Pub regulars baffled by bizarre bug

Drinkers at a Shropshire pub have been left baffled by the discovery of a mystery bug.

Landlord Roger Hotchkiss came across the fearsome looking creepy-crawly yesterday morning [30 August 2005] in the Brewery Inn, which he runs in Coalport.

Mr Hotchkiss said none of his regulars have been able to identify the creature which he trapped in a pint glass after he spotted what he described as a large "stinger" on the insect's rear.

He is also worried the brown creature with a yellow underside may be poisonous and could be dangerous to anyone who comes into contact with it.

Mr Hotchkiss said: "My dad always said anything with a yellow belly is poisonous. I've never seen anything like it in 50 years.

The pub landlord said his neighbours had hit the books to find out the identity of the mysterious bug which is described as brown and about 25mm long.

Source



Looks like family of the King Cricket? But it's a bit far from home!
King Cricket
King Cricket Pics

[edit on 13-9-2005 by Gemwolf]

I'll give you my thought on what it is after a few more pints. It does though look to be a member of the the cricket family.

Maybe a Cave cricket. thats not a sringer on it
either



Cave Cricket




[corrected url, er twice, dang -nygdan]
[edit on 13-9-2005 by Senor_Vicente]

[edit on 13-9-2005 by Senor_Vicente]

[edit on 14-9-2005 by Nygdan]

[edit on 14-9-2005 by Nygdan]

That pic is definately an Alien. No question about it..one of the extraskelital ones with the slash-hook tail..Planet E I believe is their original habitat.

Dallas

Looks exactly like the crickets I used to feed my Mantis before it died, check out the local Watermarque. Maybe some sort of Locust.
But the 'stinger' is harmless, flimsy rubbish doesn't do anything.

I expect it escaped from someone's lizard pen, I have seen ones with the spike in the english countryside as well though when I was a child, though they were greener.

[edit on 13-9-2005 by AgentSmith]

It doesn't look too bizarre to me, just like some kind of cricket or something similar.

Do you not know a siphon for drinking beer when you see one. It is also reported by pub regulars that they see the crickets using the "stinger" or spike for funneling beers!


(also doubles as a can opener

I asked around, apparently the paper got a lot of responses and the consensus was that its a
"Dark Bush-Cricket, Pholidoptera griseoaptera."