Andy Pym
@exmoormothman.bsky.social
📤 144
📥 124
📝 420
A raven mad naturalist with a passion for moths. Mainly Exmoor & the Bristol region.
A nice addition to the 'intruders' list from last night. Ocetis ochracea. New for me. Note the extremely long antennae.
about 11 hours ago
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Urophora quadrifasciata new for me nr Bristol Parkway today.
1 day ago
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Andy Pym
Simon Knott
3 days ago
Antherophagus pallens found yesterday on Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) in Bengeo garden, scarce silken fungus beetle with interesting life cycle.
@nottscoleoptera.bsky.social
#phoresis
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Andy Pym
Simon Knott
3 days ago
Antherophagus female waits on white flowers for any visiting bumblebee which she then secures onto using her mandibles. She only releases bumblebee once it has returned to its nest where she lay her eggs. It is believed that larvae then act as scavengers.
#phoresis
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The Ivy in the lane behind the house just keeps giving. Minettia longipennis. A fly I'd previously only seen on Exmoor in the garden of my old friend John Robbins, where I run my moth trap when I'm down there.
3 days ago
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Andy Pym
Tylan Berry
7 days ago
What amazing weather this weekend, I hope everyone has filled it with excellent spiders! A highlight for me was seeing this massive Gnaphosa occidentalis with her invert graveyard - remnants of various beetle elytra, earwigs, other Gnaphosa and even a Dysdera.
@britishspiders.bsky.social
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Episinus sp, which I thought showed some features good for maculipes? It definitely has a white patch on the sternum. Beaten off of a large patch of Ivy growing down over a wall in the lane directly behind the house in Filton, S. Glos.
@britishspiders.bsky.social
@tylanberry.bsky.social
4 days ago
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Tillus elongatus. 1 of 2 males from the moth trap this morning. My 2nd & 3rd here.
5 days ago
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Achenium depressum from the trap this morning.
5 days ago
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The 'moth trap intruders' really showed up last night! Highlights incl, Anthracus consputus, Achenium depressum, Acupalpus meridianus, Dasytes aeratus, Microcara testacea, Cantharis figurata, Lesser Stag Beetle & Large Red Damselfy.
5 days ago
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Parachronistis albiceps from the trap this morning. New for me.
#teammoth
#mothsmatter
5 days ago
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Scymnus interruptus (Red-flanked Scymnus) in the garden.
8 days ago
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Deleaster dichrous from the moth trap this morning. It was too active for a decent photo.
9 days ago
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Hello, old friend! One of my favourite beetles now. Deleaster dichrous. It was new to me in the garden last year, and I had 8 in total to my actinic moth trap in Filton. Until the moth group indoor winter meeting back in Feb, I'd not met anyone else who had ever seen it. Anyone else get them?
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9 days ago
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"Into the valley of Death Rode the 6.." The Charge of the Light Brocade! 😉 This fell right into my hands this morning, and I did have 6.
#teammoth
#mothsmatter
12 days ago
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Andy Pym
John Walters
15 days ago
The Heather Bagworm Pachythelia villosella larva in its 3 cm long case. Rare in UK on heathland in Hampshire & Dorset. When climbing it has the amazing ability to construct a silk ladder! It will pupate on a tree trunk so probably uses this ability to find a suitable spot. Thanks to Lucie Aggas.
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Andy Pym
Richard Lewington
14 days ago
One of 4 Bryony Ladybirds in the garden this morning, along with a Bryony Mining Bee. Two rare insects.
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Presuming this is Oonops domesticus. It's not really possible to check tibial spines with a hand lens. Found in the bathroom of my caravan on Exmoor around 5.00am this morning. I noticed it because of the short dashes it was making.
@britishspiders.bsky.social
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14 days ago
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Large-flowered Butterwort Pinguicula grandiflora looking splendid on Exmoor y'day.
15 days ago
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Andy Pym
Vanna Bartlett
21 days ago
After months of work my Norfolk Pseudoscorpion guide for
@norfolknats.bsky.social
is now on the website free to see/download. Covers 20 species recorded in Norfolk so hopefully useful for other areas of UK.
norfolknaturalists.org.uk/wp/wp-conten...
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Andy Pym
Chris Green
20 days ago
#TeamMoth
add a skeleton here at some point
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Andy Pym
John Walters
20 days ago
Two specialist ant hunting spiders Anagena phalerata and the rare Moon Spider Callilepis nocturna around Prawle, Devon this week
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More Foxes & Rooks than moths this morning! Only 7 moths of 5 spp, but nice to get Dark Sword-grass.
#FoxOfTheDay
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26 days ago
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Andy Pym
Simon Knott
28 days ago
Very useful identification feature for Subilla confinis is coarse sculpturing on head. In contrast, Xanthostigma xanthostigma has much smoother head.
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Andy Pym
Simon Knott
28 days ago
Subilla confinis ♀ found Friday night on house back wall in Bengeo, rarest British snakefly. Now recorded all four British snakeflies here.
@kitenet.bsky.social
#attractedtolight
#Raphidiidae
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Gastrolepta anthracina on a nettle leaf in the lane behind the house today. New for me.
@chrisraper.bsky.social
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social
28 days ago
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Andy Pym
Migrant Lepidoptera (GB & Ireland)
about 1 month ago
Willowherb Hawk-moth (Proserpinus proserpina), to light at Seabrook, Kent on 30/4. P. Howe
#teammoth
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Lampronia morosa nfg from the trap in Filton last night. Most welcome and a moth I'd previously only seen at one site on Exmoor.
#teammoth
#mothsmatter
about 1 month ago
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New for the garden list before I went through the moth trap this morning.
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about 1 month ago
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Empis nigritarsis, which I found flying in the kitchen earlier today.
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social
about 1 month ago
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Andy Pym
Dave Emley
about 1 month ago
The Logjammer Hoverfly Chalcosyrphus eunotus is a rare beast. Lays its eggs in partially submerged timber in log jams on small dingle-like streams. Looked for and found it today - chuffed as it is a lifer too!
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Andy Pym
Bill Coulson
about 1 month ago
Opatrum sabulosum a wonderfully "sculptured" beetle - lives in dry sandy habitats. This one found by the footpath coming up from Soar Mill Cove onto Bolberry Down, South Devon. Nationally scarce but not red listed.
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At last! After many searches on Ivy (well, in the back lane behind the mainly), Ivy Ladybird Nephus quadrimaculatus. New for me.
about 1 month ago
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Good morning!
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about 1 month ago
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Andy Pym
Simon Knott
about 1 month ago
Criorhina hoverflies are large impressive bee mimics often associated with ancient woodland & wood pasture. Criorhina asilica ♂ today in Bengeo garden. Scarcest of four species, in flight it resembles mining bee Andrena scotica with very convincing bee hum.
@flygirlnhm.bsky.social
#saproxylic
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Guess who is having b'fast before me!
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about 1 month ago
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It's a long time since I've got footage like this. Brief appearance by one I've been trying to help since late Jan too. Be kind.
#FoxOfTheDay
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about 1 month ago
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Good morning!
#FoxOfTheDay
about 1 month ago
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Andy Pym
Vic Brown
about 1 month ago
A female Criorhina floccosa on Field Maple flowers in the village woods this morning. This hoverfly is a brilliant mimic of the Common Carder Bee (last photo). Its larvae develop in damp rotting wood, and it is a local species in the UK, found mostly in old woodland. Gamlingay Wood LNR 18/4/26.
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Male Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica). A common moth, but it's always a joy to see the first one of the year.
#teammoth
#mothsmatter
about 2 months ago
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Andy Pym
Andy Musgrove
about 2 months ago
Snap - a new one for me and a real cracker. Found near Ipswich this week.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Robber's Bridge on Exmoor y'day with my Mum and my friend Pete. As some of you are already aware, my Mum has Alzheimer's & Vascular Dementia and it was her first visit to Exmoor in 2 yrs. I saw my 2nd male Redstart of the day / year near here.
about 2 months ago
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An outrageous (well, for me & a 20w actinic) 14 Brindled Beauty in and around the trap this morning. Also, a male St Mark's Fly (Bibio marci) was new to the 'intruders' list.
#teammoth
#mothsmatter
about 2 months ago
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I watched a female Bombylius major picking up dust in the back lane behind the house in Filton, Bristol earlier. My first of the year, surprisingly.
#BeeFlyWatch
about 2 months ago
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Andy Pym
Vic Brown
about 2 months ago
Flies don't get much better than this. Nationally Scarce, a female Conops vesicularis in my S. Cambridgeshire garden this afternoon. An endoparasite that attacks Hornets & other social wasps. It jumps onto its hosts, opens the host's abdomen with a blade-like structure (2nd photo), & lays an egg.
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Andy Pym
John Walters
about 2 months ago
Short-necked Oil Beetle Meloe brevicollis on the south Devon coast yesterday - seems to be a good year for them with 4 found during a short search.
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Andy Pym
Andy Musgrove
about 2 months ago
Handy tip, thanks
@kitenet.bsky.social
. Was needing some inspiration...
add a skeleton here at some point
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To say last night's catch was a disappointment would be an understatement, but it was nice to see this Streamer at rest on the fence next to the trap. New for the year.
##teammoth
#mothsmatter
about 2 months ago
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Just a fraction of the Jackdaws over the garden in Filton a short while ago.
@bristolbirding.bsky.social
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2 months ago
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Andy Pym
Vic Brown
2 months ago
A scare Picture-winged fly (fam. Tephritidae) in my S. Cambs garden yesterday. A female Chetostoma curvinerve (Honeysuckle Picturewing). Identified with the aid of the excellent 'A photographic guide to flies of Britain & Ireland' (2026), and confirmed on the UK Diptera FB group.
#Diptera
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