Hi folks, I found this guy last night. I went into my kitchen, switched on the light and spotted him in a glass of water that had been left out. Any ideas?
For some reason, these photos kinda look better on my phone rather than my laptop, but things I can say were it was slow-moving as far as I could see and had that kind of speckled back in a criss-cross. Its wings also extended past the end of its abdomen.
Thanks very much!
If this insect is quite small (1/8" or so), it might be a minute pirate bug (family Anthocoridae) - see http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/118042297 for an example. These bugs are general predators on other small arthropods.
If this insect is quite small (1/8" or so), it might be a minute pirate bug (family Anthocoridae) - see http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/118042297 for an example. These bugs are general predators on other small arthropods.
I'm looking at some pictures - that's a great guess at it! Are they common in Ireland?
They do indeed occur in Ireland; more than 90 species have been reported from Europe. They likely are more common than collecting records might indicate as they are so small as to be easily overlooked.
They do indeed occur in Ireland; more than 90 species have been reported from Europe. They likely are more common than collecting records might indicate as they are so small as to be easily overlooked.
