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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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
A few extras
November 10, 2025 at 11:05 AM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Hi James, I’m back with new photos 😃 do these help?
November 10, 2025 at 11:05 AM
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
Here’s the empodium 👍 also is there a technique that allows you to extrude the mouthparts?
November 3, 2025 at 9:45 PM
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
stephskipp.bsky.social
I see what you mean about that rogue forewing now! Here are some more detailed photos
October 28, 2025 at 8:17 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
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
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
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
stephskipp.bsky.social
It’s so nice to see the hoverflies coming out! I saw my first one on Friday, a Meliscaeva auricollis. I was pleased that the iRecord AI agreed with my ID - I was wondering, does it take time of year into account?
A hoverfly visiting pink and white flowers of a viburnum bush. A hoverfly being held in the hand by its leg. The thorax is bronze coloured, with a yellow scutellum. The abdomen is largely black with two triangular orange markings on each segment.
March 2, 2025 at 11:48 AM
stephskipp.bsky.social
This lush, starry moss caught my eye yesterday. Thinking it is Homalothecium sericeum.
A lichen-covered grey gravestone surface with a bright, lime green moss creeping across it. The moss has feathery shoots reaching outwards, with short, upward-pointing shoots crowding its upper surface. The top of a stone wall with a rich, green, fluffy moss covering the upper stone layer. Behind the wall, blue sky and the trunks of a few trees are visible. A grey stone wall baring a bright green, outward reaching clump of moss, with little shoots all over its upper surface. The leaves at the tips of the shoots give the impression of small stars when viewed from above.
January 26, 2025 at 12:22 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Beetle doodle of the day
A small ring bound notebook with a line drawing of a rove beetle on it. The rove beetle is meant to be from the subfamily ‘Pselaphinae’, so it has quite chunky proportions, with a large, down-turned abdomen and exaggerated antennae (I’ve exaggerated these more than seen in actual species, with a very wide segments and a massive club on the end). The beetle is facing to the left and is lightly shaded with hatching. Above the beetle in bold, outlined writing are the words, ‘Staphylinidae’ and ‘Pselaphinae’.
January 11, 2025 at 9:40 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Beetle doodle of the day
A picture of a small ring bound notebook with a weevil drawn on the page in black ink. The weevil has a black marking on the front of the elytra, suggesting that it is the species ‘Strophosoma melnogrammum’. The rostrum/snout is short and has grooves along the length where the first segment of the antennae (the scape) slots in.
January 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Crochet stonechat on a stick

#Birbfest2025 Day 6 #Birbfest #Crochet #Bird
A crocheted bird with a beige belly, black/brown wings/head and a reddish chest with a band of white around the neck. The bird is holding on to a stick (a reed out of my reed diffuser) using its black legs and feet which are made from wire with black wool wrapped around. It is photographed against a white wall.
January 6, 2025 at 11:33 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
A piping plover in crochet 🧶

#Birbfest2025 Day 2 #Birbfest #Plover #Crochet
A crocheted white bird with sandy colouring on its back/wings and head. There is a black band around its neck and a small black mark above its beak. Its legs (made of wire with wool wrapped around) are orange, and its beak is orange with a black tip. The bird is pictured standing on a blue and white striped surface with a white wall in the background.
January 3, 2025 at 12:02 AM
stephskipp.bsky.social
A…bird?!

Lady Ross’s Turaco for #Birbfest2025
January 1, 2025 at 10:53 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Haha what are the chances?! This was from 2020 😃 Wheelbug is amazing, I want to draw him too now
December 31, 2024 at 9:14 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Rove beetle yoga for the last day of #Invertefest2024

#Invertefest #Staphylinidae
A watercolour and ink painting of a rove beetle (a long, thin, black beetle with shortened, brown wing cases) doing a downward dog yoga pose on a blue yoga mat. The beetle’s abdomen is curved upwards, as this is a typical pose for some rove beetles. White pen marks indicate that the surface of the beetle is smooth and shiny. Next to the yoga mat is a green folded towel and a black water bottle. The background is brown, suggesting a wooden floor.
December 31, 2024 at 1:33 PM
stephskipp.bsky.social
An acorn weevil getting ready to tuck into an oak salad

#Invertefest #Invertefest2024
A watercolour sketch of a brown weevil with a long, curved rostrum and elbowed antennae holding up a knife and fork. In front of the weevil is a turquoise bowl containing several green leaves with lobed edges and a single acorn. The background is white and the bowl is set on a pinkish table.
December 30, 2024 at 10:11 AM
stephskipp.bsky.social
Last year I really wanted to find the boldly patterned woodlouse, Armadillidium pulchellum (or its bigger relative Armadillidium pictum). I painted this and had it printed on a top for luck. Unfortunately still haven’t seen it. Maybe 2025?

#Invertefest #Invertefest2024 #Isopod
An ink and watercolour painting of a brown woodlouse, positioned facing the viewer at a slight angle. The woodlouse is brown with bright yellow squiggly markings on each segment. The segments are bordered with reddish bands. Around the woodlouse are the words ‘Armadillidium pulchellum’ forming an arch shape. The words are outlined in black ink and painted orange to match the colour scheme of the woodlouse.
December 29, 2024 at 10:18 AM
stephskipp.bsky.social
‘He used to impress her by defeating rivals. These days he did it through more domestic victories.’

Stag beetle sketch #invertefest
A pencil sketch of a male and female stag beetle in a supermarket. The female is smaller than the male and lacks the oversized mandibles. She stands next to the male, holding a shopping bag and pointing up at a box of cereal on the top shelf. The male is reaching up and taking the box off of the top shelf with his long mandibles.
December 28, 2024 at 9:54 AM