Into the Jaws of Death

Not quite as terrifyingly horrific as disembarking from a landing craft and straight into heavy enemy gunfire, as happened early one June morning in 1944 (I'm sure you've seen the Omaha Beach landing scenes from Saving Private Ryan) but nonetheless, after viewing this down the barrel of my microscope, I felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the hapless victims of the beetle I found scampering across the grass clipping pile this morning. Imagine you are a centimetre long, quietly squirming your way through the grass heap before sensing you were being watched. You freeze, trying to escape notice but already it's far too late as you are scooped up into the jaws of death...

Pity one mandible moved inwards a smidge before the glue dried

Beetles have very definitely taken a back seat of late. In fact, I was pondering that sad fact just this morning, wondering what it would take to reignite my interest in them. And then boom - this huge bugger ran out in front of me, right on cue. 

Safely in a glass pot - barely! 

I was in the process of dumping my second or third wheelie bin of grass clippings onto a rather sizeable grass heap when I spotted motion by my foot. Ooh, a great big brown staphy. I had no pots or tubes on me - instant panic! I reached down and grabbed it in my fist before heading indoors to find a tube. There's a fair chance that had I have noticed quite how large its jaws were I may have acted differently! Anyway, I threw it into a large glass tube and was shocked to watch it scamper up the vertical sides with ease. Twice I almost decapitated it whilst trying to slam the lid into place, but finally it was contained within and I continued emptying and refilling the wheelie bin with yet more grass clippings. Those lawns were getting a tad out of control but it's great to know that the resulting grass piles are proving so attractive to flies and their predators.

As soon as I'd finished for the day, I looked to see exactly what it was that I'd captured.

This is Ontholestes tessellatus, a large staphylinid beetle that can be found in dung heaps, carrion and  also - it would seem - in and around decomposing grass clipping piles. Basically, anywhere that has a concentration of fly and beetle larva upon which it preys. I've not seen this beetle before. There are just two British species in the genus, the other being Ontholestes murinus which I've seen before, though not on Skye. Ontholestes tessellatus is my 529th British beetle. One day I shall attempt to work out how many of those 529 were self-found and identified. I fear far too many have been shown to me without my understanding quite why they were what I was told at the time. 

It really is a spectacular beast! The NBN Atlas suggests it is entirely new to Skye (indeed new to the whole of The Hebrides), but Richard Moore lists two records from adjacent Raasay, though none for Skye itself.

This is a fast-moving killing machine, pouncing on its victims from above. There's only one song that fits. Enjoy! 

This is the famous Taxis to Hell – and Back – Into the Jaws of Death photograph, taken on June 6th 1944 by Robert F. Sargent, a chief photographer's mate in the United States Coast Guard. It shows the ill fated beach landing by American troops, landing on an unexpectedly heavily fortified beach held by a well-entrenched German army. After huge losses on both sides, the beach was finally taken.