Prices on Amazon

This is an interesting article on the prices of books on Amazon.

Dung Fly

An orange dung fly with particularly long spines on its front legs: probably Norellia spinimanum (Diptera: Scathophagidae).  See also here.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-04-16.

Lily Beetle

A scarlet lily beetle, Lilioceris lilii (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).  Similar, at first glance, to the black-headed cardinal beetle, Pyrochroa coccinea.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-04-16.

Bibionid Flies

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A female Bibio anglicus (Diptera: Bibionidae).  As well as the orange thorax, the females have a yellowish abdomen:

The males are all black, as shown in this photo of a mating pair:

Photos taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2011-04-17.

Crane Fly

A rather spectacular crane fly, a female Ctenophora flaveolata (Diptera: Tipulidae). According to Alan E. Stubbs (Provisional Atlas of the long-palped craneflies (Diptera: Tipulinae) of Britain and Ireland, 1992), this is a relatively rare species, it is probably associated with dead wood, and is normally on the wing in May.

Photo taken in Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2011-04-17.