I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black, or
very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know what it
is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/

--
Steve


Never shake the ketchup bottle. None'll come, and then a lot'll

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...
I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black, or
very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know what it
is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/

--

And don't tell me it's name is Stanley. We've done the Stanley gag.

Steve

In article ,
says...
I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black, or
very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know what it
is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


I can't get beyond the thumb nails (my computer not your photos!)
but it has the shape of a devils coachman
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On Tue, 8 Mar 2011 12:45:45 -0000, Charlie Pridham
wrote:

In article ,
says...
I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black, or
very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know what it
is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


I can't get beyond the thumb nails (my computer not your photos!)
but it has the shape of a devils coachman

Took me a few goes to get the "large photos" as well but I think
Charlie's right though at 35mm long (it looks like that against your
tape) it's a big one. They're usually under 30mm long. Try this photo
for an enlarged view albeit from somewhere outside the UK:

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Af...hoto207966.htm

On Tue, 8 Mar 2011 10:47:34 -0000, "shazzbat"
wrote:

I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black, or
very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know what it
is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


I would guess a female Glow worm

On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:47:34 -0000, shazzbat
wrote:

I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black, or
very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know what
it is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


Initial thought is that it is the _larval stage_ of a beetle, probably one
of the many species of staphylinidae ('staph' or rove beetle) a very good
predator of garden pests.

--
rbel

On 08/03/2011 21:29, rbel wrote:
On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:47:34 -0000, shazzbat
wrote:

I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black,
or very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know
what it is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


Initial thought is that it is the _larval stage_ of a beetle, probably
one of the many species of staphylinidae ('staph' or rove beetle) a very
good predator of garden pests.


I agree completely. Type "staphylinidae larvae" or "coleoptera larvae"
in Google image and you'll see many similar beatsies. Very difficult to
determine which though..

"gogo" wrote in message
...
On 08/03/2011 21:29, rbel wrote:
On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:47:34 -0000, shazzbat
wrote:

I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black,
or very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know
what it is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


Initial thought is that it is the _larval stage_ of a beetle, probably
one of the many species of staphylinidae ('staph' or rove beetle) a very
good predator of garden pests.


I agree completely. Type "staphylinidae larvae" or "coleoptera larvae" in
Google image and you'll see many similar beatsies. Very difficult to
determine which though..

Thanks for your replies everyone. I've googled images and I think the female
glowworm is nearest to the one I found.

As long as I haven't suddenly acquired a deadly enemy I'm not that fussed.

Steve

On Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:04:52 -0000, shazzbat
wrote:


"gogo" wrote in message
...
On 08/03/2011 21:29, rbel wrote:
On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:47:34 -0000, shazzbat
wrote:

I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black,
or very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know
what it is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


Initial thought is that it is the _larval stage_ of a beetle, probably
one of the many species of staphylinidae ('staph' or rove beetle) a
very
good predator of garden pests.


I agree completely. Type "staphylinidae larvae" or "coleoptera larvae"
in Google image and you'll see many similar beatsies. Very difficult to
determine which though..

Thanks for your replies everyone. I've googled images and I think the
female glowworm is nearest to the one I found.

As long as I haven't suddenly acquired a deadly enemy I'm not that
fussed.



I think that the female glow-worm interpretation is somewhat unlikley. It
is too long and too light in colour for a female glow-worm and does not
have the yellowish red lateral spots of the larval stage. As previously
mentioned the likelihood is that it is one of the 100's of staphylinidae
species larva but both staphs and glow-worm larvae are gardener's friends.


--
rbel

To be clear, a glow-worm is a kind of beetle. At this time of year, a glow-worm would be a larva. So you do at least agree it is a beetle larva of some kind. Given that distinguishing beetle larvae, even to genus level, is an expert task, so similar are they, the likelihood that it is a glow-worm larva, glow-worms being rather rare, and not another of the several hundred or thousand kinds of beetle inhabiting this country, is small. I took a quick glance at a picture of a glow-worm larva, and I would say yours isn't even the right shape.

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-03-09 10:04:52 +0000, "shazzbat"
said:


"gogo" wrote in message
...
On 08/03/2011 21:29, rbel wrote:
On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:47:34 -0000, shazzbat
wrote:

I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black,
or very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know
what it is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


Initial thought is that it is the _larval stage_ of a beetle, probably
one of the many species of staphylinidae ('staph' or rove beetle) a
very
good predator of garden pests.


I agree completely. Type "staphylinidae larvae" or "coleoptera larvae"
in Google image and you'll see many similar beatsies. Very difficult to
determine which though..

Thanks for your replies everyone. I've googled images and I think the
female glowworm is nearest to the one I found.

As long as I haven't suddenly acquired a deadly enemy I'm not that
fussed.

Steve

Aren't glow worms pretty rare now? If you've got them, lucky you.
--


I've never been to the allotment in the dark, so I wouldn't know. None of
the neighbours have reported anything glowing though.

Steve

On Wed, 9 Mar 2011 14:45:53 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2011-03-09 12:11:21 +0000, "shazzbat"
said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-03-09 10:04:52 +0000, "shazzbat"
said:


"gogo" wrote in message
...
On 08/03/2011 21:29, rbel wrote:
On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:47:34 -0000, shazzbat
wrote:

I dug up this handsome specimen this morning. The top of it is black,
or very dark brown. I haven't come across this one before, anyone know
what it is?

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/shazzbat3/


Initial thought is that it is the _larval stage_ of a beetle, probably
one of the many species of staphylinidae ('staph' or rove beetle) a very
good predator of garden pests.


I agree completely. Type "staphylinidae larvae" or "coleoptera larvae"
in Google image and you'll see many similar beatsies. Very difficult to
determine which though..

Thanks for your replies everyone. I've googled images and I think the
female glowworm is nearest to the one I found.

As long as I haven't suddenly acquired a deadly enemy I'm not that fussed.

Steve

Aren't glow worms pretty rare now? If you've got them, lucky you.
--


I've never been to the allotment in the dark, so I wouldn't know. None
of the neighbours have reported anything glowing though.

Steve

I've only ever seen them at a friend's house in France. I think the
glow is the light of love - or lust - in mid-summer.
http://www.johntyler.co.uk/gwfacts.htm
Hi all
Glow worms are fairly rare but the lack of reporting and people not
recognising them skewers the numbers that are actually out there.
From about April onwards if you find the right area you will see the
larvae stage.(make a note of this as somewhere within 25-50 yards will
be the breeding ground)
Late July you need to go out when its dark to see the female glowing.
There is a reporting website http://www.glowworms.org.uk/
From which I have reported a colony and the more people report the
better overal picture will be seen.