My highlights of 2024 - Part I

Meloe uralensis (Pallas, 1777)

In early 2024, I went to the Mödlinger Eichkogel to search for the Meloe uralensis, which I had not seen before.

We were a small group of people looking for the early blister beetle.

Meloe decorus (Brandt & Erichson, 1832)

Shortly after, a friend of mine found the very similar Meloe decorus in the Donau-Auen National Park. I quickly went there and searched for hours and eventually found it.

Nemozoma caucasicum (Ménétriés, 1832)

While looking for Meloidae in the Donau-Auen National Park, I found this strange looking beetle belonging to the family Trogossitidae.

Dorcadion pedestre (Poda, 1761)

As one of the last entomologists in Vienna who had never seen D. pedestre, I finally received news that they had been spotted on the Perchtoldsdorfer Heide at the beginning of April.

Lamprodila rutilans (Fabricius, 1777)

At the end of April, I went to the Donau-Auen National Park as part of the City Nature Challenge in Vienna.

We found an old fallen Tilia, still alive, lying in the warm sun on the ground. It was full of life, including this L. rutilans.

Saperda octopunctata (Scopoli, 1772)

On the same tree we found this spectacular longhorn beetle.

Phytoecia uncinata (Redtenbacher, 1842)

On a single plant of Cerinthe minor in the open field, I found the P. uncinata.

Oberea histrionis (Pic, 1917)

On a guided tour to the far east of Austria, near the border with Slovakia, we found this O. histrionis longhorn beetle, formerly known as O. moravica, not far from the river Morava.

Theophilea subcylindricollis (Hladil, 1988)

On the same guided tour, we also found this very small longhorn beetle in the same area.

Oplosia cinerea (Mulsant, 1839)

At the end of May, I went on an unexpectedly rainy trip to Denmark. This longhorn beetle was one of the highlights of the tour.