in July, the caterpillar is a most magnificent creature - bright green, marked with narrow black bands and orange spots. Behind it's head is an eversible fleshy pink forked structure called an osmaterium, which is raised if the larva is irritated. This structure emits pungent chemicals, capable of deterring ants, wasps, and flies, but does not deter birds - reed buntings, sedge warblers and bearded tits between them devouring at least 50% of mature larvae.
The chrysalis occurs in 2 colour forms, being either plain green, or light brown with a dark lateral stripe. It is attached vertically by a thin silken girdle and by the cremaster, usually low down on the stem of a reed, where it hibernates until the following May.
Adult behaviour
The butterfly has a characteristic powerful gliding flight, and is capable of covering large distances. In France and Spain for example I have often observed males indulging in "hill-topping", i.e. flying to congregate at the top of hills, where they compete for the attention of passing females. In Britain the butterfly breeds only on the flat terrain of Norfolk, and probably only covers short distances, although it can be seen crossing open expanses of water on the Broads.
On warm sunny days, male Swallowtails patrol back and forth along a regular route in search of females. Often both sexes home in on a particular clump of bushes where courtship and copulation take place. The pair often remain joined for 2 or 3 hours before the female departs to oviposit.
In the morning, and again in late afternoon both sexes can be seen flying freely about their habitat, pausing regularly to nectar at the pink flowers of angelica, knapweeds, marsh thistles, red campion, ragged robin and valerian. When nectaring they keep their wings constantly fluttering to prevent the weight of their bodies from dragging down on the fragile flowers. This fluttering behaviour is typical of all Papilioninae, wherever they occur in the world. In Norfolk the butterflies also often nectar at the spectacular bright yellow flowers of yellow iris.
In cool but sunny weather, or during periods of hazy sunshine, Swallowtails can sometimes be seen basking amongst dry grasses. During overcast weather they roost hanging from reed stems, and probably also amongst the foliage of sallow and alder bushes, and other fenland vegetation.
In the French Alps and the Pyrenees the butterflies commonly indulge in mud-puddling - siphoning mineral-rich moisture from damp mud and cattle dung, but I have not observed this behaviour in Britain.
Insecta 3
8" x 10"
Acrylic on Panel, unframed
©2011 Limon. All rights reserved. www.limon-art.com
Shop: Paintings / Older Paintings
The Burren National Park Co.Clare Ireland 28-05-2021
Scientific classification
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Nymphalidae
Genus:Boloria
Species:B. euphrosyne
Binomial name
Boloria euphrosyne
Identification
Key identification features include:
Wingspan
♂ 38 - 46 mm, ♀ 43 - 47 mm
Rich orange colouration
Underside of the hindwing bordered by a series of distinct white "pearls".
Habitat
Restricted to the Burren, southeast Galway and the Aran Islands: grassy forest clearings; unimproved dry calcareous grassland; limestone pavement. Adults fly briskly through open hazel scrub and sunlit woodland margins and rides (Bond & Gittings, 2008).
Flight period
Univoltine: flies from May to June.
Life cycle
An egg is laid on either the undersurface, or less often, the upper surface of the leaves of the foodplant; or on leaf debris in the immediate vicinity of the foodplant; usually laid singly, sometimes in pairs. After hatching in July or August the larvae feed until about early October, then enter diapause, feeding again from about late March to late April. The larvae spend much of the time in dry curled leaves on the ground, emerging to feed on the young tender leaves of the foodplant or to bask; frequently leaving only bare stalks as evidence of feeding. Overwintering in larval diapause and pupating in late April, suspended from a silken pad in a loose structure spun up in vegetation (Bond & Gittings, 2008).
Food plants
The main foodplants are believed to be Common Dog-Violet (Viola riviniana) and Marsh Violet (V. palustris); but the latter is poorly represented in the Irish distribution of this species (Bond & Gittings, 2008).
Flowers visited
Generalist, both sexes are commonly seen feeding on: Bird's Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Bugle (Ajuga reptans), Buttercup
(Ranunculus spp.) and Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non–scriptus), but Dandelion (Taraxacum agg.), Hawkweeds (Hieracium/Hypochoeris), Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi), Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.) and Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) are also known to be used.
Could this be the smallest butterfly in the world? it's about 14mm. the photo was taking in my garden in Andalućia Spain.
Esta debería ser la mariposa más pequeña del mundo? mide 14mm y la foto fue tomado en mi jardín en Andalucía España.
Barranco de São Miguel,
Faro, Portugal 13-02-2019
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Papilionidae
Genus:Iphiclides
Species:I. feisthamelii
Binomial name
Iphiclides feisthamelii
Iphiclides feisthamelii, the southern scarce swallowtail or southern swallowtail, is a butterfly found in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
The larva feeds on Prunus amygdalus, P. persica, P. insititia, P. longipes, Pyrus communis, Malus domesticus and Crataegus oxyacantha
Iphiclides feisthamelii is considered by many workers to be a subspecies of podalirius. It is found in Spain, Portugal, southern France and north Africa. It differs from podalirius in having a paler almost white ground colour, and has a darker and broader submarginal band on the hindwings.
Iphiclides podalirius is distributed across most of central and southern Europe, excluding the British Isles, Ireland and Fennoscandia.
Its common name Scarce Swallowtail refers to the fact that it has on extremely rare occasions been recorded in Britain, e.g. in 1895 two specimens were captured, one in Devon and the other in Kent. These may however have been "fake" captures, a practice common in the Victorian era when collectors would do almost anything to raise their status among their contemporaries. There is no evidence that the species was ever a resident or regular migrant to the British Isles.
In Europe the butterfly is widespread and fairly common, although it has become much scarcer in recent years as a result of the removal of blackthorn bushes and hedges.
Habitats
This species occurs in warm and usually dry habitats where blackthorn grows in profusion. It is found from sea level to at least 2400m but is most often encountered below 1500m.
Lifecycle
The eggs are laid on the foliage of blackthorn Prunus spinosa, or less commonly on other Prunus species including amygdalus, avium, domestica, persica, armeniaca, mahaleb and padus. There are also records of larvae feeding on Pyrus communis, Malus domestica, Crataegus monogyna and Sorbus aucuparia.
Adult behaviour
Both sexes are usually encountered singly. Males visit seepages and patches of damp soil where they imbibe mineralised moisture. At such times they keep their wings firmly closed.
Females are more often seen nectaring at the flowers of trees and bushes including apple, pear, cherry, lilac and Buddleia, but also visit herbaceous plants including valerian, bugle, thistles, knapweeds, ragwort and stonecrop. When nectaring the wings are usually held at a 45° angle as shown in the photo above.
Family: Libellulidae - Darters, Skimmers and Chasers
Order: Odonata (Epiprocta) - Dragonflies
Class: Insecta
Phylum: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia
Total length: 35-44 mm
Abdomen length: 20-30 mm
Hindwing length: 24-30 mm
Larval body length: 15.5-18 mm, but can be highly variable
RANGE
Abundant throughout Europe although absent from northern Scandivania, becoming relatively less common in the northeast of the range. The species appears to be colonising new localities in Scotland. The species' range extends to nearby areas of North Africa and eastwards through the Russian Federation as far as China, Korea and Japan.
Adult: A relatively small, typical dragonfly, which may be the most commonly-encountered through much of its range. The parallel-sided abdomen has a straight, rather than a clubbed, appearance. This distinguishes it from most species in the genus, as does its larger adult size. Also unlike many of these species, there is little or no yellow at the base of the wings. Male colouration is orange to red, females are yellow when immature and become darker with age; old females are greenish. The frons forms a thick black bar in front of the eyes. A thin yellow stripe runs down the length of each leg, and the thorax is patterned with two large yellowish panels.
Larva: Small, fairly squat, oval-shaped dragonfly larva with large bulging eyes; the front of the labial mask is typically spotted. The hind legs are very long, stretching beyond the end of the abdomen. The main diagnostic feature is the length of the spines on abdominal segment 9, which are longer than the length of the segment. Colouration is highly variable on both upper and undersides.
Similar species: The common darter shares its large range with a number of similar, related species. Small body size, the lack of a coloured patch on the hindwing and a red abdomen distinguish these species from most other darter genera. The common darter has black legs with yellow streaks, which separate it from larger Crocothemis species and from the ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum), with which it may co-occur. The wings are dark-veined, a feature which reliably distinguishes it from red-veined dropwings (Trithemis), and the lower portion of the eye is green (blue in Trithemis). The large yellow panels on the sides of the thorax are unique among European Sympetrum species, and the similar vagrant darter (S. vulgatum) has black marks extending from the sides of the frons down the sides of the head (giving a 'moustached' appearance) - the frons of the common darter is straight.
The larval form is similar to that of related species. The presence of spines at the sides of body segments 8 and 9 (the final segments before the tail) distinguish it from species other than the ruddy darter, and the most reliable way to distinguish between the two is to identify adult stages from the same waterbody. Ruddy darters often prefer established, well-vegetated and sometimes seasonal, waterbodies while common darters may colonise newly-created pools. In the absence of this information, the spines on segment 9 is usually shorter than the length of the segment in the ruddy darter, but differences can be small and none of these features can be regarded as 100% reliable in distinguishing the two species.
HABITAT
A section of a small stream
inhabited by common darters.
Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Highly varied, but with a preference for still, often warm, waters, although it may colonise streams. The common darter exhibits a preference for shallow, newly-created ponds with sparse aquatic vegetation, and may also be found in very shallow ditches, bogs and seepages. The species can make use of small waterbodies, and can be found around garden ponds of any size. The common darter is able to colonise brackish waters. Larvae are often found along the bottom of a waterbody or in aquatic vegetation close to the surface.
BEHAVIOUR
In common with other darters, common darters select prominent perches, typically on waterside vegetation, from which to launch sorties to capture prey or deter others. This behaviour also serves a thermoregulatory function. Males often occur in high densities around the water's edge and defend their immediate area from rivals. Territories are not fixed, but are selected for their exposure to sunlight and so vary both over the course of the day and seasonally. Territories may be unguarded during mating activity, and so taken by subordinate males.
In areas where the species breeds in seasonal ponds, such as Algeria in the south of its range, the dragonflies will abandon the dry waterbody following emergence to forage in nearby, higher-altitude woodland before returning to breed in the autumn. In contrast to many species, common darters rarely if ever forage while patrolling for females (Corbet & Brooks, 2008).
Larvae actively hunt prey using both visual and tactile cues, although this lifestyle appears to render them susceptible to fish predation (Corbet & Brooks, 2008).
Breeding behaviour: Males patrol for females, which may advertise their receptivity by behaving conspicuously around oviposition sites and in some cases miming egg-laying behaviour, Mating begins in tandem, in which the male clasps the female behind the head and the two pair flies in this position, one dragonfly behind the other. Animals may also fly in the 'mating wheel' position, in which reproduction takes place. Females typically oviposit while in tandem and do so in open water, though often surrounded by vegetation. During this process, the male 'guides' oviposition by raising and lowering the pair's position above the water.
Emergence: Larvae emerge onto aquatic vegetation, generally low in the water. Emergence typically peaks in late summer in northern areas such as the United Kingdom, where the emergence period can extend from late April to October.
Flight season: Year-round in the Mediterranean, in southern parts of its range breeding as late as February. In northern areas, the flight season can extend from April into November, rarely December, becoming more abundant from June onwards.
BIOLOGY
Life cycle: In common with the common darter, the ruddy darter exhibits the unusual ability to facultatively delay development of its eggs or undergo immediate direct development, presumably as a response to different environmental conditions (Corbet & Brooks, 2008). Most other dragonfly species undergo either direct or delayed development.The larval stage completes development within a single year. Newly-emerged adults take up to three months to complete development.
TAXONOMY
Two forms found in the Canary Islands (S. nigrifemur) and the Atlantic coast of Ireland, Scotland and Norway (S. nigriscens) may be subspecies of S. striolatum, and are mostly distinguishable by their distribution, which does not overlap with the typical form. The former also differs in having more black on the legs, the latter by a black underside to the abdomen.
STATUS
This is a very common, widespread species; however, population trends are unknown and the species may be susceptible to water pollution resulting from crop production, and the loss of early-successional habitats (Clausnitzer, 2007).