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Steph Skipp

@stephskipp.bsky.social

90 Posts608 Follower379 Folgt
Steph Skipp@stephskipp.bsky.social · 11mo ago

It is generally frowned upon to mount multiple insects on the same pin. It makes databaseing difficult + the chance that multiple species could be mounted together - a nightmare! Even so, you have to admire the creativity and precision of this example from the UK Latridiidae collection at the NHM

A piece of card cut into a serrated shape with 17 points next to each other. The card is mounted on a pin and most of the points have small beetles (latridiidae) glued onto them. The card is visibly old and yellowed and most of the beetles are damaged, missing their heads and pronotums.
Steph Skipp@stephskipp.bsky.social · last yr.

Been hoping to find this species for a few years, and yesterday it finally happened! Sat in a patch of nettles by the River Dove in the Peak District, I peeled some loose bark from a log and was delighted to spot these tiny ball-rollers! Armadillidium pulchellum ❤️

A brown and orange woodlouse with whitish flecks along its body stands on a piece of wood with a linear, wrinkled texture. An orange and brown woodlouse with white flecks is rolled into a ball while being held between a finger and thumb.I am looking excitedly at the camera while pointing to a tiny woodlouse on a log.I am sitting on a train wearing my customised hoodie with a drawing of a woodlouse and the words ‘Armadillidium pulchellum’ printed on the front.
Steph Skipp@stephskipp.bsky.social · last yr.

Saw this crazy slime mould while on the BMIG field meeting last week. It was under a log in wet woodland. I think it’s Metatrichia floriformis. If you look closely, you can spot a globular springtail clambering around on it ❤️

Hundreds of slime mould spore bodies, which look like pins with shiny, black, spherical heads emerging from some wood. In some areas of the image, you can see fluffy encrustations or brick-red spores covering the slime mould. A close-up of pin-head-like slime mould bodies emerging from damp wood. In the centre of the image, a round, yellow springtail reaches out with its front legs to climb from one sphere to another.
Steph Skipp@stephskipp.bsky.social · last yr.

Recently, I found these weevils in a freshwater sample that was particularly dense in duckweed (mostly Spirodela polyrhiza). They are duckweed weevils! They walk around on the floating platform of duckweed and their larvae mine within the leaves! Cool that even the tiniest of leaves have leaf miners

Three tiny grey weevils in a line. The wing cases of the weevils have pale scales in a patchy pattern over the surface. The legs have black upper sections (femurs) and red lower sections (tibiae). One grey weevil on its side on a white background. You can see the minute pale scales arranged in a pattern over the upper and lower surface of the weevil’s body.