New Horsehair Worm from Peru

The Nematomorpha, those long, thread-like parasites of arthropods are found all over the world and can be relatively common in some places. Peru is something of a blackhole for them though, and until recently no species were known from this hotbed of biodiversity. This is just down to a lack …

Saproxylic beetles

Beetles, beetles, beetles. I love beetles and one of the best places to look for these animals is in and around deadwood. This often overlooked habitat positively bristles with a splendid variety of these insects. In the UK, where insect diversity is relatively meagre, 650 beetle species representing 53 families …

Brush-head reproduction

The brush-heads are yet another group of recently described and enigmatic marine animals. Even the giants among them are minute animals that …

Mini-dramas

The obsession that natural history documentaries have with large animals (mostly mammals) means that most most of us forget the dramas that …

Termite-tormenting flies

The nests of social insects are chock-full of all sorts of delicious resources and a magnet for freeloaders. Not only is there …

Multi wasp

The more I find out about insect biology the more bamboozling it becomes. Case in point is the reproductive biology of some …

Insect declines

A review on insect declines from Biological Conservation. This is behind a paywall, but everyone should have access to it. Here’s the …

Cannibalistic weevils

This big, handsome weevil is a Rhinastus sp. from Peru and the specimen here is the only one I have seen in …

A wasp love story

Girl wasp meets boy wasp. Girl wasp gets it on with boy wasp. Boy wasp gives girl wasp a STD with a …