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LEICESTERSHIREENTOMOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
VC55
NEWSLETTER 51September 2014
Superficially, the Bristly MillipedePolyxenus lagurus (Linnaeus, 1758)looks nothing like “typical” millipedes,apart from having two pairs of legs persegment. It is placed in a separate Order- Polyxenida. Polyxenus is the onlygenus in the order and contains about30 species worldwide. We have onlyone species in this country which isonly 2 -3 mm in length and covered inbristly hairs, with conspicuous goldentufts at the rear end.
In the local millipede atlas (Daws & Ikin 2010) it wasshown to occur in 45 tetrads in the two counties. Sincethen HI and SFW have been visiting churchyardsthroughout the counties primarily looking for solitarybees and wasps. We have searched the church walls,and sometimes gravestones and tombs, for the BristlyMillipede and found it on 91 of the 226 churches
visited. Before 2004, Jon Daws and Ivan Pedleyrecorded it on a further 13 churches and churchyardsas well as other types of site. The current distributionmap is shown below.
Our earliest record in the year on wallsis 3 March and the latest we have seenit is 1 October. In November, Januaryand February we have had records fromamong crumbling mortar at Grace DieuPriory which seems to indicate that itmay over-winter in sheltered cracks andcrevices. Small, presumably young,millipedes are evident at most times ofyear.
As you can imagine, such a tiny animal is not easy tofind. We often find just one, or very few, on the wholechurch. We are surely missing many more, as a viablepopulation must be a lot larger. We have only searchedat or below eye level, of course - who knows how many
Distribution in Leicestershire & Rutland up to Sept 2014. Mapproduced using DMAP.
Churchyards are good places to look for the Bristly MillipedePolyxenus lagurus, sometimes on gravestones but more often ontombs or church walls. Photos: Steve Woodward.
continued on p3
The Ecclesiastical Millipede
LES Newsletter 51
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September 2014
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: 10 Jan 2015
Editorial
Steve Woodward
What a busy year this has been, with plenty of fine,warm days to tempt members out to go “bug-hunting”.Graham Calow continues to turn up new insects fromSapcote and its environs. Ian Merrill has beensearching for dragonflies, and reports a couple of newspecies. Beetles have attracted few enthusiasts inrecent decades, but Graham Finch, Tony Cook andothers are now adding many valuable records to thevice-county list. Ray Morris provides another Caddisupdate, but now that he is retired he has found time totrawl through the old literature to index vice-countyrecords.
My own projects include churchyards and BradgatePark. Natural England, with the support of theBradgate Park Trust, have encouraged us to search fora money-spider Midia midas. They sent Helen Ikin andmyself on a training course at Sherwood Forest to learnhow to find this very rare inhabitant of ancient oaktrees. It has not been recorded at Bradgate (yet!) butthere is a record from Donington Park. The suggestedtechnique is to install pitfall traps inside the tops ofpollards. Helen, Graham Finch and myself had a go atthis in the summer - we caught very little other thanwoodlice but we will try again next year. If we don’tfind the target species, I have little doubt that we willdiscover other goodies.
Graham Finch and Helen Ikin searching forthe elusive Midas Spider at Bradgate Park.
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September 2014
we have missed on the higher parts of the church.When we do find larger numbers, they are usuallyclustered on just one part of the church, rather thanbeing dispersed around it.
We have noted the aspect of many of the walls onwhich P. lagurus occurs and this is summarised in thefollowing diagram. It can tolerate a certain amount ofdirect sunlight and is certainly not found only in shady,damp places like most other millipedes. The bristlesprobably enable it to withstand more dryness and heatthan other millipedes (Wright & Westh, 2006). It
probably retires into cracks if it becomes too hot. Sofar we have not managed to study one church at alltimes of day to see if the millipede migrates aroundthe church with the sun, but this seems unlikely forsuch a small animal.
The highest number of individuals seen was about 200at Stoke Golding, on the blue brick tiles on top of awall around the churchyard, under Sycamore trees. Tothe naked eye, there appeared to be nothing growingon the tiles that could sustain so many animals. Yet,under the hand lens we could see the millipedesmoving their heads from side to side as if they weregrazing. Geoffrey Hall had a close look at a tilefragment for us under the microscope and found chainsof cells belonging to a microfungus, possibly a blackyeast. Honeydew from aphids is commonly foundunder Sycamores and it seems likely that the millipedeswere feeding on microfungi or algae growing on thehoneydew.
Sandstone seems to be the millipede’s favourite stoneand it is rarely found on ironstone or on granite –neither of which support good algal, fungal or lichengrowth. We rarely find it on stone covered in thicklichens or moss, more often it is on surfaces thatappear to be free of any growth. It is sometimes
numerous under loose stone or mortar flakes onwindow sills or below walls.
How has this tiny millipede managed to colonisechurch and other walls in the whole of VC55 andprobably most other counties? It cannot fly and is veryunlikely to walk far. We have no evidence of itshitching rides on flying insects as do pseudoscorpions.It seems to lack the tools to hang on to another species,although it seems to cling to vertical walls veryefficiently. It can jump too if severely provoked.
Our records are mainly from church walls becausechurches are publicly accessible in each village but themillipede is just as likely to occur on suitable stone onhouses and other walls. The books state that it is foundunder bark but we have rarely, if ever, found it in thissituation.
We have been approached by a couple of vicars wholisten in polite disbelief as we explain what we aredoing. Many churches have CCTV to protect theircopper lightning conductors and lead roofs, so we haveprobably been featured on several videos, peeringclosely at walls. Oh, it is just those strange millipedepeople again!
References:
Daws, J. & Ikin, H. (2010). The Millipedes ofLeicestershire and Rutland, LESOPS 22.
Wright, J. C. & Westh, P. (2006). Water vapourabsorption in the penicillate millipede Polyxenuslagurus (Diplopoda: Penicillata: Polyxenida):microcalorimetric analysis of uptake kinetics. Journalof Experimental Biology 209, 2486-2494.
N: 18
E: 19
S: 27
W: 16
Number of walls facing north, south, east and west on whichBristly Millipedes were found.
“There’s one!” Most millipedes were found on walls with lesslichen cover than this. Photo: Helen Ikin.
Helen Ikin & Steve Woodward
continued from p1
LES Newsletter 51
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September 2014
On 22 July 2006, VC55 was finally blessed with thelong-awaited discovery of the Small Red-eyedDamselfly Erythromma viridulum, when the firstspecimens appeared at Priory Water. The spread of thisspecies through Britain, since its 1999 arrival in Essex,is surely one of the best documented accounts of anyrecent faunal colonisation and Small Red-eyedDamselfly is now well established in VC55 andbeyond.
With such a low diversity (prior to 2014 just 26 speciesof Odonate had been recorded in VC55, 21 of whichbreed on a regular basis), it seemed likely that wewould have to wait many years before any additionaldragonfly species saw fit to expand their ranges intothe counties; few could have predicted theentomological excitement which was to unfold in2014!
On 11 June 2014 I received an email from MarkTyrrell, the Northamptonshire Dragonfly Recorder, tosay that Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo hadbeen reported close to the River Welland in the vicinityof Husbands Bosworth. Aware that BeautifulDemoiselle had been spreading towards the VC55boundary for a number of years, I had already spentseveral previous summers searching seeminglysuitable stretches of both the River Avon and Welland,but always to no avail.
Beautiful Demoiselle has a predominantly southernand western distribution within the UK, with arequirement for fast-flowing, sandy or gravellybottomed watercourses in which to breed. InNorthamptonshire it occupies suitable stretches of theNene, Cherwell and Tove, plus their tributaries, inplaces less than 10 km from the VC55 boundary. A
study of Google Maps revealed some potentiallysuitable locations on the VC55 border, but it still cameas quite a shock when on the afternoon of 25 June thevery first site on the upper Welland which I visitedproduced a single male Beautiful Demoiselle!
The exact location of the sighting was a ratherunremarkable-looking stretch of gravel-bottomedstream passing through grazing pasture, close to thevillage of Theddingworth. Only a single male wasnoted, but is was clearly holding territory rather than
passing through, most likely a vanguard of thecontinuing northward push of this species. A foreignholiday prevented a revisit to the site until 26 July,when sadly only a handful of Banded DemoisellesCalypoterix splendens were found. In the meantime,however, Matthew Billings had also been searchinglikely spots and on 6 July he had found another maleBeautiful Demoiselle, this time on the River Avon inthe vicinity of Stanford Hall.
Judging by the recent northward spread of the speciesin the East Midlands, Beautiful Demoiselle is likely tobecome a permanent feature on suitable water bodiesin the south of VC55 in the near future. Anyoneinterested in adding to the current understanding of thespecies’ distribution should concentrate on shallow,fast-flowing sections of rivers and streams, betweenlate May and the end of July.
Still revelling in the excitement of a new addition tothe counties’ list of Odonata, at the beginning ofAugust I was forwarded an extremely interesting emailfrom Chris Park, Conservation Officer for the NeneParks Trust in Peterborough. Chris is very familiarwith Scarce Chaser Libellula fulva, which is now anabundant resident in the Nene Valley, and wastherefore confident of his identification of no less thanthree individuals of this species which he saw in the
River Welland, close to Theddingworth, location of VC55’s firstBeautiful Demoiselle.
Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo. Photo: Mark Tyrrell(taken in Northants).
When dragonflies are like buses
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September 2014
east of VC55 early in 2014. At the time, however,Chris did not realise that they constituted the first threerecords for the counties!
The records actually came from three rather well-dispersed sites, in the form of the Rutland Water(Egleton Nature Reserve) on 2 July 2014, the RiverGwash at Belmesthorpe Road on 15July and the RiverWelland at Tinwell Meadows on 18 July; all recordswere of males. The distribution map illustrates just howwidely spread this species may already be in VC55.
River Welland, close to Tinwell: ideal Scarce Chaser habitat.
Scarce Chaser has expanded its range rapidly throughNorthamptonshire, moving 50 km westwards along theRiver Nene between 2005 and 2013. The move fromthe River Nene in Northamptonshire to the RiverWelland is a relatively short hop, although extensivesurveys of the lower reaches of the Welland on theVC55 boundary in 2010 failed to produce any ScarceChaser records. It must therefore be assumed that thespecies moved onto the River Welland over the lastfour years.
Scarce Chaser has a requirement for slow-movingmature rivers, though standing water bodies close byare often colonised. Preferred breeding sites possesslush emergent bankside vegetation with adjacent roughmeadows or scrub. Potential observers wishing tolocate this species in the future should concentrate onany sites in the far east of VC55 matching thesecredentials, between mid May and early July.
And so we wait eight years for a new VC55 colonistfrom the south, and then two come along at once! Anyrecords of these exciting Odonate buses would bewarmly welcomed over the next few years, when Isuspect that a flurry of new dots will be added in thesouthern and eastern extremities of the VC55 Odonatarecording atlas. Hopefully these exciting occurrenceswill stimulate other recorders of various groups tosearch, with open minds, in the far flung corners of thecounties. If such a well-studied group as thedragonflies can produce these monumental surprisesin a single year then who knows, you just might flagdown some entomological buses of your own?
Ian MerrillBDS Dragonfly Recorder
Scare Chaser distribution in VC55 to 2014. Map produced usingDMAP.
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September 2014
I photographed a sawfly at Fosse Meadows, Sharnford,on 30 April, then collected the specimen and sent it tonational sawfly expert Guy Knight (World Museum,Liverpool). He identified it as Nematus fahraei andsuggested that I look out for the green larvae makinglarge holes in the middle of Aspen leaves.
There only seem to be four British records shown onthe NBN Gateway map, and Guy commented that hehad never seen the species before. It is about 7 mmlong. The head, thorax, abdomen and legs are allorange, but there is blackish marking at the ‘waist’between the thorax and abdomen which give theappearance of a black band. The wing has an orangestigma. Although I photographed it on nettles, it isassociated with Aspen which is present at FosseMeadows. I have checked with Dave Nicholls (VC55Co-ordinator for Sawflies) and this would seem to bethe first record of the species in VC55. Informationabout the species is hard to come by – the only otherreference to it that I found were images at the following:http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=338378
I collected the second sawfly specimen during a localBSBI visit to Fosse Meadows on 21 May 2014. I sentit to Guy Knight who identified it as Macrophyaalbipuncta (female) a new species for VC55 and quite
uncommon nationally, itseems. Guy commented:
“This is a really nicerecord. For a long time itwas considered a very rarespecies of Scottish haymeadow grassland whichhad been found at a fewsimilar sites in northernEngland. More recentlythere have been recordsfrom Wiltshire and Surrey.I think it still is genuinelyrare though and associatedwith grassy margins wherethe larvae feed on Wood
Crane’s-bill (and probably other Geraniums).”
At Fosse Meadows, I think the sawfly is probablyfeeding on Meadow Crane’s-bill, which seems to bethe dominant Geranium species there.
Two new Sawflies at Fosse Meadows
Graham Calow
Sawfly Macrophya albipuncta.
Indexing published entomologicalrecords for VC55
Ray Morris
Over the last couple of years I have been collectingcopies of published entomological records of interestto VC55 (currently ~700). In the main the work hasbeen limited to nationally produced journals but it isapparent that many records and observations never seethe light of day in such publications. However, theyoften appear in local newsletters produced by VC55natural history groups. As these local productionsoften contain snippets rather than full articles theextraction of records, as was possible with nationalpublications, is not appropriate – I would be overrunby paper! In order to ensure that such locally publishedrecords can be available I have started an Excelworkbook whereby entomological records with datesand locations (although not always with recorderdetail) have been listed. Not included are namedspecies but without any data. One advantage of thelocal Newsletters is that the records often occur as partof an overall observation report that adds meat to therecord, very much in the style of the 19th centuryrecorders. Such information cannot be effectivelyextracted into the workbook but still needs to berecognised.
To ensure that all local entomological records andobservations are available I have started digitising theVC55 Newsletters with entomological interest. Thesewould then be made available as pdf files once theissue of copyright has been addressed. At a later stagethe intent is to produce an index of articles ofentomological interest. Below is a list of the relevantNewsletters from Leicestershire & Rutland that I knowof which I intend to include in the digital library:
� LES Newsletter & LESOPS – alreadyscanned and available via NatureSpot
� Leicester Literary & Philosophical Society(Natural History Section) - Newsletter
� Rutland Natural History Society - Fieldfare� Loughborough Naturalists’ Club - Heritage -
already scanned and available via LNC.� Hinckley & District Natural History Society
- Naturewatch
If anyone knows of others that could be part of thedigitisation programme then I would be pleased toknow.
LES Newsletter 51
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September 2014
In Duff (2012) the current total for the British Isles isaround 4000 species, in VC55 we have recordedalmost 2000. It is quite difficult to get a precise countas the checklists have changed dramatically with splitsand lumps plus new species added in recent years.Also, Derek Lott (late Coleoptera Recorder for VC55)did have his reservations about certain records andrecorders. Over 3000 records have been added overthe last four years although the majority of these willrepresent the more noticeable species. Neverthelessdue to some industrious fieldwork and, of course, notbeing denied of our fair share of luck we have alsoadded several new species to the county and amasseda creditable list of the more notable species, includingsome sinificant range extensions and even a goodnumber with a Nationally Notable designation.
The following account is a summary of species thatare either first records for the county, in the last fouryears, or of particular interest based on county rarity.Derek’s VC55 Coleoptera database has been used asthe baseline for this report, however in 2010 very fewrecords were entered due to Derek’s illness, so 2010and 2011 were years in limbo as hardly any collectionand co-ordination of records took place. In 2012 Imanaged to get hold of the database from our localrecords centre with a view to assembling a countychecklist of all Coleoptera recorded within thecounties. Since this date, numerous records have beensubmitted and have come from a variety of sourcesincluding serious individual coleopterists, enthusiasticcasual observers, and few on going projects. No doubta number of records will have passed under the radaror may not have been submitted anywhere at all,hopefully some of these will come to light at a laterdate. Whilst working on this checklist throughout thisperiod it was becoming apparent just how many ofthese records were of significance, as the report belowshould reveal.
I have tried to list the most relevant species and alsoincluded brief additional information, which shouldgo some way to make the record a little moremeaningful and interesting. While some of the specieslisted are not particularly rare, it may be that they havenot had the time spent looking for them and so targetedsearches will no doubt generate many more records.There are other records but these will require furtherconfirmation before being committed to the fulldatabase.
Designations assigned to certain species are taken fromthe NBN Gateway supplied by Joint NatureConservation Committee (JNCC).
Beetle Records Update References:
Duff, A.G. (ed. 2012). Checklist of Beetles of theBritish Isles .2nd edition Pemberley Books.
Lott, D. (1995). Leicestershire Red Data Books:Beetles. Leicestershire County Council Museums Artsand Records Service and Leicestershire and RutlandWildlife Trust.
Notiophilus rufipes Curtis 1829. Added new to thecounty from Ketton Quarry, 25/05/2012, D. Nicholls.
Acrotrichis rosskotheni Sundt 1971. Grace DieuWood, 20/07/2011, S. F. Woodward, det. ColinJohnson. Just a single previous record: East Wood,Rutland, 26/09/1977, C. Johnson.
Lordithon exoletus Erichson 1839. Beacon Hill,19/10/2013, G. L. Finch. Just four previous records.
Deleaster dichrous Gravenhorst 1802. NationallyNotable B. Leicester Eco House, 13/06/2014, G. L.Finch; Charnwood Lodge N. R., 24/05/2012, G. L.Finch.
There are six records in total for this species, it isalso mentioned in Lott (1995). First recorded in thecounty at Swithland Reservoir 1922 - 1972, C. W.Henderson. It is a distinctive rove so well worthlooking out for.
Variimorda villosa on Ox-eye Daisy at Ketton Quarry.Photo: Steve Woodward.
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September 2014
Onthophagus joannae Goljan 1953. Added new tothe county from Ketton Quarry, 27/08/2013, T. Cookand F. Clark. Additional record at the same site04/05/2014, M. Skevington.
Aphodius fasciatus Olivier 1789. Nationally NotableB. Lea Meadows N. R., 16/10/2011, D. Nicholls.Just a single previous record: Bradgate Park, 1896,by C. B. Headly.
Phyllopertha horticola Linnaeus 1758. Quorn,17/06/2014, P. H. Gamble; also on 10/06/2014,13/06/2014, 06/06/2014, other details the same. Justa single previous record: Leicestershire, 1848 -1895F. Bates.
Cetonia aurata Linnaeus 1761. Packington, nearAshby, 10/05/2013, D. Fill. There have been justfour previous records, the last from Kibworth, 1907by an unknown recorder.
Agrilus biguttatus Fabricius 1777. NationallyNotable B. Swithland Wood, 24/07/2012, S. F.Woodward; Bradgate Park. 21/09/2013, S. F.Woodward and H Ikin. Just three previous records:Buddon Wood, 1842; Donington Park, 24/10/1987,Derek Lott; Stanford Park, 14/06/2002, A. B. Drane.
Platycis minutus Thomson C. G. 1859. NationallyNotable B. Rutland Water, 26/08/2014, A. P.Russell. Three previous records: Launde Big Wood,22/09/1984, S. Costa; Skeffington Wood,02/09/1990, J. A. Bullock; Launde Big Wood,09/1998, Derek Lott.
Silis ruficollis Fabricius 1775. National Notable B.Added new to the county from River Soar, LeicesterCity, 12/07/2012, H. Peacock.
Cordylepherus viridis Fabricius 1787. KettonQuarry, 06/07/2013, M. Skevington. Just twoprevious records: Buddon Wood, 1922 -1972 C. W.Henderson; SK51, Buddon Wood, 1954 -1960 C. A.Collingwood.
Axinotarsus marginalis Laporte 1840. Added newto the county from Bradgate Park, 2014, G. L. Finch.This species was found in numbers in several areasof the park by sweeping long grass with rushes andsedges - I am sure this will be found elsewhere.
Cryptarcha strigata Fabricius 1787. NationallyNotable B. Bradgate Park, 23/06/2014, G. L. Finch.Just seven previous records of this species.
Melandrya caraboides Linnaeus 1761. NationallyNotable B. River Soar, Mountsorrel, 13/05/2014, G.L. Finch. Just seven previous records.
Hypulus quercinus Quensel 1790. IUCN (pre 1994)Vulnerable. Added new to the county from CloudWood, 06/05/2014, G. L. Finch.
Variimorda villosa Schrank 1781. National NotableB (see photo, opposite page). Added new to thecounty from Ketton Quarry, 13/06/2014, D. Nicholls.Additional record at Ketton Quarry, 13/07/2014, G.L. Finch.
Pseudocistela ceramboides Linnaeus 1758.Nationally Notable B (see photo below). Added newto the county from Bradgate Park, 08/06/2014, S. F.Woodward. Additional record from Park Wood,Rutland, 22/06/2014, A. P. Russell.
Corticeus unicolor Piller & Mitterpacher 1783.IUCN (pre 1994) Rare. Added new to the countyfrom Cloud Wood N. R., 23/04/2012 G. L. Finch.
Stictoleptura rubra Linnaeus 1758. Added new tothe county from Loughborough, M. Hall. Additionalrecord from Whetstone, 12/07/2009, A. Watson.
Paracorymbia fulva De Geer 1775. IUCN (pre1994) Rare. Added new to the county from Sapcote,24/07/2009, G. Calow. Interestingly, this species hasbeen recorded from this site regularly since.
Stenurella melanura Linnaeus 1758. (see photooverleaf) Ketton Quarry, 06/07/2013, M.Skevington; Ketton Quarry, 12/06/2014, S. F.Woodward and H Ikin. Just three previous records:Ulverscroft Lane, 1848 -1895, F. Bates;Leicestershire, 1894 -1898, F. Bouskell;Leicestershire, 1907, F. Bouskell.
Chrysolina americana Linnaeus 1758. Added newto the county from Sapcote, 19/06/2012, G. Calow.Three records since.
Pseudocistela ceramboides on a fallen tree-trunk in Bradgatepark. Photo: Steve Woodward.
LES Newsletter 51
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September 2014
Graham Finch
Caddis highlights of 2014
Platystomos albinus Linnaeus 1758 NationallyNotable B. Added new to the county from KettonQuarry, 20/04/2011, Helen Ikin. Additional records:Ketton Quarry, 04/05/2014, M. Skevington; KettonQuarry, 11/04/2014, M Skevington; Ketton Quarry,03/07/2014, G. L. Finch.
Temnocerus nanus Paykull 1792. Twenty AcrePiece, 11/05/2012, D. Nicholls. Just five previousrecords, four of those between 1848 and 1896. Lastrecorded Buddon Wood, 10/06/1933, K. J. B. Clark.
Apoderus coryli Linnaeus 1758. Fosse Meadows,08/07/2011, D. Nicholls. Just two previous records:Leicestershire, 1848 -1895, F. Bates; LeighfieldForest, 1929 -1950, K. J. B. Clark.
Diplapion confluens Kirby 1808. Rawdykes PowerStation, Leicester, 05/1992, J. T. Daws; NewfieldColliery, 17/08/2014, G. L. Finch.
Oxystoma subulatum Kirby 1808. NewfieldColliery, 17/08/2014, G. L. Finch. Just two previousrecords: Launde Big Wood, 22/09/1984, Derek Lott;Thistleton Gullet, 05/07/1987, P. Kirby.
Pachyrhinus lethierryi Desbrochers 1875. Addednew to the county from Sapcote, 23/05/2012, G.Calow, det. Richard Wright. Three records all fromthe same site since.
Curculio rubidus Gyllenhal 1836 NationallyNotable B. Newfield Colliery, 09/08/2014, M.Skevington. Just two previous records: BuddonWood, 1922 - 1972, C. W. Henderson; also at thesame site 1975 by an unknown recorder.
Cionus tuberculossus Scopoli 1763. Just fourrecords in total for this species: Sapcote; 07/08/2013,G. Calow, det. Richard Wright; River Soar,Leicester, 12/06/2012, H. Peacock; Buddon Wood,1907, unknown recorder; Grace Dieu, 04/07/2011, S.F. Woodward.
Ceutorhynchus assimilis Paykull 1792. PottersMarston, 17/04/2014, G. L. Finch; Upton,17/04/2014, G. L. Finch; Ibstock, 18/04/2014, G. L.Finch. Just a single previous record of this species:Ketton Quarry, 16/07/1999, P. Kirby.
Mogulones euphorbiae Brisout de Barnville Ch1866. National Notable A. Just two records: BarkbyHolt, 26/05/1935, K. J. B. Clark; Newfield Colliery,17/08/2014, G. L. Finch.
Mogulones geographicus Goeze 1777. KettonQuarry, 03/08/2014, G. L. Finch; Ketton Quarry,09/08/2014, M. Skevington. Two previous records:Ketton Quarry, 17/07/2004, Derek Lott;Leicestershire, 1848, J. P. Bartlet.
Cossonus linearis Fabricius 1775 National NotableA. Bagworth Heath, 17/06/2013, G. L. Finch (seeLES Newsletter 49 for details). Just a single previousrecord: Burley, 18/08/1996, A. B. Drane.
Stenurella melanura on Common Spotted-orchid at KettonQuarry. Photo: Steve Woodward.
Several garden light traps are producing regularsamples of caddis for identification. Light traps atDadlington (Andy Johnson) and Sapcote (GrahamCalow) are run nearly every night and are producingexcellent population data. The Sapcote trap isparticularly fruitful with several species of VC55 note.Also a start has been made on sorting out caddis fromthe Rutland Water Rothamstead trap although this is
time consuming because of the huge number andvariety of insects taken.
Adicella reducta, previously only known from a larvalrecord (North Brook, R Gwash) was taken at my trapand at Sapcote. Agapetus ochripes with only twoprevious records from Long Whatton (larva) andSapcote (2013) was recorded on eight occasions at thelatter this year. Following on from the record ofAgrypnia pagetana at Lubbesthorpe last year (HelenIkin), two more have been recovered from the RW
LES Newsletter 51
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September 2014
Ray Morris
Rothamstead trap. A new addition to the county listwas Ceraclea nigronervosa from Sapcote (28 July)while Glossosoma conformis was recorded only forthe second time again from Sapcote (previously as alarval record from the R Sence, Shackerstone 2010).The micro caddis Hyroptila simulans was also a firstVC55 record, again from Sapcote, but I suspect maybe easily overlooked because of its size. GrahamCalow netted a limnephilid at Fosse Meadows whichturned out to be the unmistakable Limnephilus incisuswhich has an indented hind wing – this was the firstVC55 record since 1981. Oecetis lacustris had onlybeen known from a single record (Loughborough2010) but already this year turned up at four light traps.Finally, following on from last year’s VC55 first fromAdrian Russell, a further Oecetis testacea was takenat Sapcote during June.
Overall, 66 species have been recorded in 2014 forVC55 so far and the autumn, provided the weather isreasonable, is usually the peak period for caddis. Inaddition, material from Rutland Water from a newlyacquired malaise trap is currently being examined,Adrian Russell is providing caddis from light trapsfrom a variety of sites in east Leicestershire andspecimens are now emerging from Bradgate Park aftermany years of no biological recording being permitted.Please feel free to send me specimens for identification!
Lacewing Nothochrysa capitata with a spermatophore attached(a package of sperm passed from the male to the female).
I caught a lacewing Nothochrysa capitata in my mothtrap at Sapcote on 12 July 2014. This is a first for VC55.
Graham Calow
New lacewing for county at Sapcote
I was reading the Leicestershire Craneflies LESOP(Kramer, 2011) recently and thought that I had perhapsbeen too brief in the treatment of Alan Muschamp(1871-1958) I wrote:
Muschamp did very little work in VC55; he left a setof notebooks at the Museum (Museum Ref. 406 56) butthere are only ten cranefly records to show for his 30years tenancy. Nearly all of these records date from1935-6. Other than parish, there are few details of sitesand only five records have complete data.
I also quoted a comment he made about the Rev.Wingate as follows:
Wingate extracted from Schiner’s Austrian Tables[keys] all that concerned the British Flies that he foundin Verrall’s catalogue, and this is used very generallytoday, for want of something better.
Muschamp, in his lecture notes, then went on:
Unfortunately there are many omissions. .... Still moreunfortunately, Wingate's knowledge of German seemsto have been insufficient for the task. Several timeswhen his descriptions have puzzled me and I havereferred back to the original work I have foundmistakes that must be called ridiculous.
He may be right, Wingate was not a teacher of German,but he did acknowledge the help of a native German-speaker. If people criticise the work of others then theyneed to produce the evidence to support their criticism.Muschamp did not do so and it reflects badly on him,although I suspect that he would not notice! If he iswrong then the mockery may suggest an explanationfor Wingate's relative obscurity.
The records which Muschamp left are shown in Table 1.
Rhamphidia is the genus we now call Helius, but thereis a voucher (see below). Nephrotoma tennuipes is nota British species. There is no European species ofCranefly called Dicranomyia macrostigma and it isextremely unlikely that Dactylolabis transversa wouldoccur on Wigston Fields. It occurs on rocky mossyseepages, a rather rare habitat.
In addition to the records above, Muschamp left a fewvoucher specimens from Leicestershire which,although listed, I did not mention in the text of 2011LESOP.
These are to be found in the Leicestershire Museum'scollection (Table 2). The identification has been doneby later workers.
Percy Alan H. Muschamp (1871-1958)
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I re-read the Cranefly LESOP because the determinerof a September 2012 record of Limonia flavipes fromWest Cornwall drew my attention to to Muschamp'srecord in the LESOP of Limonia flavipes fromNarborough Bog. This is a species commonest duringMay and June and September records, likeMuschamp’s, are rare. It is interesting to note that thereare also recent records of Ormosia nodulosa, Limoniaflavipes, Limonia nubeculosa and Rhipidia maculatafrom Narborough Bog.
Muschamp Name Current Name Location DateDicranomyia mitis Dicranomyia mitis Bradgate Park May 1935Rhamphidia maculata (sic) Rhipidia maculata Narborough Bogs Sep 1935Tipula nigra Nigrotipula nigra Narborough Bogs Sep 1935Pachyrhina maculosa Nephrotoma appendiculata Longcliffe 01 Jun 1936Pachyrhina tennuipes (Riedel) Nephrotoma ? Narborough Bogs Sep 1935Dicranomyia macrostigma Limonia macrostigma ? Braunstone Sep 2935Dactylolabis gracilipes Dactylolabis transversa Wigston Fields No datePedicia rivosa Pedicia rivosa Narborough Bogs No dateRhypholophus haemorrhoidalis Rhypholophus haemorrhoidalis Anstey Mar 1936
Muschamp Name Current Name Location DateTipula fulvipennis Tipula fulvipennis No data 1915Tipula maxima Tipula maxima Braunston ? 08 Mar 1933Ormosia nodulosa Ormosia nodulosa Narborough Bogs 01 Sep 1936Dicranomyia chorea Dicranomyia chorea Bradgate May 1935Dicranomyia chorea Dicranomyia chorea Longcliffe 01 Jun 1936Rhipidia maculata Rhipidia maculata Narborough Bogs Sep 1935Limonia flavipes Limonia flavipes Narborough Bogs Sep 1935Limonia nubeculosa Limonia nubeculosa Narborough Bogs Sep 1935
Table 1: Records which Muschamp left in his notebook.
Table 2: Muschamp’s voucher specimens from Leicestershire.
John [email protected]
Reference:
Kramer, J. (2011). The Craneflies of Leicestershireand Rutland (VC55). LESOPS 26.
The distinctive blotch mines belongingto one of the two species of Isochnusweevil were found in abundance(several thousand) at Misterton Marshon 7 August 2014 in Salix fragilisCrack Willow. The two species areIsochnus foliorum of which we havejust two records, Charnwood Forest,1844, H. W. Bates and Leicestershire,1848-1895, F. Bates: both records alittle vague on locations, the otherIsochnus sequensi has not beenrecorded in the county at all. Severalmines were collected and brought hometo be reared through, hopefully this willbe quite straightforward and the adultsshould start to appear from thebeginning of October. As the adults are
relatively distinctive the true identitywill be revealed, either way they will bevery interesting records. I. foliorum isapparently a widespread speciesnationally but has become very scarce,whereas I. sequensi is still scarce but isa fairly recent colonist and is spreadingslowly. We had “dealings” with I.sequensi a few years ago, when a “longleaved Willow” hedge at a holidaychalet site at Hemsby in Norfolk wasabsolutely covered with quite probablymillions of mines, but as this was earlyOctober thousands of adultsaccompanied the mines too. We alsobrought a selection of mines home whenadults soon began emerging within amatter of days. Whichever species they
weevils
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turn out to be they will be significant records either thefirst for well over a hundred years or new records forthe county. From the photo of the mine you can seethey are very distinctive brown blister mines and thefact that there are so many on each tree they will hardlygo unnoticed. So keep an eye open for them duringany fieldwork close to any gravel pits, marshes,various areas in the Soar Valley, or sites such as PrioryWater, Rutland Water, Aylestone Meadows, andCossington Nature Reserve. In fact anywhere wherewillows will be growing. They are not restricted to thelong-leaved willow varieties, but can be found onbroad-leaved Salix spp. It would be great to find thisspecies in other areas within the county. Graham & Anona Finch
The ground beetle Demetrias imperialis (Carabidae)was recorded at Priory water in January 2014 underthe dead leaves of old Typha latifolia (Reedmace)stems growing at the landward edge of a smallPhragmites australis reed-bed bordering the MainLake (see Cook & Clark, 2013, for site details). Theonly previous record of this species in VC55 is fromLockington Marshes (Derek Lott, 12 May 2003). D.imperialis was designated as Notable B (nowNationally Scarce) by Hyman in 1992 but since thenhas become more abundant, occurring in more than100 hectads in England (NBN Gateway).Sphaeridium marginatum (Hydrophilidae) is a dung-inhabiting beetle that was recorded at Priory Water inhorse dung in March and April 2014. These are thefirst and second records for VC55. The species wasonly recognized in 1989 as being distinct from the verysimilar S. bipustulatum (not recorded at Priory). Basedon present records it should be considered NationallyScarce, occurring in fewer than 100 hectads in Englandand Wales, but this may be due to under-recording.
Two uncommon beetles at Priory Water
Tony Cook & Frank Clark
The two other species of Sphaeridium, S. lunatum andS. scarabaeoides, which are both common, have beenrecorded at Priory Water in cow dung – suggesting anecological separation from S. marginatum based ondung type.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Tony Drane for information onSphaeridium marginatum and for suggesting a searchof Typha stems. We are also grateful to Graham Finchfor confirming that S. marginatum has not beenpreviously recorded in VC55.
References
Cook, T. & Clark, F. (2013). The ground beetles(Carabidae) of Priory Water NR, Leicestershire.LESOPS 30.
Hyman, P. S. (1992). A review of scarce andthreatened Coleoptera of Great Britain. Part 1. JNCC.
NBN Gateway: https://data.nbn.org.uk accessed Aug2014.
Isochnus foliorum and Isochnus sequensi are weevilsbelonging to the tribe Rhamphini, there are 20 specieswithin 6 genera and all are leaf miners, characterisedfurther by their ability to jump when disturbed, earningthem an additional name, “flea weevils”. Both speciesare very small ranging from 1.5 - 2.5 mm. Althoughsuperficially similar looking, there are somefundamental differences: the number of segments onthe antennae, 7 for foliorum and 6 for sequensi plusthe fore- and mid- femur, black to pitchy for foliorumand clear yellow to red for sequensi.
Left: Demetrias imperialis (4.5 - 5.8 mm);right: Sphaeridium marginatum (5.0 - 6.7 mm).Photos: Tony Cook.
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The night of 20 June started off quite disappointing,here we were in Swithland Wood possibly the bestdeciduous piece of woodland outside of Rutland withfour 125 W light traps in operation. The moths werenot exactly pouring in, a feature of the last couple ofyears. Finishing with just over 500 moths and a speciestotal of 99 species only nine species made it intodouble figures.
Approximately 20 minutes before we decided to callit a night a small pale pinkish moth landed on the sheetand settled just long enough to focus on it before itdisappeared to the dark and cluttered depths of aMorrison’s carrier bag full of plastic moth pots. Frozenstaring at the blank spot on the sheet where it hadlanded, it took all of two seconds before mild panic setin as I realised what the species was. What was thechance of getting it out of said Morrison’s bag inreasonable condition? I unscrewed the lid off thenearest pot and as I reached for the carrier bag, outpopped the moth only to land on the sheet literally sixinches under the hand with the open pot. A swiftdownward stroke followed by a little bit of fumblingto get the lid on and then relief - “gotcha!”.Incarcerated, I calmly passed it to my companions ofthe night stating this is the moth of the night, I sensedneither were that impressed with this small, faded pinkand brown little gem of a thing not that much biggerthan a large Tortrix moth. Only a seasoned “mother”can survive such trauma and exit the experienceunscathed. The beast in question was a Rosy MarbledElaphria venustula and a first for VC55.
This species has a definite southeast distribution anda liking for open woodland, it was certainly attractedto light placed within a clearing so it begs the question,has it always been there and previously overlooked?Remember, there has been very little light trappinghere for many years or was it an extremely lucky findof a migrant which incredibly managed to locate theexact type of habitat that the textbooks say that itshould be found in.
Graham Finch
Rosy Marbled Moth Field Microscope put to the test
This tiny field microscope (38 mm long) arrivedthrough the post from Hong Kong and was tested atBradgate Park today. It has a built-in LED light. Themagnification is claimed to be x45, but I suspect thisis an exaggeration. Nonetheless, the image is veryclear and the depth of field is remarkably good.Focusing is achieved by sliding the eyepiece in andout - but in practice it is simpler to move the wholeinstrument relative to the subject.
The build quality is cheap and plasticky, and thebattery compartment lid threatens to pop out at anymoment. There is no loop for attaching a string, nor isthere one on the supplied pouch - so great care will beneeded to avoid losing some or all of this device. Idon’t expect it will survive field use for more than afew months. But this optical wonder costs less than £2(about the same as a cup of tea!) - so it could beregarded as a consumable.
Helen Ikin is alsoimpressed and may havesome available at indoormeetings.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/niceEshop-Mini-45X-Microscope-Illuminator/dp/B002E0MU70/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1410541982&sr=1-
Steve Woodward
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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.
Looking for help?
Paul Brock has produced a photographic guidecovering all orders of insect in Britain and Ireland. Ithas 524 pages and is compact enough to take into thefield. It is more ambitious than Chinery (2005) orChinery (2012), so it probably is the mostcomprehensive guide available. But it still illustratesless than 10% of our 24,000 species, so the word“comprehensive” in the title should not be interpretedtoo literally.
Each order has a general introduction and the pagescovering it are colour-coded at the top edge - veryuseful. Each species has a photo of a live insect on theright page and typically five lines of text on the left,along with a distribution map. In this respect the bookis similar to Chinery (2005) but the photos are brighterin the new book. They are, however, smaller, so Iwould hesitate to say they were clearer. Some arehardly any bigger than a postage stamp and not muchuse, but the standard of photography is generallyexcellent.
One of the faults withChinery (2005) was anover-emphasis ofLepidoptera - a groupwhich is already well-covered by other books.I was very pleased to seethat this new book isbetter-balanced. Thereare almost as manypages of flies as thereare for butterflies andmoths, and even morepages (104) of beetles.
As a guide, this is superb, but can it be used to identifyinsects accurately? In many cases, it can, but there aremany insects (especially flies, beetles, bees, ants andwasps) that cannot be reliably identified by non-specialists without running a specimen through a key.The author does say that “representative” insects areillustrated, but I am sure that inexperienced insectspotters will be recording the illustrated species,unaware that others exist that look almost exactly thesame. I wish that the “look-alike” problem could beemphasised for the relevant entries.
I don’t think that photographs are a substitute for goodpaintings (especially those by Richard Lewington), butthey certainly help to show what the creatures look likein the field. Many insects in here are probably not
Book review
Steve Woodward
illustrated in any other book. I would recommendbuying this one. £28.95 from Amazon.
References:
Brock, P. D. (2014). A comprehensive guide to Insectsof Britain and Ireland. Pisces Publications. 978-1-874357-58-2.
Chinery, M. (2005). Complete British Insects. Collins.
Chinery, M. (3rd ed., 2012). Insects of Britain andWestern Europe. A. C. Black.
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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. Weneed to be out by 10:00.
Hedgerow LaneLadysm
ith Rd
B5380
Main St
Castle Rd
Church RdKMFC
Kirby Muxloe
To Hinckley Rd
Barwell Rd
Thursday 16 October 2014 - Members’ evening
This is your evening, a chance to share the highlightsor disappointments of the entomological year. Bringalong any digital images or 35 mm slides plus anythingyou want to exhibit. New books or gadgets and yourcomments on their practicality are also welcome. Ifyou are bringing 35 mm transparencies please bringyour projector.
Thursday 20 November 2014 – ‘Pan speciesrecording’
Mark Skevington will show some of his admirableimages of invertebrates he has documented as part ofan ongoing recording effort. Mark gave a taster sessionat the recorders conference in February which receivedfavourable comments from some of our members whorequested that he should visit us.
Thursday 18 December 2014 - MembersAnnual General Meeting
It is that time of year again. Our AGM followed by afeast of mince pies and Christmas cake with a chanceto have a social chat with fellow entomologists.
Thursday 15 January 2015 – ‘UK Ticks’
Ivan Pedley will share his knowledge of the life historyof UK ticks. Those of us who have attended Ivan’spresentations in the past will know that he has his ownunique way of making the facts memorable.
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
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 LE52GE. 0116 241 [email protected]
Mecoptera, Neuroptera, Plecoptera :- SteveWoodward, see page 2.
Mollusca: - Dave Nicholls (see Hymenoptera(Symphyta)).
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.
