no.364. As the month nears the end, December Moth (Poecilocampa populi) seems appropriate. Wearing a warm fur coat, these are my favourite winter light trap visitors (but I can't use my light trap at the moment!). Only one to go...

14 95
2019-12-31

no.362. Trichadenotecnum majus, a barklouse that's very partial to Christmas trees. Also a variety of other trees, but that doesn't sound so festive.

10 80
2019-12-29

no.361. Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, the tiny little bug known as Phylloxera. An insect that changed wine production. Native to North America, they wiped out most European vines in the late 1800s.

5 24
2019-12-28

no.359. The wasp that might save Christmas. Or Christmas Island crabs, at least. Tachardiaephagus sommervilli, an encyrtid being released on Christmas Island to parasitise the scale insects that the yellow crazy ants feed on, and the ants blind the crabs.

43 159
2019-12-26

no.358. As Rudolph speeds around the world, hopefully he's left behind Lipoptena cervi, the deer ked. A hippoboscid fly parasitic on deer; once they've settled on a host they shed their wings.

10 71
2019-12-25

no.357. Santa's reindeer are itching to go. They might also be itching from Solenopotes tarandi, the reindeer louse.

28 122
2019-12-24

no.356. A festive butterfly, the Christmas Emperor, Polyura andrewsi. The only endemic butterfly of Christmas Island.

15 62
2019-12-23

no.348. The Silver Widow, Palpopleura vestita. Saturday is the time for beautiful Madagascan dragonflies.

24 122
2019-12-15

no.336. Bombus kashmirensis, a bumblebee of the Himalayas. Using this and several other species at an event tonight. A beautiful bumblebee in habitats being squeezed by grazing pressure and climate change.

33 102
2019-12-03

no.324. It has clubbed antennae and looks like a skipper butterfly, but it's not, it's an Australian castniid moth, Synemon plana.

19 74
2019-11-21

no.320. There haven't been enough giant cockroches in this series, so here's the Brazilian Monachoda grossa.

26 145
2019-11-17

no.312. A quick rummage through some NHM drawers, and have I found the twiggiest stick insect? Echetlus peristhenes, the Western Australian Slender Stick Insect.

7 34
2019-11-09

no.304. Big beautiful ichneumonid wasp, that I described in 2010: Umanella giacometti. Part of ongoing collaboration with documenting tropical ich diversity. Appropriate name chosen by competition to celebrate opening of DC2 !

25 76
2019-11-02

no.291. Apterobittacus apterus, a North American hangingfly (Mecoptera: Bittacidae) so lacking in wings it's referenced in the genus and species names. Close up of the very grippy hind tarsus.

19 74
2019-10-19

no.290. Yesterday's wasp had no mandibles, today's has a head that's about half mandibles. An alysiine braconid, Ilatha pulchripennis. Alysiine mandibles are specialised for emerging from Diptera puparia.

8 49
2019-10-18

no.278. Notiothauma reedi, the only extant species of the mecopteran family Eomeropidae. Found in Chile, and has a really stern-looking face. Weird flattened relatives of scorpionflies, mostly known from fossils.

50 218
2019-10-06

no.259. A silky lacewing, Psychopsis coelivaga. Australian representative of Psychopsidae, small family nowadays, more diverse in fossil record (and sadly not in Britain). Also the fluffiest lacewing I've ever seen.

52 262
2019-09-17

no.246. Sticking with butterflies with refractive colours, here's one closer to home, Apatura iris (Purple Emperor). This specimen from the New Forest (and photos by Harry Taylor). Has the endearing habit of sucking up fluids from excrement and corpses.

8 38
2019-09-04

no.243. Harlequin Ladybird, Harmonia axyridis. I remember the first UK records in 2004. Now the ladybird I see most often. All stages to be seen right now, including cannibalism. Record ladybirds and find out more at https://t.co/6Yo56JAOOs

8 38
2019-08-31

no.240. Another weird wasp, Pelecinus polyturator. Widespread in South and North America (not Europe, sadly), parasitoid of scarab beetle larvae. One of only three species of Pelecinidae around today but there is more diversity in fossils. Photo by

13 67
2019-08-29