Mark McCaughrean

A timely reminder that not *every* postbox red & black insect in the garden is a firebug, even though you've been seeing those every day for months.

First & new today: a pair of the superficially similar but quite unrelated cinnamon or squash bug (Corizus hyoscyami; 🇩🇪 Zimtwanze).

Second: European firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus; 🇩🇪 Gemeine Feuerwanze).

#Heidelberg 🏰
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Apr 6 at 4:16pmWeb
Show threadMark McCaughrean1d ago

And in a much worse picture, because the little blighter wouldn't stop running & hopping through the vegetation, this is a bright-spotted groundbug (Rhyparochromus vulgaris; 🇩🇪 Gemeine Bodenwanze).

It has nice patterns, so hopefully I'll get another chance when it's more relaxed.

#Heidelberg 🏰
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Show threadMark McCaughrean1d ago

Finally today, a somewhat pollen-encrusted beast taking some late sunshine.

iNaturalist seems sure that this is a sawfly (family Tenthredinidae), but none of its more detailed suggestions seem to match well 🤷‍♂️

There are >7,500 species of sawfly in the world, so if anyone can help refine this ID, I'd be much obliged 🙇‍♂️

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
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Show threadsam 1d ago
they've got faces on their backs! That would be a cool design for a mask.
Show threadMark McCaughrean1d ago
@sam The firebug always reminds me of a Polynesian tiki 🙂
Show threadFrosch B1d ago
@markmccaughrean there's even another fairly similar one, Ritterwanze
Lygaeus equestris
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309954503
Show threadMark McCaughrean1d ago
@b_age Wow – thanks for the tip. Another one to keep an eye out for – the white spot near the end of the abdomen looks like a good clue. They have been seen around Heidelberg, but not very often.
Show threadFrosch B1d ago
@markmccaughrean yes, the white spot is what made me look at it closer, first assuming a so often seen fire bug
Show threadHenk van der Eijk1d ago
@markmccaughrean Thank you! I'll need to take another look at the troves of black-and-red bugs in my neighbourhood (I thought they were all firebugs).
Show threadMark McCaughrean1d ago

@HenkvanderEijk I've seen many firebugs in this same mating position recently, one often dragging the other through the undergrowth, I initially dismissed this pair as that.

But I've seen Corizus hyoscyami in our garden before, so was happy to double-back & see that this was them today.

Show threadaœ bärlin1d ago
@markmccaughrean Learned something, didn’t knew. Thank you!
Show threadzipkid - Breaker of Systems1d ago
@markmccaughrean i saw these on a wall yesterday. Making baby firebugs..?
Show threadMark McCaughrean1d ago

@zipkid Indeed. Apparently they stay like that for anything between hours & 7 days (the median is 12 hours), depending on the size of the participants, the thought being that it prevents another male dashing in & depositing his sperm too.

Some interesting reading here if you're so inclined 🙂

https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2019/01/20.pdf

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-002-0524-9

Show threadsaarmuller22h ago
@markmccaughrean Goodness, I never looked quite carefully at them!
Show threadDeborah Preuss, pcc 🇨🇦22h ago
@markmccaughrean @nev what a lovely design!