Richard Jones

I’m very good at finding insects, in fact I’m a professional. Books on shieldbugs, wasps, ants, dung, limericks. Shout ‘weird bug!’ to get my attention.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Official publication date 14 May, so now available in all good bookshops.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Sorry about poor photo down the microscope, but Stelis ornatula was new to me yesterday, North Dpwns near Maidstone. Rare SE England species.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Glaphyra umbellatarum, only the second time I’ve ever seen this strange longhorn beetle with its extremely short wing-cases. Maidstone yesterday.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Chrysolina oricalcia, nationally scarce but actually quite widespread, throughout England at least. Spreading I think. Always tricky to photograph a domed shiny dark blue beetle.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Fave fly of the day, Tachina fera, internal parasitoid of various moth caterpillars. Has a distinctive direct darting flight from one flower to another, unlike the slightly lazy looking side-to-side sizing up of many flies, bees and wasps.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Don’t see Cryptocephalus bipunctatus every day. Loads on the North Downs near Maidstone today.

[Richard Lewington @rlewington2]

Proof prints have just arrived for what will probably be my swan song. 4,000+ illustrations of 2,000 species, edited with the greatest expertise by Phil Sterling & Mark Parsons. Proofs look fantastic, published 26 November 2026. https://t.co/97RFT03FF8

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Just been sent photo of this lovely beast from Majorca. Timarcha balearica? Endemic to Balearics. Shinier and greener than T. tenebricosa large and T. goettingensis small we get in British Isles. Large was a childhood favourite of mine on the South Downs 55 years ago.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Gothic beast, mating pair Sicus ferrugineus, bee-grabber flies, internal parasitoids of bumblebees. Ovipositor is a tin-opener, used to pry open abdominal segments of the host to lay an egg inside. Grub eats bee alive from inside. Not all nature is cute and cuddly, folks.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

No spot ladybird, a more discreet form of the harlequin, Harmonia axyridis.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Lovely to see Agapanthia cardui again near Maidstone. Several localities in the area now.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

I wasn’t able to catch the large male stag beetle Lucanus cervus which went flying past the end of the garden 15 minutes ago. But I was able to catch this lesser stag, Dorcus parallelipipedus flying over a few minutes later.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Rhopalus subrufus in the shade, so not really showing off its pretty colours and pattern.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Nearly stepped on this fawn today. When they are small they lie down and hold their dappled pattern is camouflage enough. Bracknell.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Nearly stepped on this fawn today. When they are small they lie down and hold their dappled pattern is camouflage enough. Bracknell.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Finding a dead bee on a white flower is a sure sign that Misumena vatia, the pale crab spider is hiding underneath. You can just see her, one leg poking out.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

Fave bug today—Issus coleoptratus. Chunky and funky. First insect discovered to have gears. https://t.co/nqrG7KQdEk

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

@GrahamDenny9 Very local. Fens mostly apparently but this one in a brownfield site. Axinotarsus marginalis the usual little melyrid but I found extremely similar A. pulicarius a couple of years back so I now look very closely at everything.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

New to me, Cerapheles terminatus, Melyridae, Basildon, Essex, yesterday.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

@Naomi_D_Harvey My favourite slow-worm fact, Beast book for the pocket, Sanders: “Not slow. But rarely in a hurry”.

[Richard Jones @bugmanjones]

I found some new friends in my office today, one grass snake and lots of slow-worms, including this one sloughing off its skin. Basildon.