Acompocoris alpinus

 

Trying to avoid the flooding on a recent field outing I stayed local and decided to beat a few conifers near my home. This produced a good range of beetles, especially ladybirds (why did we ever think Rhyzobius chrysomeloides was rare?), and bugs. The bugs included a few shieldbugs but I focussed on my favourite, the Anthocorids. On getting home and drying out I sorted the catch and was pleased to find what I immediately recognized as an Acompocoris. 

There were no VC55 records for this genus, but with only two species on the UK Checklist, how hard could it be? (UPDATE: Previous records have subsequently come to light) 

The male paramere is fairly distinctive, but typically for an Anthocorid, this was a female. However, Kirby's Anthocorid key is reasonably straightforward, based on the ratio of the relative lengths of the embolium and the wing membrane:

In Acompocoris alpinus the length of the membrane posterior to the embolium is at least two-thirds the length of embolium, while in Acompocoris pygmaeus the length of membrane posterior to tip of embolium is less than two-thirds the length of embolium. That makes this A. alpinus, which fits with the overall habitus and the locale (A. alpinus is found on a range of conifers while A. pygmaeus is said to be associated with Scots Pine). 

Jim Flanagan was kind enough to confirm my I.D., so we now have one VC55 record for the genus. Now to find some more (preferably males)! Both species feed on aphids so the next few months is a good time to look for them.