newsletter 52 - naturespot.org.uk entomological society vc55 newsletter 52 january 2015 ourapteryx...
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LEICESTERSHIREENTOMOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
VC55
NEWSLETTER 52January 2015
Ourapteryx sambucaria Swallow-tailed Moth. Thiswas one of two examples found in the photographer’sQuorn garden on 16 Sept 2014 - well beyond thenormal season for this species, so presumably from asecond generation. Photo: Gianpiero Ferrari FRPS.
I have come across this bug on several occasions now,but only while looking for beetles at wetland sites.Apparently, this is becoming quite a common andwidespread species after formerly only being knownfrom Kent and Surrey. At Saddington Reservoir on 10November 2014 the reservoir margins were literallycrawling with thousands of them, impossible to count.Not viewable until you lifted the mat of vegetation to
European Chinchbug expose the ground beneath. On 16 November atCossington NR while peeling back the dead dried outlayers of Typha (in the hope of finding the odd scarcerladybird species) hundreds of I. sabuleti were found.Most were huddled in groups of around a dozen butsome were in clusters of fifty or more. Being quite adistinctive species and therefore easy to recognise, athorough search of Typha especially through the wintermonths and then on vegetation in marshy areasthroughout the rest of the year would probably find it
continued on p. 3
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Affiliated to:Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust
Chairman &LES Occasional Publications Editor:
Ray Morris16 Hinckley Road, Dadlington
Leics. CV13 6HUTelephone: 01455 213569Email: [email protected]
Secretary:Anona Finch
14 Thorndale, Ibstock, Leics. LE67 6JTEmail: [email protected]
Treasurer:Stuart Poole
18 Croft Drive, Wigston, Leicester LE18 1HDTelephone: 0116 288 0236
Email: [email protected]
Committee Members:Dave Budworth
121 Wood Lane, Newhall, SwadlincoteDerbys. DE11 0LX
Telephone: 01283 215188Email: [email protected]
Maggie Frankum3 Chapel Lane, Knighton, Leicester LE2 3WF
Telephone: 0116 270 5833Email: [email protected]
Peter PatrickThe Hollies, Holly Street, Stapenhill, Burton on Trent,
Derby DE15 9ETTelephone: 01283 548704
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor:Steve Woodward
19 Highfield Road, Groby, Leicester LE6 0GUTelephone: 0116 287 1679
Email : [email protected]
Publications downloadable from:www.naturespot.org.uk/content/leicestershire-
entomological-society
The editor will be happy to receive articles, short notesand photos (in focus please!) about insects or otherarthropods in Leicestershire and Rutland, also news ofmembers’ activities further afield. Photos to be sentseparately please at high resolution. Unless otherwisecredited, photos are by the author of the article.
Next Copy Deadline: 5 Sep 2015
Editorial
Having enjoyed several photo presentations recentlyby our member Gianpiero Ferrari, I was delighted toreceive from him one of his superb images for use inLES News - on the front cover. Recently, Gianpierowas awarded Fellowship of the Royal PhotographicSociety and his panel of photos on the theme “Insectsof Europe” can be admired at http://www.rps.org/adminuploads/external/images/[email protected]/Insects%20of%20Europe%20Fellowship%20Panel.pdf
The winter months are a bit thin for field entomology.This is the time when I try to catch up with specimenidentification and labelling. My current projects haveaccumulated many solitary bees. The “easy” genera(relatively speaking) were dealt with by the autumn,leaving the more challenging Lasioglossum andSphecodes for the December and January visits to ourlocal reference collection. The ID keys are ofteninconclusive and comparison with a referencespecimen is then essential. The “Collections ResourcesCentre” at Barrow upon Soar is where the CountyCouncil keeps the insect collections that were evictedfrom the New Walk Museum, when the museumservice was split between city and county. The CRCis not a museum, as it has neither displays nor curators,but it does provide facilities for entomologists to workon their projects and make use of the referencecollections and library. Graham Finch’s short articlegives a flavour of the “Tuesday get-togethers”, whena number of LES members meet there. As part of theCounty Council, the facility is threatened by budgetcuts, so it is important that it is seen to be used. I wouldencourage members to come along and see what thecentre has to offer.
Ray Morris and others have been encouraging the staffand volunteers at Rutland Water NR to investigate theinvertebrate life there. A recording group is nowestablished and we can look forward to seeing accountspublished on hitherto-neglected groups. A couple ofprovisional reports by Ray appear in this Newsletter.
Graham Finch has been distracted from his beetlingby some bugs (as if there aren’t enough beetles!).Progress with mollusc recording has been far fromsluggish, as Dave Nicholls reports. Regularcontributors Frank Clark, Tony Cook and GrahamCalow once again report first county records. ChrisLeach tells us about a miner problem with the leeks inhis garden.
Steve Woodward
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European Chinchbug continued from p 1
European Chinchbug Ischnodemus sabuleti. Left: macropterous(full-winged) and right: micropterous (short-winged) forms.
is distributed over the counties. Evidently there arethree forms, fully winged macropterous, short wingedmicropterous both of which are very common and amuch scarcer form where the wings are of anintermediate size. Pulling dead Typha stems apart isan excellent way to pass a winter hour or two, anassortment of invertebrates, spiders, flies and smallbeetles seem to make use of the dried-out outer layersof stem for shelter. Oh, and I did not find the hoped-forladybirds!
Graham Finch
Mollusc records in VC55 are relatively few in number,though have been gradually increasing in recent years.2014 added the highest number yet, 352 records,representing 10% of the grand total, just pipping thenumber recorded in 2013 (Nicholls, 2014).
Of the 51 mollusc species recorded in 2014, the mostfrequent was Cornu aspersum, the Common GardenSnail (61 records), followed by Cepaea nemoralis,Brown-lipped snail, Cepaea hortensis, White-lippedSnail and Monacha cantiana, Kentish Snail (30, 29and 24 records respectively). These are some of ourlargest and most easily-identified species, common insome gardens, waste ground and damp grassland areas.
At the other end of the scale, there were 16 speciesonly recorded once. These included a few interestingslug species, such as Limax cinereoniger Ash-blackSlug found by Steve Woodward and Helen Ikin atCharnwood Lodge NNR (09/11/2013). This large andstriking species is usually all black with a pale keel on
A record year for molluscs
the rear half of its body, and is generally associatedwith ancient woodland where it feeds on fungi. Thisis the first record for seven years and it has onlypreviously been found at three sites: Ulverscroft NR,Prior’s Coppice and Loddington Reddish (a woodlandnear Tugby).
Another single record was of Arion flagellus, DurhamSlug (David Nicholls, Stonesby Quarry, 16/05/2014),only the sixth county record. This slug was only firstdiscovered in Leicestershire in 2010 but may be morecommon and widespread than these records suggest.It is unusual in having a mainly greenish sole, thoughthe body colour can be quite variable. It seems to likerough ground with building rubble and has even beenfound in a garden (Graham Calow, Sapcote,7/04/2013) – though I hasten to add that doesn’t meanthat Graham’s garden is full of bricks!
Many mollusc species appear under-recorded.Tandonia budapestensis, the Budapest Slug, mustinhabit most gardens in the county, but only six wererecorded in 2014. Limacus maculatus, the Irish YellowSlug, also favours habitats around human dwellings,and its green/yellow mottling makes it relatively easyto spot, but only four were recorded.
I have been attempting to collect and collate oldersources of mollusc records that have not yet beenincorporated into the county database. TheLeicestershire and Rutland Environmental RecordsCentre sent me an archive of material collected by theConchological Society when it had an active followingin Leicestershire. Adrian Rundle, John Mathias andIan Evans were all keen snail and slug hunters fromthe late 1960s to the mid 1980s. Interestingly, thespecies lists for each outing include many invertebratesother than molluscs, indeed some outings do notinclude any molluscs at all – very strange for an officialconchological society trip! However this data has
Limax cinereoniger Ash-black Slug at Charnwood Lodge NNR.Photo: Steve Woodward.
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thrown up a number of interesting snail records,including three new species for Leicestershire: Lucillasingleyana, Vitrea crystallina and Zonitoidesarboreus. All three are small and relativelyinconspicuous land snails. Z. arboreus is a ‘hot-housealien’ restricted to greenhouses and was found atRotherby Nurseries, Belgrave Hall Glasshouse, theUniversity Botanical Garden (all on 14/09/1985) anda greenhouse in Burley (25/10/1986). None of thesespecies has been recorded since.
One further new species was added to the county listwhen Jan Dawson kindly sent me an old edition of theNewsletter of the Natural History Section of theLeicester Literary and Philosophical Society whichcontained an article about a section outing to theOakham Canal to search for molluscs on 15/08/1981(Mathias, 1982). They also turned up a number ofcaddis larvae cases (Limnephilus marmoratus) that hadbeen built from empty snail shells, mainly tinybivalves. Indeed the five cases examined producedshells from at least 11 species. One of these was
David Nicholls69-71 Church Lane, Ratby, LE60JF
Tel 0116 2393159, [email protected]
During a study of the dung-dwelling beetles(Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hydrophilidae &Histeridae) of Priory Water NR (SK7118), a singlespecimen of Cryptopleurum subtile (Sharp) was foundin sheep dung on the 17 June 2014. This smallhydrophilid (1.5 – 2.2 mm) was originally describedfrom Japan and was first recorded in England in 1958.Since that time it has been recorded in a number ofcounties in England, including Northamptonshire andWarwickshire; also in Scotland, Wales and NorthernIreland (Foster et al. 2014); this is the first record forVC55.
Reference:
Foster, G. N., Bilton, D. T. & Friday, L. E. (2014) Keysto the adults of the water beetles of Britain and Ireland(Part 2) (Coleoptera: Polyphaga: Hydrophiloidea –both aquatic and terrestrial species). Handbooks forthe Identification of British Insects Vol. 4(5b), RoyalEntomological Society.
Dung beetle in VC55
Pisidium supinum, the Hump-backed Pea Mussel, theonly record for this species I have come across.
The total list of recorded molluscs for VC55 nowstands at 126, of which 41 have not been recorded inthe 21st century. Lots of scope exists for rediscoveries!I would be keen to receive any mollusc records in theyear ahead and am happy to help with anyidentification queries.
References:
Mathias, J. H. (1982) Freshwater Molluscs of theOakham Canal and River Eye. Newsletter of theNatural History Section of the Leicester Literary andPhilosophical Society, 34, pp. 9-12.
Nicholls, D. (2014) Learning to love slugs and snails.Leicestershire & Rutland Recorder, 10, p. 22-23.
Photo: Tony Cook
Frank Clark & Tony Cook
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The centre of a flowering umbel of Wild Carrot Daucus carotaoften has a dark purple flower.
The midge Kiefferia pericarpiicola galls the fruit, causing it toswell and turn purple.
Close-up of galled fruit.
Most readers of this article who have at least a passinginterest in botany will be aware that the white floweredumbels of Wild Carrot Daucus carota often have acentral dark purple flower. During the summer of 2014I chanced to read an on-line discussion betweennaturalists concerning the possible reasons for this.Some suggested that it may be to act as a beacon toencourage extra visits by insects, or to guide them tothe centre of the umbel, though this was not generallyaccepted. Another interesting suggestion concernedthe midge Kiefferia pericarpiicola. The larvae of thismidge cause large purple galls to form on the flowerheads of Wild Carrot and the suggestion was that thepresence of the dark purple flower in the middle of
gallson Wild Carrot
some umbels was to convince the visiting gall midgesthat the plant has already been parasitized. Again, thiswas an unproven theory, but it set me thinking that Ihad never come across these galls on my wanderings,our local co-ordinator for galls, Maggie Frankum, saidthat she had not recorded it either, and an enquiry toJanet Boyd at the British Plant Gall Society suggestedthat she held no previous VC55 records for it.
Wild Carrot is not particularly common in my homeparish of Sapcote, but I did know of a site where itgrew just over the parish border in Stoney Stanton, soin August of 2014, with camera in hand, I set out tosee if I could find it. The initial signs were not good,the site was fast becoming overgrown by scrub, but I
did manage to find about a dozen Wild Carrot plantsstill hanging on there and, happily for me, my searchwas rewarded when I found just one umbel that hadbeen galled by Kiefferia pericarpiicola – probably thefirst record for VC55.
I have since come across quite a lot of Wild Carrotgrowing at Fosse Meadows locally, but none of theplants had been galled. It would be interesting to knowhow common this gall is in our area – did I just strikelucky?
[This gall was also found at Ratby Burroughs on 7September during the Lit & Phil/British Plant GallSociety meeting - Ed.]
Graham Calow
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Leeks may not be everyone’s favourite vegetable butthey are certainly loved by the fly Phytomyzagymnostoma Loew. It is fairly recently that this leafminer arrived in the UK and was first reported in aprivate garden in Wolverhampton in 2003 (Agallou &Collins, 2004). Since then, it has steadily expandedits range and is now the scourge of gardeners andallotment holders throughout the Midlands.
Outwardly, affected plants show very few symptomsthat anything is wrong (Fig. 1). Harvest and trim theplants, however, and the white flesh is streaked withbrown (Fig. 2). At the base of each streak is one, ormore, small burrowing larvae (Fig. 3). Along thelength of the brown streak may be one, or more, lightto dark tan coloured pupae (Fig. 4).
This species was first described from the Poznanregion of Poland in 1858 (cited by Agallou & Collins,2004). It was subsequently reported in Scandinaviaand in European countries bordering the MediterraneanSea. Until the mid-1970s, it was notregarded as a pest. However a decadelater it was reported to have becomea serious pest of Allium plants and iscurrently widespread in Europe(World Biodiversity Database). TheUK was one of the last to report thispest. What caused the transition ofthe fly from being a curiosity tobecoming a real pest remainsunknown.
This leaf miner, often referred to asthe Allium Leaf Miner invades mostAllium spp. including Leeks (A.
porrum), Onions (A. cepa), Shallots (A. ascallonium),Garlic (A. sativum) and Chives (A. schoenoprasum).It has two generations a year. Pupae over-winterattached to decaying host plants. At the beginning ofspring, the flies emerge (Fig. 5). They are small (3 mmlong, wing span 3-4 mm), with grey bodies and mainlyyellow heads. Their legs are dark but have yellowish“knees”. The females make a number of feedingpunctures on their host plants (in spring on onions,chives and garlic, second generation, in September-October, on leeks) which may leave a number ofwhitish puncture spots on the leaves. The females
usually lay their eggs well down into the leaf orleaf-stalks. The larvae then burrow downwardstowards the bulb/base. Some pupate along the way,others pupate in the bulb. With leeks, externally, theremay be little sign of the invasion but the discolourationand the presence of 30-40 wriggling larvae per stalkis enough to put most of us off their consumption. Theauthor lost all except two leeks out of a total crop of300+ plants in the autumn of 2014.....and there was noobvious external sign on any of the plants (the best-looking he had ever grown!). Affected onions often
show more obvious effects. Earlygrowing onion sets can be attackedin March-April and the invadedplants become susceptible to fungalinfection and by late April most ofthe bulbs may become soft and giveoff a sweet odour. Again, the authorhas experience total crop loss.
The Royal Horticultural Societysuggests that there are no pesticidesavailable to amateur gardeners foruse on leeks or onions that willcontrol this pest but plants might beprotected by covering them with
Who loves Leeks? Loew
(Agromyzidae)
Fig. 1. Appearance of Leeks. Little sign ofthe leaf miner, though rust (a fungus) ispresent.
Fig. 2. Outer leaves removed,revealing several pupae in thetunnels left by the burrowinglarvae.
Fig. 3. Larva burrowinginto leaf. Note two posteriorspots characteristic of theAgromyzidae
Fig. 4. Larvae/Pupae invarious stages oftransition.
Fig. 5. Adult Phytomyza gymnostoma.Fly is about 3 mm long.
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horticultural fleece or ultra-fine mesh. They alsostrongly advocate crop rotation; not always easy toimplement with a small garden. Commercial cropgrowers use a number of systemic pesticides.
A large sample of the P. gymnostoma pupae presentin the author’s leeks have been kept to observe whatemerges for it did appear that some of the larvae hadbeen parasitized. So there may be hope for gardeners.Incubated material has been very carefully contained.
References:
Agallou, E., Collins, D. (2004) Allium Leaf Miner-Napomyza gymnostoma. Plant Pest Notice No. 35CSI York, United Kingdom, p.4.
Royal Horticultural Society website:https://www.rhs.org.uk/Search?Query=Allium%2bleaf%2bminer
World Biodiversity Database. Arthropods ofEconomic Importance. Agromyzidae. Phytomyzagymnostoma. Description. http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/
See also:https\;www.eppo.int/QUARANTINE/alert.../Phytomyza_gymnostoma.doc
Chris Leach19 Coombe Place, Oadby Leicester LE2 5TH
Since taking on the role of record coordinator ofharvestmen (Opiliones), I have been learning how toidentify these invertebrates. Surprisingly, I found iteasier to key them out than use the photographic guidesthat are available (e.g. Richards, 2010). The year 2014was not that productive because of the learning processbut at least I managed to identify nine species of theUK list of 25. None of these is of national significanceas indeed VC55 is well represented for most species(Daws, 1994). The species identified by me are below.
Some Harvestmen in 2014
Ray Morris
Species LocalitiesAnelasmocephalus cambridgei Market Bosworth
Dicranopalpus ramosusShenton, Dadlington,Hinckley, Kelham Bridge,Tilton on the Hill
Leiobunum blackwalli Dadlington
Mitopus morio Hinckley, Kelham Bridge,Nanpantan
Mitostoma chrysomelas Rutland Water (GorseClose)
Opilio parietinus Rutland Water (GorseClose)
Opilio saxatilis DadlingtonPhalangium opilio Market BosworthPlatybunus (Rilaena) triangularis Dadlington
The easiest of all to recognise is Dicranopalpusramosus with its unique tuning fork palpi (see photoin LES Newsletter 43). This was only recorded in theLeicester area according to Jon Daws, with the firstrecord in Jenny Owen’s garden in 1988. Jon reportedon a handful of records between 1991-2. Since thattime the species has been found throughout the twocounties (VC55 MapMate archive, R. Morris) so keepan eye open for it!
References:
Daws, J. (1994) Leicestershire Harvestmen.LESOPS 8.
Richards, P. (2010) Guide to harvestmen of the BritishIsles (fold-out chart). Field Studies Council.
Distinctive leaf mines on garden Aquilegia(Columbine) are caused by the agrozmid flyPhytomyza miniscula. According to the latest NBNdistribution (accessed 04/01/2015) there are only 50records in their database but surely this is an easilyrecorded species! This was found in my Dadlingtongarden during 2014 with most leaves affected and hasbeen previously noted by Graham Calow in hisSapcote garden in 2012 (see NatureSpot).
Ray Morris
One to keep an eye open for
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Sunday, 1st March, 2015 (10 am - 4 pm) Leicestershire
THE BRITISH PLANT GALL SOCIETYINVERTEBRATE GROUP ANNUAL WORKSHOP
BROCKS HILL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE,WASHBROOK LANE, OADBY, LEICESTER. SP619997
“Gall Causers in Focus”
Whether you are an expert Cecidologist, a talented photographer or simply interested in galls, this year’sWorkshop is designed to provide you a wonderful opportunity to see gall causers and their associatedparasitoids and, perhaps, be present at the birth of a new wave of BPGS projects.
In addition to flagging this event, this note is also an invitation to you to make a contribution (a fewslides perhaps, live/preserved specimens etc). Your contribution can take the form of a poster, a collectionof specimen tubes, microscope slides, or a short presentation. We prefer participants to pre-book andsince the number of places is limited.
Provisional Programme
10 am Arrival, coffee and setting up displays10:30-10:45 am Introduction- establishing the objectives for the day (Contents and Products)10:45-12:00 am Review of available photographic resources, identifying shortfalls and exploring possible products
Chris Leach: BPGS Library & the Robin Williams Legacy Additional Photographs from Contributors including Peter Cooke “Images of Galls and Larvae
made Using a Vehro video Microscope”
Discussion of Products: Paper based, Photographic Guide(s) For children, for novices, for experts?Foldout(s). Electronic-based products: Website resources Apps., YouTube releases etc.
Other Products:12:00 – 12:20 pm Production of a set of “Keys” to what is found in galls (causers/parasitoids)12:20-12:45 pm Jerry Bowdrey; -proposing a series of workbooks beginning with... “Beginning the Study of Gall
Wasps”12:45-1:30 pm Lunch1:30-2.10 pm Tom Higginbottom “ Interesting Galls from Dumfries and Yorkshire”2:10-2:45 pm Jerry Bowdrey “Cynipid Galls on Centaura scabia”2:45-3:15 pm Chris Leach “Semudobia Update”3:15- 4:00 pm Summing up including confirmation of objectives and who will do what!
Workshop organisers
Chris Leach [email protected] 0116 271199Maggie Frankum [email protected] 0116 2705833
Booking
Registration fee: £7.00 per person to cover the cost of room hire and coffee/tea. Cheques made payableto the British Plant Gall Society. Please send your registration details and fee to Maggie Frankum, 3Chapel Lane, Knighton, Leicester LE2 3WF or, to save money on postage, email Maggie to register andpay the Society’s Treasurer (Alan Rix) on the day (cash or cheque).
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On most Tuesdays, LES members make use of themuch improved facilities at County Council’sCollections and Resources Centre at Barrow uponSoar. Whether it is examining specimens, delving intopersonalia files for original data, making use of thesplendid library or accommodating national authoritiessuch as Steve Lane and Darren Mann who have beenon a Scarabaeoidae research mission. The Tuesdayget-togethers are like an extension of an LES meeting,tea breaks provide opportunity for lots of invertebratechatter and of course tea, coffee, biscuits and cake…..well there would be wouldn’t there. All this under thewatchful but caring eye of our charming host TerriDewhurst, who actually did say once, she enjoyed ourcompany.
The facility is a public service and is there for us touse. It is located on the Hayhill Industrial Estate,between Barrow upon Soar and Sileby. Thoseintending to visit should first check with Terri aboutopening arrangements (she is only there on Tuesdays)[email protected] 0116 3053720.
http://www.leics.gov.uk/crc
Graham Finch
Research facilities at Barrow
Les Purnell extracting data from the Lepidoptera collection.
Darren Mann and Steve Lane working on a beetle project. Thebeetle collection at Barrow is one of the best in the country.
Ray Morris searching old published journals for records ofLeicestershire & Rutland invertebrates. The original diaries ofsome collectors are also available. Photo: Steve Woodward.
Helen Ikin identifying solitary bees, making use of the extensiveHymenoptera reference collection. Helen has also been workingon the catalogue of 2000+ natural history books in the library.Photo: Steve Woodward.
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As part of the increased invertebrate monitoring ofRutland Water started in mid-2014 a start has beenmade on identifying insect groups that are oftenignored. A malaise trap (funded by LRWT at RutlandWater NR) has been operated at two sites by AdrianRussell on behalf of the Rutland Water RecorderGroup – at the North Arm Marsh (2 traps; SK878086)and Gorse Close (6 traps; SK887061). Lepidoptera arebeing identified by Adrian whilst I have sortedhoverflies and caddisflies and had a go at some of theother insect groups.
The malaise trap is a passive system for catchinginsects around the clock where insects are led into acontainer containing alcohol. In insect-heavy habitats(e.g. North Marsh) the trap was run for only two daysat a time; where insect numbers were expected to bemuch lower (and more manageable e.g. Gorse Close)the trap was run for seven days before being examined.The number of caddis records from both sites was verylow with only three common species being caught(four individuals at Gorse Close) – Mystacideslongicornis, Athripsodes cinereus, Mystacides azurea.This contrasts with the large numbers taken at the RWRothamsted light trap – see separate report. Beetles areknown not to be effectively caught in malaise traps(although the RW experience is that staphylinid beetlesare) with two ladybird species being recognised (2-spotted and 24-spotted). A few water beetles remainto be identified. Small plant bugs are quite frequentlyfound in all samples and these have been passed to theVC55 bug recorder Dave Budworth. A singlepseudoscorpion was found on one occasion, now beingexamined by Helen Ikin.
The majority of a malaise trap catch is made up of hugenumbers of flies which are a challenge to identify.However, the Syrphidae (hoverflies) are easy enoughto do (in most cases) as are male Dolichopodidae(dolis). Craneflies, similarly, can be identified withcare (John Kramer has volunteered to do this) and itlikely that other groups (Tachinidae, Empididae, etc.)may be looked at by members of the Dipterists Forumonce samples have been pre-sorted (a major task initself). Hoverflies have been quite numerous with 21species identified in 2014 (table opposite)Episysyrphus balteatus being the most numerous (53)followed by another common hoverfly Melanostomascalare (34).
Other diptera identified include (a) two dolis(Dolichopus ungulatus, D. latilimbatus) – the maleshave very distinctive genital lamellae that make it easy
to pick them out from the sample masses, (b) the empid(easy to pick out because of their long downwardlypointing proboscis) Empis punctata and (c) thestratiomyid (soldier fly) Beris vallata. The sawfly Argecyanocrocea and two harvestmen species (Opilioparietinus, Mitostoma chrysomelas) have also beenfound. Work continues on these and other groups butit will be some time before a more definitive list foreach catch can be presented.
Provisional results from Malaise trappingat Rutland Water
Taxon
Number inNorthMarshtraps
Numberin Gorse
Closetraps
Anisimyia contracta 1 0Anisymia transfuga 4 0Baccha elongata 2 3Chalcosyrphus nemorum 1 3Cheilosia pagana 1 0Chrysotoxum bicinctum 1 0Episyrphus balteatus 32 21Eristalis tenax 1 1Helophilus hybridus 0 1Eristalinus sepulchralis 1 0Helophilus pendulus 1 2Melanostoma scalare 7 27Myathropa florea 1 1Parasyrphus punctulatus 6 0Platycheirus albimanus 0 3Platycheirus clypeatus 2 1Rhingia campestris 0 9Rhingia rostrata 0 10Syrphus vitripennis 2 2Tropidia scita 1 0Xylota segnis 1 3Number of species 17 14
Ray Morris
Imported Pine Sawfly
On a visit to Fosse Meadows in August 2014 I cameacross the brightly coloured larva of the Imported PineSawfly Diprion similis, a new species for VC55. As
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Caddisflies at the Rutland WaterRothamsted light trap 2014
A Rothamsted Insect Survey (RIS) light trap (Fig. 1)has been running at Rutland Water (SK879072) formany years. It is run daily, being a dry-kill trap withlarge numbers of insects being caught. Often the trapsamples are daily but weekend samples are usually acomposite of three nights trapping whilst towards theend of the year, the composite may be weekly. Onsome occasions, low temperatures result in zero insectsbeing caught. Each catch is sorted by RW staff formacro-moths with the remainder being disposed of.This is an unacceptable waste of biomass andidentification of as much as possible is justifiable withtrap samples being predominantly of diptera, parasiticwasps and caddis. I have started looking at theTrichoptera adults that come to the trap in order to (a)better understand the diversity of these indicators ofwater quality at Rutland Water and (b) to make betteruse of the biological material after removal of themoths. It is intended that other groups of insects willbe targeted from the existing and from future samples.
Prior to this report, few species of caddis had beennoted from Rutland Water despite it having been in
Agrypnia pagetana Limnephilus auricula Molanna angustataAthripsodes aterrimus Limnephilus decipiens Mystacides azureaAthripsodes cinereus Limnephilus flavicornis Mystacides longicornisCeraclea dissimilis Limnephilus fuscicornis Oecetis furvaCeraclea senilis Limnephilus hirsutus Oecetis ochraceaCheumatopsyche lepida Limnephilus lunatus Oecetis lacustrisGoera pilosa Limnephilus marmoratus Phryganea grandisHalesus digitatus Limnephilus stigma Tinodes maclachlaniLeptocerus tineiformis Limnephilus vittatus Tinodes waeneriLimnephilus affinis Lype phaeopa
Month Jun Jul Sep Oct Nov DecSamples 5 1 4 20 9 2Caddis species 20 1 9 15 5 0Specimens examined 716 3 135 291 38 0
existence for nearly 40 years while for many otherinsect groups it is unlikely that any records exist. Thedata presented here gives a feeling for the range ofcaddisflies at the reservoir in the latter half of 2014 assample examination did not commence until late June.However, in the autumn almost daily samples werekept back for examination and I am grateful to RWstaff for archiving these until I could pick them up.Table 1 details the number of examined samples foreach month during 2014 with Table 2 listing thespecies identified.
In this recording period, 1,183 adult caddis of 29species from 41 trap samples were verified by genitaliaexamination. Nearly all were of common species butTinodes maclachlani is significant in that the onlyrecords for this species are of adults from the WoodBrook, Nanpantan (1980s) and Grace Dieu (2010) -RW is now the third known site the caddis having beenrecorded at the RIS and from a malaise trap operatingat the North Marsh in 2014. The site list now standsat 31 species (the above species plus Athripsodesalbifrons and Ceraclea nigronervosa both taken in2013 at mvl). As the RW RIS trap runs throughout theyear, it is planned to have a full record for 2015 whichshould add to the site’s list.
Table 1. Summary of Rothamsted Insect Trap samples examined in 2014.
Table 2. Species recorded at the RW Rothamsted Insect Trap in 2014.
Fig. 1. The Rothamsted Insect Survey is anetwork of traps throughout the UK, started 50years ago. Its original purpose was to studyinsect populations, particularly aphids andmoths, for pest control purposes. The standardtrap design uses a tungsten light bulb. Forfurther information seehttp://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/insect-survey
Graham Calow
its Common Name suggests, the sawfly is associatedwith various species of pine. The females are poorfliers but the larvae are possibly introduced to someareas when pine is planted. These larvae feed fromMay to September/October on mature needles of pines.The young larvae are gregarious, and feed in small
colonies, and the older larvae disperse and are solitary.Fully grown larvae are 18 to 28 mm long. Most recordsfor this species come from the southern counties ofEngland although thorough searching may prove thespecies to be more common in our area than presentrecords suggest.
Ray Morris
LES Newsletter 52
12
January 2015
Indoor Meetings Programme
Our venue is Kirby Muxloe Free Church, Main Street,Kirby Muxloe LE9 2AN SK517042. The session startsat 7:30, but most members arrive half an hour earlierfor a natter and a cuppa. Visitors are welcome.
Hedgerow LaneLadysm
ith Rd
B5380
Main St
Castle Rd
Church RdKMFC
Kirby Muxloe
To Hinckley Rd
Barwell Rd
Thursday 19 February 2015 – ‘Lice’
Ivan Pedley will follow his January talk on ticks withthis one about lice giving an insight into the humanlouse and its habits.
Thursday 19 March 2015 – ‘Annual MothRecorders Meeting’
Adrian Russell will summarise the work of the VC55moth recording sessions held during 2014. The efforteveryone has taken to visit under-recorded areas.Which species are increasing and which species aredeclining? How many new county records?
Anona Finch
The following are willing to act as an initial point ofcontact for providing advice and information tomembers.
Arachnids (Spiders, pseudoscorpions):- vacant.
Arachnids (Mites & Ticks):- Ivan Pedley, 48Woodlands Drive, Groby, Leicester LE6 0BQ. 0116287 6886. [email protected]
Biological Recording:- Sue Timms, Leics &Rutland Environmental Records Centre; Room 400,County Hall, Glenfield LE3 8RA. 0116305 [email protected]
Chilopoda:- Helen Ikin, 237 Forest Road,Woodhouse, Woodhouse Eaves, Leics LE12 8TZ.01509 890102. [email protected]
Coleoptera:- Graham Finch, 14 Thorndale, Ibstock,Leics. LE67 6JT: [email protected]
Diplopoda:- Helen Ikin (see Chilopoda).
Diptera (Acalypterates, Syrphids & Brachycera):-Darwyn Sumner, 122 Link Road, Anstey, LeicesterLE7 7BX. 0116 212 [email protected]
Diptera (Nematocera - Mosquitoes, Blackflies &Craneflies):- John Kramer, 31 Ash Tree Road,Oadby, Leicester LE2 5TE. 0116 271 [email protected]
Hymenoptera (Symphyta - Sawflies):- DaveNicholls, 69-71 Church Lane, Ratby, LE6 [email protected]
Hymenoptera (Bumblebees):- Maggie Frankum,see page 2.
Hymenoptera (Other aculeates - Bees, Wasps &Ants):- Helen Ikin (see Chilopoda).
Hemiptera:- Dave Budworth, see page 2.
Isopoda (Woodlice):- Helen Ikin (see Chilopoda).
Lepidoptera:- Adrian Russell, 15 St Swithin’s Road,Leicester LE5 2GE. 0116 241 [email protected]
Mecoptera, Neuroptera, Plecoptera :- SteveWoodward, see page 2.
Mollusca: - Dave Nicholls (see Hymenoptera(Symphyta)).
Looking for help? Odonata:- Ian Merrill [email protected]
Opiliones (Harvestmen): - Ray Morris, see page 2.
Orthoptera:- Helen Ikin, see Chilopoda.
Phthiraptera, Siphonaptera:- Frank Clark, 4 MainStreet, Houghton on the Hill, Leicester LE7 9GD.0116 243 2725. [email protected]
Plant Galls:- Maggie Frankum, see page 2.
Psocoptera:- Helen Ikin, see Chilopoda.
Thysanoptera: - Ivan Pedley, see Mites.
Trichoptera (adults):- Ray Morris, see page 2.