Entries from August 1, 2010 - August 31, 2010

Sunday
Aug082010

Snout Moth

A snout moth, Pyrausta aurata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).  Pyrausta purpuralis is similar but the bright yellow patches on the wings extend right across both wings.

Photo taken beside the large lake in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-07-28.

Saturday
Aug072010

Muscid Fly

A male Musca autumnalis (Diptera: Muscidae). Identified by Stephane Lebrun.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-07-18.

Friday
Aug062010

Dolichopodid Flies

A pair of 'Doli' flies (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), I have no idea of the species nor genus.  If I remember correctly, the one on the left kept on flashing its wings at the one on the right, so I presume it was a male displaying to a female, but the one on the right just kept turning away and ignoring him.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-06-19.

Thursday
Aug052010

Weevil

A weevil, probably Phyllobius pyri (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) based, in particular, on the similarity of the pattern of worn coppery scales to that shown in images here and here.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-06-15.

Wednesday
Aug042010

The Return of the Gall Fly

Something has been puzzling me about the gall flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) I have been seeing this summer.  Last year almost all of the Tephritidae I saw belonged to the species Terellia tussilaginis, with just one each from Tephritis matricariae and Chaetostomella cylindrica.  This year, until recently, I had seen lots of C. cylindrica, Xyphosia miliaria, Tephritis bardanae, a few Terellia ruficauda, and one each of Urophora cardui, U. jaceana, U.stylata, U.quadrifasciata, and Anomoia purmunda, but no Terellia tussilaginis at all.  Or so I thought. 

Then, in late July I took the following photo of what, at the time, I assumed to be C. cylindrica on burdock but which, on getting home, I realized were actually my long-lost T. tussilaginis:

This caused me to look back though my photos from earlier in the summer to see if there were any other T. tussilaginis hiding amongst them.  And sure enough, I found several going right back into early July, but the surprise for me was that the first photos from July 7th show T. tussilaginis not on burdock but on thistle (Cirsium sp):

 

I suppose this individual could have temporarily strayed from burdock plants which I remember were only a few metres away.  Indeed, when disturbed it flew off and landed on a nearby hogweed plant and I have some photos of it there, and I don't think there is any question that that was just a chance association.

Anyhow the fact that I first saw them on thistles probably explains why I failed to recognise them.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-07-24 (first) and 2010-07-07 (second and third).