Insect ID

veetwin

Found this lad in my laundry basket this morning. Is he common?

Desmo

it is a ground beetle (family Carabidae) and they are common but there are a lot of species.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Yes, looks like the common Ground Beetle, pterostichus nigrita or p. madidus.

veetwin

Thanks Desmo. Just as well Mrs Veetwin was out and missed him...

fryup

veetwin wrote: »

Found this lad in my laundry basket this morning. Is he common?

yes, he's very common no manners what so ever;) sorry

btw aren't they called clocks in ireland??

Sultan of Swing

fryup wrote: »

yes, he's very common no manners what so ever;) sorry

btw aren't they called clocks in ireland??

Yeah,we as young lads always called them clocks.The one abiding memory of handling them as a kid was the unpleasant smell left on your hands after doing so.I assume they excrete an odourous,nasty tasting substance as a defence against predation by birds and small mammals.

Desmo

That smell is indeed a defense against predators. A lot of big beetles do it; I was doing field work once and picked up a big carabid like that one and put it in a jar. I sat down to eat some sandwiches and noticed a major stink off one hand and it took a whole before I realised what it was. I then saw a big Staph (devil's coach horse beetle) run past me and grabbed it with my other hand. It then also stank but entirely differently to the first hand.

I had forgotten the use of "clock". Well remembered! I used to use that for woodlice as a kid but it is probably more accurately for beetles.
http://www.slang.ie/index.php?entryid=7527

philstar

what this fella??

Alun

A shield bug.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

A Hawthorn Shield Bug.

dodderangler

Hawthorn shield bug
See a lot around rose bushes and likes
Srameen damn you!!