Yesterday I found a most curious Staph which I can't place. It's too small to photograph (in fact I thought it was a mite, it got pooted by accident!) so I'm going to have to describe it.
It's about 1.4 mm long and looks rather Tachyporine-like. I'm assuming it's a tachyporine although I could be totally wrong. Head, pronotum and proximal abdominal segments are very dark brown and shiny. Terminal abdominal segments are a little paler brown. It's sparsely covered with short fine setae, although there are no longer setae as you would find in Tachinus or Tachyporus. All appendages are dark brown, antennae a little paler.
The curious thing about this beetle is that it's notably hunchbacked. It was running round like a tiny armadillo with virtually no protruding abdominal segments. If you imagine how an Agathidium rolls itself into a ball when you disturb it, then add a very short tapered Tachyporine tail, then it looks something like that. The protruding abdominal segments were shorter than the pronotum and elytra combined.
The only beetle I can find that looks anything like it is Coproporus but this isn't a UK species. Of course I'm not helped by the fact that most ID guides show a dorsal view and you lose most sense of how "high" the insect is.
Any ideas?
What about something along the lines of a Cypha sp. http://www.coleo-net.de/coleo/texte/cypha.htm
Also. http://www.wbrc.org.uk/WORCRECD/33/Whitehead_Paul--Coproporus_immigrans_new_to_Englis.html
Regards Chris...
Thanks Chris, it is Cypha longicornis. Fortunately can be identified from the length of the antennal segments without dissection. I hadn't seen one of these before, no picture does justice to the Quasimodo-like character of these beetles!
Hi Clive, Coproporus immigrans is about and well established in Surrey, Berks.
I had this one on a tree yesterday wondered if it was the same genus? Unfortunatley I potted it up but must have lost the pot while I was out.
Oops something has gone off with my resising I'll try again.
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Sorted it clicked on the wrong picture