Steph Skipp
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stephskipp.bsky.social
Steph Skipp
@stephskipp.bsky.social
590 followers 370 following 78 posts
Entomologist - beetles 🐞 PhD in veteran tree invertebrates. Former NHM trainee & UEA Ecology student. Currently in freshwater ecology - views my own
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Reposted by Steph Skipp
dipteristsforum.bsky.social
Can't make the @dipteristsforum.bsky.social Dipterist Day 2025 in Cambridge this Saturday 15th November - fear not! Sign up through the link in the page below and we'll send you the recordings. The wonders of Modern technology...
dipterists.org.uk/events/dipte...

Please share the love ❤️
November 11, 2025 at 5:41 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Hey @jamesimcc.bsky.social , here’s another one from my compost heap. I think it might be Proisotoma minuta (although I struggled with the ocelli and abdominal seg separation). What do you think?
A long springtail with quite short, 4 segmented antennae. The springtail has black splotches over its back.
November 10, 2025 at 12:12 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
It is generally frowned upon to mount multiple insects on the same pin. It makes databaseing difficult + the chance that multiple species could be mounted together - a nightmare!
Even so, you have to admire the creativity and precision of this example from the UK Latridiidae collection at the NHM
A piece of card cut into a serrated shape with 17 points next to each other. The card is mounted on a pin and most of the points have small beetles (latridiidae) glued onto them. The card is visibly old and yellowed and most of the beetles are damaged, missing their heads and pronotums.
November 8, 2025 at 9:19 AM
stephskipp.bsky.social
@jamesimcc.bsky.social Hi James! I recently learnt that my village has no springtail records so I wanted to try and add a few. Do you think this could be Hypogastrura manubrialis? Think it has some tiny anl spines, 8x8 ocelli, foot with empodium, and skinny mucro. Found in compost
November 3, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
jamesimcc.bsky.social
Send me records: I am excited to be taking on the role of national springtail recorder. I have huge shoes to fill, but I hope to continue the progress Peter Shaw made in understanding the taxonomy and biology of the UK's #springtails.

www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/colle...
Orchesella flavescens, one of the UK's largest springtails. It's an elongate springtail, with long antennae, often with a differing number of segments on each antenna (but with a maximum of six). It can be identified by the pattern consisting of parallel longitudinal dark lines running the length of the abdomen, contrasting against a paler ground colour. This is a relatively scarce woodland species.
January 21, 2025 at 11:45 AM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Saw this lovely moss on a survey a few weeks ago. It is Hookeria lucens. I like how the field guide account describes jt as ‘a pleasure to find’ 🥰
A bright green moss with wide, flat leaves overlapping each other like scales. The leaf cells are large, reflecting the light in glittering diagonal lines. A more zoomed out view of the flattened moss shoots
October 25, 2025 at 5:27 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
@arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
Hi Derek, we found hundreds of these tiny wasps in a flight interception trap from an oak tree. Are they Trichogrammatidae? We’d be very grateful of your help 🙂
October 25, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
norfolkponds.bsky.social
Hello @bsky.app. we are Norfolk Ponds Project - a science-led partnership NGO focused on pond restoration & #ghostpond ressurection. We aim to educate, lobby & inspire others on ponds. We used to Tweet & had 5000+ followers. ***Please follow & help us achieve the same here***!!!
August 25, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A male Oligosita pallida parasitoid wasp of the Trichogrammatidae found in the garden birch tree.

#UKWildlife #wasps #Trichogrammatidae
tiny yellow wasp with black markings along its sides, head and antennae are to the left, fringed wings are held at 60 degrees above body
August 20, 2025 at 1:37 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
In prep for the #Bioblitz at Mote Park today, we set up a few bottle vane traps in lovely old oaks. Highlights so far included Thanasimus formicarius, Tomoxia bucephala, and the chalcid wasp, Astichus arithmeticus 🌳 @kentfieldclub.bsky.social
August 9, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
martinswarren.bsky.social
Look what arrived yesterday hot off the press. The amazing Alpine flower book by my good friend Bob Gibbons. Published posthumously it is a wonderful legacy of one of the greatest modern botanists. It was a privilege to have shared many European tours with him @saveplants.bsky.social
June 22, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
crepidodera.bsky.social
I thought yesterday was good when I found a posing Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn. But as they say about busses - today I found another 4 of them at Coombeswood in a field of Hogweed and to cap it off - a Hazel Leaf-Roller - and it's only the 3rd June as well ! What next ?
June 3, 2025 at 7:43 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Been hoping to find this species for a few years, and yesterday it finally happened! Sat in a patch of nettles by the River Dove in the Peak District, I peeled some loose bark from a log and was delighted to spot these tiny ball-rollers! Armadillidium pulchellum ❤️
A brown and orange woodlouse with whitish flecks along its body stands on a piece of wood with a linear, wrinkled texture. An orange and brown woodlouse with white flecks is rolled into a ball while being held between a finger and thumb. I am looking excitedly at the camera while pointing to a tiny woodlouse on a log. I am sitting on a train wearing my customised hoodie with a drawing of a woodlouse and the words ‘Armadillidium pulchellum’ printed on the front.
June 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
royentsoc.bsky.social
Who’s joining us for the #LloydOfTheFlies Wetland Bug Hunt?

We're partnering with Aardman and @wwtworldwide.bsky.social to bring you a completely unique and exciting way to explore our wonderful wetlands between 5 April - 1 June 🪰

buff.ly/bFvfe0q

#WWTLloyd #KidsDaysOut #VisitLondon #ThingsToDo
May 12, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
crepidodera.bsky.social
Really like the name "Pleasing Fungus Beetles" (Erotylidae), even the scientific name is from the Greek for darling. This one (Triplax aenea) was found with several others hiding in the gills of an old Oyster fungi at Leasowes NR. Common but they hide during the day so not many records.
April 19, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
crepidodera.bsky.social
You really wouldn't think it, but it's a Rove Beetle. A very impressive looking one at that. Scaphidium quadrimaculatum found under loose bark on a fallen Ash tree, feeding on white fungus. At Leasowes NR.
April 23, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
kentgrasshoppers.bsky.social
Went back to the allotments where I spotted a Blue Mint Beetle and saw 5 without much effort. One appeared to be a gravid female, chomping on a mint leaf. 1st UK breeding record was apparently from 2012. I found 14 records from Kent on iRecord, plus others further afield. #KentNature #beetles
A metallic blue beetle, seen side-on, with a distended abdomen. It is feeding on a leaf on a mint plant, and other leaves also show feeding damage.
April 8, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
vannabartlett.bsky.social
A great day out in the Norfolk Brecks yesterday, managed to find a #harvestman and a #pseudoscorpion in woodland by Lynford Water. Rilaena triangularis aka the spring harvestman and Neobisium carcinoides. More dots to add to the distribution maps. #arachnids
A pale brown harvestman with a dark saddle speckled with white spots on the underside of fallen branch. A pale brown harvestman with a dark saddle speckled with white spots on the underside of fallen branch. A small, shiny dark brown pseudoscorpion in a brown plastic tray. Its pedipalps are held out in front of it and they end in formidable looking claws. A small, shiny dark brown pseudoscorpion in a brown plastic tray. Its pedipalps are held out in front of it and they end in formidable looking claws.
April 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Saw this crazy slime mould while on the BMIG field meeting last week. It was under a log in wet woodland. I think it’s Metatrichia floriformis. If you look closely, you can spot a globular springtail clambering around on it ❤️
Hundreds of slime mould spore bodies, which look like pins with shiny, black, spherical heads emerging from some wood. In some areas of the image, you can see fluffy encrustations or brick-red spores covering the slime mould. A close-up of pin-head-like slime mould bodies emerging from damp wood. In the centre of the image, a round, yellow springtail reaches out with its front legs to climb from one sphere to another.
April 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Recently, I found these weevils in a freshwater sample that was particularly dense in duckweed (mostly Spirodela polyrhiza). They are duckweed weevils! They walk around on the floating platform of duckweed and their larvae mine within the leaves! Cool that even the tiniest of leaves have leaf miners
Three tiny grey weevils in a line. The wing cases of the weevils have pale scales in a patchy pattern over the surface. The legs have black upper sections (femurs) and red lower sections (tibiae). One grey weevil on its side on a white background. You can see the minute pale scales arranged in a pattern over the upper and lower surface of the weevil’s body.
April 20, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
mesabree.bsky.social
Throwback, while I make new art, and grapple with reality.

#ProjectAnimalia (my daily #animalart project)
Day 49: Green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans)

#sciart #medart #dailyart #scicomm #sciviz #wildlifeart #illustration #scientificillustration #lynxspider #spider #arachnid #spiderart
Realistic illustration of a Green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) on a white background
April 18, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
leafyjosie.bsky.social
Spotted some wasp-banded comb horns this morning in the orchard 💛🖤 @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
April 3, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
persmiseth.bsky.social
Collection of beetles found during tonight’s visit to Easter Craiglockhart Hill, #Edinburgh, with @lukeholman.bsky.social & Warren Maguire. Logs & tree trunks searched after dark. Species found include False Ladybird (Endomychus coccineus) …
False Ladybird (Endomychus coccineus). False Ladybird (Endomychus coccineus). False Ladybird (Endomychus coccineus). False Ladybird (Endomychus coccineus) larva.
March 3, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
applewildlife.bsky.social
After @stephskipp.bsky.social pointed out that my post about two Acrotriches found together by suctioning my lawn involved both atomaria and sitkaensis, I had another quick go with the suction sampler. Once again it seems I have both species. At least I think so - tricky little beasties!
Male Acrotrichis sitkaensis, a very tiny oval black beetle. Aedeagus of the Acrotrichis sitkaensis. The top is flat and the sides relatively parallel. At some angles the sides even looked a little concave in the upper half. Male Acrotrichis atomaria, another very tiny oval black beetle. This one has one of its antennae broken. Aedeagus of the Acrotrichis atomaria. This is much more rounded in the upper half compared to the sitkaensis.
April 1, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Steph Skipp
carrionbeetlesuk.bsky.social
Hey BlueSky 👋 Please excuse the lateness, but we have arrived!

We’re here to promote the recording of #CarrionBeetles in the UK and help with any of your ID queries. Please join the #CarrionClub and help us spread the word! 💀 🪲
A montage of images, including carrion beetles, attendees at an ID workshop and a close up of the ID keys.
March 30, 2025 at 7:47 PM