insects of britain and western europe

124-82 *Parasitic insects living on birds and mammals xx lnsects flattened laterally #Im Jumping insects with long "-f-Yf side; usually brown.. ** /nsects flattened dorso-ventral ly x*

How to use this book' ' ,'

or association with humans Sexes are indicated where they noticeably differ, and sizes where the picture is not life-size THE TEXT nowwholly revised and updated -stresses important points not obvious from the pictures; aspects of behaviour, food

or habitat where useful for identification; European distribution and months of appearance There are brief introductions to each

t h e m a i n t e x t

O T H E R A R T H R O P O D S - which the beginner might confuse with insects, such as centipedes, millipedes, woodlice, mites and spiders - are surveyed on pp 298-307, with 70 of the most frequent or conspicuous species illustrated.

A GLOSSARY on pp 308-9 explains technical terms, followed by indexes of English and scientific names.

\l

F i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n G r e a t B r i t a i n in 1 9 8 6 b y H a r p e r C o l l i n s P u b l i s h e r s , L o n d o n This revised edition published in 2007 by A & C Black Publishers Ltd.

@ in this edition, Domino Books Ltd,2007

A Domino Guide All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Domino Books Ltd., 7 Bond Street, Jersey, Channel lslands

Printed in China by WKT Co Ltd.,

SW = south-western - west of Nice

SE = south-eastern - east of Nice

The distribution for Britain and lreland is given by the following symbols:

Insect Anatomy

T e c h n i c a l t e r m s a r e k e p t t o a m i n i m u m i n t h i s b o o k , b u t s o m e a r e u n a v o i d a b l e when referring to various parts of insects' bodies and a basic knowledge of insect

a n a t o m y i s n e c e s s a r y f o r i d e n t i f y i n g m a n y s p e c i e s

T h e i n s e c t b o d y c o n s i s t s o f t h r e e m a i n p a r t s : t h e h e a d t h o r a x , a n d a b d o m e n THE HEAD The vertex is the area on top of the head, above and between the eyes.

o c e l l u s

a n t e n n a lsocket

w i n g s B o t h p a i r s m a y b e m e m b r a n o u s , a s i n d r a g o n f l i e s a n d b u t t e r f l i e s , o r t h e

i-:-/

R 4

R 5

M A 1MA2

g t h abdominal segments They are usually concealed inside the body, although some females have a permanently exposed and often very conspicuous

o v i p o s i t o r B l a d e - l i k e o r n e e d l e - l i k e , th i s i s u s e d f o r l a y i n g e g g s i n t h e g r o u n d o r

i n p l a n t o r a n i m a l t i s s u e s a n d i s w e l l s e e n i n b u s h - c r i c k e t s a n d s o m e i c h n e u m o n s ( p 2 3 0 ) T h e d e t a i l e d s t r u c t u r e o f c e r c i a n d g e n i t a l i a i s o f t e n c r u c i a l f o r s e p a r a t i n g

c l o s e l y r e l a t e d s p e c i e s , b u t t h i s n e e d s s p e c i a l i s e d m i c r o s c o p i c t e c h n i q u e s

Insect life cycles

Nearly all insects begin life as eggs protected by tough, waterproof, and often

e l e g a n t l y s c u l p t u r e d s h e l l s , t h e s e c a n s u r v i v e a w i d e r a n g e o f a d v e r s e c o n d i t i o n s , from drought to severe frost Many species pass the winter as eggs, often freely

e x p o s e d o n t h e b a r e t w i g s o f t h e i r f o o d - p l a n t s A p a r t f r o m t h e p r i m i t i v e w i n g l e s s

i n s e c t s ( s e e p 1 6 ) , t h e h a t c h l i n g s r a r e l y r e s e m b l e t h e i r p a r e n t s T h e y n e v e r h a v e wings and often have quite different feeding habits The considerable change that

p u p a l s k i n T h i s t y p e o f d e v e l o p m e n t i s c a l l e d c o m p l e t e m e t a m o r p h o s i s T h e r e

stout stick The 'tray' consists of a sheet of fairly tough material stretched over a

Leave the environment as you find it: replace logs and stones after searching beneath them, and replace bark removed from dead timber.

Breeding from a fertilised female is better than taking specimens from the wild: unwanted specimens that have been reared should be released in the original locality.

N e v e r c o l l e c t m o r e l a r v a e o r o t h e r i n s e c t s fo r b r e e d i n g th a n c a n b e s u p p o r t e d b y

r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e s u p p l i e s o f f o o d - p l a n t

* M a n y butterfly species - including the Apollo, Large Blue, Large Copper, and Purple Emperor - and various other insects are protected by law in a number of European countries, often with a complete ban on collecting.

The orders of insects

* One pair of wings

)C.}}r Grasshopper-like, with long back legs: pronotum extends 'r r-*a- back over the abdomen Groundhoppers p 46

Wings held roofwise at rest.

L a c e w i n g s { F a m i l y C o n i o p t e r y g i d a e ) p 1 0 7

**Wing membrane without a noticeable coating of hairs or scales, although veins may

be hairy; usually colourless and transparent, but may be coloured

{sometimes absentl

*Forewings veinless and meeting in the mid-line without overlap

n-r-i#<Z Forewings short and square, leaving most of the abdomen '.5K

uncovered: pincers at the rear Earwigs p 68

fK

" -"- S$ Forewings often very hard and usually covering all of the

@ ( -/ a b d o m e n , a l t h o u g h s o m e a b d o m i n a l s e g m e n t s m a y b e

*Forewings with veins and normally overlapping to some extent at rest or else held distinctly roofwise

">/q >/z

F o r e w i n g s w i t h m e m b r a n o u s t i p s a n d l a i d f l a t o v e r b o d y a t

r e s | a s l e n d e r p i e r c i n g b e a k f o r s u c k i n g p l a n t a n d a n i m a l fluids Heteropteran Bugs pp 72-87

F o r e w i n g s o f u n i f o r m t e x t u r e t h r o u g h o u t a n d u s u a l l y o p a q u e ,

a l t h o u g h n o t a l w a y s m u c h t o u g h e r t h a n t h e h i n d w i n g s ; h e l d

r o o f w i s e a t r e s | a s l e n d e r b e a k f o r s u c k i n g p l a n t j u i c e s ; insects often leap when disturbed.

Grasshoppers and Crickets pp 38-59 Insects with long, slender 'tails' at the rear

_ - ( / _ S m a l l s o i l - d w e l l i n g c r e a t u r e s w i t h 2 ' t a i l s '

,.'t 1- Diplurans (Family Gampodeidael p 16 :,-\f{/ 3 'tails'; body usually clothed with shining scales; often found -+'$\ indoors Bristletails p 16 Insects with pincers at the rear

^ 5K Slender, pale soil-dwelling insects with just one tarsal (((^-

segment Diplurans {Family Japygidae} p 16 -'Arrf-Z Stouter, often dark brown insects with 3 tarsal segments; -'Tri-,fl often under stones Earwigs p 68

r y / \ \

*.-+i)4, Slender, soft-bodied soil-dwellers with 2 short tails; front tarsi

a t t h e r e a r ( u s u a l l y t u c k e d u n d e r b o d y ) ; m a i n l y i n s o i l

a n d l e a f l i t t e r S p r i n g t a i l s p 1 6

B o d y c l o t h e d w i t h s c a l e s o r f l a t t e n e d h a i r s ; w i n g v e s t i g e s present Moths (some femalesl pp 124-82

*Parasitic insects living on birds and mammals

xx lnsects flattened laterally

#Im Jumping insects with long

"-f-Yf side; usually brown.

** /nsects flattened dorso-ventral ly

x** Head partly sunk into thorax

Very small, oval or elongate insects; head nearly as wide as body; prothorax distinct; tarsi with 1 or 2 claws; biting mouths.

Biting Lice p 100

V e r y s m a l l , p e a r - s h a p e d i n s e c t s ; h e a d m u c h n a r r o w e r t h a n

b o d y ; t h o r a c i c s e g m e n t s f u s e d i n t o o n e u n i ! t a r s i e a c h w i t h 1

l a r g e c l a w ; s u c k i n g m o u t h s S u c k i n g L i c e p 1 0 0

fragilis x3

Japyxsolifugus x2

BRISTLETAILS and SPRINGTAIIS

Anajapyx vesiculosus x 3

Podura

aquatica x6

Tomocerus vulgaris x6

Oligoneuriella rhenana Oligoneuriidae 3 tails Venation greatly reduced in both wings Breeds mainly in large, clear rivers Adults form enormous swarms over the water 7-8, usually in late afternoon or evening S & C (mainly eastern).

Metretopus norvegicus Metretopodidae 2 tails Hindwing markedly oval Forewing with 2 short (intercalary) veins between the last 2 long veins 7-8 Nymph swims freely

in clear, well-vegetated streams N.

Ephoron virgo Polymitarcidae 2 tails on male, 3 on female Readily identified by the

m i l k y w i n g s F e m a l e s d o n o t s h e d s u b - i m a g i n a l s k i n 8 - 9 , s w a r m i n g i n h u g e n u m b e r s over large, slow-moving rivers and lakes in which it breeds Strongly attracted to light.

1

Metretopus norvegicus x 3

Oligoneuriella

rhenana

Leptophlebia

vespertina x2

I1t1I

22

l l c o p u l a t i o n w h e e l t a n d e m p o s i t i o n

A s Smalf Red Damselfly Ceriagrion tenellum Red legs and no coloured stripes on thorax.

Female with largely black abdomen Restricted to acidic bogs and marshes 5-8 S & C

Damselfly

-Abdomen largely black with blue or green spots Only 1 or 2 cross-veins bevond pterostigma still waters with plenty of emergent vegetation 5-7 N & c: local and usu-

S y m p e c m a f u s c a B o d y d u l l b r o w n P t e r o s t i g m a o f f o r e w i n g clearly nearerto wing-tip

t h a n t h a t o f h i n d w i n g O v e r s t i l l w a t e r , e v e n w h e r e p o l l u t e d A l l y e a r S & C This and its

a d u l t s T h e y h i d e a m o n g d e a d l e a v e s o r i n d e n s e s h r u b s , but often take to the wing on

A Banded Agrion calopteryx splendens Male body brilliant green or blue: colour patch

on wing does not start before nodus, but otherwise varies in extent and may reach wing-tip in southern races Female body always greenish: wings colourless at first, but greenish yellow when mature False pterostigma near wing-tip Canals and quiet rivers with muddy bottoms, usually in open country 4-9 Absent from far north Calopteryx virgo Male body like splendens, but wing colour starts well before nodus Female body always green: wings clear at first and then brownish - never greenish False pterostigma well away from wing-tip Prefers faster-flowing streams with sandy

or gravelly bottoms; often among trees 5-9.

Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis Body shining brown, that of male distinctly pink at rear of abdomen Male wings dark nearly all over, but with a clear base Female wings like those of virgo, but tip of hindwing dark brown 5-8 Clear running water S.

C haemorrhoidalis

f e m a l e h i n d w i n gCoenagrion (p.24l,

H a i r y

D r a g o n f l y

Emperor Dragonfly

l!:$i :,BlYul

\Srrtr:

fl,S;*

"-] ' r

Southern Hawker

ponds, and lakes 5-9 Absent from far north.

Keefed Skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens Wing bases clear Shorter and more

Re D:

ff

B l a c k

Darter ',

@

\

S T O N E F L I E S O r d e r P l e c o p t e r a

Weak-flying or flightless insects with rather soft and flattened bodies: often with

t w o l o n g c e r c i N e v e r b r i g h t l y c o l o u r e d W i n g s f o l d e d f l a t o v e r b o d y o r w r a p p e d around it at rest Forewings often with two prominent rows of cross-veins

A Leuctra fusca Leuctridae One of many similar species known as needle flies because

wings are wrapped tightly round body at rest Cerci very short Stony streams and lake

* ,ti

"d''j','y Perla bipunctata at rest, together with ' ' # F m a t u r e n y m p h E m p t y n y m p h a l s k i n s a r e

* i J 1 t / d c o m m o n o n w a t e r s i d e s t o n e s i n s u m m e r ' 3 7

True Crickets, p 58

39

G R A S S H O P P E R S F a m i l y A c r i d i d a e E s s e n t i a l l y d i u r n a l , s u n - l o v i n g i n s e c t s w i t h

s h o r t a n t e n n a e S h a p e o f p r o n o t u m a n d a r r a n g e m e n t of keels 5ften help io

i d e n t i f y s p e c i e s F e m a l e , u s u a l l y l a r g e r t h a n m a l e : s o m e t i m e s m u c h la r g e r s c i n g s

d e s c r i b e d a r e t h o s e o f i s o l a t e d males (p 3g) Unless otherwise s"tated, t 6 e

s t r i d u l a t o r y p e g s a r e on the hind femur.

A r c y p t e r a f u s c a F e m a l e h e a v y and flightless song up to g short, croaky notes

fol-l o w e d b y h a r s h r u s t fol-l e w h i c h becomes very fol-loud for 213 secs and then dies away with 2

o r 3 m o r e s h o r t n o t e s 7 - 9 M o n t a n e g r a s s l a n d , m a i n l y i n A l p s & p y r e n e e s

P y r g o m o r p h a c o n i c a H e a d c o n i c a l w i t h r a t h e r stout antennae Male grey or Drown,

o f t e n t i n g e d w i t h g r e e n : f e m a l e g r e e n Hindwings slightly pink at base lio stridulation

D r y g r a s s y p l a c e s 3 - 9 S

A s L a r g e M a r s h G r a s s f g p p " r s t e t h o p h y m a g r o s s u m striduratory pegs on forewing,

b u t m a l e ' s n o r m a l c a l l i s a soft ticking made by tapping tip of forewing-with hind tibiI

M a r s h y a r e a s , e s p e c i a l l y p e a t bogs with extensive sph-agnum cover 7-ro ru & c: verv

l o c a l

A Mottfed Grasshopper Myrmeleotettix maculatus Brown, green, or

b l a c k : a l w a y s m o t t l e d T i p o f antenna less swollen in femald Sono a

c i e s G r e y , g r e e n , b r o w n , p u r p l e , or black A small bulge on front edge

o f f o r e w i n g V e r y h a i r y b e l o w thorax Song 6-10 short chirps, li-ke

t i m e - s i g n a l p i p s a t a l o w e r p i t c h : sequenie repeated irreguiarly

F e m a l e _ s i n g s b e f o r e m a t i n g Mostly dry and often sparse graisland

J

t

<

G

|ff $ $ A Meadow Grasshopper C paralletus Green, brown, or purple A small

c l_# burge on front e_dge of forewing Hindwings absent (the only flightless

;F *j* 1?jtrft{ grasshopper in B.) Song like a sewing machine in bursts of up to-3 secs,

getting louder: repeated every b-15 secs All kinds of grassland, but

e s p e c i a l l y w h e r e m o i s t 6 - 1 0

A Lesser Marsh Grasshopper C albomarginatus Green and/or brown.

F e m a l e h a s a s m a l l b u l g e on front edgL of forewing, and usually a

w h i t e s t r i p e n e a r t h e f r o n t edge Side keels of pronotum virtually

s t r a i g h t S o n g l i k e b r u n n e u s b u t softer and slower: 2-6 chirps, each

u n d e r 1 s e _ c a n d s e p a r a t e d b y a b o u t 2 s e c s : s e r i e s repeated at irregular

i n t e r v a l s D e n s e g r a s s l a n d , both dry and moist: mainiy low-lying.7110

A C o m m o n G r e e n G r a s s h o p p e r Omocestus viridulus Green or brown

i n a n y c o m b i n a t i o n , b u t f e m a l e a l w a y s g r e e n o n t o p a n d s o m e t i m e s

w i t h p u r p l e s i d e s F o r e w i n g often dark towards tip Abdomen yellowish

g r e e n b e l o w S o n g a fluctuating hiss lasting 10-20 secs and getting

l o u d e r - r a t h e r l i k e a n a p p r o a c h i n g moped - before ending ab-ruptlyl

F u l l v o l u m e i s r e a c h e d a b o u t h a l f w a y t h r o u g h s o n g 7 - 1 0 - M a i n l y o n

t h e l u s h e r g r a s s l a n d s A b s e n t from far south

A w o o d l a n d G r a s s h o p p e r o r u f i p e s U s u a l l y b r o w n : f e m a l e may be green aoove

P a l p s v e r y w h i t e a t t i p A b d o m e n red at hind end Song like viridutusbut jnly 5-10 secs

a n d s t o p s a s s o o n a s f u l l v o l u m e i s r e a c h e d H e a t h s a n d w o o d l a n d c l e a r i n g s a n o m a r

-g i n s 6 - 1 0

brunneus forewingbiguttulus torewing