Last update: August 2017 Distinctive invertebrates in light traps*
Very many insects and other invertebrates turn up in light traps. Often this is not the result of attraction to the light itself. The invertebrate could be hunting, seeking refuge, looking for a mate or merely the trap was in it’s path. Most non-Lepidopteran insects will need examination under a microscope for definitive Craneflies identification. This guide aims to highlight some species than can be safely identified from adequate images of the whole insect. This brief guide includes just a few species and is by no means comprehensive, even in Craneflies terms of easy-to-identify insects. Suggestions for additions are welcomed to Craneflies [email protected]. (Apocrita, Hymenoptera) Craneflies We recommend using iRecord to submit all sightings of species appearing in this guide.
Shortcuts to taxon groups
(Parasitica, Hymenoptera
C raneflies Craneflies Caddisflies Crickets Diving Beetles
Grasshoppers and (Orthoptera)
Carrion Beetles Lacewings Social Wasps
Nocturnal Ichneumonids Leafhoppers Sheildbugs
*Excluding moths!
Craneflies (Tipulidae, Diptera)
Three large dark blotches along Tipula maxima the front margins of the wings Notes • Common and widespread in Britain • Prefers wet habitats such as marshes and bogs • Flight period: April to August
Safe identification
• Wings heavily patterned unlike any other British cranefly including three dark blotches along the costa Dark edged pale ‘half moon’ at outer edge of • Very large size (100 mm leg span) forewings. Edging often much darker than this.
Gail Hampshire -CC BY-2.0
Brown pattern creates ‘cell’ in Pedicia rivulosa centre of wings
Notes
• Widespread in Britain • Flight period: April to September • Prefers wet and marshy areas • Very large: wing length 20 – 24 mm
Safe identification
• Wing pattern quite unlike any other British cranefly, with brown markings that create a large cell in the centre of each wing.
Morten Staerkeby CC BY-NC 2.0 Caddisflies (Trichoptera)
Glyphotaelius pellucidus Forewings with notch in outer margin Notes • Common and widespread in Britain • Larvae live in still water habitats • Flight period: May to October • 12 – 17 mm forewing length
Safe identification
• The only English caddis with a clear notch in the forewings. • WARNING – rare species with notch, Nemotaulius punatolineatus, occurs in Scotland (Caithness and Donald Hobern Sutherland) but is much larger: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 forewing length 22 – 26 mm.
Limnephilus lunatus Dark edged pale ‘half moon’ at outer edge of forewings. Edging often much darker than this image shows.. Notes • Common and widespread in Britain • Almost ubiquitous • Flight period: May to November • 14-16 mm forewing length
Safe identification • All you need to see is a clear dark edged pale ‘half moon’ as shown. Forewing can be various shades of brown. • WARNING – Two similar, rare species occur in highland Scotland; L. borealis and L. subcentralis. Be sure to submit images on iRecord and if a very unlikely rarity turns up, it will be Sanja565658 - CC BY-SA 3.0, spotted by Ian Wallace. Caddisflies (Trichoptera)
Mystacides longicornis Notes • Very common and widespread in Black bars on sandy Britain coloured forewing • lake species • Flight period: June to August • 8-9 mm forewing length
Safe identification
Must have a combination of: • Very long antennae – about twice that of the forewing length • Sandy coloured forewings with diagonal black bars. N.B. An uncommon, less distinctive, all Antennae about twice yellow form of this species also occurs as forewings Donald Hobern CC-BY-2.0
Grasshoppers and Crickets (Orthoptera)
Speckled Bush-cricket Very long antennae Legs and body covered means it’s a cricket in tiny black spots. Leptophyes punctatissima
Notes • Common in Southern Britain but local (increasing) in the North West • Inhabit gardens
Safe identification • Only British cricket with body covered in tiny black speckles / dots, Females with sword-like ovipositor seen on both adults and and pale stripe on back. Male has nymphs. brown stripe and no ovipositor. Copyright Phil Smith
Diving Beetles (Dytiscidae, Coleoptera)
Great Diving Beetle Relatively blunt Very sharp metacoxal metacoxal processes processes Dytiscus marginalis
Notes Yellow bands • Common and widespread all the way • Peaks in May and Sept but around margin adults recorded all year of pronotum • Very large: 26-32 mm
Safe identification • Must be >26 mm in length • All margins of pronotum must have a yellow band • Metacoxal processes must be blunt – all other very large Donald Hobern https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 British diving beetles with Udo Schmidt CC BY-SA 2.0 Udo Schmidt CC BY-SA 2.0 fully yellow pronotum margins have sharp metacoxal Male: smooth elytra and Female: ridged elytra processes sucker pads on front legs and no sucker pads
Ilybius fuliginosus Variable but strong yellow streak running along each side of elytra. More obvious in living specimens. Notes • Common and widespread • Peaks in June but adults recorded throughout year • Medium sized diving beetle • Regular in light traps
Safe identification
Must have a combination of the following:
• 10-11.5 mm in length • Strong yellow streaks running along side of elytra Udo Schmidt CC BY-SA 2.0 • Narrow ‘torpedo’ body shape
S. Rae CC BY-SA 2.0 Carrion Beetles (Silphidae, Coleoptera)
Nicrophorus humator
Notes Relatively • Common and widespread in Britain shiny and • Adults: April to September smooth elytra Rounded • Large: 20-30 mm in length clubs
Safe identification One of only two large black burying beetles (>15mm) with orange on antennae, both of which come to light (the other, Necrodes littoralis, is below). Identified at a glance with practise. Long hairs on shoulders Differences: between N. humator and N. littoralis – may rub off • N. humator has more clubbed antennae on worn • N. humator has shiny elytra – dull in N. littoralis specimens Dark edged pale ‘half moon’ at outer edge of • N. humator has a smoother appearance to elytra forewings. Edging often much darker than this. (not very obviously ridged) • N. humator has obviously ‘hairy shoulders’ Janet Graham CC-BY-2.0
Necrodes littoralis Notes • Common and regularly attends light traps Elongate tips to • Large: variable in size up to 25 mm antennae. In Dull / matt some images, elytra. Not looks clubbed. Safe identification shiny.
One of only two large black burying beetles (>15mm) with orange on antennae, both of which come to light (the other, Nicrophorus humator is above). Identified at a glance with practise. Hairs on shoulders See above for differences between N. littoralis and on visible N. humator. under a microscope
Janet Graham CC-BY-2.0 Carrion Beetles (Silphidae, Coleoptera)
Nicrophorus investigator Partly orange Notes antennae • Common and regularly attends light traps • Adults Spring and Summer • Large but variable: up to 22mm in length Usually no gap in front orange Safe identification band on elytra. Your beetle must have all of the following features: Narrow if • Partly orange antennae present • No yellow hairs on the thorax • Two broad orange bands on elytra Then differences with the very similar N. interruptus:
• N. investigator tergites mostly fringed with black
or dark brown hairs. Only last tergite with golden hairs. N. interruptus has all abdominal tergites No yellow hairs on fringed with golden hairs. front of thorax Tergites mainly fringed • N. investigator usually with no gap in front Martin Harvey CC-BY-SA -2.0 with black / dark brown orange band. N. interruptus usually has one. hairs – not easily seen
Nicrophorus interruptus
Notes Partly Usually a gap All tergites • Scarce and no recorded in Lancashire and orange in front band fringed with Cheshire but occurs North and South of the antennae on elytra golden hairs – region more obvious • Large: variable in size up to 20 mm with hand lens Safe identification
Your beetle must have all of the following features: • Partly orange antennae • No yellow hairs on the thorax • Two broad orange bands on elytra No yellow hairs on front Then see differences above with the very of thorax similar N. investigator. If you find N. interruptus, a voucher specimen should be Janet Graham CC-BY-2.0 collected for verification.
Lacewings (Neuroptera)
Giant Lacewing Osmylus fulvicephalus Notes Many black spots on wings • Widespread and common in Southern England, becoming local further North. • Stony streams • Flight period: May and June Safe identification
Tick off all of the following: • Good general match to this image • Body not green • Very large (c.25 mm incl. wing length) • Black spots on the wings. c.25 mm • There are a couple of other lacewings Pierre Bornand CC BY 2.0 almost as large but green and without Dark edged pale ‘half moon’ at outer edge of black markings forewings. Edging often much darker than this.
Udo Schmidt CC BY-SA 2.0
Nothochrysa capitata
Notes • Widespread but local in Britain Pronotum = entirely reddish brown • Generally associated with pine and sometimes found on oak Thorax = entirely orange-brown • Flight period: Summer and early Autumn Safe identification • One of only two orange lacewings in Britain.
• This is the only species with an entirely reddish-brown thorax and pronotum. The only similar Donald Hobern, CC BY 2.0 (extremely rare) species (Nothochrysa fulviceps) has a broad pale longitudinal stripe running through the thorax and pronotum.
Social Wasps (Vespidae, Hymenoptera)
European Hornet Vespa crabro Thorax reddish-brown and black with no yellow Notes markings • Widespread in Southern Britain. Scarce but increasing in Lancashire and Cheshire • Flight period: May to November • Length: 25–35 mm Safe identification • Thorax should be reddish- brown and black with no yellow markings Reddish-brown colours on • Reddish brown colours on legs and abdomen legs and abdomen. • Most similar species Jurgen Mangelsdorf CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Dolichovespula media has yellow markings on thorax. Nocturnal Ichneumonids (Parasitica, Hymenoptera)
Enicospilus ramidulus Two small marks (sclerites) in the centre of the forewing Notes • Common and widespread in Britain • Parasitoid of noctuid moth larvae • Flight period: July to September Safe identification Your wasp must clearly have both features as highlighted in Gavin Broad the image (right). No other orange ichneumonid has the combination of these features. Not reliable if wasp was found End of abdomen dead as abdomens can blacken. black-tipped Copyright: Nigel Gilligan Recording related species Most need detailed study. Related species: Most need detailed study. Keys available from the Recording Scheme website Keys available from the Recording Scheme website
Nocturnal Ichneumonids (Parasitica, Hymenoptera)
Netelia melanura Black tip to abdomen Notes • Flies July to October Triangular areolet • Parasitoid of noctuid moth larvae in low vegetation
Safe identification • Your wasp must have a wholly orange body apart from the No dark dots in sharply black-tipped abdomen forewing. All and no small marks in the orange body wings as in the previous apart from species. black abdomen • Your wasp must also have an Females tip orange triangle 2/3 along the with ovipositor leading edge of the forewing. Copyright: Gordon Woolcock
Related species: Most need detailed study. Keys available from the Recording Scheme website
Ophion ventricosus Vein exiting pterostigma Notes Shiny yellow wing almost straight • Local in Britain Pterostigma membrane will be more • but can be abundant in obvious than this. ancient, deciduous woodland parasitoid of Pale Brindled Beauty • Flies mid-April to late June Safe identification Combination of black markings (as shown) and shiny yellow wing membrane will leave you with Black markings on Eremotylus marginatus as the only head and underside other possibility but that species has of thorax. a curved vein exiting the pterostigma and is only known from South England where it is rare. Copyright: Ab H. Bass Related species: Most need detailed study. Keys available from the Recording Scheme website
Sheildbugs (Pentatomoidea) Red-legged Sheildbug Pentatoma rufipes Notes Pale tip to • Common and widespread in Britain scutellum, • Occurs in various habitats varying from • Adults: July to November cream to orange • Length 11-14 mm
Safe identification of adults Red legs • The only British sheildbug, The adult stage had which had a combination of fully formed wings red legs and a pale (orange which cover all but to cream) tip to the the edge of scutellum. abdomen Phil Smith Copyright: Phil Smith
Related species: Other adult shieldbugs can usually be identified from images. See British Bugs website. Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) Eared Leafhopper Ledra aurita Ear-like projections on pronotum Notes • Mainly Southern and not yet recorded from Cheshire and Lancashire but has been found in South Cumbria so possibly awaiting discovery . • Very large: 13-18mm in length • Usually found on lichen-covered trees
Safe identification of adults
The only British leafhopper with ear-like projections on the pronotum. Vlad Proklov, CC BY 2.0
Related species: some other adult leafhoppers can be identified from images. See British Bugs website.