Mike Ashworth

Passionate about nature and wildlife, especially insect behaviour and photography, plus interests in cacti, mountains, sailing and morris dancing 😀

[Caroline Lucas @CarolineLucas]

Hugely significant report from Amnesty International today concluding that Israeli authorities are committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This extensive investigation must be fully considered - and a full arms embargo *must* be implemented to stop further UK complicity

[Richard Lewington @rlewington2]

Just received an advance copy of 'Spiders' and the printing is excellent. I've also just put some of the original illustrations on my website https://t.co/vL4WAHX99Q Please RT for spider lovers @BritishSpiders

[Steven Falk @StevenFalk1]

Retweeted

[Steven Falk @StevenFalk1]

Thought I'd photographed a male of the frequent Limnophora riparia along the River Lune, Lancs during the @DipteristsForum summer meeting but the dark frons and pale vibrissal angles show it's the much rarer L. exuta. Male of riparia for comparison. @UKMuscidae

[Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @IrishRainforest]

On top of a large boulder in Killarney NP: a lush, diverse mini-wonderland of ferns, tree saplings, and other flora, in stark contrast to little but bracken all around.

How so?

The tops of such rocks are among the very few places sika deer + goats can't reach.

[Mike Ashworth @EntMikeAshworth]

@Lucy_Lapwing Signed

[Ryan Mitchell @RyanM_Sussex]

Delia pallipennis (Zetterstedt, [1838]) male from Strandhill Sand Dunes, Co Sligo, Republic of Ireland (Date: https://t.co/QBLGJtGH7R.2024). This species is currently not on the Irish list, though it was frequently encountered at this site.

[UK Muscidae & Fanniidae Study Group @UKMuscidae]

Muscid Hydrotaea palaestrica ♂ from a bed of Amphibious Bistort, Reed Sweet Grass and sedges in East Yorkshire yesterday.

[Caroline Lucas @CarolineLucas]

Delighted to join Dominic as new Co-Presidents of European Movement. With election of Trump, it’s more urgent than ever that UK government puts its values before narrow short term economic interests, & rebuilds relationship with EU @euromove @mikegalsworthy

[Steven Falk @StevenFalk1]

Six more British Muscidae genera just added to my Flickr site: Limnospila, Macrorchis, Orchisia, Pseudolimnophora, Schoenomyza and Spanochaeta https://t.co/6d1AxxTx1p. Images & detailed species accounts. Biodiversity in the raw. Look at that colourful Schoenomyza litorella head.

[Ian Beavis @iancbeavis]

One of the commonest leaf mines is produced by larvae of the nepticulid moth Stigmella aurella on bramble. Shown with illustration of the life history stages (fig.1) in a plate from Henry Stainton's Natural History of the Tineina, 1855

[Ryan Mitchell @RyanM_Sussex]

Dagger Flies (Empididae) a fascinating group of flies with 103 species occurring in Ireland. I have now digitised the historic and more recent records which are now available online here:
https://t.co/jrp7SJRi1Y
I look forward to expanding this dataset over the coming years.

[Ryan Mitchell @RyanM_Sussex]

Many excellent talks at the Dipterist Day at the NHM London. A diverse range of talks from Diptera migration, Muscidae study group, fossil diptera taxonomy and studying dark taxa - Cecidomyiidae. It was great to catch up with diptera folk. 😁

[Ian Beavis @iancbeavis]

Winged & wingless forms of the willow aphid Tuberolachnus salignus from George Buckton's Monograph of the British Aphides, vol.3, 1880

[Caroline Lucas @CarolineLucas]

UK complicity in genocide is obscene - there needs to be a ban on all arms sales to Israel *now*

[Steven Falk @StevenFalk1]

A new muscid genus just added to Falk Flickr https://t.co/2fZEVVkqrI. Lispe has 10 British representatives. They love the bare wet mud of upper saltmarsh, river banks and lake margins. Both adults and larvae are predatory. Adults have an elaborate courtship.

[Ryan Mitchell @RyanM_Sussex]

Platypalpus pectoralis (Fallén, 1815) Hybotidae this male was swept from a wooded river valley along the Glencullen River situated in Knocksink Wood, Co Wicklow (Date:17.viii.2024).

[Dr Erica McAlister @flygirlNHM]

Polyporivora picta playing on a stump on Thursday in Herefordshire.

Smashing Platypezidae (thanks @BroadGavin for the image) - predominantly black scutellum separating it from P. ornata (grey) - the other UK species

[Ryan Mitchell @RyanM_Sussex]

Philygria punctatonervosa (Fallén, 1813) a fairly distinctive Ephydridae. This species was fairly frequently encountered by sweeping over bare sand at Strandhill Sand Dunes, Co Sligo. (Date: 23.vii.2024). https://t.co/NUcVu3VhFB

[UK Muscidae & Fanniidae Study Group @UKMuscidae]

Fantastic...any more Fanniidae fans out there with photos/records to share?!