Latest keys published

Here is a list of the new keys that have been published on my website.  These have appeared in late November and during December.
  
New beetle keys enabling the identification of a further 125 species

  Attelabidae - 2 species of a type of weevil

  Lampyridae - 3 species (glow-worms)

  Latridiidae  - 56 species (minute brown scavenger beetles)

  Monotomidae 23 species (root-eating beetles) 

  Mordellidae 17 species (tumbling flower beetles)

  Noteridae       2 species (water beetles)

  Rhynchitidae  17 species of a type of weevil

  Tetratomidae 4 species (polypore fungus beetles)

New fly key

   Ulidiidae 20 species of picture-winged flies

As usual if you find that they work, please let me know.  If you find any problems, such as terms used that are not explained or things that are unclear, again please let me know.

Dysdera crocata

Being called to the downstairs toilet to remove a spider, I found a species I hadn't seen before. Keying it through to family Dysderidae was very straightforward using the AIDGAP key to the families of British Families by Jones-Walters (1989), combining the six eyes with the long basal segment of the fangs (chelicerae).  The size of the male at 10 mm. and the detail of the palps led easily to Dysdera crocata.  It was difficult to photograph as I had to do a stack and it wouldn't always keep its legs still.  In addition it had to be taken through glass as I had given my word that it would not escape.  The image below was the best I could do.    

It will be released in the strawberry bed as its prey is predominantly woodlice and they are a bit of a problem there.

Those of you who are keen on identifying ground beetles may be interested that I have added a few more genus keys at https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys/Home/keys-to-coleoptera/carabidae.  I would like to get these finished some time soon. 

Bothrideridae and Cucujidae published

A very pleasant week in north France with the family gave a little time to work on a couple more small families of beetles.  These are the families Bothrideridae (5 species) and Cucujidae (2 species).  The files on the website should enable identification of these species.  They can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys/Home/keys-to-coleoptera/bothrideridae and /cucujidae.  As usual if you find anything that needs improving, doesn't work or does work please let me know. 

Bought home a leaf of Elaeagnus macrophylla from Hardelot and was delighted at the beauty of the scales on the leaf which are a characteristic of the family.  They are like miniature flowers on the leaf.  These are the scales on the top surface.  Those on the underneath are so dense you can't make out the individual scales.

                       Elaeagnus macrophylla - scales on the upper surface of a leaf

New key to Cryptophagidae published

Peter Barnard in Identifying British Insects and Arachnids: An Annotated Bibliography of Key Works writes about the beetle family Cryptophagidae that there is "no comprehensive key work to the group yet available"

This is a first attempt to make a contribution to this gap in knowledge on the web.  I've just published an illustrated key to the genera of Cryptophagidae which includes keys to species of all the genera except the big two, Atomaria and Cryptophagus.  I am working on translations of these as I can and will publish them in due course.  The key is published at https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys/Home/keys-to-coleoptera/cryptophagidae

As always if you use this key (or any on the site) please let me have your comments so that I can improve their quality and clarity.

New keys for families Megalopodidae and Scraptiidae

I have just published keys to the British species of Megalopodidae and Scraptiidae (beetles), which can be found here -

Scraptiidae: https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys/Home/keys-to-coleoptera/scraptiidae.

Megalopodidae: https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys/Home/keys-to-coleoptera/megalopodidae.

The Scraptiidae beetles are found as adults on the blossom of spring-flowering shrubs, particularly hawthorn.  Males are relatively easy to identify as they have appendages under the abdomen which are characteristic for different species.  The most recent beetle checklist has fourteen species listed, but another is listed on the NBN distribution maps.  This is all mentioned in the key.  

The three species of Megalopodidae, all in genus Zeugophora are associated with poplars.  One of them is restricted to the Scottish Highlands while the other two have a more general distribution in Britain.

As always if you find the keys useful, please tell me.  If you find some things are difficult to follow or are plain inaccurate, please let me know and I'll correct them.  It is my aim to have a resource that will be of use to entomologists.

The North Hampshire Aspleniaceae

There are four species of the spleenwort family (Aspleniaceae) found in the wild in North Hampshire.  I've been looking out for the final one for some time and stumbled across Ceterach officinarum (rusty-back fern) on a wall on the footpath going east from the car park by Whitchurch library.  This wall also had also specimens of Asplenium trichomanes.  I had found this species before on a wall alongside the railway by the old station at Oakley on the site of Basingstoke Building Supplies.  I have found the other two species on the old Roman walls at Silchester.  Here are photos of the four species:

  Asplenium adiantum-nigrum

Asplenium ruta-muraria

 Asplenium trichomanes

 Ceterach officinarum

      

New Beetle Keys - Dermestidae, Tenebrionidae and Oedemeridae

I have recently posted keys to three families of beetle on the https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys/ site.  These are keys to the British species of 

• Dermestidae,
• Tenebrionidae
• Oedemeridae. 

This adds illustrated identification guides for a further 97 species of British beetles.  They are illustrated mostly using the images from the Iconographia Coleopterorum Poloniae, with permission kindly granted by Lech Borowiec.  I hope you find them useful.  If you find any problems with them or points for improvement, please drop me an e-mail.