What has no legs and moves by flexing its body?

I know there are those amongst you who don't care for spiders, so let's start this update with a couple and get it over and done with. Yesterday I spotted my first jumping spider of the year in the garden...

Click on any photo for a larger view

Salticus scenicus-A Jumping Spider

Commonly known as the zebra spider, this is probably the most familiar of the British jumping spiders. This one is a female, the males have huge chelicerae (mouth parts/fangs) used against prey and in defence-or even fighting sometimes.

Second one is this little spider I found under bark. I think it might be Clubiona species but I am really not sure...C. phragmitis-C.reclusa-C.terrestis all looked like possible candidates, but then it might be none of them!

There is something just as interesting to me as finding an identity for the spider, if we pull back a little with the camera...

What do you think that object to the left of the spider could be? It looks like the head/pronotum and eyes of a bug or beetle? Quite large compared to the spider, but from memory that was less than 20mm total length.

There are two directions I could head from here, there's an arachnid related find I could post, but maybe, as we are in a 'what do you think this is' kinda vein, I'll choose this photo instead...

Mystery object...

This was also found under dead bark on a tree stump, at about head-height; well, my head height anyway. I wondered if it was part of a moult from a shieldbug or beetle maybe? Or even the remains of a meal? But, what puzzled me was the size-it was fairly large, too large I would have thought for a shieldbug. This section alone was bigger than any shieldbug I know of. A conundrum then? Unless you know that is?

And the arachnid related thingy? Well it's this pseudo scorpion...

A Pseudo or False Scorpion

I couldn't be certain of an identity on this one either, other than it might be       Chthonius species? They are tiny beasts that are related to spiders rather than scorpions. 

A False Scorpion (2~3mm)

            

Here's one that I have found and even featured on my blog in the past; but this time, I think I know the identity of it...

Paederus littoralis-A Rove Beetle

These little flightless beetles are said to carry a toxin that can cause blisters or a rash if handled...so I didn't! From the same family (Staphylinidae) comes this ferocious looking larva...

A Rove Beetle Larva (see comment below)

Edit: I'm pleased to say that I have a correction on the identity of this tiny larva. I must thank 'Lorenzo' for alerting me to the fact that this is actually, well, let me copy and paste his actual words here: 
...here you show a Paederus followed by what you identified as a staphylinid 
larva, but it isn't at all, it is actually a carabid larva in the subfamily 
nebriinae, specifically cf. Leistus. 

Eggs/Ova now...and an unexpected find of an egg batch; unexpected because, once again I found these under bark and that's a first for shieldbug eggs for me. Then, I wouldn't expect to be seeing these at this time of year and so they must be duds..some that didn't hatch last year...

I thought on first sight that these were Hairy shieldbug eggs, but having researched it a little and compared both, it seems far more likely, given the location and closeness to lots of gorse also, that they are in fact Gorse Shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus) ova. The little purple critter bottom left is a springtail by the way. It still amazes me that these were laid under bark.

More eggs? Why then am I posting this photograph of a marble gall?

Well because I almost dismissed the next subjects as being exactly that. At least they looked like a dirtier...winter worn version to me. But then pausing for a moment to think it through before moving on, several things puzzled me about my initial diagnosis; let me share the photo I did take first though and you might see what I mean...

Hmm...okay, so maybe not! Funny how you can convince yourself of something and that others will see it too-and then, when the hard evidence is suddenly available and placed side-by-side, or in this case, one under the other, you feel like a complete nincompoop (Google it if you are not familiar.) All this means nothing anyway when you consider what struck me next-if they were galls, how could they possibly be on a fence post, rather than a tree? Size was wrong too, way too small; although I guess all galls are small at some stage of growth.

Let's have a look at another photo then that should provide the answer...

The spheres to the left here have markings that look more familiar as moth eggs and I eventually found out that they are indeed eggs of the December moth (Poecilocampa populi) not to be confused with the winter moth by the way. These should hatch in spring when there are leaves for the larvae to feed on.

Meanwhile, under bark (have you noticed a trend developing in this update yet?) I came across this metallic beetle-I am guessing it's a leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) but yet again, really not sure of ID... 
  

                                                                                            

    A little later on...under bark-I discovered this next beetle...

Pediacus depressus-A Flat Bark Beetle?

I am hoping that this is P. depressus as this one seems to be the rarer of the two UK species. Unfortunately it only allowed me this one photo before disappearing forever. You'll be pleased to learn that the next creature wasn't discovered under bark on a tree stump-No..this one was on top of a tree stump...

This is the larva of a cardinal beetle. There are two possibilities for this one-Pyrochroa coccinea and P. serraticornis. They are really similar but the raised, transverse line as indicated in my next picture appears to be diagnostic and confirms this as P.serraticornis: The Common or Red-headed Cardinal Beetle.

The final one is something new for me as I haven't see it before. At least, I don't remember finding anything like it...

What is it? My best guess is a soldier fly larva. It has no legs and moves by flexing its body. What is a soldier fly? I was hoping you might know! Is it like this little one I found the other day perhaps?

Hmmm...maybe I should end this particular update here as it seems to be asking more questions than it is answering...

Until the next time....