Insert ID x 2

The_Outsider

Hi folks,
Would appreciate your help identifying two inserts spotted in my garden last week.

One of my apple trees has had pretty much every blossom munched off of it so I am looking for suspects. I caught this small black beetle in the act and managed two photos ; one mid munch, and the other on a white backing so as to see him better. Nothing for scale in the photo really, but he's around the length of my thumbnail.


The 2nd photo is of a very strange fly that my wife spotted ; looks to be half emerged from a catapillar body!
Wondering is it a body-snatcher type implantation that is emerging or just a regular pupae-to-fly transition that I haven't come across before. Either way, interesting to see.


Hope the photos show - this is my 1st attempt ever to do it.
thanks all!

Tiercel Dave

The Beetle is some sort of Click Beetle, if you keep poking at it it will spring in the air with an audible 'click'!
Fly pic is hard to see but it's most likely some kind of Parasitic Wasp or Ichneumon.....

The_Outsider

Thanks Tiercel Dave!

Keplar240B

I hijack this thread!

What about this one, it can fly its got black and yellow markings on back
There was a bunch of em in garden but when I went to take photo this was all I saw and then it flew off.
so just got one crappy photo

Velvet shank

The_Outsider wrote: »

Hi folks,
Would appreciate your help identifying two inserts spotted in my garden last week.

One of my apple trees has had pretty much every blossom munched off of it so I am looking for suspects. I caught this small black beetle in the act and managed two photos ; one mid munch, and the other on a white backing so as to see him better. Nothing for scale in the photo really, but he's around the length of my thumbnail.


The 2nd photo is of a very strange fly that my wife spotted ; looks to be half emerged from a catapillar body!
Wondering is it a body-snatcher type implantation that is emerging or just a regular pupae-to-fly transition that I haven't come across before. Either way, interesting to see.


Hope the photos show - this is my 1st attempt ever to do it.
thanks all!

The fly has been infected by a fatal pathogenic fungus - Entomophthora sp.
it causes the fly to move to a high point and spread its wings, allowing for efficient spore dispersal. The creamy coloured mass on the fly is the mass of fungal spores

HoteiMarkii

@ Keplar240B

Although the image is blurry, I think it looks like a Mirid bug.
There are quite a number of species of these, so hard to narrow down which one it is.

Keplar240B

HoteiMarkii wrote: »

@ Keplar240B

Although the image is blurry, I think it looks like a Mirid bug.
There are quite a number of species of these, so hard to narrow down which one it is.

Ya thanks,
After doing some look ups for mirid it is this

Rhabdomiris striatellus


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhabdomiris_striatellus


Rhabdomiris striatellus is a bug found widespread through the palearctic ecozone and common in the United Kingdom. The species is partial to oak trees.[1] The body of the insect reaches 7–9 millimetres (0.3–0.4 in).[2] The body is yellow to reddish brown and has yellow veins and dark stripes on its wings. The bug can also be much darker and similar to its relative, Miris striatus. The larvae suck flowers and fruits while the adults prey on aphids and the larvae of other insects.



Never saw em before

Interesting we have some Oaks starting to mature nearby must be coming form them