i55a , (X— HARVARD UNIVERSITY Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology MC2 LIBRARY FEB 2 7 2006 harvard UNIVERSITY J . V 1 » • March 2003 3 ISSN 0952-7583 Vol. 16, Part 1 BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY Published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society and incorporating its Proceedings and Transactions Editor: J. S. Badmin, Ecology Group, Canterbury Christ Church College, The Mount, Stodmarsh Road, Canterbury, Kent CT3 4AQ (Tel/Fax: 01227 479628) email: jsb5@cant.ac.uk Associate Editor: M. Wilson, Ph.D., F.R.E.S., F.L.S. Department of Biodiversity & Systematic Biology, National Museums & Galleries of Wales, Cardiff CF10 3NP. (Tel: 02920 573263) email: Mike.Wilson@nmgw.ac.uk Editorial Committee: D. J. L. Agassiz, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.E.S. R. D. G. Barrington, B.Sc. P. J. Chandler, B.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. Goater, B.Sc., M.EBiol. A. J. Halstead, M.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. D. Hawkins. M.A. P. J. Hodge T. G. Howarth, B.E.M., F.R.E.S. I. F. G. McLean, Ph D., F.R.E.S M. J. Simmons, M.Sc. P. A. Sokoloff, M.Sc., C.Biol., M.EBiol., F.R.E.S. T. R. E. Southwood, K.B.. D.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. W. J. Uffen, M.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. K. West, B.Ed. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History is published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society, Dinton Pastures Country Park, Davis Street, Hurst, Reading. Berkshire RG10 OTH. UK. Tel: 01189-321402. The Journal is distributed free to BENHS members. © 2003 British Entomological and Natural History Society. Typeset by Dobbie Typesetting Limited, Tavistock, Devon. Printed in England by Henry Ling Ltd. Dorchester, Dorset. BRITISH ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Registered charity number: 213149 Meetings of the Society are held regularly in London, at the rooms of the Royal Entomological Society, 41 Queen’s Gate, London SW7 and the well-known ANNUAL EXHIBITION takes place in November at Imperial College, London SW7. Frequent Field Meetings are held at weekends in the summer. Visitors are welcome at all meetings. The current Programme Card can be had on application to the Secretary, J. Muggleton, at the address given below. The Society maintains a library and invertebrate collections at its headquarters in Dinton Pastures, which are open to members on various advertised days each month, telephone 01189-321402 for the latest meeting news. The Society’s web site is: http://www.BENHS.org.uk Applications for membership to the Membership Secretary: A. Godfrey, 90 Bence Lane, Darton. Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 5DA. Subscriptions and changes of address to the Membership Secretary: R. D. Hawkins, 30d Meadowcroft Close, Horley, Surrey RH6 9EL. Non-arrival of the Journal, faulty copies or other problems arising from distribution of the Journal or notices to the Distribution Secretary: D. Young, 22 Wordsworth Close, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP 1 7 1WF. Tel: 01728 603568. Orders for books and back numbers of the Journal and Proceedings to the Sales Secretary: G. Boyd, 91 Fullingdale Road, Northampton NN3 2PZ. Tel: 01604 410056. General Enquiries to the Secretary: .1. Muggleton, 30 Penton Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 2LD. Tel: 01784-464537. email: jmuggleton@compuserve.com Society Website: www.benhs.org.uk for recent information on the Society’s meetings programme and general society details. Cover photograph: Stephanitis takeyai ( I Iemiptera: Tingidae), new to Britain, resting on its host plant Pieris japonica. Photo: Chris Malumphy & Andrew Halstead. NOTE: The Editor invites submission of photographs for black and white reproduction on the front covers of the journal. The subject matter is open, with an emphasis on aesthetic value rather than scientific novelty. Submissions can be in the form of colour or black and white prints or colour transparencies. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 EDITORIAL Taking over the Editorship of the Society’s journal from Dr Michael Wilson who has been at the helm tor the past five years is a great honour. During his time as editor our understanding of the British fauna has increased steadily with important papers published in the Society’s Journal on the current status of many species. The euphoria (or otherwise) of discovering a species new to the British Isles has to be balanced by the apparent losses to our fauna. It has been estimated that 1260 invertebrate species have become extinct in Britain over the past 100 years, and the current rate of loss might be as high as 36 species per year (Invertebrate Conservation Trust estimates). Much effort has been channelled into studying Endangered or Rare species to support conservation measures and it is to be hoped that some of this knowledge is published in future issues of the Society’s Journal. Some ot the information comes in the form of observations made on our field meetings and so it is important that these are published as a record of our proceedings. This is one reason why this issue contains a large number of BENHS field meeting reports. As a premier national society interested in insects that form 70% of our fauna we might expect members of the public to be aware of our activities. Sadly, even today in the 21st century this is clearly not the case. Take national TV. The BBC continues to show films entitled Life of the Lion XXV, or Tales of the Tiger XVII, focusing on a mere 10% of wildlife and almost entirely avoiding films on insects, the dominant form of life on this planet. There has probably never been a single film on British wildlife devoted exclusively to insects. Sadly we do not come high on royal lists either. In his Presidential Address to the London Natural History Society, David McClintock recounts (sadly, posthumously) his involvement in the survey of Buckingham Palace Garden. To quote “We were not allowed to publicise our activities. If I wanted to send anything out I first obtained the permission of the Press Office. It was the same with publication of our results. They wanted some obscure journal, and finally agreed to the Proceedings and Transactions of the South London Entomological and Natural History Society. When it did appear there, nothing was said in public” (McClintock, 2002). Need I say more? Incidentally, I should say that David was a most enthusiastic person who really did appreciate insects and entomologists. He once identified 8 cultivars of Calluna and Erica from sprigs collected from a South Kensington flowerbed where a population of the local leafhopper Zygina rubrovittata (Lethierry) occurred, at its then most northerly site in the country. One cultivar was appropriately named “David McClintock”. To end on a lighter note, I will take this opportunity of announcing the winners of a competition held at last year’s Annual Exhibition. Members were invited to put names to the faces of famous lepidopterists who were to be included in a forthcoming book entitled The Aurelian’s Fireside Companion — An Entomological Anthology written by Michael Salmon and Peter Edwards. Mr Grahame Hawker and Mr Mark Calway managed the same number of correct answers and will each receive a free copy of the book when it is published in a few months time. John Badmin Reference McClintock, D. 2002. The surveys of Buckingham Palace Garden. Presidential Address read at the Annual General Meeting on 12 December 2001. The London Naturalist 81: 13 18. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 ADVERSE COMMENT ON THE SUPPOSED BRITISH STATUS OF THE WEB-SPINNING SAWFLY CEPHALCIA ARVENSIS PANZER (HYMENOPTERA: PAMPHILIIDAE) Mark R. Shaw National Museums of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH l 1JE Abstract. The policy adopted by compilers of the most recent check list of British Hymenoptera has been to disregard the records of L.A. Carr. In accordance with this sensible policy, Cephalcia arvensis Panzer should not be added to the British list even in the cautious way advocated recently by Shinohara (2002). In this journal Shinohara (2002) has recently recorded Cephalcia arvensis Panzer, 1805, from Britain on the strength of a specimen in that part of the L.A. Carr collection that is now in the Oxford University Museum of Zoology, on the supposition that specimens in the Carr collection that bear the label “Lichfield, L.A. Carr” are reasonably reliably of British origin. In fact, this supposition has been tested and shown to be incorrect in respect of ichneumonine Ichneumonidae, many specimens of which were found to be of continental origin despite being labelled Lichfield (Perkins, 1953). The general view has been that what is true of Ichneumoninae is likely to be true of other groups that Carr collected (i.e. and probably also received from correspondents abroad), and therefore the policy adopted by the compilers of the most recent check list of British Hymenoptera was to disregard L.A. Carr records (and by implication any new record based solely on his collection) such that species recorded by Carr and/or vouchered by his collection would not be included in the check list unless other British records or specimens were known (Fitton et al. , 1978: v-vi). In accordance with that sensible policy, which has been widely adopted by others, Cephalcia arvensis Panzer should not be accepted as having been collected in Britain on the strength of the specimen labelled “Lichfield, L.A. Carr” recently determined by Shinohara, and this species should not be added to the British list even in the cautious way advocated by Shinohara (2002). References Fitton, M.G., Graham, M.W.R. de V., Boucek, Z.R.J., Fergusson, N.D.M., Huddleston, T., Quinlan, .1. & Richards, O.W. 1978. A check list of British Insects (2nd Edition) Part 4: Hymenoptera. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects 11(4): i-ix; 1-159. Perkins, J.F. 1953. Notes on British Ichneumoninae with descriptions of new species (Hym., Ichneumonidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) , Entomology 3(4): 1 OS- 176. Shinohara, A. 2002. A spruce web-spinning sawfly, Cephalcia arvensis (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae) from Britain. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 15: 134. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 3 OUTBREAK IN BRITAIN OF STEP HA I\ITIS TAKEYA/ DRAKE & MAO (HEMIPTERA: TINGIDAE), A PEST OF PIERIS JAPONIC A A. J. Halstead The Royal Horticultural Society's Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB C. P. Malumphy Central Science Laboratory , Sand Hutton, York, Y04 ILZ Abstract. An outbreak of Stephanitis takeyai Drake & Mao is reported causing serious damage to Pieris japonica plants in Berkshire, England. Statutory action is ongoing to eradicate the pest. Stephanitis takeyai Drake & Mao is a sap feeding pest that was first detected in Britain when infested foliage of Pieris japonica (Thunb.) D. Don (Ericaceae) was sent for diagnosis to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden, Wisley from the Savill Garden, near Windsor, Berkshire in January 1998 (Malumphy et ai, 1998). The foliage was heavily marked with a coarse yellowish mottling and bronzing of the upper surface (Fig. 1). The underside of the leaves had a dirty appearance with numerous nymphal cast skins and spots of brown dried liquid frass. Both adult insects and eggs were present; the latter were inserted into the leaf lamina, usually near the central vein on the lower leaf surface. The staff of the Savill Garden had first noticed that some of their Pieris shrubs were affected during the summer of 1997. The plants were part of a consignment of 40-70 plants imported from The Netherlands during 1995. The occurrence of this pest was notified to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI), and a survey with staff from the Central Science Laboratory was done to find the extent of the outbreak. Numerous Pieris japonica plants were infested and several exhibited severe feeding damage and leaf loss. The initial survey revealed that S. takeyai had spread a few miles from where infested plants were first noticed, to Valley Gardens. They were feeding on the following ericaceous hosts: Pieris japonica , including P. japonica ‘Mousehole’ and P. japonica var. yakushimensis, Pieris formosa var. forrestii, Rhododendron ‘Alice Street’, R. Cilpinense Group, R. ‘Hawk’ x ‘Griffithianum’, R. ‘Loderi Pink Topaz’ and Agarista populifolia. Action was taken to de-leaf Pieris plants in heavily infested areas and plants with live insects were sprayed with an insecticide before de-leafing. A similar exercise was repeated in 1999. Although the outbreak appears to have been largely controlled by this action, some feeding damage was discovered in subsequent years and efforts are continuing to achieve eradication. Specimens of S. takeyai collected from the outbreak in Berkshire have been deposited at the Central Science Laboratory. RHS Garden, Wisley and The Natural History Museum, London. The pest has subsequently been intercepted by the PHSI on several occasions at commercial plant nurseries on P. japonica plants imported from The Netherlands. The Dutch phytosanitary service reported the occurrence of S. takeyai from a single bush of P. japonica in a private garden in Boskoop. province of Zuid-Holland in 1994. The infested plant was destroyed (Aukema, 1999). Statutory action continues to be taken by the PHSI to contain and eradicate this damaging alien pest whenever 4 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 1. it is found. In September 2002 samples of infested P. japonica were sent to Wisley Garden from a private garden in West Byfleet, Surrey. The plant was at least 15 years old but the feeding damage had only been noticed in the current summer, suggesting that a new outbreak area has occurred. West Byfleet is about 8 miles from the Savill Garden. Stephanitis takeyai is native to Japan, but has spread to the northeastern USA, India, The Netherlands and Poland (CABI/EPPO, 2000). This tingid bug has been given the common name of the Andromeda Lacebug as in North America, P. japonica is commonly known as the Japanese andromeda (in the past Pier is spp. were classified as Andromeda spp.) In Britain, P. japonica does not have a generally accepted common name and so a better name for this pest would be the Pieris Lacebug. In addition to the aforementioned ericaceous plants it has also been recorded feeding on (but not necessarily breeding on) plants belonging to the families, Ebenaceae, Illiciaceae, Lauraceae, Pinaceae, Salicaceae and Styracacaeae; although the specific plants recorded in these non-ericaceous families are mostly not widely grown in Britain. The ability of S. takeyai to attack Rhododendron is likely to cause confusion with the Rhododendron Lacebug, Stephanitis rhododendri Horvath, as the symptoms of leaf damage are similar. Stephanitis rhododendri is another introduced species in Britain, being first recorded in the London area at the beginning of the 20th century. Today it is not common but occasionally causes damage to rhododendrons in parks and gardens in southern England. Both species have adults that are 3 4mm long when measured from head to wing tips. The adults of the two species are relatively BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 5 Fig. 2. easily separated morphologically. The pronotum of S. takeyai bears short setae and the central area is developed into a large globular netted structure (Figs 2 & 3). The pronotum of S. rhododendri is covered in long setae and the central area is less well developed. The wings of S. takeyai have mostly black veins, as are the reticulate veins on the lateral margins of the pronotum and the hood over the head; in S. rhododendri Fig. 3. 6 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 these veins are yellowish brown. The wings of S. rhododendri have a single brownish band running across the basal third of the wing; in S. takeyai there are black bands running across the basal and apical thirds of the wing and these bands are broadly joined along the hind wing margin. The central area of the pronotum is black in S. takeyai but brown in S. rhododendri. Adults of S. rhododendri occur in midsummer and it is unusual to find any adults alive beyond the autumn. Both species are recorded as overwintering as eggs in the mid-rib of the leaves. However, adults and nymphs of S. takeyai have been found at Savill Garden during the winter months of December and January and the biology of this pest in Britain is unclear. In conclusion, S. takeyai is recorded as the most serious pest of P.japonica in the USA and it also attacks other common and commercially valuable ericaceous ornamental plants, such as Lyonia and Rhododendron , which are widely grown in Britain. Susceptible plants can suffer leaf loss and the yellowing of the foliage lowers the aesthetic appearance of ornamental plants, thereby reducing their quality and value. Any suspected cases of non-indigenous lace bugs on imported plants should be notified to the local PHSI office or the PHSI HQ, York (Telephone: 01904 455174). Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Lynn Randall and the garden staff at the Savill Garden for bringing this bug to our attention and their subsequent actions aimed at eradicating this damaging pest; and to the PHSI for the survey and recommending control measures. References Aukema, K. 1999. Annual Report 1998. Diagnostic Centre Plant Protection Service, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 50-51. CABI/EPPO. 2000. Stephanitis takeyai. Distribution Maps of Plant pests No. 615. CAB International, Wallingford, UK. Malumphy, C., MacLeod, A., Bartlett, P. & Head, J. 1998. Andromeda Lacebug ( Stephanitis takeyai Drake & Mao). Plant Pest Notice 24 , 1-4. Central Science Laboratory, York, UK. SHORT COMMUNICATION Scythris inspersella (Hiibner) (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae): a new species in Yorkshire. A single specimen of this species was found at Allerthorpe Wood (SE 760 480) in East Yorkshire on 31 July 2001. It has since been verified by H. E. Beaumont, Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union microlepidoptera recorder. According to (Emmet & Langmaid, 2002) S. inspersella has been found in Britain to date only from North West Norfolk, more than 140 miles away. Allerthorpe Wood, owned by the Forestry Commission, is characterised by coniferous plantation with wide dry rides and the moth's food plant rosebay willowherb Chamerium angusti folium (L.) Holub (Onagraceae) is plentiful. Given that the moth feeds on a widespread plant, it is surprising that no other records exist. Dr David Chesmore, 39 Hawthorn Drive, Holme on Spalding Moor, York, Y043 4HX Reference Emmet, A. M. & Langmaid, .1. R., Eds. 2002. The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland , 4(1), Harley Books. 294 pp. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 7 ATRICHOPOGON (MELOEHELEA) WINNER TZI GOETGHEBIJER (DIPTERA: CERATOPOGONIDAE) FEEDING ON MELOE VIOLACEUS MARSHAM (COLEOPTERA: MELOIDAE) Darren J. Mann Hope Entomological Collections, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford OX 1 3 PW Clive R. Turner 79 Bowers Park Drive, Woolwell, Plymouth, Devon PL6 7SH Members of the biting midge genus Atrichopogon Kieffer, subgenus Meloehelect Wirth (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are well known to feed on adult meloid and oedemerid beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae & Oedemeridae). The subgenus was erected by Wirth (1956) to include four species, which are characterised by their beetle- feeding behaviour and their unusually adapted proboscis, which is up-curved, presumably developed for their peculiar feeding habit. The subgenus currently contains seven species (Wirth, 1980), of which three are known to occur in Britain (Chandler, 1998) viz.: lucorum (Meigen); oedemerarum Stora, winner tzi Goetghebuer, { — meloesugans Kieffer, of earlier workers e.g. Cooler & Irwin, 1979; Wirth, 1956, 1980. See Szadziewski et at. , 1995 for synonymy). All of the species of this subgenus so far known have been recorded to feed on the haemolymph of adult beetles in the families Meloidae and Oedemeridae. The flies are attracted by the cantharidin produced by these beetles as part of their defence system (e.g. Abdullah, 1964; Bologna & Havelka, 1984; Frenzel et ai, 1992; Frenzel. & Dettner, 1994). In experiments Abdullah {op. c/7.) found that A. oedemerarum (in Berkshire, England) and A. lucorum (in Scotland) {teste Wirth, 1980) were attracted to cantharidin powder placed in Petri dishes. The attractiveness of cantharidin to these flies in the absence of the beetle hosts has also been noted by others (e.g. Frenzel et al. , 1992). The list of ceratopogonids attracted to cantharidin is in the region of 20 species, of which all but two are in the genus Atrichopogon (Hemp & Dettner, 2001). However the sub-generic placement for the majority of species in this large genus (391 spp. teste Borkent & Wirth, 1997) has yet to be resolved, and in the World catalogue species are not separated by subgenera (Borkent & Wirth. 1997). However, it is unlikely that all of these eighteen Atrichopogon species recorded as being attracted to cantharidin will be in the subgenus Meloehelect. The function of the attraction to and the feeding on cantharidin by these flies is still not fully understood (Frenzel & Dettner, 1994). However, it is possible that the cantharidin may be used in some function of mate attraction, since males are often attracted to cantharidin-baited traps although they generally feed on nectar. It is also possible that the cantharidin may serve as a chemical defence to deter predators such as empid flies (Empididae), as was shown by Frenzel & Dettner (1994). A large number of insect species have been recorded as being attracted to cantharidin; these so-called canthariphilous insects are listed in Hemp & Dettner {op. c/7.). The ant beetles (Anthicidae) arc by far the largest group in terms of number of species with some 182 species being recorded as canthariphilous. Other families of canthariphilous Coleoptera include: Endomychidae, Pyrochroidae and Tomoder- idae. In the Hemiptera; Lygaeidae and Miridae and in the Diptera, besides the Ceratopogonidae mentioned above, some Anthomyidae, Cecidomyiidae and Sciaridae are canthariphilous. 8 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 The first observation of ceratopogonid flies feeding on meloid beetles was made by de Peyerimfioff (1917), who discovered a female fly feeding on Meloe mejalis L. in Algeria. This species was later described by Kieffer (1922) as meloesugcins ( = winnertzi). However, since then, little has been published on this behaviour (see Wirth, 1956, 1980; Hemp & Dettner, 2001 and references therein). The first account of this behaviour in Britain was published by Blair (1937, 1938), who reported A. meloesugans feeding on both M. proscarabaeus L. and M. violaceus Marsham in south Devon. Wirth (1980) has since examined some of Blair’s material of meloesugans and re-determined it as A. lucorum. To date there are only a few accounts of this behaviour in Britain (e.g. Blair, 1937, 1938; Cooter & Irwin, 1979). A summary of the published records of Atrichopogon species feeding on Meloe beetles in Britain is given below. Atrichopogon ( Melochelea ) spp. Meloe spp. attacked Source A. (M) winnertzi Goegthebuer M. violaceus Marsham Cooter & Irwin, 1979; Mann & Turner, this paper In south Devon, in recent years, M. violaceus has been encountered relatively frequently, usually on roadsides and along typical “Devon walls”. Characteristically for Meloe , adults were only observed on bright sunny days in early summer, frequently on shaded woodland paths and roadsides. On one occasion a female violaceus was observed on a footpath in a ca. 2.5 m wide track between two “Devon walls” at Brent Tor, Dartmoor (SX480806; VC 03; 26.iv.1997. coll. C.R. Turner & D. Bilton). It was not the observation of the beetle that caused surprise but rather the small cloud of minute black flies above the beetle. On closer inspection some of these flies were observed to aggregate around the beetle, flying in a small group and occasionally alighting on or flying from the abdominal segments. The cloud of flies followed in a close plume behind the beetle as it moved. A small number of these flies remained stationary on the upper surface of the abdomen, despite the jerking movement caused by the characteristic clumsy gait of the Meloe. Closer inspection of the flies on the abdomen left little doubt that they were feeding on the beetle, mostly around the marginal joints of the tergites, where they appeared to be manipulating their heads against the softer cuticle around the inter-segmental membranes. The Meloe was placed in a tube, along with three of the feeding flies that were later identified as female Atrichopogon winnertzi Goetghebuer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) by John Boorman. Voucher specimens of these flies are now housed in the Hope Entomological Collections (HEC). Acknowledgements Thanks to Stella Brecknell (Librarian, Hope Entomological Library) for assistance in obtaining the literature, Dave Bilton (Plymouth Ehfiversity) who permitted us to publish this account, John Ismay (HEC) and John Boorman (Surrey) for the identification of the fly, and Max Barclay (BMNH) and Ben Woodcock (Reading University) for their useful discussions. References Abdullah, M. 1964. (note) on the attraction of cantharidin for the beetle Notoxus monocerus (L.) (Coleoptera: Anthicidae). Proceedings of the Roved Entomological Society, London (C), 29: 22-23. BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 9 Blair, K..G. 1937. Midges attacking Meloe beetles. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine , 73: 143. Blair, K.G. 1938. Midges attacking other insects. Proceedings and Transactions of the South London Entomological and Natural History Society 1937-1938: 84-85. Bolegna, M.L. & Havelka, P. 1984. Nuove segnalazione di attrazione della Cantaridina dei Meloidae su coleotteri e ditteri. Ballet lino delPassociazione Romana di Entomologia , 39: 77 82. Borkent, A. & Wirth, W.W. 1997. World species of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 233: 1 -257. Chandler, P. (ed.) 1998. Checklists of Insects of the British Isles (New Series). Part 1: Diptera (incorporating a list of Irish Diptera). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects , 12(1): i-xx, 1-234. Cooter, .1. & Irwin, A.G. 1979. Two insect associations from Scotland. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 114: 156. Frenzel, M. & Dettner, K. 1994. Quantification of cantharidin in canthariphilous Ceralopo- gonidae (Diptera), Anthomyiidae (Diptera) and cantharidin-producing Oedemeridae (Coleoptera). Journal of Chemical Ecology , 20(8): 1795-1812. Frenzel, M.. Dettner, K., Wirth, D., Waibel, J. & Boland, W. 1992. Cantharidin analogues and their attractancy for ceratopogonid flies (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Experientia (Basel) 48: 106-111. Hemp, C. & Dettner, K. 2001. Compilation of canthariphilous insects. Beit rage zur Entomologie , 51: 231-245. Kieffer, J. J. 1922. Nouveaux Chironomides piqueurs habitant l’Algerie. Archives de I'Institut Pasteur de I’Afrique du Nord, 2: 494-518. Peyerimhoff, P. de. 1917. Ceratopogon [Dipt. Chironomidae] et Meloe [Col. Meloidae]. Bulletin de la Societe de France, 1917: 250-253. Szadziewski, R., Gilka, W. & Anthon. H. 1995. Immature stages of two European species of the subgenus Meloehelea (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), with keys to the European subgenera of Atrichopogon. Entomologica Scandinavica, 26: 181-190. Wirth, W.W. 1956. The biting midges ectoparasitic on blister beetles. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 58: 15-23. Wirth. W. W. 1980. A new species and corrections in the Atrichopogon midges of the subgenus Meloehelea attacking blister beetles (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 82: 124-139. SHORT COMMUNICATION An observation of the prey species of the solitary wasp, Ectemnius cavifrons (Hymenoptera: Spheeidae) — In August 2002 a colony of Ectemnius cavifrons (Thomson) was found to be established in timbers infested with Exidia glandulosa (St. Amans) Fries, Witches’ Butter Fungus, on the roof of a central Edinburgh building (O.S. Grid NT2573; v.c. 83). When the wasps were manoeuvring their prey into the entrance of their prepared tunnel they occasionally dropped it. They seemed unable to retrieve the dropped prey, possibly due to its absence of movement. Some individual wasps were more prone to dropping their prey than others. As a result a substantial sample of prey items of E. cavifrons was able to be collected and identified without interfering with the colony. Of the 58 prey items retrieved from below the tunnel entrances, approximately 83% consisted of hoverflies (Syrphidae) (namely 13 Episyrphus ba/teatus (De Geer), 12 Syrphus ribesii (L.), 6 S. vitripennis Meigen, 6 S. towns Osten Sacken, 5 Eupeodes corollae (Fabricius), 4 E. latifasciatus (Macquart) and 2 E. hunger (Meigen)), 16% consisted of calliphorid flies (namely 5 Pollenia rudis (Fabricius) 4 Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy) and a single eicadellid homopteran, Iassus lanio (L.). I am grateful to David Robertson for identifying the calliphorid flies.- K. P. Bland, National Museums of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1 J F 10 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16. 2003 PHERBELLIA STYLIFERA ROZKOSNY, A MEMBER OF THE SNAIL-KILLING FAMILY SCIOMYZIDAE (DIPTERA) NEW TO BRITAIN FROM CAMBRIDGESHIRE Jonathan Cole 2 Lenton Close, Brampton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 4TR Abstract: A female sciomyzid identified as Pherbellia stylifera Rozkosny, 1982 is reported from Britain after unsuccessful efforts to find a male. A brief description is given to distinguish it from similar species and some other scarce sciomyzids are noted from the capture site. Introduction A single female Pherbellia of unfamiliar and distinctive appearance was found on 18 viii 1998 at the Osier Lake private nature reserve, Godmanchester, Cambridge- shire at grid reference TL2672. It has a distinctly shining brown thorax and prominently black fore legs. Reference to Rozkosny (1984 and 1991) indicated stylifera Rozkosny 1982 as the best fit with some doubts which were mostly resolved by Rozkosny (1982) which has a more detailed description including differences between the sexes, while the later works, which were consulted first, refer principally to males. Pherbellia stylifera is apparently known only from the holotype male from Finland and the paratype female from Sweden, both in provinces bordering the Baltic Sea. Description and comparison with similar species Salient features of the Cambridgeshire female are given here, with differences from the paratype female (Rozkosny 1982) in parentheses: head unusually broad, frons distinctly wider than long and hardly narrowing anteriorly, depth of jowls about one- quarter eye height. Face and jowls pale yellow, frons and occiput darker with a large supra-cervical greyish white patch. Orbital plates brown, shining through thin pale pollinosity, mid frontal stripe indistinct and not reaching level of anterior orbital setae. Basal segments of antennae yellow, third segment narrowing sharply beyond insertion of arista then parallel sided to the rounded apex, brownish-yellow (but not darkened in the antero-apical half)- Arista brown, long pubescent, hairs on upper side distinctly longer than width of arista at base (not hardly longer). Mesonotum, scutellum and pleurae brown, distinctly shining through thin yellowish pollinosity. Mesopleuron bare, pteropleuron with 5 quite strong setae (6-9 in male, female not specified). Notopleuron without hairs round the anterior seta. Abdomen shining brown. Mid and hind legs yellow, fore legs strongly contrasting deep black except yellow coxae, trochanters, basal fifth and extreme tip of femora and basal fifth of tibiae. Hind femora with 3 anterodorsal setae in the apical half. Wings with lightly infuscated cross veins, and rather narrow. Body length 4.7 mm (4.4 mm), wing length 4.0 mm. Among females of Pherbellia species with the mesopleura bare and a short mid frontal stripe, stylifera most resembles scutellaris (von Roser), rozkosnyi Verbeke and sordida (Hendel). Pherbellia scutellaris has a variable mesonotum from yellowish to dark brown but always more thickly pollinose than stylifera and the pleurae are also matt pollinose. The frons is narrower (slightly longer than wide), the occiput, mid BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 trontal stripe and orbital plates are grey pollinose, the fore femora are yellow brown and the hind femora usually have brown spots on either side of the apex. Pherbellia rozkosnyi elosely resembles scutellaris , but the mesonotum is always dark and densely grey pollinose, while sordida is similar but has brown fore legs and, like stylifera, lacks the apical brown spots on the hind femora. Rozkosny (1984) notes that styliferci has some affinity with pcillidiventris Fallen, but does not specify what the affinities are. The mesonotum of pcdlidiventris is dark and the whole thorax is heavily grey pollinose, also the lower front margin of the eye is almost right angled in contrast to the very obtuse margin in stylifera. The author considers therefore that this specimen represents Pherbellia stylifera , but in the absence of a male the possibility exists that it is a closely related but undescribed species. Probable biology Almost all sciomyzids are known to have malacophagous larvae which feed by various strategies mainly on several families of land and aquatic snails. Pherbellia is a large genus with over forty Palaearctic species, and in those whose life histories are known the larvae feed in terrestrial and aquatic pulmonate snails as parasitoids, that is they start as parasites in the living snail, but eventually kill the host and consume the remains, and may then complete their development as predators on other snails. Few Pherbellia species appear to be host specific and some will use hosts from more than one snail family. The life history of P. stylifera is unknown but will probably prove to conform to the general Pherbellia strategy. Capture site The author first visited the Osier Lake reserve on a British Entomological & Natural History Society field meeting held jointly with the Huntingdonshire Fauna and Flora Society in June 1997 at which he found several fly species new to VC31, so permission was obtained to continue recording and the Pherbellia was found in the following year. During the next two years a number of visits were made in the hope of finding a male to confirm the identification, but without success. One visit in August 2000 was with Dr Ian McLean, organizer of the sciomyzid recording scheme, but following heavy rain, collecting conditions were less than ideal. The Osier Lake reserve is part of a large complex of worked-out sand and gravel pits now being restored and landscaped as a nature reserve, but is sheltered and secluded by a bell of Salix carr on three sides and was itself restored about 15 years ago. The Pherbellia was swept from round a pond with a rich emergent and marginal flora in an open area of marsh with osiers ( Salix viminalis ) and lush vegetation. Within the area of less than a hectare the author has recorded 23 sciomyzid species with another 5 by the adjacent lake shore and a small area of drier grassland. Noteworthy species include Colobaea bifasciella (Fallen), C. distincta (Meigen), C. peel oralis (Zetterstedt), Pherbellia nana (Fallen), Pteromicra pectorosa (Hendel), Seiomyza dryomyzina Zetterstedt and S. simplex Fallen. Acknowledgements The author is very grateful to Mr R. Foster, Divisional Restoration Manager of Lafarge Redland Aggregates Ltd. who own the pit complex including the Osier Lake reserve, for permission to record Diptera there, also to Ian McLean for helpful comments on the draft of this paper. 12 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 References Rozkosny, R. 1982. Three new species of Pherbellia Robineau-Desvoidy and new synonyms of Holarctic and Palaearctic Sciomyzidae (Diptera). Annales Entomologici Fennici 48, 51-56. Rozkosny, R. 1984. The Sciomyzidae (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica 14, 224pp. Rozkosny, R. 1991. A key to the Palaearctic species of Pherbellia Robineau-Desvoidy, with descriptions of three new species (Diptera, Sciomyzidae). Acta Entomologica Bohemoslov 88, 391-406. SHORT COMMUNICATION Calocoris alpestris (Meyer-Diir), Lygus wagneri Remane and Dicyphus constrictus (Boheman), species with boreo-montane or boreo-alpine distributions expanding in Gloucestershire. — The heteropteran fauna of Gloucestershire has recently been described in detail (Alexander, 1995 & 1996), making it possible to analyse the fauna and identify trends. One of the more noticeable recent trends has been the expansion of species that are largely of a northern and western distribution in Britain and either boreo-montane (the first two species) or boreo-alpine (the last) in Europe (Southwood, 1957). These might have been expected to be contracting in range in line with human-induced climate change. Prior to the start of the project only Calocoris alpestris had been reported from the county (Ackland, 1958) while both Lygus wagneri and Dicyphus constrictus were yet to be noticed locally. These are all largely species of damp woodlands, associated with tall ground vegetation. Calocoris alpestris Calocoris alpestris lives on nettle in or at the margins of damp woods. It is a large and obvious bug and so a surprising omission from the earlier lists; it has presumably increased in abundance locally, conceivably being a recent colonist. It was first noticed in the county in 1957 at Tockington (ST68) and subsequently at Waterley Bottom (ST79) in 1958 (Ackland, 1958). Since then the present author has found it in twelve further woodland sites, throughout the Cotswold dip slope: SO80 Watledge Hill, 3 . vi . 1 985; Rabbit Warren Wood, Selsley, 25. v. 1998. SO90 Hailey Wood, 5. vi. 1 993; Francombe Wood & Pinbury Park, 2 1 .vi. 1 998. S092 Dowdeswell Wood, 29.V.1995. SP00 Perrotts Brook, 4. vi . 1 995; Ampney Riding, 1 4.vi. 1 998. SP01 Chedworth Woods, 3 1 . v. 1 993. SP02 Guiting Wood, 3 1 .v. 1 993. ST78 Lower Woods, 31. v. 1997. ST79 Alderley Wood, plentiful, 23.V.1998. J. P. Widgery (pers.comm.) has also subsequently found it in some of these as well as additional sites, and A. P. Foster in one further site. The first record from the Wye Valley was made in 2000 by P. Kirby. Lygus wagneri Lygus wagneri was only discovered in the county in 1988. It feeds on a wide variety of herbs in woodland clearings and margins, and hedgerows: dock, nettle, St John's wort, etc. The present author has found it in a total of six woods across the Cotswolds, while J. P. Widgery has recently added a seventh. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 13 5090 Siccaridge Wood, l.v.1989; Sapperton Valley, 29. v. 1993. 5091 Hilcot Wood, 1 6. v. 1 999. SP01 Colesbourne, 29. vii i . 1988. SP02 Guiting Wood, 31. v. 1993. SP11 Chedworth, 31. v. 1993. Dicyphus constrict us Dicyphus constrictus is the most recent discovery, found in the county in 1989, and remains the least widespread of the three. It has mainly been found on hedge woundwort. Three of the sites are Cotswold while the fourth lies on a Severn River cliff at Fretherne. SO70 Hock Cliff, Fretherne, 28.viii. 1995. SO80 Rabbit Warren Wood, Selsley, 25.V.1998 SO90 Oakley Wood, 30.ix.1989. ST79 Alderley Wood, 23. v. 1998. It is not possible to say whether any of the three species are long-term residents in Gloucestershire or recent colonists. It is feasible that they could have escaped attention through being present in very low numbers and in a small number of poorly worked sites. It is clear, however, that their local abundance has dramatically increased in recent decades. The relatively recent discovery of one boreal species in the county and its subsequent expansion would be interesting enough, but for the pattern to be repeated across three species is remarkable. P. Kirby (pers. comm.) has suggested that D. constrictus and L. wagneri — and possibly also C. alpestris — are perhaps tolerant of (but not dependent on) cold, but intolerant of drought, and so a positive response to a warming climate might be less surprising than might at first appear. Climate change could therefore explain the changes. He also suggests that changing woodland management practices might also explain the expansion of these three damp-loving species. The woods concerned are certainly mainly closed-canopy stands. Some are neglected coppices but others are of high forest or old wood-pasture structure. It is difficult to readily identify any major change in structure through the last 30 years other than increasing shade. So are these expansions a response to changing climate or increasing shade in woodlands? My thanks to J. P. Widgery and A. P. Foster for access to their records, to the Woodland Trust for access to a contract report by P. Kirby on one of their sites in the Wye Valley, and to P. Kirby for his comments on an earlier version of this note. K.N.A. Alexander, 14 Partridge Way, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 1BQ. References Ackland, M. 1958. Calocoris alpestris (Meyer-Diir) (Hem., Miridae) in Gloucestershire. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 94: 197. Alexander, K. N. A. 1995. The Land and Freshwater Bugs (Hemiptera) of Gloucestershire: Part 1. Shield Bugs to Still Bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomorpha). The Gloucestershire Naturalist. No. 8, 37-53. Alexander, K. N. A. 1995. The land and freshwater bugs (Hemiptera) of Gloucestershire: Part 2. Lace bugs to plantbugs (Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha). The Gloucestershire Naturalist No. 9, 31-62. Southwood, T. R. E. 1957. The zoogeography of the British Hemiptera Heteroptera. Proceedings and Transactions of the South London Entomological and Natural History Society 1956: 111-136. 14 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 BOOK REVIEW The Moths of Devon. R. McCormick. (2001). 328 pp., 15 colour plates. Hard cover, price not stated [c.£25.00], ISBN 09540256- 1-X. The subtitle of this work is An account of the Pyralid, Plume and Macromoths of Devon , which is rather more accurate than the title as the work in fact covers less than half of the moths of Devon. It is very nearly fifty years since Stidston's work covered this ground and a modern list is very much to be welcomed. The early chapters comprise an introduction and sections on: Geology and Landscape; Climate and weather; Conservation; Land Use; History of recorders; Species no longer seen; Migration; and History of Devon Publications. This is followed by the bulk of the work, the systematic list, and concluded by a gazetteer, list of references and sources and a section of colour plates showing habitats and individual species. There are three maps showing geology, the locations of sites which have habitat photographs, and a coverage map. The latter shows the 1km squares from which [one or more] records have been received and clearly illustrates the imbalance between good coverage in the south and poor coverage in the north. None of the maps shows the vice-county boundaries or the locations of the major towns. The body of the book is liberally illustrated with paintings by John Walters which were undoubtedly excellent in their original form but which have lost a lot of their charm in the conversion to grey-tone. The systematic list which comprises the main body of the book consists of a mention of which of the two vice-counties the species occur or have occurred in, comments taken from the Victoria County History and from Stidston’s list and either a brief statement of the current distribution or a more detailed analysis of older and more recent records. The definition of the latter appears to be ‘records after the mid to late 1970s’. The nomenclature used is totally up-to-date, but would have benefited from the inclusion of synonymy where names have changed from Skinner (1984, Colour identification guide to moths of the British Isles). The information given is almost entirely distributional. There is rarely any mention of the foodplants used in Devon or the flight periods or habitat preferences. Such information, while to be found in the more general moth books, does vary locally and is often what makes local lists interesting. There is also no information on local forms or melanism; for example, the account for the Peppered Moth is ‘very common throughout the county’ with no indication of the frequency of forms or whether melanism is increasing or decreasing. Perhaps the melanic form doesn’t occur at all- we should be told! Perhaps the most important omission is the lack of distribution maps. These would show at a glance the nature of individual species distribution; instead, we are often given just a list of sites with no further information as, for example, under recent sightings of Small Argent and Sable for VC3 — to the non- native entomologist this means almost nothing. The proof-reading is not up to the standard one might expect. It is rather alarming to open a new book and find inserted a double page list of closely-typed errata discovered between printing and publication; and these are just the “more significant” ones. I also found the use of an unjustified right margin rather irksome. A long list of recorders is given (although not all who have contributed are acknowledged) and it is clear that a considerable amount of work has gone into setting up the recording scheme, encouraging people to record accurately and scientifically, and in compiling and analysing the records. Despite the many criticisms, this is a valuable book which should be of interest to anyone concerned with the local distribution of British macrolepidoptera. It is well bound and reasonably priced. Graham Collins BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 15 THE 1999 BENHS PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS— PART 2 A CONSERVATION AGENDA FOR ENTOMOLOGISTS FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS— AN AMATEUR VIEWPOINT? Stephen Miles 469 Staines Road West, Ashford, Middlesex TWI5 2AB Introduction Some of the subjects considered in this address are: butterflies- -losses, declines and isolation; changes to the British fauna; moths — declines, recording, conservation and collecting; wildlife legislation and species protection; organisations — Butterfly Conservation, BENHS and an Invertebrate Conservation Trust; human population pressure and wildlife habitat fragmentation; localities, dot maps and Red Data book statuses; knowledge, solutions, the choice and the future. Some issues are: What opportunities are there for the BENHS and its membership to continue to develop our long-established interests and concerns for the conservation of all invertebrates but particularly the Lepidoptera? As we volunteer information to others can we trust them to allow us to carry on collecting moths etc., when they are indulging in programmes to aid population recovery of the very same species? In other words when they know what we know will they exclude our involvement? Can plain collecting, without providing added value in ecological or biological information, continue indefinitely? Other than Butterfly Conservation, is the dis- aggregated model of local records centres and wildlife trusts holding information on the species in their areas the right approach, with no other central independent invertebrate organisation? A number of entomologists have been working on the possibility of forming an invertebrate conservation trust. This could provide the strong conservation voice that the BENHS and RES have historically backed away from providing. In the next 20 years the entomological community could perhaps start to acquire at least a handful of nature reserves, managed exclusively for invertebrates other than butterflies. As we experience the first months of a new century it seems appropriate to review some aspects of invertebrate conservation, in terms of what is necessary for its future effectiveness. The large blue butterfly I suppose a major indictment of British entomological and nature conservation organisations of the past century is that we were not able to agree on what was the management regime needed to enable the survival of the population of the original large blue Maculinea avion (L.) butterfly. Furthermore those sites on which it did survive became increasingly isolated through changes in agricultural land use, (Muggleton & Benham, 1975). There are other arguments: it mainly occurred in parts of Cornwall, then relatively difficult of access for study and was a species on the edge of its range. Regarding conservation from a European perspective (Kudina, 1997), the UK invertebrate population is often seen as unimportant, this last 16 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 consideration is still used today as a rationale for prescribing that little action needs to be taken by UK enthusiasts. Despite the considerable cost of the restoration of the large blue I believe it was worth it for the attention it has drawn to invertebrate conservation over the years. The decline of fritillary butterflies Like many other people, serendipity played its part in my introduction to entomology. For instance, 1 can never resist browsing in bookshops and in about 1962 I came across the “I-Spy” series, especially I- Spy Butterflies and Moths (Anon, c. 1954). If my recollection is correct you would score only 40 points for spotting any fritillary butterfly, but 50, for the purple emperor. Today, the scoring system might be reversed in SE England, with the latter much more frequently seen than most fritillaries. Our colleagues in Butterfly Conservation are doing much to address this situation but historically all the national entomological societies have made significant contributions to insect conservation in their own special ways over the past one hundred years. How can we learn from the past to guide our actions for the future? There are many issues I believe facing this Society and entomologists as a whole. Options are suggested for dealing with these issues in order to stimulate debate but not to provide a final answer. In this context I would first like to explore some aspects of the decline of the smaller fritillary butterflies. The decline in these butterflies during the twentieth century is somewhat enigmatic, for their general retreat to the west and perhaps the north has not really been explained. Luckens (1978) referred to this retreat westwards as having started well before the end of the 19th century. The marsh fritillary Euphydryas aurinia Rott., once had a general distribution all over England but has been in continual decline during my lifetime. In the east of England it was an early 20th century casualty of the removal of water meadows in valley bottoms and of pastures often associated with woodland (Mendel & Piotrowski, 1986), with additional factors being agricultural intensification, drainage of many areas and the scrubbing up of many marshy fields. Nothing has changed and this depressing picture still continues as we experience the beginning of the 21st century. In the west, in Cornwall we find that the marsh fritillary has declined here also (Frost and Madge, 1991). These authors state that, “Marsh Fritillaries are extremely localised and, according to Emmet & Heath, (1989), they are reluctant to cross even quite small natural obstacles such as low hedges and beds of sedges which restrict the limits of their colonies. In view of this, the occasional appearance of individuals far from known colonies is quite inexplicable”. It could be that this statement, where it deals with the species’ reluctance to cross obstacles, was just simply wrong, and we did not have enough knowledge in 1989 to be so firm in our convictions about such dispersal limits. Dennis (1977) summarised this type of activity as follows: “basically, movement decreases markedly from the cores of colonies to the periphery where few individuals alone are observed, and beyond that only the occasional strays are noticed”. Sadly, I am not convinced that we really know yet why these declines have taken place, despite all the research that has been done by Butterfly Conservation and others recently. Judging from the extracts I have quoted, this decline has been occurring for over a century. Even if we do learn why it has taken place, will the nature conservation community be in a position to do anything about it, especially if large areas of suitable habitat are required to be maintained? Equally if research finds BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 17 Marsh Fritillary Eurodryas aurinia Fie. 1. 1829-1991 ITE distribution map of marsh fritillary Eurodryas aurinia Rott. 18 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 that not only are large sites required but also links between them, then the conservation programme for many invertebrates is likely to remain under increasing stress. If re-establishments have been going on, they do not appear to have been very successful as the dots of occurrence on the maps are not only reducing in the east of England but in the west as well. I will even own up to a degree of local guilt in this matter which is perhaps applicable to many of us nationally as we see a similar decline in each newly published local list of species. For many years 1 resided in North Hampshire near to an area which I now know harboured a metapopulation of the marsh fritillary. Colonies of this species wax and wane depending on local conditions, the growth of the food plant devilsbit scabious, Succisa pratensis , in these marshy areas (forgetting the colonies on the chalk for convenience), and the relative success, in some years, of the ichneumons that parasitise the larvae. As I understand it, metapopulation theory is that, as one colony patch of the butterfly disappears, recolonisation is made possible by exploratory female butterflies from other nearby patches. The tendency for this species to seek out the most luxuriant leaves of the food plants (Luckens, 1978) for oviposition suggests that there is a need for a large amount of the food plant that is unaffected by larval activities in the spring preceding the emergence of the adult. As this author suggests, a dozen E. aurinici larvae can consume many large scabious plants completely. Thus it could be said that as larvae they are reducing their later chances as adult females of successful oviposition. However, presumably, the cycle of heavy parasitisation will also aid future colony success by wiping out colonies periodically so that the food plant will never be completely overcome, which is perhaps particularly necessary in dry years. Why a sense of guilt, you may ask? This was due to my lack of a thorough knowledge of where the species occurred locally and my reluctance to explore private FLEET FARNBOROUGH (Human population & town development expanded eastwards 1 960-2000) 1956 300 Sq M (Human population & town development expanded north & westwards 1950-2000) % A 1991 300 Sq M Year last seen Area size (approx) Fig. 2. Marsh fritillary decline in North Hampshire & West Surrey. BR. J. ENT. NAT HIST . 16: 2003 19 ground, it being so much easier to go to publicly owned sites, and perhaps also a failure to network effectively with other entomologists. This is a lesson for us all, for even today there is no substitute for having a thorough local knowledge. The situation today is that the species appears to have almost disappeared from this area at Farnborough, as can be seen from Fig. 2. If it still occurs, it is a very isolated population. This whole area, had before the 1950s a number of suitable sites, but urbanisation and overspill development occurred in the 1960s-70s. The most remote local site known to me, was two miles away in a river valley in Frimley, Surrey and presumably not part of the metapopulation, this was lost to the development of a polish factory in the 1950s-60s. A change of grazing regime to heavy grazing by horses put paid to another area at Farnborough in the 1970s. When this grazing stopped, recolonisation might still have been possible as the grassland gradually reverted to a resemblance of its former condition. However, the site was subsequently developed for offices of a mobile telephone company. A further area on an airfield at Farnborough could still support the species but it is becoming increasingly isolated, as are all the remaining sites. In 1983 The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust leased another nearby site of six acres in the middle of the species’ range in the area at that time. Subsequently, a larger area to the west has also been leased and is being well managed to support an acid grassland community with large areas of devilsbit scabious, Succisa pratensis , and bog myrtle, Myrica gale. The last marsh fritillary seen was a single example in 1997, allowing the hope that the species is still surviving but at a very low level. This assumes that no individual person decided to introduce a few specimens to the site without telling others, which is suspected. This would, in this example, serve to indicate how damaging such practices are. I looked for larval evidence on this latter site in 1999 but did not find any. Butterfly Conservation has in recent years sought more of their members to look for this species here. So, even despite the size of this organization, there are still not enough field observers to go round! This last fact was recently freely admitted by their new Chairman (Jeffcoate, 2000) in implying that only 10% of their membership were actually active in the field. Ford & Ford, (1930) described how they had records of a colony near Carlisle from 1881 which they subsequently monitored up to 1930, but fluctuations were a normal event. During one period from 1912-1920, only single examples of the species were seen, but by the mid 1920s it was common once again. Thus hope remains that the marsh fritillary could survive in North Hampshire and become abundant once again. I will now proceed to delve into some subjects that may impact on our interests very soon. In the future what will happen to land areas that formerly held interesting species of conservation concern which are no longer present? Will we be able to stop them from being developed in perpetuity, in the hope that a species may naturally return, or to allow them to be re-established. The answer is almost certainly not, unless these sites are valuable for other reasons, and they qualify under the national Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) series or local Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) or similar designations. Should the marsh fritillary be physically returned to those areas in North Hampshire where it was originally recorded from, for re-establishment when we know that the metapopulation recolonisation structure no longer exists and further development is planned for the area? At what point can re-establishment be promoted if we don’t ever know conclusively whether an invertebrate has become extinct on a site? Does it matter since we are supplying new genes when we put down some new stock? 20 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Critical decisions were made in early March 2000 about future house building on home counties’ sites, the results in the next sixteen years may be that many areas of the South-East are expendable in natural history terms! There are still many colonies of the marsh and other fritillary butterflies in Dorset, provided climatically that this species is not in more serious trouble, efforts to retain it may be concentrated there and also in Devon where it still remains. This is the intention of the [Biodiversity] Species Action Plan: marsh fritillary Eurodryas aurinia (Barnett & Warren, 1995a), but this will mean an important flagship species is not represented on many of its former sites and the present range will not be maintained. In his address in February 1999 our previous president, Brian Eversham remarked on the former opinion of many conservationists that if you protected the vegetation on any particular site then everything else would be conserved as well. Ele commented that this idea is now rightly in disfavour, but it is ironic that we may need to protect the vegetation on some sites in the south and south-east if we want to allow eventual recovery of some butterfly populations. Recently I have become aware of the presumed loss of the marsh fritillary from an English Nature site in Somerset. It was also distressing to learn from our recent speaker, Adrian Fowles, of its decline in Wales. Thus, the picture is not all rosy even within its core range. Isolation and the woodland fritillaries Continuing this theme of decline, I will mention the woodland fritillaries in a south-east England context, since in more northern and western regions, Butterfly Conservation research (Barnett and Warren, 1995b) appears to suggest that some of these species are more frequently found in more open landscapes than in woodland coppice. For example, the high brown & silver-washed fritillaries were last seen in the Stowmarket and Belstead areas of Suffolk in the late 1950s, and the small pearl- bordered and pearl-bordered fritillaries were both lost by 1959 (Mendel & Piotrowski, 1986). I am sure you are all familiar with the sad but explicable declines in these species, due to changes in woodland management, such as the discontinuation of coppicing. Apart perhaps from the dark green and silver-washed fritillaries, these declines still seem to be continuing today in southern and eastern England, despite efforts to redress the problems by Butterfly Conservation. It is possible that isolation as well as lack of management may have played a part in the process, for the network of former sites of occurrence has been irrevocably destroyed from the 1950s onward. We can hope that some Wildlife Trusts’ efforts to restore coppicing in their reserves might redress these species’ declines. Within the general area of Pamber Forest area on the Hampshire/Berkshire border there were up to the 1950s several sites where the smaller fritillaries could move from one site to another. The last pearl-bordered fritillary, Boloria euphrosyne (L.), seen at Pamber was in 1979 so it seems that the butterfly has probably now gone from this site, although it is one of our most well-managed. Parts of Pamber may be under-recorded, as also are other local habitats, but local entomologists assure me that they would expect to see vagrants more frequently if this species still occurred anywhere in the area. (M. Harvey pers. comm.). But the small pearl-bordered fritillary, Boloria selene (D. & S.), is hanging on though it is thought by the site manager (G. Dennis, pers. comm.) that extra stock may need to be brought in to boost the genes of this population. The silver-washed fritillary, Argynnis paphia (L.), is seemingly doing as well as ever, no doubt because of its greater tolerance of shade. A number of nearby localities also lost their fritillary populations between the 1940s and the 1960s. Apparently the last Berkshire record for BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 21 the pearl bordered fritillary was at Fence Wood in 1978 (Baker, 1994). However, a few singletons were found nearby, along the Hampshire and Berkshire border, between 1987 and 1992, (M Harvey, pers. comm.). Pamber Forest, although a large site, is becoming increasingly isolated. The nearest big woods where some of these species may still occur are Butter Wood near Hook (16 km SE), Alice Holt Forest (32 km S) and Harewood Forest (40 km SW). What would induce any of these fritillary butterflies to fly such distances to or from Pamber? (Morris & Thomas, 1989) suggested that the sedentary species were unlikely to colonise new habitat if it was between 400 metres and 10 km away from existing colonies. Almost certainly they considered that some suitable areas would never be reached under modern conditions. In south-east England the woods are still there but increasingly without the smaller fritillaries. Perhaps the remaining fritillary butterflies are inbreeding with little genetic mixing occurring. If so, this is an effect of modern “landscape fragmentation which decreases patch areas and increases distances between habitats and can convert 'core' landscapes into ‘marginal’ ones, and ‘marginal’ landscapes into ‘uninhabitable’ ones”, (Thomas et al. 1998). In this scenario of isolation the future role of the entomologist interested in conservation could be to research and secure small areas that provide the link between larger sites in public ownership and other nature reserves. As intervening spaces get larger and emptier, it is likely to become more important to learn how all uncommon species spread between habitats. Here is an opportunity for members of this Society to design their fieldwork to find out this information. However, the other major conservation organisations do not seem to be succeeding in keeping these populations on their land either. The RSPB (Cadbury, & Shardlow, 1998) reported that the best recent year for the pearl-bordered fritillary in their transects at Blean Woods, Kent had been 1987. Despite continuing appropriate management, none had been seen in 1994-96 and just one in 1997. Similar results' were reported from their properties in Devon with the last good year in 1987. However, recent Butterfly Conservation maps appear to show the situation for this species in the Blean area is somewhat better, this being an area where economic coppicing still continues today. Both pearl-bordered fritillaries have been lost from Bernwood Forest. One possible reason cited is that only rides were managed for the species, while coppicing had not been increased. The general increase in deer numbers is another possible cause, with the non-native muntjac deer consuming ride-side flowers (M. Harvey, pers. comm.). If the latter is a cause of the decline, it might also be affecting the moths. This last consideration brings to mind a possible dilemma for the Wildlife Trusts, if there was ever definitive evidence against deer, could they cut back deer numbers on reserves without upsetting their members? It was reassuring to hear from a talk given by Matthew Oates to the Third International Conference of Butterfly Conservation in 1999 that the pearl-bordered fritillary was doing well in an 800 hectare woodland in Gloucestershire and was being maintained, by the activity of fallow deer ( Duma dama). Some scientists have begun to suggest that the general decline is some sort of climatic effect, so the fact that there are important Scottish populations of this butterfly surviving in woodland canopy gaps, where violets grow amongst light bracken cover at the woodland edge, is a relief all round. Whether we like it or not, in the future smaller habitat patches will be the rule, particularly in the south. The reasons behind this are the continued need or promotion by the market for more housing and employment developments, driven by population pressure and the consequent demand for an even better standard of BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 living. Perhaps an unfortunate by-product of any political system is that society is driven by what is popular and not necessarily by what is desirable, as seen by minorities such as naturalists. Have these isolation effects that are manifest in the butterflies become apparent in some moth and other invertebrate distributions? Will we see a similar shift north and westwards in them? Some lepidopterists have ventured to say yes. For instance, the double-line moth, Mythimna turca (L.), is now sparsely recorded outside western districts and yet before 1980 was more frequent in its occurrence in Hampshire and Essex. Opportunities for BENHS members I am sure that BENHS has an advantage in field entomology over other societies in having a higher percentage of its members active in the field. We must capitalise on the opportunities presented by this advantage. As a Society we seem to have a declining interest in butterflies, traditionally in favour of moths but increasingly in other orders. It is understandable that we should want to avoid duplication of effort but I really wonder if it is the right decision to leave nearly all UK butterfly study in the hands of one organisation. Should BENHS be that detached from butterflies to leave all activity to Butterfly Conservation? Yes, perhaps we can be that detached for butterflies, since after all many of us are members of both organisations, even 1 am a recent convert. Butterfly Conservation will need much money to reverse the trends outlined above, and it may be an impossible task. The best option for BENHS members is co-operation in what are fundamentally shared ideals. But we should not be so complacent about the moths The losses among the butterflies typified by the examples quoted above may be matched correspondingly for moths if we do not continue to monitor their populations. The arguments for limiting the collecting of butterflies are already proven in the UK. But many moths still need to be taken to be identified. I believe this latter argument is won within Butterfly Conservation, in the main. There remain pockets of their membership who seem to suggest that all lepidopterists should be happy to refer to collections in central institutions and not to make their own collections. This remains a very misguided viewpoint when we consider the number of invertebrate species that have been split into two or more species in the last 50 years. By volunteering information on moth distribution to others can we trust them to allow us to carry on collecting moths when they are indulging in programmes to aid population recovery of the very same species? Does the caution in providing information to others, such as the Wildlife Trusts, still prevail? Allan (1943) wrote that those who knew of localities outside the New Forest for the light crimson underwing, Catocala promissa (D. & S.) were wise to keep them a secret, but this was probably from other collectors at that time. If such secrets are still being kept it might explain the current absences of many species from some localities on distribution maps (e.g. Fig. 5b.) Legislation issues and the future of collecting Can plain collecting, without providing added value in ecological or biological information, continue? The answer is that of course it must, otherwise recruitment of future entomologists will be much reduced. It does seem to be continually under threat as the next example should serve to illustrate. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 i i ~i 1 r 2191 Double Line Mythimna turca o Before 1980 + Doubtful record 1980 Onwards ■ Larval record • Adult record T Fig. 3. Double line Mythinma tuna (L.) distribution map. O O 24 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Wildlife and Countryside Link is the liaison body for voluntary organisations in the UK concerned with the conservation and protection of wildlife and countryside. In 1997 this organisation published a leaflet “Wildlife Law: time for reform”, a charter supported by 22 other organisations from The Wildlife Trusts to Greenpeace, including Butterfly Conservation. This leaflet suggested, amongst desirable issues such as greater protection for SSSIs, that “more species should be protected by bringing the current schedules (of wildlife laws) up to date with the UK Biodiversity Action Plan”. Had we been active and full members of Wildlife and Countryside Link in 1997 we might have been able to influence them positively against this direction when they published this leaflet. Subsequently the Government’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Wildlife and Countryside Link considered this subject further, at which this Society amongst many others was invited to contribute its views. The results were published as a synthesis of the views of those interviewed and attending the focus groups in A Review of the Operation of Species Legislation in Great Britain (King, 1999). I consider that more laws to protect increased numbers of species will be unenforceable. At the same time they would have a negative effect on entomology and the public’s perception of entomologists. I consider that any action that makes it more difficult to collect and monitor all but the most endangered species will lead to a reduction in enthusiasts, who are the compilers of all the reliable information to recording schemes. If the motivation of collecting is removed, I believe that there will be many less people to go out at night to monitor moth populations, for instance, despite the growth of moth-watching groups. But this is what the rest of the natural history community seemed, perversely, to want to limit. The addition of all the Biodiversity Action Plan invertebrates (c. 160 species), including at least 46 more moths, would have been a step too far! It would have made it extremely difficult for us to work on many of these more local moths if they had all been placed under the schedules of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. As a Society we need to monitor this type of inappropriate proposal very carefully indeed. From what I have seen of the recently proposed Countryside and Rights of Way Bill (March 2000). it does not provide this species protection but seeks to restrict wider land entry to those carrying nets for hunting animals. This clause, though having another target group of people in mind, could require all entomologists to have permission for their activities before entering what is to be called access land (or “Right-to-roam land”) if the Bill is approved by Parliament.* At the 1999 Annual Exhibition of the Society many of you will have seen the BENHS Conservation Working Group’s joint proposals for working with Butterfly Conservation on many of the Biodiversity Action Plan species, which would be put in jeopardy with more legislation. However, my information is that other organisations represented on Wildlife and Countryside Link, such as Friends of the Earth, are still pushing for increased species protection to be included in the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill. Their magazine called for greater protection for rare species occurring outside SSSIs (Friends of the Earth, Spring 2000). One practical step we could take straight away would be to join Wildlife and Countryside Link as full members. The previous route to representa- tion, which we had jointly with the Amateur Entomologists’ Society through the *As of late March 2000 this issue has been raised at the Joint Committee for the Conservation of British Invertebrates (JCCBI) and is being pursued through Parliament and the House of Lords. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 2003 25 Joint Committee for the Conservation of British Invertebrates, weakened our scope for activity. It is my view that we should be represented despite the considerable cost. It we do not sit at the same table, our views will never be understood and taken into account when misguided legislation is suggested. But who in this Society is able to attend the mainly midweek meetings of this organisation, should they choose to admit us? The skills needed are great knowledge of all aspects of invertebrates, natural history issues and government legislation mechanisms, a feeling for politics and articulate persuasion. In other words, we need a new type of entomologist! My perception is that most entomologists would rather be studying their insects or working out in the field! As a prominent natural history organisation we must find individuals to argue from the entomologist’s perspective and to commit personal time to combating some of the anti-collecting attitudes that arise in non-entomologists. Otherwise we should not be surprised if our views are quashed by the overwhelmingly, and quite naturally for higher animals, must-not-kill attitudes of other naturalists. This current lack of representation, I suggest, is one reason why an invertebrate conservation trust fund is needed to promote entomologists’ views independently of Government. A similar problem has been cited in Europe (Kudrna, 1997), where there is a failure on the part of European administrators to appreciate the needs of those wishing to monitor butterfly populations. In Germany and Spain it is made extremely difficult for the entomologist, especially the amateur, to indulge in his interest in collecting insects. I suspect that this is a matter of expediency, for the less the authorities are informed of where special sites are, the less effort they have to spend protecting them and managing them for their invertebrate interest. In this way the majority interests of European agriculture and forestry are satisfied at the expense of a minority. This contrasts with the European treatment of hunting — from the Natura 2000 and People Conference held at Bath in 1998, I quote: “Hunting is a legitimate activity under the Birds Directive, and is not a priori to be excluded from Natura 2000 sites” (Natura 2000 Newsletter Special Edition, 1998). This network of nature sites results from the European Commission Habitats Directive, of which you may have heard. Europe is another area where the Invertebrate Conservation Trust, if made European, could extend its interest. The British role could be to stimulate invertebrate collection in Europe, especially by amateurs. Campaigning through our MEPs could remove the barriers to collecting by ensuring that European countries are also pursuing biodiversity studies of invertebrate populations and that they have monitoring programmes in existence. Biodiversity Action Plans I feel that it would be rewarding if more of the Society’s members were to work a little more deeply on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan lists of species. As a Society we could retain this information centrally as well, should we need to use it to obtain or defend sites. I will use tonight to put forward a few contentious ideas for moth studies, although I. not being a lepidopterist, am of course open to criticism. As a caveat, however, we have to remember that amateur entomologists need to enjoy what they are undertaking, so, for some research, it remains the best option for the now very numerous contract entomologists or university-based entomologists to do such work. Some of the species which 1 think have somewhat puzzlingly limited distributions, that I have difficulty in believing, are the following: the heart moth Dicycla oo (L.), dark crimson underwing Ccitocala sponsa ( L. ), light crimson underwing Catocala 26 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 4. Heart moth Dicycla oo (L.) distribution map. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 27 promissa (D. & S.), double line Mythimna turca (L.), narrow-bordered bee hawk- moth Hemaris tityus (L.), bordered gothic Heliophobus reticulata marginosa (Haworth), sword-grass Xylena exsoleta (L.), the four-spotted Tyta luctuosa (D. & S.). 1 will deal with the first four only, as examples. Heart moth Dicycla oo (L.) 1 find it extremely strange that this species is so limited in occurrence. It is believed to be a canopy feeder on oak, yet the latter are abundant, so why is its distribution so limited? Skinner (1998) says it occurs in open woodland and parkland with mature oaks, but this habitat is of common occurrence throughout the country. And why is it seemingly confined to the east of England, and even lost from the New Forest? In Surrey its main site of occurrence appears to be the adjoining Epsom and Ashtead Commons. The pasture woodland at this latter site has an under-storey of bracken in many areas and is considerably susceptible to fire, of which a number have occurred, afflicting the ancient oaks. A similar habitat occurs in East Berkshire including Windsor Great Park, where the moth still occurred in the 1980s. This site also has a bracken under-storey, which is probably insignificant, but both sites have pollarded oaks. But what could be different about these oak trees or their growing situations and spacing from other trees? The literature does not seem to record what flowers or energy sources this species visits of a night, other than the exceptionally rare treat of the entomologist’s sugar! My experience as a dipterist of hunting for dead-wood species in pasture woodlands with bracken is that flower sources are infrequent in June and July. Possible flowers at this time are wild roses, dogwood, elder, blackberry and privet. As this species visits sugar, are natural sap-flows of oak important to it? Or if the sugar solutions in honey-dew are much more necessary, how prevalent are the latter in pasture woodland with few low-growing shrubs? In areas where these sap-runs occur, I have often observed numerous moth wings lying at the foot of such trees, where they have been killed by wasps. Those who use light- traps to attract the moth record that it is only active on warm, still nights. What does it do the rest of the time? If we don’t know the answers to these questions, I would suggest that it’s about time that we did! Torchlight transects have been suggested as a way of finding out the required information, but I doubt if that would appeal to lepidopterists. Dusking at flowers is another technique but, once the light-trap starts attracting moths, it seems to be forgotten about. If this species comes to light late in the night, it may also visit flowers or honey-dew at similar times. The last Hertfordshire record was in 1971 at a garden trap, but the hope remains that such populations continue to live on unseen by lepidopterists, since in 1999 a specimen was captured in a grid square in Hampshire from which it was previously known but had not been taken for some time. Dark crimson underwing Catocala sponsa (L.) and light crimson underwing Catoeala promissa (D. & S.). Apart from the distribution, much of what I have already said applies also to these two species. Conversely, the centres of distribution for them, especially the latter, seem to have almost totally reverted to the New Forest and nearby. Some believe that the climate has warmed slightly but C. promissa appears to have retreated southwards, the opposite to what you would perhaps expect. They both occur in some of our larger oak woods but there seem to be no clues as to why larger woods should be more important than smaller ones. Young (1997) inferred that this preference was just guesswork, more enthusiasts are needed to rise to the challenge to determine these life-histories? There is also the perception that lepidopterists tend to 28 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 5. Light crimson underwing Catocala promissa (D.& S.) distribution map. BIT J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 2003 29 target sites where they will be successful in procuring these species, but that they do not work systematically by grid square. For instance, there are many pre-1980 records for Kent and East Sussex, but the empty dots do not tell us how many times these localities have been visited since 1980 for zero results. Double line, Mythimnu turca (L.) 1 find it curious that at only a second major field meeting to Richmond Park many examples of this species turned up, where they had not been recorded for many years (Waring, 1993). Does this indicate lethargy on the part of lepidopterists or are there just too many sites to go to? The other curiosity is that this site is closed in by urban areas and subject to high levels of pollution, and yet the moth is still abundant. There appears to have been a decline of this moth in the wider countryside outside the south-west of England and Wales, probably due to agricultural improvement. It is believed to require rough unimproved pastures but there are still many of these in south-east England. There is obviously a more subtle requirement for a very specific type of grassland, which makes a splendid opportunity for members of this Society to indulge in some practical research. Why should entomologists embrace Biodiversity Action Plan research? Better knowledge of invertebrate life-histories will be obtained by the process. Alan Stubbs, writing in his presidential address to this Society eighteen years ago, said “one of the saddest things is that after so many years of the study of butterflies, entomologists have failed to provide the information necessary to manage habitats for these insects” (Stubbs, 1982). In recent years, arguably. Butterfly Conservation has led on life-history research, but I believe that members of this Society could do more. Until or unless an Invertebrate Conservation Trust is established, it is essential, I believe, that the BENHS is involved in all moth research and especially, because with a greatly increasing UK population, the continued need or promotion by the market for more housing and employment developments will inevitably lead to further losses of the habitats we treasure. Population pressure and development Human population pressure , modern changes in family relationship statuses, industrial and transport built infrastructure. These have all changed considerably and are set to change even more, placing more isolation risks on wildlife sites. The Government’s Office for National Statistics has indicated that the population of south-east England is expected to rise by 13% in the next 20 years, and Ministers have stated that a further 860,000 homes need to be built in the south-eastern counties over the next twenty years. For England and Wales the latest figures as of March 1999 were 52.2 million people at May 1997, 200,000, up on the figure for mid- 1996. (Source Government Computing magazine.) A recent world map published in December 1999 by the Royal Geographical Society gave the UK figures as 59,400,000 on a land area of 244,100 sq. km, whereas for France it is 59,080,000 on more than twice the UK land area of 543,965 sq. km in which to fit everybody in. These plans are likely to lead to considerable losses of countryside in all these counties. Even if only 50% of the area is eventually developed because the figures are over-estimates, this would still have a significant impact on the current landscape. 30 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 SERPLAN proposals Public Examination (% increase) Total area of rural land under threat1 Bedfordshire 42,890 64,000 (49%) 27 sq. km Berkshire 53,261 83,000 (56%) 23 sq. km Buckinghamshire 54,300 92.000 (43%) 39 sq. km East Sussex 37,458 64,500 (72%) 27 sq. km Essex 83,900 150.000 (79%) 62 sq. km Hampshire 101,900 169,000 (66%) 68 sq. km Hertfordshire 50,900 88,000 (73%) 28 sq. km Isle of Wight 9,553 13,000 (36%) 2 sq. km Kent 99,700 150,000 (50%) 64 sq. km Oxfordshire 41,500 75,000 (81%) 41 sq. km Surrey 34,937 77,000 (120%) 22 sq. km West Sussex 44,900 73,000 (63%) 29 sq. km South East 668,500 1,098,500 (64%) 432 sq. km) (outside London) 'Based on estimates of urbanisation for every 1,000 houses calculated in Department of the Environment’s Urbanisation in England: Projections 1991-2016 (1995). Differences between counties reflect the varying potential for using urban land and buildings. Fig. 6. CPRE TABLE The impact on the shires. The squeeze will be especially evident where there is pressure not to develop flood- plains and high-yielding agricultural land. In all south-eastern counties except Oxfordshire, it is policy that such development will go on “brownfield” sites. I suggest to you it that it is these very brownfield sites that in many areas form links between the remaining semi-natural habitats. In many cases they are refuges for localised species forced out of niche habitats elsewhere by urbanisation and intensive agriculture. Peter Harvey writing in an article on the East Thames corridor (Harvey, 1999) revealed that this area was very valuable for aculeate Hymenoptera, since it contains areas of old mineral workings, post-industrial areas including old silt lagoons, and even some flower-rich unimproved areas. In an area equivalent to one 10 km square, 49% of the British fauna of bees, wasps and ants have been recorded. But again the previous lack of local knowledge has been revealed, as nearly all of this area is under imminent development threat. Despite the immensity of the job, this lack of prior knowledge of the whereabouts of important species assemblages remains a significant weakness in invertebrate conservation. This is because it is not in the hands of an invertebrate equivalent of the RSPB. We, in entomology, lack a central organisation holding such information, able to react instantly on the strength of this knowledge, and independent of the policies of Government. Remember that English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales, and Scottish Natural Heritage have all seen reductions in their entomological staff and consequently in their ability to act quickly. A further implication of development and exponential population increase is what I refer to as the knowledge impediment, that we entomologists, do not yet know the answers to fundamental questions that may guarantee the survival of sensitive species in the years ahead. There is perhaps little time left for us to find BR. .1. ENT. NAT HIST.. 16: 2003 31 out all the answers we require before these developments or climatic effects occur. This talk looks at the next 100 years, the building developments announced recently could be compounded by four more similar amounts of housing and infrastructure development by the end of this century. Other invertebrates In comparison to the butterflies, and perhaps some dragonflies, crickets and grasshoppers, I personally believe that the picture of scarcity of many species in the “other orders” is a lot better than when the NCC’s British Red Data Book for Insects (Shirt, 1987) was published. Almost every rare bee, wasp or fly that 1 have taken in the last twenty years has been taken subsequently by others, even some of you in this room. Andrenci hattorfianci (F.) is one of our largest solitary bees, frequenting Salisbury Plain and chalk downland slopes. Ten years ago it was thought to have declined substantially but, with increased examination of its old haunts, hymenopterists have re-found it on the chalk hills of East Anglia and southern England. What it must have is an annual supply of flowers of field scabious and greater knapweed, each year without exception. The kind of management you require for this solitary bee would not suit the adonis blue butterfly Ly sandy a bellargus (Rott.). This is likely to be an area where a single-order study group will run into management priority problems as sites are reduced. Dot map distributions Now that we have interactive on-line computer networks, perhaps this technology could be adapted for dot-maps to become much more intuitive and instructive. I am sure it would be a big improvement if we were able to double-click on a grid-square dot to reveal much more sensible and coherent information, password-protected as necessary. Such as how many discrete populations and their locations exist in a 10 km square for any one species? Of course this should only be done for a few species, those of conservation concern or of fast-changing distribution patterns. It would also be most interesting to know how many sites were searched for a scarce species and for how long, without revealing its presence. In other words, how much effort has been applied to each 10 km square. Red list categories and distribution status changes An equal concern is the maintenance of the modern equivalents of Red Data Book statuses. As I have already shown tonight, our insect fauna is constantly changing. These conservation statuses of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as applied in Great Britain, should reflect these changes on at least a five-yearly cycle, if not dynamically. (Eyre, 1998) was also critical of the slowness of deciding RDB statuses because research he was associated with in creating species indices could not be set in an RDB context until these statuses had been decided. For instance a few species of hoverfly and wasp, that were categorised as endangered or vulnerable, no longer merit such a high designation e.g. Callicera ruf'a Schummel, and Philanthus triangulum (Fab.). The greater targeting and examination of sites of occurrence has indicated that some species are more widespread than previously thought, so these designations should keep pace with such research, if the whole system is not to be scorned. Indeed, Callicera rufa was 32 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 downgraded in Falk (1991) after searches for larvae revealed that the species was more frequent than had ever been realised through observing adults. A prime example of invertebrate status change is, of course, the Bee Wolf, Philanthus triangulum (Fab.), which was categorised as Vulnerable (RDB2) in 1986, but which I now consider common. From its occurrence at Sandown Bay in the Isle of Wight since 1851 and three other IoW sites, as well as Nacton Heath in Suffolk in 1976 and another heath in south Norfolk in 1983, it has now exploded in distribution, even occurring in the amenity grasslands of local authority housing estates and the imported sandy butts of rifle ranges on Salisbury Plain in the middle of the chalk (S. Miles, personal observations, 1999). I do not believe it could be ranked as even Notable now. Would politicians understand such issues when compiling wildlife legislation? I suspect that they would not and might accuse all naturalists of over-egging the pudding when it comes to scarcity. During the period that some butterflies have declined, other insects and invertebrates have moved into the southern England or expanded their range. Are these two factors linked? I would suggest that this is something that we will urgently need to discover if we are to make coherent conservation decisions. A common factor noted in many of the current changes to our fauna is that they seem to occur in an east to west direction. As much as there is some depression at the losses of butterfly species, there is room for hope in the expansion of new species of other orders, that we now see around us compared, say, to the 1940s. An even more striking example of an extension of range is the social wasp Dolichovespula media (Retzius). The first finder of this species in the UK in 1980, Steven Falk remarked that, “there seems no reason why this species should not establish itself in England as it occurs throughout Eurasia'’ (Falk, 1982). As you can see (Fig. 8.), it certainly has established itself. Roesel’s bush-cricket Metrioptera roeselii (Hagenbach) and the long-winged cone-head Conoceplialus discolor (Thunberg) are other examples of steadily expanding species. It is interesting to note that (Marshall & Haes, 1988) listed both of these species as being, within their ranges, typical of trunk- route verges. There are many other insects that could be mentioned in this category. Climate change and species A recent Radio 4 Natural History Programme referred to an exotic bird, the little egret, being on the increase in southern England and having now reached Chasewater Country Park, a relict heathland industrial area near Birmingham. This is a most amazing change in such a short period, but of course it is also happening with invertebrates such as the spider Argiope bruermichi (Scopoli) that has colonised Dorset and is now reported from Wiltshire. Contrastingly, in a global warming scenario, will our small wet quaking acid bog areas survive? Could such species as the large marsh grasshopper Stethophyma grossum (L.) become even more endangered? It is easy to visualise the scenario in 2025, when warming has continued so much that a malarial mosquito now occurs in New Forest National Park. By this time too many people have a vested interest in attracting tourists to the area, so the water bodies are expendable to favour the large numbers of human visitors. Additionally, there is the continued need for water abstraction for consumption by the UK’s now 65,000,000 human population and the consequent lowering of the water-table. The result — wave good-bye to the large marsh BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 33 Fig. 7. Philanthus triangulum (Fab.) distribution map. grasshopper. However, with current European weather conditions likely to occur in the UK in the future, will species currently restricted to certain specialised habitats be likely to become less discerning in their future habitat requirements? (The Bracknell National Weather Centre described 1999 as the warmest year overall since records began in 1659. Their prediction was that the average UK temperature would be 2 degrees C higher by 2050.) Future requirements in invertebrate conservation science There are still many gaps in our knowledge, some possibilities for future research might be the following, which it will be essential to know thoroughly, if species are to be conserved. 34 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 8. Dolichovespula media (Retzius) distribution map. 1. What is the minimum size of an invertebrate population to enable it to survive in any one habitat annually, although not necessarily to be observed on a year-to- year basis? Is a population a single genetic stock? Rationale: we frequently hear of specimens being seen once again in localities after several years of absence (Rothschild, 1994). Could it be that they were present all the time though not at a high enough threshold level to be seen? 2. To which species are agricultural fields a barrier to their dispersal to other localities, and if they do form a barrier, what size of field or crop types form such barriers? BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 35 Roesel's Bush-cricket Metrioptera roeselii Latest record 1886 - 1985 1986 - 1993 1994 - 1996 1997 1998 Biological Records Centre December 1999 Fig. 9. Roesel’s bush-cricket Metrioptera roeselii (Hagenbach) distribution map. Rationale: how do invertebrates spread to new areas? Is a network of inter-linked sites desirable and necessary, or just a problem in our own minds? If a site such as Pamber Forest is genetically isolated, do butterflies travel many miles just to visit it or disperse from it? Many sites containing local species are now surrounded by much larger open fields, where the small networks of hedges that used to link the woodlands dotted about the countryside no longer exist. Is this a limit to other species’ dispersal? 3. To which species are built-up areas a barrier to their dispersal to other localities, and if they do form a barrier, what size of urban area forms such barriers? Rationale: as the remaining countryside becomes more urbanised, with more intrusive infrastructure, roads, street lighting, tidy hedges, neat grass strips and cycle paths where once there were roadside verges, will the species we have now survive in the second half of this new century? 4. Do motorways and other major roads inhibit or encourage dispersal? Rationale: a study of carabid beetles, (Mader, 1984) revealed that major roads did appear to inhibit the insect dispersal, with very little evidence of species dispersal from island areas separated by a road. In addition there is an inevitable high casualty rate for all insects amid the turbulence caused by busy traffic. However, the wide verges of motorways, have the capacity 1 believe, to act as linear dispersal mechanisms linking one site to another. 5. The general structure and biology of a great number of invertebrate larvae remain unknown. Rationale: we cannot maintain populations of adults without knowing the requirements of the early stages. 36 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Large Marsh Grasshopper Stethophyma grossum Biological Records Centre February 2000 Fig. 10. Large marsh grasshopper Stethophyma grossum (L.) distribution map. Latest record 1911 - 1 1939 -1 1977 -1 1997 1998 6. Which species are the priority for research to be conducted by the entomological community? What are the factors that are likely to cause extinction in British species in the next hundred years? Or in other words, what species should members of this Society and other entomologists study now, in order to enable our successors to continue to study and collect these animals in the 21st and 22nd centuries? Now in theory this should be easy to decide since the Biodiversity Action Plans should have encapsulated all of the relevant species, if only all entomologists could agree on the methodologies to decide on the critical species. 7. Should we devise a method to produce quantitative data on relative species abundance, of which we appear to have a paucity at present? Rationale: what are the common features that identify years of abundance and scarcity in different species? 8. Has atmospheric pollution had any effect on invertebrate populations? (Idea from Barbour, 1986). Rationale: if roadsides are a dispersal network for many invertebrates, is this dispersal, especially for non-flying species, inhibited by roadside pollution? 9. If global warming is an actuality, what effect will it have on invertebrate populations in the UK? Rationale: as temperature increases, it is likely that pest species prevalent in Europe today will be much more active further north. The present sympathy to the plight of the relatively benign species we have today may be much less in evidence in the future perhaps? BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 37 But at the same time many of these knowledge aspects are limited to observations and as Sir Richard Southwood in his Presidential speech to the Royal Entomological Society said some years ago, quoting from Sir James Gowans, “the things we would like to know may be unknowable’’ (Southwood, 1985). Representation We do not seem to generate so many dynamic ambassadors for natural history, and particularly invertebrates, as perhaps we did in the past. Where are the future Peter Scotts, David Attenboroughs or even Simon Kings? Admittedly there is Roger Key, English Nature’s entomological media personality, but there are few others to fill this category. Certainly there seem to be extremely few dynamic entomologists, but perhaps this is an oxymoron. But we should be seeking more influence, whether it is writing about invertebrates in Natural World , attempting to become members of the council of English Nature or the Countryside Commission, or appearing on the media. I believe that more of us should be influencing such bodies at a high level. Another major weakness would appear to be the current lack of a strong body within the Royal Entomological Society concerned with conservation. This is a gap, that we in the BENHS as an amateur society should continue to exploit. An invertebrate conservation trust A major option is the formation of an Invertebrate Conservation Trust. If supported by the British entomological community, this could tackle those issues that traditional societies like the British Entomological and Natural History Society or the Royal Entomological Society find themselves unable to do. The following practical issues could then be addressed: 1 . Achievement of an invertebrate conservation trust concerned with ad species and their management. There is need for a unified UK organisation devoted to achieve the conservation of all invertebrate species and their habitats, and [avoiding the single species group trap], taking a balanced view of conservation management (Kirby, 1992). 2. Attainment of more popular support for invertebrates by demonstrating them to the public. The attainment of more popular support for insects and other invertebrates and their sites of maximum diversity is especially necessary as more and more sites will be lost due to human population expansion in this new century. A. Entomologists have a particular role here, in organising more events to bring live insects and their habitat requirements to the public's attention, as I and the BENHS Conservation Working Group have attempted to do in the last few years. We have held events for the public at Dinton Pastures Country Park, Swanwick in Hampshire, at the RSPB’s Minsmere reserve, with another scheduled for summer 2000 with the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust. B. Another issue we can tackle is that of attempting to persuade local residents of the need to remove trees and shrubs from heathland, or encouraging woodland thinning through attempting to win hearts and minds through children’s natural enthusiasm for invertebrates, known to them as bugs. We have probably all seen headlines such as “trees chopped by conservationists’’, or read that the local Wildlife Trust is ruining perfectly good walking country. What the public does 38 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 not know or does not care about is that insects in particular require very specific microhabitats, and one of our many roles is to illustrate this practically. C. The staff of Wildlife Trusts need to be given a better understanding of the needs of invertebrates. The Trusts have a high turnover of staff so such instruction needs to be communicated regularly. This Society does not have the resources to undertake this at present, but it could be a high priority for the proposed Invertebrate Conservation Trust. 3. Entomologists to develop closer links with county Wildlife Trusts. Entomologists need to develop closer links with the county Wildlife Trusts on a reciprocal basis, both individually and through the major organisations already mentioned, but this is difficult when their societies do not have any staff working normal office hours. 4. More support for invertebrate projects from major groups like the Worldwide Fund for Nature and government agencies. More support is desirable for invertebrate conservation projects from the likes of the Worldwide Fund for Nature, IUCN and national Government agencies. From my perception this seems to be lacking but more might be forthcoming to a dedicated organisation. 5. Greater understanding of the need to collect some invertebrates for accurate identification and monitoring. More understanding is needed across the world of the importance of being able to collect insects for study easily without an excessive need to apply for permits and other red tape — this requirement applies particularly to Germany and Spain but appears to be growing elsewhere. Even among the UK's natural history organisations, there seems to be a prevalence of measures to “protect” insects in these ways that forget the need to monitor populations of species that cannot readily be identified, (Wildlife Fink Charter publication, 1997). 6. Availability of funds to study non-economically important invertebrates before they decline. If invertebrates are at the other end of the spectrum to mammals when changes affect the environment, ie if they are the first to suffer diminution because of their annual life-cycles, then more study is needed of invertebrates in their habitats, and long before the time when mammals begin to decline. 7. Acquisition of nature reserves specifically to manage invertebrate populations. In the next 20 years the rest of the entomological community could perhaps start to acquire at least a handful of nature reserves, to be managed exclusively for invertebrates other than butterflies. The rationale: a) the Charities Commission keep on urging the BENHS to spend more of its resources, and it would do the same for an invertebrate conservation trust, if that was formed. b) if we developed management expertise specifically for invertebrates, we could provide advice to others based on actual experience. c) subject to legal constraints, we could maintain some populations of weedy species that are so essential to pollinating insects but which appear to be unpopular in other organisation's reserves, e.g. ragwort, thistles. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 39 d) our aim might be to set up reserves that just safeguard a single hedge or line of trees which are known breeding sites for special species, to try to prevent losses such as that of a site of the scarce vapourer moth ( Orgia recens (Htibn.) in Yorkshire in 1995 (Waring, 1995). e) avoidance of clashes of priorities, as are already said to be occurring with losses ol other species when management of sites favours butterflies. Nature reserves and entomological organisations Should the BENHS or the proposed Invertebrate Conservation Trust become a nature reserve owner and manager? Why not? If we truly believe that it is not collecting that does damage to invertebrate populations, a demonstration reserve showing the management techniques we believe in, as well as allowing collecting monitored on a long term basis, would be a good test. A reserves fund would also allow the Society or Trust to be a beneficiary in the receipt of bequests for such purposes. Concluding remarks This Society, entomologists as a whole and naturalists in general face a continuing dilemma. Should we take a back seat and just watch the changes unfold, the normal ebb and flow, losses and gains of species, in other words be complacent in the belief that there is nothing we can really do to retain species? Or, should we be more positive and take a proactive conservation role in the belief that our Society or an Invertebrate Conservation Trust could make a difference, as Butterfly Conservation have perhaps already done? To take the title from the BBC Radio 4 programme. The Choice , our options can be tabulated: Insect conservation: the choice Decision Result Do nothing, observe and collect data, accept the status quo. As a Society stick to fieldwork and taxonomy. Leave politics and conservation to those interested souls and to the new Invertebrate Conservation Trust, if it gets established. BENHS or an Invertebrate Conservation Trust to start to acquire and manage nature reserves or give protection to very small parts of the countryside, e.g. single hedges, contain- ing breeding sites of scarce species. Some species decline, others increase, as they have always done. BENHS continues to make a contribution, as it always has done, to our knowledge of species’ life-histories. BENHS remains man- ageable by volunteers. The Society continues to speak from a viewpoint of little site- management experience and has reducing influence over the growing subject of conserva- tion matters. 1. We disprove the idea that collecting damages most populations. (Our studies over the next 10-50 years) 2. We gain management experience, if we wish to advise others how to manage their reserves for our interests. 3. Wc use our sites as demonstrational reserves for the habitat niches wc wish to see main- tained, e.g. tree rot-holes, not artificial nest- boxes, bare sand areas, not continuous heather, river shingle areas. 40 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 4. We produce invertebrate management videos and training material as a result ol our experience. 5. We safeguard individual breeding sites for populations of invertebrates that would other- wise be lost. Become proactive, even political, fight to Some species decline others increase. The save invertebrate habitats. public, other naturalists and perhaps even a few politicians become aware of invertebrate conservation issues, NOT just the butterfly ones. I believe we have compromised historically between these two actions. But with the changes I have spoken about tonight, 1 believe we need to become more prominent as a Society in wildlife conservation issues. This will be especially necessary if for any reason, even apathy, an Invertebrate Conservation Trust is unable to become established. There is still a risk, particularly from those outside entomology, that all invertebrate collecting could be despised as much as butterfly collecting is now. This will be especially the case if entomologists are not providing added value in the form of more ecological knowledge about the species in which they are interested. As I have intimated tonight, there are so many vital questions that need answers for exceptional invertebrates to continue to flourish as well as the currently commonplace species. As was written in the final flourish to The New Aurelians (James, 1973) the centenary history of the British Entomological and Natural History Society “Although the future is misty, one fact is certain: the Society’s potential is vast”. Acknowledgements Thanks are due to Martin Drake of English Nature, David Element, Robin Williams, Graham Collins and Jim Porter for the loan of slides, to Mick Parker, David Green, Graham Dennis, Martin Harvey, John Muggleton and Pete Clarkson for additional information; to Mark Teller and Henry Arnold of the Biological Records Centre, CEH Monks Wood, Paul Waring, Richard Fox and finally Butterfly Conservation for the preparation of some of the distribution maps. Acknow- ledgement is also due to all the volunteers of the respective recording schemes and societies that provided the records upon which these maps are based. I am also indebted to Nicola Frank of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE) for permission to reproduce “Table 1 The impact on the shires”. Any misconceptions are mine alone; personal communication or the loan of slides or other materials does not mean that the individual concerned has seen or agreed the subject matter of the talk or the arguments presented. References Allan, P. B. M. 1943. Talking of moths. The Montgomery Press, Newtown Baker, B. R. 1994. The butterflies and moths of Berkshire. Hedera Press Barbour, D. A. 1986. Why are there so few butterflies in Liverpool? An answer. Antenna 10: 72-75 Barnett, L. K. and Warren, M. S. 1995 a. Species Action Plan: Marsh Fritillary Eurodryas aurinia Butterfly Conservation, Wareham. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 41 Barnett, L. K. and Warren, M. S. 1995 b. Species Action Platt: Pearl Bordered Fritillary Boloria euphrosyne Butterfly Conservation, Wareham. Anon, c 1954. I- Spy butterflies and moths. News Chronicle, London. Butterfly Conservation, 1999. Book of abstracts. Butterfly Conservation’s 3rd International Symposium Cadbury, J. & Shardlow, M. 1998. Biodiversity monitoring at RSPB nature reserves: non avian species of conservation importance 1997. RSPB, Sandy. Collins, G. A. 1997. Larger moths of Surrey. Surrey Wildlife Trust, Pirbright. Dawson, D. 1994. Are habitat corridors conduits for animals and plants in a fragmented landscape? A review of the scientific evidence. English Nature (Research Reports), Peterborough. Dennis, R. L. H. 1977. The British butterflies: their origin and establishment. Classey, Faringdon. Elton, C. S. 1966. The pattern of animal communities. Methuen, London. Else, G. R. 1992. Further extension of the range of Dolichovespula media (Retzius) (Hym., Vespidae) in Britain in 1989 and 1990. Ent. Mon. Mag. 128: 43-46. Emmet, A. M. & Heath, J. (Eds.). 1983. The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 10, Part 2. Harley Books, Colchester. Morris M. G. and Thomas, J. A. 1989. Re-establishment of insect populations, with special reference to butterflies. In: Emmett, A. M. and Heath J. (Eds.). The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Harley Books, Colchester. Volume 7, Part 1. Eyre, M. D. 1998. Invertebrates and the environment: a time for re-assessment? Antenna , 22: 63-70. Falk, S. 1991. Research and survey in nature conservation No. 39, A review of the scarce and threatened flies of Great Britain (Part 1). Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough. Falk, S. J. 1982. Dolichovespula media (Retzius) — A New British Social Wasp. Proceedings and Transactions of the British Entomological & Natural History Society , 15: 14-16. Ford, H. D. & E. B. 1930. Fluctuation in numbers, and its influence on variation in Melitaea aurinia , Rott. (Lepidoptera). Transactions of the Entomological Society, 1930: 345-351 Forsyth, A. N. 1987. The Marsh Fritillary butterfly in Hampshire. British Butterfly Conservation Society News , No. 38, Spring/Summer 1987 Friends of the Earth, 2000. News: Friends of the Earth victory, new green laws planned. Frost, M. P. & Madge, S. C. 1991. Butterflies in South-East Cornwall., Caradon Field and Natural History Club. Harrington, R. and Stork, N. E. (editors) 1995. Insects in a changing environment, London: Academic Press, Harvey, P. 1999. A remarkable example of Biodiversity: aculeate Hymen optera in the East Thames Corridor. BWARS Spring 1999 Newsletter James, M. J. 1973. The new aurelians. British Entomological and Natural History Society, London Jeffcoate, S., 2000. Butterfly Conservation into the 21s1 Century. Butterfly Conservation News, No. 73 Winter 2000 King. M., Hepburn, I. & Gubbay, S A. 1999. Review of the operation of species legislation in Great Britain (an unpublished report to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Wildlife and Countryside Link). Kirby, P. 1992. Habitat management for invertebrates: a practical handbook. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Kudrna, O. 1997. “Quo vadis European butterfly conservation?” Entomologist’s Gazette 48: 69-79. Luckens, C. J. 1978. Euphydryas aurinia Rott. In Britain: Notes on distribution and life history. Entomologist's Record 90: 108 112 Mader, H.-J. 1984 Animal habitat isolation by roads and agricultural roads. Biological Conservation, 29, 81-96 Mendel, H. & Piotrowski, S. H. 1986. The Butterflies of Suffolk an atlas and history. Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, Ipswich Muggleton, J. and Benham, B. R., 1975. Isolation and the decline of the Large Blue butterfly ( Maculinea arion) in Great Britain 42 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Nature/ 2000 Newsletter — Speeial Edition, 1998, Nature Conservation Unit, Environment Directorate General of the European Commission, Brussels Rotheray, G. E. & Perry. 1. 1994. The larvae of Callicera spinolae with a key to the larvae of British Callicera species (Diptera, Syrphidae), The Entomologist 113 (3&4) 205-210 Rothschild. M. 1992. in Letter to Antenna — “The return of the Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) to Ashton Wold”, Antenna 16: 4 Rothschild, M. 1994. in Letter to Antenna — “Butterflies at Ashton Wold ’, Antenna 18: 4 Shirt, D. B. (editor), 1987. British red data hooks: 2. Insects , Peterborough: Nature Conservancy Council Skinner, B. 1998 (2nd Ed) Colour identification guide to moths of the British Isles, Harmondsworth: Viking. Southwood. T R E., 1985. Insect communities, Antenna 9 No. 3 108-1 16 Stubbs, A. 1982. Conservation and the future for the held entomologist. Proceedings and Transactions of the British Entomological & Natural History Society. 15: 55-66. Taverner, J. (editor) 1999. Hampshire and Isle of Wight butterfly & moth report 1998. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Branch of Butterfly Conservation, Thomas, C. D. et al. Butterfly distributional patterns, processes and conservation. In: Mace, G M., Balmford, A. and Ginsberg, J R. Eds., 1998. Conservation in a Changing World. Cambridge University Press. Waring, P. 1996. Wildlife reports: Moths. British Wildlife 7 (4): 256-258 Waring, P. 1993. Wildlife reports: Moths. British Wildlife 4 (6): 392-394 Young, M. R. 1997. The natural history of moths. Poyser, London. RECORDING OF INVERTEBRATES AT DINTON PASTURES— A REQUEST FOR RECORDS The Society have now been resident at Dinton Pastures Country Park for ten years and during that time there has been a lot of recording of invertebrates in the Park by members. Records have been gathered over that time and a list of what is so far known was recently compiled and has been passed to the Country Park management, who have undertaken to pass the information to the local Biological Records Centre. Comments on the Red Data Book and Nationally Scarce species recorded have also been provided. The list presently includes 2268 species of invertebrates of which 2170 are insects, most of the remainder being spiders (73 species). Resulting from my frequent recording in the Park there are records of 1208 species of Diptera, more than 20 per cent of the British species excluding chironomids and cecidomyiids which have been poorly studied here. Some families are very well represented e.g. 31 of the 67 British species of snail-killing flies (Sciomyzidae) have been recorded. Other groups well recorded are Heteroptera (97 species) and Symphyta (103 species). Recording of Lepidoptera (312 species) and Coleoptera (259 species) has been less intensive, although some families have been well recorded. So that knowledge of the Park’s fauna can be as complete as possible details of any records made in the Park that have not already been submitted to me, are requested. Could any members who have collected in the Park please collate their records and pass them to me during the coming months so that this information can be incorporated in the list by the early summer. A similar list has been compiled for California Country Park, also operated by Wokingham District Council. Recording there is at an earlier stage, with 807 species of insects of which 590 are Diptera so far recorded. Any records for this area would also be appreciated. Peter Chandler BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 43 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS The Australian cockroach Periplaneta australasiae (Fab.) (Blattodea: Blattidae) breeding in glasshouses in Cambridge. — The ‘Australian cockroach’ Periplaneta australasiae (Fab.) is a naturalised pest species which is able to form colonies in Britain under artificially warm conditions (Marshall & Haes, 1988). The species is frequently associated with glasshouses in Northern Europe, with known colonies at Glasnevin Botanical Gardens, Dublin, Ireland (Cotton, 1980) and Gottingen and Jena Botanical Gardens, Germany (Renker & Asshoff, 1999). Examination of the collections at the Natural History Museum supports this observation, providing records from The Royal Horticultural Society Gardens, Wisley, Surrey (13.xii. 1975), the Orchid House, Isfield, Sussex ( 18.iii. 1922, J. P. Matthewman) and Kew Gardens, Surrey (2 specimens labelled ‘ viii/1920 ’ and ‘ Tropical Fern House, 6/vii/]957, AHG Alston'). Most other specimens in the BMNH British Isles Collection were imported with produce from abroad, although 4 specimens labelled "RCS Outstation, Downe, Kent, J. E. Cooper xi-xii/1984 ’ suggest a colony once existed there. On 10. vi. 1990, on visiting the tropical glasshouses of the Botanical Gardens of Cambridge University (BGCU) (VC29, TL45), 1 collected two dying adults of P. australasiae and was informed by the gardeners that the glasshouses had recently been sprayed with insecticide. They explained that the cockroach was extremely abundant, and was especially apparent at night running on the vegetation. When I returned the following month, the infestation was still present in spite of the spraying, and the species was causing considerable damage to pitcher plants Nepenthes spp. (Nepenthaceae). The nymphs were strongly attracted to these insectivorous plants, and the pitchers filled up with dead cockroaches that dried up the plant’s fluid reservoir, allowing subsequently trapped nymphs to survive and damage the pitcher by eating their way out. The pitchers subsequently rotted or dried out. I returned to BGCU on 14.xii.2001, but no pitcher plants were observed in the tropical house; possibly planting of Nepenthes spp. has been discontinued because of the cockroach’s depredations. However, two nymphs were observed feeding in the opened female cone of the cycad Dioon eclule Lindl. (Cycadaceae). P. australasiae has apparently been present at the Botanical Gardens for at least 1 1 years. It has almost certainly spread to Cambridge with plants from other infested glasshouses. Marshall & Haes (loc.cit.) indicate records of P. australasiae from 30 vice-counties of the British Isles, including modern (post-1960) records from nine vice-counties. However, some of these records apparently refer to casual specimens imported from the tropics with produce (e.g. see Fowles, 1986). Probably the number of actual breeding colonies in the UK is very small. Ragge (1965) gives a record for Cambridgeshire, but this vice-county was not indicated in Marshall & Haes (loc.cit.). The most recent atlas of British orthopteroids (Haes & Harding, 1997) omits naturalised species. My thanks to the staff of BGCU, to Judith Marshall and to Darren J. Mann for helpful discussions.- M.V.L. Barclay, Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD References Cotton, D. C. F. 1980. Distribution records of Orthoptera (Insecta) from Ireland. Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 4: 13-22. 44 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fowles, A. P. 1986. Orthoptera. Dyfed Invertebrate Group Newsletter 4: 2. Haes, E. C. M. and Harding, P. T. 1997. Atlas of grasshoppers, crickets and allied insects in Britain and Ireland. ITE Research Publication 11, pp 1-61. Marshall, J. A. & Haes, E. C. M. 1988. Grasshoppers and Allied Insects of Great Britain and Ireland , Harley Books, Colchester, 234 pp. Ragge, D. R. 1965. The Grasshoppers, Crickets and Cockroaches of the British Isles, Frederick Warne, London, 299 pp. Renker, C. & Asshoff, R. 1999. Tachycines asynamorus Adelung, 1902 and Periplaneta australasiae (Fabricius, 1775), two remarkable species in the greenhouses of the botanical gardens in Jena and Gottingen. Thuringer faunistische Abhandlungen 6: 89-93. The contrasting range expansion of two species of Deraeocoris (Hemiptera- Heteroptera: Miridae) in south-east England. The plant-bug Deraeocoris flaviUnea (A. Costa) is a recent addition to the British fauna which was first noticed in July 1996 (Miller, 2001). Like others of the genus it is a predatory feeder, but is usually associated with trees of the genus Acer. It is a large and distinctive bug which, therefore, would probably have been detected within a few years of arriving in the country — one might guess that it arrived about 1990. Subsequently it appears to have established itself and spread very rapidly, even explosively! Similarly, it was first recorded in The Netherlands in 1985 (Aukema, 1989) and is now well established there (B. Aukema pers. com.). The bug’s history in Britain to date is as follows: • The July 1996 site for D . flaviUnea was Hackney Marsh (HM), in the Lee Valley in east London. • In 1998 it was seen here again and at three other sites: Blackwall (7 km south of HM), where the River Lee joins the River Thames (Miller op. c/7.); “many on several occasions’’ were found a few kilometres up the Thames at Deptford Creek (Jones, 1999); and thirdly it was found at Forty Hall, Enfield (12 km north of HM) (Hodge, 1999). • In 1999, the authors visited Forty Hall and found the bug numerous there on a lone sycamore tree. • In 2000 it was found at Woolwich Common (5 km east of the 1998 Blackwall site) (A. A. Allen pers. com.). In 2000, too, it had reached Bletchley in north Buckinghamshire (75 km northwest of HM), the authors found it here the same day as B.S. Nau found one in his garden at Toddington in Bedfordshire (45 km northwest of HM). A day or two later Peter Kirby found specimens at two sites in Luton, in the same county (Nau, 2001). • In 2002 the authors visited Hounslow Heath (28 km southwest of HM) on 3 June. This is a Local Nature Reserve in west London, close to Heathrow Airport and is a site where there was a rich Heteroptera fauna in the mid-1950s (Woodroffe, 1953, 1954). The object of our visit was to see what changes had occurred in the interim. To onr surprise we found that D. flaviUnea was already both common and well distributed about the site. There were nymphs of the fourth and fifth instars on diverse species of shrub in a hedgerow bordering a grassy meadow and even on birch in the visitors’ car park! Continuing the story of D. flaviUnea, in mid-July 2002 the authors found it both widespread and numerous on diverse species of shrub and tree in hedgerows around Toddington in Bedfordshire and bordering a green lane at Swanbourne in Buckinghamshire (65 km northwest of HM). Clearly D. flaviUnea is flourishing! BR. J. ENT. NAT HIST., 16: 2003 45 Interestingly, on the visit to Hounslow Heath we also found fourth and fifth instar nymphs of another species of Deraeocoris which, like D. fiavilinea, is a relatively recent addition to our fauna; this is D. olivaceus (Fab.). However these were much less numerous and restricted to hawthorn, the usual host. The history of D. olivaceus in Britain has been quite different: • In 1951 it was first recorded in Britain, from Ascot in Berkshire (Sands, 1954). • The second record was in 1954 at Hounslow Heath (20 km northeast of Ascot), where it was found by Woodroffe (op. c/7.) • By 1959 the known range extended from 20 km north of Ascot (Burnham Beeches) to 30 km south of Ascot (Witley Common) (Leston & Woodroffe, 1961). • Subsequently its range seems to have extended only slowly; for instance it was not found in Bedfordshire until 1998, when it was found in the extreme south of the county (40 km northeast of Ascot), and this in a county well-worked for Heteroptera over the last thirty years. It has since been found at several more sites in the south of this county but is nowhere numerous. • In 1999 it was found at Itchen Stoke near Winchester in Hampshire (40 km southwest of Ascot) (Denton, 2001) and in the same year the authors found it at Enfield Lock (42 km northeast of Ascot) on the Middlesex/Essex border. In conclusion, D. olivaceus is usually neither easy to find nor numerous where it occurs and in both respects differs markedly from D . fiavilinea. The latter has spread rapidly and widely and may be found in good numbers where it occurs. Its northward spread already exceeds that of D. olivaceus. — B.S. Nau and S.E. Brooke, 15 Park Hill, Toddington, Dunstable, Beds LU5 6AW, 18 Park Hill, Toddington, Dunstable, Beds LU5 6AW References Aukema, B. 1989. Annotated checklist of Hemiptera-Heteroptera of The Netherlands. Tijdschrift voor Entomo/ogie , 132: 1-104. Denton. J.S. 2001. Some recent noteworthy records of Hemiptera from England. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine , 137: 231-232. Hodge, P.J. 1999. Annual Exhibition, 31 October 1998. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History , 12: 180. Jones, R.A. 1999. Entomological surveys of vertical river flood defence walls in urban London -brownfield corridors: problems, practicalities and some promising results. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 12: 193-213. Leston, D. & Woodroffe, G.E. 1961. Increase in distribution of Deraeocoris olivaceus. Nature, 4793, Oct. 14, p. 188. Miller, D.J.P. 2001. Deraeocoris fiavilinea (A. Costa) (Hemiptera: Miridae), new to Britain. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 14: 172. Nau, B.S. 2001. Bugs (Hemiptera-Heteroptera) — Report of the Recorder. The Bedfordshire Naturalist 55: 46^18. Sands, W.A. 1954. Deraeocoris olivaceus (F.) (Hem., Miridae) new to Britain. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 90: 301. Woodroffe, G.E. 1953. Notes on some Hemiptera-Heteroptera from Hounslow Heath, Middlesex. The Entomologist , 86: 34-40. Woodroffe, G.E. 1954. Further notes on the Hemiptera-Heteroptera from Hounslow Heath, Middlesex. The Entomologist, 87: 15 18. 46 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 BENHS FIELD MEETING REPORTS Bernwood Forest, Bucks/Oxon 14 June 1997 Leader: Martin Albertini. This meeting comprised of day-time and night-time sessions, the former being restricted to the Bucks (vc24) and larger part of this woodland complex and also included the adjacent Bernwood Meadows BBONT reserve. The woodlands have a long history of recording, especially for macromoths during the 1980s, and the Society previously held a meeting here on 31 July 1993 when two new species were added to the all time list of 431 ( British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 6: 183). Eight people attended the day-time session and recorded various insect groups including Diptera: Br achy p alp oides lentus (Meigen), Chrysotoxum bicinctum (L.), Criorhina berberina (F.) all in Oakley Wood and Urophora quadrifasciata (Meigen) from Bernwood Meadows. Coleoptera included Agapanthia villosoviridescens (Degeer), Phytoecia cylindrica (L.), Clytra 4-punctata (L.), Agabus chalconatus (Panzer) and the two Tortoise beetles Cassida rubiginosa (Muller) and C. vibex L. Lepidoptera included the Forester moth Adscita statices (L.), in Bernwood Meadows, Hornet Clearwing Sesia apiformis (Clerck) in York's Wood (first recorded for Bernwood in 1993) and in Oakley Wood, the Speckled Yellow Pseudopanthera macularia (L.) probably the first record since the 1930s and the micromoths Commophila aeneana (Hb.), Aphelia paleana (Hb.), Olethreutes arcuella (Clerck) and Phlyctaenia perlucidalis (Hb.). The night time session was attended by 17 people with 20 moth lamps of various types, all seeking the target species. Common Fanfoot Pechipogo strigilata (L.), which appears to be a rapidly declining species and is now on the Biodiversity Action Plan list. Most lamps were situated in Oakley Wood where this species had previously been recorded and two lamps were run in Waterperry Wood in the Oxon (vc23) part of the complex. A total of 139 species of macromoths was recorded, 132 from the Bucks part and 60 from the Oxon part. It was pleasing that eight individuals of the target species were found, seven in Oakley Wood in the area of ride 1 1 and the adjoining compartment 14. One individual was also found at the eastern end of the complex in Shabbington Wood at the west end of ride 54. A first for the wood was Clay Triple-lines Cyclophora linear ia (Hb.) in Shabbington Wood on ride 43 by intersection 13, adjacent to about the only planting of beech which is the larval food plant. In Oakley Wood a single individual of Pine Hawk-moth Hyloicus pinastri (L.) was the first Bucks record for the site, four years after the first Oxon record that was made at the Society’s previous meeting here. Other species of note for the Bucks portion of the complex were: Satin Wave Idaea subsericeata (Haw.), Small Waved Umber Horisme vitalbata (D.&S.), Great Oak Beauty Hypomecis roboraria (D.&S.), Bordered White Bupalus piniaria (L.), Shark Cucullia umbratica (L.), and Small Clouded Brindle Apamea unanimis (Hb.). 1 would like to thank all the people who attended, in particular Paul Waring for his guidance, for helping make this a successful meeting and to Forest Enterprise for permission to hold the field meeting and allowing members to drive onto the site. Leckhampstead and Wicken Woods, 20 May 2000 Leader: Roger Kemp. These woods, each over 40ha, are classed as semi-ancient woodland (originally oak and ash with hazel coppice), although both were clear- felled around the 1940s. Leckhampstead Wood in north Buckinghamshire has been I3R J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 47 in private hands since this period and allowed to re-grow, but management has lapsed over the past ten years or so. Wicken Wood in Northamptonshire has been managed by Forest Enterprise for timber, but much of the conifer crop has recently been felled. Both woods have been well known in the past for their butterflies, with specimens in old collections labelled from Lillingstone Lovell, the nearest village. Even in the 1980s these woods were considered the best of the Whittlewood Forest complex for Wood White and Black Hairstreak. The former still thrives, but the latter has not been seen in recent years. This meeting and another in June were planned in conjunction with Butterfly Conservation to investigate whether the Black Hairstreak is still resident in the woods complex. Five members/friends were present and various methods of searching and beating for larvae on blackthorn were used. Larvae of 14 moth species were found, but unfortunately no hairstreak larvae. These were: The Sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx (Hufn.), Early moth Theria primarici (Haw.), Winter moth Operophtera brumata (Hbn.), Yellow-tail Euproctis similis (Fuessly), Scarce Umber Agriopis aur antiaria (Hbn.), Dotted Border A. marginaria (F.), Satellite Eupsilia transversa (Hufn.), Green-brindled Crescent Allophyes oxyacanthae (L.), Short-cloaked moth No/a cucullatella (L.), Dun-bar Cosmia trapezina (L.), the Engrailed Ectropis hist or tat a (Goeze), the Magpie Abraxas grossnlariata ( L. ), Pale brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria (D.&S.) and Svensson’s Copper Underwing Ampkipyra berbera Fletcher, not usually found on blackthorn. No other moths of merit were noted. Records of interest from other Orders included Slender Ground-hopper Tetrix subulata (L.), the stonefly Nemoura cinerea (Retzius) (widespread), the red and black spittlebug Cercopis vulnerata Illiger and our largest leafhopper Ledra aurita (L.). The leader thanks the following for providing records and assistance- Martin Albertini, Ian Dawson, Mike Fox, Peter Hall and Paul Waring. Lopham and Redgrave Fen NNR, 10 June 2000 Leader: Martin Drake. A cartographic convenience shows the Rivers Little Ouse and Waveney arising at Redgrave and Lopham Fen on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk. Indeed, years ago springs from the underlying chalk did feed this once remarkable fen, where such rarities as the large soldierfly Stratiomys chamaeleon (L.) lived. However, what was good for the fen was also good for drinking — the site was sucked dry by an abstraction borehole until a couple of years ago, when European Life funding paid for its removal and restoration of the fen. The BENHS party of three dipterists, a lepidopterist and a beetler arrived at an opportune moment to make a record of what was just returning following the completion of the physical part of the fen restoration. After years of drought and desperate lack of water, the site was inordinately wet, impassibly so in places. We still had more than enough to search, with soggy paths, pool margins, some carr, dense fen vegetation (but not the saw-sedge which isn't kind to sweep nets) and the dry heath that fringes the reserve. We clocked up 300 flies in 52 families, 100 beetles, and about 40 species in several other insect orders. These included 18 nationally scarce and seven Red Data Book species. There are just about the same number of existing records for flies from the fen, and I estimate that barely a third of them are in common with our list. Wetland species dominated, as expected. We had a full set of three Li para , the chloropids that form cigar galls on reed, including L. similis Schiner (RDB2) which is only known from other top East Anglian fens. Sixteen species of snail-killing flies 48 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 was a good total, and included Pherbellia griseola (Fallen) and the pretty Colobaea bifasciella (Fallen). One of the more spectacular finds was a large shore fly (ephydrid), Ochthera manicata (Fabricius) (pRDB3), which is known only from East Anglian fens. There were some local species among the other 28 shore flies but nothing unexpected. It was disappointing that we found no scarce dolichopodids among the 37 species, although some fenland specialists were present, such as Hercostomus assimilis (Staeger), H. blankaatensis Pollet and H. chrysozygos (Wiedemann). Forty-three species of ‘empids’ (now split into two large and two tiny families) had the usual mass of Platypalpus (17 species, if we got them right!), some of them local or scarce, and some interesting Hilara such as galactoptera Strobl, griseifrons Collin and lugubris (Zetterstedt), and the fenland Bicellaria mera Collin. Derek Lott used the opportunity productively to continue his long-term recording of water-margin beetle communities, with what to me appear interesting results. Nearly 50 staphylinids included six nationally scarce or rare wetland and fen specialists, such as Philonthus fumcirius (Gravenhorst) and Stenus pa/ustris Erichson. No reedbed worth its salt should be without the scarce and attractively marked reed- climbing ground beetle Odacantha melaneura (L.), although Lopham is freshwater instead of the coastal habitat most often favoured by this beetle. Among the hygophilous ground beetles was Acupalpus consputus (Duftschmid). Rare water beetles always seem ten a penny, but fens do tend to have more than their fair share, in this case Limnebius aluta (Bedel), Dryops anglicanus Edwards and Hydrochus elongatus (Schaller) as well as four scarce species (out of only 15 water beetles!). There was a fair number of heathland species still hanging on at the narrow fringe of dry grass heath, for instance the cranefly Tipula livida Wulp and the the sphecid Crabro sen tel/at us (Scheven) which feeds on dolichopodid flies on the adjacent fen. The presence of several saproxylic and woodland-edge species points to the need to retain some of the woodland and scrub, much of which has been cleared during the restoration work. While none were particularly scarce, they do add another element to this reserve, for example, wasp beetle Clytus arietus (L.) and the craneflies Tipula flavolineata Meigen and Achyrolimonia decemmaculata Loew. Perhaps it is too early to draw conclusions from this meeting but it does appear that a reasonable if not outstanding fenland fauna is still present. Time will tell whether the invertebrates respond well to the restoration. I would like to thank Nick Collinson of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust for permission to hold the meeting. Leckhainpstead and Wicken Woods, 24 June 2000 Leader: Roger Kemp. This meeting was a follow-on to the joint BENHS-Butterfly Conservation meeting held earlier on 20 May. Eight members/friends attended during the day and five stalwarts attended the evening meeting. Again, unfortunately, there were no sightings of Black Hairstreak and the far from ideal weather conditions meant low recordings all round. Ten butterfly species were noted, the most important being the Wood White Leptidea sinapis (L.) which was seen on at least five separate occasions. Forty macrolepidoptera and 14 microlepidoptera were recorded during the entire visit. Of interest were Blotched Emerald Comibaena bajularia (D.&S.), the Vestal Rhodometra sacraria (L.) (an uncommon migrant to Bucks), Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata (D. & S.), Double Dart Graphiphora augur (F.), now noticeably more scarce in Bucks, Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella (D.&S.) and the Salix feeder Coleophora albidella BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 49 (D.&S.), a species initially thought to be the lirst county record for Bucks and Northants, but an older Bucks record has since now been discovered. Ian Dawson spent a great deal of time searching for spiders and ended the day with a total of 33 species. The most notable were Philodromus albidus Kulczynski, a Notable B spider found in dense rose and blackthorn scrub at SP728408, and two rather local species, Salticus cingulatus (Panzer) and Theridion impressum Koch. The leader wishes to thank Martin Albertini, Ian Dawson, Mike Fox, Peter Hall and Paul Waring for providing records and assistance. Upton Heath Dorset Wildlife Trust Reserve, Poole, 15 July 2000 Leader: Stephen R. Miles. The main objective was to facilitate further recording on the site and to stress the value of the eroded areas for invertebrates to the Dorset Wildlife Trust. The leader was also interested in learning about the Trust’s management techniques for this site, because of its importance for one of the species being studied as part of BENHS Heathland Flies Project. We were accompanied all day by the Trust’s site warden Mr Andy Fale, who gave us some interesting facts on the conservation issues associated with a semi-urban site, and guided the small party around the best paths. The daytime meeting commenced at 1 1 a.m. at the Hill View public car park in Corfe Mullen. Two other members attended besides the leader. The weather was reasonable, cloudy with occasional sunny periods and a steadily reducing breeze and my notes state “exceptionally for July 2000, it stayed dry all day!” The first insect seen was the brightly coloured and common Wasp-beetle Clytus arietis (L.). Also near the car park the solitary bees, Melitta leporina (Panzer) and Colletes fodiens (Geoffroy in Fourcroy) were busy visiting the flowers of White Clover Trifolium repens F., a very typical situation for the first-named species. Walking down the south-facing slopes we came to a path holding a large eroded sandy cliff. On the flat soil by the edge of this eroded cliff, many Anthophora bimaculata (Panzer) solitary bees were in evidence around their nest-holes. In my experience this is a typical heathland bee, especially on large sites, however, I understand that it is becoming more scarce than in former times. The erosion gullies and cliff surface here had originally been a much-used ordinary path which gradually became cliff-like due to the strong southward water drainage. The beefly Bombylius minor L. has in recent years been seen ovipositing here by the leader so it is a very valuable micro-habitat feature of the site. Typical inhabitants seen were an Emperor moth larva Pcivonia pavonia (F.), the solitary wasps Astata boops (Schrank) and Oxybelus uniglumis (F.), also very frequent were Cerceris arenaria (F.) and C. rybyensis (L.). A single Potter wasp, Eumenes coarctatus (F.) was also seen on Rubus sp. A Marbled White Melanargia galathea ( F. ), was seen by Mick Parker in surely what was an atypical habitat, but evidence of other types of habitats nearby. Small Copper, Gatekeeper and two Green Hairstreak butterflies were also seen. It was also nice to observe a Slowworm Anguis fragilis L. at close quarters once again, lying in the middle of a path from where, perhaps, it had been unable to escape, due to the presence of motor cycle scramblers. We learned from the warden that one of the management techniques used to deter motorcycle scramblers from creating excessive erosion on the sandy paths was to fill the wonderful water drainage gullies with birch and gorse brashings. If not done too enthusiastically this technique still left some gully sides exposed, allowing solitary bee and wasp species to continue to exploit the bare sandy soil habitat. So this was not a method used to prevent 50 BR. J. ENT. NAT HIST.. 16: 2003 natural rainwater erosion occurring, which at first it seemed, which is all too common on many managed heathlands, bare soil being seen as an anathema, quite inappropriately. In the afternoon a Xanthogramma sp. of hoverfly was seen, the usual heathland denizens of Chrysotoxum bicinctum (L.) and Sericomyia silentis (Harris) were also observed. As is usual in my experience of Dorset heathlands, the sphecid wasps Ammophila sp. were infrequent, only being seen during the whole day on six occasions, with never more than one specimen at one time. This compares poorly with heathland sites in Surrey. Neither of the two beeflies, Bombylius minor L. or Thyridanthrax fenestratus (Fallen), that the BENHS Heathland Flies Project is studying were seen at all. Great thanks are due to the warden. Andy Fale, for making the day most enjoyable by accompanying the small party and enlightening us to the problems of a small (c. 550 acres) semi-urban heathland site. This evening meeting was conducted in the southern part of the site, west of Creekmoor. Those accompanying the leader were Bob and Beryl Heape, and most fortunately, Peter Davey and Mark Parsons accompanied by Nigel Bourn who turned up with three m.v. lights. Some dusk searches commenced before the main m.v. work, Peter and Mark mentioned that they hoped they might find evidence of the Speckled Footman Coscinia cribraria brivittatci South, a scarce species that used to occur on several Dorset heathlands, but as far as is known, none was seen. It was most pleasant that, observation of moth visitors to the lights was conducted to the sound of Nightjars churring in the background of the surrounding boggy heathland. Trapping occurred between 9.30 and 11p.m. on wet and dry heath amongst Molinici tussocks and Bog Asphodel Narthecium ossifragum (L.) plants. The more notable among the 35 moth species attracted to the traps, or seen nearby were: The Marsh Oblique Barred Hypenodes humidalis Doubleday, Dotted Border Wave Idaea sylvestraria Hb., Horse Chestnut Pachycnemia hippo castanciria Hb, Festoon Apoda limacodes (Hufnagel) and Dark Tussock Dicallomera fascelina (L.), the last-named a particular heathland speciality. As the leader and Beryl and Bob Heape walked back to Creekmoor along the old track route of the disused railway it was most pleasant to see the faint glow from five separate individuals of, presumably, the Common Glowworm Lampyris noctiluca ( L. ). Their status as to whether they were this glowworm species or indeed, whether they were adult females or just larvae was not investigated, but this was a fitting end to a most pleasant day. I am indebted to Peter Davey and Mark Parsons, on the night, for providing me with the names of the moth species seen or taken. Thanks are also due to the staff of the Dorset Wildlife Trust for giving permission for the day and night meetings to take place. Tilshead/Salisbury Plain, Wilts — 5 August 2000 Leader: John Phillips. The main purpose of the meeting was to investigate the current status of the Brighton Wainscot Oria musculosa (Hiibn.) which has historically always had its headquarters in the Tilshead area of Salisbury Plain. This species is the subject of a Biodiversity Action Plan receiving attention as part of Butterfly Conservation and English Nature’s ongoing “Action for Threatened Moths in England” programme and for which the BENHS Conservation Working Group is undertaking support and assistance over the next three years. BR J. ENT. NAT HIST., 16: 2003 51 Virtually ideal conditions were encountered for this evening meeting with an extremely gratifying attendance of sixteen members and friends plus the leader. A copy of a map of the local Tilshead area was issued indicating areas where the moth had been recorded over recent years- this resulted in eight mv lights being located north of Tilshead, four at White Barrow south of Tilshead, four at Gore Cross south of West Lavington and two at Ansty Hill east of Chitterne. Despite this reasonably extensive coverage not a single specimen of O. musculosa was recorded which was very disappointing and would seem to indicate and reinforce the fact that currently this species appears to be in some difficulty. On a slightly more encouraging note a single specimen was recorded by the leader and Stewart Swift at the north Tilshead site on the 30 July 2000 which gives some slight cause for optimism. Despite the above, one hundred and three species of Lepidoptera comprising eighty-nine macros and fourteen micros were recorded at the meeting and whilst nothing of major significance was noted a few selected species should perhaps be highlighted- namely Ennomos quercinaria (Hufn.) (August Thorn), Xanthorhoe designate i (Hufn.) (Flame Carpet), Catarhoe cuculata (Hufn.) (Royal Mantle), Scotopteryx luridata (Hufn.) (July Belle), Perizoma alchemillata (L.) (Small Rivulet) and P. bifaciata (Haw.) (Barred Rivulet). My sincere thanks for all those members who supported the meeting and to Paul Toynton — Conservation Officer, Defence Estates, Tilshead who kindly arranged permission for our visit. Formby Dunes, 12 August 2000 Leader: Stephen Palmer — This joint meeting with the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society and the Lancashire Moth Group was planned to investigate the current status of some of this coastline’s specialities and, it was hoped, add to the knowledge of groups other than the moths. Unfortunately, as was common for much of the year 2000 in the northwest, rain was forecast and did not disappoint. This deterred a few visitors from further afield who had planned to look at Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. The early session concentrated on larval searches and any day flying Lepidoptera, including those micromoths which could be disturbed prior to the commencement of the rain. Anacampsis populella (Clerck) and Pammene populana (F.) were particularly abundant while a Caryocolum species found was later confirmed, after genitalia examination, as C. alsinella (Zeller) a new record for VC59. Despite dodging the showers the visit was a success in terms of the 43 micromoth and 77 macromoth species recorded and proved Grass Eggar to be still present on the site. The visit coincided with the emergence of the Portland Moth, the five noted at the evening’s light traps all being in pristine condition. The only non-Lepidoptera record was supplied by Steve Hind, that being of Trypetoptera punctulata (Scopoli), a snail- killing fly. A full copy of the list for the visit has been lodged with the BENHS archivists. In all seventeen people attended this joint meeting with the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society and the Lancashire Moth Group. I would like to thank Sefton Council and English Nature for permission to record on this site. Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, 23 September 2000 Leaders: Paul Waring & Martin Townsend. — After a warm day with a moderate southerly breeze, the sky remained clear for this evening field meeting. However, 52 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 conditions were reasonable for light-trapping with the wind dropping to fairly light, but still sufficient to hold up the temperature. As well as the co-leaders, Martin Corley, Richard Lewington, Mike Wilkins, Roger Kemp and Mark Trasenster were present. Six MV lights were set up in this wet meadow site (for detailed site description see Waring & Townsend (2001)), with wine ropes along the eastern side under hedgerow oaks. There was some apprehension about our equipment as the small number of recently re-introduced (rather small) cattle watched us but, as on the previous occasion, they proved to be very docile and did not approach any of the traps, despite being quite close by. Moths came in slowly but steadily, and a total of 32 species of macro and 9 of micros were recorded at mv, ivy and blackberries. Species of interest in a local context were Eugnorisma glareosa (Esper) (Autumnal Rustic), of which about 10 were trapped and 2 second-brood examples of Schrankia costaestrigalis (Stephens) (Pinion-streaked Snout). Both of these species are widespread in the county, but rather local. One S. costaestrigalis was also caught there in July and these additional records confirm the presence of this marsh and damp woodland species. Autumnal species such as Xanthia icteritia (Hufnagel) (Sallow), X. togata (Esper) (Pink-barred Sallow), X. aurago (D. & S.) (Barred Sallow), Aporophyla nigra (Haworth) (Black Rustic) and A. lutulenta (D. & S.) (Deep-brown Dart) were only present in small numbers and evidently not yet fully out. Numbers of these species may also have been affected by the cold, wet weather that occurred at this time last year. However, it was good to see such attractive noctuids in fresh condition. The commonest species was probably Hydraecia micacea (Esper) (Rosy Rustic). Trapping continued until 1 1.30 a.m. by which time few moths were arriving. The wine-ropes, in contrast, attracted no moths, probably because of the presence of ivy and blackberries, although much of the accessible ivy on or near the site was not yet in flower. However, one low-growing clump beside the canal bridge at the entrance to the site was quite productive, with 14 species, 7 of which were not seen at the light-traps. These were the plume Emmelina monodactyla (L.), Gymnoscelis riififasciata (Haworth) (Double-striped Pug), Agrotis segetum (D. & S.) (Turnip), A.ipsilon (Hufnagel) (Dark Sword-grass), Amphipyra pyramidea (L.) (Copper Underwing) and Autographa gamma (L.) (Silver Y). It was interesting to note that successive visits produced reports of different species. The temperature remained high (ca. 14 C) until well after midnight and several species were not seen on the ivy until after 1 am, illustrating the value of inspecting natural attractants throughout the night. One Scoliopteryx libatrix (L.) (Herald) demonstrated the fondness of this species for blackberries by remaining on the same over-ripe berry from dusk until we left (Waring, 2000). Several specimens of the scarabaeid beetle Aphodius rufipes (L.) and one A. rufus (Moll) were caught in the light-traps and two specimens of the marshland carabid Agonum obscurum (Herbst) were found under the turf at the base of a small willow. Many thanks to all who attended, John Campbell for accessing local data, Darren Mann for identifying Coleoptera, and to English Nature for access permission and restoration management. Copies of this report, the report of the July meeting, and full species lists have been supplied to English Nature and the BENHS archivists. The moth records have been entered on the National Database. References Waring, P., 2000. Wildlife reports. Moths. British Wildlife 12: 134. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 53 Waring, P. & Townsend, M., 2001. Field meeting report: Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, 22 July 2000. British Journal of Entomology <£ Natural History 14: 59 -64. Hainault Forest, Lambourne End, Essex, 14 October 2000 Leader: Ian Sims -The aim of this meeting, the last on the calendar for 2000, was to record leafmining microlepidoptera. Hainault Forest is a large area of deciduous woodland dominated in the most by old pollarded hornbeams and oak, with some smaller areas of birch and beech. There is a large area of scrub situated on the slopes above a recreational lake in the southern part of the forest and a small area of marsh to the north of the lake. The site used to be managed by the Greater London Council but for the past couple of years most of it has been managed by the Woodland Trust. The leader worked this area for macrolepidoptera from the late 1970s to the late 1980s but has a scant knowledge of its micros. It was hoped to compile a species list for inclusion in a publication on the biodiversity of the forest. A total of nine members met the leader in the car-park opposite the Camelot public house, Lambourne End, on a cloudy but mild day. Most importantly, given the aim of the meeting, was the absence of any wind which makes searching for leaf mines almost impossible when they are being blown about. Four of the party had joined us from the Dipterists’ Forum meeting being held in Epping Forest that week. Before we set off, Alan Stubbs promptly produced some lepidopterous leaf mines saying that it was a measure of the poor weather the dipterists had experienced during the preceding days that he, a dipterist, should be collecting such material. He had found these previously in Essex, but not at this site, and asked what they were. This put the leader on the spot straight away but an interesting discussion ensued during which these items were identified. This proved useful as several of the characteristics of mines used to separate the families of moths were shown to those present. The party then walked through the forest, along rides and paths mostly as it was very wet under foot, examining foliage for mines as we went. The dipterists party split off from the leaf miners saying that our progress would be too slow for them. To quote one present, “only lichenologists progress slower than microlepidopterists”. This caused some amusement among those present. The dipterists pursued their more rapidly moving quarry until we met up several hours later at the Camelot for lunch. During this part of the meeting the characteristics of nepticulids (serpentine and blotch mines), phyllonorycters (blister mines), parornixes (blisters then making folds) and caloptliads (mines then making cones) were pointed out. Before long those not familiar with the mines of larval microlepidoptera were able to identify these families with ease. An interesting find included a young larva of Coleophora kuehnella (Goeze) skeletonizing the under-side of oak leaves from its characteristically shaped pre- hibernation case. Both species of Phyllonorycter on hornbeam were abundant, one, Phyllonorycter quinnata (Geoff.) mining the upper surface of the leaves and considerably distorting them, the other P. tenerella (Joannis) mining the under surface between the veins and causing far less distortion. Hazel leaves contained blisters and the later folds of Parornix devoniella (Stain.), blisters of Phyllonorycter coryli (Nicelli) on the underside and of P. nicellii (Stain.) on the upper-side, and the serpentine mines of Stigmella microlhcriella (Stain.) and S. fioslactelhi (Haw.). The differences between the mines of the latter two species were evident. Methods for overwintering the pupal stages were discussed and several members of the party said that they would try to overwinter material and identify the imagoes next year. It is to 54 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 be hoped that the excessive degree of parasitism often suffered by leaf mining larvae will not thwart their efforts. After lunch the party drove to the southern end of the forest to explore an area of woodland and scrub north of Hainault Lake, part of the area managed by the Local Council. Again, the dipterists separated from the rest and covered a more extensive area as a result. The remainder searched the small reed bed to the north of the lake and part of the extensive area of scrubby shrubs, mostly hawthorn and blackthorn, growing on the hill-side above the lake. Among other species were numerous cases of Coleophora violacea (Strom) on blackthorn and bramble, an early case of C. gryphipennella (Hbn.) on rose and early blotch mines of the nepticulid Ectoedemia angulifasciella (Stain.) on rose. Gavin Boyd found an old pupal exuviae of a large wainscot species in a dead typhus stem. The pupa was clearly in the head-up position with the emergence hole of the adult above the pupal chamber. This was an interesting find, being evidence of what would appear to be Webb’s Wainscot Archcinara sparganii (Esp.) at a very ‘inland’ site for this species. Furthermore, it is a macro I have not recorded here before. As evening approached the party adjourned to a cafeteria for a hot drink and discussion of the day’s events. During this a light rain started so it was decided to close the meeting at 1 6.00 h, after what had been an enjoyable day. A full species list has been sent to Jeoff Sinclaire of the Woodland Trust, to whom 1 extend my thanks for permission to hold this meeting, and deposited with our archivists, Alan and Jeri Coates. Tunstall Forest, East Suffolk, 21 April 2001 Leader: David Young — The main objective for this field meeting was to try to find larva of Xestia rhomboidea (Esp.) (Square-spotted Clay Moth), the site chosen being one where the species was recorded last year. For a relatively well known moth there are few, if any, records of larvae being found in the wild and consequently no firm knowledge of its choice of food plant. The species appears to be declining nationally and it is one of fifty-three species listed under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Regrettably this field meeting was unable to add to our store of knowledge. Frequent hail and sleet showers in the days preceding the meeting left the ground vegetation cold and virtually waterlogged. A two hour search with lamps failed to find a single larva of any species, never mind the elusive rhomboidea. Four m.v. traps did little better with a modest tally of only seven common spring species being recorded: Diurnea fagella (D.&S.), Polyploca ridens (F.), Alsophila aescularia (D.&S.), Xylocampa areola (Esp.), Orthosia cruda (D.&S.), O. cerasi (F.) and Eupsilia transversa (Hufn.). Gavin Boyd found a beetle on the trunk of a pine tree, which Matt Smith later identified as the tenebrionid Cylindrinotus laevioctostriatus (Goeze). The leader would like to thank the eight members of the BENHS. and Suffolk Moth Group, for supporting this meeting in such unpromising conditions. Wisley Common SSSI, Surrey, 5 May 2001 Leader: Andrew Halstead. After the wettest autumn and winter on record, a rather soggy Wisley Common was visited by 1 1 members and guests. An additional member, who shall remain nameless, misread the meeting place map reference and spent a lonely day on Ockham Common on the other side of the A3 road. After a late spring it was a relief to see some sunshine to bring out the insects, although it did BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 55 cloud over and cool down at lunchtime until late afternoon, when the sun reappeared. A full list of the 140 insects recorded has been lodged with the Society’s field meetings recorder. One of the highlights of the day was the deadwood anthribid weevil, Platystomos albinus ( L. ), which was found clinging to the back of Liz Douglas. Mike Fox spent the day searching for ants and located I 1 species, including the local species Stenamma debile (Forster) and Leptothorax nylanderi (Forster). Nymphs of the Wood Cricket, Nemobius sylvestris (Bose), were seen; there is a long established colony of this New Forest cricket at Wisley. Other insects that had probably only recently emerged were the Large Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula (Sulzer) and the conopid fly, Myopa buccata (L.). Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, Lincolnshire, 16 June 2001 Leader: Paul Waring This meeting followed two wet days and a wet night, with further rain forecast. This deterred several parties who had expressed interest in attending, but three BENHS members joined the leader and six local people connected with the reserve for an interesting and productive event. Gibraltar Point is a National Nature Reserve. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust manage the site on a lease from Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council. The reserve is on the coast just south of Skegness and encompasses a wide range of habitats from sandy shoreline and saltmarsh through open herb-rich meadows with pools and freshwater marsh, to scrub and plantation woodland. Currently the reserve is well-known for a colony of about 30 pairs of Little Tern Sterna albifrons L. and for Natterjack Toad Bufo calamita L. When the meeting started at 1 5.00 hrs there was a strong northerly wind across this flat and rather exposed site (Fig. 1) and the vegetation was wet. There was little recording work dipterist John Flynn could do in such conditions, but his company was much appreciated. The primary aim of the meeting was to see if we could find the Marsh Moth At/ietis pallustris (Hbn.) on this site and identify the places where the adults were most frequent. The Marsh Moth was first discovered at Gibraltar Point on 9 June 1972 by Rick Pilcher who ran his light-trap at the extremities of this 700 ha site in 1973 and found the moth occurred rather widely over the site (Pilcher, 1973). The moth was also trapped occasionally in small numbers in a Rothamsted trap which was operated from the Field Centre in the middle of the reserve from 1968-86. In 1995 Leigh Marshall operated an actinic trap on various parts of the reserve to locate the moth, but only saw one individual all season. A single individual was recorded at the north end of the reserve in a light-trap in the garden of the Site Warden Kevin Wilson on 17 May 1997 and this appears to be the last confirmed record for the site. During the afternoon Assistant Warden Sarah Evans gave us a tour of the site. We selected five places for light-trapping for Marsh Moth on the basis of their similarity to habitat occupied by the moth some 35 km northwards along this coast near Saltfleetby, where Geoff Senior had recorded nine males at two lights four nights previously, on 12 June, and the leader had seen three in good condition using six lights on 14 June. Characteristic features of all these sites were a sparse grass sward with frequent Ribwort Plantain P l an tag o lanceolata L., the confirmed larval food- plant at Saltfleetby. The Saltfleetby site and all but one of the sites at Gibraltar Point also contained abundant Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor L. A total of ten mercury vapour lights was operated on these, with one additional mv light on the saltmarsh, and an actinic trap near the strandline beyond, with the following noteworthy results: Sand Dart Agrotis ripae (Hbn.), Archer’s Dart Agrotis vestigialis (Hufn.) and White Colon Sideris albicolon (Hbn.), one fresh individual of each in the actinic light 56 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Fig. I. Freshwater Marsh, Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, one of the sites on which light-traps were operated during the held meeting on 16 June 2001. Fig. 2. Rothamsted trap at the Field Centre, Gibraltar Point where it recorded the Marsh Moth regularly during a ten year run in the 1970s and 1980s. The trap has now been modified into a non-killing trap in which moths are held alive in a large tea-chest until morning. The standard 200W tungsten bulb has been replaced by a mercury vapour lamp. It is now operated about once per week in the summer for visiting school parties. L R John Flynn, Sarah Evans and Adrian Mills. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 57 trap operated by Ollie Slessor by the hide for watching the colony of nesting Little Tern on the beach; Lyme Grass Photedes elymi (Treit.), one fresh individual to the Skinner trap operated by Adrian Russell in the saltmarsh; Lobster moth Stauropus fagi (L.), a slightly worn male captured by James McGill at one of his three 80 W mv lights in open habitat on Freshwater Marsh this is the first record for Gibraltar Point; White Colon also recorded by James on Freshwater Marsh, along with a Long-eared Owl Asio otus L. perched on a fence post after dark; a Clouded Magpie Abraxas sylvata (Scop.) and a reddish form of the Lime Hawk-moth Minas tiliae (L.) in one of the leaders’ Robinson traps near elms on the edge of Plantation Meadow; a Privet Hawk-moth Sphinx ligustri (L.) at the leader’s Robinson trap on the open grassland in front of the Visitor Centre. Interesting species found in several of the traps in the “Plantain and Rattle” habitat included the Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus (L.), Fox moth Macrothylacia rubi (L.), Dog’s Tooth Lacanobia suasa (D.&S.) and Small Clouded Brindle Apamea unanimis{ Hbn.), while the Bleached Pug Eupithecia expallidata Doubl., Broad-barred White Hecatera bicolorata (Hufn.), Light Brocade Lacanobia w-latinum (Hufn.) and Shoulder-striped Wainscot Mythimna comma (L.) were recorded only as singletons. The Grass Rivulet Perizoma albulata (D.&S.), which had been frequent in the traps at Saltfleetby only two nights previously and which feeds as a larva on Yellow-rattle, must have been discouraged from flight by the wind at dusk because only six were seen. A total of 62 species of macro-moths was recorded but most of the traps captured less than forty individuals and only 15-20 species. The Rothamsted trap in mown, plantain-rich grassland by the Field Centre, was noteworthy in capturing 55 Cinnabar moths Tyria jacobaeae (L.) while the other traps held only one or two (Fig. 2). No Marsh Moths were seen. The leader would like to thank Sarah Evans and Kevin Wilson for hosting the meeting, everyone else for providing and manning traps and making the meeting such a sociable event and the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust for permission to hold the meeting and for their work in conserving and maintaining this reserve. The leader would also like to thank Butterfly Conservation and English Nature for support and funding for his work on the Marsh Moth at this and other sites in Lincolnshire as part of the Butterfly Conservation Action for Threatened Moths Project (Waring 2000). Note that Adrian Russell was so impressed with the site that he returned a week later, on 23 June, with Ron Follows. Nine lights were operated from dusk to dawn. There was a strong breeze coming in off the sea, little moon, with a dusk temperature of 16°C falling to a minimum of 10°C. Three mv traps were operated in the vicinity of the Visitor Centre, two mv traps and one actinic on Freshwater Marsh and one mv light, one mv trap and an actinic trap in the East Dunes area. 717 moths of 63 species were recorded, including 13 species of micro-moths. The most noteworthy moths were four Sand Dart, two Starwort Cucullia asteris (D.&S.), an Archer’s Dart and a Lyme Grass in the Eastern Dunes and a Starwort and a Lyme Grass on Freshwater Marsh. 215 Cinnabar moths turned up in the mv trap in the Eastern Dunes, compared with 35 or fewer at each of the other lights. The Privet Hawk-moth proved to be well-established, with two recorded on Freshwater Marsh, one at the Visitor Centre and one on the Eastern Dunes. The Dog’s Tooth was one of the more numerous moths, with 52 individuals recorded. However, no Marsh Moths were seen on this occasion either. References Pilcher, R. E. M., 1973. Hydrillula palustris (Htihner) in Lincolnshire. Entomologist's Record and Journal of Variation 85: 230-233. 58 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Waring, P., 2001. The Marsh Moth Athetis pallustris (Hbn.) in Lincolnshire. Research and Survey in 2000 for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Report to Butterfly Conservation & English Nature. Leigh Woods, Bristol, 30 June 2001 Leader: Ray Barnett This meeting with the Bristol & District Moth Group was held in Leigh Woods SSSL owned by the National Trust (who kindly gave permission) and on the edge of the Avon Gorge National Nature Reserve. The site is characterised by oak woodland with Ash, whitebeams and a fair proportion of Small-leaved Lime, there is some recently re-started Hazel coppice. Leigh Woods has a history of supporting rare insects, particularly flies but also Lepidoptera such as the Scarce Hook-tip Sabra harpagula (Esp.) (last seen here in 1938) and the Double-spot Brocade Megcinephria bimciculosa (L.) (the only two British records). Currently it still has a very strong population of woodland species including many considered to be of local occurrence or of national scarcity, in particular the Small-leaved Lime feeding Salebriopsis albicillci (Herr.-Sch.) which has been recorded regularly in the 1990s and the Pauper Pug Eupithecia egenaria Herr.-Sch. which has been taken once in recent years. Twelve mercury vapour lamps were operated at this meeting (between 21.30 h and 01.30 h) and 17 people attended. The meeting followed a warm day and the evening was dry with little breeze but a clear sky and the moon in evidence. In total 127 species of Lepidoptera were recorded. ‘Nationally Notable1 species were Spatalistis bifasciana (Hb.), Satin Lutestring Tetheella fluctuosa (Hb.) and Blomer’s Rivulet Discoloxia blomeri (Curt.). Species of local importance were Gold Swift Hepialus beet a (L.), Cryptoblabes bistriga (Haw.), Maiden's Blush Cyclophora punctaria (L.), Clay Triple-lines Cyclophora linearia (Hb.), Cream Wave Scopula floslactata (Haw.), Treble Brown Spot Idaea trigeminata (Haw.), Brown Scallop Philereme vetulata (D. & S.), Haworth’s Pug Eupithecia haworthiata Doubl., Oak-tree Pug Eupithecia dodoneata Guen., Clouded Magpie Abraxas sylvata (Scop.), Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata (D. & S.), Scorched Wing P/agodis dolabraria (L.) and Beautiful Hook-tip Easpeyria fiexula (D. & S.). The large and distinctive tineid Morophaga choragella (D. & S.) was recorded, having been noted as new to the site only in 1996. Lobster Moth Stauropus fagi (L.) and Coronet Craniophora ligustri (D. & S.) were present as usual in strength. Other insect species noted that evening include the horsefly Tabanus bromius L. and the beetle Pseudocistela ceramboides (L.), the latter associated with rot-holes in old oak and beech. Although no new species were added to the site list and no great rarities found, the final list was a strong recommendation for the quality of this woodland which will no doubt continue to reveal more species of note in future years. Eaton & Ganiston Woods, Retford, Nottinghamshire, 30 June 2001 Leader: Sheila Wright. Eaton and Gamston Woods lie on opposite sides of the minor Eaton to Upton road, near Retford in Notts. The woods are both Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust reserves and form part of an SSSI that also includes the flower-rich verges adjacent to each. Eaton Wood was recorded as pasture woodland in the Domesday records, more recently it appears to have been mainly ash, elm, and hazel coppice, much of which is still present in an overgrown state. There is also scattered oak, sallow, field maple, silver birch and aspen. There is much BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. I<>: 2003 59 honeysuckle, and this is one of the few sites in Nottinghamshire for White Admiral butterfly. Gamston is an ancient parish wood, predominantly ash, oak and birch. Both woods have a rich ground flora. Little recording had been done for invertebrates in either, and the aim of the meeting was to make a start in rectifying this. Following a heavy shower in the morning, the weather turned warm and largely overcast for the meeting in the afternoon, although with a few welcome sunny periods which brought out some syrphids and other Diptera and a few butterflies. The syrphids included Cheilosia albitarsis (Meig.), and Cheilosici illustrata (Harris), the latter nectaring on the flower-rich road verges. Gavin Boyd took an interesting dipteran, Pelidnoptera fuscipennis (Meig.) (Phaeomyiidae) in Eaton Wood it is a predator of millipedes. Gavin also recorded a hornet, Vespa crabro L., and the sawflies Eatomostethus luteiventris (Klug) (foodplant J uncus effusus L.) and Zaraea fasciata (L.) (a honeysuckle feeder) in Gamston Wood. Unfortunately, no specimens of that other honeysuckle feeder, the White Admiral, were spotted during the meeting — although Red Admiral, Ringlet and Speckled Wood all put in an appearance. Coleopterist Tony Drane found the Nationally Notable Gyrophaena angustata (Steph.) (Staphylinidae) in fungi on a fallen log in Eaton Wood, and the locally distributed Mordellochroa abdominalis (Fab.) (Mordellidae), a characteristic wood- land ride species, by beating. A male of the sexually dimorphic cerambycid Stenocorus meridianus (L.) was found on an umbellifer on the verge adjacent to Eaton Wood. Tony spotted leaf damage caused by the Nationally Local chrysomelid Pyrrhalta viburni (Payk.) on the host plant in Gamston Wood. Several specimens of the damselflies Lestes sponsa (Hanse.) and Coenagrion puella (L.) were seen hunting and basking in Eaton Wood. Microlepidoptera included Apotomis sororculana (Zetters.), a birch feeder with a largely northern distribution in Britain, and Endothenia nigricostana (Haw.) — which feeds on St achy s and is more common in the south of England. Both of these were were sent to Harry Beaumont for determination. Two traps were operated during the evening light-trapping session, and although the skies cleared somewhat, a respectable list of 8 micro and 44 macro moths was recorded. They included several Nationally Local species, including Map-winged Swift, Yellow-barred Brindle, Scorched Carpet and Scorched Wing, although all are widespread in Nottinghamshire. Despite a rather low turn-out, the day achieved its aim of adding a considerable number of insects, including several nationally important ones, to the species list for these interesting Nottinghamshire woods. Tilshead/Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, 21 July 2001 Leader: John Phillips As last year, the purpose of the meeting was to continue to investigate the status of the Brighton Wainscot Oria musculosa (Hiibn.) which is a BAP species receiving attention as part of Butterfly Conservation and English Nature’s “Action for Threatened Moths in England” programme and supported by the BENHS Conservation Working Group. The meeting was held slightly earlier within the flight period this year in the hope of producing better results than in 2000. Reasonable conditions with some wind were encountered and with a gratifying attendance of twelve members and friends plus the leader hopes were high. 60 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Unfortunately our optimism was unfounded and despite a good coverage of mv lights at North Tilshead, Gore Cross and Ansty Hill not a single specimen ol O. musculosa was recorded; ninety species of macro/micro lepidoptera were recorded with nothing of major significance being noted; perhaps the most interesting being six male Garden Tiger Arctia caja (L.) at Tilshead. To place the results of the meeting in perspective it should perhaps be noted that under the auspices of Butterfly Conservation, significant recording and survey effort took place over the plain during 2001. This was undertaken by Barry Fox, David Green and Frank Lowe with the leader producing just three specimens of O. musculosa and more significantly all from exactly the same site north of Tilshead as the single specimen found in 2000; the current year’s dates being 27 July with two on 3 August. Consequently based upon the above evidence it would seem that the continued survival of this species in the UK should currently be giving some cause for concern. The leader wishes to thank all the members who supported the meeting and once again to Paul Toynton, Conservation Officer Defence Estates, Tilshead who arranged permission to visit. The BAP Conservation programme for O. musculosa is continuing and con- sequently if any members have any new records, both the leader and Mark Parsons of Butterfly Conservation would appreciate contact and information. Abernethy Forest and Insh Marshes, Speyside, 20 and 28 July 2001 Leaders: J. Cadbury, D. Green, M. Young, P. Waring & M. Shardlow Abernethy Forest and Insh Marshes on Speyside are among the jewels in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)’ complement of 168 nature reserves. Though they were acquired primarily for bird conservation, the two reserves with a range of scarce northern habitats are increasingly recognized for their biodiversity importance. Indeed, the Society has been encouraging specialists to help identify the exceptional range of scarce fungi, plants and invertebrates that occur on these reserves. It was to this end that the RSPB, together with the British Entomological and Natural History Society (BENHS) and Butterfly Conservation (BC), organised a joint meeting to investigate the moths occurring at Insh Marshes and the lower parts of Abernethy Forest. An earlier meeting arranged for the last week in April had been restricted by Foot and Mouth disease precautions (Waring, 2001). This one, at the end of July, covered two weekends and had a total of over 30 participants. We were particularly grateful to have the expertise and enthusiastic support of David Barbour (Moray Moth Recorder) and Roy Leverton (Banff Moth Recorder) whose local and specialist knowledge was invaluable. It was good that Paul Kirkland (BC Co- ordinator, Scotland), Jimmy McKellar (Chairman of the Highland Branch of Butterfly Conservation), Anne Elliott (Scottish Natural Heritage) and Peter Cosgrove (Scottish Natural Heritage's Biodiversity Officer for the Highlands) could attend. Tom Prescott, the RSPB warden of Insh Marshes, and Tracey Begg, a research student from the University of Glasgow, played an active part, particularly introducing us to the entomologically important aspen woodland habitat that is well represented on the reserve. Participants came from as far afield as Dorset, Somerset, Glamorgan, London, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria, as well as Scotland. All contributed to a most enjoyable and successful meeting. Even though we operated almost entirely on the two reserves of Abernethy Forest and Insh Marshes, we were able to sample a variety of habitats. At Abernethy, we ran traps around the RSPB's centre at Forest Lodge, deep in Caledonian pine forest. BR. J. ENT. NAT HIST., 16: 2003 61 among alders by the River Nethy, in an old birch/juniper wood at Rynettin, and at several sites on Tulloch Moor, covering heathland, bog and young birch habitats. At Insh Marshes, we had the opportunity to trap among old birches at Lynachlaggan, among aspen at Invertromie Farm, and in the herb (and Lepidoptera)-rich Tromie Meadow. A visit was also paid to Balavil Fen. In altitude, trap sites ranged from 250 m at Insh Marshes, to 350 m at Rynettin. The sites were situated in two vice- counties: vc 95, Moray that includes part of Abernethy, east of the River Nethy, and vc 96, East Inverness and Nairn that includes Insh Marshes as well as much of the lower areas of Abernethy. Most of the m.v. light traps used were either of the Skinner or Robinson design, though one ‘dustbin’ type, designed by the late Bernard Kettlewell, was also successful (Figs 1 & 2). Hunting for larvae produced 19 additional species. There were spectacular flights of several geometers in daylight, particularly in the native pine forest, which had a tall understorey of juniper and ericaceous shrubs. The meeting was blessed throughout with relatively warm, dry weather with little wind and largely overcast skies at night ideal for moth trapping. This was demonstrated by the huge catches, which were in contrast to those experienced over much of the summer, further south. The weather was also ideal for midges! Over the nine days and nights, the group recorded a total of 264 species of Lepidoptera: 161 macros, 92 micros and 11 butterflies, which is a good ‘haul’ considering the northern latitude (57°15'N for Abernethy and 57 5'N for Insh Marshes). These included: • Two UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Priority species. • Two proposed Red Data micros (recorded from 15 or fewer 10 km squares, but may be under-recorded). • Five Nationally Notable (Na) macro-moths, plus six micros (recorded from 16-30 10 km squares, 1980-99) • Fifteen Nationally Notable (Nb) species, (recorded from 31 100 10 km squares) • Twenty-three Nationally Local Species The noctuid Cousin German Protolampra ( Paradicirsia) sobrina (Dup.) (Na, BAP priority) was a particular target. Its emergence ranges from late July (it was one of the commonest moths trapped at Insh on 20.vii. 1 999) on through much of August. Our visit in 2001 coincided with the beginning of the emergence judging by the fresh appearance of specimens. We recorded a total of 14 adults, with the first on 2 1 . vii. : nine in the old birch wood at Rynettin, two at Forest Lodge, and the other three in the Tromie Meadow/Invertromie Larm area where there was plenty of young birch, a larval food-plant. It was a pleasure to see at least 19 Great Brocade Envois occulta (L.) (Na) of the dark indigenous form. All but two of these were at Insh Marshes. Tromie Meadow produced a single, much cherished Northern Arches Apcimea zcta (Treit.) (Na) of the dark assimilis (Doubl.) form. In the native pine forest at Abernethy, the Rannoch Looper flame brunneata (Thunb.) (Na) was clearly common and widespread. It came fairly freely to light, but on warm days between 1 1.45 and late afternoon many males of this attractive rufous geometer could be seen flying over bilberry Vaccmium myrti Hus L. In view of the abundance of juniper Juniperus communis L. at Abernethy Forest, and in the woodland bordering Insh Marshes, it was not surprising that the Chestnut-Coloured Carpet Thera cognata (Thunb.) (Nb) was frequent along with the Juniper Pug Eupithecia pusillata (D.&S.) at most of the trap sites. Moreover, the larvae of the Juniper Carpet T. juniperata (L.) were beaten from juniper at both reserves. 62 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Fig. 1. Inspection of Robinson light trap, Abernethy Forest. Fig. 2. Party inspecting Kelllewell light trap at Rynettin, 28 July 2001. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 63 Those of us from the more southerly parts of Britain much appreciated the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with other northern species. We caught eight specimens of the inappropriately named Plain Clay Eugnorisma depuncta (L.) (Nb) with its tiger-striped forewings, and 16 Silvery Arches Polio trimaculosa (Esp.) (Nb). A late Saxon Hyppa rectilinea (Esp.) (Nb) came to light at Forest Lodge. The Scotch Annulet Gnophos obscuratus (D.&S.) and Dotted Carpet Aids jubata (Thunb.) (both Nb) are so beautifully cryptic when at rest on rocks or birch trunks, respectively. We recorded over 20 A. jubata in traps set among the lichen-covered birches at Tromie Meadow. This site also produced three Manchester Treble-bars Carsia sororiata (Hubn.) (Nb). With eyebright Euphrasia spp. present on grassy moraines, it was not surprising that we recorded a number of Pretty Pinions Perizoma blandiata (D.&S.) (Nb) as well as the local Grass Rivulet P. albulata (D.&S.), the larvae of which feed on yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor L. David Green found the Heath Rivulet P. minora ta (Treit.) (Nb) flying in sunshine by the car park to the Cairngorm chairlift (now a funicular railway), outside the Abernethy reserve. Notable in the Scottish context were Orange Swift Hepialus sylvina (L.) (two at Lynachlaggan, Insh), a single Grey Scalloped Bar Dyscia fagaria (Thunb.) on Tulloch Moor, Satin Beauty Deileptenia ribeata (Clerk) (one at Insh Marshes), Chocolate-tip Clostera cur tula L. (two larvae on aspen, Invertromie Farm), Round- winged Muslin Thumatha senex (Hubn.) ( 14 of a small, dark and indistinctly marked form, all but one near boggy areas on Tulloch Moor, Abernethy) and Lempke’s Gold Spot P/usia putnami gracilis Lempke (1 1 at Insh Marshes). Both D. ribeata and C. cur tula, which were recorded by David Barbour and Mark Young, may be new for vc 96. We were pleased to find such attractive species as the Green Arches Anaplectoides prasina (D.&S.), Gold Spangle Autographa bractea (D.&S.) and Scarce Silver Y Syngrapha interrogationis (L.) quite common at both reserves. Among the nationally local species recorded were Gold Swift Hepialus hecta (L.) (males performing their swaying flight display at dusk). Smoky Wave Scopula ternata (Schrank) around bogs, Beech-green Carpet Colostygia olivata (D.&S.), Welsh Wave Venusia cambrica Curt, (widespread and frequent). Grey Scalloped Bar Dyscia fagaria (Thunb.) (a single specimen on Tulloch Moor), Barred Chestnut Diarsia dcihlii (Hubn.) (at the start of its emergence season), the Suspected Parastichtis suspecta (Hubn.), Light Knot Grass Acronicta menyanthidis (Esp.), the Confused Apamea furva (D.&S.), and the Anomalous Stilbia anomala (Haw.) (two at Tromie Meadow). Long may such vernacular names remain in use! Hunting for larvae produced some species which we should have otherwise missed: Poplar Lutestring Tethea or (D.&S.) (local), Seraphim Lobophora halterata (Hufn.) (local). Chocolate-tip (local, Scotland) and Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta (Hufn.) on aspen; Autumn Green Carpet Chloroclysta miata (L.) (local), Canary-shouldered Thorn Ennomos alniaria (L.), Scalloped Hazel Odontoptera bidentata (Clerk) and Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica (L.) on native alder; Yellow-horned Achlya flavicornis (L.), Birch Mocha Cyclophora albipunctata (Hufn.), Autumn Green Carpet, Barred Umber Plagodis pulveraria (L.) (local). Lunar Thorn Selenia lunularia (Hubn.) (local). Ringed Carpet Cleora cine tar ia (D.&S.) (Na) and Clouded Drab on birch Betula sp.; Glaucous Shears Papestra biren (Goeze) (local) on bog myrtle Myrica gale L.; Vapourer Orygia antic/ua (L.) on sallow Salix cinerea L., Beautiful Yellow Underwing Anarta myrtilli (L.) on heather Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull as well as Juniper Carpet on juniper as mentioned earlier. Several of these species had been frequent as adults in April. We searched in vain for the larvae of Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoth Hemaris tityus (L.) (Na, BAP Priority) on devil's bit scabious 64 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Succisa pratensis Moench. which was abundant in Tromie Meadow. This species occurs further down the Spey at Grantown. Those of us from the south were amazed not only how variable and beautiful were the Highland forms of several species, but how different they were from their southern counterparts, as in the case of the Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata (Hubn.), Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta tnmcata (Hubn.), Mottled Beauty Aids repandata ( L.), Scalloped Oak Crocallis elinguaria (L.) and Ingrailed Clay Diarsia mendica (F.) (the dark mark between the stigmata on the forewings was often absent). Among the micros, the best find was the tineid Archinemapogon yi/dizae Koyak (p. RDB3), an adult of which was taken by David Green at m.v. light by the R. Nethy, close to Forest Lodge, on 2 1 . vii ., and was determined by Mark Young. This moth has a larva which feeds on bracket fungi. It was taken in vc 95, but within a few yards of the boundary of vc 96. A single adult of another rare tineid Nemapogon picarella (Clerk) (p. RDBK) occurred at m.v. light in Tromie Meadow (vc 96) on 28 July. There were six Nationally Notable (Nb) micros: Bryotropha galbanella (Zeller) Glechiidae (two at Forest Lodge, Abernethy); B. politella (Stainton) (singles at Tulloch Moor and Insh Marshes but common in vc 95 and 96); Olethreutes palustrana (Leinig & Zeller) Tortricidae (single adults netted by day at Tulloch Moor and Lynchlaggan, Insh); Crambus ericella Hubn.) Pyralidae (one at m.v. light, Tromie Meadow); Scoparia ancipitella (de la Harpe) Pyralidae (a number came to light at both reserves, including in the Rynettin birch wood), and Udea uliginosalis (Steph.) Pyralidae (surprisingly, two adults at Tromie Meadow at an altitude of only 250 m). Usually U. uliginosalis is a high montane species; off the RSPB reserves, it was seen at over 1000 m on Cairngorm and 1500 m on Carn Ban Mor where it was frequent. It does, however, also occur occasionally at relatively low altitude on Deeside (Mark Young). At Balavil Fen, Insh Marshes, we saw the spinnings of Prochoreutis myllerana (F.) on skullcap Scutellaria galericulata L. Spells of warm sunshine brought out butterflies in the grassy glades along the River Nethy at Abernethy, on Tulloch Moor, and at Tromie Meadow. A few late Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries Bolaria selene (D.&S.) were still on the wing, but Dark Green Fritillaries Argynnis aglaja (L.) and Scotch Argus Erebia aethiops (Esp.) were freshly emerged. A Northern Brown Argus Aricia artaxerxes (F.) (Nb, BAP Priority) was observed egg-laying on rock-rose at Invertromie Farm by David Barbour. Abernethy Forest has a rich selection of northern Odonata. During the course of the meeting, the Northern Damselfly Coenagrion hastulatum (Charpentier) (RDB2) was on the wing at Abernethy. Two individuals of the striking Azure Hawker Aeshna caerulea Strom were seen, including one over a Tulloch Moor bog. Some of the darters were identified as the Highland species Sympetrum nigreseens Lucas. Sixteen species of caddis (Trichoptera) were taken at my m.v. light at Tromie Meadow by Graham Jones and identified by Ian Wallace (Liverpool Museum). All were common species, though by far the most abundant in the trapped sample of 91 individuals was Hydropsyche instabilis (Curtis) (35 males, 14 females), which is usually found in low numbers among other species of the genus. There must have been a swarm of this species near the trap. Though aspen Populus tremula L. is widespread in Britain, only 160 ha of predominantly aspen woodland remains. Moreover, there are only 16 stands that exceed one hectare in size. Speyside, including the Insh Marshes reserve, has some of the most important of these stands, which are considered to be ancient boreal relicts. The importance of aspen for its biodiversity has recently received increasing recognition and was the subject of a symposium at Kingussie in May 2001 (Prescott, 2001). Its associated flora and fauna have affinities with Scandinavian aspen BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 65 woodland. Tom Prescott and Tracey Begg were able to show participants on the moth meeting some of the aspen stands at Insh Marshes and the habitat niches occupied by associated invertebrates. The Dark Bordered Beauty Epione vespertaria ( paralellaria ) (D.&S.) (RDB3) must now be one of Britain’s rarest indigenous moths. It has only recently been recorded in Scotland at three restricted sites when there is young suckering aspen and two in England where the larval food plant is creeping willow Salix repens L. Though adults were observed at one of the Scottish sites during the moth-meeting week, we searched suitable habitat at Insh Marshes in vain. A single specimen was recorded on the reserve in the 1970s. With its present highly fragmented distribution and low powers of dispersal, E. parelellarici is unlikely to return to Insh unless reintroduced. Insh Marshes still has a small population of an extremely rare hoverfly Hammerschmicitia ferrugineci (Fall.) (RDB1, BAP Priority for which RSPB is the lead partner). Its distribution and ecology on Speyside has been recently studied by Graham Rotheray (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh). Tracey Begg demonstrated the critical state of pungent, oily cambial decay in fallen aspens on which the larvae depend. She also showed us the borings of a large longhorn beetle Saperda carchcirias (L.) (Na) at the base of aspen trunks. Impressive piles of frass and wood pulp indicated that emergence of the adults was imminent. Complete tabulated results are held at RSPB HQ (Reserves Ecology), Sandy, and at the BENHS Library. The leaders wish to thank Stewart Taylor, Des Dugan, Andy Amphlett, Richard Thaxton and Nancy Monk, RSPB staff at Abernethy Forest, as well as Tom Prescott and his team at Insh Marshes for all the help they offered. References Green, D., 2002. Lepidoptera recorded during BENHS, BC and RSPB field meetings at RSPB Abernethy Forest and Insh Marshes reserves, Speyside, 20-29 July 2001. Unpublished report. Butterfly Conservation, Lulworth. Prescott, T., 2001. The Biodiversity of Aspen. Biodiversity News 17: 8-9. Waring, P.. 2001. Moths (in Wildlife reports). British Wildlife 13: 62-65. Lower Gelt Wood, Brampton, Cumbria, 5 August 2001 Leaders: Paul Waring (P. W.) & Rob Petley-Jones (R. P. J.) — This evening event was a joint meeting between Butterfly Conservation, the BENHS, the Cumbria Moth Recording Group co-ordinated by R. P. J., and the Carlisle Natural History Society. The venue and arrangements had to be changed three times at short notice due to continuing problems with Foot and Mouth Disease. Nevertheless, the meeting was attended by ten people in addition to the leaders, with representatives from all the above and also the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. One of the objectives was to contribute to the nation-wide search for remaining populations of the White-spotted Pinion moth Cosmia diffinis (L.). We investigated the thin scatter of elms Ulmus spp. in this wood using eight lights. This site is at about or possibly beyond the known northern limit of the moth. It has received little or no moth recording effort, so many of the 61 species of larger moths we recorded were new records for the site. The last of the light traps was operated until Ol.OOhrs. The weather was favourable, with a dusk temperature of 15 C, calm, dry conditions until Ol.OOhrs and cloud obscured the 66 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 moon, but no White-spotted Pinion were seen. Most noteworthy in the catch were a single Double-lobed Apamea ophiogramma (Esp.) and six of the Slender Brindle Apamea scolopacina (Esp.). The former is not reported in Cumbria every year but is potentially resident in this wooded river gully. The latter is near its northern limit here but was also recorded by Rob and local colleagues at Talking Tarn, just two miles from Lower Gelt Wood, on 28.vii.2001, and has recently been discovered in Dumfries & Galloway (Waring, 1996). The meeting was successful in bringing together locally-based moth enthusiasts of various organisations to discuss work on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority moth species in general and the habits of the White-spotted Pinion in particular, in advance of further searches for the moth on National Moth Night the following weekend. P. W. wishes to thank Butterfly Conservation’s North-west England Branch for helping to meet the costs of his travel from Peterborough and undertook this meeting in his role as Moth Conservation Adviser to Butterfly Conservation and as part of the Butterfly Conservation Action for Threatened Moths Project, which is part-funded by English Nature. Reference Waring, P., 1996. Wildlife reports- Moths. British Wildlife 7: 188-190. Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, 18 August 2001 Leaders: Paul Waring (PW) & Martin Townsend (MT) — The main aim of this evening meeting was to record the moths on the wing in the period between the dates covered by the two meetings on this site in the previous year (22 July & 23 September 2000). Prolonged periods of rain in the afternoon, followed by further rain after dusk, did not discourage 14 hardy souls from attending this event. These included six members of the Society, some relatives and friends, three boys from Headington Middle School and their teachers and one non-member from the Moths of Oxfordshire Recording Scheme (MORS). Four mercury vapour lights were operated. Sixty-five species of moths were recorded, including 1 1 species of macro-moths and 23 species of micro-moths not seen on the previous meetings. All the light traps were operated until midnight and the last was switched off at 01.15 hrs. Martin Corley did fairly well with wine-ropes set up on bushes by the stream in the centre of the site, recording ten species, with up to ten individuals per wine-rope, including a mating pair of the Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta (L.). Len Winokur set up five more wine- ropes around the site boundary but these attracted very few moths. Unfortunately, the main target of the wine-roping, the Old Lady moth Mormo maura (L.), was not seen at all. The moth was recorded at sugar on this site on 30 July 1982 (by PW) and was likely still to be present. Mark Trasenster pointed out that the larvae could well be feeding on Ivy Hederci helix L., which was well represented in the hedges around this site— he had found larvae on Ivy in similar situations in the London area. In contrast Martin Townsend found and reared a final instar larva on Greater Water Dock Rumex hydrolcipathum Hud. from wet ground at Milton Keynes in 1999. The wine-ropes also failed to attract the Red Underwing Catocala nupta (L.) which was recorded regularly in this area by PW in the 1970s and 1980s. It is the experience of both leaders that wine-ropes are markedly less effective during or following prolonged rain and most attractive in fairly dry conditions. Martin Corley deployed his light in the centre of the site by the stream, MT and Mark Transenster operated theirs near the stand of Turkey Oaks Quercus cerris L. BR. J. ENT NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 67 by the canal towpath on the east side of the site and PW set a Robinson trap by elm Ulmus regrowth in the thick hedges bordering the south end of the site and the bridleway to Begbroke. The latter was an unsuccessful attempt to discover the White- spotted Pinion moth Cosmia diffinis (L.) on this site. Among the macro-moths, no Nationally Scarce species were recorded. The Dingy Footman Eilema griseola (Hbn.) was the only species associated to some extent with wetland. The bulk of the captures included frequent species such as the Square-spot Rustic Xestici xanthogrcipha (D.&S.), Common Rustic agg. Mesapamea spp., and Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impure i (Hbn.). Several of the partial second generation of the Straw Dot Rivulci sericealis (Scop.) were seen. Among the eleven species additional to those recorded previously were the Orange Swift Hepialus sylvina (L.), Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata (Hfn.), Canary-shouldered Thorn Ennomos alniaria (L.) and Six-striped Rustic Xestia sexstrigata (Haw.). The micro-moth of perhaps greatest interest was the Pale-streaked Grass-veneer Agriphila selasellci (Hbn.) (Local), often considered a saltmarsh species but recorded by Martin Corley in a variety of habitats in Oxfordshire, including Martin’s farm at Littleworth. The larva feeds on various grasses. Other noteworthy micro-moths included the Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora frischella (L.), believed to be dependent on White Clover Trifolium repens L. and the Humped Claw Psoricoptera gibbosella (Zell.), which feeds on the foliage of oaks Quercus spp. in the larval stage. Several individuals of the Dusty Marble Bactra lancecilana (Hbn.) were seen, a common wetland species dependent as a larva on Juncus , Scirpus and Cyperus. Rushes Juncus spp. were abundant on this site, hence the site name. The leaders would like to thank all those who attended despite the wet weather, English Nature and the private site owner for permission to hold this event. Copies of the records and this report have been supplied to English Nature, the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust and the Oxfordshire Biological Recording Centre. Tunstall Forest, East Suffolk, 18 August 2001 Leader: David Young — This was a return visit to the site visited on 21st April 2001 and with the same overall objective of locating Xestia rhomboidea (Esp.) (Square- spotted clay moth). Cloudy and humid conditions promised a reasonable night’s trapping but with heavy rain sweeping the country, and known to be falling in torrents only a few miles away, anxious faces studied the darkening sky as intermittent rain threatened to bring proceedings to an early conclusion. Nine m.v. traps and wine ropes were deployed over the site, with recording also being undertaken by net and lamps whilst searching the extensive areas of willowherb, bramble and other nectar sources. Four specimens of X. rhomboidea were recorded at two m.v. traps located in the same area that we had unsuccessfully search for larvae in April. No specimens were recorded at the wine ropes, or at nectar sources, which seemed strange for a moth with a reputation for being recorded more frequently whilst feeding rather than at light traps. A total of 176 species of Lepidoptera (63 micros and 1 13 macros) was recorded during the meeting. This is a good total species count especially for late August which can often seem rather quiet after the peak season activity of late June and July. Three specimens of Scopula rubiginata (Hufn.) (Rusty Wave) were recorded, a species which is almost certainly breeding at this site and elsewhere in the Ipswich area. The same is probably true for Mythimna albipuncta (D.&S.) (White-point) which 68 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 was recorded in large numbers throughout 2000/01. There was plenty of activity at Fred Butcher’s wine ropes including two specimens of Catocala nupta (L.) (Red Underwing), one of which turned up at a light trap and duly obliged for photographs. Other interesting species recorded at m.v. traps included Eurias clorana (L.) (Cream- bordered Green Pea), Agrotis vestigialis (Hufn.) (Archer’s Dart) and Euxoa tritici (L.) (white-line dart). Specimens of Malacosomci castrensis (L.) (Ground Lackey), Cataclysta lemnata (L.) (small china-mark), Macaria notata (L.) (Peacock moth), Arenostolci phragmitidis (Hb.) (Fen Wainscot), Archanara geminipuncta (Flaw.) (Twin-spotted Wainscot) and the plume moth Agdistis bennetii (Curtis) were probably strays from the nearby reed beds at Snape. No specimens of Noctua orbonci (Hufn.) (Lunar Yellow Underwing) were recorded but this species seems to have had a very poor year and probably did not appreciate the long wet winter anymore than we did. The only evidence of migration were a few specimens of Nomophila noctuella (D.&S.) (Rush Veneer), Plutella xy lost el I a (L.) (Diamond-back moth) and Autographa gamma (L.) (Silver-Y) which reflected the quiet migration activity in this part of the country during 2001. The only other species which made their way into my notebook were a few Vespa crabro L. (hornet) and the beetles Nicrophorus investigator Zett. and Necrodes littoralis (L.). A barn owl put in a brief appearance as the gate was locked at 1.30 am, just as the long-expected rain finally arrived. The leader wishes to thank all who supported this field meeting, and especially to the members of the Suffolk Moth Group for their advice on the current status of Suffolk moths BOOK REVIEWS The Bumblebees of Essex by Ted Benton. (Wimbish:Lopinga Books, 2000) 180pp. Hard cover £18.50. ISBN 0-9530362-4-3. This is an excellent book and should be on the bookshelf of every member of the society, even those of the most ardent coleopterist or lepidopterist. If you have seen a bumblebee in flight or nectaring at a flower and wish to know its identity and some basic facts about its biology then this is the book for you. Most importantly, it has 55 beautiful close-up colour photographs of virtually every species of bumblebee found in southern Britain. Its relatively small size and firm hard cover means that it can easily be fitted into a jacket pocket or rucksack for use in the field. The attractive outside cover of Shrill carder bees at Hadleigh Country Park was painted by Alan Harris. There are five introductory chapters on bumblebee biology covering the life-cycle, flower choice, role in pollination, predators and parasites, background information on recent national decline and reasons for the survey of Essex. The next chapter describes the external features necessary for proper identification and includes an illustrated identification guide to the commoner bumblebees found in Essex and a definitive dichotomous key to workers, males and queens of the 20 or so species of bumblebee found, or likely to be found in the south (excluding Bombas hypnorum BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 69 (L.) discovered in 2001 ). Diagrams of the sting sheath, genital capsule and abdominal segments of individual species are included for completeness. Any doubts about identification should be dispelled by recourse to the colour photographs taken by the author. The main section of the book is devoted to the bumblebee survey of Essex. For each species there are two post-1980 county maps, one at a 5-km scale giving an indication of range and the other at 2-km tetrad scale showing the more precise distribution of the species in Essex. A map showing the bee’s distribution nationally, pre-1960 and post 1960 to 1980, is included for comparison. Additional information is provided to help confirm species identification together with a more detailed account of the bee’s life-history, habitat preference and status within the county. A unique feature is the inclusion of a foraging chart listing the food plants visited during each month of the flight period. Similar information is given for bumblebee mimics. Although many of the bumblebees recorded may be considered “widespread”, the survey showed conclusively that the Essex side of the Thames corridor is home to some of our rarest species such as B. humilis (L.) and B. sylvarum llliger, the latter possibly linked with populations in Kent forming a single large metapopulation. The building of a fourth London airport at Cliffe would seriously influence the ability of these species to survive in south-east England and the data presented in the book have already been used as part of the conservation case against development in this area, underlining the importance of local surveys. The author is to be congratulated on producing a definitive atlas and illustrated guide to the bumblebees of Essex. John Badmin Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Volume 1. General and Applied Dipterology. Edited by Laszlo Papp and Bela Darvas. Science Herald, Budapest, Hungary. 2000. 978 pp. ISBN 963 04 8839 6. This was the last to be published of 4 volumes, intended to cover all aspects of Diptera in the Palaearctic Region and to provide the sequel to the Manual of Nearctic Diptera published in 3 volumes (1981 1989). The other volumes (1997 volume 2, 1998 volume 3 and 2000 Appendix volume) included chapters on each family of Diptera with keys to the generic level for adults, although the coverage remained incomplete due to various factors explained by the editors in the preface to the present volume. It was perhaps too ambitious a project, relying on the participation of many specialists with other priorities and the decision had to be made to publish what had been offered. Nevertheless more or less detailed accounts of 1 10 of the 130 families recognised were included in the other volumes. Volume 1 is rather different in that it includes contributions by many authors on a wide range of topics not considered in the Nearctic Manual, and was intended to provide an introduction to the study of Diptera in general. Overall editing was kept to a minimum, mainly due to time constraints and the amount of peer review was also variable and it is not surprising that different views are expressed on aspects such as phylogeny by different authors. The editors, in publishing what had been offered, appreciated that inconsistencies in emphasis and approach were inevitable. It is also painfully apparent in certain chapters that there was little revision of the English and occasionally sentences appear where the meaning is obscure. 70 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 This volume is needed by users of the other three volumes because it includes keys to families of both adults and larvae and these will probably be the most widely used chapters. The key to larvae is well illustrated and should be particularly useful. The adult key contains few figures other than some whole insect drawings but is mostly straightforward. Some inconsistencies in family composition should be noted. The adult key recognises the following families not accorded this status in the 1998 British checklist (family in the latter in brackets): Macroceridae (Keroplatidae), Manotidae (Mycetophilidae), Chiropteromyzidae, Cnemospathididae, Borboropsi- didae and Trixoscelididae (Heleomyzidae), Helcomyzidae and Heterocheilidae (Dryomyzidae). Recognition of the first two of these follows the Palaearctic Catalogue but they are not now recognised by any specialists in the group. The family Stenomicridae is included in Periscelididae. In the larval key the fungus gnat families (except Ditomyiidae) are grouped together as they are in the chapter on them in the Appendix volume and in couplet 13 the statement ‘rarely propneustic or apneustic’ does not indicate that these are characteristic respectively of Diadocidii- dae and Keroplatidae. These keys are preceded by four chapters on the morphology and terminology of adults and larvae. While terminology broadly follows that in the Nearctic Manual (not yet adopted in many papers on British Diptera), many terms not found there are included and explained, for adult morphology usefully presented in the form of a glossary. The chapter on male genitalia compares different views on the evolution of these structures but adopts the view of its author in rejecting the periandrial theory in favour of the ‘revised epandrial theory’. The accounts of adult morphology are straightforward and directed towards the general user while that on larval morphology is more detailed and less clearly presented, with the contributions of its three authors sometimes inconsistent. Most of the chapters on other topics are thorough accounts and liberally provided with references, although sometimes the wish to cite everything that has been published on a subject becomes too dominant in the text. Chapter 1.8 is mis-titled as it is mostly an account of physiology of the adult insect and the developmental aspect stated in the title is only dealt with in the concluding section. The chapter on ecology of Diptera is particularly valuable and well presented and the account of the role of Diptera in decomposition follows on well from that. The account of phenology and diapause, however, is unnecessarily obscure and terms are often introduced without being defined, e.g. ecdysteroid titres, infradian cycles. The chapter on communica- tion in Diptera is presented as a report on what research has been done, biased towards pest species, rather than attempting to cover the subject in general. That on genetic systems recognises that a bias towards Drosophila exists and endeavours to reach beyond it. The account of parthenogenesis in this chapter accepts taxonomic separation of Psychoda parthenogenetica Tonnoir from P. albipeimis Zetterstedt (given as severini Tonnoir in the text); the parthenogenesis at least in part of their range of some Platypalpus species and of Lonchoptera bifur cat a (Fallen) is not mentioned. The account of the palaeontological record of Diptera is a useful summary and presents fairly new information on the earlier (Triassic) fossils. It does, however, introduce a controversial new higher classification of Diptera into five suborders. This is put forward as if it is the accepted system and used to trace the evolution of the order through its fossil history. However, very little supporting evidence is presented and undue emphasis is placed on wing venation, of necessity where it is the only character preserved in many fossils. Fig. 14.5 in this chapter is of Mycetobiidae, not Mycetophilidae as stated, given correctly in the text on page 536, but wrongly on page 542. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 71 The chapter on forensic dipterology is a thorough contribution, although not particularly pleasant reading. In the chapter on traumatic myiasis a temporary introduction of the calliphorid Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) into this country in 1998 is cited. The remaining chapters are otherwise devoted to the biology and control of pest species. Some of the sections on control seem out of place in this type of manual but there is a strong emphasis on biological control. The final chapter on chemical disruption of development barely attempts to restrict its coverage to Diptera at all. The chapters on pest species include full details of the biology of each species. English names have been invented where they did not exist and in some cases are translations of the scientific name, e.g. such an inappropriate name as marsh cranefly for Tipula paludosa Meigen. Curiously the account of bulb flies deals with three species of Eumerus but does not mention Merodon equestris (Fabricius). It was of interest to read that the ‘carrot root miner’ Napomyza carotae Spencer (described from Holland) has recently been recorded in England. Enquiries by the reviewer have revealed that this species has been known by agricultural scientists to occur here since the 1970s but this information did not filter through to its inclusion in British checklists. A key to genera of Palaearctic Agromyzidae is included in the chapter on exotic dipteran pests as there is no account of this family in the other volumes of the Manual. There is much of value to the general dipterist in this book and it is expected that it will, together with the other volumes of the Manual, be a useful work of reference. Peter Chandler The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Volume 4 (Parti) Oecophoridae - Scythrididae (ISBN 0 946589 66-6) and (Part2) Gelechiidae (ISBN 0 946589 67-4). Edited by A. Maitland Emmet & J.R. Langmaid (Harley Books, 2002). 326pp & 277pp. £80.00 each or £150.00 the set. This long awaited volume in the series completes the microlepidoptera which have never been illustrated in colour in Britain before, and so makes a significant contribution to the documentation of our fauna. It has been split into two parts on account of the size. There is a publisher’s foreword paying tribute to the enormous contribution to the series made by the late Maitland Emmet, the senior editor. The first volume begins with an introductory chapter, as is the custom in this series. This is about the ecology and evolution of lepidopteran defences against bats by J. Rydell and M.R. Young. Not only does this describe the various devices used by moths as a defence, but tracks their development from the fossil records. It is an interesting chapter and written in a way that can be understood by the non specialist. The systematic section follows the style of earlier volumes except that genitalia drawings of both sexes of all species are included. Each species description is accompanied by a distribution map by vice-counties, although no distinction is made between historical records and modern ones. The Momphidae and Cosmopterigidae also have monochrome drawings showing the mine or other habitus of the larvae. The Gelechioidea have in recent years been divided into groups with less familiar names, such as Autostichidae and Agonoxenidae which are given family rank in this volume. Sensibly, the Gelechiidae are kept together in Part 2 despite this slightly varying from the systematic sequence. Some authors had been preparing their text for many years and so had undertaken considerable research into the life histories. In 72 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16. 2003 particular the Depressariinae are given a key to the larvae which should be immensely useful to field workers. For other families many authors were recruited at shorter notice, including three from outside Britain, which must have made the editorial work of maintaining a consistent standard and style a huge task, but this appears to have been managed successfully. Great efforts were made to include recent discoveries so that one new species is even included in advance of its published description, and the name given in an Addenda and Corrigenda sheet. The systematic section of Part 1 is divided into nine families, each beginning with its own checklist of species and ending with the references. This can make it difficult to find the references and it would have been preferable to begin with a checklist for the whole volume, with all the references together at the end. Such a practice would also avoid the repetition of many references. The genitalia drawings are mostly by a new author to the series, M.J. Roberts, and these appear to be accurate as well as neat. Three authors provided their own artwork which is of an equally high standard. The colour illustrations of the adults are paintings by Richard Lewington. The appearance of the plates is pleasing, even though the body and only the right wings are shown; most species are easily recognised by anyone familiar with the insects. Inevitably some drawings do not manage to catch the “giz” of the moth, in Part 1 Tachystola acroxantha (Meyrick) being an example where the wing shape doesn’t look quite right, and in Part 2 Plate 1, for example, the colour of the head of Apodia bifractella (Duponchel) is not as deep as it normally appears on specimens. With Part 2 it is possible to make comparisons with a recent volume in the series Microlepidoptera of Europe which covers part of the Gelechiidae. The text in the volumes under review is much fuller, even if genus and species descriptions may hardly ever be read by most users of the book. The early stages and life history information is incalculably better in the British series, including a wealth of information which is truly new. The genitalia in the European series are photographed, and the Gelechiids are Tinrolled’. Whilst this does make examination of parts clearer, the more natural appearance used in the British work is easier for the non specialist to use. As opposed to paintings, the European series uses photographs of the adult moths; in a few cases the specimens are not as good as one would have liked, but for identification purposes, photographs, using modern reproduction techniques, have to be better. There is the added advantage that the individual data for each specimen illustrated can be known. The Agenda and Corrigenda sheet referred to above contains chiefly new information, but also corrects the names transposed on one plate, although correctly cited in the text. There is an additional transposition in Part 2 Plate 1 of figure 1 1 Eulamprotes unicolorella (Duponchel) and figure 18 Monochroa tenebrella (Hiibner). Despite these minor shortcomings the standard of production is as high as we have come to expect from Harley Books. These books, although expensive, are essential to any serious microlepidopterist. The standard of scholarship and the detailed information maintain, and in some respects surpass, the highly acclaimed section on the Coleophoridae in Volume 3. Maitland Emmet, who did not see the finished product, but worked towards it until his death, could justifiably be proud of the achievement, as can those editors and publisher who survive him. David Agassiz THE MAITLAND EMMET BENHS RESEARCH FUND In 2001 the family of the late Lt. Col. Maitland Emmet, a distinguished amateur microlepidopterist, made a generous donation to the Society’s Research Fund in his memory. As a result the Society has renamed its Research Fund the Maitland Emmet BENHS Research Fund. The objectives of the fund and criteria for awarding grants remain the same. The Society is very grateful to the Emmet family for their generosity. The Society invites applications for grants, from the Maitland Emmet Research Fund, to be awarded in December 2003. Awards are open to both members and non-members of the BENHS and will be made to support research on insects and spiders with reference to the British fauna, and with emphasis on: (a) the assistance of fieldwork on insects with relevance to their conservation, (b) work leading to the production of identification guides and distribution lists. Travel to examine museum collections and to consult taxonomic specialists would be included. The work and travel is not limited to the British Isles but must have a demonstrable relevance to the British insect or spider fauna. Individual grants are unlikely to exceed £500. Preference will be given to work with a clear final objective (e.g., leading to publication or the production of a habitat management plan). Work specifically on leaf miners and gall forming insects should be submitted to the Society’s Professor Hering Memorial Research Fund. Applicants should send seven copies (one copy if the application is for less than £100) of their plan of work, the precise objectives, the amount for which an award is requested and a brief statement outlining their experience in this area of work, to Dr J. Muggleton, 30 Penton Road, Staines, Middx, TW18 2LD, as soon as possible and not later than 30 September 2003. Further information may be obtained from the same address (email: jmuggleton@compuserve.com). THE PROFESSOR HERING MEMORIAL RESEARCH FUND The British Entomological and Natural History Society announces that awards may be made from this Fund for the promotion of entomological research with particular emphasis on: (a) leaf-miners (b) Diptera, particularly Tephritidae and Agromyzidae (c) Lepidoptera, particularly Microlepidoptera (d) general entomology in the above order of preference having regard to the suitability of applicants and the plan of work proposed. Awards may be made to assist travelling and other expenses necessary for fieldwork, for the study of collections, for attendance at conferences, or, exceptionally, for the costs of publication of finished work. In total they are unlikely to exceed £1000 in the year 2003. Applicants should send six copies, if possible, of a statement of their qualifications, of their plan of work, and of the precise objectives and amount for which an award is sought, to Dr M. .1. Scoble, Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK as soon as possible and not later than 30 September 2003. Applications are also invited from persons wishing to borrow the Wild M3 Stereomicroscope and fibre optics illuminator bequeathed to the Fund by the late Edward Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle. Foan of this equipment will be made for a period of up to six months in the first instance. BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 16, PART 1, MARCH 2003 ARTICLES 1 Editorial. J. Badmin 2 Adverse comment on the supposed British status of the web-spinning sawfly Cephalcia arvensis Panzer (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae). M. R. Shaw 3 Outbreak in Britain of Stephanitis takeyai Drake & Mao (Hemiptera: Tingidae), a pest of Pier is japonica. A. J. Halstead & C. P. Malumphy Atrichopogon ( Meloehelea) winnertzi Goetghebuer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) feeding on Meloe violaceus Marsham (Coleoptera: Meloidae). D. J. Mann & C. R. Turner 10 Pherbellia stylifera Rozkosny, a member of the snail-killing family sciomyzidae (Diptera) new to Britain from Cambridgeshire. J. Cole SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 6 Scvthris insper sella (Hiibner) (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae): a new species in Yorkshire. D. Chesmore 9 An observation of the prey species of the solitary wasp, Ectemnius cavifrons (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). K. P. Bland 12 Calocoris alpestris (Meyer-Diir), Lygus wagneri Remane and Dicyphus constrictus (Boheman), species with boreo-montane or boreo-alpine distributions expanding in Gloucestershire. K. N. A. Alexander 43 The Australian cockroach Periplaneta australasiae (Fab.) (Blattodea: Blattidae) breeding in glasshouses in Cambridge. M. V. L. Barclay 44 The contrasting range expansion of two species of Deraeocoris (Hemiptera-Heteroptera: Miridae) in south-east England. B. S. Nau & S. E. Brooke PROCEEDINGS AND TRANSACTIONS/SOCIETY NEWS 15 The 1999 BENHS Presidential Address- -Part 2. A conservation agenda for entomologists for the next 100 years — an amateur viewpoint? S. Miles 46 BENHS Field Meeting Reports BOOK REVIEWS 14 The Moths of Devon by R. McCormick. G. Collins 68 The Bumblebees of Essex by T. Benton. J. Badmin 69 Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Volume 1 . General and Applied Dipterology. Edited by L. Papp and B. Darvas. P. Chandler 71 The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Volume 4 (Parti) Oecophoridae - Scythrididae and (Part2) Gelechiidae. Edited by A. Maitland Emmet & J.R. Langmaid. D. Agassiz ANNOUNCEMENTS 42 Recording of invertebrates at Dinton Pastures — a request for records. P. Chandler ibc The Maitland Emmet BENHS Research Fund ibc The Professor Hering Memorial Research Fund June 2003 ISSN 0952-7583 Vol. 16, Part 2 BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY Published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society and incorporating its Proceedings and Transactions Editor: J. S. Badmin, Ecology Group, Canterbury Christ Church College, The Mount, Stodmarsh Road, Canterbury. Kent CT3 4AQ (Tel/Fax: 01227 479628) email: jsb5@cant.ac.uk Associate Editor: M. Wilson. Ph.D.. F.R.E.S., F.L.S. Department of Biodiversity & Systematic Biology, National Museums & Galleries of Wales, Cardiff CF10 3NP. (Tel: 02920 573263) email: Mike.Wilson@ nmgw.ac.uk Editorial Committee: D. J. L. Agassiz, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.E.S. R. D. G. Barrington, B.Sc. P. J. Chandler, B.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. Goater, B.Sc., M. I. Biol. A. J. Halstead, M.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. D. Hawkins, M.A. P. J. Hodge T. G. Howarth, B.E.M., F.R.E.S. I. F. G. McLean, Ph.D., F.R.E.S M. J. Simmons, M.Sc. P. A. Sokoloff, M.Sc., C.Biol., M. I. Biol., F.R.E.S. T. R. E. Southwood, K.B., D.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. W. J. Uffen, M.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. K. West, B.Ed. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History is published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society, Dinton Pastures Country Park, Davis Street, Hurst, Reading. Berkshire RG10 OTH, UK. Tel: 01 189-321402. The Journal is distributed free to BENHS members. i 2003 British Entomological and Natural History Society. Typeset by Dobbie Typesetting Limited, Tavistock, Devon. Printed in England by Henry Ling Ltd. Dorchester, Dorset. BRITISH ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Registered charity number: 213149 Meetings of the Society are held regularly in London, at the rooms of the Royal Entomological Society. 41 Queen’s Gate, London SW7 and the well-known ANNUAL EXHIBITION takes place in November at Imperial College, London SW7. Frequent Field Meetings are held at weekends in the summer. Visitors are welcome at all meetings. The current Programme Card can be had on application to the Secretary, J. Muggleton, at the address given below. The Society maintains a library and invertebrate collections at its headquarters in Dinton Pastures, which are open to members on various advertised days each month, telephone 01189-321402 for the latest meeting news. The Society's web site is: http://www.BENHS.org.uk Applications for membership to the Membership Secretary: A. Godfrey, 90 Bence Lane, Darton. Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 5DA. Subscriptions and changes of address to the Membership Secretary: R. D. Hawkins, 30d Meadowcroft Close, Horley, Surrey RH6 9EL. Non-arrival of the Journal, faulty copies or other problems arising from distribution of the Journal or notices to the Distribution Secretary: D. Young, 22 Wordsworth Close, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP 17 1WF. Tel: 01728 603568. Orders for books and back numbers of the Journal and Proceedings to the Sales Secretary: G. Boyd, 91 Fullingdale Road, Northampton NN3 2PZ. Tel: 01604 410056. General Enquiries to the Secretary: J. Muggleton, 30 Penton Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 2LD. Tel: 01784-464537. email: jmtaggleton@compuserve.com Society Website: www.benhs.org.uk for recent information on the Society’s meetings programme and general society details. Cover photograph: Cacopsylla f ulgur alls (Kuwayama). Photo: Crown copyright CSL. NOTE: The Editor invites submission of photographs for black and white reproduction on the front covers of the journal. The subject matter is open, with an emphasis on aesthetic value rather than scientific novelty. Submissions can be in the form of colour or black and white prints or colour transparencies. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST , 16: 2003 73 THE SECOND BENHS EXPEDITION TO BELIZE, APRIL-MAY 1997 Paul Waring1, Graham & Anona Finch, Barry & Jim Fox & Pat Haynes 1 address for correspondence: 1366 Lincoln Road, Werrington, Peterborough, PE4 6LS The second BENHS expedition to Belize departed from the UK on 28 April 1997, returning on 18 May. The six-person team consisted of PW (leader) and the above authors (Fig. 1). The broad objectives and techniques were the same as for the first expedition in January-February 1996 and are listed and illtis expedition report (Waring et al. 1996). The first expedition the rainy season. This one was timed to coincide with the dai the start of the rains. ited in the previous for the end of Sl'The moon at JUL 0 2 2003 Site Details and Sampling Programme Moths and butterflies were collected and recorded at fauivsjtee north and central parts of Belize, as detailed below: 1 1 , , university 1. Pook’s Hill, near Belmopan, Cayo District (17°09'N 88°51'W): The main base of the 1996 expedition, Tamandua Farm near the village of St Margarets in the centre of Belize, was not available for this expedition but a similar base was found at Pook’s Hill (Fig. 2 and Map 1), just west of Belmopan. Like Tamandua Farm, Pook’s Hill is in the foothills of the Mayan Mountains and is surrounded by a similar type of vegetation, which can be described as neotropical moist broadleaved forest. Smith (1996) gives an extensive list of the tree species present, as found on the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, against which the boundary of the Pook’s Hill property abuts. The trees in the forest surrounding the camp at Pook’s Hill were mostly 15-30m tall. Figure 2 shows the proximity of the camp to the forest. The camp is on a limestone terrace overlooking the forest to the east and with forest above it to the west. We were based at Pook’s Hill from 29 April-5 May, returned for the night of 7 May and from 12-16 May. During this time we operated one 6 W actinic light trap on the edge of the camp overlooking the forest and another within the forest on a game trail. We also operated a 160W mercury vapour bulb all night in front of the white wall of one of the cabins in the camp, hanging the bulb from under the eaves in case of rain (Fig. 3). It was, therefore, only visible from the side overlooking the forest and not from above. In addition, up to ten bait traps were operated night and day in the forest, including two traps made of white netting as well as others of black. 2. Las Cuevas Research Station, Chiquibul Forest, Cayo District (16°44'N 88°59'W): From 5-7 May four of us (PW, JF, GF & PH) moved operations to a field research station at Las Cuevas in the Chiquibul Loresl (Lig. 4). The station was built by the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH) in cooperation with the British Army and the Belizean Government. Lor the past three years it has been providing the opportunity for researchers from Belize and other countries to undertake studies of the forest and its wildlife. The station is set in one of the largest remaining tracts of broadleaved forest in Belize. All the forests in Belize have a history of disturbance. 74 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 1: The expedition members: L-R Graham Finch, Jim Fox, Pat Haynes, Barry Fox and Anona Finch (Paul Waring behind camera). Fig. 2: Pook’s Hill Lodge, the base camp, with views over the forests of the Tapir Mountain National Park BR. J. ENT NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 75 Map 1 76 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Fig. 3: MV light in operation under eaves of Fig. 5: MV light and sheet in operation at Las white-walled cabin at Pook’s Hill Cuevas Field Station Fig. 4: Las Cuevas Field Station in the Chiquibul Forest Fig. 6: MV light with Nissen hut as back drop at Las Cuevas Field Station Hurricane Hattie in 1961 flattened large areas of the Chiquibul Forest, leaving many broken stems. Over the next 35 years a dense pole forest has developed and this was selectively logged up to 1983 (J. Howell, pers. comm.). If most of the trees are not that old, it is also important to remember that the forests themselves have been extensively disturbed by humans. The Mayan population was large and widely distributed up to 1100 AD with most of the present forest areas having large buildings and other Mayan artifacts within them. Much of the forest around these must have been cleared to grow crops. From 1500 AD there was a British presence BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 77 and logging for export. The standing forest also experiences natural fires on a comparatively frequent basis because Belize is a convergence zone with great fluctuations around the average climate. About one year in five is markedly drier than the norm and fires then run through the tracts of coniferous forest. About one year in twenty-five, or four times a century, there is a very dry year when fires even enter the broadleaved forest. Lightning strikes may initiate such fires but nowadays man is the most likely cause. The Belizean forests such as Chiquibul, and their wildlife, must have been relatively dynamic and subject to local change for many centuries. Consequently the trees are not as tall as in parts of South America. 80 m trees are rare and the forest does not have the stratification of canopy structure of primary and mature secondary forest and may lack the organisms which are extreme specialists of such habitat. Nevertheless the forest is known to support a wide range of forest birds and mammals including the Jaguar Panthera onca and Baird’s Tapir Tapirus bairdii. While we were there a party of eighteen Scarlet Macaws Ara macao were frequent visitors to the trees around the camp. This bird is now very rare in Central America generally, as a result of hunting and habitat destruction. Las Cuevas appears to be the only site in Belize where the species is regularly seen. The research station is situated on limestone with a river some 4.5 miles away as the only surface water, so mosquitoes and other biting insects with aquatic immature stages are relatively infrequent compared with many other places in Belize. The station is in a rectangular clearing in the forest and contains several buildings (Figs 4-6). The edges of the clearing are some 50 m from the central dormitory and laboratory building. Two 160 W blended MV bulbs were operated on these edges, on cables from the central building. One of the bulbs was set up on a small tree from which we hung a vertical sheet (Fig. 5); the other used the outer-facing end of a Nissen hut as a backdrop (Fig. 6). These lights were supplemented by two 6 W actinic light traps, one on the east edge of the clearing and the other on the forest trail leading to the river and known as the Monkey-tail Trail. 3. Tapir Mountain National Park, adjacent to Pook’s Hill, Cayo District, (17°09'N 88°51'W): While four members of the expedition were at Las Cuevas, the remaining two (AF&BF) operated two actinic traps and several bait traps within the boundary of the Tapir Mountain National Park abutting Pook’s Hill. This was at the request of, and by arrangement with, our hosts at Pook’s Hill and the Belize Audubon Society, who are keen to obtain an inventory of the species present on the reserve. The habitat and situation in which the traps were operated closely resembled the forest site for the actinic trap at Pook’s Hill, from which they were only a few hundred metres distant and effectively sampling the same habitat. 4. La Milpa research station, Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area (Programme for Belize), Orange Walk District (17°50'N 89°01'W): This site (Fig. 7) was visited for two nights during the 1996 expedition. We were pleased to be able to continue work on this site, staying for four nights, during which we found a quite different range of moths and butterfly species from the first visit. Four actinic traps were operated, two on the edges of the clearing around the camp (north and south edges) and two along the forest road leading to the nearby Mayan ruins. Mains electricity from the camp generator was only available from 78 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 7: La Milpa research station in the Rio Bravo Special Conservation Area Fig. 8: White and black bait traps in operation on forest track at La Milpa BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 79 dusk until 22.00 hrs so two MV bulbs were operated until this time, one over a vertical sheet on a cabin balcony facing the forest to the west, the other over a vertical sheet on our dormitory balcony facing the forest to the north. At 22.00 hrs the dormitory MV bulb was replaced by a much less energy-demanding 6W actinic tube on battery power for the rest of the night. The cabin site ceased operation at 22.00 hrs. Thirteen bait traps were operated along the forest road (Fig. 8). Results This paper reports the species of butterflies (Rhopalocera) and birds seen during the expedition, as well as including some notes on other vertebrates recorded. Work to identify and tabulate the hawk-moths (Sphingidae), emperor moths (Saturniidae), tiger moths (Arctiidae) and other families of moths is well advanced and will be published in future papers. Some of the general observations on the moths are included here. We encountered many more moths per night per light at all sites than on the 1996 expedition. At Pook’s Hill and Las Cuevas the catches included a wide range of hawk-moths and emperor moths which dominated the other moths in both size and numbers. At Pook’s Hill we recorded 38 species of hawk-moths in the first four nights and had twenty-two species to one MV light in one night near the end of the expedition (13/14 May). We inspected the catches at intervals from dusk (18.30 hrs) up to 22.00 hrs and then again at dawn (05.00 hrs). Many moths were collected up as they arrived, and at dawn we attempted to collect at least one representative of each species of macro-moth so that we could construct a full species list. We counted the total catch and the numbers of each species of sphingid and saturniid. The entire catch of moths at each actinic trap was collected and the insects of other orders which entered the traps were recorded. It quickly became evident that several sphingid species began to arrive at the lights as soon as it became dark, with species added gradually through the night. The sphingid Eumorpha satellita L. (Fig. 9) was the most numerous species, with as many as ten individuals at the MV light at Pook’s Hill by 22.00 hrs on the first nights of the expedition. In contrast, the great majority of the saturniid species had not arrived by 22.00 hrs, only Automeris moloneyi Druce being a regular exception by arriving 30 minutes or so earlier. Fig. 10 shows the sphingid and saturniid species in a pre- 22.00 hrs catch at Pook’s Hill compared with those arriving between 22.00 hrs and dawn of the same night. Particularly frequent and impressive in size and wing patterns in the catches were Rhescyntis hippodcimia Cramer (which we also recorded in January 1996 — in the forest at Tamandua Farm, Fig. 4 in Waring et al. 1996), Dvsdciemonia boreus Cramer, Caio championi Druce and Eacles imperictlis Drury (Figs I 1-13). Virtually all the moths were in very fresh condition — some still releasing meconium. As the expedition progressed, many species became more numerous, indicating that we were at the beginning of the emergence period. This had been our plan in that the first rains after the dry season are known to trigger mass emergences and late April and May is normally the start of the wet season in Belize. In fact there had been two days of intermittent light rain at Pook’s Hill on the two days before our arrival. There had also been some rain at Las Cuevas before we arrived there and the emergence of moths was at least as advanced as at Pook’s Hill. In contrast, Jan Meerman at Georgeville, only 10 miles from Pook’s Hill but in open drier habitat, had had no rain and was getting very few moths nightly to his actinic light. Similarly, at Rio Bravo, in the drier north of Belize, there had been little if any rain and hawk- moths were few and far between. The Citheronia species of emperor moths and allies 80 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Fig. 9: Eumorpha satellite i Linn., the most numerous sphingid species at Pook’s Hill, with as many as ten individuals at the MV light per night Fig. 11: Dysdaemonia boreus Cramer (Satur niidae) at rest in eaves by MV light Fig. 10: Sphingid and saturniid species in a pre-22.00hrs catch at Pook’s Hill (left-hand box) compared with those arriving between 22.00 hrs and dawn of the same night (right-hand box). Fig. 12: Caio championi Druce (Saturniidae) Fig. 13: Eacles imperials Drury (Saturniidae) at rest in eaves by MV light at rest by MV light BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 2003 81 Fig. 14: Swallowtail butterflies Eury tides philolaus (Boisduval) imbibing salts on the banks of the River Macal amongst which there were also a few of the white Eurytides epidaus (Doubleday). were also notably absent. However, E. imperialis was well on the wing, along with both Rothschildia lebeau (Guerin-Meneville) and R. roxana Schaus. Butterflies seen on the wing by day were generally less numerous than on the previous expedition at Tamandua Farm in January-February 1996. Fresh emergences were only just underway and there was a relative lack of nectar sources to attract butterflies into view. We did not see the distinctive Heliconius erato Doubleday at all this time, though it was frequent on the first expedition, but several other heliconiid species were on the wing which we had not seen previously. Several other butterfly species seen on the first expedition were also notable by their absence. The bait traps produced new species on a steady basis however, and by the end of the expedition we had recorded nearly 60 species of butterflies (Appendix 1), rather more than on the first expedition. It was particularly pleasing to see swarms of the black and blue Swallowtail butterfly Eurytides philolaus (Boisduval) imbibing salts on the banks of the River Macal south of San Luis, en route to Las Cuevas. We encountered a group of about 300 there at 14.00 hrs on 5 May (Fig. 14), amongst which there were about ten of the white Eurytides epidaus (Doubleday). Other wildlife was also recorded including just over 200 species of birds (Appendix 2). Particularly noteworthy sightings included the party of eighteen Scarlet Macaws at Las Cuevas, which was active in the trees around the research station throughout our stay. A Jabiru Stork Jabiru mycteria was seen at Crooked Tree Nature Reserve on the return journey from Rio Bravo. It was eating a snake out on the baked mud flats by the lagoon. An Emerald Toucanet Aulacorhynchus prasinus had a nest in a dead tree by the camp at Pook’s Hill and it was often seen 82 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 15: Patrick Warrior (far left) and Jan Meerman (centre) examining some of the papered specimens with Barry Fox, Paul Waring and Anona Finch. Fig. 16: Open air lecture by Pat Haynes at La Milpa research station BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 83 looking out of the nest-hole, especially at hot times of the day and when it heard activity near the nest. Like the Scarlet Macaws, the Jabiru Stork is also a scarce bird, with two pairs nesting at the Crooked Tree reserve, possibly the only remaining breeding site in Central America. The Emerald Toucanet is an uncommon forest species. Noteworthy sightings of other vertebrates included: nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus on a forest path at Pook’s Hill, seen by Graham at 1 5. 1 5 hrs one afternoon soon after our arrival in Belize; white-nosed coati mundi Nasua narica, at Las Cuevas, a group of eight or nine were encountered by Graham on the afternoon of 6 May; Yucatan black howler monkeys Alouatta pigra , a troop of about eight individuals, watched in the tree-tops by all of us between 15.30 and 16.30 hrs on 10 May at the Mayan ruins at Las Milpas; Central American spider monkeys Ateles geoffroyi, seen within a hundred metres of the howler monkeys at the same time and place. Both these and the howlers included mothers with small infants. Some of the spider monkeys approached us and shook leafy branches at us from their positions in the tree canopy; neotropical river otter Lutra longicaudis at Crooked Tree Nature Reserve, seen by all of us at 10.00 hrs on 12 May, swimming in the lagoon and periodically raising up out of the water to look around; tayra Eirci barbara at Pook’s Hill, seen by Paul at 09.20 hrs on 14 May, disturbed in the top of a cahoun palm tree, it climbed agilely from tree to tree, clucking as it moved off and causing palm leaves to crash down. This mustelid has a characteristic yellow head with otherwise blackish brown fur over the body and the long bushy tail of this individual was black; jumping viper Atropoides nummifer at Las Cuevas, seen by Paul, Jim and Graham just before dusk coiled up at rest in a lair on the forest floor; brown racer snake Dryadophis melanolomus at Pook’s Hill, seen by Barry at 09.00 hrs on 14 May in the forest; boa constrictor Boa constrictor , 2 m in length, at Pook’s Hill, seen by Barry at 10.30 hrs on 14 May crossing a game trail in the forest while Barry was inspecting our bait traps; Contrary to some expectations, snakes were infrequently encountered on this expedition. Only three species, the poisonous fer-de-lance Bothrops asper, the non- venomous tropical rat-snake Spilotes pullatus and an unidentified but harmless brown water-snake were seen at Tamandua on the first expedition, and these once or twice only, with a boa constrictor at Lubaantun. The water-snake was a regular bath companion, creeping about over the floor of the stream I washed in at Tamandua, but it is not listed for Belize in Garel & Matola (1995). Activities and Meetings with Residents and Visitors to Belize During the expedition we were keen to meet up with other individuals who were interested in the wildlife of Belize. We spoke with the staff at each place we stayed and explained our techniques and objectives. We visited Jan Meerman at his home and research centre at Georgeville. Jan has lived and worked in Belize for nearly a decade, during which he has recorded butterflies, hawk-moths and saturniids and built up considerable experience with these taxa. His help with identifications has been most useful and we were able to share with him our records and findings up to that point, some of which he has been able to incorporate in his forthcoming publications. Jan also visited us at Pook’s Hill, along with local tour guide Patrick Warrior, and we were able to demonstrate our methods and examine more of the collected material together (Fig. 15). At La Milpa research station the expedition was invited to give a brief presentation on our activities to a group of visiting students 84 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 and this included an open air lecture by Pat Haynes (Fig. 16). We also visited Belize Zoo, which is providing the focus for various conservation and education initiatives in Belize. By visiting Belize more than once, we have been able to develop continuing relationships with various organisations and individuals and to build on the preparation and fieldwork of the first expedition. Preliminary lists of species have been supplied to the appropriate contacts among those listed below, together with photographs of identified set specimens, to assist and develop local interest in the Lepidoptera, which is currently hampered by the lack of identification guides. As an indication of the interest the expeditions have generated, Vicki Snaddon at Pook’s Hill has collected and sent monthly samples of moths to us, using equipment we have left with her in Belize, and Barry Fox has been back to Pook’s Hill to do further recording. All of this is helping to build up knowledge of seasonality and distribution for a broad range of lepidopteran families, some of which have hardly been studied before in Belize and about which little is known in Central America generally. Circulation of this Expedition Report Belize Forestry Department; Belize Zoo; Pook’s Hill Lodge; Programme for Belize (La Milpa Lield Station, Belize City office and Valerie Giles); the Belize Audubon Society; Las Cuevas Field Station; the Natural History Museum, London; the Spang family. Seven Hills; Ray Harberd, Lallen Stones Butterfly Ranch; Belize Loundation for Research and Environmental Education (BLREE). Acknowledgements We would like to thank Vicki, Ray and Cara Snaddon, our hosts at Pook’s Hill, for their generous hospitality and enthusiasm, John and Iona Howell and site manager Nicodemus “Chapal” Bol and his wife Celia at Las Cuevas for their care, attention and use of the facilities, David Sutton (Deputy Keeper of Botany at the Natural History Museum, London), all the Programme for Belize staff at the Las Milpas camp at Rio Bravo and in Belize City, Gilvano Swasey (entomologist and assistant educational co-ordinator at Hill Bank Camp), Jan Meerman (Lepidoptera recorder for Belize) for help with identifications and background information, Patrick Warrior for his insight into local customs, Dr Ernesto Lranco of 25 Mango Street, Belmopan, for a supply of ethyl acetate, Raphael Manzanari at the Lorestry Department for issue of the necessary permits and for his interest in the project, and Pancho’s Vehicle Hire for supplying a reliable four wheel drive vehicle. References D'Abrera, B., 1986. Sphingidae Mundi. Hawk moths of the World. Classey. Faringdon. D’Abrera, B., 1995. Saturniidae Mundi. Saturniid moths of the World. Part I. Automeris Press. Keltern. Germany. DeVries, P.J., 1987. The butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural history. Princeton University Press. Oxford. Garel, T. & Matola, S., 1995. A field guide to the snakes of Belize. Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Centre. Belize. Howell, S.N.G. & Webb, S., 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press. Oxford. Matola, S., 1995, revised 1998. The ABC's to the vegetation of Belize — a handbook. Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Centre. Belize City. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 85 Programme for Belize, 1996. The plants of the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area. Annotated Species List. Programme for Belize. Reid, F., 1997. A field guide to the mammals of Central America and southeast Mexico. Oxford University Press. Oxford. Smith, A., 1996. Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve and tropical forests conservation manual. Belize Audubon Society. Belize City. Waring, P., Collins, G. & Spalding, A., 1996. The BENHS expedition to Belize, January February 1996. British Journal of Entomology & Natural History 9: 197 203. Appendix i Butterflies in Belize: BENHS expedition 30 April-16 May 1997 Localities: Pook’s Hill (PH) Tapir Mtn (TM) La Milpa (LM) Las Cuevas (LC) PAPILIONIDAE: Papilioninae: Parides sesostris xestos (Gray) TM, P. areas mylotes (Bates) PH, P. iphidamas iphidamas (Fab.) PH, P. lycimenes lycimenes (Boisduval) PH, Bcittus belus chalceus (Roths. & Jordan) TM, Eurytides philolaus (Boisduval) PH, LC, E. epidaus epidaus (Doubleday) PH PIERIDAE: Pierinae: Daptoneura (Melete) isandra (Boisduval) PH; Coliadinae: Phoebis sennae marcellina (Cramer) PH, LM, Eurema daira daira (Godart) PH, LM, E. proterpia (Fab.) PH + NYMPHALIDAE: Charaxinae: Prepona omphale octavia Fruh. LM, Archaeo- prepona demophon centralis Fruhstorfer PH TM LM; A. demophon gulina Fruh. TM, LC; A. amphimachus (Fab.) PH TM, Fountainea (Memphis) eurypyle confusa (Hall) PH; Memphis morvus boisduvali (Comstock) PH; M. forreri (Godman & Salvin) LM Nymphalinae; Colobura dirce dirce (L.) PH TM; Tigridia acesta (L.) PH; Historis odius orion (Fab.) PH TM LM; H. acheronta acheronta (Fab.) LM; Hamadryas feronia far undent a (Fruh.) PH; H . februa ferentina (Godart) PH; Dynamine mylitta (Cramer) PH; Marpesia petreus (Cramer) PH LM; Pyrrhogyra neaerea hypsenor G.&S. PH; Catonephile mexicana Jenkins & de la Maza PH LC; Nessaea aglaura (Doubleday) PH; Callicore patelina (Hewitson) PH; Anartia fatima (Fab.) PH; A. jatrophae (Linn.) PH LM; Mestra amymone Menetries LM; Adelpha iphiclus (L.) TM; Chlosyne janais (Drury) PH; C. gaudealis (Bates) PH; Tegosa guatemalena (Bates) PH Heliconiinae: Heliconius charitonia charitonia (L.) PH, LM; H. ismenius (Latreille) PH Danainae: Dements gilippus gilippus (Cramer) LM Ithomiinae: Tithorea harmonia hippothous G. & S. PH; Mechanitis lysimnia (Fab.) PH; Aeriet eurimedia pacifica G. & S. PH; O/eriet paula (Weymer) PH Morphinae: Morpho peleides Kollar PH Brassolinae: Opsiphanes quiteria quirinus G. & S. PH LC; O. cassina fabricii (Boisduval) TM; Ca/igo memnon memnon (Felder) TM; C. eurilochus sulanus Fruh. PH; C. uranus (H.-S.) PH Satyrinae: Pierella lunet heracles (Boisd.) TM; Taygetis mermeria Cramer PH TM; T. virgilia rufomarginata Staud. PH; T. zimri Butler PH; Euptychia ( Cissia ) usitata (Butler) PH; E. metaleuca (Boisduval) PH LM; E. confusa (Staudinger), LC LYCAENIDAE: Theclinae: Eumaeus toxea (Godart) LM. 86 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Appendix 2 Birds in Belize: BENHS expedition 30 April-16 May 1997 RS = road side; PH = Pook’s Hill; LC = Las Cuevas; LM = La Milpa; CT = Crooked Tree Great Tinamou (Timmins major ) PH LC. Slatey-breasted Tinamou (Crypturellus boucarcli ) PH. Neotropic Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax brasilianas ) PH LM CT. Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens ) RS. Great Blue Heron ( Ardea herodias ) CT. Great Egret ( Egretta alba egretta ) PH LM CT. Snowy Egret ( Egretta thula ) RS CT. Tricoloured Heron ( Egretta tricolor) RS CT. Cattle Egret ( Bubulcus i. ibis ) PH LM CT. Yellow-crowned Night Heron ( Nycticorax violaceus) CT. White Ibis ( Eudocimus albus) RS. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) RS. Jabiru ( Jabiru mycteria ) CT. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (. Dendrocygna autumnalis ) CT. Masked Duck (Oxyura j. jamaicensis) CT. Black Vulture (Coragyps at rat us) RS PH LC LM CT. Turkey Vulture (Cathcirtes aura) RS PH LM CT. King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) PH LM. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) CT. Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) PH LC. White-tailed Kite (E/anus leucurus majusculus) LM. Snail Kite (Rostrhamus socicibilis) LM. Plumbeous Kite ( Ictinia plumbe) PH LC. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus hudsonius) LM. White Hawk (Leucopternis albicolis ) PH LM. Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) PH. Grey Hawk (Buteo nitidus ) LM. Roadside Hawk (Buteo magnirostris) LM. Ornate Hawk-Eagle ( Spizeatus or not us vicarius) LM. Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachiimans) PH. Barred Forest-Falcon (Micrastur ruficolis) LM. Bat Falcon (Fa/co rufigularis) PH. Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) PH LM. Crested Guan (Penelope p. purpurascens) LM. Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris oceUata) LC LM. Spotted Wood-Quail (Odontophorus guttatus) LM. Grey-necked Wood-Rail (Ar amides cajanea) CT. American Coot (Fulica a. americana ) CT. Limpkin (Aramus guar ciuna dolosus) LM CT. Black-necked Stilt ( Himantopus m. mexicanus ) CT. American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) LM. Northern Jacana (Jacana s. spinosa) LM Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) PH. White-rumped Sandpiper (Caliclris fuscicollis) CT. Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melcmotus ) CT. Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) RS CT. Bonaparte's Gull (Laras Philadelphia) CT. Ring-Billed Gull (Larus delawarensis ) CT. Least Tern (Sterna antillcirum) CT. Pale-vented Pigeon (Columba cayennensis pallidicrissa) PH. Scaled Pigeon (Columba speciosa) LM. Red-billed Pigeon (Columba flavirostr is) PH LM. White-winged Dove (Zenaidurci asiatica) LM. Mourning Dove (Zenaidura macroura) PH. Plain-breasted Ground-Dove (Columbina minuta interrupt a) PH LM. Ruddy Ground-Dove (Columbina talpacoti) RS PH LC LM. Blue Ground-Dove (Claravis pretiosa) PH LC. White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi) LM. Grey-headed Dove (Leptotila p. plumbeiceps) PH. Aztec Parakeet (Aratinga astec) PH LC LM. Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) LC. White-crowned Parrot (Pionus senilis) PH. White-fronted Parrot (Amazona albifrons ) PH LM. Red-lored Parrot (Amazona a. autumnalis) PH LC. Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa) PH. Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix) PH. Squirrel Cuckoo ( Piaya cayanci) PH LC. Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris) PH LC LM. Vermiculated Screech Owl ( Otus guatemalae) PH. Spectacled Owl (Pulscitrix perspicillata saturata) PH. Central American Pygmy- Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps) PH. Lesser Night-Hawk (Chordeiles acutipennis) LM. Common Night-Hawk (Chordeiles minor) PH LC. Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis ) PH LM. White-collared Swift (Streptoprocne zonaris) PH. Vaux’s Swift (Chaetura vauxi) PH LM. Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis) PH. Long-tailed Hermit (Phciethornis superciliosus) PH. Little Hermit (Pygmornis longuemareus) PH. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 87 White-necked Jacobin ( Florisuga m. mellivora) PH. Green-breasted Mango ( Anthracothorax prevostii ) LM. Canivet’s Emerald ( Chlorostilbon canivetii ) PH. White-bellied Emerald (. Amazilia Candida) PH. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird ( Ama - zilia /. tzacatl ) PH. LM Purple-crowned Fairy (Heliothryx harroti) LM. Black- headed Trogon ( Trogon m. melanocephalus ) PH. Violaceous Trogon (Troyan violaceus brae cat us) PH LC LM. Collared Trogon (Troyan collaris) PH LM. Slatey-tailed Trogon (Troyan m. massena) PH. Tody Motmot (Hylomanes momotida, PH. Ringed Kingfisher (Ceryle t. torquata) CT. Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona mexicana ) PH. Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) PH. Pygmy Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea stictoptera ) PH. White-whiskered Puffbird ( Mala - coptila panamensis inornata) PH LM. Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda melanoyenia ) PH. Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) PH. Collared Aracari (Pteroylossus torquatns ) PH LM. Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfur- atus) PH LC LM. Acorn Woodpecker (Melcinerpes formicivorus) LC. Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Centurus pucherani perileucus) PH. Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Centurus aurifrons) PH. Smoky-brown Woodpecker (Veniliornis fumigatus) PH LM. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) PH. Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) PH. Pale-billed Woodpecker (CcimpephUus yuatamalensis) PH LM. Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner ( Autoniolus ochrolaemus ) PH LC. Plain Xenops (Xenops mi nut us mexicanus) PH LC LM. Tawny-winged Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla anabatina ) LM. Ruddy Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla h. homochroa) LM. Olivaceous Woodcreeper (Sittasomus yriseicapi/lus ) LM. Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (G/ypho- rhynchus spirurus pectorali ) PH. Barred Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes certhia ) LM. Ivory-billed Woodcreeper ( Xiphorhynchus flavigaster ) PH LC. Great Antshrike (Tar aba major melanocrissa ) PH. Barred Antshrike ( Thamnophilus doliatus) PH LC LM. Dot-winged Antwren (Microrhopias quixensis ) PH LM. Dusky Antbird ( Cercomacra tyrannina crepera) PH LC. Mexican Antthrush (Formicarius monoliyer ) PH LC LM. Northern Beardless Tyrannul ( Camptostoma imberbe) LM. Greenish Elaenia (Myopagis viriclicata ) PH LM. Ochre-bellied Flycatcher (Mionectes oleayinus assimilis) PH. Sepia-capped Flycatcher (Leptopoyon amaur ocephalus pileatus ) LM. Northern Bentbill (Oncostoma cinereiyulare ) LM. Common Tody-Flycatcher ( Todirostrum cinereum ) PH. Eye-ringed Flatbill (Rhyncohocyclus breverostris ) LM. Yellow-olive Flycatcher ( Tolmomyias sulphurescens cinerei ) PH. Royal Flycatcher (Onchorhynchus coronatus mexicanus ) PH LM. Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher (Tereno- triccus erythrurus fulviyus ) PH Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher (Myiobius s. sulphur- eipyyius) PH LM. Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus borealis ) PH. Tropical Pewee ( Contopus cinereus) PH. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) PH LM. Black Phoebe ( Sayornis nigricans ) PH. Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus ) PH. Bright-rumped Attila (Attila spadiceus ) LM. Dusky-capped Flycatcher ( Myiarchus tuberculifer ) PH. Great-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus ) LM. Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus) PH. Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) PH. Boat-billed Flycatcher (Meyarhynchus pitanyua ) PH LM. Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis) PH LM. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher ( Myiodynastes luteiventris ) PH LM. Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) PH LM. Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) PH LM. Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana monachus) LM. Thrushlike Mourner (Schiffornis turdinus veraepacis) LM. Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata) PH LM. Black-crowned Tityra (Tityra inquisitor fraserii) PH LM. White-collared Manakin (Manacus caiulei) PH. Red-capped Manakin (Pipram. mentalis) PH LM. Grey-breasted Martin (Prague chalybea) LM. Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta a. albilinea) RS. Northern Rough-winged Swallow ( Stelgi - dopteryx serripennis) LM. Bank Swallow (Riparia r. riparia) LM. Brown Jay 88 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 (Cyanocorax morio) PH LC LM. Band-backed Wren (Campy lor hyncus zonatus) PH. Spot-breasted Wren ( Thryothorus maculipectus ) PH LM. Plain Wren ( Thryothorus m. modestus) PH. Southern House Wren ( Troglodytes aedon ) RS PH. White-breasted Wood- Wren (Henicorhina leucosticta ) PH. Long-billed Gnatwren (Ramphocaenus melanurus ) LM. Blue-grey Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila caerulea) PH. Tropical Gnat- catcher ( Polioptila plumbea brodkorbi ) PH. Veery (Catharus fuscescens) LM. Clay- colored Robin (T urdus gray i) PH LC LM. Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) RS. Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus) RS LM. Red-eyed Vireo ( Vireo o/ivaceus ) LM. Tawny-crowned Greenlet ( Hylophilus o. ochraceiceps) PH LM. Lesser Greenlet (Hylophilus d. decurtatus ) LM. Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica ) PH. Magnolia Warbler ( Dendroica magnolia ) PH. Black-and-white Warbler ( Mniotilta varia ) PH LM. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla ) PH LM. Ovenbird ( Seiurus aurocapillus) PH. Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis ) PH LM. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas ) PH. Golden-crowned Warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus ) LM. Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) PH. Golden-hooded Tanager (Tangara larvata ) PH. Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus carniceps ) PH LM. Scrub Euphonia (Euphonia affinis ) LM. Yellow-throated Euphonia (Euphonia hirundinacea ) PH LC. Olive-backed Euphonia (Euphonia g. gouldi) PH LM. Blue- grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus cana) PH LM. Yellow-winged Tanager (Thraupis abbas ) PH LC LM. Grey-headed Tanager (Eucometis penicillata pallida) PH LM. Black-throated Shrike-Tanager (Lanio aurantius ) LM. Red-crowned Ant-Tanager (Habia rubica) LM. Red-throated Ant-Tanager (Habia fuscicanda) PH LM. Hepatic Tanager (Piranga flava) PH. Crimson-collared Tanager (Phlogo thraupis s. sanguino- lenta ) PH. Scarlet-rumped Tanager ( Ramphocelus p. passerinii) PH. Greyish Saltator (Saltator coerulescens) PH. Buff-throated Saltator (Saltator maximus) PH. Black- headed Saltator (Saltator atriceps) PH LM. Black-faced Grosbeak ( Caryothraustes p. poligaster) PH LM. Northern Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis) LM. Blue-black Grosbeak ( Cyanocompsa cyanoides concreta ) PH LM. Blue Bunting (Cyanocompsa pare Hina) LC LM. Orange-billed Sparrow (Arremon aurantiirostris ) PH. Olive Sparrow ( Arremonops rufivirgatus ) PH LM. Blue-black Grassquit (V olatinia jacarina spendens ) LC LM. Variable Seedeater (Sporophila aurita corvina ) PH. White-collared Seedeater (Sporophila torqueola ) PH LC LM. Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivacea ) PH LC. Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) RS. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus ) CT. Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna ) LM. Melodious Blackbird (Dives dives) PH LC. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) RS PH LC. Bronze Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus) LM. Giant Cowbird (Scaphidura oryzivora impacifica) LM. Black-cowled Oriole (Icterus dominicensis prosthemela) PH LM. Yellow-tailed Oriole (Icterus m. mesomelas ) PH. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) PH. Yellow-billed Cacique (Amblycercus h. ho/osericeus) PH. Chestnut-headed Oropendola (Psarocolius w. wagleri) PH. Montezuma’s Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma) PH. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 89 CACOPSYLLA FULGURALIS (KUWAYAMA), AN ASIAN JUMPING PLANT LOUSE (HEMIPTERA: PSYLLIDAE), CAUSING DAMAGE TO ELAEAGNUS IN BRITAIN C. P. Malumphy Centred Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, Y04I !LZ. A. J. Halstead The Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. Abstract. Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama), an Asian jumping plant louse new to Britain, is reported causing serious damage to ornamental Elaeagnus plants in the Channel Islands and England. The host range, biology, geographical distribution and economic importance of C . fulguralis are discussed. E. commutata is recorded as a new host. Introduction Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) is a ‘jumping plant louse’ (also known as a ‘sucker’ or psyllid), native to eastern Asia, where it feeds exclusively on Elaeagnus spp. (Elaeagnacaceae). The first European record was in France, when it was found at two plant nurseries in Brittany, in November 1999. It is now widespread in north- west and central France (Cocquempot & Germain, 2000). In March 2002, the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) received a sample of E. x ebbingei heavily infested with C. fulguralis collected in Guernsey by Terry Brokenshire of the State of Guernsey Horticulture Advisory Service. Cacopsylla fulguralis was first observed in Guernsey in 1999 (T. Brokenshire, pers. comm., 2002). The pest is now widespread throughout the island and particularly common in the west where it is occurring in ‘plague proportions’. It is causing serious economic damage to E. x ebbingei hedges, which are becoming thin due to dieback. Andrew Halstead, the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) senior entomologist, also received samples (which were notified to CSL) of C. fulguralis between March and June 2002, collected from private gardens in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex; Selsey, West Sussex and Brighton, East Sussex; and Cobham and Woking, Surrey. In each case, large infestations were damaging E. x ebbingei or Elaeagnus sp. In May, Professor Ian Hodkinson of Liverpool John Moores University reported to the CSL that C. fulguralis was damaging Elaeagnus plants at the university. In June, C. fulguralis was collected on Elaeagnus sp. in a public car park in Chichester, West Sussex and at a commercial plant nursery in Hampshire. Rosemary Collier of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Jersey also reported it as widespread in Jersey. At the beginning of July, C. fulguralis was found breeding on E. x ebbingei ‘Limelight’ and E. commutata growing in the grounds of the CSL, North Yorkshire. In England, adults have been found from March through to September. Infested E. x ebbingei plants, originating in France, had previously been found at a commercial nursery in north-west England in November 2000, but C. fulguralis was not identified at the lime due to the absence of adult specimens. Slide-mounted specimens of C. fulguralis have been deposited at the Central Science Laboratory and The Natural History Museum, London. 90 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Fig. 1. Cacopsylla fulguralis adult. Field Description There are no native species of plant jumping lice recorded feeding on Elaeagnus in Britain. Adult C. fulguralis (Fig. 1) are 2.0-2. 5 mm long. They have relatively large, membranous wings and strong hind legs adapted for jumping. The body is straw coloured with brown longitudinal bands on the head and thorax. The forewings have distinct markings that vary in colour from pale to dark brown. The nymphs are cream-yellow and the later instars develop dark brown transverse markings (Fig. 2). The antennae, legs, wingpads and posterior of the abdomen are also dark brown in later instars. Each nymph is often seen with a long strand of honeydew, coated in powdery wax, extruding from the posterior of the abdomen. They eliminate copious quantities of honeydew and the upper (and occasionally lower) surfaces of the leaves become covered in sticky honeydew on which sooty moulds grow. The nymphs are usually found feeding in large groups and the adults scattered on the lower surface of the leaves. The later nymphal instars and adults can run and hop rapidly and the adults readily fly. During sunny conditions the adults accumulate in large numbers on the upper surface of the leaves and on the apical plant growth. Useful references for the identification of this species include Kwon (1983) and Yang (1984) who describe and illustrate the adult, Miyatake (1964) illustrates the female genitalia and Park et at. (1980) describe and illustrate the egg and all nymphal stages. Host Plants and Biology There is little information published on the biology of C. fulguralis. In Asia, it is recorded feeding on Elaeagnus cuprea (Miyatake, 1972; Yang, 1984), E. glabra (Klimaszewski, 1973; Hodkinson, 1986; Park et a /., 1988), E. macrophylla (Baba & Miyatake, 1971; Hodkinson, 1986; Park et a /., 1988), E. oldhamii (Cocquempot & Germain, 2000), E. pungens (Park et al ., 1988); and Elaeagnus spp. (Sasaki, 1954). It has also been collected from sweeping E. thunbergii but this has not been confirmed BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 91 Fig. 2. Cacopsylla fulguralis fifth nymphal instar. as a host (Yang, 1984). In France, it has been recorded on E. x ebbingei (a hybrid between E. macrophylla and E. pungens ) (Cocquempot & Germain, 2000). In England and the Channel Islands, it has been found breeding on E. x ebbingei and Elaeagnus spp. Small groups of third, fourth and fifth instar nymphs of C. fulguralis were found on E. commutata , growing at the CSL during July, 2002. Elaeagnus commutata is recorded here as a new host for C. fulguralis. Adults were collected in large numbers on E. angustifolia, growing near heavily infested E. x ebbingei , at the CSL. Small numbers of eggs were laid on E. angustifolia in July but the nymphs failed to complete their development. According to Cocquempot & Germain (2000), C. fulguralis does not breed on E. angustifolia and E. multiflora. Geographical Distribution Cacopsylla fulguralis was described from specimens collected in Japan by Kuwayama (1908- Psylla ). It has also been recorded in Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan (Kuwayama, 1908; Sasaki, 1954; Baba & Miyatake, 1971; Miyatake, 1972; Klimaszewski, 1973; Park et al., 1980; Kwon, 1983; Hodkinson, 1986). A slide mounted specimen deposited at the Natural History Museum, London was collected on Elaeagnus in China (J. Martin, pers. comm., 2002). It has recently been recorded in France (Cocquempot & Germain, 2000), the Channel Islands and England. Economic Importance Elaeagnus plants are widely grown in Britain, principally for their lustrous foliage. They are tolerant of poor soils and have a high salt tolerance, so they are popular 92 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 in coastal gardens and are often used to create shelter belts in exposed areas. Large infestations of C. fulguralis can seriously damage Elaeagnus plants. The feeding activity of colonies, especially the nymphal instars, distorts new growth, causes chlorosis and necrosis of the foliage, premature leaf drop and desiccation of stems. Host vigour is reduced by sap removal and the loss of photosynthetic area as infested plants are smothered with eliminated honeydew, which serves as a substrate for the growth of a black sooty mould. Infested ornamental plants lose their aesthetic appearance and therefore their quality and value. Elaeagnus x ebbingei is widely used for hedging in the Channel Islands but appears to be particularly susceptible to C. fulguralis. The psyllids have caused dieback resulting in gaps in hedges in Guernsey. Cacopsylla fulguralis is not a known vector of plant pathogens. Remarks Cacopsylla fulguralis is likely to spread and naturalise in much of England and Wales, being limited only by the distribution of its Elaeagnus hosts. The adults are active and capable of flight and therefore have a high natural dispersal potential. It is also likely to be moved over long distances in trade and has been found at commercial plant nurseries in England and France. Several exotic psyllids have already been introduced in Britain, for example, Acizzia uncatoides (Ferris & Klyver) on Acacia spp., Calophya rhois (Low) on Cotinus coggygria , Ctenarytaina eucalypti (Masked) on Eucalyptus spp., Homotoma ficus (L.) on Ficus carica , Livilla variegata (Low) on Laburnum sp., Psylla alaterni Forster on Rhamnus cilaternus , Psylla pulchella Low on Cercis siliquastrum, Trioza alacris Flor on Laurus nobilis and Trioza vitreoracliata (Masked) on Pittosporum spp. (Hollis, 1978: Hodkinson & White, 1979; Halstead, 1992; Martin & Malumphy, 1995). There are several other Asian psyllid species, which feed on Elaeagnus spp. that have the potential to become pests in Europe if accidentally introduced. Suspected outbreaks, or interceptions, of non-indigenous psyllids on growing plants should be reported to the local DEFRA Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate office or the PHSI HQ, York (Tel.: 01904 455174, Fax; 01904 455197) and samples submitted to the CSL for identification. Acknowledgements Dr Jon Martin of the Natural History Museum confirmed the identification of the psyllid. Terry Brokenshire of the State of Guernsey Horticulture Advisory Service provided much useful information regarding the psyllid in Guernsey. Professor Ian Hodkinson of Liverpool John Moores University provided copies of most of the references. Susyn Andrews of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, identified the plant Elaeagnus commutata. References Baba, K. & Miyatake, Y., 1971. Notes on Psyllidae from Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture (Hemiptera: Homoptera). Bulletin of the Osaka Museum of Natural History 24: 5-13. Cocquempot, C. & Germain, J.-F., 2000. Un nouveau ravageur de V Elaeagnus x ebbingei en France: Cacopsylla fulguralis. Revue Horticultural , Paris 416: 32-34. Halstead, A. J., 1992. A psyllid pest of acacia new to Britain. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 5: 95-96. BR .1. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 93 Hodkinson, I., 1986. The psyllids (Homoptera: Psylloidea) of the Oriental Zoogeographical Region: an annotated check-list. Journal of Natural History 20: 299-357. Hodkinson, I. D. & White, I. M., 1979. Homoptera Psylloidea. Handbook for the Identification of British Insects Vol. 11 Part 5(a). Royal Entomological Society of London. 98 pp. Hollis, D., 1978. Floria variegata Low (Homoptera: Psylloidea). Britain. Entomologists’ Gazette 31: 171-172. Klimaszewski, S. M., 1973. The jumping plant lice or psyllids (Homoptera, Psylloidea) of the Palaearctic. An annotated Check-list. Annls Zool., warsz. 30: 1-132. Kwon, Y.J., 1983. Psylloidea of Korea (Homoptera: Sternorrhyncha). Insecta Koreana. Kuwayama, S., 1908. Die Psylliden Japans 1. Trans. Sapporo Nat. Hist. Soc. 2: 149-190. Martin, J. H. & Malumphy, C. P., 1995. Trioza vitreoradiata , a New Zealand jumping plant louse (Homoptera: Psylloidea), causing damage to Pittosporum spp. Britain. Bulletin of Entomological Research 85: 253-258. Miyatake, Y., 1964. A revision of the subfamily Psyllinae from Japan. II (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). J. Fac. Agric. Kyushu Univ. 13: 1-37. Miyatake, Y., 1972. Studies on the Philippine Psyllidae (Hemiptera: Homoptera) 11. Bulletin of the Osaka Museum of Natural History 26: 1 1-34. Park, H. C., Park, S. O. & Lee, C. E., 1980. The immature stages of Psyllaf ulgur alls Kuwayama (Homoptera: Psyllidae). Nature and Life 10: 1-7 (Korea). Park, H. C., Lee, C. E. & Kim, H. S., 1988. Wing morphometric analysis of Psy/la elaeagni complex (Homoptera: Psyllidae). The Korean Journal of Systematic Zoology Special Issue 2: 243-250. Sasaki, K., 1954. A list of the known species and their host-plants of the Psyllidae of Japan (Homoptera). Scient. Rep. Matsuyama agric. Cod. 14: 23-39. Yang, C. T., 1984. Psyllidae of Taiwan. Taiwan Museum Special Publication Series. Number 3. China. CD-ROM REVIEW Interactive catalogue of World Chalcidoidea 2001. By J.S. Noyes. (Vancouver; Taxapad, 2001). CD-ROM, 351 photographs. US$190.00 This is an updated version of the Catalogue of the Chalcidoidea of the World , Noyes (1998), with records up to mid-2000. The catalogue covers 21,848 species in 2033 genera including all species recorded from the British Isles. Although not the easiest software to use, the database contains species descriptions, close-up photographs and a wealth of useful information on chalcidoid biology. For example, by choosing Chalcidoidea, Statistics and Agromyzidae one can prepare a list of parasitoids attacking this group of flies. Further clicks on Statistics will yield a range of searchable fields and a list of species attacking British agromyzids can be assembled for further interrogation. John Badmin 94 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 BOOK REVIEW The Moths of Devon. R. McCormick. (2001). 328 pp., 15 colour plates. Hard cover, price not stated [c.£25.00]. ISBN 09540256- 1-X. The subtitle of this work is An account of the Pyralid, Plume and Macromoths of Devon , which is rather more accurate than the title as the work in fact covers less than half of the moths of Devon. It is very nearly fifty years since Stidston’s work covered this ground and a modern list is very much to be welcomed. The early chapters comprise an introduction and sections on: Geology and Landscape; Climate and weather; Conservation; Land Use; History of recorders; Species no longer seen; Migration; and History of Devon Publications. This is followed by the bulk of the work, the systematic list, and concluded by a gazetteer, list of references and sources and a section of colour plates showing habitats and individual species. There are three maps showing geology, the locations of sites which have habitat photographs, and a coverage map. The latter shows the 1km squares from which [one or more] records have been received and clearly illustrates the imbalance between good coverage in the south and poor coverage in the north. None of the maps shows the vice-county boundaries or the locations of the major towns. The body of the book is liberally illustrated with paintings by John Walters which were undoubtedly excellent in their original form but which have lost a lot of their charm in the conversion to grey-tone. The systematic list which comprises the main body of the book consists of a mention of which of the two vice-counties the species occur or have occurred in, comments taken from the Victoria County History and from Stidston’s list and either a brief statement of the current distribution or a more detailed analysis of older and more recent records. The definition of the latter appears to be ‘records after the mid to late 1970s’. The nomenclature used is totally up-to-date, but would have benefited from the inclusion of synonymy where names have changed from Skinner (1984, Colour identification guide to moths of the British Isles). The information given is almost entirely distributional. There is rarely any mention of the foodplants used in Devon or the flight periods or habitat preferences. Such information, while to be found in the more general moth books, does vary locally and is often what makes local lists interesting. There is also no information on local forms or melanism; for example, the account for the Peppered Moth is ‘very common throughout the county’ with no indication of the frequency of forms or whether melanism is increasing or decreasing. Perhaps the melanic form doesn’t occur at all we should be told! Perhaps the most important omission is the lack of distribution maps. These would show at a glance the nature of individual species distribution; instead, we are often given just a list of sites with no further information as, for example, under recent sightings of Small Argent and Sable for VC3 - to the non- native entomologist this means almost nothing. The proof-reading is not up to the standard one might expect. It is rather alarming to open a new book and find inserted a double page list of closely-typed errata discovered between printing and publication; and these are just the “more significant” ones. I also found the use of an unjustified right margin rather irksome. A long list of recorders is given (although not all who have contributed are acknowledged) and it is clear that a considerable amount of work has gone into setting up the recording scheme, encouraging people to record accurately and scientifically, and in compiling and analysing the records. Despite the many criticisms, this is a valuable book which should be of interest to anyone concerned with the local distribution of British macrolepidoptera. It is well bound and reasonably priced. Graham Collins BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 95 DISTRIBUTION AND FLORAL PREFERENCES OF THE RARE BUMBLEBEES BOMBUS HUM1LIS AND B. SOROEEIWSIS (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) ON SALISBURY PLAIN Dave Goulson and Ben Darvill Division of Biodiversity and Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Building, Bassett Crescent East, Southampton SO 16 7PX. Email: DG3@soton.ac.uk Abstract. Studies carried out on Salisbury Plain during July August 2002, showed that 13 Bombus species were present, including the nationally rare B. humilis Illiger and B. soroeensls (Fabr.). Foraging studies indicated the importance of Fabaceae as the preferred pollen source for bumblebees. Introduction Many bumblebee ( Bombus ) species have declined dramatically in recent decades, both in the UK, in continental Europe and in North America (Peters, 1972; Williams 1982, 1986; Rasmont, 1995; Kosior, 1995; Buchmann & Nabhan, 1996; Westrich, 1996; Westrich el al ., 1998). Of the 19 "true’ bumblebee species and six cuckoo bumblebees known from the UK, three species are now extinct and several more are now confined to a handful of sites. Most researchers are convinced that declines in numbers of bumblebees are linked to the intensification of farming practices (Williams, 1986; Osborne & Corbet, 1994). In Europe this process has been underway for 250 years, but accelerated during the latter half of the 20th century. The plight of our bumblebee fauna deserves particular attention because loss of bee species will have knock-on effects for other wildlife. A large number of wild plants are pollinated predominantly or exclusively by bumblebees, sometimes by particular species of bumblebee (Corbet et al., 1991; Osborne et al., 1991). It seems probable that reductions in the abundance and species richness of bumblebees may lead to widespread changes in plant communities (Corbet et al., 1991). And of course these changes will have further knock-on effects for associated herbivores and other animals dependent on plant resources. For practical reasons, most studies of bumblebee ecology and behaviour focus on species that are still common. In Europe, the vast majority of research covers just six species, B. terrestris (L.), B. lacorum (L.), B. lapidarius (L.), B. pratorum (L.), B. pascuorum (Scopoli) and B. hortorum (L.). For most of the approximately 40 remaining European bumblebee species, very little information on foraging preferences, or indeed on any other aspect of their ecology is available. Ecological studies of rare and declining species are urgently needed if appropriate conserva- tion measures are to be deployed. Salisbury Plain Training Area is the largest area of unimproved chalk grassland that remains in north-west Europe. Its status as a military training area since 1897 has protected it from most of the farming changes that have occurred elsewhere, and much of its 38,000 ha consists of lightly grazed flower-rich grassland and scrub. No attempt has been made to systematically survey Salisbury Plain for bumblebees (or indeed other invertebrates), although some localities have been well studied. Those sites that have been examined suggest 96 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 that the plain supports a diverse bumblebee assemblage, with at least 16 species present, perhaps the most that occur at any UK site (Edwards 1999; Carvell 2002). Because of the diversity of bumblebees, it is a superb site on which to study the ecology of our rarer species. Methods Studies were carried out between 19 July and 13 August 2002. This is late for some bumblebee species, but facilitated access since all live firing ceases on Salisbury Plain Training Area for two weeks in early August. Thirty-five sites were selected to cover the extent of Salisbury Plain Training Area, with each site at least 1.5 km from any other. Each site consisted of a circle of approximately 100 m radius, and was searched for one hour. All searches were conducted between 9:00 and 17:00 BST, and during warm dry weather favourable to bee activity. All Bombus species were recorded. Since our primary focus was the rare species, no attempt was made to distinguish workers of B. terrestris and B. lucorum (to do so would have been very time-consuming and unreliable in the field). Bombus humilis Illiger and B. muscorum (L.) are indistinguishable on the wing, so all specimens of these species were captured and examined with a hand lens. The area was searched systemically, to avoid recording the same bees more than once, but this probably occurred occasionally. Most bees were visiting flowers: the flower species was recorded, and each bee was observed to determine whether it was collecting pollen or nectar or both (it must be noted that this method is not as accurate as pollen load analysis for determining the relative amounts of pollen gathered from different plant species). Fig. 1. Abundance of Bombus species recorded on Salisbury Plain (all sites combined). Observations were made between 19 July and 13 August 2002. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 2003 Results Distribution of bumblebees 97 In total, 13 Bombus species were recorded of the 22 species currently known from the UK. By far the most common bumblebee species was B. lapidarius, followed by the combined category of B. terrestris/lucorum (Fig. 1). Bombus lapidarius was recorded at every site, while B. terrestris/lucorum were found at 33 of the 35 sites. Bombus pascuorum was also widely distributed, being recorded at 26 sites, but was far less abundant. Bombus pratorum was found at 1 1 sites, generally in low numbers, but at two sites dominated by scrub it was the most common species. Bombus hortorum was widely distributed, being found at 17 sites scattered across the plain, but always in low numbers. More interestingly, two rare species, B. soroeensis (Fabr.) and B. humilis, were found to be moderately abundant and widely distributed on the plain. Indeed, at five sites B. soroeensis was the most common bee recorded. The distribution of B. soroeensis was largely confined to the southern central part of the plain, although still spanning an area that we would conservatively estimate to cover 30-40 km2 (Fig. 2a). One nest was discovered (3 km due west of Shrewton), the entrance to which was within a dense tussock of grass on the east-facing flank of a valley. In comparison with B. soroeensis , B. humilis was more widely distributed, but was rarely as abundant (Fig. 2b). As with B soroeensis, B. humilis was most frequently recorded in the central part of the plain around the edges of Larkhill Impact Area. The rarest ‘true’ bumblebee was B. ruderarius ( M tiller), of which only two males were captured, both in the southern-central part of the plain. Four cuckoo bees (subgenus Psithyrus ) were recorded (all males except for one female B. rupestris (Fab.)). Both B. vestalis (Geoffroy in Fourcroy) and B. rupestris were widely distributed but uncommon. Three singletons of B. sylvestris Lepeletier were recorded from widely separated sites, while two singletons of B. barbutellus (Kirby) were recorded from the southern edge of the plain. Forage use In total, 1,061 bumblebees were recorded visiting flowers of 33 different species. For all of the recorded bumblebee species combined, 76.0% of pollen-collecting visits were to members of the Fabaceae: notably Onobrychis viciifolia Scop., Meliiotus altissimus Thuill. and Trifolium pra tense L. The only other substantial pollen source was Odontites vernus (Bell.) Dum. (Scrophulariaceae), which received 1 1.0% of visits (Fig. 3). In contrast, nectar collection occurred across a broader range of species, mostly within the Fabaceae and Asteraceae. Notable favourites were Centaurea scabiosa L., Centaurea nigra L. (Asteraceae) and T. pratense. The most specialized bumblebee in terms of its foraging preferences appeared to be B. hortorum , which visited T. pratense almost exclusively. Bombus pratorum also appeared to collect pollen from just two sources, M. altissimus and O. vernus. In contrast, when collecting nectar it was extremely polylectic, and appeared to opportunistically visit almost any species that was in flower. Bombus humilis appeared to specialize in gathering both nectar and pollen from the Fabaceae (25/27 visits), but visited several species within this family, notably T. pratense , Lotus corniculatus L. and 0. viciifolia (Fig. 4a). Bombus soroeensis favoured collecting pollen from O. vernus and various Fabaceae, notably O. viciifolia and M. altissimus. When collecting nectar this species showed very little specificity, visiting a range of Fabaceae and Asteraceae, notably Centaurea spp., Cirsium spp. and Knautia arvensis (L.) Coult. (Fig. 4b). 98 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 B. soroeensis • i • 2-5 3 km • 6-10 ◄ — — ► ^ >10 B. hum His • l • 2-5 3 km • 6-10 ◄ ► ^ >10 Fig. 2. Distributions of bumblebees on Salisbury Plain Training Area. Each of the 35 sites was searched for one hour, and the total number of each species recorded, a) Bombus soroeensis ; b) B. humilis. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 99 Fig. 3. Numbers of visits recorded to different flowers, according to whether pollen or nectar was collected (for all bumblebee species combined). Only plants for which at least ten visits in total were recorded are included. The only other uncommon species observed in sufficient numbers to draw any conclusions about their foraging preferences were males of B. rupestris. These were most frequently observed on Centaurea spp. or Cirsium spp., favoured nectar sources of most male bumblebees. Two individuals were also seen feeding on T. pratense. It must be noted that patterns of pollen and nectar collection vary between plant species according to the time of day at which nectar or pollen is released; to obtain a more accurate picture of forage use each site would ideally be observed for an entire day. Discussion Our data confirm the importance of Salisbury Plain Training Area as supporting a diverse bumblebee fauna, with substantial populations of rare species such as B. humilis and B. soroeensis. Both species were found over large areas, and barring major habitat changes their long-term survival on Salisbury Plain seems assured. Some species known to occur on the plain were not recorded (notably B. sylvarum (L.) and B. muscorum ), but our study was short in duration and many sites were not examined. Salisbury Plain covers a vast area and many parts remain to be adequately surveyed for invertebrates. Also the lateness of our study may have meant that the flight season of some species was nearly finished: in particular, only two worn males of B. ruderarius were recorded, suggesting that we were too late for this species. Further studies are required earlier in the year to establish the distribution and abundance of earlier species such as B. ruderarius, B. pratorum and B.jonellus (Kirby). Our results suggest that at least some of the bumblebees on Salisbury Plain Training Area are largely reliant on a rather small number of plant species. Despite the floristic diversity on Salisbury plain, 65% of all flower visits by bumblebees were to just six plant species (of course, earlier in the year other plant species will be used). In particular, pollen was collected overwhelmingly from Fabaceae (76% of visits). Some species, notably B. humilis, gathered pollen almost exclusively from Fabaceae, while 100 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 (a) B. humilis 18 n (/> > 5 - a) XI 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 0 =SF ■ pollen □ nectar A .A <0 c® vA ,A ;A a® ,/ / / o'4 / / / / / / / 0 °- 0 ^ y *■ o jf f M. vandeli Confidence 99.8% Workers Discriminant = 0.42 H + 33.09 PPW + 53.10FW - 9.69 M. scabrinodis < —0.20 > M. vandeli Confidence 99.5% Males Discriminant = 30.63 PPH - 25.23 PPW - 0.34 HW + 1.96 M. vandeli < 1.32 > M. sabuleti Confidence 99.9% First separating the workers colonies 1 and 2 into M. vandeli and M. scabrinodis , based upon the sculpture of the alitrunk (see below), and then applying the above discriminant function, we obtained mean discriminant values of 2.09 for M. vandeli workers from Pembroke, and 3.01 for workers from Dorset, confirming our more subjective identification with a very high confidence. Similarly, mean discriminant values of —2.31 and —1.83 for the M. scabrinodis workers confirmed with a high BR, J. ENT NAT. HIST . 16: 2003 147 degree of confidence that they were indeed M. scabrinodis. Mean discriminant values of 0.65 and 1.93 (single specimen) for the queens in the two colonies confirmed them as M. vandeli , whereas discriminant values of 3.85 and 3.53 (single specimen) for males showed that they were not M. sabaleti. Although morphometries and discriminant functions are useful to confirm whether a collector has samples of M. vandeli , especially when one has not previously seen the species, M. vandeli does have visibly distinctive features (Figs 1- 18), which well separate it from M. scabrinodis and M. sabuleti (summarised as Table 1). If one uses only the traditional features of scape-lobe shape combined with frons-width, which in Britain well distinguishes M. scabrinodis from M. sabuleti , it is easy to confuse M. vandeli workers with those of M. scabrinodis , even though the scape-lobe shapes generally differ (Figs 9-12). The most useful features which distinguish M. vandeli from M. scabrinodis are the finer, less sinuous striation with less reticulation on the head and alitrunk combined with a greater pilosity in waist region, and, for more experienced observers, the notched anterior clypeal margin. Queens usually differ visibly due to their much greater size and dark colouring. Males clearly differ from those of M. scabrinodis by their longer scapes; initially they might be confused with those of M. sabuleti but obviously differ by the combination of much longer hairs on the head and scape and shorter hairs on the tibia (Figs 13 18). If taken without workers (e.g. in pitfall traps) it is difficult to separate M. vandeli males from those of M. hirsuta , even the discrimination proposed by Elmes & Thomas (1985) could achieve a separation with only 84% confidence. If one examines a large number of workers of any Myrmica species one finds a small proportion of pseudogynes (sensu Wheeler, 1910); most have only very vestigial traces of sutures for the scutum and scutellum on the pronotum, although a few can have vestigial wings. When examining material for this paper we noted that pseudogynes with very faint traces of sutures, are much more common in M. vandeli (>50% in many series). In this respect they resemble some socially parasitic species (see Radchenko & Elmes, in press and below). Mixed Colonies Both colonies sampled from Britain contained a mixture of M. vandeli and M. scabrinodis workers; 58% M. vandeli workers in Colony 1 and 50% in Colony 2. We are certain these were genuine mixed colonies and not the result of some sort of sampling mistake. We checked therefore, ca. 60 other colony series of M. vandeli . held in the Elmes Collection, and found 4 that also contained some M. scabrinodis. These were from two sites in France. Forty-one nests were sampled from a wet meadow fed by a spring, near St. Bonnet in the Haute Alpes, 24 nests (60%) were M. vandeli and the others were M. scabrinodis. None of the M. scabrinodis series contained M. vandeli but 3 of the M. vandeli contained M. scabrinodis , being 6 from 10 workers (60%), 1 from 4 workers (25%) and 1 from 3 males (even though all the workers in this nest series were M. vandeli). Nineteen nests were sampled at a site near Le Puy in the Massif Central, 4 nests (31 %) were M. vandeli , one of which had a single M. scabrinodis among the series of 10 workers (10%). No mixed series were found from a third site, in the Upper Rhone valley, where we sampled 24 M. vandeli and 1 1 1 M . scabrinodis nests. The most probable explanation for these observations is that M. vandeli might be a temporary (perhaps facultative) social parasite of M. scabrinodis , not M. lobicornis as suggested by Bernard (1977). In many respects, such as reduced spurs and hairy body, and pseudogyne workers, M. vandeli is morphologically similar to Myrmica 148 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Figs 1-18 (above and opposite). Myrmica vandeli worker Figures 1, 3, 4, 7, 9 & 10; M. vandeli male Figures 13, 15 & 17; M. scabrinodis worker Figures 2, 4. 6, 8, 1 1 & 12; M. scabrinodis male Figures 14, 16 & 18. The M. vandeli worker is from the Welsh series (Colony 1), the male is a BR. J. ENT NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 149 0.5 mm (figs. 9-12) 1.0 mm (figs. 13-18) paralectotype from Bondroit’s collection (Brussels) ; the M. scabrinoclis worker is the Lectotype from Nylander’s collection (Helsinki) and the M. sabuleti male is a paralectotype from Meinert's collection (Copenhagen). 150 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Table 1. Summary of the morphological differences between Myrmica vandeli and related species. Workers M. vanilcli More hairy than is typical for European Myrmica species: petiole usually with 10-20, sometimes more, long, thin and often curved hairs (Figs 3, 4) Anterior clypeal margin with a distinct notch (Fig. 1) Alitrunk finely sculptured (Fig. 3): dorsum having fine, straight or slightly sinuous longitudinal rugae (Fig. 4) Petiole, and especially postpetiole seen from above, with reduced sculpture (Fig. 4) Spurs on middle and hind tibiae always poorly developed and usually with no pectination (Fig. 7) Fobe on antennal scape less well developed (Fig. 9) appearing more narrow and antennuated from above (Fig. 11) M. scabrinodis Typical Myrmica pilosity; petiole with less than 10 , usually fewer than 8, long, straight, thick hairs (Figs 5, 6) Anterior clypeal margin broadly rounded, with no notch (Fig. 2) Alitrunk coarsely sculptured (Fig. 5): pro- mesonotal dorsum usually reticulate or with coarse, strongly sinuous rugae (Fig. 6) Petiole and postpetiole dorsum with coarse sculpture (Fig. 6) Spurs on middle and hind tibiae usually well developed and pectinate (Fig. 8), but can be more poorly developed in some specimens. Fobe generally more developed and appearing rounded from above (Figs 10, 12), in some populations lobe can be extremely well developed but in others less so, more like M . van deli M. vandeli Large, headwidth > 1.20 mm, usually > 1.25 mm; dark in colour, often appearing almost black Queens M. scabrinodis Smaller queens, headwidth < 1.20 mm, usually < 1.15 mm; typical light brown Myrmica colour, though specimens from acid moorland habitats can be quite dark Males M. vandeli Antennal scape length (SL) relatively long, usually >0.50 mm; average SL/HW = 0.60 M. vandeli Head margins with long curved hairs (Fig. 13); antennal scape with long hairs (Fig. 15); tibiae and tarsi with relatively short hairs (Fig. 17) Postpetiole relatively wide and low, average PPW/PPH = 1 .02 M. scabrinodis Scape length distinctly shorter, usually <0.40 mm; average SL/HW = 0.38 M. sahnleti Head margins with very short straight hairs (Fig. 14); antennal scape with short hairs (Fig. 16); tibiae and tarsi with long curved hairs (Fig. 18) Postpetiole relatively narrower and high; PPW/PPH =0.96 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 151 bibikoffi Kutter and M. hirsute /, both social parasites of M . sabuleti (see Radchenko and Elmes, in press). We hypothesise that the warm, moist condition (see below) at the Haute Rhone site probably represents the centre of the range of M. vandeli , here colonies might successfully compete with M. scabrinodis and reproduce by queen foundation or by colony fission, while at the edge of its range (defined by more onerous ecological conditions) queens might have to resort to temporary social parasitism of M. scabrinodis to establish a new colony. Ecologically Britain might be at the extreme edge of the range for M. vandeli so that it can reproduce only as a social parasite. This might explain why so few colonies have been found in Britain and why, despite considerable repeat searches at the Dorset site, no further colonies were located. A similar explanation might also account for the extremely patchy British distribution of Formica exsecta Nylander, which is believed to found colonies by temporary social parasitism of Formica fusca L. nests. Ecology of M. vandeli Myrmica vandeli requires wet and warm conditions at the nest site (see Elmes et al., 1998); we noted that it appeared most abundant in a wet marsh at about 500 m in the Haute Rhone, where it lived in tussocks of grass and sedge. Very little difference between the nest sites favoured by M. vandeli and M. scabrinodis could be detected except that M. vandeli was perhaps, more abundant in the central, least shaded part of the site. At the site in the Haute Alpes (ca. 1800m) colonies were living in grass tussocks in a small wet “flush” in a hay meadow, created by a small spring. No obvious ecological difference could be detected here except that M. vandeli appeared to be favouring the slightly wetter areas compared to M. scabrinodis (Elmes et. al., 1998). At a third site in the Massif Central colonies were living in grass tussocks in a small area of very wet grassland, here the M. vandeli colonies occupied tussocks more or less surrounded by water, whereas M. scabrinodis were more abundant in the slightly drier edges of the site. The colony found in Dorset was living in a Molinia tussock in an area of boggy heathland surrounding a smaller area with permanent water. In most years the tussock containing the nest would be surrounded by water for much of the time, though when this occurred foraging workers could easily move from tussock to tussock via the vegetation. Many similar tussocks contained M. scabrinodis nests. The Welsh site was much more atypical in that the grass was shorter and nests (both M. vandeli and M. scabrinodis) were under flat stones, nevertheless the site was also quite moist. We found one colony of M. vandeli living in similar conditions, under a stone in moist alpine grassland in Switzerland and nests have reportedly been found in moss pads and under stones elsewhere (Seifert, 1988). The common factor among sites seems to be wet, almost waterlogged habitats that become very warm in summer. Such places were fairly common in the foothills of the southern Alps where they were managed as hay meadows. However, they are becoming rarer as small marshes are either abandoned or drained. Suitably hot, wet conditions probably occurred locally throughout central Europe but were always rare in northern Europe. In Britain suitable habitat might be rare and restricted to the southwest. If the hypothesis of social parasitism is correct then British investigators might have to search many nests in the hottest marsh habitats before finding M. vandeli. Finally, if southern Britain gets significantly warmer as predicted by climate change models, M. vandeli might be one of the species that becomes more widespread. 152 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Acknowledgements We are grateful for the financial support of The Royal Society (Radchenko) and the EU Framework V, MacMan project (Elmes & Thomas). References Agosti. D. & Collingwood. C. A. 1987. A provisional list of the Balkan ants (Hym. Formicidae) and a key to the worker caste. 1. Synonymic list. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 60: 51-62. Bernard, F. 1967. Les Fourmis ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae ) d’ Europe Occident ale et septen- trionale. 411pp. Masson et Cie, Paris. Bondroit, J. 1920. Notes diverses sur les fourmis d’Europe. Annates cle la Societe Entomologique de Belgicpie 59 (1919): 143 -158. Elmes, G.W. 1978. A morphometric comparison of three closely related species of Myrmica (Formicidae), including a new species from England. Systematic Entomology 3: 131-145. Elmes, G.W. & Thomas, J.A. 1985. Morphometries as a tool in identification: a case study on Myrmica from France. Actes Collocpies des Insectes sociaux 2: 97-108. Elmes, G.W., Radchenko, A.G. & Aktag, N. 2002. Four new Myrmica species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Turkey. Annales Zoologici, 52: 157-171. Elmes, G.W., Thomas, J.A., Wardlaw, J.C., Hochberg, M., Clarke, R.T. & Simcox, D.J. 1998. The ecology of Myrmica ants in relation to the conservation of Maculinea butterflies. Journal of Insect Conservation 2: 67-78. Kutter, H. 1977. Insecta Helvetica. 6: Hymenoptera Formicidae. 298 pp. Fotorotar AG. Zurich. Marko, B. 1999. New ant taxa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Romanian fauna. Entomologica Romanicci 4: 95-98. Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. A taxonomic revision of socially parasitic Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Palaearctic Region. Annales Zoologici (in press.) Sadil, J. 1952. A revision of the Czechoslovak forms of the genus Myrmica Latr. (Hym.). Ada Entomologica Musei Nationalis Prague 27 (1951): 233-278. Seifert, B. 1988. A taxonomic revision of the Myrmica species of Europe, Asia Minor, and Caucasia (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Abhandlungen and Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Gorlitz Abh. Ber. Naturkundemus. Gorlitz 62: 1-75. Seifert, B. 1996. Ameisen: beobachten, bestimmen. Naturbuch Verb, Augsburg. Schlick-Steiner, B.C. & Steiner, F.M. 2000. Die Moorbewohnerin Myrmica vcmdeli Bondroit 1920: Erstnachweis fur Ostosterreich und Einsatz im Naturschutz. — Ameisenschutz aktuel 14: 113-115 Schonrogge, K., Barr, B., Wardlaw, J.C., Napper, E., Gardner, M.G., Breen, J., Elmes. G.W. & Thomas, J.A. 2002. When rare species become endangered: cryptic speciation in myrmecophilous hoverflies. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 75: 291-300. Wheeler, W.M. 1910. Ants: their structure, development and behavior. 663pp. Colombia University Press, New York. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 153 NOTES ON THE BEETLE FAUNA OF THE MID-CHURNET VALLEY, STAFFORDSHIRE Mark. R. Webb and Maurice Waterhouse* Penny Anderson Associates Ltd., Park Lea, 60 Park Road, Buxton Derbyshire SKI 7 6SN, and *30 Beswick Close, Cheadle, Stoke on Trent ST 10 I LE. Introduction The mid-Churnet Valley contains a variety of habitats, and is approximately located between Cheddleton to the north-west and Froghall to the south-east, near Stoke-on-Trent. It is generally dominated by acidic oak-birch ancient woodland, but with areas of alder carr and lush meadow vegetation on the banks of the River Churnet itself. Most of these habitats are incorporated within the Churnet Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Methods Records included here were all generated via fieldwork during the summers of 1996 and 1997. Sites surveyed include Consall Woods (SJ994483), Booths Wood (SK005485), Crowgutter Wood (SK003492), Rough Knipe (SK000495) and additional river-marsh areas (SJ992502). Records were obtained mostly via active collecting. Smaller saproxylic species were mostly collected by hand and pooter, searching under loose bark, in decaying wood, and around fungal fruiting bodies. Larger woodland and grassland species were usually swept from prominent nectar flowers, such as hogweed in woodland rides, or from open grassy or herbaceous vegetation. Results and Discussion In total, 31 beetle species included in Hyman & Parsons (1992, 1994) were found, comprising one Red Data Book (RDB) 2 and two RDB 3, five Nationally Notable A, 22 Nationally Notable B, and one Local species. Of these, two are new to Staffordshire, and six are new post- 1970 county records. The species found can be divided into a number of ecological groupings: saproxylic species, which can be further divided into those associated with different kinds of dead wood; species of damp meadows and marshes; and species phytophagous on trees. All species are listed below according to these groupings. Brief notes indicate where/by which sampling method the beetles were found. Additional information is from Hyman & Parsons (1992, 1994) unless stated otherwise. 1. Saproxylic species (a) Species found in deadwood decayed by fungi and/or in the fruiting bodies of these fungi include; Histeridae Gnathoncus buyssoni Auzat Na In owls nests Scydmaenidae Microscydmus minimus Chaudoir RDB3 Under bark M. nanus Schaum Nb Under bark Elateridae Ampedus pomorum Herbst. Nb In rotting birch and oak Cryptophagidae Atomaria umhrina Gyllcnhal Nb In rotting wood debris 154 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Lathridiidae Lathridius consimilis MannerheimNb In fungoid wood and Enicmus fungicola Thomson Nb fungus on trees In slime mould fruit- Mycetophagidae Mycetophagus piceus Fabricius Nb bodies Under fungoid bark Melandryidae Hallomenus binotatus Quensel Nb Under bark Orchesia minor Walker Nb Beating birch The histerid Gnathoncus buyssoni is known from decaying trunks, birds nests and fungi on trees. This is a new county record. Microscydmus minimus is known else- where (post- 1970) in Staffordshire from Bagot’s Park. It is an old forest relic species (Hodge & Jones, 1995). Microscydmus nanus , which is known from woodland leaf litter and rotten wood, is new to Staffordshire. Atomaria umbrina is found in similar habitats. The click beetle Ampedus pomorum is associated with decaying birch, as is Lathridius consimilis , especially when under attack by the fungus Piptoporus betulinus. Enicmus fungicola is known to breed in slime-mould fruiting bodies, especially on oak, and this is the first post- 1970 county record. Mycetophagus piceus requires oak being decayed by the fungus Laetiporus sulphur eus , which is also a habitat for Hallomenus binotatus. The false darkling beetle Orchesia minor is a further fungus-feeder, possibly utilizing Polyporus spp. in particular, as well as well-rotten wood. (b) Species associated with freshly dead (or hard) wood include: Lymexylidae Hylecoetus dermestoides L. Nb Burrowing into dead wood Cerambycidae Saperda scalaris L. Na On umbel inflorescences in woodland ride Rhizophagidae Rhizophagus nitidulus Fabricius Nb Under bark R. picipes Olivier Na Under bark Scolytidae Xyloterus signatus Fabricius Nb Under bark Xyleborus dispcir Fabricius Nb Under bark The lymexylid Hylecoetus dermestoides, the bark beetles Xyloterus signatus and Xyleborus dispar , and the longhorn beetle Saperda scalaris, are all associated with fresh and hard dead wood, mostly in ancient broad-leaved woodlands. Rhizophagus spp. hunt bark beetle larvae under bark and so need dead wood that has been colonized by scolytids, but which still has the bark intact. (c) Species associated with twigs and small branches, <5 cm diameter, include: Cerambycidae Gracilia minuta Fabricius RDB2 On hogweed flowers in woodland clearings Stenostola dubia Laicharting Nb On hogweed flowers in woodland clearings The diminutive longhorn beetle, Gracilia minuta has, until now, not been recorded post- 1970 in Staffordshire; in fact Hyman & Parsons state that it is only known from five other vice-counties: south Hampshire, east and west Kent, Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire. It was however also recorded in Worcestershire in 1999 (Goddard, pers. comm.). It is known to feed within twigs and small branches of various trees. Stenosola dubia is known to feed in branches of <5 cm diameter on lime trees Tilia BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 155 cordata Miller and T. plcityphyllos Scop. Adult beetles of both these species also appear to require nectar sources, notably umbel flowers, in woodland clearings. 2, River meadow species Elateridae Ctenicera cupreus Fabricius Local Swept at edge of wood/marsh C. pectinicornis Fabricius Na Swept at edge of wood/marsh Cantharidae Cantliaris fuscci L. RDB3 Swept in marshes and river meadow Chrysomelidae Plateumaris affinis Kunze Nb Swept in marshes and flushes Mantura obtusata Gyllenhal Nb Roots of tussocks in marshes The habitat requirements of the click beetle Ctenicera pectinicornis are given in Hyman & Parsons as lush grassland in old hay meadows, where the larva feeds at the roots of plants. These are the first post- 1970 records for Staffordshire. Presumably C. cupreus has similar, if less exacting requirements. The reed beetle Plateumaris affinis is phytophagous on sedges, and is usually found on emergent vegetation at aquatic margins. Mantura obtusata is associated with Rumex spp., particularly R. acetosa L. growing in wet meadows, with its larvae probably mining the host plant's leaves. For the soldier beetle Cantharis fuscci, Hyman & Parsons state that post- 1970 records only exist for four other vice-counties, all in southern England, although the species was formerly more widespread, ranging up to East Lothian in Scotland. An update provided by Alexander (2000), discusses records from a few southern coastal areas in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, from Somerset, where the species is apparently fairly widespread, and from Yorkshire, where three localities are known. It appears to be a species of rich fen and damp hay meadows, where both the adults and larvae are free-living and active, with adults particularly noticeable on umbellifer flowers. Habitats in the mid-Churnet Valley would appear to be small patches of river-meadow within a wider woodland setting. 3. Phytophagous species associated with trees Silphidae Aclypea opaca L. Na Found near old oaks Elateridae Selatosomus impressus Fabricius Nb Found by sweeping beneath birch trees Chrysomelidae Cryptocephalus bipunctatus L. Nb Beating birch C. parvulus M tiller Nb Beating trees C. punctiger Paykull Nb Beating trees Curculionidae Acalles ptinoides Gyllenhal Nb Beating trees A. roboris Curtis Nb Beating trees Coeliodes ruber Marsham Nb Beating trees These are the first post- 1970 Staffordshire records for the burying beetle Aclvpea opaca , which apparently feeds on plant roots. The natural history of the click beetle Selatosomus impressus is poorly known, but it probably has soil-dwelling larvae and adults are associated with trees. The Cryptocephalus leaf beetles are all associated with birch, the larvae are cased and ground living, where they feed on fallen leaves, C. parvulus preferring leaves browned by fungal infection. Staffordshire contains the only localities for C. punctiger outside southern England. The weevil Acallesptinoid.es is found on old trees, especially hawthorn and hazel, and A. roboris is associated with 156 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16 2003 oak. Accilles larvae are believed to develop in fallen branches. Coeliodes ruber is known to feed on oak and hazel. Conclusions Overall, this is an impressive list of species from a rich and valuable beetle fauna, of an often overlooked area. The ecological requirements of the species found highlight the vital importance of dead-wood resources, including wood being decayed by fungi, freshly dead trees and dead branches on living trees. Further, the importance of what are marginal habitats in this area, small patches of lush river- meadow and marsh along the course of the River Churnet, is also highlighted. Clearly both the mid-Churnet Valley and these latter habitats warrant further entomological investigation. Acknowledgements Thanks to Keith Alexander and Colin Johnson who have kindly contributed some records to M. Waterhouse, and to Steve Williams of Consall Nature Park for permission to carry out fieldwork at that site. References Alexander, K. N. A. (2000). Cantharis fusca Linnaeus (Cantharidae) rediscovered in Yorkshire. The Coleopterist 9: 44. Hodge, P. J. & Jones, R. A. (1995) New British Beetles. Species not in Joy’s practical handbook. British Entomological and Natural History Society, Reading. Hyman, P. S. (revised Parsons, M. S.) 1992. A review of the scarce and threatened Coleoptera of Great Britain. Part 1. UK Nature Conservation No. 3. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough. Hyman. P. S. (revised Parsons, M. S.) 1994. A review of the scarce and threatened Coleoptera of Great Britain. Part 2. UK Nature Conservation No. 12. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough. SHORT COMMUNICATIONS New south-eastern county records for Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) (Henii- ptera: Psvllidae). — Following the announcement of the occurrence of this beautiful psyllid in UK (Malumphy, C.P. & Halstead, A.J., 2003. Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist. 16: 89- 93) I began searching its hostplant, Elaeagnus spp., to assess its current status in the south-east. Its distribution is obviously still patchy as one might expect for a newly- invading species and many searches proved negative. Reasonable numbers of adults were eventually found on some mature bushes of E. x ebbingei on an abandoned patch of ground on the eastern edge of Sunbury Golf Course (TQ1068), Middlesex on 2nd June 2003. The first record for Kent turned out to be at Allhallows Holiday Camp (TQ8377), a rather isolated community on the north Kent coast on 17th June 2003. The second locality was of a few individuals found on low, neatly clipped hedges of E. x ebbingei in the car-parking area of Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, Rainham (TQ7963) on 4th July 2003. These were surreptitiously tapped out into my hands in view of the large number of shoppers nearby. None of the bushes showed any obvious signs of insect damage. — J. S. BADM1N, Coppice Place, Perry Wood. Selling, Kent ME13 9RP. BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 157 The first phoretic association of Procalvolia zacheri (Oudemans)(Acari: Wintersch- midtiidae) with Aridius nodifer (Westwood)(Coleoptera: Lathridiidae) — On the 16. x. 2002 three specimens of Aridius nodifer (Westwood), a cosmopolitan species, were collected from the final maturing room of an organic Cheddar cheese producer near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. The specimens were found on the floor and the traditional wooden shelving on which the cheeses stand. The environmental conditions in this store are maintained at II 12°C and 80-90% relative humidity. Both the larvae and adults of A. nodifer are fungivorous, in this instance feeding on the moulds developing on the wooden shelves and quite possibly the cheese rinds. A number of small (~0.2mm long) oval, shiny, pale brown hypopi were attached to the ventral surfaces of the beetles. The hypopus is a modified nymph found in the life cycle of some astigmatid mites. Depending on the mite genus, these occur in either a motile form adapted for phoretic dispersal, usually by attachment to other arthropods, or in an inert form adapted for survival under adverse conditions. The hypopi in this instance were typical of the motile form having the following characteristics: ovoid to round body, dorsoventrally flattened with a convex dorsal surface, robustly sclerotised, reduced mouthparts, well developed legs and possessing a specialised ventri-anal plate bearing suckers by which they attach themselves to a dispersal agent. Sixteen hypopi were slide mounted and identified as Procalvolia zacheri (Oude- mans) using the generic key provided by Fain & Rack (1987) and the species redescriptions given by Hughes (1962) (under the junior synonym Calvolia romanovae Zatchvatkin, 1941) and Fain (1972). Procalvolia zacheri is rarely reported and nothing is known of its biology. Most specimens have been taken from damp mouldy substrates or found attached to insects associated with such environments. The few published records indicate that P. zacheri only occurs in Europe, currently: England, near Moreton-in-Marsh. Gloucestershire, hypopi on A. nodifer, reported here; Liverpool University Veterinary Faculty Field Station, Wirral, hypopi on Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), collected in the proximity of farm buildings (McGarry & Baker, 1997); Germany, Berlin, hypopi collected from mildewed cheese (Oudemans, 1929); northwest Germany, unspecified location, hypopi found in a bungalow with Ahasvera advena (Waltl)(Coleoptera: Silvanidae) and Lathridius minutus (L.) (Coleoptera: Lathridiidae), one specimen attached to the latter (Rack, 1980) and Russia, Moscow, two females in stored wheat and associated with Acarus siro L. (Acari: Acaridae) (Zachvatkin, 1941). The descriptions of the adults and hypopi of P. zacheri provided by Hughes (1962) were from fresh specimens ‘found on New Zealand cheese by E. Powell'. Presumably these were collected in the UK, but the exact origin of these mites is not clear. Hughes also synonymised P. zacheri with Calvolia tarsinofraeta Turk & Turk, a species found on rotting potatoes in Erlangen, Germany, however Rack (1980) provides evidence that this synonymy is not justified. Thanks to our colleague Mr. D. W. Collins for his identifications of A. nodifer. J. C. Ostoja-Starzewski & B. B. Thind, Central Science Laboratory (CSL) Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Sand Hutton. York, Y041 1LZ, UK. References Fain, A. 1972. Notes Sur Les Hypopes Des Saproglyphidae (Acarina: Sarcoptiformes) il Redefinition Des Genres. Acarologia 14: 225-249. 158 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Fain, A. & Rack, G. 1987. Allocalvolici habrocytus gen. n., sp. n. (Acari, Winterschmidtiidae) a new hypopus phoretic on Habrocytus elevatus (Walker, 1834) (Hymenoptera, Pteromali- dae) in Austria. Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg Band 8. Nr. 129: 309-318. Hughes, A. M. 1962. The genus Calvolia Oudemans, 191 1 (Acari: Sarcoptiformes). Acarologia 4: 48-63. McGarry, J. W. & Baker, A. S. 1997. Observations on the mite fauna associated with adult Stomoxys calc it runs in the UK. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 11: 159-164. Oudemans, A. C. 1929. Acarologische Aanteekeningen, 10. Entomologische Berichten 8. No. 170: 28-36. Rack, G. 1980. Procalvolia zacheri (Oudemans, 1929) in einem Neubau bei Stade (Acarina, Sarcoptiformes, Saproglyphidae). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg Band 6. Nr. 107: 303-307. Zakhvatkin, A. A. 1941. Fauna of U.S.S.R. Arachnoidea Vol. VI No.l Tyroglyphoidea (Acari). English Translation by Ratcliffe, A. & Hughes, A. M. 1959, American Institute of Biological Sciences, Washington. 1-573. Rhyzobius chrysolemoides (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) new to Kent. — On 7. v. 2002, 1 collected a single specimen of Rhyzobius from Downham Woodland Walk, near Bromley, in south-east London. When I came to identify it, I thought the upper surface marks looked slightly different to the common R. litura (Fab.) and that the underside character of the prosternal carinae made it R. chrysomeloides (Hawkins, R. 2001. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 13: 193— 195). However, having previously thought I had both species only to discover that I had both sexes of R. litura , I sent the specimen to Roger Booth for confirmation. He almost did not bother to dissect it, because the pronotal shape suggested that it was R. litura. However, caution got the better of him and he was able to confirm from the distinctive male genitalia that it was, indeed, R. chrysomeloides. My thanks go to him for his help. Since its discovery, this beetle has been found in several Surrey localities (Hawkins, R. 2000, Ladybirds of Surrey , Surrey Wildlife Trust) and in Berkshire (R. Booth, pers. comm.). This appears to be the first Kent record. Downham Woodland Walk is a narrow zigzag wooded path between dense 1930s housing near Bromley, vice-county 16, ‘West Kent’. It is only a few metres wide, but existed as a narrow woodland long before the London urban sprawl engulfed it — it is clearly shown on a map of 1805, bounding the park attached to Southend Manor House and surrounded by open fields. A number of very interesting dead-wood beetles are recorded (Jones, in preparation). The Rhyzobius was collected at the tail end of the walk, where it becomes a mown grass verge under oak and poplar trees and where some hawthorns suggest there was once a hedge. Although I did not record how the specimen was collected (1 took it merely as a voucher), it was probably beaten from the hawthorns, which were in flower at the time, or from an ivy-covered log which yielded the ‘vulnerable’ (RDB2) Nephus quadrimaculatus (Herbst) a few days earlier on 2. v. 2002.- RICHARD A. JONES, 135 Friern Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 0AZ. Bugmanjones@ hotmail.com HR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 159 2002 ANNUAL EXHIBITION Imperial College, London SW7 — 9 November 2002 The following account of exhibits has been compiled by A. M. Jones (British butterflies), G. A. Collins (British Macrolepidoptera), H. E. Beaumont (British Micro lepidoptera), N. M. Hall (foreign Lepidoptera), P. J. Chandler (Diptera), P. J. Hodge (Coleoptera), A. J. A. Stewart (Hemiptera), A. J. Halstead (Hymenoptera and other Orders) and J. S. Badmin (general). The photographs of individual insects were taken by R. A. Jones and the cost of printing these was met by a grant from the Hammond Memorial Fund. Specimens illustrated are natural size unless stated. Exhibits under the theme “Wetland Insects” were invited as part of the Annual Exhibition. The notes on these exhibits have been incorporated in the usual categories, but, where appropriate, mention has been made if specimens were exhibited under this theme. British butterflies Bailey, K. E. J. -Results of genetic and temperature experiments 2001-2002. Pararge aegeria (L.), four specimens with varied underside pattern from pre and early pupae held at 30 C for several days in high humidity. Uppersides included one with an unusual balanced bleached effect to the forewings. Euphydryas aurinici (L.), a normal coloured specimen and an ab. atratus Bailey both with atypical markings in the forewing cell area possibly due to inbreeding. A specimen with areas of atratus on the underside left forewing. An unusual example with the underside hindwings’ basal orange area devoid of pattern. A pair of ab. virgata Tutt and a pair of virgata + atratus the result of selective breeding. Two ab. sebaldus Schultz, from cold-shocked pupae. Also from cold-shocked pupae was a series of extreme melanics of Argynnis paphia (L.) including ab. nigrizina Frowhawk. Late cold shock to inbred stock of Argynnis adippe (L.) resulted in a male with peripheral forewing melanism. Vanessa atalanta (L.) ab. klemensiewiczi (Schille) from heat-shocked pupa reared from a wild caught female, Devon, ix.2001. An interesting series of Aglais urticae (L.) including two extreme examples of the polygenic ab. connexa Cabeau. An extreme specimen from this stock, ab. conjuncta Meuberg + ab. connexa from a heat-shocked pupa (Fig. 1). Strong examples of an apparently new, variably expressed recessive aberration with brown suffused underside forewings. This appeared in the connexa stock in 2001, but had a severe weakening effect. A specimen with the brown suffusion on the right hand side only. Fig. 1. Aglais urticae , ab. conjuncta + con- nexa, bred, K. E. J. Bailey. Fig. 2. Aglais urticae , possible gynandro- morph, bred. K. E. .1. Bailey. 160 BR .1. ENT NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 and with an imbalance in the length of the first legs, possibly a gynandromorph (Fig. 2). Also two specimens of ab. semiichnusoides Pronin, from heat-shocked pupae, ex wild Devon larvae. Anthocharis cardamines (L.) a male ab. sriata Pionneau and two female ab. crassipunctata Mezger from long cold shock of prepupae and pupae. Colias croceus (Geoffroy), a series reared from a typical Devon female, the pupae were stored at 5 C for about 20 days then returned to room temperature. One specimen was a small female ab. electra Frowhawk, the remainder had extended yellow within the black borders and with slightly melanistic undersides resembling the European species Colias hecla sulitelma (Aurivillius). Also exhibited were two wild-taken Melanargia galathea (L.) ab valantini Watkins from a remote Devon site, July 2002, and a male Mesoacidalia aglaia (L.) with bleached white spots on the left hand wings from N. Devon July 2002. Harmer, A. S. Butterflies from the Scilly Isles, August 2002. Maniola jurtina cassiteridum (Graves) bright examples, including a female underside transitional to ab. fracta Leeds. Pararge aegeria insula (Flowarth), some very orange approaching true aegeria aegeria (L.) Polyommatus icarus (Rott.), including a female ab. basijuncta Tutt and ab. costajuncta Courv. Bred Colias croceus (Geoffroy), including specimens with pale yellow scaling on the forewing costa and undersides with slightly extended pink markings down the veins on the forewings. Humphrey, D. A.- The highlight of specimens from Dorset and South Wiltshire between 1990 and 1999 was a Callophrys rubi (L.) extreme brown underside, ab. brunnea Tutt (Fig. 3) taken Stubhampton Bottom, 1 4. v. 1 99 1 . Also exhibited were female Ly sandra coridon (Poda) ab. radio Leeds and ab. obsoleta Tutt. A male Melanargia galathea (L.) ab. grisescens Varin. Maniola jurtina (L.) ab. post-radiata Frowhawk, and other minor aberrations. Two pairs of Pyronia tithonus (L.) ab. excessa Tutt. A female Aphantopus hyper- antus (L.) ab. cuneata Gilmer. Jones, A M. & R. Quercursia quercus (L.) Three female aberrations bred June 2002, ab. obsoleta Tutt, a specimen with homoeosis to the underside of the right hindwing, and an extreme ab. latefasciata Courvoisier. A chance breeding of Polyommatus icarus (Rott.) ab. pallida Tutt from a heavily spotted female taken vi.2002, the Ft showed specimens with slightly heavier markings. An F2 of 159 in September/October, comprised 77 males and 82 females, of which 8 males (4 crippled) and 5 females (3 crippled) were ab. pallida (Fig. 4), approximately 8%. The aberration corresponds to a similar form in Ly sandra coridon (Poda) proved to be a simple recessive. Results of breeding from a female Boloria euphrosyne (L.) ab. stramineus Frowhawk. A freshly emerged female ab. stramineus was paired with a typical male in captivity. The F, in May 2001 were all type. The F2 reared in May 2002 comprised 62 specimens, 27 typical males, 25 typical females, 2 pale males (both crippled), 7 pale females (4 crippled) and one somatic mosaic female with pale patches on the upper and underside of an otherwise typical coloured specimen (not pathological). Fig. 3. Callophrys rubi ab. brunnea , Stub- hampton Bottom, Dorset, 1991, D. A. Humphrey. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 161 Fig. 4. Polyommatus icarus ab. pallida, bred F7, 2002, A. M. Jones. The results show that 14.5% of the brood were pale, it is likely that some of the aberrations died in the pupa, the gene seemed to have a serious weakening effect (6 of the 9 aberrations were crippled). It is assumed that the ab. stramineus is a recessive form but further breeding will be necessary to prove this. Continued results of breeding from a homoeotic female Argynnis paphia (L.). Subsequent broods to an F, generation exhibited at the 2001 exhibition. Homo- eotic male x homoeotic female, a brood of 132 specimens, 64 (48.5%) showing homo- eosis. Homoeotic male x typical valesina Esper female, a brood of 85 specimens, 28 (33%) showing homoeosis. Typical male from homoeotic /valesina stock x typical valesina from homocohc j valesina stock, a brood of 13 specimens, 4 (31%) showing homoeosis. Also two miscellaneous broods from homoeotic stock (parents undeter- mined) one comprising 12 specimens, 7 (58%) showing homoeosis, the other com- prising 10 specimens, 6 (60%) showing homoeosis. The results are difficult to interpret, many specimens only showed very minor homoeosis, breeding from the most extreme examples did not result in more extreme progeny, the most extreme example came from a small miscellaneous brood. Bo/oria euphrosyne (L.) An extreme, possibly unique homoeotic female (Fig. 5) with a large portion of the underside right hindwing markings replaced with those of the forewing, captured 12. v. 2002. A male Maniola jurtlna (L.) ab. alba Blackie, captured in West Sussex, 1 7. viii.2002. Simpson, M. -A specimen of Nymphalis antiopa (L.), captured in a green house at Ramsey, Cambridgeshire (VC 31) 10. ix. 2002, following a telephone call from one of the exhibitor’s friends. The specimen had been in the green house for two days prior to capture and was first noticed after a heavy rain storm, from which it may have been taking shelter. Fig. 5. Boloria euphrosyne , homoeotic form, 2002, A. M. Jones. British Macrolepidoptera Agassiz, D. An asymmetrical aberration of Spilosoma lubricipeda (L.), Graves- end, W. Kent, 15.vi.2002. Baker, P. J. — Moths from the West Hill area, S. Devon: Costaconvexa polygrammata (Borkh.), 23. ix. 2000; Cyclophora puppi/laria (Hb.), 15.x. 2001; Hyles livornica (Esp.), 30. v. 2002; Trachea atriplicis (L.), 5.vii.2002; Eilema caniola (Hb.), 5.x. 2002; Lithosia quadra (L.), 30.ix-2.x.2002, seven examples; and Deileptenia ribeata (Cl.), 10.x. 2002. Beaumont, H. E. — New vice-county records of moths: Parascotia fu/iginaria (L.), Misson Carr, Notts., 17. viii.2002; Lithastege griseata (D.& S.), Spurn, S.E. Yorks., 162 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 7. vi.2002 (C. Jones leg.); Archanara sparganii (Esp.), Spurn, S.E. Yorks., 7- 1 3. viii.2002 (B.R. Spence leg.). A moth new to Britain: Nycteola asiatica (Krul.), Kilnsea, S.E. Yorks., 1 l.ix.2002 (B.R. Spence leg., gen. det. HEB) (Fig. 6). Bell, R. A. — Trachea atriplicis (L.), Northwood Park, N. Hants, 1 2. vii .2002 . Examples of both Abrostola triplasia (L.) and A. tripartita (Hufn.) from Northwood Park. A series of Megalographa biloba (Steph.) reared on organic lettuce. Butterfly Conservation (Green, D. G., Parsons, M. S. & Davis, A. M.) Details of the Action for Threatened Moths Project. Reviews of the current status of UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species, with a summary of selected projects undertaken in 2002 designed to contribute towards their conservation. Clancy, S. P. — Immigrant moths from the Dungeness area, E. Kent: Actmotia polyodon (Cl.), New Romney, 28. v. 2002; C/eorodes lichenaria (Hufn.), Greatstone, 28. vii. 2002; Euxoa cursoria (Hufn.), Little- stone, 28. vii. 2002; Drepana curvatula (Borkh.), 28. vii. 2002, one at Dungeness and one at Lydd; Notodonta tritophus (D.&S.), Lydd, 3. viii.2002; Peribatodes ilicaria (Geyer), Littlestone, 3. viii.2002; Amphipoea lucens (Freyer), Lydd, 8. viii.2002 and Dungeness, 9. viii.2002; Cry- phia algae (Fabr.), Littlestone, 14. viii.2002; Macdunnoughia confusa (Steph.), New Romney, 16.ix.2002; Chrysodeixis chalcites (Esp.), New Romney, 1.x. 2002. Species of uncertain origin from the same area: Hecatera dysodea (D.&S.), Greatstone, 24. vii. 2002; Clostera anachoreta (D.& S.), New Romney, 6. viii.2002; and Scopu/a nigropunctata (Hufn.), near Charing, 16. vii. 2002. Aberrations, including Ompha- loscelis lunosa (Haw.), Dungeness, 7.x. 2002 (Fig. 7). Clarke, J. H. — Immigrant moths from W. Corn, including: Orthonama obstipata (Fabr.); Lithosia quadra (L.); Mythimna loreyi (Dup.); and Helicoverpa cirmigera (Hb.). Edema caniola. East Grinstead, E. Sussex, 21. viii.2002. Notable species from Crawley Down, E. Sussex: Cyclophora porata (L.), 13. viii.2002; Xanthorhoe biriviata (Borkh.), 20. vii. 2002; Anticollix sparsata (Treit.), 12. vii. 2002; Abrostola triplasia (L.), 13. viii.2002; and Parascotia fuliginaria (L.), 10. vii and 5. viii.2002. Corley, M. F. V. An aberration of Diaphora mendica (Cl.), Faringdon, Berks., 17. v. 2002 (Fig. 8). Dobson, A. H. — From Greywell, N. Hants (P. A. Boswell leg.): Acronicta alni (L.) ab. melanica Schulze, 2.vi.2002; and an autumnal Orthosia cerasi (Fabr.), 10. xi. 2001. Glamorgan Moth Recording Group (Slade, D. J.) — A brief history of the recording group together with a selection of newsletters and a request for records from VC41. Fig. 6. Nycteola asiatica , Kilnsea, S.E. Yorks., 2002. H. E. Beaumont. Fig. 7. Omphaloscelis lunosa , Dungeness, Kent, 2002, S. P. Clancy. BR. J. ENT NAT HIST.. 16: 2003 163 Hall, N. M. -A dark example of Lithophane hepatica (Cl.), Earley Lake, Berks., 9. viii.2002. Archanara spcirganii (Esp.), Hastings Country Park, E. Sussex, 28.viii.2000, an adult found floating on a leaf in a small pond. Halsey, J. — Immigrant moths taken at Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, in 2001 and 2002: Catoccila fraxini (L.), 20. ix. 2001 and 25.ix.2001; Trichoplusia ni (Hb.), 6. viii.2002; Hyles livornica (Esp.), 28.iii.2002; Trigonophora flammed (Esp.), 10.x. 2002; Trisateles emortualis (D.&S.), 19. vi.2002 and Uresiphita polygonalis (D.& S.), 2 1.x. 2001. Harman, T. W. -Aberrations and local forms of moths: Ennomos quercinaria (Hufn.), “Chilterns”, 2002; Spilosoma lubricipeda , Truro, Cornwall [vice-county not stated], 26. vi. 2001, and Turville Heath, Bucks., 8.vi.2002 (Fig. 9); Conistra rubiginea (D.&S.), Turville Heath, Bucks., 2.iv.2002; Colocasia coryli (L.) ab. melanotia Haver. Turville Heath, Bucks., 24. iv. 2002; and Perizoma alchemillata (L.), Turville Heath, Bucks., 24.vii.2002. Hart, C. — An example of Xestia rhomboidea (Esp.), Devil’s Dyke, Poynings, W. Sussex, 3. viii.2002. Immigrant moths: Heliothis armigera (Hb.), Mullion, W. Cornwall. 18. ix. 2002; and H. peltigera (D. & S. ), Buckland, Surrey, 18. vi. 2002. Hayward, R. Immigrant moths from Slough, Bucks.: Rhodometra sacraria (L.), 2.ix.2002; Heliothis peltigera (D.&S.), 20. vi. 2002. Moths from Two Bridges, S. Devon, including: Scopala ternata (Schr.), 15.vh.2002; Eupitkecia fraxinata Crewe, 1 6. vii.2002; and Lacanobia contigua (D.&S.). Moths from Slough, Bucks., including: Furcula bifida (Brahm), 3.vi.2002; Edema griseola (Hb.), 30. vii.2002 and 6. viii.2002; Mythimna stra- minea (Treits.), 27. vii.2002; and Xanthia gilvago (D. & S.), 30. ix. 2002. Henwood, B. Photographs of overwin- tering, penultimate and final instar larvae of Bena bicolorana (Fuess.) showing crypsis varying according to the state of an oak tree. An example of Hyles livornica (Esp.), Dawlish Warren, S. Devon, 27. vi. 2002. Photodes morrisii morrisii (Dale), Culverhole Point, S. Devon, 26.vi.2002. Honey. M. R. A specimen of Catocala nymphagoga (Esp.) taken at a light trap in the garden of Buckingham Palace, Middx., 5.ix.2002. A selection of moths from the Wetland Centre, Barnes, Surrey, including: Semiaspilates ochrearia (Rossi); Lacanobia suasa (D. & S.); Mythimna straminea (Treits.); M. obsolete i (Hb.); Apamea unanimis (Hb.); Celaena leucostigma (Hb.); Archanara geminipuncta (Haw.); A. dissoluta (Treit.); A. sparganii (Esp.); Rhizedra lutosa (Hb.); and Chilodes maritimus (Tausch.). Knill-Jones, S. — Moths from Freshwater, Isle of Wight, including: Schrankia costaestrigalis (Steph.), 6.vi.2002; Eupithecia millefoliata (Rossi.), 28. vii.2002; Fig. 9. Spilosoma lubricipeda, Turville Heath, Bucks, 2002, T. W. Harman. Fig. 8. Diaphora mendica, Faringdon, Berks., 2002, M. F. V. Corley. 164 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Orthonama obstipata (Fabr.), 6.vi and 22.vii.2002; and Heliothis armigera (Fib.), 29.x. 2002. Kolaj, A. Moths from Scotland, 2001-2002, including: Hyppa rectilinea (Esp.), mainly at light; Xestia alpicola alpina (Humph. & West.), reared from pupae; Anarta melanopa (Thunb.); and I tame branneata (Thunb.). Langmaid, J. R. -An example of Cryphia algae (Fabr.), Southsea, S. Hants, 26.viii.2002. McCormick, R. F. — Interesting moths from Devon, 2002, including: Cymato- phorima cliluta hartwiegi (Reiss.), Boro Wood, Ashburton, S. Devon, 1 Fix. 2002; Eupithecia plumbeolata (Haw.), Hembury Woods, Buckfastleigh, S. Devon, 22. vi. 2002 (B. Henwood & B. Bewsher leg.); Abraxas sylvata (Scop.), Holcombe, S. Devon, 26.vii.2002; Leueoma salicis (L. ), Countess Wear, Exeter, S. Devon, 25.vii.2002 (P. Butter leg.); Lithosia quadra (L.), Hembury Woods, Buckfastleigh, S. Devon, 27.vii.2002 (B. Bewsher leg.); Aporophyla lutulenta (D.& S.), Countess Wear, Exeter, S. Devon, 27. ix. 2002 (P. Butter leg.); Xanthia citrago ( L. ), Countess Wear, Exeter, S. Devon, 1.x. 2002 (P. Butter leg.); Dypterygia scabriuscula (L.), Buckland Brewer, Bideford, N. Devon, vii.2002 (S. Hatch leg.); and Schrankia taenialis (Hb.), Boro Wood, Ashburton, S. Devon, 3.viii.2002, and Shaugh Wood, Plymouth, S. Devon, 15. vii.2002 (P. Butter leg.). Nash, S. Immigrant moths from Durlston Head, Swanage, Dorset: Orthonama obstipata (Fabr.); Acherontia atropos (L. ), 20.x. 2002; Hippotion celerio (L.), 3 1.x. 2002; Euplagia quadripunctaria (Poda), 1 3. viii.2002; Trichoplusia ni (Hb.), 3.ix.2002; Mythimna albipuncta (D.& S.); M. vitellina (Hb.); and M. unipuncta (Hb.). Immigrant moths from Coverack, W. Cornwall: Rhodometra sacraria (L.); Orthonama obstipata (Fabr.); Mythimna vitellina (Hb.); M. unipuncta (Hb.); and Oehropleura leucogaster (Frey.), 12.x. 2002. Moths from Fernham, Berks., including: Idaea rusticata (D.& S.), 28. vii.2002; Colostygia multistrigaria (Haw.), 18.iii.2002; and Eupithecia egenaria (H.-S.), 7.vi.2002. Parsons, M. S. — An aberration of Xanthorhoe fluctuata (L.), Shaggs, Dorset, 22.viii.2002. Phillips, J. W. — A selection of moths reared or caught during the year, including: Deltote bankiana (Fabr.), Wicken Fen, Cambs.; Charissa obscurata (D.&S.), Portland, Dorset; and Spilosoma urticae (Esp.), Romney Marsh, E. Kent. Hyles livornica (Esp.), Hayling Island, S. Hants., 7. viii.2002 (J. Durnell leg.). Pickles, A. J. — On behalf of A. Butterworth, an adventive example of Chrysodeixis acuta (Walk.) which emerged from a bunch of chrysanthemums bought in Brockenhurst, S. Hants. Rouse, T. A selection of aberrant moths, including Idaea aver sat a ( L. ), Densole, E. Kent, 28. vii.2002 (Fig. 10). Softly, R. A. — A poster illustrating the recent histories of Hecatera dysodea (D.& S.) and Polymixis flavicincta (D.& S.) in the London area. Tremewan, W. G. -A melanic aberration of Idaea aversata ( L. ), Playing Place. Truro, W. Cornwall, 29. vii.2002 (Fig. 1 1). Wedd, D. -Moths taken or reared in 2001/02: Coenocalpe lapidata (Hb.); Xestia alpicola alpina (Humph. & Westw.); Coenophila subrosea (Steph.); and Sabra liarpagula (Esp.). Moths from Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, including Discoloxia blomeri (Curt.); and, at a pheromone lure, Bembecia ichneumoniformis (D.&S.). From the Channel Islands: Catoca/a electa (View.), eight specimens seen between 21.viii and 1 Fix. 2002; Scotopteryx peribolata (Hb.), common amongst gorse; and Trachea atriplicis (L.). BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 2003 165 Fig. 10. Idciea averscita, Densole, E. Kent, Fig. 11. Idaea aversata, Truro, W. Corn- 2002, T. Rouse. wall, 2002, W. G. Tremewan. Wedd, D. and Long, R. Species recently discovered, or of uncertain identification from Jersey, Channel Islands, including Pseudoterpna coronillaria (Hb.). Winter, P. Q. -Examples of Catocala fraxini (L.) bred from a female captured at Muston, S.E. Yorks., 19. ix. 2001. Wooldridge, D. B. Moths from Freshwater, Isle of Wight: Mythimna litoralis (Curt.), 1 6. vii.2002; and Cyclophora puppillaria (Hb.), 4.ix.2002. Young, D. Moths with a wetland theme from Woolhampton, Berks.: Cullimorpha dominula (L.); Hydraecici petasitis Double.; and Diachrysia chryson (Esp.). Aberrations of moths, including: Agriopis marginaria (Fab.), Tunstall, E. Suffolk, 4.iii.2002; and Atethmia centrago (Haw.), Saxmundham, E. Suffolk, 8.ix.2002. Young, M. R. -Aberrations of moths: Xanthorhoe fluctuata (L.), Malham Tarn, Mid-west York, 12.vi.2002; Perizoma didy- mata (L.), Ordiquhill, Banff, 20. viii.2002. ; Lomaspilis marginal a (L.), Dingle, N. Kerry, 19. vii.2002; and Xestia triangulum (Hufn.), Oldmeldrum, N. Aberdeen, 2. viii.2002 (Fig. 12). British Microlepidoptera Agassiz, D. J. L. -Borkhausenia minute- lla (L.), Northfleet, Kent, 17.vi.2002. Con- sidered extinct in Britain since 1966, it occurred commonly at nearby Greenhithe and Swanscombe in the 1880s and 1890s. Vitula biviella (Zell.), Northfleet, Kent. 16. vii.2002, new to VC 16. Beaumont, El. E. -Caloptilia populetorum (Zell.), Elveden Forest, West Suffolk (VC26), 13. vii.2002. No VC26 record is shown on map 104 in MBGB1 vol. 2. Argyresthia ivella (Haw.), Stainton Little Wood, Doncaster, S.W. Yorks. (VC63), disturbed from hazel 10. vii.2002. Only the second recent Yorkshire record and the first from VC63 since 1915. Isophrictis striatella (D.& S.), West Melton, Rotherham, S.W. Yorks. (VC63), 30. vii.2002. The first Yorkshire record came from the Doncaster area in 2000, this represents the second county locality. Scythris inspersella (Hb.), Allerthorpe Common, Pocklington, S.E. Yorks. (VC61), * *'4 Fig. 12. Xestia triangulum , Old Meldrum, N. Aberdeenshire, M R. Young. 166 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 24.vii.2002. A single specimen, recently identified, was taken at the same locality in 2001. Several were seen in 2002, this moth has otherwise only been recorded in Britain from N. Norfolk. New to Yorkshire. Olethreutes olivana (Treits.), Ripon Parks, Ripon, mid W. Yorks. (VC64), 15.vi.2002. There is only one previous record from VC64 and the only other Yorkshire record was from VC62 in the mid nineteenth century. Eucosma conterminana (Guen.), West Melton, Rotherham, S.E. Yorks. (VC63), 1 .vii.2002. The first VC63 and second Yorkshire record. Epermenia falciform is (Haw.), Misson Carr, Notts. (VC56), several to mv light 1 7. viii .2002. First Nottinghamshire record. Doncicaula mucronellus (D.& S.), Strensall Common, N.E. Yorks. (VC62), 27. vii.2002. There is only a single previous county record, from the same locality in 1994. Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.) Elveden Forest, West Suffolk (VC26), 14. viii. 2002. Several moths recorded at mv light, evidently resident. Bland, K. P. Species recently arrived in Edinburgh (VC83): Caloptilia azaleella (Brandts), Blackford, one at mv light 1/2. vi. 2002 (also one in 2001). Phyllonorycter leucographella (Zell.), Marchmont, reared from mines on Pyracantha cocinnea collected 12.ii.2002. Imagines emerged 29.iii.2002. Cacoecimorpha pronubana (Hiibn.), Mayfield, reared from pupae on Primus lusitanica collected 13.V.2002. Imagines emerged 16.V.2002. Epiphyas postvittana (Walk.), Blackford, one at mv light 1/2. v. 2002. Interesting incurvarioid moths taken in 2002: Adela cuprella (D. & S. ), Drumcroy Hill, Perthshire, male at Salix aurita blossom 31.V.2002. This appears to be the first record from Mid-Perthshire (VC88). Lampronia pubicornis (Haw.), Inver, Aberdeenshire (VC92) reared from pupa on Rosa sp. collected 30. v. 2002. Imago emerged 4.vi.2002. Normally a coastal species, so surprising to find it in a Highland glen. This colony was first found in 2001 by Dr. J. R. Langmaid. Clancy, S. Bisigna procerella (D.& S.), near Bethersden, Kent, two 22. vii.2002. Only known in Britain from two other Kentish localities. Nciscia cilialis (Hiibn.), Lydd, Kent, 2.vi.2001. Probably the third or fourth county record. Duponchelia fovealis Zell., New Romney, Kent, 20. ix. 2002. Loxostege sticticalis (L.), Dungeness, Kent, 3. viii. 2002. Pima boisduvaliella (Guen.), Walmer, Kent, two of several specimens reared from sea-pea pods collected 10. vii.2002. Apparently double brooded at this locality, the first confirmed breeding of this moth in Kent. Conobathra tumidana (D. & S.), Littlestone, Kent, 1 5. viii. 2002. Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.), Greatstone, Kent, 16. vii.2002 and near Bethersden, Kent, 22. vii.2002, the latter probably indicating the presence of a resident population. Clarke, J. -Palpita vitrealis (Rossi), Lamorna Cove, Cornwall. 3 1.x. 2002. Dobson, A. H. — Aglossa pinguinalis (L.), Farnham, Surrey (VC 17), 27. vii.2002, flying in a hallway of a block of flats. The wingspan measures only 20 mm. compared with a usual wingspan of 30-44 mm. Barry Goater has two continental specimens of similar size so it may be a migrant. Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Dup.), Starcross. Devon (VC3) 3.vi.2002. Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.), Tunstall Forest, Suffolk (VC25), 8. viii. 2001 & 1 8,viii .2002. Elliott, B. Hampshire: Lampronia fuscatella (Tengst.). Newton Common, two galls, one of which is atypical in that it does not occur in a fork but in the stem, rather similar to the gall of Cydia servillana (Dup.) on Salix. Digitivalva perlepidella (Staint.), North Hampshire, reared from Inula conyza. Acrolepiopsis assectella (Zell.), a locally common pest of leeks which appears to be spreading, having reached the outskirts of Southampton. Trifurcula beirnei Pupl., Hayling Island, in an area where Genista tinctoria grows in quantity. The second British record since 1935. Ancylis apicella (D.& S.), Culverley, New Forest, reared from larvae on Frangula alnus. Epinotia pygmaeana (Hiibn.), Michedever Forest. From other counties: Digitivalva pulicciriae (Klim.), Arne, Dorset, reared from Pulicaria dysenterica. Pancalia BR. J. ENT NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 167 schwarzella (Fabr.), Balmedie, Aberdeen, specimens which appeared to be associated with Viola tricolor. Epermenia insecurella (Staint.), Royston, Hertfordshire, very locally common in 2002. Gibbs, D. -Ochsenheimeria vacculella F. v. R., Flaxley Flushes, Gloucestershire 7.vii.2002; Coleophora frischella (L.), Batheaston Oxbow Nature Reserve, Somerset 18.vi.2002; Elachistci triseriatella Staint., Avon Gorge, Bristol, Somerset 6. vii .2002; Cochylis flaviciliana (Westw.), Fahee, The Barren, 27. vii. 2002; Synaphe punctalis (Fabr.), Binnegar Quarry, Dorset 22. vii. 2002. Green, D. G. — Archinemapogon yildizae Kogak, Tulloch Moor, Speyside, reared ex. bracket fungus Fomes foment arias collected 15.V.2002. Ancylis tineana (Hiibn.), Tulloch Bog, Speyside, 15.V.2002. Hall, N. M. — Argyresthia trifasciata Staud., Earley, Reading, Berkshire (VC22) 16 & 18.V.2002, two typical examples and an aberration with an incomplete inner crossline and a line branching at right angles from the middle crossline. Other examples of trifasciata were found in another garden, about a mile distant, on 17.V.2002, so although new to Berkshire, it may already be widespread in Reading. Psychoides verhuella Bruand, Fairlight Glen, Hastings Country Park, Sussex (VC 14) 4.vi.2002, reared from Asplenium scolopendrium , new to East Sussex and from Streatley, Berkshire (VC22), 12.vi.2002, also reared from Asplenium scolopendrium. The foodplant is generally uncommon in Berkshire, however it is so abundant at Streatley that it was surprising to find only one case. New to Berkshire. Psychoides filicivora (Meyr.), Earley, Reading, Berkshire (VC22) 3.vi. 1 990 reared from Asplenium ; 2. viii. 1 990 reared from Dryopteris filix-mas. New to Berkshire. The earliest attempts to find verhuella in Berkshire produced filicivora instead. It can feed on Asplenium in the spring but then must switch to other ferns such as Dryopteris filix-mas in the autumn. Duponchelia fovealis Zell., Earley, Reading, Berkshire, 14. viii. 2002, new to VC22. Tachystola acroxantha Meyr., Birmingham (VC38) at window inside house 4. viii. 2002, perhaps new to Warwickshire. Pammene ochsenheimeriana (Lien. & Zell.), Reading, Berkshire 3.iv.2002. Hart, C. Hellinsia carphodactyla (Hiibn.), Longstone Heritage Centre, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall (VC1), 22. vii. 2002 (leg. M. & W. Scott). The date of capture, falling between the two normal broods presumably represents a late spring brood specimen. New to Isles of Scilly and also to Cornwall; Ketton Quarry, Rutland (VC55), 14. ix. 2002 (leg. A. Russell, M. Skevington & A. Mackay). Another specimen, from Groby Rifle Range, Leicestershire, 31. viii. 2002 caught by A. Mackay was the first from VC55. Hawkins, R. D. Surrey: Yponomeuta cagnagella (Hiibn.), Chertsey Meads, 7. vii. 2002, seven moths on young spindle bush recently planted. Ypsolopha mucronellus (Scop.), Park Downs, Banstead, I 1.x. 2001, among dead grass; Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (Hiibn.), Colliers Wood, London, 19.vi.2002, flying indoors in heavily built up area with small gardens. Heckford, R. J . — Enteucha acetosae (Staint.), near Bolt Tail, South Devon (VC3), leaf of Rumex acetosa with several mines 5.x. 2002, locally common, new to VC3. Ischnoscia borreonella (Milliere), Berry Head, Brixham, South Devon (VC3), 28. vii. 2002 (with Dr M. R. Young). Bucculatrix nigricomella Zell., Invercauld, South Aberdeenshire (VC92) larvae grazing leaves of Leucanthemum vulgare 16.V.2002, moth reared 2.vi.2002, new to VC92. Bryotropha politella (Staint.), Devil's Elbow, East Perth (VC89) larvae among Schist idium sp. 1 5. v. 2002, larva previously unknown. Dichomeris juniper ella (L.), Rinabaich, South Aberdeenshire (VC92) full grown larvae in thick opaque tubes amongst Juniperus communis ll.v.2002, moth reared 3.vi.2002. Larva not previously recorded as overwintering in the British Isles. 168 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 Anatrachyntis bculia (Hodges), Marsh Mills, Plymouth, South Devon (VC3) larvae found in the calyces of pomegranates (Punic a granatum ) purchased 6 & 30.x and 3 & 13.xi.2001, moths reared 13 & 26. xi and 12.xii.2001. Four moths exhibited from seven specimens reared from two supermarkets in VC3 during 2001-2002. One of the pomegranates definitely, and the rest probably, originated from Spain. The species is a North American one not yet formally on the European list, but the exhibitor is aware of unpublished continental European records. The larva has not previously been recorded from pomegranate and possibly may not have been described. An adventive new to the British Isles. Aethes piercei Obr., Glen Lui, South Aberdeenshire (VC92) 3.vi.2001 (with Dr .1. R. Langmaid), new to VC92. Scoparia ambigualis (Treits.), Hembury Woods, South Devon (VC3), larva amongst Rhytidiadelphus lorens (Hedw.) Warnst. 29.iii.2002, moth reared 24. iv. 2002; Trowlesworthy Warren, South Devon (VC3) larvae amongst Polytrichum commune Hedw. 5. v. 2002, moth reared 15.vi.2002. Phycitodes maritima (Tengst.), Bruar, East Perth (VC89) several larvae amongst flower heads of Senecio jacobaea Fix. 2001, moth emerged 23. vi. 2002 (confirmed by dissection), new to VC89. Heckford, R. J. & Sterling, P. H. Bryotropha galbanella (Zell.), Old Bridge of Dee, Invercauld, South Aberdeenshire (VC92), reared from larva in the moss Dicranum scoparium collected by R. J. Heckford on 3.ix.2001, reared by P. H. Sterling, emerged 21.V.2002. Genitalia checked by R. J. Heckford. Henwood, B. P . — Phyllonorycter strigulatella (Lien. & Zell.), Parke, Bovey Tracey, South Devon (VC3), reared ex. larvae on Alnus incanct collected x.2002. Tebenna micalis (Mann), Abbotskerswell, South Devon (VC3), at mv light 16.ix.2002. Galleria mellonella (L.), Abbotskerswell, South Devon (VC3), 7. viii.2002. Enteucha acetosae ( Staint. ), Hartland Point, North Devon (VC4), reared ex. larva on Rumex acetosella collected 31. viii.2002. Celypha aurofasaciana (Haw.), Hembury Woods, South Devon (VC3), 21. vi. 2002. Olethreutes arcuella (Cl.), Hembury Woods, South Devon (VC3), 24. v. 2002 resting on bramble leaf in the evening. Schiffermul- lerina granc/is (Desv.), Hembury Woods, South Devon (VC3), 24. v. 2002 beaten from Quercus petraea. Honey, M. R . — Cameraria ohridellci Desch. & Dimic, Wimbledon Common (VC 17) vii.2002 (Fig. 13), reared ex. mines in leaves of Aesculus hippocastanum together with larval mines and a map showing the currently known distribution in the south-west London area. New to Britain. Triaxomasia caprimulgella (Staint.), Buckingham Palace grounds, London, 27. vi. 2002. Knill-Jones, S. A. Microlepidoptera from the Isle of Wight (VC10) including, from Freshwater: Cydia funebrana (Treits.), 5. vii.2002. Oxyptilus laetus (Zell.), 15. vi. 2002, new to VC10 and the 13th British specimen. Argyresthia goedartella ( L. ), 7. viii.2002, and from Cranmore, two on 26. vii.2002, only one previous record from the island. Ovendenia lienigianus (Zell.), 17. vii.2002 and recorded commonly at mv light vi-ix.2002, one at Cranmore 29. viii.2002. Cranmore: Recurvaria leucatel- la (Cl.), 26. vii.2002, new to VC 10. Oidae- matophorus lithodactyla (Treits.), 26. vii.2002. The following represent the first 'event lecoids horn the Isle of Wight. Fig. 13 Cameraria ohridella x4, Wim- Freshwater: Ypsolopha sequella (Cl.), bledon Common, Surrey, 2002, M. R. 6. x.2002 (leg. T. Rogers); Bryotropha terrella Honey. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 169 (D.& S.), 9.vi.2002; Clavigesta purdeyi (Durr.), 6. viii .2002; Cvdia janthincma ( Dup. ), 22.vii.2002. Langmaid, J. K.—Trifurcula beirnei Pupl., Hayling Island, Hampshire, flying over Genista tinctofia 2.ix.2002. Manning, D. V. — Buckinghamshire (VC24) 2002 (leg. Peter Hall). Antispilsa treitschkiella (F.v R.). Opostega salaciella (Treits.), new to VC24. Argyresthia brockeella (Hiibn.). Mompha bradleyi Reid I . McCormick, R. F. Interesting moths from Devon in 2002 (the specimens exhibited were not necessarily the ones on which the records were based): Cochylis molliculanci Zell., Berry Head, Brixham, one of two at mv light 16. viii. 2002. Pediasia contaminella (Hiibn.), 6. viii. 2002. Platytes alpinella (Hiibn.), Dawlish Warren, in good numbers at mv light 6. viii. 2002. Eudonea pallida (Curt.), Dawlish Warren, at mv light 6. viii. 2002. Diasemiopsis ramburalis (Dup.), Crownhill, Plymouth, 20. v. 2002 (leg. J. Beswetherick). Gymnancyla canella (D.&S.), Dawlish Warren, larvae abundant on Salsola kali 26. viii. 2002. Holland Wood, New Forest, Hampshire on 15.vii.2002: Morophaga chomgella (D.& S.); Calamotropha paludella (Hiibn.), three at mv light; Elophila nymphaeata (L.), a specimen with brown fore wings. Nash, S. Fernham, nr. Faringdon (VC22): Caloptilia azaeella (Brandts), 29, 30(2). vii & 7. viii. 2002, new to west VC62. Yponomeuta rorella (Hiibn.), 31.vii & 6. viii. 2002. Acleris rufana (D.& S.), 26. vii. 2002, the first VC22 record in over 100 years. Ostrinia nubilalis (Hiibn.), 8, 15 & 22. vii. 2002. Diasemiopsis ramburalis (Dup.), 6.vi.2002, the second VC22 record. Pa/pita vitrealis (Rossi), 3 1.x. 2002. Argyresthia trifasciata Staud., Highworth, nr. Swindon, Wiltshire, five beaten from cultivated juniper 23. v. 2002, new to VC7. Evergestis extimalis (Scop.), Church Norton, Pagham Harbour, West Sussex, 17. viii. 2002. Pednavounder, Coverack, Cornwall: Diase- miopsis ramburalis (Dup.), 1.x. 2002. Palpita vitrealis (Rossi), 10.x. 2002. Durlston Country Park, Swanage, Dorset: Palpita vitrealis (Rossi), 3 1.x. 2002. Conobathra tumidana (D.& S.), 3.ix.2002. Parsons, M. S.— Dorset (VC9): Phyllonorycter strigulatella (L. & Zell.), Lower Walditch, from mines collected 19. xi. 2001. Pseudatemalia flavifrontella (D.&S.), Walditch, 20. v. 2002 & l.vi.2002. Crambus silvella (Hiibn.), Shaggs, 19. viii. 2002; Evergestis limbata (L.), Shaggs, 12. viii. 2002. Euzophera bigel/a (Zell.), Bridport, larva 29. ix. 2001, imago emerged 1 .xii.200 1 ex. pomegranate. West Sussex (VC14): Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.), Rewell Wood, 4. vii. 2002. Surrey (VC 17). Cameraria ohridella Desch. & Dimic, Wimbledon, reared from mines on Aesculus hippocasta- num collected 15. vii. 2002. Moray (VC95): Caryocolum junctella (Dough), Abernethy, 3.iv.2002. Rhyacionia logaea Durr., Abernethy, 3.iv.2002. Easterness (VC96): Archinemapogon yildizae Koyak, Invertromie, reared from larvae collected 6.iv.2002. Acleris maccana (Treits.), Abernethy, 3.iv.2002. Acleris logiana (Cl.), Lynachlaggan, 3.iv.2002. Patton, S. J . — Paysandisia archon (Burmeister) (Castniidae), Bosham, Chiche- ster, West Sussex flying in the mid afternoon of 13. viii. 2002 (leg. B. & D. Stear) (Fig. 14). Originating in South America this species now appears to be established in southern Europe where its larvae are a pest of various palms. First occurrence in the British Isles, whether it is an accidental importation or immigrant is uncertain. Porter, J. A selection of forms of Acleris cristana (D. & S.), all from two adjacent Surrey localities between August and October 2002. The sample consisted of approximately 160 moths tapped on warm days from vegetation that was either close to, or of the preferred foodplant, Primus spinosa. The most frequent form was 170 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 cristanana Don. closely followed by semiustulana Curt. Good numbers of cristana D. & S., striana Haw. and desfontainanci Fabr. were re- corded but many forms stated to be frequent were not seen at all. Cam- eraria ohridella Desch. & Dimic, Wimbledon, Surrey, 1 4. viii.2002; Monochroa elongella Hein., Tils- head, Wiltshire, 17.vii.2002. Acleris permutana (Dup.), Dungeness, Kent, 15.vi.2002, reared ex larvae on Rosa pimpinellifolia. Ancylis upu- pana (Treits.), Mickleham, Surrey, 29. v. 2002. Eurrhypara hortulata (L.), Chessington, Surrey, 5.vi.2002, an aberration. ROUSE, T.- Specimens of Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.); the earliest British specimen currently known from Reinden Wood, Kent, 1 7. viii. 1995. The second British record from Samphire Hoe, Kent, 3. viii. 1997. Two specimens showing difference in size taken during the BENHS field meeting to Tunstall Forest, West Suffolk 10. viii. 2002. Sims, I. & Lopez-Vaamonde, C. — An exhibit showing some preliminary results from a DNA analysis of members of the family Psychidae compiled using the 28S ribosomal DNA gene. The results show that Luffia ferchaultella (Stephens, 1850) is genetically identical with L. lapidella (Goeze, 1783). The two should therefore be synonymised, the name lapidella having priority. Luffia ferchaultella is a parthenogenetic form of the sexually reproducing L. lapidella. The sub-family Taleporiinae appears to be the most ancestral of those studied. Data from other taxa are required to investigate this further. Sterling, P. H. — Alabonia geoffrella (L.), Puddletown, Dorset (VC9), reared from larva in dead stem of Rubus fruticosus agg. collected 21. ii. 2002, emerged 9.iv.2002. Bryotropha umbrosella (Zell.), Stokeford Heaths, Dorset (VC9), reared from larva in the moss Ceratodon purpureas collected 17.ii.2001, emerged v.2001. Dichomeris alacella (Zell.), Ashurst Wood, New Forest, Hampshire (VC 11), at rest on tree trunk 23.vii.2002. Cosmopterix. pulchrimella Chambers, Petit Bot, Guernsey, reared from larvae in mines on Parietaria judaica collected (with Peter Costen & Rich Austin) on 6.x. 2002, emerged 13 & 14.x. 2002. Archips oporana (L.), Morden, Dorset (VC9), bred ex. ova from female at mv light on 6.vii.2000 by Peter Davey, larvae reared on Abies grandis, emerged v.2001. Acleris lorquiniana (Dup.), Radipole Lake Nature Reserve, Weymouth. Dorset (VC9), reared from larvae in flowers of Lythrum salicaria collected 20. ix. 2002, emerged 15.x. 2002. Phaulernis dentella (Zell.), Fontmell Down, Dorset (VC9), reared from larvae in seeds of Chaerophyllum temulum collected 20. vii.200 1 , emerged 22. v. 2002. Wedd, D. Phyllonorycter leucographella (Zell.), Alabonia geoffrella (L.) and Pseudosciaphila branderiana (L.), moths recorded for the first time at Henley-on- Thames, Oxfordshire during 2001 or 2002. Epischnia bankesiella (Htibn.), Guernsey, C.I., 5.ix.2002 (perhaps indicating a second brood). YOUNG, D. — Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.), Tunstall Forest, East Suffolk Over thirty moths recorded during a BENHS field meeting 10/ 1 1 .viii.2002 following the recording of a few specimens in 2001. Fig. 14. Paysandisia archon x0.5, Bosham, Chichester, W. Sussex, 2002 leg. B.& D. Stear, S. J. Patton. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 171 Young, M. — Dichomeris alacella (Zell.), Doward, Herefordshire 25.vii.2002 (with Dr M. Harper). Eudonia alpina (Curt.), Glen More, Strathspey, 1 9. v. 2002 (with N. Littlewood), a low altitude locality. Foreign Lepidoptera Corley, M. F. V. 22 of the 25 species of Pyralinae recorded from Portugal were exhibited. One Hypotia species is undescribed but is now known from several West Mediterranean countries as well as Portugal. Apart from Actenici species and Endotricha flammealis D. & S. most show little variation, although some are sexually dimorphic. The life histories of many are little known. Those that are known usually have larvae living on dry or dead plant material, which may be still attached to the plant. Hypotia corticalis D. & S. is known from seedheads of Daucus and from spinnings among dead leaves on the lower parts of Santolina. Aglossa species feed on dry dung and vegetable detritus. Synaphe punctalis Fabr. feeds on moss. Newly described, undescribed and misunderstood Depressariidae from the Iberian Peninsula: (i) an undescribed species of Depressaria related to D. discipunctella H.-S. and D. veneficella Zell., found in Albarracin and the Sierra Nevada, (ii) a species of Depressaria known from the Algarve and Malaga, which is probably undescribed. Only females are known at present, (iii) Agonopterix rigide/la Chret., described from material reared from Bupleurum rigidum in the South of France. Recent works have treated it as a junior synonym of A. fruticosella Wals., which feeds on the shrubby Bupleurum fruticosum. The specimens displayed as A. ?rigidella were reared from Bupleurum rigidum in the Algarve. They differ from A. fruticosella Wals. in size, forewing appearance, female genitalia and in the larvae. The male genitalia of A. fruticosella have still to be examined and have not yet been figured in any published work, (iv) Agonopterix mendesi Corley and Depressaria Cinderella Corley, described recently based on Portuguese specimens, reared respectively from Centciurea sphaerocephala on the west coast of Algarve and from Conopodium capillifolium in the Serra de Sao Mamede in east central Portugal. Hall, N. M. — Moths from Spain: (i) Ochropleura flammatra D.& S., males and females, Puerto de los Blancares, Granada, 1 Fix. 2002. Fibiger ( Noctuidae Europeae f) did not discuss sexual differences. Bretherton in MOGBI states ‘thorax with prominent collar, in male black, in female suffused grey’ — which appears to be wrong as both sexes have black collars. At first sight both sexes appear to have fine antennae, but through a lens one can see that the male’s antennae are slightly pectinated and the female’s are not. NMH has been unable to obtain fertile eggs from flammatra females despite trying for three consecutive years, (ii) Agrotis sctbulosa Ramb. and Cerocala scapulosa Hb., Matalascanas, Huelva, 4.ix.2002. These are two well known local species that occur in Huelva Province. Emergence date ranges of Spanish Lepidoptera are sometimes not well known because there are relatively few Spanish field entomologists — and non-Spaniards working in Spain are often looking for particular species at times when they are already known to occur. Fibiger ( Noctuidae Europeae f) says that sabulosa comes to light in June & July, but this is presumably an error since his illustrations are of specimens caught on 2 Fix. 1981 and 2.x. 1981. Calle ( Noctuidos Espanoles) says that there is one autumnal generation in October. NMH believes that his specimens taken on 4.ix.2002 were about a month earlier than expected. Similarly, Calle states that scapulosa occurs in the spring, but it appears to be just as common in the autumn, (iii) ? Agrotis syricola Berio, Cala Medio Luna, Parque Natural Cabo de Gata, Almeria 8.x. 2000. When 172 BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 collected they looked as though they were a different species from Agrotis puta Hb., which was also present. They could be Agrotis syricola Berio, which is known from Italy, and can be distinguished from pitta by the shining white hindwings and reputedly by the markings on the head, (iv) Anthracia ephialtes Hb., Barranco de las Aguilas, Parque Natural Cabo de Gata, Almeria, 7.ix.2002, a closely related species to Amphipyrci pyramided Linn, (v) Euxoa abdallah Ob., Puerto de los Blancares, Granada, 5.ix.2002. (vi) Cryphia simulatricula Guen., Puerto de los Blancares, Granada, 1 l.ix.2002. (vii) Agrotis ripae Hb., Punta Umbria, Huelva, l.ix.2002. (viii) Agrotis crassa Hb., 2 females, Puerto de los Blancares, Granada, 5.ix.2002, with ‘spectacular’ abdomens. The ‘stripy’ abdomens of crassa are one of their most distinctive field characters— but the very sharply defined black and white stripes on these particular specimens were extraordinary. The moths were almost certainly crassa, but crassa is largely replaced by Agrotis lata Treits. as one moves south through Spain — and the females are not so easy to distinguish as the males, (ix) Autophila cataphanes Hb., Autophila dilucida Hb. & ? Rheumaptera gudarica Dufay, Cave at Embalse de la Pena, Zaragoza, 16.ix.2002. These moths were found in an unfinished abandoned tunnel, cut for about 30m into a rock face. Some moths habitually enter tunnels and caves for aestivation or hibernation. NMH usually finds at least ten (total) of the two noctuids cataphanes and dilucida in this particular tunnel, which he has visited in most months from May to October, but Rheumaptera species are found there less often, (x) Microloxia herbaria Hb., 1 male, 1 female, Cala Bordonares, Almeria, 8.ix.2002. Hausmann ( Geometrid Moths of Europe 1) describes only one Microloxia species for Europe, but in Spain NMH finds two very different forms, which look like different species. This year, both forms were found at the same locality on the same night, but unfortu- nately they were of different sexes so the genitalia could not be directly compared. (xi) Crocallis dcirdoinaria Donzel, Puerto de los Blancares, Granada, 5.ix.2002. These included some colour forms NMH had not previously encountered. Some females were retained for breeding, (xii) Coscinia cribrar- ia Linn., Puerto de los Blancares, Granada, 5.ix.2002 and Coscinia benderi Marten, Punta Umbria, Huelva, 31 .viiU3.ix.2002 (Fig. 15). Are they the same species? Gomez Bustillo ( Mariposas de la Peninsula Iberica, Vol IV , 1979) treated benderi as a separate species and said (1) that it occurs only in Huelva province, (2) that the larvae have yellow legs unlike cribraria where the legs are black and (3) the larvae feed exclusively on a single Cistus species, de Freina & Witt ( die Bombvces and Sphinges der Westpcilaearktis , 1987) treated it as a form of cribraria , and Karsholt & Razowski (The Lepidoptera of Europe, 1996) listed it as a separate species. Gomez Bustillo, 1979 says “Recently, the specialist H. de Toulguet, after studying a series of benderi of both sexes, and examples of the sympatric Coscinia cribraria chrysocephala Hb., came to the conclusion — as much from the external morphology as from the genitalia of both taxa that benderi can be treated only as a recessive mutation of C. c. chrysocephala, occurring at low density, appearing from year to year in irregular proportion". In Huelva province NMH saw four benderi over four nights and no cribraria, which is not what he would expect if two uncommon Fig. 15. Coscinia benderi xl.25, Punta Umbria, Huelva, Spain, 2002. N. M. Hall HR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 173 recessive genes were needed to produce benderi. However, bender i is clearly either a true species or is in the process of becoming one and the latter possibility is perhaps the more interesting. If a recessive gene is really involved, perhaps the corresponding dominant gene is ‘dying out’ locally because the recessive gene produces ‘fitter’ individuals in this special environment, e.g. it might allow the larvae to feed on Cistus efficiently. Many examples are known where the possession of a single recessive gene can confer a local advantage (e.g the sickle cell gene in man in the presence of malaria), but they are usually well known because the double recessive is lethal. When the double recessive is also locally advantageous, two species could evolve from one without the need for geographical isolation. Specimens bred from gravid females caught in Spain and the Canary Islands: (i) Idaea lutulentaria Stdgr, Puerto de la Mora, Granada. Female collected 13.vii.2001. F,: 1 on 4. i.— 28.iii.2002. (ii) Idaea carvalhoi Herb., Puerto de la Mora, Granada. Female collected 1 2. vii.200 1 . F,: 1 on 24. vi. 2002. (iii) Idaea saleri Dom. & Baix., L'Hospitalet del Infant, Tarragona. Female collected 3 1 . vi.200 1 . F , : 2.x.-26.xi.2001 . (iv) Idaea lusohispanica Herb. Puerto de la Mora, Granada. Female collected 12.vii.2001. F,: 1 5. xi. 2001-23. ii. 2002. (v) Idaea laevigata Scop., Oliva Beach Apartments, Fuerteventura. Female collected iv.2002. Fp 8.vii.— 3 1 .vii.2002. (vi) Idaea deversaria H.-S., Puerto de la Mora, Granada. Female collected 1 2. vii.200 1 . Fp 1 l.v.-l. vii.2002. (vii) ?Idaea longaria H.-S. (could be Idaea abnorma Pinker), Oliva Beach Apts, Fuerteventura. Female collected iv.2002. Fp l.vii.-13.vii.2002. (viii) Idaea obsoletaria Ramb., L'Hospitalet del Infant, Tarragona. Female collected 30. vi. 2001. Fp 29. v.-l .vii.2002. (ix) Idaea infirmaria Ramb., L’Hospitalet del Infant, Tarragona. Female collected 1. vii. 2001. Fp 2 on 18.x. 2001. Female collected 30.vi.2001. Fp 1 4. vi.— 1 0. viii.2002. (x) Scapula guancharia Alpheraky, Oliva Beach Apts, Fuerteventura. Female collected 27. xi. 2001. Fp 2 on 9 iv.2002. Panclesma robusta Walk., Oliva Beach Apts, Fuerteventura. Bred. Larva collected iv.2002, emerged 22. v. 2002 Martin, G. — Some Sphingidae from Las Cuevas Research Station, Chiquibul National Park, Belize. 62 species of Sphingidae were recorded between 25. vi and 8. viii. 2002, including three species new to Belize. An ‘Umbrella trap’ was used instead of the usual sheet and bulb, producing spectacular results. The ‘Umbrella trap’ consisted of a 2 metre pole hammered firmly into the ground with an open golfing size umbrella on top, attached with brown packing tape. A large net curtain, stapled together to form a tube, was placed over the umbrella with the top of the tube being stapled to the edge of the umbrella. Two mv bulbs were suspended by their wires from the umbrella vanes, making sure that the bulbs were firmly secured and not touching any part of the net curtain or umbrella. The bottom of the net curtain tube was kept taut by placing rocks on it. The tube is effectively sealed and any Lepidoptera attracted remain on the outside of the net curtain. There are several advantages to this method: (i) light bulbs are safe from rain damage; (ii) recorders can walk round the trap rather than having to go behind a sheet and recover specimens; (iii) specimens tend to either stay put on the net curtain or circle it making collection of specimens easy; (iv) the circular design provides 360 illumination of the surrounding forest. The following species were collected (nomenclature following Kitching & Cadiou (2000), Hawkmoths of the world: an annotated and illustrated revisionarv checklist)-. Species new to Belize: Manduca barnesi Clark, Stolidoptera tachasara Druce, Hvles lineata Fabr. Others: Protambulyx eurycles H.-S., P. strigilis Linn., Adhemarius 174 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 gcmnascus Stoll, A. ypsilon Roths. & Jord., Manduca albiplaga Walk., M. dilucida Edwards, M . fiorestan Cramer, M. hannibal Cramer, M. lanuginosa Edw., M. lefeburii Guerin-Meneville, M. muscosa Roths. & Jord., M. occulta Roths. & Jord., M. rustica Fabr., M. schausi Clark, Neococytius cluentius Cramer, Cocytius duponchel Poey, C. lucifer Roths. & Jord., Cautethia spuria Boisd., P achy gonidia ficus Linn., P. syces Hb., Enyo gorgon Cramer, E. ocypete Linn., Aleuron chloropterum Perty, Callionima falcifera Gehlen, C. nomius Walk., C. parce Fabr., Madoryx bubastus Cramer, M. oiclus Cramer, M. plutonius Fabr., Pachylioides resumens Walk., Hemeroplcines triptolemus Cramer, Nyceryx riscus Schaus, Perigonia i/us Boisd., P. lusca Fabr., Pseudosphinx tetrio Linn., Isognathus rimosa Grote, Erinnyis cramer i Schaus, E. ello Linn., E. obscura Fabr., E. oenotrus Cramer, E. yucatana Druce, Eumorpha anchemolus Cramer, E. labruscae Linn., E. satellitia Linn., E. triangulum Roths. & Jord., E. vitis Linn., Xylophones anubus Cramer, X. belti Druce, X . ceratomioides Grote & Robinson, X. chiron Drury, X. cyrene Druce, X. libya Druce, X. neoptolemus Cramer, X. pinto Fabr., X.porcus Hb., X. thyelia Linn., X. titana Druce, X. turbata Edw., X. tyndarus Boisd. Masters, I. D. — Moths from the Dominican Republic, 3-13.viii.2002. The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles with the Republic of Haiti. All specimens are from the southeastern coastal location of El Cortecito, a district of Bavaro, Punta Cana in La Altagracia Province. The following species, all taken at light, had been identified: Sphingidae; Manduca sexto jamaicensis Butl., 1 1 .viii.2002; Eumorpha vitis Linn., 13.viii.2002; Pachylioides resumens Walk., 1 1 .viii.2002; Erinnyis ello Linn, (male and female), 1 1 .viii.2002; Xylophones pluto Fabr., 12. viii.2002; Perigonia lusca Fabr., 12. viii.2002; Perigonia manni Clark, 12. viii.2002. Noctuidae: Ascalapha odorata Linn, (male and female), 1 1 .viii.2002. Pyralidae: Palpita vitrealis Rossi, 12. viii.2002. Pickles, A. J. — Some Lepidoptera from Iceland. From 20-28. vii. 2002 AJP was privileged to take part in a trek in Iceland on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Research. The party trekked from Mount Hekla south to the Thorsmork Valley and Gigjokull Glacier via Landmannahellir, Landmannalaugar and the Markarfljot Canyon. Because of the nature of the trek, AJP was only able to take a few boxes and tubes and had no opportunity to deviate from the route, and the weather was bad for much of the time. As a result very few Lepidoptera were encountered. Five species were displayed: (i) Eana osseana Scop, was seen at Mount Hekla, at the hot springs at Landmannalaugar, and flying in rain at Thorsmork. (ii) Pyla fusca Haw. This species was abundant in several barren areas where it rested on the black volcanic ground in much the same way as it rests on burned ground in, for example, the New Forest, (iii) Stenoptilia islandicus Stdgr. recorded from the lower slopes of Mount Hekla in an area of barren volcanic lava overlaid with dust from the recent eruption in 2000. There were very few colonising plants and AJP was not able to determine which saxifrage it was associated with. The species is reportedly common around hot springs but none was found at the hot pools at Landmannalaugar. (iv) Xanthorhoe decoloraria Esp. = munitata Hb. ssp. arcticaria Keferstein. About thirty specimens were encountered along a river bank at Landmannahellir -all at rest or making sporadic short flights around 23.00 h. A wide range of variation was exhibited, which seemed marginally different from that encountered in Scotland. Wolff (1971) does not believe the population justifies sub- specific status. Scottish and Lakeland specimens of the nominate subspecies were shown for comparison, (v) Apamea zeta Treits. ssp. exults Lefeb. This was the only noctuid caught and was flying to isolated Silene plants in a rocky defile of the Hrafntinnusker Valley at 13.00 h. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 175 There was no darkness at this time of year and only four other noctuids were seen, all flying very high in the period around midnight. Wine ropes were improvised on one occasion but nothing was attracted. Plant, C. W. — (1) Some macromoths recorded at light from mountains in south- west Bulgaria, 22-27. v. 2002 by Colin Plant, Duncan Fraser and Lance Gorman. A detailed account of the trip is being prepared for publication in the Entomologist's Record & Journal of Variation. The following species were recorded (nomenclature follows the 1996 European Checklist by Karsholt & Razowski): Sesiidae: Chamaesphecia hungariea Tomala. Cossidae: Parahvpopta caestrum Fib., Dyspessa salicicola Eversm., Dyspessa alula Borkh. Pyralidae: Synaphe moldavica Esp., Synaphe antennalis Fabr., Pempelia palumbella D.& S., Ancylosis cinnamomella Dup., Xanthocrambus saxonellus Zinck., Chrysocrambus craterella Scop., Thisanotia chrysoneuchella Scop., Evergestis frumentalis Linn. ssp. asiaticalis Rag., Evergestis aenealis D.& S., Loxostege virescalis Guen., Loxostege deliblatica Szenl- Ivany & Uhrik-Meszaros = huebneri Kogak, Ecpyrrhorrhoe rubiginalis Hb., Pyrausta sanguinalis Linn., Pyrausta casta l is Treit. Lasiocampidae: Odonestis pruni Linn. Sphingidae: Marumba quercus D.& S., Rhetera komarovi Christ, ssp. drilon Rebel & Zerny (Fig. 16), 6858 Hvles vesper tilio Esp., Geometridae: Stegania trimaculata Vill., Stegania dilectaria Hb., Heliomata glarearia D.& S., Tephrina mur inaria D.&S., Neognopharmia stevenaria Boisd., Eilicrinia cor diaria Hb., Nychiodes dalmatina Wagner, Synopsia sociaria D. & S., Peribatodes umbraria Hb., Epirranthis diver sata D. & S., Antonechloris smaragdaria Fabr., Chlorissa etruscaria Zell., Microloxia herbaria Hb., Idaea ostrinaria Hb., Horisme corticata Treits., Notodontidae: Rhegmatophila alpina Bellier ssp. osmana Friedel, Harpyia milhauseri Fabr., Spat alia Argentina D. & S. Noctuidae: Acronicta orientalis Mann, Idici calvaria D. & S., Minucia lunaris Bartel, Dysgonia algira Linn., Prodotis stolida Fabr., Drasteria cailino Lefeb., Lygephila craccae D. & S., Catephia alchymista D.& S., Aedia leucomelas Linn., Gonospileia triquetra D.& S., Zethes insularis Ramb., Schinia scutosa D. & S., Apaustis rupicola D.& S., Pseudoxestia apfelbecki Rebel, Actinotia radiosa Esp., Dicycla oo Linn., Cosmia confabs H.-S., Lithophane merckii Ramb., Hecaterci cappa Hb., Hadena magnolii Boisd., Sideridis Fig. 16. Rhetera komarovi ssp. drilon. Struma Valley, Bulgaria, 2002, C. W. Plant 176 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 lampra Schaw., Mythimna andereggii Boisd., ssp. pseudocomma Rebel, Pachetra sagittigera Hufn. Lymantriidae: Parocneria terebinthi Freyer. Nolidae: Meganola gigantula Stdgr, Earias vernana Fabr. Arctiidae: Setina roscidci D.& S., Amata phegea Linn., Amata kruegeri Ragusa (Fig. 17), Watsonarctia casta Esp. = desert a Bartel. (2) The three European ‘Lesser Broad- bordered Yellow Underwings’. (i) The British ‘Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing’ is correctly known as Noctua janthe (Borkhausen) and occurs widely and commonly in western and central Europe including southern Scandinavia, but is absent from the former Soviet states in the east and from the Balkan Peninsula, (ii) Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing, Noctua janthina (D. & S.) has occurred only once in Britain, in Hampshire, and is generally restricted to southern and eastern Europe, occurring only in Spain, southern France and Italy in the west. It replaces janthe in the Balkans, (iii) Noctua tertia von Mentzer, Moberg & Fibiger was not recognised as a separate species until 1991. It is an overlooked species of Mediterranean-Asiatic origin, known from Greece, Macedonia and Bulgaria in Europe and only from Turkey and Iran outside. CWP exhibited a series of N. janthe alongside a series of N. janthina , all from the Department of Tarn in south-west France viii.2002, and a single female N. tertia from the Macedonian border area of Bulgaria v.2002. N. tertia was strikingly larger than the other two species and the French N. janthina were distinctly smaller than both the other species, though this was an autumn generation and the example of tertia was collected in the spring. The examples of N. janthina were far less striking than the Hampshire specimen, the origin of which is unknown, and it was for this reason that these examples had been exhibited. Separation of set specimens: in janthina the black band on the upper surface of the hindwing reaches the edge of the wing at the apex, whereas in both janthe and tertia the border of the hindwing on the upper surface is entirely yellow. In specimens with wings set well forwards, the hindwing costa (upperside) is always black in janthina and tertia , but is always at least partially yellow in janthe ; this is a character that simply cannot be seen if the forewings overlap the hindwings and should be noted during setting. The black area of the underside of the forewing contrasts strongly with the paler areas in janthe and tertia, but in janthina the pale area is less clearly separated or totally obscured. In both tertia -and janthina, the black extends beyond the sub-terminal line and is diffuse on the outer edge; in janthe the black ends abruptly at the sub-terminal line usually as a series of small ‘fingers’. Recognition of janthina should not present any problem; separation of tertia and janthe in areas where they may overlap in range is likely to be more of a problem. The genitalia have few distinguishing features of use. Field recognition: in flight around a moth trap N. janthina is distinguishable from N. janthe extremely easily since the hindwings appear as black with a yellow spot whilst those of janthe appear bright yellow with a black border. Once seen, this difference is very obvious. At a vertical sheet in the south-west of France during August 2002, N. janthina settled fairly rapidly and was reluctant to fly again, whereas Fig. 17. Amata kruegeri. Kozhnh. Bulgar- ia, 2002, C. W. Plant BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 177 /V. jam he fluttered and bashed about for ages before settling and readily took oil again if the sheet was accidentally knocked. No field observations were made on the single example of N. tertia. (3) The European ‘Spectacle’ Moths: Abrostola spp.: there are four species of the noctuid genus Abrostola in Europe, though only two are currently known from Britain. As species extend their ranges as a consequence of planetary climate change the possibility of other European species occurring in Britain should not be overlooked. The four European species were presented for comparison, together with illustrations of the male genitalia. The characters of the clavus and associated region of the valvae can be seen very easily with a hand lens if specimens have the genitalia splayed during setting. The characters of the aedeagus are very distinct and should be used for problem specimens. To avoid confusion between the two current British species, whose names have been interchanged several times, the English name was also given: (i) Abrostola tripartita (Hufn.), the Spectacle or Light Spectacle, occurs commonly across all of Europe, (ii) A. triplasia (Linn.), the Dark Spectacle, occurs commonly across all of Europe, (iii) A. agnorista Dufay is principally found in eastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula (Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, former Yugoslavia, Rumania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece), but is also recorded from France, (iv) A. asclepiadis (D.& S.) occurs commonly across all of Europe, including France, Belgium and Germany as well as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, but not yet in Britain, Ireland, Holland or Luxembourg. Surely a candidate for arrival in Britain in due course? Diptera Albertini, M. V. — Ctenophora ornata Meig. (Tipulidae) (Fig. 18) found at Langley Park (TQ0082), near Slough, Bucks, VC 24. Langley Park contains many old oak trees and this RDB1 saproxylic cranefly turned up on one of the moth sheets during an unsuccessful search for the Heart moth. This is the first record for Bucks, but Windsor Forest is a known site for the species and here it also turned up at mercury vapour lamps during a Heart moth survey. Ceiandler, P. J. — Galls and larvae of Agathomvia wankowiczii (Schnabl) (Platypezidae): a galled bracket of the fungus Ganoderma applanatum and photographs of such brackets in situ on a dead poplar Populus nigra trunk at Bressingham, Norfolk, 9.x. 2002. This year’s galls were present on the new pore surface, which had not completely covered the vacated galls on last year’s pore surface. Also exhibited were some larvae that had emerged from this bracket and a Danish specimen of the adult fly. The Norfolk site was visited en route to the Dipterists Forum autumn field meeting, following a report of its presence there in February 2002 during a bryological field meeting. The galled brackets were present on both the standing and fallen parts of a trunk that had snapped off at about 2m from the ground during the 1987 gale. The standing trunk had live brackets with this Fig. 18. Ctenophora ornata Langley Park, Slough, Bucks, M. Albertini. 178 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16 2003 year's galls on the lower part, the galls being apparent on the fresh white pore surface; the upper part bore old dead brackets, all covered by vacated galls. The fallen part of the trunk also bore brackets covered with fresh galls. Each gall contains one larva, which leaves through an exit hole to pupate in the soil. It is new to East Anglia but is now widespread in Kent and known from sites in Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, Middlesex and one in Cheshire, having first been recorded in Britain at Wisley in 1990 by Brian Spooner. It may have arrived from the continent in the 1980s. A male and female from Stanmore Common, Middlesex exhibited in 2000 by John Dobson are still the only adult flies found in Britain. The perennial brackets of this fungus are conspicuous on dead wood of many trees and since the galls are also conspicuous it should be easy to record any further spread. The Norfolk occurrence may represent a separate introduction of the species to this country to that in the south east Dickson, R. Two species of Syrphidae collected in 2002: Ca/licera aurata Rossi, Common Meadow (SU5810), S. Hants, VC 1 1, 28. vii, sunning itself on low herbage in a small area of unimproved herb-rich wet pasture but likely to have developed in a rot hole in the adjacent broad-leaved copse; Xanthandrus comtus (Harris), Swanwick Nature Reserve (SU5010), S. Hants, VC 11,1 l.vi, at Rosa flowers — this species was found in reasonable numbers and on several dates, mostly at Rosa blossom. Gibbs, D. J. Miscellaneous Diptera collected in 2002: Ctmophora pectinicornis (L.) (Tipulidae), Shortwood, Gloucs, VC 33 (SO8308), 1 2. vi; Gonomyia conoviensis Barnes (Limoniidae), Culverhole Point, Devon, VC 3 (SY2789), 16. vii; Leptomor- phus walkeri Curtis (Mycetophilidae), Lancaunt Nature Reserve, Gloucs, VC 34 (ST5496), 5.ix; Atrichops crassipes (Meig.) (Athericidae), Lord’s Wood, Somerset, VC 6 (ST6363), l.viii; Oxycera terminata Meig. (Stratiomyidae), Lord's Wood, Somerset, VC 6 (ST6363), 25. vi; Orthoceratium lacustre (Scop.) (Dolichopodidae), Lancaunt Nature Reserve, Gloucs, VC 34 (ST5496), 5.ix; Rhaphium micans (Meig.) (Dolichopodidae), Binnegar Quarry, Dorset, VC 9 (SY8788), 21. vii; Ca/licera aurata (Rossi) (Syrphidae), Shortwood, Gloucs, VC 33 (SO8308), 27. vi; Rhingia rostrata (L.) (Syrphidae), Lancaunt Nature Reserve, Gloucs, VC 34 (ST5396), 5.ix and Scotland Bank, Woodchester Park, Gloucs, VC 34 (S08300), 2. viii; Xylota florum (L.) (Syrphidae), Lord’s Wood, Somerset, VC 6 (ST6363), 25. vi; Herina oscillans (Meig.) (Ulidiidae), Culverhole Point, Devon, VC 3 (SY2789), 5. vii; Urophora cuspidata (Meig.) (Tephritidae), Watts Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust ( BBOWT) Reserve (White Shute), Berks, VC 22 (SU3377), 11. vii; Dicraeus scibilis Collin (Chloropidae), Max Bog, Somerset, VC 6 (ST4057), 24. vi; Botanophila lobata (Collin) (Anthomyiidae), Max Bog, Somerset, VC 6 (ST4057), l.vi; Eustalomyia hilaris (Pall.) (Anthomyiidae), Inkpen Common, Berks, VC 22 (SU3864), 28. vi; Metopia staegerii Rond. (Sarcophagi- dae), Binnegar Quarry, Dorset, VC 9 (SY8887), 15. vi; Cylindromyia brass icar ia (P.) (Tachinidae), Binnegar Quarry, Dorset, VC 9 (SY8887), 22. vii; Chrysosomopsis aurata (Pall.) (Tachinidae) (Pig. 19), Scotland Bank, Wood- chester Park, Gloucs, VC 34 (S08300), second British record, 2. viii; Paracraspedothrix mon- tivaga Villeneuve (Tachinidae), Watts BBOWT Reserve (White Shute), Berks, VC 22 (SU3377), 11. vii. Fig. 19. Chrysosomopsis aurata x 2, Woodchester Park, Gloucs, 2002, D. J. Gibbs. BR. J. F.NT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 179 Halstead, A. J.— Some scarce or local Diptera collected in 2002: Solvu marginata (Meig.) (Xylomyidae), Thorpe Hay Meadow, near Thorpe, Surrey (rQ030701), swept, lO.viii; Neopachygaster meromelas (Dufour) (Stratiomyidae), RHS Garden, Wisley, Surrey (TQ063591), riverbank wildlife area, swept, 26. vii; Odontomyia tigrina (F.) (Stratiomyidae), Papercourt Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey (TQ034562), swept, 8.vi; Siratiomys potamida Meig. (Stratiomyidae), Margy Pond, West End Common, near Esher, Surrey (TQ 126637), swept, 21. vii; Medetera grisescens Meig. (Dolichopodidae), RHS Garden, Wisley, Surrey (TQ064580), in heated glasshouse, 14.ii, new to Britain, determined by C. E. Dyte; Neoascia internipta (Meig.) (Syrphidae), Papercourt Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey (TQ034562), swept, 1 6. vi; Platycheirus occultus Goeldlin (Syrphidae), Papercourt Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey (TQ034562), swept, 1 6. vi; Sphaerophoria rueppellii (Wied.) (Syrphidae), Papercourt Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey (TQ034562), swept, 12.v; Myopa strandi Duda (Conopidae), Papercourt Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey (TQ034562), swept, 27. iv; Melieria omissa (Meig.) (Ulidiidae), Papercourt Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey (TQ034562), swept, 29. vi; Acinia corniculata (Zett.) (Tephritidae), Thorpe Hay Meadow, near Thorpe, Surrey (TQ030701), swept, female 28. vii and male lO.viii; Euphranta toxoneura (Wied.), (Tephritidae), Papercourt Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey (TQ034562), swept, 12.v; Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) (Tephritidae), reared from larvae in fruit of apple imported from Portugal, emerged 1 4. viii; Crataerina pallida (Latr.) (Hippoboscidae), Wallington, Surrey (TQ296640), on Mrs J. Spencley, 24. vi; Gymnosoma rotundatum (L.) (Tachinidae), RHS Garden, Wisley, Surrey (TQ063580), in poly tunnel, 5. viii. Hawkins, R. D. — Some flies from Surrey (VC 17) collected in 2002. From Ashtead Common: Rhingia rostrata (L.) (Syrphidae), 13.vi at flowers of Iris pseudacorus ; Chrysotoxum verralli Collin (Syrphidae), 13. vii in long grass by tree fallen over stream. From Effingham Common: Callicera aurata Rossi (Syrphidae), 28. viii, male on Rubus leaf at edge of woodland; Myopites inulaedysentericae Blot (Tephritidae), 27. vii on flowers of Pulicaria dysenterica\ Merzomyia westermanni (Meig.) (Tephritidae), 27. vii, 2 males on P. dysenterica flowers and 28. viii, female on leaf of Senecio erucifolius; Phasia obesa (F.) (Tachinidae), 11. viii, male and female swept from long grass. From Brook, near Witley: Subclytia rotundiventris (Fall.) (Tachinidae), 22. ix, on bushes at roadside. Hodge. P. J. — Syntormon silvianum Parvu (Dolichopodidae), a species that has been confused with S. monile (Haliday in Walker), Martins Wood, Ightham Mote, W. Kent (TQ5753), 1 3.vi . 1 990, 1 male; Petworth Park, W. Sussex (SU9523), 8. vi. 1 988, 1 male; Par Brook, Billingshurst, W. Sussex (TQ081249), 1 male, 1 female. Exhibited for comparison were two males of S. monile , Hatchet Pond, New Forest, S. Hants (SU368014), 1 4/ 1 5.vii. 1 990. Knight, G. — Species found during a survey on behalf of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust in 2002: Hercostomus angustifrons (Staeger) (Dolichopodidae), birch scrub at Drumburgh Moss, on the Solway Firth; Rhampkomyia curvula (Frey) (Empididae), Drumburgh Moss; Criorhina floccosa (Meig.) and C. ranunculi Panz. (Syrphidae), both from Hutton Roof Crags. Morris, R. & Ball, S. The status and distribution of Volucella zonaria (Poda) and V. inanis (L.) (Syrphidae) in Britain. Further to two papers on these species, to be published in this journal, graphs and distribution maps for both species were presented. Current evidence suggests that both species have exhibited further expansions in their ranges in 2002, but early indications are that both were much scarcer in that year than previously. New and detailed records were requested and it 180 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 was indicated that there were proposals to develop an interactive Web site to track their changing distribution. Parker, M.-— A number of rare and local species collected in 2002: Chorisops nagatomii Rozkosny (Stratiomyidae), Higher Hyde Dorset Wildlife Trust Reserve, Dorset (SY8590), 21.vii, male and female swept from Salix; Odontomyia ornata (Meig.) (Stratiomyidae), West Sedgemoor RSPB Reserve, Somerset (ST3726), 29. vi, female swept from meadowland; Villa cingulata (Meig.) (Bombyliidae), Warburg BBOWT Reserve, Bix Bottom, Oxon (SU7 18882), 6.vii, male basking on low vegetation; Thereva bipunctata Meig. (Therevidae), west of Borgh, Isle of Berneray, North Uist, Western Isles (NF892808), 8. viii, male swept from a sand dune; Brachypalpus laphriformis (Fall.) (Syrphidae), Girdler’s Coppice Dorset Wildlife Trust Reserve, Dorset (ST797134), 4.v, male at Crataegus monogyna flowers; Cheilosia barbata Loew (Syrphidae), Warburg BBOWT Reserve, Bix Bottom, Oxon (SU7 18882), 6. vii, a male and female at umbel flowers; C. griseiventris Loew (Syrphidae), Scrubbity Burrows, Cranbourne Chase, Dorset (ST9717), 18.v, female swept from a chalk grassland clearing within woodland; C. latifrons (Zett.) (Syrphidae), west of Borgh, Isle of Berneray, North Uist, Western Isles (NF892808), 8. viii, male swept from a sand dune; C. soror (Zett.) (Syrphidae), Warmwell Heath, Dorset (SY755872), 24. viii, one male swept from a large area of chalk deposits adjacent to the site; Criorhina asilica (Fall.) (Syrphidae), Scrubbity Burrows, Cranbourne Chase, Dorset (ST9717), 18.v, male at Crataegus monogyna flowers; Microdon mutabilis (L.) (Syrphidae), Moyree Common, County Clare, Ireland (R3689), 30. v, female resting on an area of limestone pavement; Neoascia geniculata (Meig.) (Syrphidae), West Sedgemoor RSPB Reserve, Somerset (ST3726), 29. vi, male swept from meadowland; Paragus constrictus Simic (Syrphidae), Carrowkeel, County Clare, Ireland (R3688), 27. v, a pair in copula ; Xanthandrus comtus (Harris) (Syrphidae), Arinambane, Loch Eynort, South Uist, Western Isles (NF794285), 6. viii, female caught resting on Fuchsia magel/anica in a small patch of non-native woodland; Thecophora fulvipes R.-D. (Conopidae), Warburg BBOWT Reserve, Bix Bottom, Oxon (SU718882), 6. vii, male caught on low vegetation. Perry, I. — A selection of uncommon Diptera found during 2002: Dolichopus agilis Meig. (Dolichopodidae), Ramparts Field, Suffolk, 18. vii, a male swept from dry grassy heath; Poecilobothrus ducalis (Loew) (Dolichopodidae), Orford, Suffolk. 13. viii, a male at edge of a brackish ditch; Agathomyia cinerea (Zett.) (Platypezidae), The Kings Forest, Suffolk, 25. ix, both sexes swept from ferns in Betula woodland, with females especially numerous and also found in a Pinus plantation elsewhere at the site; A. woodella Chandler (Platypezidae), The Kings Forest, Suffolk, 3.x, a female in Alnus carr and Wayland Wood, Norfolk, 13.x, a female swept from ancient deciduous woodland (both species were new to East Anglia); Notiphila annulipes Sten. (Ephydridae), Loch Garten, Easterness, 23. vi, swept from Carex at edge of loch; N. subnigra Krivosheina (Ephydridae), 23. vi, swept from Carex at edge of loch, first confirmed record from Scotland, as previous records had been based on females; N. guttiventris Sten. (Ephydridae), Wicken Fen, Cambs, 24. vii, swept from emergent vegetation in a ditch; N. umbrosa Drake (Ephydridae), Orford, Suffolk, 22. vii and 13. viii, single males in brackish ditch; Eustalomyia hilaris (Fall.) (Anlhomyiidae), Wimpole Hall, Cambs, 7. viii, a female on a decrepit lime (Tilia species) tree in parkland; Leucophora sericea (R.-D.) (Anthomyiidae), The Kings Forest, Suffolk, a male swept from chalk heath; Fannia ringhdahlana Coll. (Fanniidae), The Kings Forest, Suffolk, 28. vii, amongst numerous other Diptera sheltering at the edge of damp Alims carr, during a period of hot dry weather; Lophosia fasciata Meig. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 181 (Tachinidae) (Fig. 20), East Wretham Heath, Norfolk, 20. vii, a male on an oak (Quercus sp.) tree in heathland. Smith, M. N. — Two uncommon species collected in 2002: Atylotus nisticus (L.) (Tachi- nidae), 19. vii, Marsh Gibbon, Oxon (SP6420), a single male dislodged while sweeping bankside vegetation, the first county record for this species, previously recorded in Britain only from Monks Wood, Cambs in 1828 and a small area of East Sussex around Lewes; Callicera aurata (Rossi) (Syrphidae), 15.viii, Hambledon, Surrey (SU9733), a female at teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) flowers at a disused brickworks. COLEOPTERA Barclay, M. V. L. Beetles of interest identified during 2002. Uloma culinaris (L.) (Tenebrionidae), two examples taken in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire in 1973 by the late D. M. Womersley, apparently the second UK record for this species; Otiorhyncluis ciurifer Boheman (Curculionidae), Raynes Park, Surrey, TQ2269, this is the second UK locality for this naturalised species; Otiorhyncluis crataegi (Germ.) (Curculionidae), Little Bookham, Surrey, TQ15, in garden and Blaps mucronata Latreille (Tenebrionidae), Hastingwood, N. Essex, TL40, x.1996, on beam in old house, coll. G. Goddard. Barclay, M. V. L. & Mann, D. J. — Beetles of interest from Chelsea Harbour and Chelsea Creek, Middlesex, TQ2676, 4.viii.2002. Trixagus elateroides (Heer) (Throscidae), Hippodamia variegctta (Goeze) (Coccinellidae), Rhyzobius chrysome- loides (Herbst) (Coccinellidae), Chrysolina americana (L.) (Chrysomelidae), Otior- hynchus ligneus (Olivier) (Curculionidae), Otiorhyncluis salicicola Heyden (Curculionidae), Otiorhyncluis armadillo (Rossi) (Curculionidae) and Polydrusus splendidus (Herbst) (Curculionidae). Booth, R. G. — (1) Wetland Insects Theme: some rare or notable beetles, including a species new to Britain, collected from a reservoir margin. Although many habitats can be lost when reservoirs are constructed and filled with water, their unengineered margins can provide a linear wet habitat which will be colonised by species often typically found at the sides of naturally occurring waterbodies. A selection from the 31 species found on open mud or among weed along a short stretch of Bewl Water, TQ6931, VC 16 [traditionally treated as part of E. Sussex, but shown as W. Kent in Dandy's 1969 Wcitsonian Vice-Counties of Great Britain ], on a warm and sunny 18 July 2002: Bembidion oblicpium Sturm, B. octomaculatum (Goeze), Pterostichus anthrcicinus (Panz.) (Carabidae), Acrotrichis henrici (Matt.) (Ptiliidae), Neobisnius procerulus (Gravenhorst), Tachyusa objecta Mulsant & Rey. a species new to Britain, Gnypeta velata (Erichson), Aleochara brevipennis Graven, (all Staphylinidae) and Atomaria gutta Newman (Cryptophagidae). (2) A selection of rare or notable species identified during 2002, including a species new to Britain. Bembidion minimum (Fabr.) (Carabidae), Beddington sewage farm, Surrey, TQ2967, a single female from mud at the edge of a sludge settling bed, 30.iii.2002, an unusual inland record for this predominantly coastal/ estuarine species and apparently the first for Surrey; Ophonus rupicola (Sturm) (Carabidae), Graveney Fig. 20. Lophosia fasciata x 2, East Wretham Heath, Norfolk, 2002, 1. Perry. 182 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Marshes, Kent, TR0364, under old railway sleepers on embankment at base ol sea wall, ll.iv.2002, a post- 1970 record for East Kent; Chlaenius nigricornis (Fabr.) (Carabidae), Stodmarsh NNR, Kent, TR2362, a single male from wet vegetation, 12.iv.2002, a recent record for north-east Kent; Hypopycna rufula (Erichson) (Staphylinidae), Hackbridge, Surrey, TQ282660, a single female from a flight interception trap in the garden, 2— 30.ix.200 1 ; Stenus contumax Assing (Staphylini- dae), Broadnymett, Bow, North Devon, SS698014, in suction sample from cereal field (CABI Bioscience), 1 8. vii.2000 and other dates and locations, this species new to Britain has only recently, in 1994, been separated from S. assequens Rey, some records of which should now apply to the new species; Brachyusa concolor (Erichson) (Staphylinidae), Beddington sewage farm, Surrey, TQ2967, a single female from mud at the edge of a sludge settling bed, 30.iii.2002; Bibloplectus minutissimus (Aube) (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), North Wyke, Devon, SX653985, in suction samples from grazed field (CABI Bioscience), 4. vi . 1 999 and 22. v. 2000, post-1970 records for Devon; Amauronyx maerkelii (Aube) (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Farthingloe, Dover, East Kent, in suction sample from grassland (CABI Bioscience), 26. viii . 1999, possibly new to Kent; Stenopelmus rufinasus Gyllenhal (Erirhinidae), Askham Bog, Mid-West Yorkshire, SE5748, abundant on water fern Azolla in a dyke, 14.vi.2002, apparently the first Yorkshire record and Tychius polylineatus (Germar) (Curculio- nidae), Colekitchen Down, Gomshall, Surrey, TQ085489, a single female from suction sample from downland (CABI Bioscience), 8,vi. 1 999, the first modern British record. (3) Separating females of the genus Stenichnus (Scydmaenidae). All scydmaenids are small, and many are difficult to identify. This is especially true of Stenichnus females as existing keys rely on very comparative characters, difficult to interpret without reliably named voucher material for comparison. For those prepared to dissect such small insects, the spermatheca provides valuable species specific characters. The exhibit consisted of mounted females of all British Stenichnus , with the exception of S. godarti Latreille, accompanied by pencil sketches of their spermathecae. Bowdrey, J. P. — Some notable Coleoptera from Essex in 2002. Badister dilatatus Chaud. (Carabidae), Thorpe-le-Soken, TM 173229, at house light, 30.vii.2002; Agrilus pannonicus (Pill. & Mitt.) (Buprestidae), Lexden, TL9625, on oak trunk, 14.vi.2002, a new record for vice county 19; Ctesias serrci (Fabr.) (Dermestidae), Thorpe-le-Soken, TM 173229, on oak trunk, 26. vi. 2002; Cryptarcha strigata (Fabr.) (Nitidulidae), Thorpe-le-Soken, TM 173229, on sap run on oak trunk, 3.vii.2002; Cryptarcha undata (Fabr.) (Nitidulidae), Thorpe-le-Soken, TM 173229, on sap run on oak trunk, 26. vi. 2002; Opatrum sabulosum (L.) (Tenebrionidae), Holland-on-Sea, TM206164, on sandy cliff, 24. ix. 2002, first post-1950 Essex record and Podagrica fuscipes (Fabr.) (Chrysomelidae), Prittlewell, TQ879875, on Malva sylvestris , 13.vii.2002. Collier, M. J.- -A few beetles found in Norfolk during 2002. Hypomedon debilicornis (Wollaston) (Staphylinidae), Wacton, TM1790, several by sieving large dung heap at riding school, 8. v. 2002, a new county record; Aleochara brcvipennis Gravenhorst (Staphylinidae), Cranwich Pits, TL7795, in pitfall trap, 25. iv- 12.V.2002, (det. confirmed R. C. Welch); Limnichus pygmaeus (Sturm) (Limnichidae), East Winch, TF6916, at edge of recent man-made clay-lined pond in horse-grazed paddock, 2.vi.2002, the first county record away from the Cromer cliffs area; Nephus quadrimaculatus (Herbst) (Coccinellidae), Thompson Common, TL9396, beating ivy 28. ix. 2002, only the second definite county record; Choragus shcppardi Kirby (Anthribidae), East Harling Heath, TL9883, evening sweeping along ride in BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 183 coniferous plantation with deciduous borders, 29.vii.2002; Bruchela rufipes (Olivier) (Anthribidae), East Harling Heath, TL9883, sweeping ruderal vegetation on site ol clear-felled coniferous plantation (heathland reclamation scheme), 7. vii.2002, a new county record; Mogulones ( = Ceutorhynchus) euphorbiae (Brisout) (Curculionidae), Cranwich Pits, TL7795, sweeping waterside vegetation around disused sand pits, 2.vi.2002, a new county record; Microplontus ( = Ceutorhynchus) campestris (Gyllenhal) and Gymnetron villosulum Gyllenhal (Curculionidae), Cranwich Pits, TL7795, sweeping waterside vegetation around disused sand pits, 2.vi.2002; Anthonomus piri Kollar (Curculionidae), Thompson Common, TL9396, by beating crab apple Malus syhestris, 28. ix. 2002, the third county record and first since M.G. Morris found it on 25. ix. 1970 at the same site and Platypus cylindrus (Fabr.) (Platypodidae), Thompson Common, TL9396, many boring into small oak Quercus stump, given away by large piles of frass, 12.V.2002. Dickson, R. J. — Two beetles new to Hampshire. Epiphanus cornutus Esch. (Eucnemidae), Botley Wood, S. Hants, SU5309, beaten from Field Maple at dusk by D. M. Appleton (there was some stacked timber nearby), 1 9. vi .2002 and Lixus scabricollis Boheman (Curculionidae), Hook shore (part of Hook Lake LNR), S. Hants, swept off Beta and Atrip/ex, 2 1 .viii.2002, det. D. M. Appleton. Gibbs, D. J. Nine species of Coleoptera collected in southern England. Bembidion saxati/e Gyllenhal (Carabidae), Culverhole Point, S. Devon, SY2789, 16. vii.2002; Chlaenius nigricornis (Fabr.) (Carabidae), Pawlett Hams, N. Somerset, ST2642, l.v.2002; Hydrovatus clypealis Sharp (Dytiscidae), Pawlett Hams, N. Somerset, ST2642, l.v.2002; Lomechusa emarginata (Paykull) (Staphylinidae), Binnegar Quarry, SY8788, Dorset, 21. vii.2002; Prionocyphon serricornis (Muller, P. W. J.) (Scirtidae), Shortwood, E. Glos, SO8208, 12.vi.2002; Prionychus melanarius (Germar) (Tenebrio- nidae), Shortwood, E. Glos, SO8208, 12.vi.2002; Oncomera femormta (Fabr.) (Oedemeridae), near Siccaridge Wood, SO9303, E. Glos, 19.iv.2002; Plateumaris affinis (Kunze) (Chrysomelidae), Max Bog, N. Somerset, ST4057, l.iv.2002 and Epitrix atropae Foudras (Chrysomelidae), Shortwood, SO8208, E. Glos, 12.vi.2002. Hawkins, R. D. -Specimens of the 12 species of Cantharis (Cantharidae) occurring in Surrey (VC 17), including one very local species and some colour varieties taken in 2002. C.figurata Mannerheim, Ashtead Common, 13.vi., females on grass and beaten from sallow adjacent to damp grassland and Blindley Heath, 1 4. vi., two males beaten from oak on damp grassy common; C. rufa L., Ashtead Common, 13.vi., male with black elytra; C. livida L., Ashtead Common, 13.vi., female with black elytra and C. thoracica (Olivier), Blindley Heath, 1 4. vii., female with pale stripe along suture. Also typical specimens of these and the remaining species. Hodge, P. J. — (a) Four species of Coleoptera collected in southern England in 1994, 1998 and 2002, including two species not previously recorded from the British Isles. Manda mandibularis (Gyll.) (Staphylinidae), Bewl Water (south bank), *W. Kent, TQ69653157, 15.vi.2002; Neobisnius procerulus (Grav.) (Staphylinidae), Bewl Water (north bank), W. Kent, TQ69373220 and Bewl Water (south bank), *W. Kent, TQ69653157, 15.vi.2002; Tachyusa objecta Muls. & Rey (Staphylinidae), Bewl Water (north bank), W. Kent, TQ69373220, and Bewl Water (south bank), *W. Kent, TQ69653157, 15.vi.2002, the first British records; Atheta linderi Brisout de Barneville in Grenier (1863) (Staphylinidae), Barle Valley near Dulverton, S. Somerset, SS868306, female in Polyporus fungus on ash stump, 1 6.vi . 1 994 and Newhaven cliff, E. Sussex, TQ448000, several in pigeon droppings on floor of disused radar implacement, 8.iv. 1 998, the first British records. [* traditionally treated as part of E. Sussex, but shown as W. Kent in Dandy’s 1969 Watsonian Vice- Counties of Great Britain ]. 184 BR J. ENT. NAT. MIST.. 16: 2003 (b) 22 species of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) collected in the Algarve, Portugal between 1998 and 2002. The names and taxonomic order follow Vives (2000 & 2001). Five species also occur in the British Isles ( Graci/ia minuta (Fabr.), Pseudovadonia livida (Fabr.), Melanoleptura scutellata (Fabr.), Stenurellci melcmura (L.) and Stenurella nigra (L.)). Graci/ia minuta (Fabr.), near Moncarapacho, 18. iv. 2000 and Barao de Sao Miguel, 30.iv.2001, apparently rare in Portugal; Stenopterus mciuritanicus Lucas, near Moncarapacho, 8/15. iv. 1999; Certallum ebulinum (L.), Barranco Velho, 5. v. 1998 and near Moncarapacho, 1 1 .iv. 1999; Deilus fugax (Olivier), Javali, one swept in flowery meadow, 17.iv.2000; Clytus rhamni (Germar), 2 km east of Bensafrim, 7. v. 2002; Chlorophorus trifasciatus (Fabr.), near Moncarapacho, 9/12. iv. 1999 and Praia de Alvor, 5. v. 2002; Pseudovadonia livida (Fabr.), 1 km south of Odelouca, 8. v. 1998 and Praia Verde, 1 3.iv. 1 999; Melanoleptura scutellata (Fabr.), Serra de Monchique east of Picota, 30. iv. 2002, female on low herbage, scarce in Algarve; Aredolpona fontenayi (Mulsant), Lagos, 8. v. 2002; Nustera distigma (Charpentier), 1 km south of Odelouca, 8. v. 1998 and Praia Verde, 1 3.iv. 1999; Stenurella melanura (L.), 1 .5 km north of Porto de Lagos, 3. v. 2002, local in Algarve; Stenurella nigra (L.), 6 km north of Bensafrim, 9. v. 2002; Iberodorcation lusitanicum (Chevrolat), Sagres, 5. v. 2002, one under Ononis , confined to south-west of Iberian peninsula, mainly in Algarve, Portugal; Calamobius filum (Rossi), north of Castro Marim, 9. v. 1998, and near Moncarapacho, 9.iv. 1999; Agapanthia annularis (Olivier), Portela, R. de Odeleite flood plain and near Moncarapacho, on thistles, 1 1 .iv. 1 999; Agapanthia asphodeli (Latreille), 5 km north of Ameixial, on Asphodelus, 19.iv.2000, locally common in Algarve; Agapanthia cardui (L.), north of Castro Marim, 9. v. 1998 and 2 km east of Bensafrim, 6. v. 1998; Opsilia caerulescens (Scopoli), Serra de Monchique, Foia 900 m, 8. v. 1998, near Moncarapacho, 9.iv. 1999 and 2 km west of Aljezur, 29.iv.2001; Opsilia molybdaena (Dalman), Quinta de Marim, Olhao, 3. v. 1998 and 12.iv.2000 and Portela, R. de Odeleite flood plain, ll.iv.1999; Phytoecia erythrocnema Lucas, Lagos, one on Daucus carota , 9. v. 2002; Phytoecia rufipes (Olivier), 2 km east of Bensafrim, 6. v. 1998, very localised in Algarve and Phytoecia virgula (Charpentier), near Moncarapacho, 1 1 .iv. 1 999. Levey, B. — Some rare and notable Coleoptera. Harpalus quadripunctatus Dejean (Carabidae), Glenmore Forest Park, Easterness, NH9709-9809, on sparsely vegetated sandy and gravelly moraine, 31.V.2002; Lionychus quadrillion (Duft.) (Carabidae), Seaton, E. Cornwall, SX2954, in coarse shaley sand near seepage at base of cliff, 28.vii.2001; Gymnetron beccabungae (L.) var fallax Hoffman (Curculionidae), Loch Eye, East Ross, NH8480, 26. v. 2002, this variety with all black elytra does not appear to have previously been recorded from the British Isles and Tychius parallelus Panzer (Curculionidae), Glenmore Forest Park, Easterness, NH9709, 25. v. 2002. Philp, E. J. A printed copy of a new electronic label list for British Coleoptera, in taxonomic order, and also an index in alphabetical order. Telfer, M. G. — Personal highlights of 2002. Dyschirius politus (Dejean) (Carabidae), Wangford district, W. Suffolk, viii.2002; Tachys micros (Fischer von Waldheim) (Carabidae), Eype's Mouth, Dorset, 4. v. 2002; Agonum sexpunctatum (L.) (Carabidae), Crossways, Dorset, 20.vii.2002, beside new sand and gravel pits with pools; Amara montivaga Sturm (Carabidae), Wangford district, W. Suffolk, viii.2002; Amara praetermissa Sahlberg, C. R.) (Carabidae), Overstrand, E. Norfolk, 6.vii.2002, second record for this site; Amara strenua Zimm. (Carabidae), Potman’s Heath, E. Kent, 10.iii.2002; Bradycellus csikii Laczo (Carabidae), Barnhamcross, W. Suffolk, 13-14.iv.2002, 8 specimens recorded; Stenolophus teutonus (Schrank) (Carabidae), Crossways, Dorset, 20.vii.2002, beside new sand and gravel pits with pools; Acupalpus exiguus Dejean (Carabidae), Potman's Heath, E. Kent, 10.iii.2002; BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 185 Aciipalpus maculcitus Schaum (Carabidae), Dungeness RSPB reserve, E. Kent, recognised as new to Britain on 26.iii.2002 from specimens collected in previous years by MGT and John Paul at the ARC gravel pits; Licimts depressus (Payk.), (Carabidae), Barnhamcross, W. Suffolk, 13 14. iv. 2002; Licinus punctatulus (Fabr.) (Carabidae), Ferrybridge, Dorset, 7.ix.2002; Badister peltatus (Panzer) (Carabidae), Thompson Common Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) reserve, W. Norfolk, 7. vii .2002; Sphaerius acaroides Wahl (Sphaeriidae), Eype’s Mouth, Dorset, 4. v. 2002; Georissus cremdatus (Rossi) (Hydrophilidae), Eype’s Mouth, Dorset, 4. v. 2002, one specimen cloaked in mud (as they are in the held) and one with the mud cleaned off; Tasgias Liter (Graven.) (Staphylinidae), Wangford district, W. Suffolk, viii.2002; Curimopsis maritime i (Marsham) (Byrrhidae) Eype’s Mouth, Dorset, 4. v. 2002; At lions campy- loiiles Newman (Elateridae), Overstrand, E. Norfolk, 6. vii. 2002, a new county record; Trixagas carinifrons (de Bonv.) (Throscidae), Monks Wood NNR, Hunts, from the Rothamsted Insect Survey light trap set on the southern edge of the wood; Cantharis thoracica (Olivier) (Cantharidae), Thompson Common NWT reserve, W. Norfolk, 7. vii. 2002; Lycoperdina succincta (L.) (Endomychidae), Foxhole Heath roadside, W. Suffolk, 13. vii. 2002, one of two specimens on unripe Lycoperdon puffballs by torchlight at night; Diaperis boleti (L.) (Tenebrionidae), Monks Wood NNR. Hunts, from the Rothamsted Insect Survey light trap set on the southern edge of the wood; Chrysolina sanguinolenta (L.) and Psylliodes sophiae Heikertinger (Chrysomelidae), Wangford district, W. Suffolk, viii.2002 and Cassida nebulosa L. (Chrysomelidae), Wangford district, W. Suffolk, viii.2002, on Fat Hen Chenopodium album L. Whitton, P. — (1) Species of Dyschirius and Clivina (Carabidae) collected between 1965 and 2002. Dyschirius aeneus (Dejean), Barton-on-Sea, S. Hants, SZ227931, on damp undercliff, 15. iv. 1995; D. angustatus (Ahrens), Dungeness, E. Kent, TR065184, on bank of small gravel-pit, 10.V.2000; D. globosus (Herbst), Chimney, Oxon, SU354998, in ditch at edge of unimproved meadow, 20. v. 1988; D. impunctipennis Dawson, Holkham, E. Norfolk, TF892461, at edge of drainage channel on beach, 25. vi. 2002; D. I'eudersi Wagner, near Westhay Moor, N. Somerset, ST453435, in peat cutting, 20. iv. 1995; D. nitidus (Dejean), Wampool Estuary, Whitrigg, Cumberland, NY226575, on sandy bank of estuary, 4. vi. 1 998; D. obscurus (Gyll.), Dungeness, E. Kent, TR065184, on bank of small gravel-pit, 10.V.2000; D. politus (Dejean), Barton-on-Sea, S. Hants, SZ227931, on damp undercliff, 1 5.iv. 1 995; D. salinus Schaum, Salthouse, E. Norfolk, TG076445, on bare sand in saltmarsh, 26.vii.1994; D. thoracicus (Rossi), Holme Nature Reserve, W. Norfolk, TF722448, on bare soil at edge of saltmarsh, 28.vii.1994; Clivina collctris (Herbst), Gressingham, N. Lancs, SD581699, on bank of R. Lune, 5. vi. 1 998 and Clivina fossor (L.), Abridge, S. Essex, TQ468975, under loose turf in held, 14. iv. 1965. (2) A selection of the 100 species of ground beetles (Carabidae) recorded from Otmoor, Oxfordshire. Dyschirius leudersi Wagner, SP561141, in damp mud beside drainage ditch, 1 7. viii. 1 99 1 ; Lasiotrechus discus (Fabr.), in deep crack in muddy bank of drainage ditch, SP574150, 1 2. viii. 1 99 1 ; Bembidion varium (Olivier), on bare damp mud, SP561141, 17. viii. 1991; B. gilvipes Sturm, SP580143, in grass tuft, 13. ii. 1998; B. qucidripustulatum A.-S., SP560141, on damp mud, 18. vii. 2000; Pterostichus ant hr acinus (Panzer), SP573137, in drainage ditch; 14. viii. 1991; P. longicollis (Duft.). SP562145, in pitfall trap, 27.iv 19.V.2000; P. macer (Marsham), SP564146, in flood refuse, 20.1.1999; Svnuchus vivalis (Illiger), SP563145, in pitfall trap, 23. vii 15. viii. 2000; Amara lunicollis Schiodte, SP562139, in grass tuft, 30. xi. 1997; Ophonus ardosiacus Lutschnik, SP568131, under soil in set-aside field, 1 4. vi . 1 992; Acupalpus exiguus Dejean, SP580143, at edge of ditch, 1 3.ii. 1 998; A. parvulus (Sturm), 186 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 SP561141, in grass tuft, 25. ii. 2000; Anthracus consputus (Duft.) and Badister meridional is Puel, SP563145, in damp soil at base of bund, 2.vi.2000; B. unipustulatus Bonelli, SP584143, in grass tuft beside ditch, 2.H.2000; Lebia chlorocephala (Hoffm.), SP561141, in grass tuft, 20. ii. 2000 and Dromius meridionalis Dejean, SP564146, in flood refuse, 3.xi.l998. (3) A copy of an English Nature Research Report: "The conservation ecology of the ground beetle Badister meridionalis Puel (Coleoptera: Carabidae)” based on research carried out on Otmoor by the exhibitor between April 2000 and January 2001 and containing 92 carabid species. Hemiptera Brooke, S. E. & Nau, B. S. — Fen litter bugs found at Flitwick Moor, Bedfordshire, mid-September 2002, including Buchananiella continua (White) (Anthocoridae), ca 20 adults, two fifth instar nymphs and one teneral adult in sedge stacks; Xylocoris galactinus (Fabr.) (Cimicidae), two in sedge stacks; Lyctocoris campestris (Fabr.) (Cimicidae) two nymphs, three adults and one teneral adult. Exhibit of ongoing study of Gerris gibbifer (Schummel) (Gerridae) in garden pond in Toddington, Bedfordshire, since 1999. Dickson, R. -Pinalitus cervinus ( H .-S.) (Fygaeidae), Warsash shore, SU4905, S. Hants, VC 11, beaten from ivy blossom at night, 2.x. 2002 (4 specimens); Titchfield Haven NNR, SU4302, S. Hants, VC 1 1, ivy blossom at night, 9.x. 2002 (2 specimens); Hook Fake FNR, SU4804, S. Hants, VC 11, swept 21 .viii.2002; Lygus rugulipennis Poppius (Fygaeidae); Common Meadow, SU5810, S. Hants, VC 11, swept 14. viii.2002, 2 Fix. 2002 and 25. ix. 2002; Wickham Common, SU5810, S. Hants, VC 11, swept 12.vii.2002; Botley Wood, SU 5510, S. Hants, VC 11, mv lamp, 23. viii.2002; Lygus pratensis (F.) (Fygaeidae) Wickham Common, SU5810, S. Hants, VC 11, swept after dusk, 19. iv. 2002, swept from hay meadow 29. ix. 2001, swept 5.x. 2001 (2 specimens). Gibbs, D.- Rhopalus maculatus (Fabr.) (Fygaeidae), Binnegar Quarry, Dorset, SY8987, 15.vi.2002; Macrosaldula scotica (Curtis) (Saldidae), Binnegar Quarry, Dorset, SY8987, 15. viii.2002; Cixius cunicularius (F.) (Cixiidae), Shortwood, SO8208, 27.vi.2002. Hawkins, R. D. -Uncommon bugs taken in recent years, including one new to Britain: Megacoelum beckeri (Fieber) (Miridae), Frensham Common, Surrey, 3 1 . viii . 1 998, on pine; Anthocoris amplicollis Horvath (Anthocoridae), Riddlesdown, Surrey, 2 Fix. 1995, on low growth of oak at edge of mixed deciduous wood (including ash), previously only found on ash in north Yorkshire; Psa/Ius pseudoplatani Reichling (Miridae), Sunbury Park, Middlesex, 21. vi. 2001, male and female beaten from sycamore, new to Britain, associated with sycamore, dissection of male genitalia is necessary to separate it from related species on oak and field maple; Aphrophora alpina Melichar (Cercopidae), Thundry Meadows NR, Elstead, Surrey, 27. vi. 2002, in marsh surrounded by alders and sallow bushes, but apparently with no sweet gale ( Myrica gale ), its reputed food plant. Hodge, P.J. -A specimen of Nysius senecionis (Schilling) (Fygaeidae), swept off Common Fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica growing in a meadow beside Breech Pool, Pagham Harbour FNR, W. Sussex, SZ87699783, on 7. viii. 2002 [there was no sign of Ragwort Senecio jacobaea (the usual host plant) growing at this site]. Jones, R . — Chlamydatus evanescens (Boheman) (Miridae), four specimens taken by suction sampler from green “eco-roofs” at Canary Wharf, together with many BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 187 specimens of C. piillas (Reuter) and C. saltitans (Fallen). C. evanescens, which feeds on Seclum , has been previously recorded only from Great Orme area (19th century) and Dovedale (early 20th century). Roofs were laid in 1999 2001 as matting impregnated with Sedum plants; some matting is imported from Poland, so true native status of colonies remains in doubt. Nau, B. S. — Exhibit on Heteroptera recording in Bedfordshire. Key statistics include: 370 species recorded (65% of British list), with average of 174 species per 10 km2, five squares have over 200 species and richest square has 304 species. Distribution maps exhibited of Aelia acuminata (Fabr.) (Pentatomidae), Palomena prasina (L.) (Pentatomidae), Sehinis luctuosus (Mulsant & Rey) (Cydnidae) and Eurydema oleracea (L.) (Pentatomidae). Stubbs, A. E .■ — Platymetopius undatus (DeGeer) (Cicadellidae), Narborough Railway Line NR, TF7511, West Norfolk, 1 7. vii.2002, one female, calcareous grassland/scrub transition; as reported in the Society’s journal (Vol. 15, p. 125), this species had not been recorded in Britain for some 50 years. Hymenoptera Archer. M. — (1) Some British bees and wasps taken in 2001. Pompilidae: Priocnemis coriacea Dahlbom, 22. v, Rauceby Warren, Lines. Sphecidae: Gorytes tumidus (Panz.), 21.viii, Rauceby Warren, third record for Lines. Andrenidae: Andrenci cineraria (L.) 22. v, Rauceby Warren, second record for Lines. A. trimmerana (Kirby), female, 14. iv, male 10. iv, Sark, Channel Islands. Halictidae: Sphecodes rubicwulus von Hagens, 2.vii, Highgate Common, Staffs. Anthophoridae: Nomada fuscicornis Nylander, 12. iv, Sark, Channel Islands; N. lathburiana (Kirby), 22. v, Rauceby Warren, second record for Lines.; Melecta albifrons (Lorst.), 28. iv, Helmsley Castle, third record for Yorks. Apidae: Bombas joneUus (Kirby) 21. v, Messingham Sand Quarry, Lines. (2) Some eumenid wasps taken in Europe in recent years. Eumenidae: Microdynerus longicollis Morawitz, 1 7.vi. 1 999. north of Collodi, Pietrabuona, Tuscany, Italy; M. timidus (de Saussure), 6. viii . 1993, St Cernin de l’Herm, Dordogne, Prance; Euodynerus posticus (H.-S.), 15. viii. 1993, near Soulaures, Dordogne, France; E. notcitus (Jurine), ll.v.1997, Lajosmizse, Hungary; Odynerus rotundigaster de Saussere, 8.iv. 1 988, Markriyalos, Crete; Eumenes pendunculatus (Panz.), female, 1. viii. 1990. La Reole, Gironde and male, 1 7. v. 1 998, Belle-de-Montagne, Avergne, Haute Loire, France; Ancistrocerus auctus (F.), female, 16. viii. 1979, La Turballe, Loire-Atlantique and male, 7. viii. 1993, St Cernin de 1’Herm, Dordogne, France. Gibbs, D. -Some aculeate Hymenoptera taken in 2002. Chrysididae: Hedychrum niemelai Linsenmaier, female, 15. viii, Binnegar Quarry, Dorset SY8887. Sphecidae: Cerceris quinquefasciata (Rossius), female, 2 1 . vii, male 15. viii, Binnegar Quarry, Dorset. Andrenidae: Andrenci tibialis (Kirby), female 29.iii, Troopers Hill, Bristol, Glos. ST6273. Halictidae: Lasioglossum malachurum (Kirby), female 24. iv, Hinton Hill, S. Glos. ST7376; L. quaclrinotatum (Kirby) females 15.vi and 22. vii. Binnegar Quarry, Dorset; Sphecodes spinulosus von Hagens, 31. v. Watts BBOWT reserve (White Shute), Berks SU331772. Anthophoridae: Nomadct f err uginat a (L.), female, 16.iv, Swillbrook Lakes, Glos., SU0293. Halstead, A. J— Some scarce or local sawllies and aculeate wasps taken mostly in 2002. Cimbicidae: Cimbex femoratus ( L. ), female of the all yellow form, 29. vii, in a garden, Pyrford, Surrey, TQ037594; C. connatus Schrank, female, col. Mrs J. 188 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16. 2003 Donovan, 1 9. vi, a squashed specimen found under alders in a supermarket car park where larvae had been seen in the two previous years. Barton, near Torquay, Devon, SX907666; Trichiosoma sorbi Htg., male, col. J. Bratton, on Sorbus ciucuparici , 27.vi.2001, above Aber Falls, Cwm yr Afon Goch, Gwynedd, SH675591. Argidae: Arge berberidis Schrank new to Britain (Fig. 21), in gardens on Berberis thunbergii , male, 24. v, Stevenage, Herts., TQ266231, female, 7.vi, Church Langley, Essex, TL470094. Tenthredinidae: Loderus pratensis (Fall.), female, swept from Equisetum , 12.v, Paper- court Marshes, near Ripley, Surrey, TQ034562. Pompilidae: Aulopus carbonarius (Scop.), female, lO.vii, on a stone wall, off Fulham Road, London SW10, TQ264782. Sphecidae: Gorytes bicinctus (Rossius), female, swept, lO.viii, Thorpe Hay Meadow, near Thorpe, Surrey, TQ030701. Knight, G. T. -Some Hymenoptera found during survey work in 2002. Work carried out by Liverpool Museum included a survey with the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) of invertebrates on soft rock cliffs in north Wales, a survey of Drumburgh Moss NNR on the Solway Firth and limestone pavements at Hutton Roof Crags for the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, and visits to Dyfi NNR. Ceredigion. The last site produced an unusual colour form of a male Cimbex femoratus (L.) (Cimbicidae) found dead under birch scrub at Cors Fochno, Dyfi NNR. SN630920, by the CCW warden, Mike Bailey, on 23. vi. The specimen had a broad red band across the abdomen (Fig. 22). Other sawflies of the Tenthredi- nidae family were Periclista pubescens (Zaddach), female, 11. iv, at Hutton Roof Crags, Cumbria, SD5578 - a considerable northern extension to its recorded distri- bution; Dolerus liogaster Thomson, fe- male, 13.v, also at Hutton Roof Crags; D. megapterus Cam., female, 25. iv, Drum- burgh Moss NNR. Cumbria, NY246591; Croesus varus (Villaret), 21.v, Drumburgh Moss NNR, Cumbria, NY2559. Aculeate Hymenoptera from N. Wales were Tiphiidae: Tiphia minuta Van der Linden, female, 1 9. vi, Porth Dinllaen, Caer., SH279408, Methocha articulata (, ichneumonoides ) Latr., male and female, 18.vi, Porth Ceiriad, Caer., SH3 15248. Eumenidae: Odynerus melanocephalus (Gmelin in Linnaeus), male and female, 27. vi, Porth Neigwl, Caer., SH290257, found nesting in level clay on soft cliffs with O. spinipes (L.)— previously only known in Wales from S. Glamorgan. Andrenidae: Andrena ocreata (Christ), female, 27. vi, Porth Neigwl, Caer., SH290257. Megachilidae: Osmia xanthomelana (Kirby), male and female, col. C. Clee in 1998 at an undisclosed locality in N. Wales. This RDB1 bee was previously thought to be restricted to the Isle of Wight until discovered by Carl Clee in N. Wales. Work is continuing with CCW to monitor populations, searching for additional sites and investigating the bee’s autoecology. Fig. 22. Cimbex femoratus x0.75, Dyfi NNR, Ceredigion, 2002, G. Knight. Fig. 21. Arge berberidis , female, Church Langley, Essex (left); male, Stevenage, Herts, (right), 2002, A. J. Halstead, x 1.5. UR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 189 Parker, M. A RDB1 ruby-tailed wasp, Chrysis fulgkla L. (Fig. 23), female, pootered off a telegraph pole, 20.vii.2002 at Goathorn Farm, Studland Heath, Dorset, SZO 14851. This wasp is believed to be associated with aspen. There have been a few recent records from Surrey and Hampshire but this is the first Dorset record since 1941. Dictyoptera Gibbs, D. — One of the native cockroaches, Ectobius pallidus (Ol.) taken on 5.vii.2002 at Goat Island, Axmouth, Devon, SY2789. Orthoptera Porter. J. - A male specimen of the bush cricket, Meconema meridionale Costa, Chessington, Surrey, 2 Fix. 2002, found inside the ‘Pyrex’ bowl over the bulb of a moth-trap four hours after the trap had been switched off and examined. The insect has previously been noted on car bonnets and other mild heat sources in Europe and was first recorded in Britain two miles from Chessington in 2001. Wilson, M. R. A female of the scaly cricket, Pseudomogoplistes vicentae Gorochov from the West Pembrokeshire colony that was discovered in 1999. This is the third colony discovered in the British Isles, the others being on Chesil Beach, Dorset and Branscombe. Devon. Specimens from these sites and from Sark, Channel Islands will be used for molecular studies to provide information on the isolation of these populations. Fig. 23. Chrysis fulgida x 1.5, Studland Heath, Dorset, 2002, M. Parker. General Farley, R. — A display of Field Studies Council publications including recent AIDGAP keys. The principal objectives of the AIDGAP project are to identify those groups of animals and plants for which the difficulty in identification is due to an absence of a simple, accurate key rather than being due to insuperable taxonomic problems and, subsequently to produce simple, well-written aids to identification. A significant feature of the project is the testing of new keys before final publication, by potential users. Feedback from these users is used to amend the keys before publication. Members were invited to volunteer to help with testing and to suggest possible subjects for future guides. Harmer, A. S. A selection of photographs of famous lepidopterists to be included in the forthcoming book provisionally entitled The Cabinet of Curiosities an Aurelian Anthology written and compiled by Michael Salmon and Peter Edwards. The competition to name the most lepidopterists and to win a free copy of the book was won by Mr Grahame Parker and Mr Mark Galway. Salmon, M. A. — A synopsis of chapter headings and topics covered in The Cabinet of Curiosities — an Aurelian Anthology. Simpson, M. The Simpson Collection of Entomological Memorabilia. Examples of collecting equipment, old catalogues, dealers’ price lists and letters relating to entomology. Members were requested to forward suitable material they no longer required to help build up the collection. 190 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 2003 THE 2002 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS PART 1 REPORT Peter C. Barnard Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD There is no doubt in my mind that the British Entomological & Natural History Society is the most dynamic society of its kind in the UK. Not only is it a long- standing society, having been established in 1872 in a different guise, but it now combines the whole entomological community of this country, both amateurs and professionals, in a unique and fully integrated way that no other group can match. To have seen this process in action at Council meetings over the past year has been both a revelation and an inspiration, and makes me feel certain that whatever difficulties may lie ahead for those who study and collect natural history specimens, this Society will be well-equipped to meet those problems. I am sure that such complex issues will become more prominent over the coming years. Looking back over past Presidents’ reports, they often say “This has been a quiet year”. I wish I could say the same- but 2002 has been what one might call euphemistically an “interesting” year. We have seen the publication of the new Code of Conduct for Collecting in our journal, coinciding with some unwelcome publicity over issues of collecting and trading in specimens, and recently the possibility that some more species may be given increased protection under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act. Our role as a corporate member of Buglife — the Invertebrate Conservation Trust- has been the subject of much discussion at Council and will no doubt continue to do so. There are also implications of the CRoW (Countryside and Rights of Way) Act which need clarification and could have implications for legitimate collecting. It is no coincidence that all these issues are linked to conservation. Many of these are difficult issues, with many viewpoints, and there will never be agreement on the single best approach. But this Society represents a broad community of interests, and we will have to remain tolerant of each other’s views, while at the same time not being afraid to express informed opinions on these contentious issues. The BENHS is one of those societies whose views are always sought and taken into account whenever changes in wildlife legislation are proposed, and I am confident that we will always be able to put forward well-reasoned and responsible views when required. You have just heard reports from the officers of the Society, and it is traditional to thank those officers for their hard work. That tradition is there for the best of reasons — that the officers keep the Society going is absolutely true! Each contributes in his own personal way to our ongoing successes. First, our Secretary John Muggleton. It would be so easy to take his work for granted, because everything happens so smoothly but on the rare occasion that he has not been able to attend a meeting this has immediately highlighted just how much the rest of us have to do to fill the gap! His overview of the Society’s business coupled with his good humour make him literally invaluable. And he also tells the President what to do, discreetly slipping him bits of paper, saying “just read this out”. As you have heard, our Treasurer, Tony Pickles, has managed to keep the Society’s investments in a remarkably good state, despite the current financial climate, and for all his skills we are grateful and rather relieved. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 191 Ian McLean combines three jobs, organising the indoor meetings and workshops programme, acting as lanternist at meetings, and also chairing Publications Committee. On top of that his advice and insight on complex conservation issues have been very valuable at Council meetings. Our new editor, John Badmin, has settled in very quickly and I am also glad to see that we have not lost Mike Wilson entirely, as lie returns to Council as Vice- President. Our Curator, Peter Chandler, continues to work hard in looking after our ever- growing collections, despite moving further away from Dinton Pastures, and 1 also thank our Librarian, Ian Sims, and Building manager, David Wedd, who looks after the Pelham-Clinton building for us. 1 thank all these and all the other council members, including those already mentioned in the Secretary’s report, and 1 pay tribute to them all on your behalf, because without their hard work we would literally have no Society. It is always the sad duty at this time to record the deaths of some members throughout the year. In the past twelve months we have heard of the deaths of: Mr Stephen E. Petley of Southampton, one of our younger members who joined in 1999, and was interested in butterflies and dragonflies. Miss Ruth Day had been a member since 1987. She was the Odonata recorder of the LNHS and frequently attended BENHS indoor meetings. Mr Dennis O'Keeffe, who had been one of the Society’s auditors since 1994. Mr Kenneth A. Spencer, a Special Life member, well-known for his work on leafmining Diptera, and a prominent member of the Elering Fund Committee. Mr Peter Standing, an ex-RAF Squadron Leader, who had a special interest in Lepidoptera. I have already asked you to stand in memory of these members so I will not ask you to do so again. Sad though it is to see the demise of these members it is good to see that we have gained so many new ones, another measure of the health of the Society and the esteem in which it is held. Also we have had the pleasure of electing five Special Life members in recognition of 50 years’ membership of the Society: Mr M. J. Leech of Herefordshire Dr G. C. D Griffiths of Alberta, Canada Dr D. G. H Halstead of Berkshire Dr M. G. Morris of Dorset Mr B. D. Riordan of Hertfordshire so we not only have many new members but the existing ones seem to live long too. The longevity of entomologists is a well-documented fact! I think that the Society has a very bright future, and should be proud of its range of indoor and field meetings, its workshops and its publications such as the second edition of the British H Overflies. It also has a direct impact on work in this country by way of its research funds. My only concern about the Society is the low attendance at indoor meetings, and I urge Council to discuss ways of remedying this decline. It has of course been a great privilege to have been President for the past year, which has gone too quickly, not long enough for one person to make much of an impact, which may be a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view. I am still hoping to be able to create closer links between the Society and the Natural History Museum: if and when the NHM builds Phase 2 of the Darwin centre, which will hold the entomology collections, there are plans to create facilities for societies 192 BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 and other groups to use those collections, hold meetings and so on, and I hope our Society will be among the first to benefit from this. One important thing the past year has taught me is to be more attentive during speakers’ talks at indoor meetings. It is a tradition that the President asks the first question after the talk, so 1 have had to stay very alert in order to ask something reasonably relevant! When I accepted the nomination as President I was told by a former incumbent that it is great fun— the only problems are finding a successor (which we seem to have managed without too much difficulty) and having to prepare the Presidential address (Part 2 will appear in a later issue). I have enjoyed preparing it, and I hope that you find something of interest in it. BENHS INDOOR MEETINGS 10 September 2002 The President, Dr P. C. BARNARD, welcomed members of the London Natural History Society to the annual joint meeting. The death was announced of Kenneth A. Spencer, a Special Life Member and world authority on agromyzid flies. Mr R. A. JONES showed a specimen of Ptinus sexpunctatus Panz. (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) found in an upstairs room of his house in East Dulwich on 18.V.02. Hyman & Parsons, in the Review of the scarce and threatened Coleoptera of Great Britain (1992), described this as ‘a species of dead wood, bee nests, ivy, blossom and indoors’. The exhibitor had found it in the three houses he had lived in during the last 15 years. He believed it to breed in the accumulated grass, feathers and spilled food brought into the roof space by starlings and other birds. The beetle could enter the rooms below by crawling through gaps round light fittings and pipes. Dr C. SPILLING showed two colour prints of the bee fly, Bombylius minor L. (Diptera: Bombyliidae), showing a mating pair. The pictures were taken in late July 2002 at Morden Heath, Dorset, using natural light and a digital single lens reflex camera. Dr J. MUGGLETON, CHRISTINE MUGGLETON and Mr C. E. DYTE showed a fly found on a stinkhorn fungus in Spain. The fungus, which was found and photographed by Christine Muggleton was Clathrus archeri (Berk.) Dring (Homobasidiomycetes: Clathraceae), and is a bright red relative of the common stinkhorn fungus. Phallus impudicus Pers. found in Britain. It was seen on 25.vi.02 in the valley of the Rio Baztan, east of Erratzu in north-west Navarra, Spain. The fungus was surrounded by a cloud of flies which were collected by Peter Dyte and later identified by Peter Chandler as the sweat fly, Hydrotaea irritans (Fall.) (Diptera: Muscidae). This fly does not appear to have been recorded previously from stinkhorn fungi, although other Hydrotaea spp have occasionally been found on P. impudicus. In Europe, Clathrus archeri is mainly found in the southern countries but it has been recorded in England as a recently introduced species where it is described as rare and slowly spreading in the southern counties. The following persons were approved as members: Mr Adrian J. Hayward, Mr Peter J. Nicholson, Ms Bridget Peacock, Mr Steve G. Price and Dr Judith A. Webb. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 193 Mr R. A. JONES reported seeing worker hornets on fallen fruits at Firle, E. Sussex on 29.viii.02, further evidence that this wasp has expanded its range in recent years. Mr R. A. JONES spoke on the 'Invertebrate fauna of green roofs in London'. Some plants are very good at growing on buildings. Good examples are two alien plants, the Butterfly bush, Buddleja daviclii, and a more recent arrival, the Guernsey Fleabane, Conyzci sumcitrensis. Both are frequent colonists of brown-held sites in the capital. London has many buildings with flat roofs and some of these have had plants deliberately planted and cultivated on them. This practice is encouraged in Germany and some other parts of Europe as a means of 'greening up’ urban areas. Planted roofs can also absorb some of the rainfall and reduce water run-off. The speaker had been asked by English Nature, as part of a wider survey, to look at a variety of green roofs in London to see what invertebrate animals were associated with them. The largest green roof in the survey was at Canary Wharf, about 250 feet above ground level. This green roof consisted largely of Sedum spp., although some other plants were beginning to colonise the roof. The short stature of the plants made sampling difficult as there was little to sweep, and so sampling was carried out by sifting the vegetation and by using a garden blower modified as a vacuum suction collector. Other sites sampled were at a private house in Forest Hill, the Horniman Museum, the London Wildlife Trust’s Gardening Centre at Dulwich and Tower Hamlets Cemetery Visitor Centre. Some of these buildings had pitched roofs; that of the Horniman Museum required abseiling training before it could be tackled. As might be expected, the insect fauna on these extreme sites was rather limited. A variety of beetles, bugs, spiders and snails were noted, mainly those associated with dry and/or grassy habitats. Relatively few ants, bees and flies were recorded. With pressure for brown-field sites to be developed, the importance of green roofs in urban areas as refugia for insects displaced by development may increase. 8 October 2002 The President. Dr P. C. BARNARD opened the meeting. There were no exhibits and the minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. The following persons were approved by Council as members: Mrs Sheila E. Brooke, Mr William E. Fell-Holden, Mr Glyn A. Henwood, Mrs Jo Maguire and Mr Mike N. McCrea. MATT SHARDLOW spoke on 'Buglife (the Invertebrate Conservation Trust) — a new opportunity’. There are over 30,000 invertebrate species in Britain, which represents ca. 98% of all Britain’s fauna. Knowledge of these animals is variable. Land-based insects are comparatively well known, at least in some orders but marine invertebrates have been little studied. There is an absence of long-term or historical data for many invertebrate groups. This makes it difficult to assess whether they are thriving, surviving or in decline. Where long term studies have been carried out, the evidence is that more invertebrates are in decline than are stable or increasing. It has been estimated that 1260 invertebrates have become extinct in Britain during the last 100 years. The rate of loss is likely to be increasing and we could be losing 36 species every year. This is due to various factors, including habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide use, effects of fertiliser applications, loss of winter cover, tidiness, changes in grazing regimes, drainage and water abstraction, and changes in agricultural practices leading to more monoculture and larger fields. Britain has 1,900 Red Data Book (RDB) invertebrates from among the 15000 species so far assessed. Thus in total there could be about 3800 invertebrates with 194 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16 2003 RDB status. As about half of our invertebrates are in decline, there could be 1900 species heading towards extinction. Invertebrate animals are vital components of ecosystems and while some are pest species, many perform valuable functions. The Invertebrate Conservation Trust (ICT) was set up to focus attention on the conservation needs of invertebrate animals. A new organisation was needed because none of the existing organisations interested in invertebrates was able to take on this role. The ICT aims to prevent invertebrate extinctions and maintain sustainable populations in the UK. This will be achieved by undertaking and promoting study and research; by promoting sound management of land and water; by supporting the conservation work of other entomological and conservation organisations; by promoting education and publicising invertebrates and their conservation; and by influencing invertebrate conservation in Europe and worldwide. The ICT has the support of 29 leading environmental organisations in the UK. Eleven of these are also member organisations, including the British Entomological & Natural History Society. The ICT aims to be the professional voice for the conservation of invertebrates; to attract funding for invertebrate conservation; and to enthuse and inspire others about the wonder and value of invertebrate animals. Projects already underway include raising issues on Wildlife and Countryside Link, such as Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species (CITES) changes, endangered brown-field sites and endemic ground water shrimps. The Trust is also involved in protecting sites such as St Helena, Aucheninnes Moss and Cliffe Marshes, the proposed site for London’s third airport. The Trust is also gathering information on habitat management and making this available to others. It is hoped that an application to the Aggregates Levy will fund work on brown-field sites. A project on oil beetles (Meloidae) is being planned to assess their current status. 12 November 2002 Mr R. HAWKINS showed the tortoise beetle Pilemostoma fastuosa (Schaller) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) taken l.vi.02 on Denbies Hillside, Surrey. This local beetle is found on chalk downland where it feeds on Ploughman’s Spikenard. The black and red colour had been preserved by drying the specimen in a freezer for three months. The President, Dr P. C. BARNARD reported that there were fewer exhibits at the 2002 Exhibition compared to the previous year. The number of names in the signature book was about the same but there were fewer members (182 in 2002, 202 in 2001) and more visitors (49 in 2002, 39 in 2001). There were 42 members and guests at the Exhibition Dinner, compared with 52 in the previous year. Publications sales were buoyant at £1700 due to the recently published books on Soldier Flies and their Allies and the fully revised British Hoverflies. There was also a new Christmas card featuring the bug Issus coleoptratus (F.). Next year's Exhibition has been provisionally booked for 8 November. Mr Hawkins said that traffic jams on the Ml may have prevented some members from attending. Dr R. KEY spoke on the Lundy cabbage and its associated insect fauna. The island of Lundy is situated in the Bristol Channel and is about three miles long and up to 130 m (400') in height. It is about 18 miles from the nearest point on the mainland. It has an endemic plant, the Lundy cabbage, Coincyca wrightii (O.E. Schultz) Stace, which grows on the cliffs on the eastern side of the island. A wide range of insects has been recorded on this plant but it is the only British endemic plant that also has an associated endemic insect. This is the Lundy cabbage flea beetle, Psylliodes luridipennis Kutschera. The larva feeds inside the leaf petioles and BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 195 later in the stems. It overwinters as a pupa in the soil. Other notable beetles that feed on Lundy cabbage are the Lundy cabbage weevil, Ceutorhynchus contractus var. pallipes (Marsham) and the flightless form of the normally winged flea beetle, Psylliodes napi (F.). Ccutorliynclius contractus var. pallipes has leaf-mining larvae and the adults occur as either yellow or black-legged forms. Surveys of the island show that Lundy cabbage is confined to the more sheltered cliff faces on the eastern side of the island, with the strongest colonies at the southern end. Grazing by sheep, goats and rabbits prevents the plant from flowering on the flatter ground. The number of flowering plants varies from year to year. During the 1994-2002 study period the number of flowering plants peaked in 1998 after several drought summers had reduced competition from other plants. There are plans to control rabbits by shooting after a myxomatosis outbreak and to limit sheep grazing by fencing some of the Lundy cabbage strongholds, such as at Millcombe. Apart from grazing animals, the biggest threat to Lundy cabbage and other rare plants, such as Balm-leafed Figwort, Scrophularia scorodonia L., is Rhododendron politician L. This invasive shrub was introduced to Lundy in the early 19th century and is now widely established on the eastern side of the island. Thickets of plants 7 m tall occur in the valleys leading to the cliffs and seedling plants are continuing to spread down onto the cliff faces. A programme of rhododendron eradication is underway. This involves cutting the plants down and treating the regrowth with herbicides. This is slow and labour-intensive work, especially on the cliffs where the rhododendrons can only be reached by workers abseiling down from the cliff top. 10 December 2002 The President, Dr P. C. Barnard announced the death of Mr D. O’Keeffe, a member since 1964 and at one time the Society’s auditor. Mr R. Hawkins showed a female specimen of the jumping spider Salticus scenicus (Clerck) collected at Bagmoor Common, Surrey on 20.vi.02. This had been preserved by allowing it to dry in a domestic freezer for three months. This had allowed the specimen to retain its shape and colour. Mr D. Nellist noted that spiders that had been freeze-dried at the Natural History Museum tended to fall apart after a few years. Thus preservation in alcohol possibly remained the most reliable means of keeping a spider collection. The following persons were approved as members: Mr David A. Bennett, Mr Robert A. Chapman, Mr Roy Cheeseman, Mr Richard I. Moyse, Mr Malcolm L. Simpson and Mr Mark E. Winder. Mr Peter Harvey spoke on the future of the UK spider recording scheme. This scheme was initiated by Clifford Smith in 1987, later taken over by David Nellist and was now run by the speaker. Most of the 10 k squares in Britain had at least one spider record but, as with any recording scheme, there was still plenty to do to improve the coverage and quality of the data. Male and female spiders tended to occur in peak numbers at different times, so in future, emphasis would be put on recording the sex of spiders as well as the species identification. Several maps and charts were shown to illustrate the distribution patterns of various species and their abundance during the year. Some species were now known to be more common than formerly thought, while others were less frequent. There was a need for a review of the conservation status of spiders in the light of the information that had been gathered. The warmer climate that had been apparent in the late 20th century was affecting the distribution of spiders. Some that were formerly confined to southern coastal sites, such as the wasp spider Argiope hruennichi (Scopuli), were now much 196 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 more widespread in inland areas. Species new to Britain continued to be found. A new version of the spider recording card had been produced which would enable recorders to note a wide range of habitat features of a site, as well as details of the site's management and the collection methods employed. This made it a rather complicated form to fill in but it should increase the quality of the recording data. Special surveys had been carried out aimed at specific, easily identified species, such as the wasp spider and the woodlouse spider, Dysdera crocatci C. L. Koch. 14 January 2003 The President, Dr P. C. Barnard showed a specimen of the sponge fly Sisyra terminal is Curtis (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) taken at light in a garden at Richmond, Surrey the previous summer. The larvae feed on freshwater sponges and this was the rarest of the three British Sisyra spp. It required clean water and had not been recorded in London for over a century, although the exhibitor caught many at Staines about 25 years ago. The presence of this species at Richmond was suggestive of a continued improvement in the water quality of the Thames. Mr R. Hawkins said he had received a report from Mr R. Jones to say that he had seen an active queen wasp in his office on 14.i.2003. Mr R. Booth said he had found a moribund queen wasp on his car at Hackbridge, Surrey. Dr J. Muggleton had seen queens of both a bumblebee and a wasp at Staines, Middlesex on 13. i. 2003. Mr M. Edwards said that nests of Bombas terrestris (L.) and B. lucorum (L.) with workers had been reported from Cornwall at Christmas time. Dr C. Spilling said he had seen wolf spiders active in his garden when the temperature was — 4 C. Mr Mike Edwards spoke on the ecology and conservation of two species of potter wasp, Pseudepipona herrichii (Saussure) and Odynerus simillimus Morawitz. The former had always been a scarce species confined to a few Dorset heathland sites. There were no records between 1953 to 1976 when it was rediscovered at Godlingston Heath. P. herrichii became the subject of a Species Recovery Plan in 1994. Studies of the wasp showed that it needed heathland that had areas of bare clay/sandy soil with water available nearby and mixed heathers, including Erica cinerea L. The wasp stocks its nests with the larvae of just one moth -the tortricid Acleris hyemana (Haw.). This feeds on various heathers but it is E. cinerea that flowers at the right time to provide nectar for the adult wasps. The female wasp digs a nest in the soil and provisions it with caterpillars before depositing an egg above the food store. Water is required by the females to enable them to seal their nests with mud. Large populations of the wasp on Stowborough Heath were thought to be due to a heather burn that subsequently produced heather of the right age and height to support a high caterpillar population. Trial burns on other nearby sites had created suitable conditions and were colonised by the wasp. However, on some sites cattle grazing had been brought in as a means of heathland management, and this had led to a decline in wasp numbers. The larvae of A. hyemana feed on the webbed shoot tips of heaths and these are the parts of the plants that are grazed by cattle. The potter wasp O. simillimus was first recorded at Colchester, Essex in 1860 but it was thought to have been lost from Britain until it was found again in the mid 1980s in coastal areas of Norfolk and Suffolk. In 2002, several additional sites were identified in wetland coastal areas of Essex and Norfolk. It was possible that this wasp had always been there but had been overlooked. The females make nest tunnels in bare soil which are topped by vertical mud tubes. Unlike P. herrichii , O. simillimus BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 197 lays an egg first and then provisions the nest with insect larvae. The identity of the larvae used remains to be confirmed but it was believed to be a weevil of the genus Hypera. Nest sites have been located in a variety of situations with no discernible common vegetation features. Confirmation of the prey insect’s identity was needed to improve recommendations for the wasp’s conservation. 1 1 February 2003 The President Dr P. C. Barnard announced the death of Mr Peter Standing. The following persons were approved as members by Council: Mr Leon S. Barnes, Mr Malcolm D. Bridge, Mr Roy Dobson, Mr Neil Fletcher, Mr Alan C. Nolan, Dr Ross W. Piper, Mr Gerard Sharkey, Mr Michael H. Smith, Dr Ian M. Strachan, Mi- Bill Urwin, Mr Michael J. Uwins, Mr John P. Widgery, Mr Brian L. Williamson, Mr Keith B. Wills. Also approved as a junior member was Mr Antony Lamsdell. Mr R. Hawkins said he had received reports of Red Admiral butterflies at Godaiming and at the RHS Garden, Wisley, Surrey. Mr A. J. Halstead had also noted a Red Admiral and a Small Tortoiseshell in flight at Wisley Garden on 27 January when the lunchtime temperature was 16.5 °C. Dr C. Spilling reported a female tephritid fly, Tephritis formosa (Loew) on the inside of a window in the Garden restaurant on 1 6T.2003 . Dr David Stroud spoke on his studies of the Greenland white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons flavirostris Dalgetty & Scott. This overwinters in Britain and migrates via Iceland to Greenland for the summer breeding season. In Britain the goose is found mainly on the west and north coasts of Scotland, the west coast of Ireland, with additional wintering sites in south east Ireland and the west coast of Wales. The geese leave Britain in April and depart from Iceland in early May. They fly 1500 km non-stop from Iceland to ice-free areas on the west coast of Greenland. There is little vegetation available in early May, so the geese feed mainly on subterranean parts of plants, especially those of cotton grasses. In late May the geese flocks disperse and pairs select their nest sites. Egg laying begins in June with one egg being laid per day until a clutch of about five has been produced. These are incubated for about 26 days with hatching occurring in early July when grass becomes available. After hatching, the goslings are led to higher areas about 6 km inland to lakes and pastures about 300m above sea level. In August the adult birds moult their flight feathers and are unable to fly until new ones develop. The geese have a higher risk of predation by arctic fox at this time. The moulting period provides an opportunity for geese to be rounded up with funnel nets for ringing and tagging with identity numbers. Aerial photography is used to make counts of the goose population. In Greenland the snows begin in mid August and the white-fronted goose departs for Iceland in mid September. They arrive in Britain in late September-October. Iceland permits the shooting of white-fronted geese and about 3500 are shot out of a total population of about 26,000. Shooting of this goose is no longer allowed in Britain and Ireland but the white-fronted goose has suffered some loss of habitat through drainage of peat bogs and afforestation. 1 1 March 2003 The retiring President Dr P. C. Barnard opened the meeting. The minutes of the previous meeting of 1 2.ii .2003 were read and approved. 198 BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 The following persons were approved as members by Council: Mr Matthew J. Deans and Mr Jeff B. Higgott. The Ordinary Meeting was then followed by the AGM and Officers’ reports. 8 April 2003 The President Mr B. H. Harley opened the meeting and welcomed members of the Dipterists’ Forum. Mr S. R. Miles remarked that, so far this year, he had seen few butterflies. Others present had seen varying numbers with all the usual seasonal species being recorded but in no great numbers. Mr S. J. Paston reported the presence of Epistrophe eligans (Harris) in his garden in Norwich the previous weekend. This was an early appearance for this hoverfly. Mr R. K. Morris said that there would be a hoverfly identification course at Preston Montford Field Centre from 30 May to 2 June 2003. Dr Stuart Ball and Mr Roger Morris then gave a lecture on "The future of hoverfly recording”. Mr Morris started by saying that in Great Britain there were 276 hoverfly species belonging to 69 genera. Worldwide there were around 5000 species. The larval biology and life styles of this family were amongst the most diverse of any family of the Diptera. A recording scheme had been launched in 1976 and had concentrated on producing 10 km square distribution maps. A provisional atlas had been produced in 1983 and coincided with the publication that year of British H overflies by Stubbs and Falk. The availability of British Hoverflies with good keys and illustrations made identification easier and enhanced the popularity of the group with recorders. For the second atlas, which was published in 2000, there was a 50% increase in the number of recorders compared with the first atlas. This second atlas made use of 375,563 records. Mr Morris then described the data acquisition and verification processes. One procedure which had been particularly helpful had been to place the species in five categories according to the difficulty of identification. This was very helpful in sorting out doubtful records. Dr Ball then spoke about the use of the data for recording changes in distribution and abundance, which were of use for decision making in conservation matters, in ecological research and in maintaining interest in recording. Recording scheme data were typically patchy, both spatially and temporally and this presented a problem when using them for detailed investigations. However these problems could be overcome. For example, there had been claims of a decline in Rhingia campestris Mg. which have been blamed on the reduction in dung-dwelling fauna following the use of avermectins. If the records of this species were considered as a percentage of all hoverfly records then there was no significant trend in abundance. If the annual pattern in abundance, measured in this way, was compared with June rainfall then there was a very significant correlation between June rainfall and abundance the following year, with the species being scarce following a dry summer. So, although no evidence was found for a long term trend, some useful ecological data had been obtained from the records. Using the records in this way had shown some real declines, examples of which were Chrysotoxum verralli Collin and C. festivum (L.). Indeed a number of species associated with the larvae of aculeate Hymenoptera were in decline. On a more positive note the records traced the expansion of Volucella zonaria Poda from its establishment in the 1940s, to a decline in the 1960s and a further expansion in the last ten years. The distribution of this species fits well with regions where the BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 199 minimum January temperature is above 1 C and the maximum June temperature is above 20 C. It is quite possible that we will be able to use hoverflies to monitor climate change. Climatic warming should lead to new species invading the British Isles, some species moving northwards and others emerging earlier in the year. Dr Ball ended by giving details of an initiative called “Syrph the Net”. This used a large database of European biological information on hoverflies in an attempt to use associations, between species and habitats, to predict and interpret species inventories for sites. The main worker on this project was Dr Martin Speight in Dublin and some successful examples of his work were presented. 13 May 2003 The President, Mr B. Harley announced the death of Mr D. C. Warner. Mr R. Uffen showed an uncommon “cotton wool” gall on oak caused by the cynipid Andricus quercusramuli (L.) It was found on an oak tree at Digswell Park, Welwyn Garden City, Herts on 12.V.03. Mr K. Merrifield showed a male Cimbex femoratus (L.) one of Britain’s largest sawflies. It was found on a path near a car park at Insh Marsh, Inverness-shire on 30.V.02. Mr A. J. Halstead showed two sawflies (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) associated with hawthorn. A live male and female Tenthredo celticci Benson were collected from hawthorn flowers at the RHS Garden, Wisley, Surrey. Hawthorn is not known to be a host plant for the larvae but the adults are often seen visiting May blossom. The other insect shown, a live male Nematus lucidus (Panzer), also from Wisley Garden, has gregarious larvae that feed on hawthorn foliage. Mr Halstead also showed a live male Tephritis zoe Mg. found in a polythene tunnel at Wisley. This tephritid fly is sexually dimorphic with the two sexes having different wing markings. The following persons were approved as members by Council: Mr Simon J. B. Camden-Smith, Mr Stephen J. Covey, Mr James A. Foster, Mr David J. Gould, Dr Curt Lambeth, Dr Susan Mallett, Mr Michael A. Nesfields, Mr Nicholas J. Percival, Mr David A. Scott-Langley and Mr Neil Sherman. Mr R. Hawkins reported that he had seen a Painted Lady at Horley, Surrey on 09.V.03 and 13.V.03. Mr K. Merrifield had also seen this butterfly species at Pulborough Brooks RSPB reserve, West Sussex on 10.V.03. Mr Merrifield also reported that a cranefly he had taken at Cawdor Woods, Inverness-shire during the 2002 Dipterists’ Forum Field Week, 25.v.-l.vi.02, had been identified by Alan Stubbs as Via mixta Stary. This small cranefly was new to Britain; it was first described in 1983 and previously known from Czechoslovakia, Germany and Norway. Dr Iain MacGowan spoke on the work of Scottish Natural Heritage on invertebrate conservation. Scottish Natural Heritage currently employed only one full time invertebrate ecologist but supports other work through grants and contracts. Scotland had a wide range of habitats, including important areas of heather moorland, peat bogs, upland habitats, river shingle beds and native pine forests, as well as conifer plantations. Habitats that were less frequent in Scotland, compared to other parts of Britain, were intensive agricultural and old parkland trees. Dr MacGowan showed slides of these various habitats and some of the invertebrates associated with them. He also highlighted some of the Scottish insects that had been subject to Biodiversity Action Plans or other detailed surveys. The 200 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 hoverfly Callicera rufa Schummel was at one time thought to be a RDB1 rarity associated with ancient Caledonian pine forest. Studies identified the larval habitat as rot holes in pine trunks or pine stumps. This species was now easier to record as larvae than adults, and was now known to be more widespread in conifer plantations. Another hoverfly. Hammer schmidt ia ferruginea (Fallen) remained a RDB1 species and was confined to a few sites which had large aspen trees. The larvae feed under the bark of recently fallen or felled trees, which only remain in a suitable condition for 3-4 years. The trees must be at least 75 cm in circumference. Steps were being taken to increase the availability of suitable breeding habitat. Storm damaged trees on Hammer schmidtia sites were felled, as standing trunks dried out too quickly to support the larvae. Large trunks felled elsewhere were also being brought to where the fly occurs. Rabbits could be a problem by gnawing off the bark and so fencing may need to be placed around the trunks. The numbers of this fly had increased following management work; a full survey was planned for this species in 2005. Blerafallax (L.) was another rare hoverfly that breeds in decaying conifer stumps. The larvae feed in soggy rotting wood, rather than in rot holes. Attempts had been made to increase the larval habitat by cutting holes in stumps. A survey for larvae in these stumps will be carried out in 2003. Trials with conifer sawdust in tin cans as a possible alternative breeding site were also being conducted. Other work that Scottish Natural Heritage was engaged in included producing a CD-rom of Scottish insects, that was now at the draft stage. Work was also being carried out on site quality monitoring of SSSIs to see if these sites still have the plants/animals or other qualities that led to SSSI designation. 10 June 2003 The Vice President, Dr P. C. Barnard opened the meeting. Mr M. J. BLECKWEN showed a black form of the usually grey-coloured terrestrial woodlouse, PorceUio scaber Latreille. Mr K. MERRIFIELD showed some galls found 2.vi.03 on a large black poplar or hybrid growing near the National Trust car park at Hampton Loade, Shropshire. These were a petiole gall caused by the aphid Pemphigus bur sarins (L.) and a midrib gall caused by the uncommon P. populi Courchet. The galls each contained a large aphid and several offspring. Mr A. J. HALSTEAD showed a live male specimen of the hoverfly Volucella bombylans (L.) var. plumata De Geer. This fly is a convincing mimic of some of the white-tailed bumble bees. It also commonly occurs as a form with reddish-brown hairs on the end of its abdomen. The larvae develop in the nests of some bumblebees and social wasps. The fly was collected at the RHS Garden, Wisley, Surrey. Dr P. C. BARNARD showed some specimens of the Small China-mark moth, Cataclysta lemmata (L.). Large numbers of males were seen flying round a garden pond in Essex on 7-8.vi.03. The larvae of this common pyralid moth feed on duckweeds ( Lemma spp.). Dr J. MUGGLETON noted it had generally been a poor year for moth trapping but he had recorded 47 species the previous night in his Staines, Middlesex garden. These included three common noctuid migrant species, Agrotis ipsilon Hufnagel, Caradrina clavipalpis Scop, and Autographa gamma L. Mr R. Uffen agreed it had so far been a poor moth year. BR. J. ENT. NAT HIST.. 16: 2003 201 Mr R. UFFEN gave some further information on the exhibit of Andricus quercusramuli (L.) galls on oak he had shown at the previous meeting. Since then adult cynipid wasps had emerged in large numbers and had laid eggs in oak buds. Mr Uffen had dissected a female and found it contained only about eight eggs. The summer generation would appear to be much less fecund than the spring generation that gives rise to the cotton wool galls. Dr RORY POST spoke on “The search for sibling species in simuliid flies and other animals”. Sibling species are species that are morphologically identical or very similar in appearance. They occur in a wide range of animal and plant taxa. More research has been carried out into Diptera sibling species than other insect orders. This is mainly because chromosome studies are easier to do on flies because they generally have comparatively few chromosomes. The Diptera also have some sibling species of medical importance, especially in the Simuliidae (black flies) and the Culicidae (mosquitoes). In the nineteenth century, malaria was present in parts of Kent, Essex, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. The disease was being spread by Anopheles maculipennis Mg., which is now recognised as comprised of two mosquito sibling species Anopheles messeae Falleroni and A. atroparvus van Thiel. These species can be separated on egg characteristics, or by chromosome studies or DNA sequencing. Anopheles messeae is a more inland freshwater species, while A. atroparvus prefers brackish coastal waters. It is the latter species that was the main malaria vector in Britain. In Africa the black fly, Simulium damnosum Theobald 5./., can transmit the nematode Onchocerca volvulus (Leuckart) while sucking blood from humans. The nematodes initially develop in lumps formed under the skin but later migrate through the body, causing blindness and damage to other organs. River blindness is particularly a problem in west Africa although S. damnosum is much more widespread. The form found in southern Africa does not bite humans so there is no river blindness there. It has also been noted that in areas where the fly does bite humans there are different forms of the disease. In the savannah areas there is more blindness while in the forests there are more skin nodule problems. Chromosome studies of S. damnosum show that it is a complex of sibling species that can be separated into savannah and forest forms. Dr Post also referred to some sibling species in Brazilian lizards, the field vole and Orkney vole in Britain and the banded snails Cepaea nemoralis (L.) and C. hortensis (M Filler). 202 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 2003 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Collecting insects. 1 write with regard to the reminder on the Code of Conduct for collecting insects circulated recently to members. When I began collecting butterflies and moths now nearly fifty years ago, the only potential restriction on one’s ability to undertake one’s chosen hobby was entirely down to the individual’s determination, effort and interest to succeed in one’s personal aim. Some of my greatest thrills of collecting came about because what 1 was doing was perhaps a little clandestine, and by nature required a certain amount of secrecy. When I first started to collect, the various entomological journals were massed with many of the collectors of the day’s vivid accounts of their expeditions after their quarry, which I found fascinating, informative and very stimulating. Sadly today’s publications are in the main very dull and dreary by comparison, as few want to openly commit their collecting efforts to print, as our society’s current attitude towards collecting has driven it underground, a sad reflection on how things are now! Over the succeeding years I formed a representative collection of butterflies and moths that contained many rare species, including some, which now are in, or have declined to very restricted numbers. But this in my opinion is due to the way our society wants and in the main welcomes change, and has nothing to do with the small minority of us who are butterfly and moth collectors. Subsequently, an at first very slow but insidious form of interference and restriction took place in regard to one’s ability to carry out what I consider to be reasonable activities within our collective society. Due to this changing attitude I decided to give up collecting specimens in the early 1980s, though I still hold a great interest in the subject of entomology and now ‘collect’ with the aid of a camera and close-up lens. I wish to remind you that the BENHS is in the main a society of hopefully like- minded individuals who are interested in a minority scientific subject and who collect, record and study the British insect fauna. I joined back in 1968, thanks to my late lamented friends Edgar Hare and Charles de Worms. 1 do not think that it is the committee’s place, or brief to sit in judgement of members. If individuals have very strong views on certain matters they are like all of us still (thank God) able to form their own opinion and act upon it, and if their views are at such odds with the consensus within the society, they are quite at liberty to leave. Please let us leave all the finger-pointing and judgement forming out of our society, and concentrate on the main aim which is surely that of bringing like minded souls together with the object of fostering, not defeating our aims. Rex Lane Harvey Highgrove Farm, Craven Arms, South Shropshire SY7 8DU. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 203 BOOK REVIEWS The Distribution Atlas of European Butterflies. O. Kudi na. Oedippus Nr. 20, 2002. Naturschutzbund Deutschland and the Gesellschaft fur Schmetterlingsschutz. 342 pp. ISBN 87-88757-56-0. Available from Apollo books at apollobooks(o)vip. cybercity.dk (Price 50 Euros). Everyone who has ever used the tiny maps in a field guide will have noticed the artistic licence that colours large areas with a broad brush. The publication of Dr Otakar Kudrna’s impressive atlas marks a new era in accuracy. Dot distribution maps covering 451 of the 486 butterfly species found in Europe show the results of the 6 years Mapping European Butterflies (MEB) project. Three different timeframes are plotted: 1950 or earlier, 1951 to 1980, and 1981 to 2001. The maps are printed in black and white at 16cm x 13 cm, two fitting each A4 page — a major improvement on the 2 cm x 3 cm found in Tolman (1997). Each recording field is one degree of longitude by half a degree of latitude, so that the diameter of each dot represents on average 58 km on the ground. The database is a mosaic of National records (from countries which have recording schemes) and the contributions of individuals who specialise in particular countries or taxa. The records from the Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland were converted for MEB by Dr Len Winokur, one of the 18 British lepidopterists amongst an international team of 254 contributors. If 254 seems a small number for such a mammoth undertaking, it should be remembered that many submitted collated records for whole countries. Great care has been taken to exclude uncertain records rather than to accept doubtful data. Europe is precisely defined, and covers 45 countries, states, or parts thereof, from Ireland to the Urals, and alphabetically from Albania to Yugoslavia. All the Mediterranean islands are mapped, whilst the records for the Azores, the Canaries and Madeira are tabulated. There are no resident butterflies on Iceland. Only the European part of Turkey is included, and it is noticeable that coverage is rather thin in the east e.g. Belarus. The maps were created on DMAP, using a selection of reference localities in each country. Whilst this system limits the accuracy of individual records, it virtually eliminates the keying errors that would have been made using latitude/longitude or grid systems. Scientific nomenclature is used throughout, and the absence of English common names may discourage some amateur readers, but is done in the interest of precision. The species checklist used incorporates a revision of the list in Karsholt and Razowski (The Lepidoptera of Europe , 1996), paying attention to the latest International Code of Zoological Nomenclature opinions. The result is a streamlined list which loses a number of commonly used subgenera. This can result in a short search to find a species that has been absorbed into a major genus (e.g. Artogeia into Pieris ), but once this hurdle has been overcome, users may find the new checklist a model for the future. I found the absence of an index an irritation, and would suggest one as a worthwhile addition for the second edition. The technicalities of the MEB study are explained in detail (a necessity for proper understanding), and are followed by the species maps, taking us to p. 300. The analysis that follows includes some outstanding material concerning distribution, diversity and conservation. Maps show the areas with the highest species diversity, and tables show which species occur in the highest/lowest number of squares and biogeographical status. It is interesting to note that most of the British species are found close to the top of the list of Europe’s most widely distributed (i.e. most common) butterflies. Endemic species found in very few squares can thus be treated 204 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 as Europe’s rarest, and may merit conservation priority even if they are not currently under threat. The interplay between that approach and recent Red Data Book work focused on the loss of certain species from north-west Europe (e.g. Swaay & Warren, 1996) is thought-provoking, and could lead towards a pan-European approach to allocating priorities for conservation effort. Dr Kudrna’s forthright style pervades the text; he has had the courage to take rigorous decisions on everything from taxonomy (his specialisation), survey methods, map presentation, computer systems and international co-operation. As a result, we have an authoritative atlas to carry us into the future. Rob Parker References Karsholt, O. & Razowski, J. (Eds) 1996. The Lepidoptera of Europe. A distributional checklist. Apollo Books, Stenstrup. Swaay, C. Van & Warren, M. 1999. Red Data Book of European Butterflies. Nat. Environ. 99: 1-260. Tolinan, T. & Lewington, R. 1997. Butterflies of Britain & Europe. Harper-Collins, London. Butterflies by Dick Vane-Wright. (London: Natural Elistory Museum, 2003) 1 12pp. Paperback £9.95. ISBN 0 565 09179 4 Butterflies is the latest addition to the Natural History Museum’s popular Life Series of publications, which to quote from the rear cover, aims to present an ‘accessible introduction to the wonders of the natural world suitable for all nature enthusiasts’. Other titles in the series include snakes, trees, deep oceans and soil which gives an idea of the diverse subjects covered in the Life Series. Butterflies is one of the most clear and concise introductions to the biology of these colourful and ever popular insects that I have yet seen, and well meets the objectives of the Life Series. In clear and concise language the reader is introduced to the whole life cycle from courtship and mating through to mimicry, variation and evolution. The author has avoided overuse of biological terms, which might confuse the general reader, and throughout the book his enthusiasm for butterflies is evident on every page. The book is well illustrated with excellent colour photographs, each one illustrating a particular point or opinion made in the text. Whilst many photographs are of live insects from around the world I liked the use of set specimens to illustrate the subtle differences in seasonal or geographical variation and mimicry. It is good to know that in these days of political correctness, and the digital camera, set specimens still have a role to play! There are some interesting photographs of butterflies in flight, a subject which is not always covered in detail in other publications. The book concludes with a chapter on the future of butterflies in an increasingly hostile environment and some thoughts on how individuals can help ensure their survival in the future. A glossary explains the terms used and there are suggestions for further reading and societies to contact. Disappointingly the BENHS is not one of those mentioned which should give us some food for thought. The book is published on good quality paper with clear type and good photographic reproduction, and represents excellent value at the modest price charged. Anybody with an interest in butterflies will find much of interest in it. D. A. Young BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 205 OBITUARY KENNETH ANGUS SPENCER 1916-2002 Kenneth Angus Spencer was born on the 16th March 1916 in Cheam. Surrey. He married Ann Campion Deveraux Berridge on 2nd December 1950, and together they raised three daughters, Kitty, Fanny and Susie. His wife Ann was a talented artist and draughtswoman, for which we all should be grateful. He died peacefully on 27th July 2002 in Callington, in the County of Cornwall, attended by his family. He was educated at Whitgift School, not far from his home in Cheam. He gained his BA in German, French and Italian in 1937 at University College, London and was awarded a DSc in 1970 at his old College, for his work and publications on the family Agromyzidae. In 1992 he was honoured by the Linnean Society with the H. H. Bloomer Award, bestowed for important contributions to biological knowledge by an amateur naturalist. He also received a number of other awards from other countries (see Flycatcher later). Ken’s interest in Natural History had begun from an early age with encourage- ment from his elder brother Geoffrey, and by 12 he was collecting anything he could. When he moved to London in his late ‘teens he joined the South London Entomological and Natural History Society, mainly collecting butterflies. Ken's introduction to Diptera occurred in 1949 when, through the same Society, he was asked to translate from German into English, Professor Erich Hering's book Biology of the Leaf Miners. This he did with much correspondence with the author and it was published in 1951. Subsequently, his ‘day job', which was selling printing equipment, enabled him to travel to Germany and meet Professor Hering and both developed a deep and sincere friendship for each other lasting until Hering’s death in 1967. Through this friendship, Ken developed an interest in leaf miners and the Agromyzidae in particular. The Agromyzidae became an obsession, and the rest is history! It was during the early 1950s that he started collecting leafmines and breeding out the flies, publishing his findings and persuading others of the fascination of these little creatures. One of his converts was a certain Mr. G.C.D. Griffiths! 206 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 My own connection with Ken began in 1979-80 when Diane and I decided to concentrate on the Agromyzidae during a survey of Diptera at Malham Tarn, a site of Special Scientific Interest in North Yorkshire, England run by the then Warden, Dr Henry Disney. They seemed ideally suited to our poor sighted eyes, having, we assumed, obvious leaf mines and hence very easily found. All we had to do was to go round collecting the static diagnostic mines rather than fast, small and specifically similar flies. How wrong we were, and in trying to understand the literature I wrote to Dr Spencer, sending some specimens for confirmation and a few which we felt must be new to science! Some months elapsed before we received a letter, apologising for the delay, but setting us to rights with our completely wrong diagnostics and naming our new specimens among the more common agromyzids for Britain. However, this introduction led to sporadic correspondence and wholehearted encouragement to collect, collect and then collect some more. Ken sent us reprints of most of his papers. In late 1982, Ken wrote to me asking advice on suitable methods and chemicals for the treatment of plant material for import/export. After this we communicated regularly and we even acted as sounding boards for some of his ideas and propositions before going into print and we frequently assisted with the preparation of tables and indexes and typing his terrible small scribble. After complaining that we could not cope with more than three sheets of script at a time, and this was agreed upon, the next letter to arrive did indeed contain only three sheets, however one of them consisted of about twenty short pieces of paper, pinned, glued and stapled together like a lace curtain and totalling about three A4 lengths of paper. Ken was a very disciplined and organised worker, if miserly with his paper supply, rising early and working on agromyzids until midday and lunch, after which he would generally do gardening or other domestic chores in the afternoon. Bedtime was usually between nine and ten. We are not very organised, certainly not early risers but after the day-job, working in the evenings on entomology, sometimes until the early hours of the next day, and so it was somewhat disconcerting to be woken at six in the morning with a bright cheery voice just wanting a chat, or checking on the progress of some project of the moment. By flatly refusing to answer the telephone before seven, and then 8 o’ clock in the morning, we finally weaned him from very early telephone calls and even had him sometimes phoning in the evenings — when we were awake! Ken was a workaholic, never satisfied until a project was completed to the best of his ability, whether it was as interpreter and intelligence officer in the army; salesman, manager and director of a printing equipment company, or entomologist. He demanded no less from any of his colleagues and acquaintances. Friendship was not always an easy ride, but it was always a very rewarding experience and a privilege. Ken had one great disappointment in his life -that he never received regular employment in an Institution as an entomologist and therefore always considered himself an ‘amateur’. However, as I have said elsewhere, Ken was a leading professional in his own field, being contracted by governments and Institutions alike to do a job of work for which he was amply qualified. Like many medical men, lawyers or architects he earned his money from his expertise, the definition of a professional. It was just that money does not flow so readily for entomologists as it does for the others. In all, Ken described and named 1240 species of Agromyzidae of which only 97 have subsequently proved to be synonyms, a mere 8% and a rare achievement. I should point out that this rather anecdotal valedictory is only possible because he has left a very detailed account of his life in his 1992 book Flycatcher published by BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 207 SPB Academic Publishing of Holland. It is not only an autobiography in some depth of an outstanding dipterist, but incorporates much information on the Agromyzidae which has not been published in his other works and, above all, it contains commentaries on the many famous dipterists and other notable people he came into contact with over the years. The loss of Ken has created a considerable gap in the ranks of the elder statesmen of the entomological community. Whilst his specialist work set him apart from the more generalist entomologists, his high output of publications, so ably assisted by his wife Ann, made him a leader of communication and an example to us all. In appreciation of 22 years friendship. David Henshaw BOOK REVIEW A Butterfly Notebook by Douglas Hammersley. (Lewes: The Book Guild, 2003) 140 pp. Hardbound £25.00. ISBN 1 85776 722 5 Anyone who appreciates the artistry of Benningfield’s Butterflies or the precision of Richard Lewington’s work, will be delighted with Doug Hammersley’s illustrations, published under the title of A Butterfly Notebook. He has captured grace of movement in addition to natural beauty, with a nice blend of scientific accuracy and art. To complement the paintings, Doug has written interesting and amusing accounts of his observations, describing the images of courtship, feeding and pairing shown on the facing pages, and offering anecdotes that reflect the changes in distribution and scarcity over his lifetime. A skilled medical illustrator by profession, and keen naturalist in retirement, the author has created a ‘notebook’ of the butterflies of his acquaintance; most of the British species, with a smattering of attractive Continental species now extinct in Britain. Each picture is accompanied by his notes, from Northumberland to West Harling Forest, close to his Norfolk home, and from occasional forays to the Pyrenees and the Adriatic. As the illustrations are so much larger than life, he includes one life-size image on each page as a point of reference. In some cases, the larger pictures serve very nicely to assist with identification, and to highlight the points of difference between two similar species. Reading his account of the features separating Small and Essex Skippers leaves a clearer understanding than many of the field guides, for example. The volume is nicely produced, and the choice of paper has catered well for the reproduction of texture and fine brush-work, without generating the reflection that often spoils glossy photographs. There is only one photograph, and that is a whimsical portrait inside the dust cover, capturing the author in a moment of repose. So this is neither a comprehensive work of reference, nor a superficial coffee table book. It falls nicely into the niche of what many lepidopterists would like to find in their Christmas stocking; a book to read and re-read, images to view with pleasure. 1 expect it to become one of my favourites. Rob Parker 208 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 2003 Announcement: Planning a National Macro-Moth Recording Scheme There is more interest in moths now than at any other time and this interest increases with every year. A vast amount of recording effort takes place across Britain and Ireland, and new discoveries continue to be made. Some once widespread species seem to have almost disappeared, other familiar species show worrying declines in abundance, whilst immigration seems to bring ever increasing numbers ol vagrant and potential colonist species from the Continent. The present network of county recorders does an admirable job in collating data at county level, but it is ironic that at a time when interest in moths has never been greater there is no national recording scheme to harness and present these data on a wider scale. Butterfly Conservation (BC) is now conducting a planning, consultation and development project that will hopefully lead to the eventual establishment of a new national recording scheme for all macro-moth species. Adrian Spalding and Mark Tunmore are undertaking the bulk of this planning phase, in close association with BC staff. The planning phase is supported financially by the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Nature, the British Entomological and Natural History Society, RSPB and Biodiversity Challenge with the backing of many other partners. The potential benefits from a co-ordinated national recording scheme are almost limitless. It would provide data to identify and promote conservation priorities, influence planning decisions, inform government policy and contribute to scientific research. It could also lead to the publication of a national distribution atlas in time. In order for us to develop the type of scheme to which today’s moth recorders would like to contribute, and to increase the chances of obtaining the necessary funding, it is vital that those interested in moth recording let us know their views before March 2004. The easiest way to do this is by completing the online questionnaire, viewable at www.mothrecording.org.uk. Alternatively, the same questionnaire is available on a colour leaflet, copies of which are obtainable from the address below upon receipt of a large SAE (A5 size). In the coming months we will be contacting local moth groups and attending events to canvas opinion. The following regional conferences will also take place, at which we look forward to meeting moth recorders, talking more about the scheme and hearing your views. There will also be guest speakers. ENGLAND: Warwick University. Saturday 10 January 2004 ( 10.00-1 6. 30hours). SCOTLAND: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH): Battleby Centre, Perth. Saturday 13 December 2003 ( 10.00-1 6. 30hours). WALES: To be announced. Details available on the website. Booking is essential for these events as numbers are limited and there will be free lunch and refreshments. E-mail bookings@mothrecording.org.uk or write to the address below. NMRS (planning), Norfolk House, 16-17 Lemon Street, Truro, TR1 2LS e-mail contact@nwthrecording.org.uk There will also be a special consultation meeting for BENHS members to discuss the macro-moth recording scheme at Dinton Pastures on Saturday 17 January 2004 (1 1.00-16.00) Mark Tunmore BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 16, PART 3, OCTOBER 2003 ARTICLES 145 First records of Myrmica vandeli Bondroit (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) for Britain. G. W. Elmes, A. G. Radchenko & J. A. Thomas 153 Notes on the Beetle Fauna of the Mid-Churnet Valley, Staffordshire. M. R. Webb & M. Waterhouse SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 156 New south-eastern county records for Caeopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). J. S. Badmin 157 The first phoretic association of Procalvolia zacheri (Oudemans) (Acari: Winterschmidtiidae) with Aridius nodifer (Westwood) (Coleoptera: Lathridiidae). J. C. Ostoja-Starzewski 158 Rhyzobius chrysolemoides (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) new to Kent. R. Jones 159 PROCEEDINGS AND TRANSACTIONS/SOCIETY NEWS Annual Exhibition 159 British butterflies 161 British Macrolepidoptera 165 British Microlepidoptera 171 Foreign Lepidoptera 177 Diptera 181 Coleoptera 186 Hemiptera 187 Hymenoptera 189 Dictyoptera 1 89 Orthoptera 190 192 202 The 2002 Presidential Address. Part 1 Report. Peter C. Barnard Minutes of BENHS Indoor Meetings Letter to the Editor. R. L. Harvey REVIEWS 203 The Distribution Atlas of European Butterflies by O. Kurdna. R. Parker 204 Butterflies by R. Vane- Wright. D. A. Young 207 A Butterfly Notebook by D. Hammersley. R. Parker OBITUARY 205 Kenneth Angus Spencer; 1916-2002. D. Henshaw ANNOUNCEMENTS 208 Planning a National Macromoth Recording Scheme. M. Tunmore ibc Butterflies of the Bristol Region by R. Barnett, R. Higgins, A. Moulin & C. Wiltshire ibc Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland by R. Lewington, P. Waring & M. Townsend ibc Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Illustrated and written by Richard Lewington December 2003 ISSN 0952-7583 MCZ LIBRARY FEB 0 3 2004 Vol. 16, Part 4 K r t ZJS a HARVARD BRITISH JOlMfCA'L OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY Published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society and incorporating its Proceedings and Transactions Editor: J. S. Badmin, Ecology Group, Canterbury Christ Church College, The Mount, Stodmarsh Road, Canterbury, Kent CT3 4AQ (Tel/Fax: 01227 479628) email: jsb5@cant.ac.uk Associate Editor: M. Wilson, Ph.D., F.R.E.S., F.L.S. Department of Biodiversity & Systematic Biology, National Museums & Galleries of Wales, Cardiff CF10 3NP. (Tel: 02920 573263) email: Mike.Wilson@nmgw.ac.uk Editorial Committee: D. J. L. Agassiz, M.A., Ph D., F.R.E.S. R. D. G. Barrington, B.Sc. P. J. Chandler, B.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. Goater, B.Sc., M. I. Biol. A. J. Halstead, M.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. D. Hawkins, M.A. P. J. Hodge T. G. Howarth, B.E.M., F.R.E.S. F F. G. McLean, Ph D., F.R.E.S M. J. Simmons, M.Sc. P. A. Sokoloff, M.Sc., C.Biol., M. I. Biol., F.R.E.S. T. R. E. Southwood, K.B., D.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. W. J. Uffen, M.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. K. West, B.Ed. British Journal of Entomology and Natural Elistory is published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society, Dinton Pastures Country Park, Davis Street, Hurst, Reading, Berkshire RG10 OTH, UK. Tel: 01189-321402. The Journal is distributed free to BENHS members. © 2003 British Entomological and Natural History Society. Typeset by Dobbie Typesetting Limited, Tavistock, Devon. Printed in England by Henry Ling Ltd, Dorchester, Dorset. BRITISH ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Registered charity number: 213149 Meetings of the Society are held regularly in London, at the rooms of the Royal Entomological Society, 41 Queen’s Gate, London SW7 and the well-known ANNUAL EXHIBITION takes place in November at Imperial College, London SW7. Frequent Field Meetings are held at weekends in the summer. Visitors are welcome at all meetings. The current Programme Card can be obtained on application to the Secretary, J. Muggleton, at the address given below. The Society maintains a library and invertebrate collections at its headquarters in Dinton Pastures, which are open to members on various advertised days each month, telephone 01189-321402 for the latest meeting news. The Society’s web site is: http://www.BENHS.org.uk Applications for membership to the Membership Secretary: A. Godfrey, 90 Bence Lane, Darton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 5DA. Subscriptions and changes of address to the Membership Secretary: R. D. Hawkins, 30d Meadowcroft Close, Horley, Surrey RH6 9EL. Non-arrival of the Journal, faulty copies or other problems arising from distribution of the Journal or notices to the Distribution Secretary: D. Young, 22 Wordsworth Close, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1WF. Tel: 01728 603568. Orders for books and back numbers of the Journal and Proceedings to the Sales Secretary: G. Boyd, 91 Fullingdale Road, Northampton NN3 2PZ. Tel: 01604 410056. General Enquiries to the Secretary: J. Muggleton, 30 Penton Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 2LD. Tel: 01784-464537. email: jmuggleton@compuserve.com Society Website: www.benhs.org.uk for recent information on the Society's meetings programme and general society details. Cover photograph: Mating pair of Violet Ground Beetle Carahus violaceus L. (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Ladycross Inclosure, New Forest, Hampshire, 6.ix.2000. Photo: L. Winokur. NOTE: The Editor invites submission of photographs for black and white reproduction on the front covers of the journal. The subject matter is open, with an emphasis on aesthetic value rather than scientific novelty. Submissions can be in the form of colour or black and white prints or colour transparencies. BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 209 HABITAT CREATION FAVOURING INVERTEBRA AN EXAMPLE FROM ALLERTON BYWATER^/£» URBAN WEST YORKSHIRE %£ M. D. Eyre1’2, M. L. Luff2, J. C. Woodward2 7^p> 1 Entomological Monitoring Services (EMS), 13 Manor Grin . , 1 Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7XQ, -Centre for Life Sciences MotlelliiW,/\ffa>y) The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NEl 7RU. mickey re@blueyonder.co.uk Abstract. The terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates on an old colliery site at Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire were surveyed in 1998, 1999 and 2001. A total of 19 nationally scarce species were recorded as well as a considerable number of other species at the edge of their range. Some of the mainly spoil site was covered in clayey soil and this provided a number of different invertebrate habitats delineated by substrate type and water and the differences in vegetation. The results of the surveys indicate that post-industrial sites with considerable amounts of bare ground are likely to have considerable invertebrate interest. Introduction Post-industrial land and urban sites have been known to be interesting as invertebrate habitats for some time (Davis & Jones, 1978; Hutson & Luff, 1978; Davis, 1982). There have been investigations into a number of invertebrate groups in urban areas; ground beetles (Kegel, 1990), butterflies (Hardy & Dennis, 1999), hoverflies (Wright, 1998), grasshoppers and crickets (Nagy, 1997), leafhoppers (Chudzicka, 1987) and bees, wasps and ants (Jacob-Remacle, 1984; Richter et ai, 1986). Some invertebrate groups have been studied on urban demolition and derelict sites, especially leafhoppers and bugs (Kirby, 1984; Sanderson, 1992; Schmitz, 1996) and beetles (Lott & Daws, 1995), whilst Wahlbrink & Zucchi (1994) concentrated on ground beetles on an urban railway embankment. Spoil heaps and reclaimed land from large-scale extractive industry have also been surveyed for ground beetles (Durka et al., 1997), rove beetles (Good, 1999), butterflies (Holl, 1996), spiders (Krajca & Krumpalova, 1998) and for a number of invertebrate groups (Spalding & Haes, 1995). The invertebrate fauna of urban water bodies, especially dragonflies (Kury & Durrer, 1991; Oly, 1996; Samways & Steyler, 1996) have also been investigated. Wichtowska & Sobczak (1994) surveyed urban ponds for water beetles whilst the effects of man and industry on the distribution of water beetles and bugs has been studied (Eyre, 1985; Carr, 1986; Williams, 1993). An area of post-industrial land, in this case a colliery, at Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire, was converted into an area for nature conservation and for use in education in 1998 by Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council. This paper reports on the results of invertebrate survey work, including noting interesting records and assessing habitats for different invertebrate groups. Survey area The old Allerton Bywater colliery, in the valley of the River Aire, was finally cleared in the late 1990s and some of the area was set aside for nature conservation and education purposes in 1998. The area is in a rectangle between the national 210 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4: 2003 grid references SE420272 to SE420275, south to north, and SE420272 to SE425272, west to east, approximately 500 x300 m. In the west of the area there is a triangular patch of marshy grassland, which appeared to have developed since the demise of the colliery. The northern edge of the area is a strip approximately 100 m wide, which has been cleared of buildings, capped with a heavy clay soil and seeded with a grass/clover mix. Most of the area, about 400 x 200 m, is where the old coal storage area had been and where the substrate is a mixture of colliery spoil and small coal. About a half of this area was capped with a heavy clay soil but the rest is mainly open spoil. These clay and spoil areas have been left to develop naturally. A number of ponds was constructed in 1998, mostly on the spoil. Sampling Sampling for both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates was carried out in three 6-week periods; in autumn 1998 and 2001 and in late spring-early summer 1999. Terrestrial site sampling, for Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera and Araneae, was carried out using ten pitfall traps (8.5 cm diameter, 10cm deep, part-filled with ethylene glycol), set in a line, 1 m apart, at 10 different sites. Collections from the traps were after three weeks, with two collections per 6-week period. At the same time as the pitfall traps were installed, suction sampling was carried out around the pitfall sites in 1998. A modified leaf-blower, now standard equipment for suction sampling (Stewart & Wright, 1995), was used for one minute at each site. Sweep net samples, in the same areas as the suction sampling, were taken in 1999 and 2001, with two samples per year. The pond sampling was carried out using a D-shaped net (1 mm mesh), with two samples taken in 1998 and 1999 and three in 2001. The rationale was to generate a representative sample from each site. Sites Ten terrestrial and eight pond sites were sampled and these are shown on a site map (Fig. 1). The terrestrial sites were: Site 1 . An area of sparse grass cover on wet spoil, next to pond 1 . There was a slight increase in vegetation cover in the three years but it was still mostly bare. Site 2. By Pond 2, an area of damp, densely vegetation, mainly grasses with some moss, on clay. Site 3. The base of a south-facing spoil bank with a little ruderal vegetation, but mainly bare. Site 4. A site with fairly dense grassy vegetation, on clay. Site 5. A west-facing spoil bank with about a 5% covering of ruderal vegetation. Site 6. An area of short, dense, mainly grass vegetation on clay, mowed in the autumn. Sites 7 and 8. Two sites in the northern strip of heavy clay capping with dense, unmowed vegetation, mainly grass and clover. Sites 9 and 10. In the marshy area with tussocks of Juncus and grass and patches of Ranunculus. The eight pond sites were: Pond A. Approximately 30 m by 20 m and 50cm deep when full, this pond had a mainly spoii substrate with considerable amounts of Cenex tussocks, some Typha and a little grass in the edge. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 21 1 Fig. 1. Map showing the distribution of pitfall trap lines (1-10) and ponds (A-H) on the survey area at Allerton By water, West Yorkshire. Pond B. A round pond, about 25 m in diameter when full, with a clay substrate and considerable amounts of Carex, Glyceria , Potamogeton and moss in the edge, giving high habitat diversity for invertebrates. Pond C. A round pond, excavated out of spoil, about 30 m in diameter when full. There was a small patch of Carex in 1998 and 1999 and this had increased considerably in size by 2001. Pond D. This was a rectangular pond, about 40 m by 15 m. This pond appeared to be more well established than the other ponds as there was well developed emergent vegetation, especially Typha, with Potamogeton and a dense moss edge. Pond E. A thin, rectangular pool, 30 m by 5 m, with a steep edge with some Carex and grass, on spoil. Pond F. A large pond excavated from spoil, about 50m in diameter when full. There was an area with sparse Carex which had changed little in the three years. Most of the pond had a bare, spoil substrate. Pond G. Another rectangular pond, about 30 m by 20 m, with a small patch of Carex in 1998 which had expanded considerably by 2001. There were still considerable areas of open substrate, which appeared to be a mixture of clay and spoil. Pond H. On clay, this was a small, narrow pond, about 20 m by 5 m, with a little emergent Carex and some grass in the edge and a lot of bare substrate. All these ponds were subject to considerable water level fluctuation but only pond H appeared to be subject to drying out, but there was water in 1999 and 2001. Noteworthy records There were a number of nationally scarce beetle and bug species recorded from both the terrestrial and pond sites, as well as a number of other species at the edge of 212 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4: 2003 their range in Britain. These are listed below, with national scarcity statuses (Hyman & Parsons, 1992, 1994; Kirby, 1992) where appropriate. No nationally scarce spider species were found. Nomenclature follows Ball (1997). Terrestrial species Orthoptera Tetrix subulata (L.) This groundhopper is not nationally scarce but it is mainly restricted to the southern half of the UK, apart from a record from Lancashire (Haes & Harding, 1997). There are old records from the Thorne Moors area in Yorkshire but this appears to be the most northerly record in the UK on the eastern side. It was found at sites 1, 4, 5 and 9 in 2001 and there is plenty of its preferred habitat of wet, open sites. Hemiptera Agallia brachyptera (Boheman) Nationally Scarce B This species was found in the marshy sites 9 and 10 in 1998 and 2001 and has been recorded before in Yorkshire (Kirby, 1992). It has been found regularly in north-east England, especially on post-industrial sites and it is probably under recorded and not as rare as previously thought. Psammotettix frigidus (Boheman) Nationally Scarce A Said by Kirby (1992) to have been only recorded from Scotland, from upland sites. It was recorded from site 3 in 1998. We have it from a number of post-industrial sites and coastal dunes in northern England (Eyre et a /., 2001) but this appears to be the most southern record in Britain. Coleoptera Acapalpus computus (Duftschmid) Nationally Scarce B This is a wetland ground beetle liking sites where the standing water dries up in the summer, as at site 9 in 1999. There is only one post- 1970 record north of this record, from SE74 (Luff, 1998), and one other Yorkshire record. Bembidion clarki Dawson Nationally Scarce B A ground beetle species of well established wetlands, this was found in the marshy sites 9 and 10 in 1998 and at pitfall site 2 in 2001 . There are a few records to the north of Allerton Bywater but most are in southern and eastern England (Luff, 1998). Blcthisa multipunctata (L.) Nationally Scarce B Another ground beetle species of well vegetated wetlands, it was found at site 2 in 2001. There are a few recent and several old records for Yorkshire (Luff, 1998). BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 213 P ter ostichus gracilis (Dejean) Nationally Scarce B A ground beetle species found in wet, well-vegetated sites, this was also found in the marshy sites 9 and 10 in all three years and at site 2 in 1999 and 2001. There are three 10-km square records (SE 64, 73, and 74) to the east and, just, to the north of Allerton Bywater in Luff (1998). This is a species at the northern edge of its range in Britain. Longitarsus ochroleucus (Marsham) Nationally Scarce B A leaf beetle apparently associated with ragworts, it was swept at site 3 in 2001. It appears to like open and disturbed grassland and there are other records from throughout England (Hyman & Parsons, 1992). Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) Nationally Scarce B This ladybird was found at sites 5 and 8 in 1999 and at 1, 5 and 7 in 2001 and appears to be well established. It appears to like sites with ruderal vegetation and is another species on the northern edge of its range in Britain (Majerus et a!., 1997). Notaris scirpi (F.) Nationally Scarce B This weevil associated with Typha was found in 1998 at site 1. There are other northern England records for this species, especially by rivers (Eyre et al. , 2000). Cercyon tristis (Illiger) Nationally Scarce B A wetland species, found in sites 9 and 10 in 1999 and 2001, we have a number of recent records from pitfall trapping (Eyre et al ., 1998, 2000). It is probably not as rare as its conservation status implies. Ocypus fuscatus (Gravenhorst) Nationally Scarce B A rove beetle of grassland habitats, found at site 6 in 2001, this is a widespread but scarce species in England (Hyman & Parsons, 1994). Aquatic species O donut a No nationally rare or scarce species were recorded but a number of the ponds, especially A and B, provided good habitat for the total of twelve species ( Aeshna cyanea (Muller), A. grandis (L.), A. juncea (L.), Anax imperator Leach, Coenagrion puella (L.), Enallagma cyathigerum (Charpentier), Ischnura elegans (Vander Linden), Lestes sponsa (Hansemann), Libellula quadrimaculata L., Pyrrhosoma nymphida (Sulzer), Sympetrum danae (Sulzer), S. striolcitum (Charpentier)) recorded as larvae. Aeshna grandis and Anax imperator are near the northern limit of their range in England (Merritt et a/., 1996) but are common in the south. The ponds provide a mixture of open and vegetated sites with contrasting water productivity leading to a number of suitable habitats for dragonflies. 214 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 Hem ip ter a Ilyocoris cimicoides (L.) This is not a nationally rare or scarce species but the recording of it in pond B in 1998 and from ponds C, D and G in 2001 is interesting because it is not recorded from northern England in Savage (1989). We have another record from Thorpe Marsh near Doncaster to the east, and these records are at the northern edge of its distribution in Britain. Notonecta maculata F. Another species which is not nationally rare or scarce, it is usually found in ponds and pools with little vegetation, conditions found at ponds C and F from which it was recorded in 2001. It is regarded as a species of southern Britain (Ball, 1997) and is not recorded from northern Britain in Savage (1989). Notonecta marmorea F. Also not nationally rare or scarce, N. marmorea is not recorded from northern England in Savage (1989) and this and N. maculata are likely to be at the northern extremes of their range in the UK. It is a species preferring brackish water and it was recorded from pond F in 1998 and from ponds C, D and G in 2001. Coleoptera Dytiscus cireumcinctus Ahrens Nationally Scarce A This species was found in the pitfall traps at site 2 in 1999, indicating that it was breeding in the adjacent pond B and had fallen into the trap after emerging from pupation. The distribution of this species is centred on Cheshire and this record is near its northern limit in Britain (Ball, 1997). Dytiscus circumflexus F. Nationally Scarce B This species, recorded from the grassy edge of pond B in 1998, tends to be found near the coast but it also occurs inland (Ball, 1997). Hygrotus nigrolineatus (von Steven) Nationally Scarce A A pioneer species, found in the bare pond F in 1998. It was first recorded in the UK in Kent in 1984 but has now been found north to County Durham (Eyre & Foster, 1998). It was not found in either 1999 or 2001. Enochrus melanocephalus (Olivier) Nationally Scarce B A species of weedy, dense vegetation that was found in the mossy edge of pond D in 1998. It occurs sporadically throughout northern England. BR. .1. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 215 Helochares lividus (Forster) Nationally Scarce B Found in the grassy pond B in 1998, this species is approaching the northern edge of its range in Britain (Ball, 1997). It was found in ponds A, D and H in 2001 and is obviously resident. Helochares punctatus Sharp Nationally Scarce B This is a species usually found in ponds with base-poor water. It was recorded from ponds A, B, D and E in 2001 and also appears to be well established. Laccobius sinuatus Motschulsky Nationally Scarce B This was found in ponds D and H in 1998, the most shallow, and possibly most temporary, of the ponds. It is a species of land slips with trickles but in northern England all records are from either colliery spoil sites or sand workings. Rhantus graph (Gyllenhal) Nationally Scarce B A species of sites with dense vegetation, this species was found in pond D in 1999 and B in 2001. This is another species on the northern edge of its distribution in Britain (Ball, 1997). Scarodytes halensis (F.) Nationally Scarce B A species liking open water sites with little vegetation and high conductivity, this was found in pond 6 in 1998. It has been expanding northwards recently but this is a record for the species at the north of its range in Britain. As with the other colonist species Hygrotus nigrolineatus, it was not found in 1999 and 2001. Habitat distribution The species lists of leafhoppers, ground, rove and phytophagous beetles and spiders from the terrestrial sites and of the invertebrate lists from the ponds were ordinated using DECORANA (Hill, 1979) to identify which sites were similar and which were different and to identify habitat types by subjectively grouping similar sites. DECORANA is a standard method for identifying trends in species assemblage distribution and is used as a basis for habitat classification (e.g. Eyre et a/., 2001). The number of habitat types for the five terrestrial groups and for the aquatic invertebrates, the sites in each group and a description of the habitat are given in Table 1. Three habitat types were identified for leafhoppers, ground, rove and phytopha- gous beetles but only two for spiders. The marshy area with sites 9 and 10 produced a separate habitat for leafhoppers, rove and phytophagous beetles but two other wet sites, 1 and 2, had similar ground beetles to the marshy sites. The other habitats for leafhoppers were open spoil sites and more densely vegetated clay sites and a similar pattern was seen with ground and phytophagous beetles. The rove beetle habitats were not as clear, with one group on open spoil and the other on a mixture of spoil and clay with varying vegetation. The two spider habitats differed in site water and vegetation but habitat definition was less clear than with the other groups. 216 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16 4; 2003 Table 1 . The habitat groups of leafhoppers, ground, phytophagous and rove beetles and spiders on the terrestrial sites and of the aquatic invertebrates in the pond sites at Allerton Bywater Group Sites Description Leafhoppers 1 1, 2, 3 A mixture of open spoil with sparse vegetation and more 2 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 densely vegetated spoil, damp or wet. Mainly densely vegetated, grassy sites on clay and one open 3 9, 10 spoil site, with the driest soils. Dense grass and Juncus and marshy. Ground beetles 1 3, 5 Damp spoil sites with sparse vegetation. 2 4, 6, 7, 8 Densely vegetated, grassy sites on clay, with the driest soils. 3 1, 2, 9, 10 A mixture of open sparsely vegetated and dense grass and Phytophagous beetles Juncus sites, either wet or marshy. 1 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 A mixture of both open and well-vegetated sites, mainly on 2 6, 7, 8 spoil and either damp or wet. Densely vegetated sites on clay, with the driest soils. 3 9, 10 Dense grass, Juncus and marshy. Rove beetles 1 3, 5 Damp spoil sites with sparse vegetation. 2 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 A mixture of spoil and clay sites, mostly densely vegetated, 3 9, 10 and with wet, damp and the driest soils. Dense grass, Juncus and marshy. Spiders 1 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 A mixture of spoil and clay sites, both open and well- 2 1, 2, 9, 10 vegetated, and with both damp and the driest soils. Mostly densely vegetated sites, with one open site, and either Aquatic invertebrates wet or marshy. 1 A, E, G, H Ponds on spoil, with areas of both bare and emergent 2 B. C, D vegetation. Ponds on both clay and spoil with dense aquatic submerged 3 F and emergent vegetation. Open pond on spoil with little vegetation. The invertebrate habitats in the pond sites differed in the amount of vegetation and the type of substrate. Pond F was obviously less productive than the other ponds and had fewer species whilst the other spoil-based ponds were more vegetated with more species. The most species were in the densely vegetated ponds B, C and D. Discussion The presence of a number of nationally scarce and other interesting terrestrial and aquatic invertebrate species indicate that this particular post-industrial area has considerable conservation interest. The conservation potential for these types of site for invertebrates has been assessed by Gibson (1998) and there have been a number of reports of uncommon species from sites such as colliery spoil and metalliferous BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 217 mine sites (Coldwell, 1993; Eyre & Luff, 1995; Lott & Daws, 1995; Spalding & Haes, 1995), whilst roadsides have been shown to be good habitat for heathland ground beetles (Eversham & Telfer, 1994). Another positive aspect on the old Allerton Bywater site was the provision of clayey soil capping of some of the area when the area was assigned for conservation and educational purposes. These clayey areas complimented the base-poor spoil areas to produce different invertebrate habitats. Most of the terrestrial groups studied had three obvious assemblages, generally delineated by the type of substrate, the amount of substrate water and the amount ol vegetation. A number of the interesting terrestrial species were those preferring open sites and ruderal vegetation on the spoil areas with a number of the important aquatic species in the bare substrate spoil ponds. As Haes & Spalding (1996) pointed out, conser- vation bodies do not tend to be excited by bare ground although Kirby (1994) estimated that up to 15% of nationally rare and scarce invertebrate species are likely to occur on artificial ruderal habitats. Jones (1999) recorded a number of interesting and nationally scarce invertebrate species from distinctly unpromising urban habitats along two tributaries of the River Thames in London and there is an increasing number of reports of rare and scarce species from urban and post-industrial sites (Eyre et a /., 2002a, b). It is likely that the open nature of these sites is the main reason for the occurrence of interesting invertebrate species because they are relatively scarce in a highly managed landscape but even if, as at Allerton Bywater, an area is not aesthetically pleasing, it may have considerable conservation interest. References Ball, S. G. 1997. RECORDER 3.3. A database for site-based, species occurrence records. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough. Carr, R. 1986. The effects of human activity on the distribution of aquatic Coleoptera in south- eastern England. Entomologica Basilensia 11: 313-325. Chudzicka, E. 1987. Structure of leafhopper (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha) communities in the urban green of Warsaw. Zoologica Memorabilia 42: 67-99. Coldwell. J. D. 1993. Some uncommon insects from two waste-ground sites in South Yorkshire. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 6:11. Davis, B. N. K. 1982. Habitat diversity and invertebrates in urban areas. Urban Ecology 6: 49-63. Davis, B. N. K. & Jones, P. E. 1978. The ground arthropods of some chalk and limestone quarries in England. Journal of Biogeographv 5: 159-171. Durka, W., Brandle, M. & Altmoos, M. 1997. Succession, habitats and conservation of carabid beetles in brown coal surface mines. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Allgemeine und Angewandte Enlomologie 11: 111-114. Eversham, B. C. & Telfer, M. G. 1994. Conservation value of roadside verges for stenotopic heathland Carabidae: corridors or refugia? Biodiversity and Conservation , 3: 538-545. Eyre, M. D. 1985. Some effects of man on the distribution of Dytiscidae in north-east England. Balfour- Browne Club Newsletter 34: 4-8. Eyre, M. D. & Foster, G. N. 1998. Beetles in a new pond in County Durham, and the continuing spread of Hygrotus nigrolineatus in England. Latissimus 10: 28. Eyre, M. D. & Luff, M. L. 1995. Coleoptera on post-industrial land: a conservation problem? Land Contamination & Reclamation 3: 132-134. Eyre, M. D., Luff, M. L. & Lott, D. A. 1998. Rare and notable beetle species records from Scotland from survey work with pitfall traps, 1992-1996. Coleopterist 7: 81 -90. Eyre, M. D., Luff, M. L. & Lott, D. A. 2000. Records of rare and notable beetle species from riverine sediments in Scotland and northern England. Coleopterist 9: 25 38. Eyre, M. D., Luff, M. L. & Woodward, J. (2002) Rare and notable Coleoptera from post- industrial and urban sites in England. Coleopterist , in press. 218 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 Eyre, M. D., Luff, M. L. & Woodward, J. C. (2002) Coleoptera (beetle) species and site quality of coastal and post-industrial sites in north-east England. Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria, in press. Eyre, M. D., Woodward, J. C. & Luff, M. L. 2001. The distribution of grassland Auchenorrhyncha assemblages (Homoptera: Cercopidae, Cicadellidae, Delphacidae) in northern England and Scotland. Journal of Insect Conservation 5: 37-45. Gibson, C. W. D. 1998. Brownfield: Red Data. The values artificial habitats have for uncommon invertebrates. English Nature Research Reports No. 273: 1-43. Peterborough: English Nature. Good, J. A. 1999. Recolonisation by Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) of old metalliferous tailings and mine soils in Ireland. Biology and Environment Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 99B: 27-35. Haes, E. C. M. & Harding, P. T. 1997. Atlas of grasshoppers, crickets and allied insects in Britain and Ireland. HMSO, London. Haes, E. C. M. & Spalding, A. 1996. The insects on a small, isolated, derelict metalliferous mine site in Cornwall. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 9: 1 1 1-1 15. Hardy, P. B. & Dennis, R. L. H. 1999. The impact of urban development on butterflies within a city region. Biodiversity and Conservation 8: 1261-1279. Hill, M. O. 1979. DECO RAN A A FO RT RAN program for detrended correspondence analysis and reciprocal averaging. Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Holl, K. D. 1996. The effect of coal surface mine reclamation on diurnal lepidopteran conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology 33: 225-236. Hutson, B. R. & Luff, M. L. 1978. Invertebrate colonization and succession on industrial reclamation sites. Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society. Series A, 6: 165-174. Hyman, P. S. & Parsons, M. S. 1992. A review of the scarce and threatened Coleoptera of Great Britain. Part 1. UK Nature Conservation 3: 1-484. Hyman, P. S. & Parsons, M. S. 1994. A review of the scarce and threatened Coleoptera of Great Britain. Part 2. UK Nature Conservation 12: 1-248. Jacob-Remade, A. 1984. Ecological study of the Hymenoptera Aculeata living in the most urbanized zone of the city of Liege. Bulletin el Annales de la Societe Rovale Beige d’Entomologie 120: 241-262. Jones, R. A. 1999. Entomological surveys of vertical river flood defence walls in urban London brownfield corridors: problems, practicalities and some promising results. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 12: 193-213. Kegel. B. 1990. The distribution ofcarabid beetles in the urban area of west Berlin. In: Stork, N. E. (Ed.), The Role of Ground Beetles in Ecological and Environmental Studies , pp. 325-329. Intercept, Andover. Kirby, P. 1984. Heteroptera colonising demolition sites in Derby. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 120: 253-258. Kirby, P. 1992. A review of the scarce and threatened Hemiptera of Great Britain. UK Nature Conservation 2: 1-267. Kirby, P. 1994. Habitat fragmentation: species at risk: invertebrate group identification. English Nature Research Reports No. 89. Peterborough: English Nature. Krajca, A. & Krumpalova, Z. 1998. Epigeic spider (Araneae) communities of nickel leach dumps and their surroundings near Sered’ (Slovakia). Biologia 53: 173-187. Kury, D. & Durrer, H. 1991. Dragonfly protection in anthropogenic ponds. A study on the evaluation of success. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellshaft 64: 155-163. Lott, D. A. & Daws, J. T. 1995. The conservation value of urban demolition sites in Leicester for beetles. Land Contamination & Reclamation 3: 79-81. Luff, M. L. 1998. Provisional Atlas of the Ground Beetles ( Coleoptera , Carabidae) of Britain. Biological Records Centre, Huntingdon. Majerus, M. E. N„ Majerus, T. M. O.. Bertrand, D. & Walker, L. E. 1997. The geographic distribution of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Britain (1984-1994). Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 133: 181-203. Merritt, R., Moore, N. W. & Eversham, B. C. 1996. Atlas of the Dragonflies of Britain and Ireland. ITE Research Publication No. 9. HMSO. London, 149pp. BR J. ENT. NAT HIST . 16 4; 2003 219 Nagy, B. 1997. Orthoptera species and assemblages in the main habitat types of some urban areas in the Carpathian Basin. Biologia 52: 233 240. Oly, M. 1996. Contribution to the Odonata in the urban area of Bochum in 1993 and 1994. Libellula 15: 1 1-26. Richter, K., Klausnitzer. B. & Zimdars, A. 1986. On the ant fauna of different urban-influenced ruderal places in the district of Leipzig (Hym., Formicidae). Entomologische Nachrichten and Berichte 30: 115-120. Samways, M. J. & Steyler, N. S. 1996. Dragonfly (Odonata) distribution patterns in urban and forest landscapes and recommendations for riparian management. Biological Conservation 78: 279-288. Sanderson, R. A. 1992. Hemiptera of naturally vegetated derelict land in north-west England. Entomologist's Gazette 43: 221-226. Savage, A. A. 1989. Adults of the British aquatic Hemiptera Heteroptera: a key with ecological notes. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication 50: 1-173. Schmitz, G. 1996. Urban ruderal sites as secondary habitats for phytophagous insects. Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft fur Okologie 26: 581-585. Spalding, A. & Haes, E. C. M. 1995. Contaminated land — a resource for wildlife: a review and survey of insects on metalliferous mine sites in Cornwall. Land Contamination and Reclamation 3: 24-29. Stewart, A. J. A. & Wright, A. F. 1995. A new inexpensive suction apparatus for sampling arthropods in grassland. Ecological Entomology 20: 98-102. Wahlbrink, D. & Zucchi, H. 1994. Occurrence and settlement of carabid beetles on an urban railway embankment — a contribution to urban ecology. Zoologische Jahrbuecher, Abteilung fur Systematik Oekologie und Geographic der Tier 121: 193-201. Wichtowska, M. & Sobczak, A. 1994. Formation of the water beetle (Coleoptera) fauna in conditions of the urban agglomeration of Szczecin (Western Pomerania). Acta Hydro- biologica 36: 57-74. Williams, G. M. 1993. The colonisation of mining subsidence ponds by water boatman (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Entomologist’s Gazette 44: 67-78. Wright, A. 1998. Hoverflies in a city environment: experiences in Coventry. Dipterists Digest 1: 37^40. SHORT COMMUNICATION Lasius brunneus (Latr.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) found indoors. In May 2003, a naturalist colleague Mr Mike Paice gave me four ants; he had found them in a house in the village of Jacob’s Well, near Guildford, Surrey, where they had been infesting a tin of biscuits. To my surprise, they were Lasius brunneus. In virtually all of the literature, this species is described as being ‘fugitive’, alluding to its evasive, secretive and non-aggressive habits. To find it invading a house is very unusual. From my own experience the normal ant found indoors is the ubiquitous black pavement ant, Lasius niger (L.), which commonly invades kitchens. Busy ant trails often lead to small amounts of spilled food in larders and cupboards or spoiled fruit at the bottom of the fruit bowl. In Norway and Sweden, L. brunneus is recorded from timbers in old houses and farm buildings (Collingwood, C. A. 1979. The Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Ent. Scant/. 8: 98 99). The house in Jacob’s Well is old, part of it, and the adjoining barn having been built around 1640, so the ant may well have been nesting in some of the ancient building timber. Richard A. Jones, 135 Friern Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 0AZ. bugmanjones@hotmail.com 220 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 BOOK REVIEW The Agroecology of Carabid Beetles. Edited by John Holland (Andover, Intercept Ltd., 2002). 356pp. £67.00. ISBN 1-898298-76-9. Over the last two decades the increasing interest in providing farmers with an integrated package for pest control in arable crops has stimulated research into the value of biocontrol agents of crop pests. Among the potential candidates have been the carabid beetles, which as many are polyphagous predators on arable land, appear to offer an excellent opportunity to capitalise on their behaviour. Although there have been some much cited books on carabid ecology by Hans-Ulrich Thiele and Konjev Desender and some more recent review articles by Gabor Lovei and Keith Sunderland and Bernhard Kromp, this book represents an excellent review of the ecology of carabids specifically associated with agricultural land. John Holland, as editor, has gathered together contributions from most of the leading carabid experts and produced a volume, which provides not only the ‘agroecology’, but also a review of many important techniques used in this field of research. The book sets the scene with a chapter considering the matching of carabid life- strategies to the agricultural environment, including a brief review of sampling techniques and even gives an example of ‘Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs’, (SADIE, developed at IACR Rothamsted), as an approach to assessing distribution patterns in a cereal field. Aspects of spatial distribution return again in the last chapter of the book, where it concentrates on population density variation in space and time in the agricultural landscape. It considers the influence of field boundaries, hedges and woodlands on distribution and also that of abiotic factors like microclimate, soil and moisture. These two chapters complement each other very well and give an excellent review of all aspects of carabid general ecology through the agricultural year. Within the agroecosystem, those carabid species adapted to this environment form carabid assemblages, which are influenced by a number of factors. One of the chapters deals with ‘carabid assemblage organization and species composition’ making use of a wide range of data sets to report on the frequency of occurrence of carabid species in arable fields and the influence of management and body size on the species distribution. There is a warning that much of the collected data relies on the use of pitfall trap records, but the conclusion indicates that relatively few carabid genera are adapted to temperate arable fields. Having determined the availability of carabids as biocontrol agents in arable fields their value can be gauged by their ability to consume crop pests. Four chapters are given over to the predatory habits of carabids in the agroecosystem. These chapters combine to give a thorough review of dietary requirements, adaptive morphology, diagnostic techniques for checking carabid diet and an excellent table showing the wide range of carabids that do kill pests. The remaining chapters cover some interesting aspects with carabids as weed seed predators, the impact of agricultural practices on the carabid population and the value of non-crop habitats in enhancing carabid numbers. There is also a valuable chapter reviewing the use of carabids as indicators of the state of the agricultural environment. Overall this is a comprehensive and erudite volume about the agroecology of carabid beetles, which provides not only some excellent text, but also a valuable source of references about carabid research. It takes a realistic approach to each topic and highlights the areas where further research should be implemented. Les Allen-Williams BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 221 THE CHANGING DISTRIBUTION OF VOLUCELLA IN AN IS (L.) (DIPTERA: SYRPHIDAE) Roger K. A. Morris1 & Stuart G. Ball2 [c/o 241 Commonside East, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 1 HB -255 Eastfield Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PEI 4BII Abstract. The historic distribution of the hoverfly Volucella inanis is investigated, following reports that it is undergoing a significant expansion in range. We demonstrate that V. inanis underwent a contraction in range prior to 1960. From then until the 1990s, records were concentrated in south-east England after which evidence of range expansion becomes readily apparent, although there are no indications that it is moving back into its former western range. The reasons for these changes are unclear, but climatic factors are believed to be the implicated factor. Introduction Verrall (1901) regarded Volucella inanis (L.) as a ‘rather rare species’ but reported that it was known ‘in considerable numbers from Devonshire, Somersetshire, Hampshire, Sussex and Essex’. By the end of the 20th Century, with noteworthy exceptions, it was largely confined to south-east England from the Solent to Suffolk (Ball & Morris, 2000), closely mirroring its near relative V. zonaria (Poda). The data we hold show that its western distribution included an extensive scatter of records from the Solent to Cornwall prior to 1960 and there are single records from north Devon, south Wales and a few from Dorset and the Isle of Wight recorded between 1980 and 1989. By 1999, its inland distribution extended well beyond the London area, throughout Surrey (Morris, 1998) and into Hampshire, Berkshire, and Hertfordshire, with an outlying record from Chippenham Fen, Cambridgeshire, but it seems to have disappeared entirely from western England. Since 1999 there have been a number of remarkable new records from such diverse locations as Peterborough and elsewhere in Cambridgeshire (Stubbs, 2001), Leicestershire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. The number of new records from such outlying locations is a clear indication that V. inanis is undergoing an expansion of range that is much wider in extent than V. zonaria (Morris & Ball, in press). In tandem with our investigation into the changing distribution of V. zonaria we have undertaken a similar exercise to consider the story of V. inanis. Unlike V. zonaria (over 1000 records) we have many fewer records of V. inanis , (over 750), covering a much greater timespan. One possible reason is that V. inanis was considered to be an established component of the British fauna and did not elicit great interest and regular publication of records. Our knowledge of this species’ historic distribution is therefore confined to museum specimens and occasional literature records. The establishment of the Hoverfly Recording Scheme in 1976 meant that there was a co-ordinated effort to assemble records and this means that caution must be attached to perceived distributions prior to 1970, and the changes that appear to have occurred, but some broad observations can be made. It is clear from figure 1 that the numbers of records jumped around the time that the Hoverfly Recording Scheme was launched, and even more so after British Hoverflies (Stubbs & Falk, 1983) was published but, even so, yearly numbers fluctuate dramatically. 999 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 Fig. 1. Numbers of records of Volucella inanis 1940-2001. Historical changes There would appear to have been two distinct changes in distribution. Firstly a contraction of the western range to eastern England during the middle of the 20th Century, followed by a northward expansion of range from the 1990s onwards. Over the 65 years from 1874 (the first record we have) to 1939, the majority of records are of occasional single individuals, although some localities seem to have yielded records on a number of occasions. For example, there are regular records from the New Forest at the turn of the 19th Century, with a number of F. C. Adams specimens in the collections of the Natural History Museum (London). It is therefore possible that V. inanis was only a partial resident, with numbers augmented by vagrants or migrants. The mainly coastal nature of the records (Figs. 2a & 2b) might support this conjecture, although it is curious that further southwesterly records are largely absent after the 1960s (Figs. 2c, 3a-c). Between 1940 and 1959, the majority of records were concentrated in the London area and in parts of Dorset and Hampshire to some extent mirroring the distribution of V. zonaria. However, in the early 1940s, V. inanis was certainly well established on the north Devon coast: there are six specimens (3^, 3$$) from Lynton, Devon, between 10 and 17 August, 1941. The recorded distribution between 1960 and 1979 (Lig. 2c) shows that the principal concentration of records was in south-east England, with a scatter of records from Dorset. Anecdotally, it seems that there may have been a significant contraction of range in the 1960s, with records concentrated in London and the Home Counties, Sussex and Kent. The late Cyril Hammond’s diary, for example, lists no records between 1961 and 1966 but resumes with regular records from 1967 until 1979. Furthermore, despite regular forays into the Surrey countryside, he fails BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 223 Fig. 2. Distribution of Volucella inanis in Southern England 1 874 to 1979. 224 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16 4: 2003 Fig. 3. Distribution of Volucella inanis in Southern England and Wales 1980 to 2002. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 225 to record V. inanis amongst the hoverflies listed. The reason for this drop in reports in the 1960s is unclear, but it is possible that the period of extreme cold weather was a significant factor. Concentrated recording effort in the 1980s, especially in Surrey, showed that V. inanis was well established in London and the Home Counties, Kent (Clemons, 1998), Sussex and parts of Hampshire; with outlying records from Devon and south Wales (Fig. 3a). Its northern range appears to be more extensive than that for the 1970s and there are the first indications of an expansion in range. This of course may be an artefact of improved recording, but it is possibly more than coincidence that a similar picture is presented in the better recorded V. zonaria. Evidence of expanding range is more marked in the 1990s, which show substantial expansion northwards into Hertfordshire, and westwards into Berkshire and Oxfordshire, and north-east into Cambridgeshire and Norfolk (Fig. 3b). However, despite extensive and detailed recording in western England, especially Dorset and Somerset, there are no records of V. inanis , suggesting that it had disappeared across its western range. In 2001 there were unprecedented reports from eastern England of V. inanis at localities far away from its known range. Stubbs (2001) reports records from south Cambridgeshire where there were numbers of records, Leicestershire and Notting- hamshire (Fig. 3c). There is also a record from Northamptonshire sent independently to the Hoverfly Recording Scheme, a report from Thetford of a specimen at an mv trap, and records from Norwich (Paston, 2001) which indicate that a population had become established in west Norwich in the late 1990s. However, records supplied to the Hoverfly Recording Scheme are not complete and the full picture for the period since we last trawled records is not available. What is causing these changes in range? At the moment, it is far from clear why there has been a contraction in western range. However, the expanding distribution in to the midlands and eastern England can potentially be explained. We know that the 1990s saw a period of unprecedented warm weather, with average yearly temperatures exceeding past records in most years (Bealey el a/., 1998). Many components of the natural environment have responded accordingly, including expansions in the range such as that of V. zonaria (Morris & Ball, in press), and earlier emergence times for some species, for example Epistrophe eligans (Harris) which has recently been emerging in March in south London (Morris, 2000). Observed changes in the range of V. inanis are therefore likely to be a response to climate change. As we have shown for V. zonaria , it is possible to relate the distribution of some species to climate maps. In the case of V. zonaria , a clear link to winter and summer mean temperatures has been demonstrated. The distribution of V. inanis differs from V. zonaria in a number of ways, not least because it appears to be largely confined to eastern England and at the moment is seemingly absent from the majority of the south-west. It is expanding northwards, but there is little evidence of significant westward expansion. This tends to suggest that average summer temperatures are likely to be more influential than minimum winter temperatures. Unfortunately, this is rather less clearly defined than we have been able to show for V. zonaria. Exceptionally hoi summers, such as those in the early 1990s do not seem to be Ihe over-riding factor, as an expansion in range might have been expected much earlier than the data suggest. However, average summer temperatures do seem to be a possibility. It remains to be seen how much further the range of V. inanis will expand. 226 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 Fig. 4. Phenology of male and female Volucella inanis Additional notes on biology Stubbs & Falk (1983) report associations with Vespula germanica (Fabr.) and the hornet Vespa crabro L. One of us (R.K.A.M.) has seen this species investigating a wasp’s nest in a roof and there is a specimen in the Natural History Museum (London), taken by W. J. Tampion in 1952, bearing a data label indicating that the specimen had been taken at a hornet's nest. There is also a report from Mark Telfer of three larvae found on a window sill in October/November 2001, together with large numbers of dead wasps (unknown species) which had fallen through a hole in the ceiling of a house in Stoke Mandeville (Bucks). These larvae were kept in damp sand indoors and yielded three V. inanis between 6 and 9 February 2002. Unlike other Volucella which are mainly predators and/or scavengers in vespine nests, V. inanis larvae are ectoparasites of wasp grubs (Rotheray, 1993). The reported link with hornets may be influential in determining the ongoing expansion in range of V. inanis , because hornets themselves are reported to have had a number of successful years. This may help to explain the presence of V. inanis in Peterborough where hornets are well established. However, there are parts of the range of V. inanis where hornets do not appear to occur (see distribution map in Edwards, 1997). The phenology of V. inanis shown in Ball and Morris (2000) indicates that this species occurs from June to September, but more detailed analysis of the occurrence of males and females shows that the earliest records are for males and the latest for females. However, unlike V. zonaria both sexes are more coincident (see Fig. 4). BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 227 Males peak towards the end of July and through to the second week of August, whilst females peak in the second week of August. Comments Unlike the story for V. zonaria, that of V. incmis is less clear-cut and there are a number of conundrums. Why, for example, has its distribution switched away from south-west England? Also, is the current expansion of range linked in any way to the changing fortunes of the hornet? And, of course, can the climatic factors we have identified be refined further? There are real opportunities to answer some of these questions given detailed recording. We are keen to receive all records of this species and other hoverflies, especially regular counts from frequently visited sites or from gardens. In keeping with our call for careful recording of V. zonaria in relation to episodes of high migrant activity, it would also be helpful to see whether any similar picture emerges for V. inanis. Much more can be gleaned from studying the remains of wasp and hornet nests, developing a picture of the preferred vespine associations in Britain. Acknowledgements The authors are indebted to the many individuals who have contributed to the Hoverfly Recording Scheme that forms the basis for this account. We also thank Dr lan White of the Natural History Museum, London, for access to the collections. References Ball, S. G. & Morris, R. K. A. 2000. Provisional atlas of British hoverflies. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Abbott’s Ripton. Bealey, C., Howells, O. & Parr, T. 1998. Environmental change and its effects on wildlife: the role of the environmental change network. British Wildlife 9: 341-347. Clemons, L. 1998. Further notes on the genus Volucella (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Kent. Bulletin of the Kent Field Club 43: 77-84. Edwards, R., ed. 1997. Provisional atlas of the aculeate Hymenoptera of Britain and Ireland. Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society. Huntingdon. Biological Records Centre. Morris. R. K. A. 1998. Hoverflies of Surrey. Surrey Wildlife Trust, Pirbright. 244pp. Morris, R. K. A. 2000. Shifts in the phenology of hoverflies in Surrey: do these reflect the effects of global warming? Dipterists Digest (second series) 7: 103-108. Morris, R. K. A. & Ball, S. G. (in press). Sixty Years of Volucella zonaria (Poda) (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Britain. British Journal of Entomology & Natural History. Paston, S. 2001. Observations of the hoverfly Volucella inanis in west Norwich. The Norfolk Natterjack, Bulletin of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists’ Society, 75: 2. Stubbs, A. E. 2001. Wildlife reports: Flies. British Wildlife 13: 131-133. Stubbs. A. E. & Falk S. J. 1983. British Hoverflies: an illustrated identification guide. British Entomological & Natural History Society, London. Rolheray, G. E. 1993. Colour Guide to Hoverfly Larvae (Diptera, Syrphidae). Dipterists Digest (first series) 9. 156pp. Verrall, G. H. 1901. British Flies 8: Platypezidae, Pipunculidae and Syrphidae , 691pp., London. 228 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 BOOK REVIEW Oaks, Dragonflies and People - creating a small nature reserve and relating its story to wider conservation issues. By N.W. Moore. (Colchester, Harley Books, 2002). Paperback £15.95. ISBN 0 946589 71 2. Oaks, Dragonflies and People presents the story of what is either one of the UK’s smallest nature reserves, or one of its best studied wildlife gardens. Norman Moore’s very readable book describes in some detail how, since the early 1960s, he has gradually turned an acre-and-a-half of agricultural land into a small wildlife oasis. This has involved the planting of hundreds of trees, shrubs and wildflowers, and, in the early 1980s, the excavation of a large pond. Moore’s small reserve is in the village of Swavesey, in the Cambridgeshire fenlands. This is a landscape dominated by intensive agriculture, and it provides a real test of the colonising ability of wild plants and animals. Nonetheless, Moore’s reserve has been found by Water Vole, Great Crested Newt, Grass Snake, twenty- three species of butterfly, and nineteen species of dragonflies and damselflies. The book includes transect data for both butterflies and Odonata over a period of seventeen years (more for the older parts of the reserve). This provides a good index of population changes, which not only reflects the colonising abilities of the various species, but shows the impact of changes in habitat on the abundance of even common and widespread species. The arrival of new species on the site, the ways they have exploited it, and the eventual loss of some species are discussed in a major chapter, which also includes descriptions of some small, but elegant experiments. For example, by taking advantage of the habit of Common Darters to perch on a garden trug, Norman Moore was able to move territorial males around his pond. Rather than return to their apparent territories, the dragonflies simply defended the space around where the trug was placed. But this book is more than just a study of one person’s private nature reserve. In the final chapters, Moore takes a long and slightly uneasy step from the intimately personal to the broadly political. He starts by arguing in favour of nature reserves - and particularly the continued, and increased, public acquisition of nature reserves - as essential to the conservation of wildlife in Britain. This stance is well supported by the preceding chapters. Moore’s experience in his small reserve at Swavesey shows how much biodiversity can be packed into a small area, and, perhaps more importantly, illustrates that physical isolation does not equate with ecological isolation. Less comfortable is Moore's proposal for a new form of politics, for which he coins the term ‘Future Care’. This is envisaged as a way for politicians to take a view that extends well beyond the next election, and considers today’s policies in terms of their impact on future generations and the future environment. As such, it does seem somewhat naive to expect the idea, or the term itself, to be taken up with any seriousness in political circles. However, the same might have been said a few years ago of concepts such as ‘biodiversity’ or ‘sustainable development', both of which now sit within the mainstream of politics, although more often in word than deed. Norman Moore has been a prominent figure in entomology and nature conservation for half a century, and his thoughts and ideas, set out in this interesting and very readable book, deserve to be read and considered. Whether it leads to the adoption of Future Care as a political concept remains to be seen; but if it results in more people setting aside small areas of land for wildlife, the book will have been well served. Richard Moyse BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 229 A CHECKLIST OF THE IRISH FIGITIDAE EXCLUDING CHARIPINAE & EUCOILINAE (HYMENOPTERA) J. P. O’Connor1, N. D. M. Fergusson2 and R. Nash3 1 National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 ~ The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD 3 Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast B IV 5AB Abstract. The Irish species of Figitidae excluding Charipinae and Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera) are reviewed, and a checklist provided. A total of 17 species is now known from Ireland, 10 of which are recorded for the first time in this paper. Introduction The Figitidae is a family of parasitoid wasps within the superfamily Cynipoidea, the latter including the phytophagous gall-inducing wasps in the family Cynipidae. The biology of the Figitidae is poorly understood, but apart from the Charipinae all seem to be primary, solitary endoparasitoids. The main host preferences of the three (Irish) subfamilies considered in this paper are as follows: Figitinae are internal parasitoids of Diptera in carrion, dung or plant substrates; Anacharitinae are parasitoids of Hemerobiidae (Neuroptera); Aspicerinae are parasitoids mostly of Syrphidae (Diptera) preying on aphids (Hemiptera). From the information available, it seems likely that many parasitic cynipoids have more than one generation per year (Fergusson, 1986). Callaspidia defonscolombei Dahlbom has two generations (Rotheray, 1979) and Figites can have three. James (1928) has suggested that the preponderance, of females in reared samples of Figites anthomyiarum Bouche might indicate that a certain amount of parthenogenesis occurs. Little work has been done on the Irish fauna. However, as with so many other Irish insect groups, A. H. Haliday made a valuable contribution, being the author of three genera (Haliday in Curtis, 1829; Haliday in Walker, 1835). Two of these are still valid ( Aegilips and Melanips ) while the third ( Onychia ) is preoccupied. Haliday’s latin descriptions of Aegilips and Melanips are very detailed but no Irish species are cited. Subsequently, Fergusson (1986) and O’Connor and Speight (1987) added five and two species respectively to the Irish list. The checklist A total of 17 species is now on the Irish list, 10 of which are reported for the first time in this paper. One of these, Aspicera scutellata (Villers), has not yet been found in Britain where twenty four species have been recorded. The Irish fauna is therefore well known, with over 66% of that found in Britain. By contrast, the percentages for the braconids (44%) and chalcidoids (30%) are much lower (O’Connor et a /., 1999, 2000). The listed material was identified using Fergusson (1986). The nomenclature, host data and British distributions follow that work. Unless otherwise stated, voucher specimens of the new species have been deposited in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. The following abbreviations are used in the text: AWS A. W. Stelfox; BMNH - British Museum (Natural History); EOM E. O'Mahony; .IPOC J. P. O’Connor; MAOC M. A. O’Connor; RAP - R. A. Phillips. * = species new to Ireland. 230 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4: 2003 Figitinae * Figites anthomyiarum Bouche, 1834 CARLOW: St Mullins (S7238), 1 5.viii. 1994, collected on the bank of the River Barrow, JPOC; DUBLIN: Phoenix Park, 27.vi.1943, AWS Collection (BMNH); The Island, 1 4. viii. 1945, AWS; LAOIS: Abbeyleix, 27.viii. 1925, RAP. New to Ireland. Figites anthomyiarum is a common species in Britain. The hosts are dipterous larvae of Anthomyia , Calliphora , Hydrotaeci , Hylemya , Lucilia. Musca , Phorbia and Sarcophaga , especially when in carrion. * Figites consobrinus Giraud, 1860 LOUTH: near Dundalk, 30.vi.1942, AWS (BMNH); WEXFORD: Carnsore Point (T1203), Fix. 1980, JPOC. New to Ireland. Figites consobrinus is widespread but not common in Britain. The species is a parasitoid of Diptera associated with carrion and dung. * Figites ictus Fergusson, 1986 KILKENNY: no locality, 8.ix. 1 925, RAP; WICKLOW: The Murrough, south of Newcastle, 5.viii.l942, AWS (BMNH). New to Ireland. Figites ictus is known from six English counties. Its host is unknown. Lonchidia clavicornis Thomson, 1862 Recorded from Dublin, Leitrim, Sligo and Wicklow by Fergusson (1986). In Britain the species has only been reported from three counties in England. Its host is unknown. Lonchidia maculipennis (Dahlbom, 1842) Recorded from Dublin and Wicklow by Fergusson (1986). The species has been reported from eight British counties. Its host is unknown. Melanips microcerus (Kieffer, 1903) Recorded from Dublin and Wicklow by Fergusson (1986). The species has been reported from four British counties. Its host is unknown. * Melanips opacus (Hartig, 1840) CAVAN: Virginia Woods (N5987), swept in mixed woodland, 21.V.1989, JPOC & MAOC; DUBLIN: Castleknock (00837), Malaise trap in suburban garden, 7 21.vi. 1984, JPOC & MAOC; Phoenix Park, 23.vii.1942, AWS (BMNH); KILDARE: Rye Water & Royal Canal, 16. v. 1943, AWS Collection (BMNH); MEATH: Kilmessan (N8857), swept from vegetation along disused railway track, 27.V.1990, JPOC & MAOC; WATERFORD: near Passage East (S6811), swept from vegetation along hillside path, 12. vi. 1991, JPOC; WEXFORD: Slieve Coiltia (S7221), 14. vi. 1990, JPOC. New to Ireland. Melanips opacus is very common in Britain. The hosts are hoverfly larvae belonging to Episyrphus balteatus (Degeer), Syrphus ribesii (L.), S. torvus Osten Sacken and S. vitripennis Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae). * Melanips sv/vanus Giraud, 1860 WEXFORD: Fethard (S7905), swept from sand-dunes, 10. vi. 1990, JPOC. New to Ireland. Melanips sylvanus has only been reported from Fife and Surrey in Britain. Its host is unknown. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 231 *Sarothrus tibialis (Zetterstedt, 1838) TIPPERARY: Ballinacourty, Aherlow, 26. ix. 1943, AWS Collection (BMNH). New to Ireland. Sarothrus tibialis is common in Britain. Its host is unknown. Anacharitinae *Aegilips atricornis Fergusson, 1985 DUBLIN: Castleknock (00837), Malaise trap in suburban garden, August 1984, JPOC. New to Ireland. Aegilips atricornis is common in Britain. Its hosts are lacewing larvae belonging to Wesmaelius betulimis (Strom) and W. subnebulosus (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). * Aegilips nitidula (Dalman, 1823) LEITRIM: Glencar (G7643), swept from vegetation beside the waterfall, 25.viii.1992, JPOC; WATERFORD: Ballin Lough (S4403), swept from lakeside vegetation, 1 8.vi. 1 990, JPOC & MAOC. New to Ireland. Aegilips nitidula is common in Britain. Its hosts are lacewing larvae belonging to Hemerobius sp. and W. subnebulosus (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). * Anacharis eucharioides (Dalman, 1818) ANTRIM: Glenarm, 26.vii.1931, AWS; CARLOW: Cloughristick (S7069), swept from mixed vegetation beside River Barrow, 19. vi. 1982, JPOC & MAOC; CLARE: Burren (M27ll), swept from vegetation in a marsh, 4.vi.l992, JPOC & MAOC; Kilshanny (R1093), swept from a hedgerow, 3 1 . vi. 1 992, JPOC; near Formoyle (M1606), Burren, swept from vegetation on limestone pavement, 29. v. 1992, JPOC; DOWN: Conlig, 4.viii. 1 93 1 , AWS; DUBLIN: St Anne’s, Clontarf, August 1924, EOM; KILDARE: Louisa Bridge (N9936), swept from vegetation in a marsh, 2.viii. 1982, JPOC & 30.viii. 1991, JPOC & MAOC; Newbridge Fen (N7616), swept in fen, 8.ix. 1 99 1 , JPOC & MAOC; LEITRIM: Glencar (G7643), swept from vegetation beside the waterfall, 25.viii.1992, JPOC; WATERFORD: near Passage East (S681 1 ), swept from vegetation along hillside path, 3.vii . 1 99 1 , JPOC & MAOC; Belle Lake (S6605), swept from lakeside vegetation, 11. vi. 1991, JPOC; WESTMEATH: Pakenham (N4470), swept in mixed woodland, 23.vii.1989, JPOC; WEXFORD: Curracloe (T1 127), swept in marsh beside sand-dunes, 1 3. vi. 1 99 1 , JPOC & MAOC. New to Ireland. Anacharis eucharioides is very common in Britain. Its hosts are lacewing larvae belonging to Hemerobius micans Olivier, Wesmaelius betulimis and W. subnebulosus (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). * Anacharis immunis Walker, 1835 DUBLIN: St Anne’s, Clontarf, emerged 22. v. 1939 from Diptera in the nest of a mistle thrush collected on 23. iv. 1939, EOM; WATERFORD: near Passage East (S6811), swept from vegetation along hillside path, 3.vii . 1 99 1 , JPOC & MAOC; WICKLOW: Athdown, 8.ix. 1 938, AWS Collection (BMNH). New to Ireland. Anacharis immunis is very common in Britain. Its known hosts are lacewing larvae belonging to Hemerobius stigma Olivier, W. betulimis and W. subnebulosus (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). O’Mahony’s Clontarf record is therefore of interest. Xyalaspis armata (Giraud, 1860) KILDARE: Kilkea Park, September 1937, AWS (BMNH). 232 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 Recorded from Dublin and Sligo by Fergusson (1986). The species has been reported from three counties in Britain. Its host is unknown. Xvalcispis petiolata Kieffer, 1901 DUBLIN: Harold’s Cross, 29. viii . 1 933, AWS; WESTMEATH: Tudenham (N4147), swept from lakeside vegetation, 9.vii. 1 997, JPOC. Recorded from Kildare by O’Connor and Speight (1987). The species is common in Britain. Its hosts are lacewing larvae belong to Hemerobius and W. subnebulosus (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). The adults are often found on tree bark. Aspicerinae Aspicera scutellcita (Villers, 1789) Recorded from Meath by Fergusson (1986). The species has not been found in Britain. Its host is unknown. Callaspidia defonscolombei Dahlbom, 1842 KILDARE: Louisa Bridge (N9936), swept from vegetation in a marsh, 2. viii. 1982, JPOC; TIPPERARY: Aherlow, 1 3.ix. 1943, AWS. Recorded from Westmeath by O’Connor and Speight (1987). Callaspidia defonscolombei is common in Britain. The species is a solitary parasitoid of hoverfly larvae (Diptera: Syrphidae). The adults are bivoltine, being most numerous in early August and late September. Acknowledgement The senior author wishes to thank M. A. O’Connor for her help with field work. References Fergusson, N. D. M. 1986. Charipidae, 1 baliidae and Figitidae. Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects 8( 1 c): 1-55. Haliday, A. H. 1829 in Curtis, J. A guide to an arrangement of British insects; being a catalogue of all the named species hitherto discovered in Great Brit cun and Ireland. Westley & Davies, London. Haliday, A. H. 1835 in Walker, F. Observations on the British Cynipites. Entomological Magazine 3: 159-170. James, H. C. 1928. On the life-histories and economic status of certain Cynipid parasites of Dipterous larvae, with descriptions of some new larval forms. Annals of Applied Biology 15: 287-316. O’Connor, J. P., Nash, R. & Achterberg, C. van 1999. A catalogue of the Irish Braconidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea). Occasional Publication of the Irish Biogeographical Society 4: 1-123. O'Connor, J. P., Nash, R. & Boucek, Z. 2000. A catalogue of the Irish Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). Occasional Publication of the Irish Biogeographical Society 6: 1-135. O'Connor, J. P. & Speight, M. C. D. 1987 Macrosiphum albifrons , Dictenidia bimaculata , Callaspidia defonscolombei and Xva/aspis petiolata: insects new to Ireland. Irish Naturalists’ Journal 22: 199-201. Rotheray, G. E. 1979. The biology and host searching behaviour of a Cynipoid parasite of aphidophagous syrphid larvae. Ecological Entomology 4: 75-82. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 233 THE GLOW-WORM LAMPYRIS NOCTILUCA L. (COLEOPTERA: LAMPYRIDAE) IN ESSEX Tim Gardiner, Michelle Pye & Robin Field Centre for Environment & Rural Affairs (CERA), Writ tie College, Lordship Road, Writ tie, Chelmsford, Essex, CM I 3RR Abstract. During 2001 and 2002, a detailed survey investigating the distribution and abundance of the Glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca L. was undertaken in Essex. Only 13 records existed for this species within the county at the start of the survey, and many of these were old and gave imprecise location details. A simple transect method was utilised to ascertain the abundance of L. noctiluca at 12 sites, whilst records of this species since 1992 were collected to determine the current distribution in the county. The survey results suggest a widespread distribution of L. noctiluca in Essex and a large number of recorded sites, despite a lack of favourable habitat in the county. However, the transect survey data highlight the uncertain future for this species in Essex. Counts of glowing adult females on the transect walks were generally very low. Some of the smaller populations were isolated by several kilometres from the next nearest occupied site. These colonies are therefore most at risk from extinction, particularly as the available favourable habitat at these sites is limited. INTRODUCTION The Glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca L. (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) has a wide- spread but distinctly local distribution in Britain (Tyler, 2002), apparently being more abundant in southern England, especially on areas of chalk downland (Tyler, 1994). This species is predominantly a grassland insect, although it occurs in other habitats such as hedgerows and open woodlands (British Naturalists’ Association, 1971). The status of L. noctiluca in Britain is poorly documented, however, some efforts have been made to ascertain its national distribution. The earliest of these was a survey conducted by the British Naturalists’ Association in the 1960s and early 1970s. It was from this initial survey that a decline in the British L. noctiluca population was first suspected; with many recorders noting an apparent fall in numbers (British Naturalists’ Association 1971; 1974). In 1991/92, a survey was launched by Robin Scagell (Scagell, 2003), with the aim of both revisiting the sites identified by the British Naturalists’ Association survey and investigating previously unrecorded ones. A survey of Gloucestershire between 1980 and 1990 found L. noctiluca to be particularly widespread with a large number of colonies (Alexander, 1992). Particularly favourable areas in Gloucestershire included unimproved limestone grasslands in the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and scarp grasslands overlooking Cheltenham and Gloucester. Alexander (1992) states that Gloucestershire is one of the best counties in Britain for L. noctiluca , perhaps due to the large area of suitable habitats that are present. However, in Essex, favourable grassland habitats are rare due to the extent of urban and suburban areas, and the main land use of arable production (Essex County Council, 1996). The remaining grassland areas suffer from fragmentation and consequent isolation, which may have a significant impact on a sedentary species such as L. noctiluca (Tyler, 1994). This species has been suspected as rather rare in Essex (Corke, 1984), but this may be due to under-recording because 234 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 4; 2003 the county recorder has historical records for only 13 sites. Many of these records are extremely old with imprecise location details, for example, ‘Hazeleigh Wood 1890s’. To rectify this under-recording, a detailed survey of Essex in 2001 and 2002 was instigated by the authors in an effort to determine the current distribution of L. noctiluca in Essex. In addition to recording the locations of this species in the county, the number of glowing females present at these sites was also recorded using a simple transect method. This paper presents the results of the survey and assesses the impact of isolation and habitat availability in determining the future survival of extant L. noctiluca colonies in Essex. METHOD Study Sites A transect was established at each of 12 sites with a known L. noctiluca colony to allow the abundance of glowing adult females to be ascertained, thus providing comparative data on population size at different sites. Habitats recorded at the transect sites included ancient woodland and unimproved meadow (Table 1). Several of these sites had legal conservation designations, with four transects on land designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The remaining transects were established on unprotected land in the general countryside, including rural roadside verges and scrubland. Table 1: Characteristics of the transect sites in Essex Site Site name Grid ref. No. females counted Designations Description A Benfleet Downs TQ7885 17 SSSI & SPA Hillside meadow with fringing scrub B Bulford Mill Lane TL7720 10 — Roadside verge with mature hedgerow C Finches Nature Area TQ9094 79 — Scrub with rides and glades D Danbury Woods TL7806 57 SSSI Ancient woodland with rides and glades E Dry Street TQ6986 11 — Hedgerow with grassy path F Hadleigh Castle TQ8186 72 — Rough grassland and scrub around castle walls G Hatfield Forest TL5420 6 SSSI & NNR Ancient grazed grassland adjoin- ing ancient woodland H Iron Latch TL9526 25 — Restored meadow with fringing scrub and ancient woodland I Marks Hill TQ6888 5 — Hedgerow with grassy path J One Tree Hill TQ7086 362 SSSI A mixture of meadow, scrub and woodland K Shut Heath Wood TL85I3 18 — Ancient woodland with glades L Manwood Chase TM0019 83 — Meadow, scrub and woodland NNR. National Nature Reserve SPA, Special Protection Area BR. J. ENT. NAT HIST., 16: 4; 2003 235 Each transect was at least 100 m in length and was walked once in each of three two-week periods: 9-22 July, 23 July 5 August, and 6-19 August in both 2001 and 2002. Any glowing adult females which were observed along the route were recorded. It was felt that these three periods adequately incorporated the peak glowing season in Essex when most adult females would be displaying. The main disadvantage to using transect counts of glowing females as an estimation of colony size is that females only mate once, after which they stop glowing (Tyler, 2002). Therefore, low numbers of glowing females at a site may indicate successful breeding on previous nights rather than a small colony. Survey participants were required to commence each walk between 2200 and 2300 h, and to terminate by midnight. However, most walks were started at approximately 2200 h and had finished by 2300 h. Therefore, very few walks finished after 2330 h when females may have ‘switched off for the night. A slow strolling pace was recommended for the walks to reduce the risk of overlooking glowing females along the route. Surveys were not conducted in unfavourable conditions, for example, when it was cold, wet or windy, because counts may be reduced under such climatic extremes (Alexander, 1992). To analyse the quantity of favourable habitat within the immediate vicinity of each transect route. Ordnance Survey Maps and Wild Essex (Gunton, 2000) were consulted. Using the maps and the detailed description of transect sites in Wild Essex , the approximate area (in ha) of favourable L. noctiluca habitat adjoining each transect route was calculated. Favourable habitats included unimproved meadow, scrub, woodland ride, deciduous woodland, roadside verge and any area of nature reserve. The area of favourable habitat was then related to the distance of each transect colony (in km) from the next nearest L. noctiluca population, to ascertain which populations were most at risk from extinction. The authors believe that small, isolated colonies which exist in a limited area of favourable habitat are most likely to become extinct in the future. Casual records of L. noctiluca since 1992 were collected from members of the public in both 2001 and 2002 to determine the current distribution of this species in the county. The survey was widely publicised in various newspapers throughout the county and on BBC Radio Essex. Leaflets were distributed to nature reserve visitor centres and a press release was posted on the Essex Wildlife Trust website and the British Glow-worm page www.glowworms.org.uk. Although the survey therefore involved participants with limited or no entomological knowledge, the distinctive nature of the adult females minimised the likelihood of identification difficulties. SURVEY RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Lampyris noctiluca has a widespread but localised distribution in Essex (Fig. 1). This species is scattered throughout most of the county, having occurred at 54 sites in 22 10-kilometre squares (approximately 39% of 10-kilometre squares in Essex) since 1992. In comparison with other counties, Essex has a reasonably high number of L. noctiluca colonies. For example, in a 10 year survey of Gloucestershire from 1980 to 1990, 58 colonies were recorded (Alexander, 1992). It would appear that in Essex, L. noctiluca only occurs where there are suitable habitats such as unimproved meadow and ancient woodland (Gardiner et c//., 2002). The majority of sites where L. noctiluca individuals were observed during the survey are managed only by infrequent mowing. Favourable L. noctiluca habitats such as unimproved meadow and ancient woodland are rare in Essex, as the majority of the land area comprises arable. 236 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 Figure 1. Distribution of Lampyris noctiluca records in Essex since 1992 pasture or urban/suburban habitats (Table 2). These areas are unsuitable for breeding populations of L. noctiluca , which tend to favour unimproved grassland (Tyler, 2002). Potentially favourable habitats for this species such as unmanaged rough grassland only comprise approximately 3% of the land area in Essex (Table 2). However, much of this 10800 ha of rough grassland may have been improved for agriculture and may therefore be unsuitable for sustaining breeding populations of L. noctiluca which could be due to the low abundance and diversity of larval prey such as snails in these intensively managed agricultural grasslands. The dearth of Table 2: Total area of selected habitats in Essex Habitat Area (ha) Proportion Arable/tilled land 199500 0.52 Pasture/mown grassland 84930 0.22 Urban/suburban 45286 0.12 Deciduous woodland 1 3070 0.03 Rough grassland 10800 0.03 Other 30298 0.08 Total 383884 Data from Essex County Council (1996) BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 237 Count Figure 2. Frequency of Lampyris noctiluca female counts in the survey for 2001 and 2002 combined (n = 59) favourable habitats in Essex may explain the extremely localised distribution of this species. A total of 745 female L. noctiluca were observed on the 12 transects in 2001 and 2002. Counts were generally very low (Fig. 2), for example, the modal count was one female (recorded 15 times). The highest count of the survey was recorded at Site J (One Tree Hill, nr Basildon), where 101 females were observed on 10 July 2002. This site had the greatest abundance of L. noctiluca females observed over both years (Fig. 3). Numbers were much lower at the other transect sites, particularly Sites E, G and K. Lampyris noctiluca is a predator on snails and slugs in its larval stage and as such, is limited to much lower densities than its prey (Tyler, 1994). Numbers of L. noctiluca females are liable to large fluctuations from year to year and natural extinctions of local populations can occur (Tyler, 1986), with small colonies particularly vulnerable. Individuals in small populations may share many of the same genes due to a high occurrence of inbreeding. The smaller Essex populations may have little genetic variability, which Young (1997) states can lead to less adaptability to environmental conditions. This can lead to reduced fitness and genetic variability (Young, 1997) and could ultimately jeopardise the viability of a colony. This area of L. noctiluca ecology urgently needs further research. Approximately nine sites are known nationally where nightly counts may exceed 100 glowing females (Derbyshire Biological Records Centre, 2003). One count of over 100 females was recorded at Site J during the survey, which underlines the importance of this colony in the county and national context. Fortunately, Site J is managed as a nature reserve and consideration is given to L. noctiluca in 238 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 60 _ 50 c 8 40 0 re E 30 re M— .1 20 "O re S 10 0 Figure 3. Abundance of Lampyris noctiluca females at the 12 transect sites for 2001 and 2002 combined ABCDEFGH I JKL Transect site management planning for this site. Ongoing monitoring of this important colony will continue in the future as any decline in numbers could have serious consequences for the continued presence of this species in the county. Having determined that most of the colonies in the transect survey are small, it is possible to ascertain which of these populations are most at risk from extinction. This can be achieved through a comparison of the isolation of each colony from the next nearest occupied site and the extent of available favourable habitat in the immediate vicinity. Figure 4 illustrates the level of isolation for each of the 12 transect sites and relates this to the size of available habitat in the immediate vicinity. There are several colonies (Sites B, C, K and L) which are relatively isolated from the next nearest occupied site (>lkm), and the size of available habitat in the vicinity of these sites is very small (<20ha) (Fig. 4). Colonies which exist in a relatively limited area of favourable habitat may be more prone to extinction due to random events. For example, the small colony at Site B (Bulford Mill Lane, nr Cressing) occurs on a very narrow roadside verge (only one metre in width), where females have been seen glowing within centimetres of the road. Vehicles regularly park along the grassy portion of the verge, which may destroy favourable habitat and have serious deleterious impacts upon larvae and glowing females. At Site J, the largest colony recorded in the transect survey, a large area of favourable habitat is present in the immediate vicinity (160 ha) and the next nearest colony is not too distant (1.0 km), therefore, the survival of this important Essex population seems relatively secure in the short-term. The L. noctiluca colony at Site G (Hatfield Forest) is very small (Fig. 3), but exists in a very large area of favourable habitat (approximately 420 ha). There is plenty of potential for this species to become more widespread and common in the Forest, as the main habitats are unimproved grazed grassland and ancient woodland with wide rides. BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 239 450 £. 400 5 350 « 300 2C | 250 = 200 ro % 150 1 100 0) < 50 0 0 12 3 4 Distance to nearest colony (km) Figure 4 The relationship between colony isolation and habitat availability for each transect site (increasing dot size = increasing median female count) • G • □ • E • J #F • 1 • A K • H _ * • B #C • L If colonies such as that found at Site B become extinct, the chances of re- colonisation by individuals from another population are remote. Lampyris noctiluca is an extremely sedentary species with very limited dispersal capabilities (Gardiner & Tyler, 2002). Although the winged male is relatively mobile, the adult female is wingless and is completely sedentary during adult life (Tyler, 1986). In a study of marked glowing females, the mean distance travelled between nights was approximately 17 centimetres (Tyler, 2002). Therefore, the ability of L. noctiluca to colonise new areas is totally dependent on how far the larva can travel. Tyler (1994) states that a typical larva can travel approximately five metres per hour, although it is not known whether larvae traverse unfavourable habitats such as arable fields. This could have potentially serious consequences for the smaller Essex populations because if a colony becomes extinct either through natural or human intervention, the chances of re-colonisation of the site by larvae from a nearby population is unlikely. The transect sites will need to be closely monitored in future years to ascertain whether numbers are declining towards extinction. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank all of the survey participants and everyone who submitted records. The following individuals deserve special thanks: Wendy Adams, Mandy Greig, Martin Heywood, Paul Lewis, Tom and Rosemary Mabbitt, Andy McGeeney, Robin Scagell, Nick Stanley, John Thorogood, Susie Torino, John Tyler, Graham Watkins and Mike Wright. Our gratitude is also extended to English Nature 240 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 and Essex Wildlife Trust for supporting the survey, and to Writtle College for providing finance and resources for the duration of the project. References Alexander, K.N.A. 1992. The glow worm, Lampyris noctiluca (L.), in Gloucestershire and its conservation. The Gloucestershire Naturalist. 5: 1-5. British Naturalists’ Association 1971. Glow-worm survey. Country-side. 21: 456-463, 572-574. British Naturalists’ Association 1974. Glow-worm survey. Country-side. 22: 266-271. Corke, D. 1984. The nature of Essex. Barracuda Books, Buckingham. Derbyshire Biological Records Centre. 2003. Glow' worms [www document]. < http://www.dbrc.freeserve.co.uk/html/glow_worms.html> (accessed 10 April 2003). Essex County Council. 1996. Essex trends. The statistical profile of Essex and its communities — 1996. ECC, Chelmsford. Gardiner, T., Pye, M. & Field, R. 2002. Glow-worms Lampyris noctiluca L. (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) in Essex: results of the 2001 Essex Glow-worm Survey. Essex Naturalist 19: 151-159. Gardiner, T. & Tyler, J. 2002. Are glow-worms disappearing? British Wildlife. 13: 313-319. Gunton, T. 2000. Wild Essex. Lopinga Books, Wimbish. Scagell, R. 2003. 1992 Glow worm report [www document], (accessed 10 April 2003). Tyler, J. 1986. The ecology and conservation of the glow-worm, Lampyris noctiluca (L.) in Britain. Atala. 10-12: 17-19. Tyler. J. 1994. Glow-worms. Tyler-Scagell, Sevenoaks. Tyler, J. 2002. The glow-worm. Lakeside Press, Sevenoaks. Young, M. 1997. The natural history of moths. T & A D Poyser, London. BOOK REVIEW Dragonflies by Steve Brooks. The Natural History Museum, 2002. 96pp., 95 colour photographs. Paperback. £9.95. ISBN 0-565-09180-8. Steve Brooks will be known to many odonatists as the author of the Field Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Steve, who is based at the Natural History Museum, has produced another excellent book entitled simply Dragonflies. It is a well balanced, easy to read book, which is very informative and interesting, yet not too scientific or “stuffy”. It is beautifully illustrated with many superb colour photographs, including various larvae, a sequence of 6 photographs showing the emergence of a Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum (Charpentier) from the larval skin, adult dragonflies from around the world, and a few examples of habitats. Chapter headings include ’What are dragonflies and damselflies?’, ‘Immature stages’, ‘Adults’, ‘Mating’, and ‘Dragonfly and damselfly diversity’, each one covering subjects such as classification, life-cycle, flight, feeding, predators and dispersal. The last chapter ‘Odonata and humans’, includes useful information on conservation and creating a pond for dragonflies. This is a book for anyone with an interest in wildlife, and especially the amateur odonatist, who wishes to know more about dragonflies; a book that should encourage further study into the fascinating world of Odonates. This latest addition to the Life Series books published by the Natural History Museum will be a useful addition to your collection and I highly recommend it. John Brook BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 241 OBITUARY DOUGLAS HOWARD STERLING 1919-2001 Dougie Sterling died on 24th December 2001, nearly eight years after suffering a debilitating stroke. All of us in the family had to endure a distressing period in our lives that has now thankfully come to a peaceful resolution. In particular Mark and I are now able to reflect on his fulfilling life and to pay our personal tribute to his dedication to British entomology. Dougie was born on 27th July 1919 in Battersea, London. His parents were keen that he should become a banker and on leaving The Bee School he joined Barclays Bank expecting to make this his career. However, in 1939 he was called up to serve in the Royal Engineers and he saw active service in France, in Greece, in Crete where he escaped the German invasion on a coal barge and was subsequently mentioned in dispatches, and in Egypt and Palestine. After returning to England at the end of the War he received a regular commission into the Royal Army Pay Corps and was stationed in Exeter and then Devizes where he met Audrey who was to become his life-long companion for the next 52 years. Dougie served in Korea for two years at the beginning of the 1950s, then after a brief spell in Leicester, he was posted to Bermuda. On return from a delightful few years abroad he again went to Devizes, moving then to Worthy Down near Winchester until 1968. He was then posted to Nottingham and in the early to mid 1970s to the British Army of the Rhine station at Rheindahlen in Germany and the SHAPE headquarters in Belgium. He then moved back to Winchester whilst he worked at the War Office in London until his retirement in 1978. He remained living in Winchester for the rest of his life. 242 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 None of us knew a great deal about Dougie's day-to-day work; perhaps military secrecy prevented him from saying much, but he was undoubtedly very success! ul and skilful in the areas of finance and computing. At Worthy Down he was part of a pioneering team computerising the Army’s pay role for the first time, an example of the distinguished career he had in army service. Dougie had three passions in life: his family, his religious faith and his entomology. He was a quiet and kind man, with a wicked sense of humour, a gentle persuasiveness, and an innate ability to inspire others with his knowledge and enthusiasm, never more evident than when he was ‘with his moths’. He was a most dedicated natural historian, and his interest in Lepidoptera had developed from a very early age, perhaps as early as seven. An aunt gave him the book Butterflies and Moths Shown to the Children , by Rev. Theodore Wood, published at about the turn of the century by Jack (London & Edinburgh), which he cherished as a boy. Luck must have played a part in kindling his youthful enthusiasm, and on August 30th 1930, when he was just 1 1, he found a Death’s-Head Hawk-moth floating on the tide-line of the sea at Broadstairs in Kent. His eyes were sharp, and whilst on holiday in Swanage in June 1939, he was seen standing on his father’s shoulders reaching for a Pine Hawk-moth (a considerable rarity in those days) he had spied half way up a telegraph pole. He also found numbers of Goat Moth pupae there under the bark of an elm tree. During the War in Egypt he continued collecting, storing numbers of specimens in triangular papers at the bottom of his kit bag, including an Oleander Hawk-moth which he had reared in October 1942 from a larva found at Moascar Camp in Ismalia. On his return to England after the War he was stationed at Exeter in Devon; there in 1947 he was photographed for the local newspaper after catching a Bath White in his military cap, having chased it down one of the main streets! The specimens he brought back from Egypt were not relaxed and set until the 1960s, whilst both Mark and I were developing our interest in moths. It is certainly unusual for two sons to follow father’s hobby so passionately, but that is what happened to both of us from the age of about five. No doubt we were given regular encouragement from Dougie, but this was never blatant or forceful. We recall on one occasion a considered, rather reserved comment, coupled with a broad smile, when at the age of seven Phil caught a Sharp-angled Peacock in his hands and brought it to him; he had never seen the species before. His quiet encouragement helped develop a healthy competitiveness between the three of us over our respective captures, and strengthened the life-long bond between us. Dougie bought a Robinson-type moth trap in early 1968, which he then ran in the garden wherever he lived for the next twenty-five or so years. Whilst specimens of interest were retained in the family collection, it was not until the mid 1970s that he kept regular lists of species recorded in the garden, and 1978 when he started a detailed diary of visits by all of us to sites outside the garden. The mid 1970s marked a turning point in our joint interests; we started dipping into the world of microlepidoptera. We were strongly encouraged to do so by the late Denzil ffennell, visiting him with a store-box of ‘goodies’ after the summer of 1976. We found to our surprise that we had found a number of species of interest in our first year, including specimens of Agonopterix bipunctosa (Curtis) (Oecophoridae), which led to the subsequent discovery of the life history of the species on nearby downland. Then in autumn 1977 Phil met John Langmaid and Mike Harper on a field meeting at Haugh Wood in Herefordshire to look for leaf miners. Shortly afterwards, John met Dougie and Audrey, and they became good family friends. John and Dougie met up very regularly to go on field trips for the next 15 years or so, mainly in Hampshire, and BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 243 their joint efforts have added considerably to our knowledge of the moths of that superb county, together with further understanding of the life histories of many species. We were convinced by Denzil’s wise words about rearing microlepidoptera, rather than relying on capture of adults alone, as being the only way to come to understand the breadth of their diversity. Dougie spent hours designing and redesigning cages for rearing the various families of micros, with Audrey’s talents for sewing put to good use whenever large quantities of net curtaining needed stitching together. Every winter, bushes in the Winchester garden were festooned with the legs of old stockings, containing a host of cases, mines and cocoons collected during the summer and autumn. Much of Dougie’s recording effort in Hampshire was concentrated on the Leckford Estate, five square miles of land owned by the John Lewis Partnership in the heart of the River Test valley near Stockbridge. Dougie became the recorder for the Estate following Denzil’s death, and he worked the wide variety of habitats on foot, usually with John Langmaid, and using mercury vapour and actinic light traps for many years. It was whilst he was recording at Leckford that Dougie found the first British specimen of Sclerocona acutellus (Eversmann) (Pyralidae)on the night of the 8th August 1988. He also recorded considerable rarities there, such as Barberry Carpet, a protected species he studied under licence, as well as Elachista unifasciella (Haworth) (Elachistidae), new to Hampshire. Dougie was very keen on the New Forest and, when out of school and university, we spent many days with him recording across the heaths, bogs and woods. He was particularly fond of Denny Heath, Matley Bog and the woods at Parkhill Inclosure and Emery Down. Between us we led a number of field meetings for the BENHS, AES and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Naturalists’ Trust there. Although Dougie was a meticulous recorder, his writing was somewhat illegible, and we would all have benefited from the development of the home computer for him a decade or so earlier! He spent weeks at the end of every year writing up lists to support conditions of permits, reports for the Leckford Record and the Naturalists’ Trust, and occasional articles and notes and observations for entomological journals. Each year he also spent weeks dissecting specimens he had fished from the bottom of his trapping sessions in mid summer; as a result of this dedicated work, the list for his Winchester garden up to 1993 totalled some 920 species. His careful study of the garden trap revealed species not previously recorded in Hampshire, such as Coleotechnites piceael/a (Kearfott) (Gelechiidae) and Lobesia botrana ([Denis & Schifferm tiller]) (Tortricidae), and confirming the presence of others, such as Sorhagenia rhamniella (Zeller) (Cosmopterygidae). Dougie was also a loyal supporter of the BENHS. He started as a member of the South London Entomological Society as it was then known, and in 1977 he combined his considerable accounting skills with his support for the Society and for a long and successful period as its treasurer until 1989. Dougie is now missed by many of us who had the pleasure of his company in the field and behind the microscope. For Mark and myself we have also lost a father, and Audrey a husband, who combined the love of his family and his hobby, and nurtured a unique bond between us all. Phil & Mark Sterling 244 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 BENHS FIELD MEETINGS Rivacre Valley Country Park, near Chester, Cheshire, 4 August 2001 Leaders: Adrian Wander (AW) & Paul Waring (PW). This was a joint evening meeting with Butterfly Conservation and the Cheshire Moth Group, in search of the White-spotted Pinion moth Cosmia diffinis (L.), a Priority Species both in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and in the BC Regional Action Plan. The species has undergone a serious decline nationally since the 1970s, following Dutch Elm Disease. Rivacre Valley Country Park near Chester is the best site for elm and the elm- dependent White-letter Hairstreak butterfly Satyrium w-album (Knoch) in Cheshire. It still supports healthy mature trees of both English Elm Ulmus procera Salisb. and Wych Elm U. glabra Hudson, both of which are confirmed larval foodplants for the White-spotted Pinion. The site is near the northern limit of distribution for this moth, which has not been reliably recorded from Cheshire in recent decades. Even the closely related but more well distributed Lesser-spotted Pinion C. affinis (L.) and Lunar-spotted Pinion C. pyralina (D.&S.) are considered rare in Cheshire, the former seldom recorded outside the environs of Chester, the latter only recorded as several individuals at Prestbury in 1976, according to Ian Rutherford (1994 County list and pers. comm.). Showers during the day, and heavy rain from 18.00-19.00 h probably discouraged attendance at this meeting but the leaders were joined by Steve Hind (Microlepidoptera Recorder for Cheshire), Graham Jones and Hannah Barlow. By 19.30 h the rain had ceased. Mist began to form in the river valley and open fields between the groups of trees as we explored the site and selected sites for light-trapping (Fig. 1). Between us we covered the three major groups of elms on site. PW operated a Robinson trap on a large earthen mound under mature Wych Fig 1. Dusk at Rivacre Valley Country Park, 2001. Photo P. Waring BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 245 Elms in mixed broadleaved woodland, also including Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur L., Beech Fagus sylvatica L. and Sycamore Acer pseudoplatcmus L., on the field corner reached from the gate at the end of Mossvale off Fairways Drive. The rest of the party operated traps by elm trees within easier reach of the main entrance to the park. All the traps were running by 22.30 h, soon after dusk. It was dry, dead calm and dark under the trees. However the patchy cloud soon started to break up and for the rest of the night there was a bright moon. The air temperature was 12°C from dusk until midnight, when we started packing up our equipment. Not surprisingly, in view of the described weather conditions, the catches of moths were small. None of the above three elm-dependent moth species was seen in any of the six light-traps operated. A total of 24 species of macro-moths was recorded for the night, as follows: Drinker Euthrix potcitoria (L.); Common Lutestring Ochropacha duplaris (L.) Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata (Hufn.); Riband Wave Idaea aversata (L.); Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata (Clerck); Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata (Mull.) Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata (D.&S.); July Highflyer Hydriomena furcata (Thunb.); Clouded Border Lomaspilis marginata (L.); Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata (L.); Early Thorn Selenia dentaria (Fab.); Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria (D.&S.); Common Heath Ematurga atomaria (L.); Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarias (L.); Pebble Prominent Notodonta ziczac (L.); Lesser Swallow Prominent Pheosia gnoma (Fab.); Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula (Clerck); Large Yellow Underwing Noetua pronuba (L.); Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing Noetua janthe Bork.; Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa (D.&S.); Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impura (Hiibn.); Poplar Grey Acronicta megacephala (D.&S.); Dunbar Cosmia trapezina (L.); Snout Hypena proboscidalis (L.) Despite the negative results, we all enjoyed a very sociable evening and the walk around a most attractive and atmospheric site. A copy of this report has been supplied to Butterfly Conservation, the Cheshire Moth Group and Rivacre Valley Country Park. Sunderland Point, Lancashire, 6 April 2002 Leaders: Paul Waring (PW) and Steve Palmer (SP). This event, organised by the Lancashire Moth Group, was a joint meeting with Butterfly Conservation, the BENHS and the North Lancashire Naturalists’ Group of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. The event comprised a morning session in the field from 08.30—1 2.30 h attended by 22 people, an indoor session of illustrated lectures from 1 4.00— 17.45 h attended by 38 people and night-time fieldwork from 20.30-23.00 h attended by 15 people. The Lancashire Moth Group, co-ordinated by SP, provided the bulk of the attendance, but of course many of those attending were members of more than one of the above organisations. The main aim of the fieldwork was to search for adult males and females of the Belted Beauty moth Lycia zonaria (D.&S.) in the vicinity of Sunderland Point, for which the previous definite post- 1980 records known to us were of a single male on 22 April 1982 (J. Leedall) and single larvae on 6 July 1985 (P. Livermore) and 27 June 1993 (Ian and B. Wallace), respectively. We hoped to obtain an indication of the numbers and distribution of the moth on the site and make some observations on the condition of the habitat in which they were found. This report concentrates mainly on recording those results. The Belted Beauty is a priority species for special conservation measures in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK Biodiversity Group, 246 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 1999) and the Butterfly Conservation Regional Action Plan for north-west England (Ellis & Bourn, 2000). This field meeting and report have helped to advance actions recommended in those plans. The first of the indoor lectures consisted of an illustrated presentation and hand- out by PW introducing all the moth species recorded in north-west England which have been identified in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and Butterfly Conserva- tion’s Region Action Plan for north-west England as in need of special survey and conservation measures. The talk included coverage of the techniques and tips for finding the adults and larvae of these species. Next, Alice Kimpton covered the Belted Beauty in particular. Alice started working on the species for Butterfly Conservation in 2000 (Kimpton, 2000). Her work includes ecological study of the only known population of the moth in England in those years and searches during 2000 and 2001 of similar habitat at various points on the coasts of Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria north to Silleth in the hope of finding other surviving populations, though without success. Ian Kimber showed some transparencies of a selection of British micro-moths from his accumulating collection. Ian compiles the UK Moths website at: www.ukmoths.force9.co.uk. Lastly, SP showed a selection of slides, taken by Paul Cleary-Pugh, of significant moths found in Lancashire during the 2001 season. All of the lectures were enthusiastically received. It was interesting that this session had the largest attendance, but very pleasing that such a large proportion of the audience were able to join us for the fieldwork as well, in spite of the early start for a Saturday morning and the cold windy conditions at night! The Belted Beauty population Alice had been studying was on the coast of the Wirral, Cheshire, where the species occurs in dry sandy conditions beyond the reach of all but freak tides and where broad-leaved herbs as well as grasses are starting to become well established. The larvae feed mainly on the petals and leaves of Bird’s- foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus L. and occasionally other members of the pea family (Fabaceae) in tussocky vegetation where the grassy sward is holding the sand together but remains sparse, with some bare sand still visible. The females have been observed in these areas, laying eggs on the old seed-heads of Yarrow Achillea millefolium L. and climbing other dry stems remaining from the previous year, from which they attract males by pheromones. Such dry stems seem to be an important habitat feature for this moth, but are removed by mowing or heavy grazing. These conditions and observations are similar to those made at the remaining colony on the coast of north Wales, at Morfa Conwy (A. P. Fowles, pers. comm.), and on the much more extensive populations on the open machair or coastal shell-sand habitat of the west coasts of mainland Scotland and the Outer Hebrides (PW, pers. obs.). Several of the colonies reported on the coastline of north-west England prior to 1980 are known to have been destroyed by construction work and other develop- ments, and Alice had found that most of the other potential sites were mown short or were too heavily grazed to be suitable (Kimpton, 2000). Some are under intense trampling pressure from dog-walkers and conversely a few are so neglected that they have been encroached by scrub. The vicinity of Sunderland Point had appeared unpromising on first inspection because habitat similar to that at the Cheshire site was extremely limited in extent, but the site was considered worthy of further inspection in view of the three post- 1980 records. The morning of the event was glorious, sunny and dry, but with a strong easterly wind and a substantial chill factor. The meeting point was the car-park of the Heysham Nature Reserve in the lee of the power station, from which we moved into the office block with the locally famous “toilet trap”. This is one of the washrooms in which a 160W blended mercury vapour light bulb is left on all night behind a HR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4: 2003 247 window which is left open. However, there were only three moths in the room after the previous night. This was in spite of some splendid clumps of sallows, still bearing catkins, adjacent to the building. Apparently, the catches are always low when there is a wind from the east, as on this occasion. The window faces east. A short welcome and briefing session hosted by the North Lancashire Naturalists Moth Recorder Pete Marsh was held in the office, during which Alice produced for examination some corpses of male and female Belted Beauty moths which she had found dead of natural causes at the Cheshire site two years previously. The females often die in position on seed-heads and stems after having laid their eggs. Alice reported that in 2002 the (light season had started in mid-March in Cheshire. To search the whole area between Sunderland Point and Potts Corner we divided the party into three groups, each with a section of the coastline and proceeded along it police cordon-style, with people at intervals from the fenceline above the strand- line to the saltmarsh below (Fig. 1). Dead stems, driftwood, and all manner of debris were examined for basking females. We found five larvae of the Drinker moth Euthrix potatoria (L.), one of the Common Footman Eilema lurideola (Zinck.) and one of the Garden Tiger moth Arctia caja (L.) sun-bathing near the ground on fence-posts. At one point a raised track headed off across the saltmarsh and that was searched too. It led to a series of weather-beaten posts remaining from a derelict fence-line and at 10.30 h on the stump of a broken post, David Bradley found our first female Belted Beauty of the day. To say there was much euphoria and celebration would be an understatement. This female was extremely plump and did not appear to have laid any eggs as yet. She was stationary and in a flattened position against the stump, some cm above the soil surface. The stump was surrounded by tussocks of the Sea Rush Juncus maritimus Lam. with almost flat patches of the Fescue grass Festuca rubra agg. in between and occasional flowers of Scurvy-grass Cochlearia sp. (plant determinations by Jennifer Newton). We were on the seaward side of the strandline by at least 70 m and the area was evidently subject to frequent inundation by saltwater. According to Peter Marsh, the site is inundated at least three times a year, and certainly was inundated in February 2002. The sandy soil was wet although there had been no rain that day. The tide was so far out it was not seen during day or night sessions. In addition to the saltmarsh plants, we found tiny shoots of Bird’s-foot Trefoil and White Clover Trifolium repens. Peter Marsh had long experience of the area and informed us that various trefoils and Common Rest-harrow Ononis repens L. were frequent and very obvious later in the season, once they were flowering. He commented that the area where the female was found may be in a natural process of changing from sand-dunes to saltmarsh. A thorough search was made of all the other posts in the derelict fence-line and much debris nearby, but no more females were found during the morning session. At this stage we did not know if the single female was an exceptional individual which had been carried out to this position on a tide, as an adult or mature larva, or was a representative of a colony breeding on the saltmarsh. The eggs of the Belted Beauty are a bright emerald green and easy to see but we found none anywhere on the stump or in its crevices. We hoped that the female was unmated and would attract a male. We revisited her at intervals until we left the site at 12.30 h but no males were seen. When we left she had assumed an egg-laying position in which her abdomen was curled into a crevice, but she had laid no eggs. We returned to the site at 20.00 h for the evening session of fieldwork. The light was fading as we set up four mercury vapour lights along the coast. Two of the lights were placed up near the strandline and two in the saltmarsh. One of these was within 5 m of the female and the other was on the line of a similar derelict fence some 250 m 248 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 Fig. 1. Fence post stump on which a female Belted Beauty was found by day during the meeting near Sunderland Point, showing distance below strand line, 6 April 2002. Photo P. Waring away, where there were also sections of raised bank. The air temperature at dusk was 9°C, falling to 7°C by the time we packed up the lights at 22.45 h. The chilling easterly wind continued to blow until about 22.00 h when it dropped to a light breeze. During this night session only three moths came to the lights, a single Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi (Fab.), a Hebrew Character O. gothica (L.) and an Early Grey Xylocampa areola (Esp.). All were presumed wanderers from hedgerow trees in the fields just beyond the strandline. However, we found a total of seven females and two males of the Belted Beauty by searching in the ground vegetation with torches. The first was the female found by day. We refound her still on the stump, though she had moved into the shelter of a crevice by this time. Still no eggs had been laid. All the other individuals were in similar developing saltmarsh habitat and in an area of about 250 m by 100 m, but there was much similar habitat we did not have time to search. None of the moths was found in the narrow grassy strip of dry habitat between the strandline and the adjacent farm fields. The females were found gradually during the session, but more so towards the end, as if they were climbing into more obvious positions as time proceeded and the wind calmed. One was found, by Sam Ellis, at dusk, head pointing downwards, on the base of a fence-post 40 m from the female originally found by day. The others had all climbed up 5-1 0 cm above ground on dead stems but were now stationary. There was no evidence of egg-laying. Both the males were found in the last 30 minutes of the session. Both were at rest and in perfect condition, as if newly emerged. Neither male showed any intention of moving, even though the wind had dropped, so possibly the main flight was later in the night. It is possible that the flight season was less advanced on this site than on the Cheshire coast and this may be due to the soil in the saltmarsh being substantially wetter and therefore slower to warm up than dry sandy ground. The development of saltmarsh where previously there were sand-dunes may have implications for the long-term future of the Belted Beauty on this site. At present there are no sand-dunes above the strandline for colonisation by this moth if the area BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 249 below the strandline becomes unsuitable. Further study is required to discover the extent to which the various stages of the life-cycle can cope with inundation by salt- water and whether the population is in decline as a consequence. Two observations reported at the meeting are of interest in this context. Alice Kimpton noted that the largest number of adults at the Cheshire site in recent years followed a freak winter inundation of the site by storm-blown waves while the insect was in the pupal stage. Glenn Summers, a BENHS member who came over from Yorkshire for the meeting with his daughter Larna, recalled how spraying the foodplant of captive Belted Beauty larvae with saltwater had improved their survival rate to adult. Glenn had collected some larvae he found feeding on plantain leaves on the west coast of Scotland but they did not thrive on plantains he collected back home inland and deaths began to occur. When the foodplant was sprayed with a weak salt solution there were no more deaths. There could be a number of reasons for both these obser- vations and neither confirm that the saltwater produced the result, but some simple experiments could quickly determine if some exposure to saltwater really is beneficial. Several records of other invertebrate groups were made during the day, the most noteworthy being two 16 Spot Ladybird Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata (L.) found by Mr G Band. The identification was confirmed by Jennifer Newton who advised that this species appears to be restricted to coastal saltmarsh in Lancashire and that the insect is near its northern limit within Britain. At dusk and for an hour after dark on the evening of 5 April 2002, PW, SP, Alice Kimpton and Barry Dyson made a search of the grassy habitat along the fenceline dividing the Fleetwood Golf Club course from the coast. A very strong wind made conditions unsuitable for light-trapping and even hampered torchlight searches for adults within the sward and on fence-posts. However, all the fence-posts were searched, as was much of the turf along the fence-line. No Belted Beauty moths were found and the grass sward in this area was considered too rank and dense to be high quality habitat, with a large amount of dead litter or thatch. However, growth of herbs was at such an early stage that it was difficult to judge their likely abundance later in the year. A search for larvae in late June was recommended and in view of the above results, attention should also be given to those areas below the strandline. PW would like to thank the Butterfly Conservation “Action for Threatened Moths” Project and English Nature for the financial support to co-plan and attend this event, Steve Palmer and Pete Marsh for local logistics, and Alice Kimpton and Ian Kimber for their presentations and involvement. Ian’s assiduous searching by torchlight produced the first male, which made everyone’s evening complete. We would like to thank everyone who attended and made the event such a success, with a special thanks to those who have offered to help with future survey work. Several of those at the meeting were inspired to return to the site within days to make further obser- vations which will benefit the understanding and conservation of this moth. Robin and Meg Griffiths and Kate Orr returned to the site on the morning of 7 April at about mid-day and found and photographed a female in the same position as one of those from the previous night. They also found two males, one at rest on a twig, the other on a fence-post, all within the same area of saltmarsh. On 8 April John and Betty Holding found a female at the south end of the site, away from the rest. It was actively crawling over another small post, again in saltmarsh, at about mid-day. They sat and watched her in the hope she might attract a mate while they ate their packed lunches but no males visited her. Afterwards they met up with Joyce B i rc hall and Mary Bloomfield and located four males on the posts in the saltmarsh inspected during the meeting. Two of the males were on posts well out into the marsh. Two of the three females John had seen during the meeting on 6 April were still in situ over 250 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 36 hours later. In all, the total number of Belted Beauty seen between 6-8 April 2002 on this site was a minimum of nine females and four males. Copies of this report have been supplied to Butterfly Conservation, English Nature, the Lancashire Moth Group and the North Lancashire Naturalists’ Group of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. References Ellis, S. & Bourn, N., 2000. Regional Action Plan North West England. Butterfly Conservation. Colchester, Essex. Kimpton, A., 2000. A report on possible sites for the Belted Beauty moth (Lycia zonaria britannica Harrison) in the north-west of England. Unpublished report for Butterfly Conservation. Dedham. (Butterfly Conservation Report No. S00-18) UK Biodiversity Group, 1999. Tranche 2 Action Plans. Vol. IV - Invertebrates. English Nature. Peterborough. Kennick Reservoir, Devon, 18 May 2002 Leader: Roy McCormick. Several of us met in the designated car park with a couple of our group meeting us at the site where it was proposed to run the lights; but because of a mix-up about who owned the land (South West Lakes Trust [SWLT] had said they owned the area and a local farmer said they did not), it was decided that it would be prudent to move on to a site further north at the top end of the reservoir. As there was not a lot of room for all the traps we had at our disposal, a couple of people said they would run their traps on a track along the road and so the leader took his Land-Rover on the track by the reservoir. By the time we had all set up our lights and started the generators, a fine drizzle had begun, but fortunately this did not last long. The leader and a couple of others walked along the road to the farthest traps and by the time we had reached them they had caught several species including a couple of Lampropteryx otregiata Mete. (Devon Carpet) and one Scoparia subfusca Haw., an early specimen. We went back to the main group of traps and the list was building up nicely, but mainly geometers. By around 23.30 h, with the temperature standing at 11-12°C, species coming in had slowed considerably with the list standing at around 50; it was decided that we should pack-up at midnight. The species list at the end stood at 62 with the main content still being geometers, with the best of these: one Scoparia subfusca Haw.; several Lampropteryx otregiata Mete. (Devon Carpet) a new site for the species in Devon; one Chloroclysta siterata Hufn. (Red-green Carpet); three Eupithecia lariciata Lreyer (Larch Pug); several Eupithecia tantillaria Boisd. (Dwarf Pug); one Pseudopanther a macular ia Linn. (Speckled Yellow); two Paradarisa consonaria Hb. (Square Spot) and one Panolis flammea D. & S. (Pine Beauty). The mix-up about who owned the site called ‘Clampitt’ occurred because there are two sites with the same name, one owned by SWLT and the other owned by local farmers. SWLT assumed we were going to their ‘Clampitt’ and did not check the map reference given to them and erroneously gave us permission to hold our Lield Meeting on the wrong site. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 251 Red Farm Flash, North Somercotes, Lincolnshire, 8 June 2002 Leader: Paul Waring. - The main aim of this field meeting was to explore Red Farm Flash for the Marsh Moth Athetis pallustris (Hbn.), a Red Data Book and UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. The site is on the Lincolnshire coast just a few kilometres north of the known site for the moth at Saltfieetby and consists of similar dune-slack habitat and coastal grassland in which Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolate i L., the proven larval foodplant at Saltfieetby, is abundant. The Marsh Moth has never been recorded previously at Red Farm Flash but may never have been sought here specifically because the site is remote and somewhat difficult to access. Light-trapping appears to have been limited to occasional visits by Rick Pilcher and Dick Lorand some years ago. The meeting commenced at 20.00 h and was attended by ten persons, including site managers John Walker from English Nature and Rob Scott from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Member James McGill of Somerset had come the greatest distance for the meeting, Adrian Wander had come over from Cheshire, the others with the exception of the leader were from Yorkshire. The meeting was primarily a moth recording event and all but one of the members were lepidopterists but we were pleased to see member John Flynn from Grimsby whose main interest is Diptera and who took away a selection of flies from the light-traps for later identification. The air temperature at dusk was 15°C, falling to a minimum for the night of 11C. The weather was dry with a light to moderate south-westerly breeze and cloud cover varied from 50-100% throughout the night, providing good conditions for moth-trapping. At least sixteen mv light-traps were operated. All of us stayed on site all night, sleeping in our cars, and the moths were examined in the morning. The Robinson traps held catches of between 70-100 macro-moths each. Of the 53 species we recorded, the most locally distributed in Great Britain were the Dog’s- tooth Lacanobia suasa (D. & S.) (abundant). Fox moth Macrothylacia rubi (L.) (several including a male as well as females), one or two Lesser Cream Wave Scopula immutata (L.), one Starwort Cucullia asteris (D. & S.), one Lyme Grass Photedes elymi (Treit.), and three White Colon Sideris albicolon (Hbn.). Several of those attending had not seen the White Colon before and all the last three named were freshly emerged. The Grass Rivulet Perizoma albulata (D. & S.) was numerous and the larval foodplant, Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor L., is abundant at both Red Farm Flash and at the Saltfieetby site. A single immigrant Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica (Esper) turned up at one of the lights some time after 00.45 h and a single immigrant Bedstraw Hawk-moth Hyles gallii (Rott.) was captured nearby at Howdales, near Skidbrooke, Lincolnshire, by John Janes the same night. Other species recorded during the meeting included three larvae of the Common Footman Eilema lurideola (Zinck.), several Drinker moths Euthrix potatoria (L.) as fully grown larvae although the adults were also on the wing. No Marsh Moth was seen. The previous night the leader and James McGill had operated nine mv lights at the Saltfieetby site and had captured only two Marsh Moths, both males in very worn condition. On this date in 2001 there were adults on the wing in good condition and they were still being recorded a week later. It would appear that the Marsh Moth flew early in 2002 and was right at the end of its flight period on the date of the meeting. This site merits return visits for this moth and these should be made on a range of dates, from late May to mid June. Certainly the moth cannot be considered absent on the basis of the negative results of this single visit. 252 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 Fig. 1 . Red Farm Flash. North Somercotes, Lincolnshire coast, 8/9 June 2002, showing some of the light-traps distributed through the dune-slacks. Photo P. Waring Thanks to English Nature and the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust for arranging the necessary access permission, and Butterfly Conservation for providing support for the event. Copies of the list of moths have been supplied to English Nature, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and the Lincolnshire County Moth Recorder. On 6 June 2002, members Adrian Russell and Ron Follows light-trapped with ten mercury vapour lights at the golf course adjacent to Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve but saw no sign of the Marsh Moth. At present the Saltfleetby site is proving to be the only locality in Britain where the Marsh Moth can be found reliably. Eype, Dorset, 9 June 2002 Leader: Michael Salmon. This field trip proved a surreal experience. With a high wind, driving rain, and an unseasonable drop in temperature, the possibility of a good turn out seemed remote. Indeed, so remote that I seriously contemplated not turning up. However, on arrival at the cliff-top car-park I was amazed to find a small crowd of between ten and twelve individuals pulling on boots and unloading equipment from cars. At the same time the weather had improved and the omens looked distinctly propitious. I quickly introduced myself to the party, suggested that we move off in fifteen minutes time so as to allow time for any stragglers to appear, and returned to my car to collect my sweep net and equipment. It was then that I realised the mistake that I had just made. These individuals were all carrying picks, hammers and chisels. They were not entomologists but geologists, and nothing whatsoever to do with the BENHS. Leeling extremely foolish I sought to hide my embarrassment in the confines of the car. As the geologists moved off Mark Telfer and Jo Hodgkins raced into the car park and the sun appeared for the first time. The three of us tramped along the beach to the famous undercliff but, on arrival, discovered that a massive landslip had now obliterated the eastern part of the collecting ground, making the approach extremely hazardous. To make matters BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 253 worse, the vegetation was now so thick that we had great trouble getting through to the bare areas where fresh water rills run down from the cliff face. Successful at last, we were delighted to find a number of the rarer coleopterous species without any trouble. Drypta dentata (Rossi) (RDB1) obliged me by walking onto my sweep net as this lay on the ground, and Tachys micros (Fischer von Waldheim) (Notable A) was immediately found at the first freshwater rill examined. Both of these ground beetles were found in some numbers. Examination of Ononis repens L. then revealed a number of Sitona gemel/atus (Gyllenhal) (RDB1). This species is currently known only from this site. By mid-afternoon the tide appeared to be coming in fast and I set off to return to the car park. It was then that the unreal nature of the day really dawned on me. As I sat in my car to dismantle my sweep net a specimen of Eubria palustris Germar (RDB3) crawled out of the netting. This small psephenid beetle is currently only known from Dorset, Caernarvonshire and Anglesey. Rather stunned by such luck, 1 immediately concluded that field trips, even on the most inclement of days, are the stuff of entomology. Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, 15 June 2002 Leader: Paul Waring. This event, which was part of National Moth Night 2002, was the latest in a series of field meetings at this site, which has now been visited in June, July, August and September (Waring & Townsend, 2001; 2003a&b). As with the previous meetings, it was a joint meeting with Butterfly Conservation Upper Thames Branch and the Oxfordshire Moth Recording Scheme and was well attended by nine lepidopterists who are members of one or more of the above. Rushy Meadows, Oxfordshire, 1 5 June 2002. L-R: Angus McCrae, Andrew Kershaw and Chris Tyler-Smith move light-traps and generator into position by bridge over stream. 254 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4: 2003 BENHS member Norman Binstead had come up from Hampshire, the rest with the exception of the leader were based in Oxfordshire. The meeting commenced at 20.30 h in calm dry cloudy conditions. The air temperature at dusk was 14°C. Three mv lights were operated, one by Norman Binstead over a sheet on the bridge over the stream in the centre of the site, and two Robinson pattern light traps by the leader, one by stream-side carr and stands of Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria (L.) and Ragged-Robin Silene flos-cuculi (L.), the other by streamside and thick hedgerows near the lock on the canal at the southern entrance to the site. We noted three black cattle grazing the meadows but these did not interfere with the trapping operation. Amongst the first moths seen on the wing as dusk approached were some twenty or more individuals of the Gold Swift Hepialus hecta (L.) flying low over open boggy ground between taller vegetation, predominantly rushes Juncus spp., from 21.30- 21.45 h. Several male and female Ghost Swift Hepialus humuli (L.) came to Norman’s light on the bridge as darkness fell. The leader flushed a Round-winged Muslin Thumatha senex (Hbn.) in immaculate condition while examining a dark stand of Ragged Robin flowers for nectaring insects just after dusk. This was one of three target species we hoped to see during the evening, the others being the Lesser Cream Wave Scopula immutata (L.) and the Blackneck Lygephila pastinum (Treit.). Brimstone moths Opisthograptis luteolata (L.) and Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata (L.) were netted on the wing while a steady trickle of moths arrived at the traps. Two Sloe Pug Chloroclystis chloerata Mabille arrived just after 23.00 h and an Eyed Hawk moth Smerinthus ocellata (L.) was found amongst rushes near the sallow carr some minutes later. Several Large Elephant Hawk-moths Dei/ephi/a elpenor (L.) arrived at the lights all at once just before midnight. A Lesser Cream Wave eventually turned up, in immaculate condition, at the trap by the stream-side carr at about midnight and just as we started to pack up the traps at 00.20 h a single freshly emerged Blackneck came to the same trap. It would appear that all three of the target species had only just begun to emerge and had not yet reached peak numbers. All three had been recorded on this site in fair numbers during the 1980s (Waring & Townsend, 2001). A total of 42 species of macro-moths was recorded for the evening, which was predominantly a moth recording event. Most are widespread species occurring in many open habitats including gardens. Those slightly more restricted in distribution included the Straw Dot Rivula sericealis (Scop.), Marbled White-spot Protodeltote pygarga (Hufn.) and Latticed Heath Chiasmia clathrata (L.). A heron Ardea cinerea L. was also seen. We thank English Nature and the site owner for permission to hold the meeting. Copies of this report and the full species list have been supplied to English Nature and the Oxfordshire Biological Recording Scheme, of which the Oxfordshire Moth Recording Scheme is a part. References Waring, P., Townsend, M., 2001. Field meeting report: Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, - 22 July 2000. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 14: 59-64. Waring, P., Townsend, M., 2003a. Field meeting report - 23 September 2000. Rushy Meadows SSSI. Kidlington, Oxfordshire. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 16: 51-53. Waring, P., Townsend, M„ 2003b. Field meeting report - 18 August 2001. Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxfordshire. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 16 66-67. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 255 Orlestone Forest, Kent, 15 June 2002 Leader: Sean Clancy. Overcast and slightly breezy evening conditions led to a mild and productive night's light-trapping, with the rain holding off until the early hours of the morning. This meeting was arranged as part of the National Moth Night programme, in the hope of recording good numbers of one of this event’s target species, the Scarce Merveille du Jour Mama alpium (Osbeck). This RDB3 species has occurred in the Orlestone complex for many years, but the extensive coverage ol this field meeting presented a rare opportunity to gauge its relative abundance and distribution across a large part of the site. A total of seven members and eight non- members attended the field meeting, with twenty mv light-traps being operated. Nine of these traps were run in Long Rope, two in Birchett’s Wood and nine in the southern part of Fagg’s Wood. A total of 99 species of macrolepidoptera and 62 species of microlepidoptera were recorded from the light-traps. Of the micros, a single Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.) in Long Rope was the most notable. This pyralid has been turning up occasionally in Kent in recent years, and is probably breeding in small numbers at Orlestone. More expected were Orlestone specialities such as Lunar Thorn Selenia lunularia (Hb.) (one). Poplar Kitten Furcula bifida (Brahm) (two). Red-necked Footman Atolmis rubricollis (L.) (six, all in Fagg’s), Orange Footman Edema sororcula (Hufn.) (one) and White-line Snout Schrankia taenialis (Hb.) (five, all in Long Rope). A single Lead-coloured Pug Eupithecia plumbeolata (Haw.) in Long Rope was more surprising as there is not thought to be any larval foodplant present in the area. A respectable total of 31 M. alpium was recorded during the night, indicating the continued presence of a healthy population of this species at Orlestone. Of these, 26 were recorded in Long Rope, five in Fagg’s and none in Birchett’s, showing the oak- rich woodland around the more traditional Orlestone sites still holds the strongest populations of this most attractive and enigmatic insect. My thanks to all those who attended the meeting, particularly Jim Porter who identified the majority of the microlepidoptera recorded. All the records have been forwarded to the relevant county recorders and to Brian Goodey, collator of the National Moth Night records. Waun y Mynach Common and Penywaun Nature Reserve, Llangors, Breconshire - 22/23 June 2002 Leaders: Paul Waring (PW) and Norman Lowe (NL). Waun y Mynach Common is an area of open common land some seven hectares in extent with Penywaun Nature Reserve consisting of a small copse and paddock adjacent to it and less than one hectare in area. The nature reserve is owned and managed by the Brecknock Wildlife Trust. The ownership of the Common is unknown and it currently receives no management. The Common comprises mainly open grassland with large patches of Purple Moorgrass Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench and Bracken Pteridium aquilmum (L.) Kuhn. Ragged Robin Lychnis flos-cuculi L. was frequent and in bloom at the time of the visit and small patches of Devil’s-bil Scabious Succisa pratensis Moench and Meadow-sweet Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim, and occasional clumps of Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca L., Meadow Thistle Cirsium dissect urn (L.) Hill and Saw-wort Serratula tinctoria L. were recorded. The south end of the Common in particular supports much scrub of which the main species are Goat Willow Scdix caprea L., Ash Frcixinus excelsior L., Sessile Oak Quercus petraea (Mattuschka) Liebl., Common 256 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Blackthorn Prunus spinosa L. and Alder Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertner. Penywaun Nature Reserve at the north end of the site is mainly Ash and Oak woodland with Field Maple Acer campestre L., Holly Ilex aquifolium L. and Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus L. as minor components. Fourteen people attended the meeting which commenced with an indoor session in Llangors Village Hall and covered search techniques for larvae and the habits of relevant moths listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. This was followed by a sunny afternoon session exploring the site, during which the most noteworthy discovery was a larva of the Early Tooth-striped Trichopteryx carpinata (Borkhau- sen), found while beating the Goat Willows shown in the accompanying photograph (Fig.l). The larva was collected and continued to feed on leaves of Goat Willow until pupation by 29 June. As the larva of this widespread moth is seldom reported, it is useful to have this recent confirmation of foodplant. Additional reported foodplants include Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum L., Alder and unspecified birch Betula. Other larvae beaten included Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria Fab. on Hazel Corylus avellana L., Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi (Fab.) on Field Maple and Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica (L.) on Ash. Adult Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria (Knoch.), Silver-ground Carpet Xanthorhoe montanata (D. & S.) and Common White Wave Cabera pusaria (L.) were flushed from vegetation, a Gold Swift Hepialus hecta (L.) was found at rest in grass and St Mark’s flies (Bibionidae) were on the wing. The only butterfly seen was a Green-veined White Pieris napi L. In the evening two mv Robinson light-traps were operated in the Nature Reserve and one on the Common (see Fig. 2). The most noteworthy captures were the Dingy Shell Euchoeca nebulata (Scop.), Oblique Carpet Orthonama vittata (Bork.), Wood Carpet Epirrhoe rivata (Hbn.) and Flame Carpet Xanthorhoe designata (Hufn.), all at Fig. I. Waun y Mynach Common, Llangors, Breconshire, 22 June 2002: Members of the group beating the Goat Willow from which a larva of the Early Tooth-striped was obtained. HR. J. ENT NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 257 Fig. 2. Waun y Mynach Common, Llangors, Breconshire, 22 June 2002: The group walking across the common to Penywaun Nature Reserve, with beating trays. the trap on the Common. Both Dingy Shell and Oblique Carpet had been recorded previously by Norman Lowe on the south shore of the lake and the Dingy Shell had also been seen a week previously at Pont-ar-dolas. There is only one comparatively recent record of the Dingy Shell from Llanbedr, in 1975, (Sankey-Barker et al., 1978), but this is probably an indication of how relatively under-recorded Breconshire was at the time. It was described as “very abundant” in the county in 1926. A female Glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca (L.) was found producing her greenish light at midnight in the grassy verge of the road that runs along one edge of the Common and a vixen and cub were encountered at the end of the night session. In addition a battery-operated actinic trap was used to record moths on the Lakeside Caravan Site by Llangors Lake, an area of agriculturally semi-improved horse- grazed grassland with thick hedgerows and an Alder grove. This also produced the Dingy Shell and Oblique Carpet. The leaders would like to thank Nichola Davies (BC Development Officer, Wales) and Alan Wagstaff (BC Moth Officer, Wales) for their assistance with the organisation and promotion of this event which was a joint meeting associated with the Butterfly Guardians project co-ordinated by Butterfly Conservation. We were privileged that Gordon Parker, one of the co-authors of the Breconshire county list of butterflies and moths was able to join us for this meeting. The full species lists from the meeting are with Norman Lowe as County Recorder and representative of the Brecknock Wildlife Trust. Reference Sankey-Barker, J. P., Chalmers-Hunt, .1. M. & Parker, H. G. 1978. Butterflies and moths of Breconshire - A review of records. Brecknock Naturalists' Trust. Brecon. 258 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 Great Torrington woodland, Devon, 6 July 2002 Leaders: Roy McCormick & Paul Waring. We arrived at the site at around 20.30 h, the agreed time to find a few people waiting. We decided where to place our equipment; Paul had two lights and Brian Bewsher had one. There was also a new person to the mothing scene, Steven Hatch who had one light and the leader had four of a new type of trap that had been used in the field at other sites with some success; Adrian Henderson, a local man who owned woodland nearby had four traps running on his own patch. By the time we had finished setting up, more people had arrived, twelve in all from various Societies and Groups including a couple from near Bristol; dedication of the highest level to observe our resident species of Scarce Merveille du Jour and I hoped their journey would not be in vain. Around 21.45 h we started our generators and spent some time looking round for insects to net; a species found commonly was Perizoma didymata Linn. (Twin-spot Carpet) and quite a lot of these were netted along with a few other species. A steady drizzle started by the time night came and it was thought this might bring things to an early close, but conditions dried considerably though they did not make any difference to the clouds of small flies and midges the site is renowned for. Quite a lot of moths were also buzzing around the traps and our list started to build, but considering there were eight traps, numbers of moths were low. By around 23.30 h we had 45 species with a few micromoths still to be identified, not including species seen at Adrian’s traps. We continued going round the traps and it was a relief to see our first Scarce Merveille du Jour at around 23.45 h; by the time we decided to pack up around 00.45 h we had seen six at the original site with Adrian recording it in his wood as well. The list finished up, with micromoths being determined at home the following morning, at 111, including species from Adrian’s wood (which is in the same 1 km square as the original site). Unfortunately we did not see the other target species Heterogenea asella D. & S. (Triangle), even though the last trap was not cleared until 00.15 h with the temperature standing at 12°C. The best of the species recorded were: Eudonia delunella Stt.; Phlyctaenia stachydalis Germ.; Ancylosis oblitella Zell.; Amblyptilici punctidactyla Haw.; one very well marked Chloroclysta citrata Linn. (Dark Marbled Carpet); P/emyria nibiginata D. & S. (Blue-bordered Carpet); Euphyia unangulata Haw. (Sharp-angled Carpet); Eupithecia valerianata Hb. (Valerian Pug) - we often wondered why we had not seen this species before as the foodplant is locally abundant; several Hydrelia sylvata D. & S. (Waved Carpet), one of Devon’s common Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species; Deileptenia ribeata Cl. (Satin Beauty); Parectropis similaria Hufn. (Brindled White-spot); Naenia typica Linn. (Gothic); 8 Mount alpium Osb. (Scarce Merveille du Jour), the main BAP species, and several Laspeyria fiexula D. & S. (Beautiful Hook-tip). Luckily we missed the worst of the rain, which came soon after we left. Misson Carr, Nottinghamshire, 13 July 2002 Leaders: Paul Waring (PW) & Sheila Wright (SW). Misson Carr Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a newly acquired nature reserve of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT), purchased in 2001. Previously the site belonged to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and was known as Misson Training Area. The history, wildlife interest and past management are currently being researched by Jeremy Fraser, Management Plan Officer for the NWT. Jeremy is also developing the HR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 259 management plans for the future and is keen to take account of all the special wildlife interest. This meeting was designed to extend our knowledge of the fauna of the site. The main habitats on Misson Carr are fenland, marshland, sandy grassland, sallow carr and wet broadleaved woodland. A summary of the biological interest of the site has been prepared by Dr Sheila Wright, Keeper of Natural Sciences at Nottingham Natural History Museum and County Moth Recorder for Nottingham- shire (Wright, 2001a). The site is known to be important both locally and nationally across a range of taxonomic groups including the Lepidoptera, Odonata, Coleoptera, Amphibia, Reptilia, birds and mammals. The botanical interest of the site is unique in Nottinghamshire. From the 1980s onwards, the moth fauna of Misson Carr has been explored by light-trapping on one or two nights per year, usually between July and September, by SW. Early results indicated a species-rich moth fauna which included many locally, regionally and nationally scarce species. Moth recording was continued when it became clear that the MOD would be disposing of the site and there was concern over future ownership and management. Additional rare moths were discovered and the moth data eventually formed part of the basis for the subsequent notification of the site as an SSSI. The progress of the moth recording was reported in the national conservation press at the time (e.g. Waring, 1996-1999). The richness of the site for moths was further demonstrated when the site produced more species (151) on National Moth Night in 1999 than all but one of the other 303 sites throughout the United Kingdom which were surveyed on that night (Goodey, 2000). Forty-six moth species of national conservation importance (i.e. of Nationally Local status, or higher, as per Waring, 1994 & 1999) had been recorded from the site since 1980, as at August 2001 (Wright, 2001b). That Misson Carr ranks in species quality alongside some of the top sites in central southern England is an indication of the quality, condition and variety of habitats on the site. Aware of the importance of the moth fauna on their new reserve and keen to maintain and enhance it through appropriate management, the NWT invited the leaders (PW & SW) to visit the site for a meeting which took place on 18 October 2001. During the meeting and in the subsequent report. Waring (2001) identified the following as the most important habitat features for the Nationally Scarce and Local macro-moths on the site: the open marshy swards; other swards sheltered by scrub; a range of key larval foodplants within these swards, such as Thalictrum flavum L. (Common Meadow-rue), various woody species including oak, willow, aspen and poplars, birches, buckthorns; the reed-beds and dyke-sides, particularly by the main drain. The poorly explored sandy grassland at the south-east corner of the site is likely to support its own restricted fauna of specialist species and to be particularly sensitive to management. This field meeting was the first of two in 2002 to explore Misson Carr for moths and indeed for all its wildlife interest. The more noteworthy of the moth observations are presented first. The latter sections deal with other elements of the fauna. The long day-time session (1 1.00-18.00 h) was attended at various stages by ten people. Two of the highlights were watching a Scallop Shell Rheumaptera undulata (L.) nectaring at flowers of Common Valerian Valeriana officinalis L. at 1 3 .00 h and the attraction of several Red-tipped Clearwing Synanthedon formic ae for mis (Esp.) to combined myo/tip/vesp pheromone lures amongst sallows at 13.55 h. Although the night was cold, nine people attended the night session and ten light- traps were operated (Fig. 1). The dipterists and coleopterist had left at the end of the day session and were replaced by some very keen lepidopterists. The air temperature was 9°C just after dusk, falling to 6 C by Ol.OOh, but the moths came in steadily to the lights. It was calm, with no rain. Noteworthy species included the Lesser Cream 260 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 Wave Scopula immutata (L.) and a worn Blackneck Lygephila pastinum (Treit.), which arrived before midnight and a single male each of the White Satin Leucoma salicis (L.) and the Garden Tiger Arctia caja (L), both of which arrived later, in two Robinson traps kept running all night after all the other trappers had gone home. Of the three Peppered moth Biston betularia (L.) recorded in these traps, two were of the typical peppered form and one of the all-black form carbonaria Jordan. These traps were set amongst sallow carr which also produced a Miller Acronicta leporina (L.), two Suspected Parastichtis suspecta (Hiibn.), a Bordered Beauty Epione repandaria (Hufn.) and a Scallop Shell, species which were also seen at some of the other traps. The two all-night traps, fitted with 125 W MB/U bulbs, produced 181 macro-moths of 33 species and 133 macro-moths of 41 species, respectively. Species associated with the reedbeds and dyke banks included the pyralid moth Chilo phragmitella (Hiibn.), the Fen Wainscot Arenostola phragmitidis (Hiibn.), and the Southern Wainscot Mythimna stramineci (Treit.). The pyralid Phylctaenia perlucidalis (Hiibn.) was also recorded. This moth was first discovered in Britain at Woodwalton Fen, Huntingdonshire, in 1951 but is now proving to be rather widespread in eastern England northwards to Yorkshire, usually favouring wetland sites. The Dotted Clay Xestia baja (D.&S.) is local in Nottinghamshire but was recorded in most of the traps at Misson Carr. A total of four was noted in the two all-night Robinson traps. A Small Scallop Idaea emarginata (L.) was flushed by day in birch woodland and the Common Lutestring Ochropacha duplaris (L.) at light were additional species worth noting here. Twelve species of butterfly were recorded during the day, including the Purple Hairstreak Quercusia quercus (L.), not previously recorded for the site and a very welcome addition to the Lepidoptera list for Misson Carr. One was seen by Brian Wetton, nectaring on umbellifers on the west ride. The other more well distributed species encountered during the visit were Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris (Poda), Large Skipper Ochlodes faunus (Turati), Large White Pieris brassicae (L.), Small Fig. 1. Misson Carr, 13th July 2002. Photo: P. Waring, 2002. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 261 White P. rapae , Green-veined White P. napi (L.), Small Tortoiseshell Agluis urticae (L.), Peacock Inachis io (L.) (as penultimate instar larvae), Comma Polygonia c- album (L.), Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus (L.), Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina (L.), Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus (L.) and the Ringlet Aphantopus hyperemias (L.) which was in some numbers. Some interesting Coleoptera were found by Derek Lott, who spent most of the day scrabbling around in the bottom of the drains which crisscross the site. In a dried-up drain, Derek came up with three Nationally Scarce staphylinids Oxytelus fulvipes Erichson, Calodera riparia Erichson and Philhygra hygrobia (Thomson), which he has previously found amongst an interesting assemblage from floodplain wetlands in an advanced state of ecological succession along the Trent and Soar valleys. PW spotted a beautiful specimen of the Musk beetle Aromia moschata (L.), a Nationally Scarce species, clinging to a reed stem near one of the many willows in the swampy south-east corner of the site. This is a scarce species in Nottinghamshire other than at Misson Carr where it has been recorded on one previous occasion in 1999, modern records have been restricted to a few sites along the Trent and Idle rivers. Also seen was an example of the local cerambycid beetle Strangalia quadrifasciata (L.), probably the first record for the site. Twenty species of hoverflies were found during the day by the county recorder for this family, Brian Wetton. Interestingly, Brian found none of the typical fenland species that he had recorded there previously (probably a seasonal difference), but instead a range of widespread species, such as Chrysotoxum bicinctum (L.), Vo/uce/la bombylans (L.) and Melanostoma scalare (Fab.), exploiting the feeding opportunities offered by the profusion of flowering umbellifers. Whilst all were common, the records formed a useful addition to the overall invertebrate tally for this fascinating site. Three species of robber-fly were also recorded - Dioctria atricapilla Mg., Leptogcister cylindrica (Degeer), and Machimus atricapillus (Fall.). Several horseflies, including Haematopoda pluvialis L. and Chrysops relicta Mg. were also discovered by Brian, whilst the rest of us were unfortunate enough to be discovered by the horseflies! Saw-flies, an under-recorded group in Nottinghamshire, included Athalia bicolor Lep. and Arge nigripes (Retz.). Some close encounters with mammals and birds were also enjoyed during the day. Camcorder at the ready, PW crept up to a Roe deer fawn Capreolus capr coins L. which was nibbling at the pea crop in an arable field bordering the east of the site. The deer spotted him - but rather than taking fright, boldly strode up for a closer inspection of the strange silvery box being pointed in its direction, before sauntering off back into the reserve! A young Red fox Vidpes vulpes L. was seen in broad daylight engaging in a standoff with a Pheasant Phasianus colchicus L. and two Grey Partridge Perdix perdix L. on the track running alongside the reserve. They eyed each other suspiciously for several minutes, but then the inexperienced fox slunk away, having proved no match for a belligerent cock pheasant! Again, the whole scene was captured by PW’s camcorder. As he arrived for the evening session, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust worker John Ellis was surprised by a male Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus L. which shot over the hedge, seized an unsuspecting Blackbird Turdus merula L. in its talons, landed on the track a few yards in front of his car, and proceeded to pluck its by now lifeless supper! Other birds encountered during the day included a Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur (L.) which was foraging in the car parking area when we arrived, a Woodcock Scolopax rusticolci L. in flight, and a singing Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia L. - several pairs are known to breed on the reserve. Many pellets of a Barn Owl 262 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 Tyta alba L. were found in a derelict military van in the car-park at the south end ol the reserve. Some were covered in the empty pupal cases of a tineid moth. The chick of a Long-eared Owl Asio otus L. was heard calling during the night. The leaders would like to thank all those who supported this meeting and contributed to its broad coverage of invertebrate and vertebrate animals. We also thank Jeremy Fraser, Management Plan Officer for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, for inviting us to hold this held meeting, making the necessary arrangements and accompanying us in the held. References Goodey, B. 2000. National Moth Night 1999 - The results. Atropos 9: 32-46. Waring, P. 1994. National Moth Conservation Project. News Bulletin 5. Butterfly Conservation. Dunstable. Waring, P. 1996-1999. Wildlife reports - Moths, British Wildlife 8:54, 9:1 18-1 19, 11:60 & 135. Waring, P. 1999. National Moth Conservation Project. News Bulletin 10. Butterfly Conservation. Colchester. Waring, P. 2001. The moths of Misson Carr, Nottinghamshire - Assessment & suggestions for future survey and management. Unpublished report to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. 22 pp. Wright, S. 1996. The Lepidoptera of Misson Training Area. Unpublished paper. Nottingham Natural History Museum. Wright, S. 2001a. Misson Car: Summary of biological interest. Unpublished paper. Nottingham Natural History Museum. Wright, S. 2001b. Nationally significant moths which occur at Misson Carr. Unpublished paper, Nottingham Natural History Museum. Old Sulehray Forest & Quarry, Yarwell, Northants, 13 July 2002 Leader: Gavin Boyd. The leader was joined by one other member of the society, John Cole, and by one non-member, John Smeathers (primarily interested in micro- fungi and galls) on a fine dry summer’s day with plenty of sun. Both parts of the reserve (old limestone quarry and mixed deciduous woodland) were examined, though not as thoroughly as would have been possible with a greater turnout. Nevertheless, the combined total of recorded taxa reached 205 species - 18 plants, 1 1 fungi and 176 invertebrates. This total was largely due to the list of Diptera provided by Jonathon Cole, a list impressive in numbers and diversity despite the author's disclaimer that it included mostly common and widespread species. He highlighted as notable: Eggisops pecchiolii Rondani (Calliphoridae), a parasitoid of snails, and Aulacigaster leucopeza (Mg.) (Aulacigastridae) found (typically) around a sap run on a large Horse Chestnut tree. Numbers of Volucella inflata (Fabr.) were also seen in the main woodland ride, but this was no surprise since this species has long been known from this site. John Smeathers’s most interesting find was a lichen, tentatively named as Pycnothelia papillaria Hoffm., growing in moss patches on limestone in the quarry. This species does not appear to be on the Northants county list and verification is awaited from the county lichen recorder. The best record from a fairly banal list of Lepidoptera was the handsome ermine moth Ethmia dodecea (Haw.) netted along the broad, main ride through the wood, where the larval food plant Lithospermum officinale L. was seen with other interesting herbs. It was also nice to see the plume moth Marasmarcha lunaedactyla BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 263 Haw., swept from Restharrow in the quarry, even though this is a relatively widespread species. The evening session, intended for moth trap operation, came to an untimely end as night fell and no-one came to join the leader. Since he does not possess a light trap, he went home to an early supper after a little quite productive ‘dusking’ before the light faded completely. A pity because conditions for moths were just about ideal. Thanks are due to the local Wildlife Trust for permission to hold the meeting on their reserve. Strensall Common & Allerthorpe Common, Yorkshire, Newham Bog, Northumberland, and Middleton Quarry, Co. Durham, 27-30 July 2002 Leader: Paul Waring. The Dark Bordered Beauty Epione vespertaria (L.) is only known currently from two sites in England and three in Scotland. This UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority and Red Data Book species was the subject of a series of field meetings which took place in Yorkshire, Northumberland and Durham from 27-30 July 2002 as part of the Butterfly Conservation (BC) Action for Threatened Moths Project, part funded by English Nature. The event was advertised to and attended by members of BC North of England Branch, the Yorkshire Naturalists Union and the BENHS. On 27 July we visited Strensall Common, about 10km from York (Fig. 1). The Dark Bordered Beauty has been known from this area since the early 19th century and its status on this site has been monitored from 1894 to the 1990s by the now defunct York and District Field Naturalists’ Society (YDFNS) (Sutton & Beaumont, 1989, Crossley & Waring, in press). On our visit the weather was dry, bright, with an almost clear sky and quite warm. The first Dark Bordered Beauty of the day, a worn female, was flushed from open grassy heathland at 12.15 h by James McGill, on land managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT). When we visited the same spot at 15.45 h, five males and three females flushed readily from the sward which was dominated by Purple Moor-grass Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench and Cross-leaved Heath Erica tetralix L. growing to the height of our Wellington boots. Amongst the Purple Moor-grass were slightly shorter plants of Creeping Willow Salix repens L., long known to be the larval foodplant on this site. Philip Winter told us how he and the late Archie Heron had found larvae on plants only 30 cm tall or less in open ground here years before. We surveyed the open heath police cordon-style, involving six persons, for 100 m, to count the adult moths. Only four were seen, three males and a female, and on this day we found them only on the edge of a stand of birch and other scrub woodland bordering a railway-line. Possibly the moths had accumulated there as a result of a light wind which was blowing across the site towards the wall of scrub. The larval foodplant was distributed patchily throughout the open ground. A similar survey 100 m in length was then conducted across the road on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) training area (by permission), with exactly the same result, three males and a female seen. However, three more counts elsewhere on open heathy ground in the extensive MOD holdings produced negative results. This indicates that the moth is not found at the same density throughout the site, and it may be absent from some parts. Just before dusk we set up five 125 W mercury vapour light traps, three along the scrub edge where we had seen the first moths on the YWT land and two over the road on the MOD ground. It was a calm, cloudy, dry, muggy night, with an air temperature of 17 C from dusk to dawn, but in spile of such perfect conditions for moth-trapping, we had seen no Dark Bordered Beauty by 01.00 h, by which time 264 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 Fig. 1. On Stensall Common, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserve. Some of the group coming together to examine a Dark Bordered Beauty netted by Philip Winter. most people had to return home. Already the traps each held several hundred moths of other species. The leader remained on site to operate his two Robinson traps all night by the YWT scrub. At first light the traps held catches of 429 and 522 macro- moths of 58 and 48 species, including 4 and 5 male Dark Bordered Beauty, respectively. There were no females even though we had seen them at the trap sites in daylight just a few hours before. The males must have had a flight at some time between 01.30 h and dawn. Clearly if light-traps are used to locate or monitor this species, they will need to be operated all night. Other noteworthy moths recorded during the light-trapping session (on the YTS reserve) included the nationally scarce Light Knotgrass Acronicta menyanthidis (Esper) and Angle-striped Sallow Enargia paleacea (Esper), the local Small Rufous Coenobici rufa (Haworth) and Double Kidney Ipimorpha retusa (L.) and other species often associated with wetlands such as the Suspected Parastichtis suspecta (Hbn.), Striped Wainscot Mythimna pudorina (D. & S.). Double-lobed Apamea ophiogramma (Esper), White Satin Leucoma salicis (L.), a single, worn Bordered Beauty Epione repandaria (Hufn.) and several Lempke's Gold Spot Plusia putnami Grote ssp. gracilis Lempke. The latter was added to the Yorkshire list in the 1980s and has since proved to be widespread but local in the county, having previously not been distinguished from the Gold Spot Plusia festucae L. (Sutton & Beaumont, 1989, Beaumont, 2002). Several Satin Beauty Deileptinia ribeata (Clerck) were seen. This moth was overlooked in Yorkshire until 1974. The Garden Tiger Arctia caja (L.) was noted at one of the two traps operated all night. This is worth reporting in view of the current widespread decline of this species (Conrad et al., 2001, 2002). The Pine Hawk-moth Sphinx pinastri L. was recorded at one of the two all-night traps. This is of interest in view of the continuing gradual northward extension in BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST . 16: 4: 2003 265 Fig. 2. Newham Bog, Northumberland 28 July 2002. Photo P. Waring distribution of this moth, which has now reached a number of sites in Yorkshire (Plant, 2002). The following afternoon Newham Bog, Northumberland, was visited (Fig. 2). This is the second of the two current English sites for the Dark Bordered Beauty. The site is a National Nature Reserve managed by English Nature and can only be visited by permit. The moth was first discovered here in 1890 (Dunn & Parrack, 1986). The weather conditions on our visit were much as the previous day, but despite a good walk round the boardwalks, no Dark Bordered Beauty moths were seen. The site differs in many ways from Strensall Common. Most notably, it is much wetter, hence the boardwalks. Several species of willows grow within easy reach of the boardwalks, where they are kept short by cutting. In previous years the moth has been seen by day from these paths, usually several individuals per visit. However, none was seen on this visit, nor by Alan Coates the previous week. The leader made return visits to Newham Bog in favourable weather on the morning of 29 July and in the middle of the day on 8 August, both with negative results. It appears that there were no other sightings of the Dark Bordered Beauty at Newham Bog in 2002 and none were reported in 2001 (Phil Davey, EN Site Manager, pers. comm.). However, the site was effectively off-limits during 2001 due to access restrictions imposed to control the epidemic of Foot and Mouth Disease. Phil reports that the site has become much wetter in recent years and it may be that numbers of the moth have declined as a result. This requires further investigation and the author is recommending this to Butterfly Conservation and English Nature as a research priority for 2003. On the afternoon of 29 July a search was made of the privately-owned Middleton Quarry in Upper Teesdale, Co. Durham, which is now thought to be the site where Ian Findlay captured a Dark Bordered Beauty on the wing by day on 13 August 1976. Previously this individual has been reported as taken at the Rothamsted light- trap in Ian’s garden at Middleton-in-Teesdalc but it seems the specimen may have 266 BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 been sent to the late Tom Dunn, the former County Moth Recorder for Co. Durham, at the same time as a batch of moths from the trap and was assumed to be part of the catch (Alan & Jeri Coates, current Durham County Moth Recorders, pers. comm.). We found low growth of small-leaved willows in damp parts of the quarry floor and by a stream running through it, but no sign of the moth. The habitat at this site is certainly worth visiting again at several times within the normal flight season in case we were simply unlucky. Allerthorpe Common, near York, was inspected with Roy Crossley and David Chesmore on the leader’s return south on 30 July. This site still has plenty of Creeping Willow on its margins but is drying out as a result of drainage ditches installed on the surrounding land. David has now visited the site sufficiently in recent years to be as sure as one can be that the moth does not occur here. The leader wishes to thank English Nature, Mark Parsons and Sam Ellis of Butterfly Conservation for involvement in organising and leading the event, Roy Crossley, Alan and Jeri Coates, County Moth Recorders for Co. Durham for arranging access and co-leading the visits to Middleton Quarry and Newham Bog, and Philip Winter for his assistance at Strenshall Common. References Beaumont, H. E. 2002. Butterflies and moths of Yorkshire - a Millennium review. Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. Conrad K. F., Perry, J. N. & Woiwod, I. P. 2001. An abundance-occupancy time-lag during the decline of an arctiid tiger moth. Ecology Letters 4, 300-303. Conrad, K. F., Woiwod, I. P. & Perry, J. N. 2002. Fong-term decline in abundance and distribution of the Garden Tiger moth (Arctia caja ) in Great Britain. Biological Conservation 106, 329-337. Crossley, R. & Waring, P., (in press). Dark Bordered Beauty Moth at Strensall Common. Ministry of Defence. Dunn, T. C. & Parrack, J. D. 1986. The moths and butterflies of Northumberland and Durham. Part 1 : Macrolepidoptera. Vasculum. Supplement 2. Northern Naturalists’ Union. Plant, C. R. 2002. A modern review of the history of the Pine Flawk-moth Sphinx pinastri F. (Lep: Sphingidae) in Britain, with a European perspective. Entomologist's Record & Journal of Variation 114: 235-268. Sutton, S. F. & Beaumont, H. E. 1989. Butterflies and moths of Yorkshire - distribution and conservation. Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. Doncaster. Adderstonlee Mloss, Roxburghshire, 10-11 August 2002 Leader: Keith Bland. Adderstonlee Moss is a well-developed classic floating bog. A small raised dome bearing mature birch woodland with Calluna under-storey is surrounded by extensive willow-carr; the whole is floating on a body of water trapped in a depression in the higher reaches (230 m) of the Roxburghshire hills. The vegetated crust in the willow-carr is thin, so that trees uprooted by the wind leave circular expanses of dark ’’bottomless” water. As these grass over they can be very unnerving. It is not a place for the faint-hearted, so most of our time was spent on the outer periphery of the bog where it interfaces with patches of Phragmites reeds. The prime objective of the day was Epione vespertaria (Linn.), the Dark-bordered Beauty. This species was last recorded here in the early 1960s but has not been seen since in spite of regular searching. On this occasion also, our objective was elusive, but . . . next time! The afternoon and evening were dominated by still, oppressive weather which threatened to break into a downpour at any moment. The foreboding of rain kept all BR J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4: 2003 267 the insects (except the midges!) well hidden. Amongst the macrolepidoptera only the imagines of Maniola jurtina (Linn.) and Perizoma didymata (Linn.) were found and these were at rest, though the larvae of Macrothylacia rubi (Linn.) and Ptilodon capucina (Linn.) were also seen. Of the smaller moths only the cheeky grass-moth, Agriphila straminella (D. & S.) was everywhere, otherwise only an odd Argyresthia goedcirtella (Linn.) and Plutella xylostella (Linn.) could be raised. A few common leafminers added a few more species to the list. As dusk fell and the generator burst into life, the weather became less oppressive and turned into a good night to “run a sheet”. Many Noctua pronuba (Linn.), Mythimna impura (Hiibn.) and Xestia sexstrigata (Haw.) dominated the activity on the sheet. Smaller numbers of Cer apteryx gram inis (Linn.), Apamea monoglypha (Hufn.), Celaena haworthii (Curt.) and occasional specimens of Brachylomia viminalis (Fab.), Mesapamea secalis (Linn.)($ genitalia checked) and Autographa gamma (Linn.) completed the noctuid line-up. Other than a dusk flight of P. didymata , geometrids were scarce; only odd individuals of Xanthorhoe designata (Hufn.), Hvdriomena fur cat a (Thunb.) and Colostygia pectinataria (Knoch) showing themselves. Of microlepidoptera, the sheet attracted A. straminella in abundance, with small numbers of A. tristella (D. & S.), Catoptria margaritella (D. & S.) and P. xylostella and singletons of Dichrorampha montanana (Dup.), Trachycera advenella (Zinck.) and Seoparia ambigualis (Treit.)! More interestingly, half a dozen Chilo phragmitella (Hiibn.) fluttered in; this species was first recorded at the moss in 1982 and it is rarely met with in Scotland. Three specimens of the lovely rose-coloured Agonopterix angelicella (Hiibn.) were the highlight of the evening as they are the first records of the species from vc 80 (Roxburghshire). Besides the moths coming to the sheet, a good assortment of caddisflies was also present. Limnephilas marmoratus Curt., L. lunatus Curt., Phryganea varia Fab., Lepidostoma hirtum (Fab.), Glyphotaelius pellueidus (Retz.) and Drusus annulatus Steph. were all represented but the Limnephilas species far outnumbered the rest. To finish on a non-entomological note: we were rather surprised to find a cluster of three birch leaves apparently infected with the fungus Taphrina tosquinetii Magn. I have only ever seen this fungus on alder previously. Rendlesham & Tunstall Forests, East Suffolk, 10/11 August 2002 Leader: David Young - In fine, warm and sunny weather, and in sharp contrast to the rain apparently falling over the rest of the country, two members enjoyed a daytime walk through Rendlesham Forest. At first sight the forest appears to consist solely of closely planted blocks of conifers promising little of interest to the entomologist. However, closer inspection reveals some wide rides, remnants of the heath lands which were typical of the area before the conifers were planted, damp valleys and open sand banks inhabited by many solitary bees and wasps. The sandy areas in this part of Suffolk support strong colonies of the Grayling Hipparehia semele (L.) which were seen in good numbers. Four members gathered for the evening moth-trapping session. After an inspection of possible trapping sites in Rendlesham Forest it was decided to move to nearby Tunstall Forest to try and confirm the presence of Dioryctria sylvestrella (Ratz.). This species, which was not regarded as being a British species when Barry Goater wrote his British Pvralid Moths in 1986, was recorded during a BENHS field meetings at Tunstall Forest in 2001. During the past few years there have been several records of D. sylvestrella from the south-east and southern counties, which were thought to be of migrant origin. 268 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4; 2003 The night of 10th August was dry but rather cool, certainly not ideal moth-trapping conditions. However, a few D. sylvestrella were recorded in traps located underneath a narrow belt of mature conifers which, in contrast to much of Tunstall Forest, survived the hurricane of 1987. With better weather forecast for the following night, a return visit was made on 1 1th August and the total of D. sylvestrella rose to at least 30. This number, coupled with the presence of the species in 2001, is strongly suggestive of a breeding colony being present in Tunstall Forest. Tony Pritchard (Suffolk county moth recorder), informed that the Suffolk Moth Group has recorded good numbers of D. sylvestrella from other sites in Suffolk during the year. A total of 1 1 1 macro-Lepidoptera, and 18 Pyralidae were recorded over the two nights. Besides D. sylvestrella the most important or interesting records were: Tawny Wave Scopula rubiginata (Hufn.) (RDB); Xestia rhomboidea (Esp.) (BAP species) with four specimens at m.v. or at burdock flowers and Reed Dagger Simyra albovenosa (Goeze) (nationally scarce). Despite a high species count, many species were present only in small numbers, a common experience over much of the country during the past few years. A full list of species recorded has been sent to Forest Enterprise, with thanks for their permission to record in these interesting sites. Misson Carr, Nottinghamshire, 17 August 2002 Leaders: Paul Waring (PW) and Sheila Wright (SW). This was the second BENHS field meeting at Misson Carr. The first, on 13 July 2002, is reported in Waring & Wright (2003), which includes an introduction to the history and features of the site and the previous entomological work which has taken place. After the cold night of the previous field meeting at this site, the weather was much more favourable for light- trapping this time, and a larger number of butterflies was seen during the day. The day was hot and sunny throughout, with temperatures exceeding 30 C. Perhaps it was too hot for some people. The leaders were joined at 1 1.00 h only by Jeremy Fraser (the site manager). Ten of us, all primarily interested in moths, assembled at 20.00 h for the night session. The night was hot and dry with a light breeze, some cloud and initially no moon, though a thin crescent moon appeared later in the night. The meeting had three main entomological aims: to locate and mark out with tapes all stands of Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum (L.), the sole larval foodplant for the nationally scarce Marsh Carpet Perizoma sagittata (Fabr.) which breeds on the site and to count the number of caterpillars we could find; to search for and set light-traps for second generation adults of the False Mocha Cyclophora porata (L.) and to conduct general recording to contribute to the species inventory for the site. A fourth aim was to assess the likely impact of various management possibilities and advise the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) on the most favourable management for the known and potential entomological interest at Misson Carr. As our first job, Sheila Wright, the Nottinghamshire County Moth Recorder, Jeremy Fraser and the leader located and roped off with high visibility tapes all four of the stands of Common Meadow Rue which we had previously found on the site so that none would be cut down during a ride cutting operation planned for later that month (Fig. 1). The caterpillars of the Marsh Carpet feed in July and August on the ripening seedheads, amongst which they are superbly camouflaged. If the plants are cut down and tidied up at this time, the larvae almost certainly perish. We found only four larvae on this date, one in the final instar and three in the penultimate, all within lm of each other, on a waist-high Meadow-rue growing amongst Purple-loosestrife Ly thrum salicaria L., Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca L., Meadow-sweet Filipendula BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 269 Fig. 1. Jeremy Fraser and Paul Waring roping off a stand of Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum, the larval foodplant of the nationally scarce Marsh Carpet moth Perizoma sagittata so that it was not cut during mowing of rides while larvae were feeding. (17 August 2002) Fig. 2. Sheila Wright and Jeremy Fraser by Common Meadow-rue. Sheila is holding a flowerhead on which there was a larva of the Marsh Carpet. (17 August 2002) 270 BR J. ENT NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 ulmaria (L.) Maxim, and Purple Small-reed Calamagrostis canescens (Wig.) Roth (Fig. 2). The larvae were only on one clump of the plant, and not on the largest, most open stand, so it would have been wrong to assume they were on all stands and just leave the largest uncut. Each larva was surrounded by three to five seed-capsules on which it had eaten away part of the wall, producing a large and easily seen hole. Some of the capsules or pods were brown, others green. The occupied plants were on parts of the ride which were in shade at mid-afternoon. We found very few such signs of feeding in the stand in the open unshaded position, and few large seed pods. One or two of these pods bore holes, so possibly there had been a few larvae, which had grown more rapidly in the warmer conditions and had now pupated. We also noted a marked difference between the state of flowering of Common Valerian Valeriana officinalis L. on the site. There was a large stand of Valerian in the open by the Meadow-rue and its seedheads were dried and brown and almost devoid of seeds while the flower-heads of other Valerian plants in more shaded rides were green and not yet fluffy. All were searched for larvae of the Valerian Pug Eupithecia valerianata (Htibn.) but none was found. Adults of the False Mocha were searched for near the oaks by the rides at dusk and by running light traps by the oaks, including one trap all night on the northern- most ride. Attention has been drawn to the need for a systematic national survey of the False Mocha, which feeds on oak leaves (see Waring, 2000a, b). Sheila recorded a singleton at Misson Carr on 30 June 2000 which might have been a wanderer. Our aim was to see if we could find evidence of a breeding population on the site, which contains both mature oak trees and smaller scrubby oaks, many of which could be lost during ride-widening operations unless marked for saving. On the field meeting on 13 July we had beaten the ride-side oaks for larvae without success (Waring & Wright, 2003). On 17 August, Robinson light traps were set up by the oaks, but no adult False Mocha were seen. However, the following week, on 24 August, PW led a BENHS meeting at Bernwood Forest, which is a known site for this moth. No False Mocha were seen there either, in spite of a turn-out of 18 people and the operation of 17 lights by oaks widely throughout the forest, some all night. This just shows that moth trapping can be a hit or miss operation and that negative results on a single night do not mean the moth is not there. Regarding general site inventory work, this was a most productive meeting. In our wide exploration of the site by day for any additional stands of Meadow-rue, the following butterflies were seen: Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris (Poda), Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni (L.), Large White Pieris brassicae (L.), Green-veined White P. napi (L.), Common Blue Polyommatus icarus (Rott.), Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (L.), Painted Lady V. cardui (L.), Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae (L.), Peacock Inachis io (L.), Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria (L.), Wall Brown Lasiommata megera (L.), Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus (L.) and Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina (L.). We had three sightings of the Wall Brown - two of which were on the main ride running north-south up the western part of the reserve where there was some very dry bare earth, the third was along the farm track by the car park entrance. All the oaks along the north ride were beaten, finishing at 14.30 h. This involved at least twelve trees, ranging from 2 m tall to substantial mature examples. No adult False Mocha were flushed and no late larvae of this species were seen. Caterpillars of other species recorded included the Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda (L. ), one each (1-2 cm in length) from three separate oaks and one Buff-tip Phalera bucephala (L.) nearly 2cm in length. A white boat-shaped cocoon of the Oak Nycteoline Nycteola reveyana (Scop.) was beaten from oak. An adult of the red and grey form BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST.. 16: 4; 2003 271 with black spots (f. rosea) emerged in the autumn, thus confirming the identity of the cocoon. Dragonflies seen included the Black Darter Sympetrum clanae (Sulzer) as well as the more numerous Common Darter S. si rio/at am (Charp.). At 18.00 h an active Dotted Clay Xestia baja (D.& S.) flew onto the flower of a white umbellifer and was filmed on video-tape as it probed the flowers for nectar briefly before flying on. The night was hot, dry, and muggy, gusty before dark but with only a light breeze afterwards, some cloud and no moon for the nocturnal session. PW operated a Robinson trap all night by the largest oak in the northern-most ride, at the eastern end, in the hope of capturing the False Mocha. This trap held a good catch of 246 macromoths of 36 species in the morning, but no False Mocha, and none was seen in any of the traps nor elsewhere on this field meeting. The Birch Mocha Cyclophora albipunctata (Hufn.) was on the wing and the individuals were in fresh condition, with five in this trap and two in a second Robinson trap operated by PW further along the same ride near other smaller oaks. Interestingly, neither of these traps recorded any Maiden's Blush Cyclophora punctaria (L.), a species closely-related to the False Mocha, similarly dependent on oak but usually more numerous, and none was recorded by anyone else on this night. This second trap held 267 macromoths of 43 species, of which the most noteworthy species were three Scallop Shell Rheumaptera undulata (L.) (also seen on the field meeting the previous month) and a worn Bordered Beauty Epione repandaria (Hufn.) from the sallow carr, and singletons of the reed-dependent Fen Wainscot Arenostola phragmitidis (Hbn.) and the pyralid Chilo phragmitella (Hbn.). It also attracted a Magpie moth Abraxas grossulmiata (L. ), one of two seen during this meeting and worth mentioning because the species appears to have been in a long-term decline in England since the 1960s. PW also deployed a Heath trap with a 6W actinic tube all night on a car battery by the reed-lined ditch with sallow and birch scrub on the southern boundary of the site. This trap did well, catching 138 macromoths of 31 species by dawn, including singletons of both the Fen Wainscot and the Twin-spotted Wainscot Archanara geminipuncta (Haw.) and a Pale Eggar Trichiura erataegi (L.). SW set up her light and sheet on the north-western corner of the open grassy area in the southeastern part of the reserve, amongst much grass and bedstraws Galium spp. and near a reedy area and some birch trees. This trap captured five Small Rufous Coenobia rufa (Haw.) which were not recorded in any of PW’s three traps, nor by anyone else, and two individuals of the Twin-spotted Wainscot. Both the Twin-spotted Wainscot and the Small Rufous were particularly noteworthy moths for Nottinghamshire because both are known from only two other sites in the county. However, the best record of the night was yet to come - a single Waved Black Parascotia fuliginaria (L.) was recorded by Frank Botterill and Harry Beaumont at one of their two lights on the northern-most ride. This was the last moth to arrive as they began to pack up their equipment and is the first county record for Nottinghamshire. Ian Crackles had large numbers of other moths flying round his light on a tripod over a sheet when PW visited him in the night and everyone was seeing numbers of the Dotted Clay Xestia baja (D. & S.), but no Square-spotted Clay X. rhomboidea (Esp.), which was a target species we were hoping we might find. Harry and Frank recorded a substantial list of 44 species of micromoths for the night, including 16 species of tortricoids and 14 species of pyralids, of which the following are considered local: Elachista maculicerusella Bru., Helcystogramma rufescens (Haw.), Agapeta zoegana (L.), Aethes smeathmanniana (Fabr.), Apotomis semifasciana (Haw.), Endothenia quadrimaculana (Haw.), Epinotia nisella (Clerck), Dichrorampha simpliciana (Haw.) and Agriphila selasella (Hbn.). 272 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 16: 4: 2003 The leaders would like to thank all those who supported this meeting. We also thank Jeremy Fraser and Rob Atkinson of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, for inviting us to hold this field meeting, making the necessary arrangements and accompanying us in the field. A copy of the full list of species recorded has been deposited with Dr Sheila Wright, Curator of Natural History, Nottingham Museum, and County Moth Recorder for Nottinghamshire, and with the NWT. References Waring, P., 2002a. Some observations on False Mocha Cyclophora porata (Linn.) in Oakley Wood, Buckinghamshire, and Waterperry Wood, Oxfordshire. Atropos 15: 19-24 Waring, P., 2002b. Wildlife reports - Moths. British Wildlife 13: 284. Waring, P., 2002c. Wildlife reports - Moths. British Wildlife .14: 135. Waring, P., 2003. Wildlife reports - Moths. British Wildlife 14: 21 1. Waring, P. & Wright, S., 2003. Field meeting report - 13 July 2002: Misson Carr, Nottinghamshire. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 16: 258-262. Pennington and Keyhaven Salt Marshes, Hampshire, 7th September 2002 Leader: Tony Pickles. It was disappointing that no member or friends attended this meeting for either the afternoon or evening sessions. The weather was not of the best, but not sufficiently inclement to deter the hardy. The leader contented himself with walking the area in the afternoon and noting several larvae of Star-wort Cncullici asteris (D. & S.) on flowers of Sea Aster. In the evening a m.v. light was run for a comparatively short time, once it was clear that no-one was attending, and some thirty species of Lepidoptera were recorded before the leader sought solace in the nearby Gun Inn. The most interesting of the species seen were probably the Antler moth Cerapteryx graminis (L.). Hedge Rustic Tholera cespitis (D. & S.), Feathered Gothic T. decimalis Poda, Mathew’s Wainscot Mythimna favicolor (Barr.) and September Thorn Ennomos erosaria (D. & S.). The leader extends his thanks to Leonard Mansbridge, who holds grazing rights in the area, for his kind co-operation. Erratum Mann, D. J. & Turner, C. R. Atrichopogon (Meloehelea) winnertzi Goetghebuer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) feeding on Meloe violaceus Marsham (Coleoptera: Meloidae). British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 16: 7-9. The following rectifies an error in the summary of the published records of Atrichopogon species feeding on Meloe beetles in Britain given in Mann & Turner (2003). Full references are listed in the original paper. Atrichopogon (Meloehelea) spp. Meloe spp. attacked A. (M) winnertzi Goetghebeur A. (M) lucorum (Meigen) M. violaceus Marsham M . proscarabaeus Linnaeus M. violaceus Marsham Source Cooter, 1979 Mann & Turner, 2003 Blair, 1937, 1938 (as meloesugans teste Wirth, 1980) Blair, 1937, 1938 (as meloesugans teste Wirth. 1980) British Entomological and Natural History Society Past Presidents 1872-4 J. R Wellman 1945-6 Capt. R. A. Jackson, r n , f.r.e.s. 1875-6 A. B. Farn, f.e.s. 1947 L. T. Ford, b.a 1877 J. P. Barrett, f.e.s. 1948 Col. P. A. Cardew 1878 J. T. Williams 1949 J. O. T. Howard, m a 1879 R. Standen E E S. 1950 Air-Marshal Sir Robert Saundby, 1880 A. Ficklin K.B.E., C.B., M.C., D F.C., A.F.C., F.R.E.S. 1881 V. R. Perkins, f.e.s 1951 T. G. Howarth, m b e , i r e s , f.z.s 1882 T. R. Billups, f.e.s. 1952 E. W. Classey, f.r e.s 1883 J. R. Wellman 1953 F. Stanley-Smith, f.r.e.s. 1884 W. West, l its. 1954 Stanley N. A. Jacobs, s.b.st.j , i r e s. 1885 R. South, f.e.s. 1955 F. D. Buck, a m lptc. m , f.r.e.s. 1886-7 R. Adkin, f.e.s. 1956 Lt-Col. W. B. L. Manley, f.r.e.s. 1888-9 T. R Billups, f.e.s. 1957 B. P. Moore, b.Sc , d phil , f.r e.s. 1890 J. T. Carrington, f.l.s. 1958 N. E. HlCKlN, Ph.D., B.Sc., F.R.E.S 1891 W. H. Tugwell, ph.c. 1959 F. T. VaLLINS, A.C.I.I., F.R.E.S 1892 C. G. Barrett, f.e s. 1960 R M. Mere, f.r.e.s 1893 J. J. Weir, f.l.s., etc. 1961 A. M. MaSSEE, O.B.E., D Sc., F.R.E.S. 1894 E. Step, f.l.s. 1962 A. E. Gardner, f.r.e.s. 1895 T. W. Hall, f.es 1963 J. L. Messenger, b.a, f.res 1896 R. South, f.e.s. 1964 C. G. Roche, f.c.a , f.r e.s. 1897 R. Adkin, f.e.s. 1965 R. W. J. Uffen, f.r.e.s. 1898 J. W. Tutt, f.es. 1966 J. A. C. Greenwood, ob.e., fr.e.s 1899 A. Harrison, f.l.s. 1967 R. F. Bretherton, c.b ., m.a., f r es. 1900 W. J. Lucas, b.a., f.e.s. 1968 B. GOATER, B.Sc., f.r.e.s 1901 H. S. FrEMLIN, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., F.ES 1969 Capt. J. Ellerton, d.s.c., r.n 1902 F. Noad Clark 1970 B. J. MacNulty, B.Sc., Ph d., F.R I.C.S., F 1903 E. Step, f.l.s. 1971 Col. A. M. Emmet, mb.e., t.d., m.a. 1904 A. Sich, f.e.s. 1972 Prof. H. E. Hinton, ped., f.r s , f r.e s 1905 H. Main, b.Sc., f.e.s. 1973 J. M. Chalmers-Hunt, f r e s. 1906-7 R. Adkin, f.e.s. 1974 C. Mackechnie Jarvis, f.l.s., f.r.e.s. 1908-9 A. Sich, f.e.s. 1975 M. G. Morris, m.a., Ph.D., f.r.e.s. 1910-1 W. J. Kaye, f.e.s. 1976 W. G. Tremewan, m i BIOL. 1912-3 A. E. Tonge, f.e.s. 1977 R. Tubbs, o.b.e., f.r i b.a., f r.e.s. 1914-5 B. H. Smith, b.a., f.e.s. 1978 G. Prior, f.l.s., f.r.e.s 1916-7 Hy. J. Turner, f.e.s. 1979 Rev. D. J. L. Agassiz, m.a. 1918-9 Stanley Edwards, f.l.s., etc. 1980 R. Fairclough, f.r.e.s. 1920-1 K. G. Blair, b.Sc., f.es. 1981 A. E. Stubbs, b.Sc., f.r.e.s. 1922 E. J. Bunnett, m.a. 1982 J. Heath, f.r.e.s. 1923-4 N. D. Riley, f.z.s., f.e.s. 1983 B. R. Baker, b.Sc., a. m.a , f.r.e.s. 1925-6 T. H. L. Grosvenor, f.e.s. 1984 P. A. SoKOLOFF, M.Sc., M l, BIOL., F.R.E.S 1927-8 E. A, Cockayne, d m, f.rc.p, f.e.s. 1985 P. J. Baker, c.eng., f.r.h.s 1929 H. W. Andrews, f.e.s. 1986 J. M. Chalmers-Hunt, f.r.e.s. 1930 F. B. Carr 1987 Prof. J. A. Owen, m.d., ped., f.r.e.s. 1930 C. N. Hawkins, f.e.s. 1988 I. F. G. MCLEAN, Ph.D.. F.R.E.S. 1931 K. G. Blair, b.Sc., f.z.s., f.e.s. 1989 Mrs F. M. Murphy, b.Sc. 1932 T. H. L. Grosvenor, f.e.s. 1990 C. W. Plant, b.Sc., f r.e.s. 1933 C. G. M. De Worms, m.a., ped., 1991 A. J. Halstead, m.Sc. A.I.C., F.R.E.S., M.B.O.U. 1992 J. MuGGLETON, M.Sc. Ph D M l BIOL., F.R E ! 1934 T. R. Eagles 1993 D. Lonsdale, Ph D, b.Sc 1935 E. E. Syms, F.R.E.S. 1994 P. M. Waring, m.a., Ph D., f.r.e.s. 1936 M. Niblett 1995 M. J. ScOBLE, B.Sc., M.Phil., Ph D., F.R.E.S. 1937 F. J. Coulson 1996 C. Hart, b.Sc 1938 F. Stanley-Smith, f r e.s 1997 Rev. D. J. L. Agassiz, m.a., Ph D , f r e 1939 H. B. Williams, ll.d, fr.e.s. 1998 B C. Eversham, B.Sc., f r.e.s. 1940 E. A. Cockayne, dm., f.r c.p., f.r.e.s. 1999 S. R. Miles, f.r.e.s. 1941 F. D. Coote, f.r.e.s. 2000 E. G. Philp, f.r.e.s. 1942 S. Wakely 2001 R. A. Jones, b.Sc.. f.r.e.s.. f.l.s. 1943 R. J. Burton, lds, rc.s.eng. 2002 P. C. Barnard, b.Sc . Ph D., f.r.e.s 1944 Stanley N. A. Jacobs, f.r e.s. 2003 B H. Harley, ma. f.l.s. BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 16, PART 4, DECEMBER 2003 ARTICLES 209 Habitat creation favouring invertebrates: an example from Allerton Bywater, urban West Yorkshire. M. D. Eyre, M. L. Luff & J. C. Woodward 221 The changing distribution of Volucella inanis (L.) (Diptera: Syrphidae). R. K. A. Morris & S. G. Ball 229 A checklist of the Irish Figitidae excluding Charipinae & Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera). J. P. O’Connor, N. D. M. Fergusson & R. Nash 233 The glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca L. (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) in Essex. T. Gardiner, M. Pye & R. Field SHORT COMMUNICATION 219 Lasius brunneus (Latr.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) found indoors. R. A. Jones PROCEEDINGS & TRANSACTIONS / SOCIETY NEWS 244 BENHS Field Meetings ERRATUM 272 Atrichopogon ( Meloehelea) winner tzi Goetghebuer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) feeding on Meloe violaceus Marsham (Coleoptera: Meloidae). D. J. MANN & C. R. TURNER REVIEWS 220 The Agroecology of Car abid Beetles by John Holland. L. Allen-Williams 228 Oaks, Dragonflies and People - creating a small nature reserve and relating its story to wider conservation issues by N. W. Moore. R. Moyse 240 Dragonflies by S. Brooks. J. Brook OBITUARY 205 Douglas Howard Sterling; 1919-2001. P. & M. Sterling ISSN: 0952-7583 MCZ LIBRARY JAN 3 2005 British Journal of HARVARD UNIVERSITY ENTOMOLOGY and Natural History Volume 16 2003 Published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society and incorporating its Proceedings and Transactions British Journal of Entomology and Natural History is published by The British Entomological & Natural History Society Dinton Pastures Country Park, Davis Street, Hurst, Reading, Berkshire RGIO OTH, UK. Tel: 01 189-321402. The Journal is distributed free to BENHS members. Editor: J. S. Badmin Ecology Group Canterbury Christ Church College The Mount Stodmarsh Road Canterbury Kent CT3 4AQ Tel/Fax: 01227-479628 email: jsb5@cant.ac.uk Associate Editor: M. R. Wilson, Ph.D., F.R.E.S., F.L.S. Department of Biodiversity & Systematic Biology National Museums & Galleries of Wales Cardiff CF10 3NP Tel: 02920-573263 email: Mike.Wilson@nmgw.ac.uk Editorial advisory panel: D. J. L. Agassiz, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.E.S. R. D. G. Barrington, B.Sc. P. J. Chandler, B.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. Goater, B.Sc., M. I. Biol. A. J. Halstead M.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. D. Hawkins, M.A. P. J. Hodge T. G. Howarth, B.E.M., F.R.E.S. I. F. G. McLean, Ph.D., F.R.E.S. M. J. Simmons, M.Sc. P. A. Sokoloff, M.Sc, C.Biof, M.l.Biol., F.R.E.S. T. R. E. Southwood, K.B., D.Sc., F.R.E.S. R. W. J. Uffen, M.Sc., F.R.E.S. B. K. West, B.Ed. © 2004 British Entomological and Natural History Society Registered charity number: 213149 Printed in the United Kingdom by Henry Ling Limited at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, DTI 1 HD. li BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY Index to Volume 16, 2003 Compiled by D. A. Young and R. D. I lawkins with the assistance of P. J. Chandler, A. J. Halstead, N. M. Hall, P. J. Hodge, A.W. Jones and J. I. Robbins Dates of publication: Part 1 - March 2003 Part 2 - June 2003 Part 3 - November 2003 Part 4 - January 2004 Plates: Annual Exhibition 2002: Illustrations are scattered throughout the text between pages 159 and 189. Pages with illustrations are denoted by (fig.). GENERAL Adverse comment on the supposed British status of the web-spinning sawfly Cephalcia arvensis Panzer (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae) 2 Announcements: Basil H. Harley, President 2003 - 2004 105 Butterflies of the Bristol Region rear cover part 2 Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland rear cover part 2 National Macro-moth Recording Scheme 208 Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland rear cover part 2 Annual Exhibition, 2002: British butterflies 159 British Macrolepidoptera 161 British Microlepidoptera 165 Coleoptera 181 Dictyoptera 189 Diptera 177 Foreign Lepidoptera 171 General 1 89 Hemiptera 186 Hymenoptera 187 Orthoptera 1 89 Atrichopogon ( Meloehelea ) winnertzi Goetghebuer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) feeding on Meloe violaceus Marsham (Coleoptera: Meloidae) 7 (and Erratum 272) Australian cockroach Periplaneta australasiae (Fab.) (Blattodea: Blattidae) breeding in glasshouses in Cambridge 43 Book and CD-Rom Reviews: Agroecology of Carabid beetles 220 Bumblebees of Essex 68 Butterflies 204 Butterfly Notebook 207 Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Vol. 1. General and Applied Dipterology 69 Distribution atlas of European butterflies 203 Dragonflies 240 Interactive catalogue of World Chalcidoidea, 2001 93 Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 4 (part 1), Oecophoridae - Scythrididae 71 Moths of Devon 14, 94 Oaks, Dragonflies and People - creating a small nature reserve and relating its story to wider conservation issues 228 Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama), an Asian jumping plant louse (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), causing damage to Elaeagnus in Britain 89 Calocoris alpestris (Meyer-Diir), Lygus wagneri Remane and Dicyphus constrictus (Boheman), species with boreo-montane or boreo-alpine distributions expanding in Gloucestershire 12 Celebration of urban entomology 109 Changing distribution of Volucella inanis (L.) (Diptera: Syrphidae) 221 Checklist of the Irish Figitidae excluding Charipinae and Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera) 229 Conservation agenda for entomologists for the next 100 years - an amateur viewpoint ? 15 Contrasting range expansion of two species of Deraeocoris (Hemiptera-Heteroptera: Miridae) in south-east England 44 Distribution and floral preferences of the rare bumblebees Bombus humilis and B. soroeensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Salisbury Plain 95 Editorial 1 Field Meetings: (Indexed in date order) Bernwood Forest, Bucks/Oxon, 14 June 1997 46 Leckhampstead and Wicken Woods, 20 May 2000 46 Lopham and Redgrave Fen NNR, 10 June 2000 47 Leckhampstead and Wicken Woods, 24 June 2000 48 Upton Heath Dorset Wildlife Trust Reserve, Poole, 15. 1 uly 2000 49 Tilshead, Salisbury Plain, Wilts., 5 August 2000 50 Formby Dunes, 12 August 2000 51 Rushy Meadows SSSI, kidlington, Oxon, 23 September 2000 5 1 Hainault Forest, Lambourne End, Essex, 14 October 2000 53 Tunstall Forest, East Suffolk, 21 April 2001 54 BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Wisley Common SSSI, Surrey, 5 May 2001 54, 137 Pamber Forest, Hampshire, 12 May 2001 137 Newton Abbot Racecourse and the Creepy Crawly Show, 8-9 June 2001 137 Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire, 16 June 2001 55, 138 Leigh Woods, Bristol, 30 June 2001 58 Eaton & Gamston Woods, Retford, Nottinghamshire, 30 June 2001 58 Abernethy Forest and Insh Marshes, Speyside, 20 & 28 July 2001 60 Tilshead, Salisbury Plain, 21 July 2001 59 Rivacre Valley Country Park, near Chester, Cheshire, 4 August 2001 244 Lower Gelt Wood, Brampton, Cumbria, 5 August 2001 65 Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxon, 18 August 2001 66 Tunstall Forest, East Suffolk, 18 August 2001 67 Hittisleigh Wood, Devon, 25 August 2001 141 Sunderland Point, Lancashire, 6 April 2002 245 Kennick Reservoir, Devon, 18 May 2002 250 Red Farm Flash, North Somercotes, Lincolnshire, 8 June 2002 251 Eype, Dorset, 9 June 2002 252 Orlestone Forest, Kent, 15 June 2002 255 Rushy Meadows SSSI, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, 15 June 2002 253 Waun y Mynach Common and Penywaun NR, Llangors, Breconshire, 22-23 June 2002 255 Great Torrington woodland, Devon, 6 July 2002 258 Misson Carr, Nottinghamshire, 13 July 2002 258 Old Sulehay Forest and Quarry, Yarwell, Northants, 13 July 2002 262 Strensall Common and Allerthorpe Common, Yorkshire, Newham Bog, Northumberland, and Middleton Quarry, Co. Durham, 27-30 July 2002 263 Adderstonlee Moss, Roxburghshire, 10-11 August 2002 266 Rendlesham and Tunstall Forests, East Suffolk, 10-11 August 267 Misson Carr, Nottinghamshire, 1 7 August 2002 268 Pennington and Keyhaven Saltmarshes, Hampshire, 7 September 2002 272 First phoretic association of Procalvolia zacheri (Oudemans) (Acari: Winterschmidtiidae) with Aridius nodifer (Westwood) (Coleoptera: Lathridiidae) 157 First records of Myrmica vandeli Bondroit (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) for Britain 145 Glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca L. (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) in Essex 233 Gonocerus acuteangulatus (Goeze) (Hemiptera: Coreidae) new to Kent 102 Habitat creation favouring invertebrates: an example from Allerton Bywater, urban West Yorkshire 209 Indoor Meetings: 10 September 2002 192 8 October 2002 193 12 November 2002 194 1 0 December 2002 1 95 14 January 2003 196 I 1 February 2003 1 97 11 March 2003 197 8 April 2003 198 13 May 2003 199 10 June 2003 200 Lasius brunneus (Latr.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) found indoors 219 Letter to the Editor: Collecting insects 202 Maitland Emmet BENHS Research Fund rear cover part 1 More observations of insect families active during low temperature 106 New south-eastern county records for Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) 156 Notes on the beetle fauna of the mid-Churnet Valley, Staffordshire 153 Obituaries: Dennis O'Keeffe 143 Kenneth Angus Spencer 205 Douglas Howard Sterling 241 Observation of the prey species of the solitary wasp, Ectemnius cavifrons (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) 9 Officers’ Reports for 2002: Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society Report 1 36 Council Report 122 Curator's Report 132 Dipterists Forum Report 135 Editor's Report 134 Independent Examiner's Report 124 Librarian's Report 131 Professor Hering Memorial Research Fund 130 Treasurer's Report 123 Outbreak in Britain of Stephanitis takeyai Drake & Mao (Hemiptera: Tingidae), a pest of Pieris japonica 3 Pherbellia stylifera Rozkosny, a member of the snail killing family Sciomyzidae (Diptera) new to Britain from Cambridgeshire 10 Possible source of the Madeira monarchs Datums plexippus (L.) 142 Presidential addresses: 1999 Part 2 15 2001 Part 2 109 2002 Part 1 190 Professor Hering Memorial Research Fund rear cover part I Recording of invertebrates at Dinton Pastures - a request for records 42 Rhyzobius chrysomeloides (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) new to Kent 158 Scythris inspersella (Hiibner) (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae): a new species in Yorkshire 6 Second BENHS expedition to Belize, 1997 73 Significance of the continued existence of a population of Euura amerinae (L.) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) after 25 years for the identification of factors determining hostplant acceptability 107 IV BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Two parasitoids of the Lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii (Scopoli) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in Britain, including the first record of Lemophagus errabundus Gravenhorst (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) 103 CONTRIBUTORS Agassiz, D. J. L. 71, 161, 165 Albertini, M. V. 46, 177 Alexander, K. N. A. 12 Alien-Williams L. 220 Archer, M. E. 187 Badmin, J. S. 1,68,93,134,156 Bailey, K. E. J. 159 Baker, P. J. 161 Ball, S. G. 179, 198, 221 Barclay, M. V. L. 43, 181 Barnard, P. C. 190, 194, 196, 200 Barnett, R. J. 58 Beaumont, H. E. 161, 162, 165 Bell, R. A. 124,162 Bland, 1C. P. 9, 166, 266 Bleckwen, M. .1. 200 Booth, R. G. 181, 196 Bowdrey, J. P 182 Boyd, G. 262 Brook, J. 240 Brooke, S. E. 44, 186 Butterfly Conservation 162 Cadbury, J. 60 Chandler, P. J. 42, 69, 132, 177 Chesmore, D. 6 Clancy, S. P 162,166,255 Clarke, J. H. 162,166 Cole, J. H. 10 Collier, M. J. 182 Collins, G. A. 14, 94, 136 Corley, M. F. V. 162,163,171 Darvill, B. 95 Davis, A. M. 162 Dennis, G. 137 Dickson, R. J. 178,183,186 Dobson, A. H. 162, 166 Drake, C. M. 47 Dyte, C. E. 192 Edwards, M. 196 Elliott, B. 166 Elmes, G. W. 145 Eyre, M. D. 209 Farley, R. 1 89 Fergusson, N. D. M. 229 Field R. 233 Finch, G. 73 Finch, M. A. 73 Fox, B. W. 73 Fox, J. 73 Gardiner, B. O. C. 142 Gardiner, T. 233 Glamorgan Moth Recording Group 162 Gibbs, D. .1. 167, 178, 183, 186, 187, 189 Goulson, D. 95 Green, D. G. 60, 162, 167 Hall, N. M. 163, 167, 171, 172 Halsey, J. 163 Halstead, A. J. 3,54,89, 137, 179, 187, 188, 197, 1 99, 200, cover part I I larnian, T. W. 1 63 Harmer, A. S. 124,160,189 Hart, C. 163,167 Harvey, P. R. 195 Harvey, R. L. 202 Hawkins, R. D. 167, 179, 183, 186, 194, 195, 196, 197, 199 Haynes, P. G. 73 Hayward R. 163 Heckford R. J. 167,168 Henshaw, D. 205 Henwood B. P. 163, 168 Hodge, PJ. 179,183,186 Honey, M. R. 163,168 Humphrey, D. A. 1 60 Jones, A. M. 160, 161 Jones, R. 160 Jones, R. A. 102, 109, 158, 186, 192, 193, 219 Kemp, R. J. 46, 48 Key, R. S. 194 Knight, G.T. 179,188 Knill-Jones, S. A. 163, 168 Kolaj, A. J. 164 Langmaid J- R. 164, 169 Levey, B. 184 Liston, A. D. 107 Long, R. 1 65 Lopez- Vaamonde 1 70 Lowe, N. R. 255 Luff, M. L. 209 MacGowan, 1. 199 Malumphy, C. P. 3, 89 cover part 1 Mann, D. J. 7, 181, 272 Manning, D. V. 1 69 Martin, G. J. 173 Masters, I. D. 174 McCormick, R. F. 137, 141, 164, 169, 250, 258 Merrifield, R. K. 135,199,200 Miles, S. R. 15, 49, 198 Morris, R. K. A. 179,198,221 Moyse, R. 1. 228 Muggleton, C. 192 Muggleton, J. 122, 129, 192, 196, 200 Nash, R. 229 Nash, S. 164,169 Nau, B. S. 44, 186, 187 Nellist, D. R. 195 O’Connor, J. P. 229 Ostoja-Starzewski, J. C. 157 Palmer, S. M. 51,245 Parker, M. J. 180,189 Parker, R. 203, 207 Parsons, M. S. 162, 164, 169 Paston, S. J. 198 v BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Patton, S. J. 169, 170, cover part 3 Perry, 1 . 180,181 Petley-Jones, R. 65 Phillips, J. W. 50, 59, 164 Philp, E. J. 184 Pickles, A. J. 123, 164, 174,272 Plant, C. W. 175,176 Porter, J. 169,189 Post, R. 201 Pye, M. 233 Radchenko, A. G. 145 Rouse, T. 164, 165, 170 Salisbury, A. 103 Salmon, M. A. 189,252 Scoble, M. J. 130 Shardlow, M. E. A. 60, 193 Shaw, M. R. 2 Simpson, M. L. 161, 189 Sims, I. R. 53, 131, 170 Slade, D. J. 162 Smith, M. N. 181 Softly, R. A. 164 Sokoloff, P. A. 143 Spilling, C. R. 192,196,197 Sterling, M. J. 241 Sterling, P. H. 168,170,241 Stroud, D. 197 Stubbs, A. E. 187 Telfer, M. G. 184 Thind, B. B. 157 Thomas, J. A. 145 Townsend, M. C. 51,66 Tremewan, W. G. 164, 165 Tunmore, M. 208 Turner, C. R. 7, 272 Uffen, R. W. J. 199,201 Wander, A. 244 Waring, PM. 51, 55, 60, 65, 66, 73, 138, 244, 245, 251, 253, 255, 258, 263, 268 Waterhouse, M. 153 Webb. M. R. 153 Wedd, D. J. 164,165,170 Whitton, P. 185 Williams, C. A. 106 Wilson, M.R. 189 Winokur, L. cover part 4 Winter, P. Q. 165 Woodward, J. C. 209 Wooldridge, D. B. 165 Wright, S. 58, 258, 268 Young, D. A. 54, 67, 165, 170, 204, 267 Young, M. R. 60, 165, 171 COLEOPTERA Abdera quadrifasciata 1 1 1 Acalles ptinoides 155 A. roboris 155 Aclypea opaca 155 Acrotrichis henrici 181 Acupalpus consputus 48,212 A. exiguus 184, 185 A. maculatus 185 A. parvulus 185 Aderus oculatus 110 Adonia variegata see Hippodamia Agabus chalconatus 46 Agapanthia annularis 184 A. asphodeli 184 A. cardui 184 A. villosoviridescens 46, 1 14 Agonum obscurum 52 A. sexpunctatum 184 Agrilus pannonicus 110,182 Ahasverus ad vena 157 Aleochara brevipennis 181.182 Amara lunicollis 185 A. montivaga 184 A. praetermissa 1 84 A. strenua 1 84 Amauronyx maerkelii 182 Ampedus pomorum 153,154 Anthonomus piri 183 Anthracus consputus 1 86 Anthrenus sarnicus 116 Aphodius rufipes 52 A. rufus 52 Aredolpona fontenayi 184 Aridius nodifer 157 Aromia moschata 261 Atheta linderi 183 Athous campyloides 185 Atomaria gutta 1 8 1 A. umbrina 153, 154 Badister dilatatus 182 B. meridionalis 186 B. peltatus 185 B. unipustulatus 1 86 Bembidion clarki 212 B. gilvipes 185 B. minimum 181 B. obliquum 181 B. octomaculatum 181 B. quadripustulatum 185 B. saxatile 183 B. varium 185 Bibloplectus minutissimus 182 Blaps mucronata 181 Blethisa multipunctata 212 Brachyusa concolor 182 Bradycellus csikii 184 Bruchela rufipes 183 Calamobius filum 184 Calodera riparia 261 Cantharis figurata 1 83 C. fusca 155 C. livida 183 C. rufa 183 C. thoracica 1 83, 1 85 Carabus violaccus cover part 4 Cassida nebulosa 185 VI BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 C. rubiginosa 46 C. vibex 46 Cercyon tristis 213 Certallum ebulinum 184 Ceutorhynchus campestris 1 83 C. contractus var. pallipes 195 C. euphorbiae 183 Chlaenius nigricornis 182,183 Chlorophorus trifasciatus 184 Choragus sheppardi 1 82 Chrysolina anrericana 1 8 1 C. banksi 130 C. sanguinolenta 185 Cicones undatus 112, 113 Clivina collaris 185 C. fossor 185 Clytra 4-punctata 46 Clytus arietis 48, 49 C. rhamni 184 Coeliodes ruber 155, 156 Conopalpus testaceus 1 10 Cryptarcha strigata 182 C. undata 182 Cryptocephalus bipunctatus 155 C. parvulus 155 C. punctiger 155 Ctenicera cuprea 1 55 C. pectinicornis 155 Ctesias serra 111, 182 Curimopsis maritima 185 Cylindrinotus laevioctostriatus 54 Deilus fugax 184 Diaperis boleti 185 Diplocoelus fagi 1 12 Dromius meridionalis 186 Dryops anglicanus 48 Drypta dentata 253 Dyschirius aeneus 185 D. angustatus 185 D. globosus 185 D. impunctipennis 185 D. luedersi 185 D. nitidus 185 D. obscurus 185 D. politus 184, 185 D. salinus 185 D. thoracicus 185 Dytiscus circumcinctus 214 D. circumflexus 214 Enicmus brevicornis 112,113 E. fungicola 154 Enochrus melanocephalus 214 Epiphanis cornutus 183 Epitrix atropae 1 83 Eubria palustris 253 Georissus crenulatus 1 85 Gnathoncus buyssoni 153,154 Gnypeta velata 1 8 1 Gracilia minuta 154,184 Gymnetron beccabungae var. fallax 184 G. villosulum 183 Gyrophaena angustata 59 Hallomenus binotatus 110,154 Halyzia 16-guttata I 13 Harpalus quadripunctatus 184 Helochares Iividus 215 H. punctatus 215 Hippodamia variegata 118, 119, 181,213 Hydrochus elongatus 48 Hydrovatus clypealis 183 Hygrotus nigrolineatus 214,215 Hylecoetus dermestoides 1 54 Hypera 1 97 Hypomedon debilicornis 182 Hypopycna rufula 182 Iberodorcation lusitanicum 184 Laccobius sinuatus 215 Lampyris noctiluca 50, 1 16, 233-240, 257 Lasiotrechus discus 185 Lathridius consimilis 154 L. minutus 157 Lebia chlorocephala 186 Licinus depressus 185 L. punctatulus 185 Lilioceris lilii 103, 104 Limnebius aluta 48 Limnichus pygmaeus 1 82 Lionychus quadrillum 184 Lixus scabricollis 183 Lomechusa emarginata 1 83 Longitarsus ochroleucus 213 Lucanus cervus 110, 111, 112, 120, 121 Lycoperdina succincta 1 85 Manda mandibularis 1 83 Mantura obtusata 155 Melanoleptura scutellata 184 Melasis buprestoides 110 Meloe mejalis 8 M. proscarabaeus 8, 272 M. violaceus 7, 8, 272 Microplontus campestris 183 Microscydmus minimus 153,154 M. nanus 153, 154 Mogulones euphorbiae 183 Mordellochroa abdominalis 59 Mycetophagus piceus 154 Necrodes littoralis 68 Neobisnius procerulus 181, 183 Nephus quadrimaculatus 158, 182 Nicrophorus investigator 68 Notaris scirpi 213 Notolaemus unifasciatus 1 10 Nustera distigma 184 Ocypus fuscatus 2 1 3 Odacantha melanura 48 Oncomera femorata 183 Opatrum sabulosum 182 Ophonus ardosiacus 185 O. rupicola 181 Opsilia coerulescens 184 VII BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 O. molybdaena 1 84 Orchesia minor 154 Otiorhynchus armadillo 181 O. aurifer 181 O. crataegi 1 8 1 O. ligneus 181 O. salicicola 181 O. setosulus 115 Oxytelus fulvipes 261 Philhygra hygrobia 261 Philonthus fumarius 48 Phloiotrya vaudoueri 1 1 1 Phymatodes testaceus I 10 Phytoecia cylindrica 46 P. erythrocnema 184 P. rufipes 1 84 P. virgula 184 Pilemostoma fastuosa 194 Plateumaris affinis 155,183 Platypus cylindrus 111,183 Platystomos albinus 55,137 Podagrica fuscipes 182 Polydrusus splendidus 181 Prionocyphon serricornis 183 Prionychus ater 1 1 1 P. melanarius 183 Pseudocistela ceramboides 58 Pseudovadonia livida 184 Psylliodes luridipennis 194 P. napi 195 P. sophiae 185 Pterostichus anthracinus 181,185 P. gracilis 213 P. longicollis 185 P. macer 185 Ptinus sexpunctatus 192 Pyrrhalta viburni 59 Rhantus grapii 215 Rhizophagus nitidulus 154 R. picipes 154 Rhyzobius chrysomeloides 158,181 R. litura 158 Saperda carcharias 65 S. scalaris 154 Scarodytes halensis 215 Selatosomus impressus 155 Sitona gemellatus 253 Sphaerius acaroides 1 85 Stenagostus villosus 1 1 1 Stenichnus 182 S. godarti 182 Stenocorus meridianus 59 Stenolophus teutonus 184 Stenopelmus rufinasus 182 Stenopterus mauritanicus 184 Stenostola dubia 154 Stenurella melanura 184 S. nigra 1 84 Stenus assequens 182 S. contumax 182 S. palustris 48 Strangalia quadrifasciata 261 Synchita separanda 112 Synuchus vivalis 185 Tachys micros 184,253 Tachyusa objecta 181,183 Tasgius ater 185 Trichius zonatus 1 12 Trixagus carinifrons 185 T. elateroides 1 8 1 Tychius parallelus 184 T. polylineatus 182 Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata 249 Uloma culinaris 181 Xyleborus dispar 154 Xyloterus signatus 154 DIPTERA Achyrolimonia decemmaculata 48 Acinia corniculata 179 Agathomyia cinerea 180 A. sexmaculata 135 A. wankowiczii 177 A. woodella 180 Anopheles atroparvus 201 A. maculipennis 201 A. messeae 201 Anthomyia 230 Atrichopogon lucorum 7, 8, 272 A. meloesugans 7, 8, 272 A. oedemerarum 7 A. winnertzi 7, 8, 272 Atrichops crassipes 178 Atylotus rusticus 181 Aulacigaster leucopeza 262 Bibio 256 Bicellaria mera 48 Blera fallax 200 Bombylius minor 49, 50, 192 Botanophila lobata 178 Brachypalpoides lentus 46 Brachypalpus laphriformis 180 Callicera aurata 178, 179, 181 C. rufa 31, 200 Calliphora 230 C. vicina 9 Ceratitis capitata 179 Cheilosia albitarsis 59 C. barbata 1 80 C. griseiventris 1 80 C. illustrata 59 C. latifrons 180 C. soror 180 Chorisops nagatomii 180 Chrysops relictus 26 1 Chrysosomopsis aurata 178 (fig.) Chrysotoxum bicinctum 46, 50, 261 C. festivum 198 C. verralli 179,198 Cochliomyia hominivorax 71 viii BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Colobaea bifasciella 11,48 C. distincta 1 1 C. pectoralis 1 1 Crataerina pallida 179 Criorhina asilica 180 C. berberina 46 C. floccosa 179 C. ranunculi 179 Ctenophora ornata 177 (fig.) C. pectinicornis 178 Cylmdromyia brassicaria 178 Dicraeus scibilis 178 Didea fasciata 1 1 1 Dioctria atricapilla 261 Dolichopus agilis 180 Drosophila 70 Eggisops pecchiolii 262 Epistrophe eligans 198,225 Episyrphus balteatus 9, 230 Eumerus 71 Eupeodes corollae 9 E. latifasciatus 9 E. hunger 9 Euphranta toxoneura 179 Eustalomyia hilaris 178,180 Fannia ringdahlana 180 Gonomyia conoviensis 178 Gymnosoma nitens 118, 119 G. rotundatum 179 Haematopota pluvialis 261 Hammerschmidtia ferruginea 65, 200 Hercostomus angustifrons 179 H. assimilis 48 H. blankaartensis 48 H. chrysozygos 48 Herina oscillans 178 Hilara galactoptera 48 H. griseifrons 48 H. lugubris 48 Hydrotaea 192, 230 H. irritans 192 Hylemya 230 Leptogaster cylindrica 261 Leptomorphus walkeri 178 Leucophora sericea 1 80 Lipara 47 L. similis 47 Lonchoptera bifurcata 70 Lophosia fasciata 180, 181 (fig.) Lucilia 230 Machimus atricapi 1 1 ns 261 Medetera grisescens 1 79 Melanostoma scalare 261 Melieria omissa 179 Merodon equestris 7 1 Merzomyia westermanni 1 79 Metopia staegerii 178 Microdon mutabilis 180 M. myrmicae 145 Musca 230 Myopa buccata 55,137 M. strandi 179 Myopitcs inulaedyssentericae 179 Napomyza carotae 71 Neoascia geniculata 180 N. interrupta 1 79 Neopachygaster meromelas 1 79 Notiphila annulipes 180 N. guttiventris 180 N. subnigra 180 N. umbrosa 180 Ochthera manicata 48 Odontomyia ornata 1 80 O. tigrina 179 Orthoceratium lacustre 178 Oxycera terminata 178 Paracraspedothrix montivaga 178 Paragus constrictus 1 80 Pclidnoptera fuscipennis 59 Phasia obesa 1 79 Pherbellia griseola 48 P. nana 1 1 P. pallidiventris 11 P. rozkosnyi 10,11 P. scutel laris 10, 1 1 P. sordida 10, 1 1 P. stylifera 10, 1 1 Phorbia 230 Platycheirus occultus 179 Platypalpus 48, 70 Poecilobothrus ducalis 180 Policheta unicolor 130 Pollenia rudis 9 Psychoda albipennis 70 P. parthenogenetica 70 P. severini 70 Pteromicra pectorosa 1 1 Rhamphomyia curvula 1 79 Rhaphium micans 178 Rhingia campestris 198 R. rostrata 178, 179 Sarcophaga 230 Sciomyza dryomyzina 1 1 S. simplex 1 1 Sericomyia silentis 50 Simulium damnosum 201 Solva marginata 179 Sphaerophoria rueppellii 117, 179 Stomoxys calcitrans 157 Stratiomys chamaeleon 47 S. potamida 179 Subclytia rotundiventris 179 Syntormon monile 179 S. silvianum 179 Syrphus ribesii 9, 230 S. torvus 9, 230 S. vitripennis 9, 230 Tabanus bromius 58 Taxomyia taxi 131 Tcphritis formosa 197 ix BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Thecophora fulvipes 180 Thereva bipunctata 1 80 Thyridanthrax fenestratus 50 Tipula flavolineata 48 T. livida 48 T. paludosa 7 1 Trypeta zoe (not Tephritis) 1 99 Trypetoptera punctulata 51 Ula mixta 199 Urophora cuspidata 178 U. quadrifasciata 46 Villa cingulata 180 Volucella bombylans 200, 261 V. inanis 116,179,221-227 V inflata 116,262 V zonaria 1 16, 179, 198, 221, 222, 225, 226, 227 Xanthandrus comtus 178,180 Xanthogramma 50 Xylota florum 178 HEMIPTERA Acizzia uncatoides 92 Aelia acuminata 187 Agallia brachyptera 212 Anthocoris amplicollis 186 Aphrophora alpina 186 Asiraca clavicornis 1 19 Buchananiella continua 186 Cacopsylla fulguralis 89-92, 156, cover part 2 Calocoris alpestris 12,13 Calophya rhois 92 Cercopis vulnerata 47 Chlamydatus evanescens 186,187 C. pullus 187 C. saltitans 187 Cixius cunicularius 186 Ctenarytaina eucalypti 92 Cyphostethus tristriatus 102 Deraeocoris flavilinea 44, 45, 1 13 D. olivaceus 45 Dichrooscytus gustavi 102, 116 Dicyphus constrictus 12,13 Eurydema oleracea 187 Gerris gibbifer 186 Gonocerus acuteangulatus 1 02 Homotoma ficus 92 Iassus lanio 9 llyocoris cimicoides 214 Issus coleoptratus 194 Ledra aurita 47 Livilla variegata 92 Lyctocoris campestris 1 86 Lygus pratensis 186 L. rugulipennis 186 L. wagneri 12, 13 Macrosaldula scotica 186 Megacoelum beckeri 186 Monalocoris filicis 1 17 Notonecta maculata 214 N. marmorea 214 Nysius senecionis 115, 117, 186 Oliarus panzeri 119 Orsillus depressus 102 Palomena prasina 121,187 Pemphigus bursarius 200 P. populi 200 Pinalitus cervinus 186 Platymetopius undatus 135,187 Psallus pseudoplatani 186 Psammotettix frigidus 212 Psylla alaterni 92 P. pulchella 92 Rhopalus maculatus 186 Sehirus luctuosus 187 Stephanitis rhododendri 4-6 S. takeyai 3-6, cover part 1 Stictopleurus abutilon 118,119 S. punctatonervosus 1 19 Trioza alacris 92 T. vitreoradiata 92 Xylocoris galactinus 186 Zygina rubrovittata 1 HYMENOPTERA Aegilips 229 A. atricornis 231 A. nitidula 23 1 Ammophila 50 Anacharis eucharioides 23 1 A. immunis 23 1 Ancistrocerus auctus 187 Andrena cineraria 1 87 A. hattorfiana 3 1 A. ocreata 188 A. tibialis 187 A. trimmerana 187 Andricus quercusramuli 199,201 Anthophora bimaculata 49 Arge berberidis 188 (fig.) A. nigripes 261 Aspicera scutellata 229, 232 Astata boops 49 Athalia bicolor 261 Auplopus carbonarius 188 Bombus 196 B. barbutellus 96, 97 B. hortorum 95, 96, 97, 101 B. humilis 69, 95-101 B. hypnorum 68 B. jonellus 99, 187 B. lapidarius 95, 96, 97 B. lucorum 95, 96, 97, 196 B. muscorum 96, 99 B. pascuorum 95, 96, 97 B. pratorum 95, 96, 97, 99 B. ruderarius 96, 97, 99 B. rupestris 96, 97, 99 B. soroeensis 95-101 B. sylvarum 68, 69, 99 B. sylvestris 96, 97 x BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 B. terrestris 95, 96, 97, 101, 196 B. vestalis 96, 97 Callaspidia defonscolombci 229, 232 Cephalcia arvensis 2 Cerceris arenaria 49 C. quinquefasciata 187 C. rybyensis 49 Chrysis fulgida 189 (fig.) C. ignita 130 C. niediata 130 Cimbex connatus 187 C. femoratus 187, 188 (fig.), 199 Colletes fodiens 49 Crabro scutellatus 48 Croesus varus 188 Diaparsis jucunda 103 Dolerus liogaster 188 D. megapterus 188 Dolichovespula media 32, 34 Ectemnius cavifrons 9 Eumenes coarctatus 49 E. pendunculatus 187 Euodynerus notatus 187 E. posticus 187 Eutomostethus luteiventris 59 Euura amerinae 107, 108 Figites anthomyiarum 229, 230 F. consobrinus 230 F. ictus 230 Formica exsecta 151 F. fusca 151 Gorytes bicinctus 187 G. tumidus 187 Hedychrum niemelai 187 Lasioglossum malachurus 187 L. quadrinotatum 187 Lasius brunneus 219 L. niger 219 Lemophagus errabundus 103,104 L. pulcher 103 Leptothorax nylanderi 55,137 Loderus pratorum ( not pratensis) 188 Lonchidia clavicornis 230 L. maculipennis 230 Melanips 229 M. microcerus 230 M. opacus 230 M. sylvanus 230 Melecta albifrons 187 Melitta leporina 49 Methocha articulata 188 M. ichneumonides 188 Microdynerus longicollis 187 M. timidus 187 Myrmica bibikoffi 151 M. hirsuta 146. 147, 151 M. lobicornis 145, 147 M. sabuleti 145-151 M. scabrinodis 145-151 M. vandeli 145-151 Nematus lucidus 199 Nomada ferruginata 187 N. fuscicornis 187 N. lathburiana 187 Odynerus melanocephalus 188 O. rotundigaster 187 O. simillimus 196 O. spinipes 188 Onychia 229 Osmia xanthomelana 188 Oxybelus uniglumis 49 Periclista pubescens 188 Philanthus triangulum 3 1, 32, 33 Pontania 108 Priocnemis coriacea 187 Pseudepipona herrichi i 196 Psithyrus see Bombus Sarothrus tibialis 231 Sphecodes rubicundus 187 S. spinulosus 187 Stenamma debile 55, 137 Tenthredo celtica 199 Tetrastichus setifer 103, 104 Tiphia minuta 188 Trichiosoma sorbi 188 Vespa crabro 59, 68, 193, 226, 227 Vespula 1 96 V germanica 226 Xyalaspis armata 23 1 X. petiolata 232 Zaraea fasciata 59 LEPIDOPTERA abdallah, Euxoa 172 abnorma, Idaea 173 Abrostola sp. 177 acanthadactyla, Amblyptilia 167 acesta, Tigridia 85 acetosae, Enteucha 167,168 acheronta, Historis 85 acroxantha, Tachystola 72, 1 67 Actenia sp. 171 acuta, Chrysodeixis 164 acutellus, Sclerocona 243 adippe, Argynnis 20, 159 adustata, Ligdia 48, 58, 59 advenella, Trachycera 267 aegeria, Pararge 59, 159, 270 ssp. insula 160 aenealis, Evergestis 175 aeneana, Commophila 46 aescularia, Alsophila 54 aethiops, Erebia 64 affinis, Cosmia 244 aglaja, Argynnis 20,64, 160 aglaura, Nessaea 85 Aglossa sp. 171 agnorista, Abrostola 1 77 agnotana, Pammene 144 alacclla, Dichomeris 170, 171 XI BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 albicilla, Salebriopsis 58 albicolon, Sideridis 55, 57, 138, 140, 251 albidella, Coleophora 48 albiplaga, Manduca 174 albipuncta, Mythimna 67, 164 albipunctata, Cyclophora 63, 271 albovenosa, Simyra 268 albulata, Perizoma 57,63, 140,251 alchemillata, Perizoma 51, 163 alchymista, Catephia 175 algae, Cryphia 162,164 algira, Dysgonia 175 alni, Acronicta ab. melanica 162 alniaria, Ennomos 63, 67 alpicola, Xestia ssp. alpina 164 alpina, Eudonia 171 alpina, Rhegmatophila ssp. osmana 175 alpinella, Platytes 169 alpium, Moma 255, 258 alsinella, Caryocolum 5 1 alternaria, Macaria 242 alternata, Epirrhoe 245 ambigualis, Scoparia 168, 267 amphimachus, Archaeoprepona 85 amymone, Mestra 85 anachoreta, Clostera 1 62 anchemolus, Eumorpha 1 74 ancipitella, Scoparia 64 andereggii, Mythimna ssp. pseudocomma 1 76 angelicella, Agonopterix 267 angulifasciella, Ectoedemia 54 anomala, Stilbia 63 antennalis, Synaphe 175 antiopa, Nymphalis 161 antiqua, Orgyia 63,141 anubus, Xylophanes 1 74 apfelbecki, Pseudoxestia 175 apicella, Ancylis 166 apiformis, Sesia 46 areas, Parides ssp. mylotes 85 archon, Paysandisia 169, 170 (fig.), cover part 3 arcuella, Olethreutes 46, 168 areola, Xylocampa 54, 248 argentina, Spatalia 175 arion, Maculinea 15, 16 armigera, Helicoverpa 162, 163, 164 artaxerxes, Aricia 64 asclepiadis, Abrostola 1 77 asella, Heterogenea 258 asiatica, Nycteola 162 (fig.) assectella, Acrolepiopsis 166 asteris, Cucullia 57,140,251,272 atalanta, Vanessa 59, 159, 197,270 ab. klemensiewiczi 159 atomaria, Ematurga 245 atriplicis, Trachea 161,162,164 atropos, Acherontia 142,164,242 augur, Graph iphora 48 aurago, Xanthia 52 aurantiaria, Agriopis 47 aurinia, Euphydryas 16, 17, 18, 19,20, 159 ab. atratus 159 ab. sebaldus 159 ab. virgata 159 ab. virgata + atratus 159 aurofasciana, Celypha 168 aversata, Idaea 164, 165 (fig.), 245 azaleella, Caloptilia 166,169 badia, Anatrachyntis 168 baja, Xestia 260,271 bajularia, Comibaena 48 bankesiella, Epischnia 170 bankiana, Deltote 164 barnesi, Manduca 173 beirnei, Trifurcula 166,169 bellargus, Lysandra 3 1 belti, Xylophanes 174 belus, Battus ssp. chalceus 85 benderi, Coscinia 172 (fig.), 173 bennetii, Agdistis 68 berbera, Amphipyra 47, 141 berberata, Pareulype 243 betularia, Biston 14, 94, 260 f. carbonaria 260 bicolorana, Bena 163 bicolorata, Hecatera 57, 140 bidentata, Odontopera 63 bifaciata, Perizoma 51 bifasciana, Spatalistis 58 bifida, Furcula 163, 255 bifractella, Apodia 72 bigella, Euzophera 169 bilineata, Camptogramma 254 biloba, Megalographa 1 62 bimaculosa, Meganephria 58 bipunctaria, Scotopteryx 130 bipunctosa, Agonopterix 242 biren, Papestra 63 biriviata, Xanthorhoe 144, 162 biselata, Idaea 245 bistortata, Ectropis 47 bistriga, Cryptoblabes 58 biviella, Vitula 165 blandiata, Perizoma 63 blomeri, Discoloxia 58, 164 boisduvaliella, Pima 166 boreus, Dysdaemonia 79, 80 borreonella, Ischnoscia 167 botrana, Lobesia 243 bractea, Autographa 63 bradleyi, Mompha 169 branderiana, Pseudosciaphila 170 brassicae, Pieris 142,260,270 brockeella, Argyresthia 169 XII BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 brumata, Operophtera 47 brunneata, Itame 61, 164 bubastus, Madoryx 1 74 bucephala, Phalera 270 c-album, Polygonia 261 caestrum, Parahypopta 175 cagnagella, Yponomeuta 167 cailino, Drasteria 175 caja, Arctia 60, 247, 260, 264 caliginosa, Acosmetia 143 calvaria, Idia 175 cambrica, Venusia 63 Camilla, Limenitis 59 canella, Gymnancyla 1 69 caniola, Edema 161, 162 cappa, Hecatera 175 caprimulgella, Triaxomasia 168 capucina, Ptilodon 267 cardamines, Anthocharis ab. crassipuncta 160 ab. striata 160 cardui, Vanessa 199,270 carphodactyla, Hellinsia 167 carpinata, Trichopteryx 256 carvalhoi, Idaea 173 cassina, Opsiphanes ssp. fabricii 85 casta, Watsonarctia 176 castalis, Pyrausta 175 castrensis, Malacosoma 68 cataphanes, Autophila 172 celerio, Hippotion 164 centrago, Atethmia 165 cerasi, Orthosia 54, 162, 248, 256 ceratomioides, Xylophanes 174 cespitis, Tholera 272 chalcites, Chrysodeixis 162 championi, Caio 79, 80 charitonia, Heliconius 85 chiron, Xylophanes 174 chloerata, Chloroclystis 254 chloropterum, Aleuron 1 74 choragella, Morophaga 58, 169 chryson, Diachrysia 1 65 chrysonuchella, Thisanotia 175 cilialis, Nascia 166 cinctaria, Cleora 63 Cinderella, Depressaria 171 cinnamomella, Ancylosis 175 Citheronia sp. 79 citrago, Xanthia 164 citrata, Chloroclysta 258 clathrata, Chiasmia 254 clavipalpis, Caradrina 200 clorana, Earias 68 cluentius, Neococytius 174 cognata, Thera 61 comma, Mythimna 57, 140 confinis, Cosrnia 175 confusa, Euptychia 85 confusa, Macdunnoughia 162 consonaria, Paradarisa 250 contaminella, Pediasia 169 conterminana, Eucosnia 166 contigua, Lacanobia 163 cordiaria, Eilicrinia 175 coridon, Lysandra ab. obsoleta 160 ab. radio 160 coronillaria, Pseudoterpna 165 corticalis, Hypotia 171 corticata, Horisme 175 coryli, Colocasia ab. melanotia 163 coryli, Phyllonorycter 53 cossus, Cossus 242 costaestrigalis, Schrankia 52, 163 craccae, Lygephila 175 crameri, Erinnyis 174 crassa, Agrotis 1 72 crataegi, Trichiura 141,271 craterella, Chrysocrambus 175 cribraria, Coscinia 50, 172 ssp. chrysocephala 1 72 cristana, Acleris 169,170 f. cristanana 170 f. desfontainana 170 f. semiustulana 170 f. striana 170 croceago, Jodia 137 croceus, Colias 118,120,160 ab. electra 160 cruda, Orthosia 54 cuculata, Catarhoe 5 1 cucullatella, Nola 47 cuprella, Adela 166 cursoria, Euxoa 162 curtula, Clostera 63 curvatula, Drepana 162 cyrene, Xylophanes 1 74 dahlii, Diarsia 63 daira, Eurema 85 dalmatina, Nychiodes 175 daplidice, Pontia 242 dardoinaria, Crocallis 172 decimalis, Tholera 272 decoloraria, Xanthorhoe 174 deliblatica, Loxostege 175 delunella, Eudonia 258 demophon, Archaeoprepona ssp. centralis 85 ssp. gulina 85 dentaria, Selenia 245 dentella, Phaulernis 170 Depressaria sp. 171 depuncta, Eugnorisma 63 deserta, Watsonarctia 176 designata, Xanthorhoe 51, 256, 267 deversaria, Idaea 1 73 devoniella, Parornix 53 xiii BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 diclymata, Perizoma 165, 258, 267 diffinis, Cosmia 65, 67, 244 dilectaria, Stegania 175 dilucida, Autophila 172 dilucida, Manduca 174 diluta, Cymatophorima ssp. hartwiegi 164 dimidiata, ldaea 67 dirce, Colobura 85 discipunctella, Depressaria 171 dissoluta, Archanara 163 diversata, Epirranthis 175 dodecea, Ethmia 262 dodoneata, Eupithecia 58 dolabraria, Plagodis 58, 59 dominula, Callimorpha 165 dromedarius, Notodonta 245 duplaris, Ochropacha 245, 260 duponchel, Cocytius 174 dysodea, Hecatera 162, 164 egenaria, Eupithecia 58, 164 electa, Catocala 164 elinguaria, Crocallis 64 ello, Erinnyis 174 elongella, Monochroa 170 elpenor, Deilephila 254 elymi, Photedes 57, 140, 251 emarginata, ldaea 260 emortualis, Trisateles 163 ephialtes, Anthracia 172 epidaus, Eurytides 81,85 erato, Heliconius 81 ericella, Crambus 64 erosaria, Ennomos 272 etruscaria, Chlorissa 175 euphrosyne, Boloria 20, 21 ab. stramineus 160, 161 homoeotic 161 (fig.) eurilochus, Caligo ssp. sulanus 85 eurimedia, Aeria ssp. pacifica 85 eurycles, Protambulyx 173 eurypyle, Fountainea ssp. confusa 85 expallidata, Eupithecia 57, 140 exsoleta, Xylena 27 extimalis, Evergestis 169 fagaria, Dyscia 63 fagella, Diurnea 54 fagi, Stauropus 57,58, 140 falcifera, Callionima 174 falciformis, Epermenia 166 falconipennella, C'aloptilia 144 fascelina, Dicallomera 50 fatima, Anartia 85 faunus, Ochlodes 260 favicolor, Mythimna 272 februa, Hamadryas ssp. ferentina 85 ferchaultella, Luffia 170 feronia, Hamadryas ssp. farinulenta 85 ferrugata, Xanthorhoe 245 festucae, Plusia 264 ficus, Pachygonidia 174 filicivora, Psychoides 167 flammatra, Ochropleura 171 flammea, Panolis 250 flammea, Trigonophora 163 flammealis, Endotricha 171 flaviciliana, Cochylis 167 flavicincta, Polymixis 164 llavicornis, Achlya 63 flavifrontella, Pseudatemelia 169 flexula, Laspeyria 58, 258 florestan, Manduca 174 floslactata, Scopula 58 floslactella, Stigmella 53 tluctuata, Xanthorhoe 1 64, 1 65 fluctuosa, Tetheella 58 formicaeformis, Synanthedon 259 forreri, Memphis 85 fovealis, Duponchelia 166, 167 fraxinata, Eupithecia 163 fraxini, Catocala 163,165 frischella, Coleophora 67,167 frumentalis, Evergestis ssp. asiaticalis 175 fruticosella, Agonopterix 171 fuliginaria, Parascotia 161, 162,271 funebrana, Cydia 168 furcata, Hydriomena 245, 267 furva, Apamea 63 fusca, Pyla 174 fuscatella, Lampronia 166 fusconebulosa, Hepialus 59 galathea, Melanargia 49, 1 1 6 ab. grisescens 160 ab. valantini 160 galbanella, Bryotropha 64, 168 galii, Hyles 251 gamma, Autographa 52, 68, 200, 267 gannascus, Adhemarius 173 gaudealis, Chlosyne 85 geminipuncta, Archanara 68, 163.271 geoffrella, Alabonia 170 gibbosella, Psoricoptera 67 gigantula, Meganola 176 gilippus, Danaus 85 gilvago, Xanthia 163 glarearia, Heliomata 175 glareosa, Eugnorisma 52 gnoma, Pheosia 245 goedartella, Argyresthia 168,267 gorgon, Enyo 174 gothica, Orthosia 63, 248, 256 graminis, Cerapteryx 267, 272 grandis, Schiffermuellcrina 168 griseata, Lithostege 161 XIV BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 griseola, Eilema 67, 163 grossulariata. Abraxas 47,271 gryphipennella, Coleophora 54 guancharia, Scopula 173 guatemalena, Tegosa 85 gudarica, Rheumaptera 172 halterata, Lobophora 63 hannibal, Manduca 174 harmonia, Tithorea ssp. hippothous 85 harpagula, Sabra 58, 164 haworthiata, Eupithecia 58 haworthii, Celaena 267 hecla, Colias ssp. sulitelma 160 hecta, Hepialus 58, 63, 254, 256 hepatica, Lithophane 163 herbaria, Microloxia 172, 175 hippocastanaria, Pachycnemia 50 hippodamia, Rhescyntis 79 hortulata, Eurrhypara 170 huebneri, Loxostege 175 humidalis, Hypenodes 50 humuli, Hepialus 254 hungarica, Chamaesphecia 175 hyemana, Acleris 196 hyperantus, Aphantopus 59, 116, 261 ab. cuneata 160 Hypotia sp. 171 icarus, Polyommatus 160, 270 ab. basijuncta 160 ab. costajuncta 160 ab. pallida 160, 161 (fig.) ichneumoniformis, Bembecia 164 icteritia, Xanthia 52 ilicaria, Peribatodes 162 ilus, Perigonia 174 immutata, Scopula 251,254,259 imperialis, Eacles 79, 80, 81 impura, Mythimna 67, 245, 267 incerta, Orthosia 63 infirmaria, Idaea 1 73 insecurella, Epermenia 167 inspersella, Scythris 6, 165 insularis, Zethes 175 interrogationis, Syngrapha 63 io, Inachis 261, 270 iphiclus, Adelpha 85 iphidamas, Parides 85 ipsilon, Agrotis 52, 200 iris, Apatura 16 isandra, Daptoneura 85 islandicus, Stenoptilia 174 ismenius, Heliconius 85 ivella, Argyresthia 165 jacobaeae, Tyria 57, 140 janais, Chlosyne 85 janthe, Noctua 141, 176, 177, 245 janthina, Noctua 176 janthinana, Cydia 169 jatrophae, Anartia 85 jubata, Alcis 63 junctella, Caryocolum 169 juniperata, Thera 6 1 , 63 juniperella, Dichomeris 167 jurtina, Maniola 261, 267, 270 ab. alba 1 6 1 ab. post-radiata 160 ssp. cassiteridum 160 ab. fracta 160 komarovi, Rhetera ssp. drilon 175 (fig.) kruegeri, Amata 176 (fig.) kuehnella, Coleophora 53 labruscae, Eumorpha 1 74 laetus, Oxyptilus 168 laevigata, Idaea 173 lampra, Sideridis 175 lancealana, Bactra 67 lanuginosa, Manduca 174 lapidata, Coenocalpe 164 lapidella, Luffia 170 lariciata, Eupithecia 250 lata, Agrotis 172 leautieri, Lithophane 116 lebeau, Rothschildia 81 lefeburii, Manduca 174 lemnata, Cataclysta 68, 200 leporina, Acronicta 260 leucatella, Recurvaria 168 leucogaster, Ochropleura 164 leucographella, Phyllonorycter 166, 170 leucomelas, Aedia 175 leucostigma, Celaena 1 63 libatrix, Scoliopteryx 52 libya, Xylophanes 174 lichenaria, Cleorodes 162 lienigianus, Ovendenia 168 ligustri, Craniophora 58 ligustri. Sphinx 57, 140 limacodes, Apoda 50 limbata, Evergestis 169 linearia, Cyclophora 46, 58 lineata, Hyles 173 lineola, Thymelicus 207 lithodactyla, Oidaematophorus 168 litoralis, Mythimna 165 livornica, Hyles 161, 163, 164,251 logaea, Rhyacionia 169 logiana, Acleris 169 longaria, Idaea 173 loreyi, Mythimna 162 lorquiniana, Acleris 170 lubricipeda, Spilosoma 161, 163 (fig.) lucens, Amphipoea 162 lucifer, Cocytius 174 luctuosa, Tyta 27 luna, Pierella ssp. heracles 85 lunaedactyla, Marasmarcha 262 xv BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 lunaris, Minucia 175 lunosa, Omphaloscelis 162 (fig.) lunularia, Selenia 63, 255 luridata, Scotopteryx 51 lurideola, Eilema 247,251 lusca, Perigonia 174 lusohispanica, Idaea 173 luteolata, Opisthograptis 245, 254 lutosa, Rhizedra 163 lutulenta, Aporophyla 52, 1 64 lutulentaria, Idaea 173 lycimenes, Parides 85 lysimnia, Mechanitis 85 maccana, Acleris 169 macularia, Pseudopanthera 46, 250 maculicerusella, Elachista 271 magnolii, Hadena 175 manni, Perigonia 174 margaritella, Catoptria 267 marginaria, Agriopis 47,165,256 marginata, Lomaspilis 165, 245 maritima, Phycitodes 168 maritimus, Chilodes 163 maura, Mormo 66 megacephala, Acronicta 245 megera, Lasiommata 270 melanopa, Anarta 164 mellonella. Galleria 168 memnon, Caligo 85 mendesi, Agonopterix 1 7 1 mendica, Diaphora 162, 163 (fig.) mendica, Diarsia 64 menyanthidis, Acronicta 63, 264 merckii, Lithophane 175 mermeria, Taygetis 85 Mesapamea sp. 67 metaleuca, Euptychia 85 mexicana, Catonephile 85 miata, Chloroclysta 63 micacea, Hydraecia 52 micalis, Tebenna 168 Microloxia sp. 172 microtheriella, Stigmella 53 milhauseri, Harpyia 175 millefoliata, Eupithecia 163 minorata, Perizoma 63 minutella, Borkhausenia 165 moldavica, Synaphe 175 molliculana, Cochylis 169 moloneyi, Automeris 79 monodactyla, Emmelina 52 monoglypha, Apamea 267 montanana, Dichrorampha 267 montanata, Xanthorhoe 256 morrisii, Photedes ssp. morrisii 163 morvus, Memphis ssp. boisduvali 85 mucronellus, Donacaula 166, 167 multistrigaria, Colostygia 164 munitata, Xanthorhoe ssp. arcticaria 174 murinaria, Tephrina 1 75 muscosa, Manduca 174 musculosa, Oria 50, 5 1 , 59, 60 mylitta, Dynamine 85 myllerana, Prochoreutis 64 myrtilli, Anarta 63 napi, Pieris 256,261,270 neaerea, Pyrrhogyra ssp. hypsenor 85 nebulata, Euchoeca 256, 257 neoptolemus, Xylophanes 174 nerii, Daphnis 242 ni, Trichoplusia 163,164 nicellii, Phyllonorycter 53 nigra, Aporophyla 52 nigricomella, Bucculatrix 167 nigricostana, Endothenia 59 nigropunctata, Scopula 162 nisella, Epinotia 271 noctuella, Nomophila 48, 68 nomius, Callionima 1 74 notata, Macaria 68 nubilalis, Ostrinia 169 nupta, Catocala 66, 68 nyassaefoliella, Antispila 130 nymphaeata, Elophila 169 nymphagoga, Catocala 163 obeliscata, Thera 64 oblitella, Ancylosis 258 obscura. Erinnyis 174 obscurata, Charissa 164 obscuratus, Gnophos 63 obsoleta, Mythimna 163 obsoletaria, Idaea 173 obstipata, Orthonama 162,164 occulta, Eurois 61 occulta, Manduca 1 74 ocellata, Smerinthus 138, 254 ochrearia, Semiaspilates 163 ochsenheimeriana, Pammene 167 oculea, Amphipoea 141 ocypete, Enyo 1 74 odius, Historis ssp. orion 85 odorata, Ascalapha 174 oenotrus, Erinnyis 1 74 ohridella, Cameraria 168 (fig.), 169, 170 oiclus, Madoryx 174 olivana, Olethreutes 166 olivata, Colostygia 63 omphale, Prepona ssp. octavia 85 oo, Dicycla 25, 26, 27, 175, 177 ophiogramma, Apamea 66, 264 oporana, Archips 170 or, Tethea 63 orbona, Noctua 68 orientalis, Acronicta 175 xvi BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 osseana, Eana 174 ostrinaria, Idaea 175 otregiata, Lampropteryx 250 oxyacanthae, Allophyes 47 paleacea, Enargia 264 paleana, Aphelia 46 pallida, Eudonia 169 pallustris, Athetis 55,56,57, 138, 139, 140, 143,251, 252 paludella, Calamotropha 169 palumbella, Pempelia 175 palustrana, Olethreutes 64 pamphilus, Coenonympha 261 paphia, Argynnis 20, 110, 159 ab. nigrizina 159 f. valesina 161 homoeotic 161 paralellaria, Epione 65 parce, Callionima 174 pastinum, Lygephila 254, 260 patelina, Callicore 85 paula, Oleria 85 pavonia, Pavonia 49 pectinataria, Colostygia 256, 267 peleides, Morpho 85 peltigera, Heliothis 163 peribolata, Scotopteryx 164 perlepidella, Digitivalva 166 perlucidalis, Phlyctaenia 46, 260 permutana, Acleris 170 petasitis, Hydraecia 165 petreus, Marpesia 85 phegea, Amata 176 philolaus, Eurytide's 81, 85 phlaeas, Lycaena 49 phragmitella, Chilo 260, 267, 271 phragmitidis, Arenostola 68, 260, 27 1 picarella, Nemapogon 64 piceaella, Coleotechnites 243 piercei, Aethes 168 pilosaria, Phigalia 47 pinastri, Hyloicus 46, 242, 264 pinguinalis, Aglossa 166 piniaria, Bupalus 46 plecta, Ochropleura 66 plexippus, Danaus 142 plumbeolata, Eupithecia 1 64, 255 pluto, Xylophanes 174 plutonius, Madoryx 174 politella, Bryotropha 64, 167 polycommata, Trichopteryx 130 polygonalis, Uresiphita 163 polygrammata, Costaconvexa 161 polyodon, Actinotia 162 populana, Pammene 51 populella, Anacampsis 51 populetorum, Caloptilia 165 populi, Laothoe 138 porata, Cyclophora 1 62, 268, 270, 27 1 porcellus, Deilephila 57, 140 porcus, Xylophanes 1 74 postvittana, Epiphyas 1 66 potatoria, Euthrix 245, 247, 251 praecox, Actebia 5 1 prasina, Anaplectoides 63 primaria, Theria 47 proboscidalis, Hypena 245 procerella, Bisigna 166 promissa, Catocala 22, 25, 27, 28 pronuba, Noctua 141,245,267 pronubana, Cacoeciniorpha 166 proterpia, Eurema 85 pruni, Odonestis 175 pruni, Satyrium 47, 48 pubicornis, Lampronia 1 66 pudibunda, Calliteara 270 pudorina, Mythimna 264 pulchrimella, Cosmopterix 170 pulicariae, Digitivalva 166 pulveraria, Plagodis 63 punctalis, Synaphe 167,171 punctaria, Cyclophora 58,271 punctidactyla, Amblyptilia 258 puppi I laria, Cyclophora 161, 165 purdeyi, Clavigesta 169 pusaria, Cabera 256 pusillata, Eupithecia 61 puta, Agrotis 172 putnami, Plusia ssp. gracilis 63, 264 pygarga, Protodeltote 254 pygmaeana, Epinotia 166 pyralina, Cosmia 244 pyramidea, Amphipyra 52, 141, 172 quadra, Lithosia 161, 162, 164 quadrimaculana, Endothenia 271 quadripunclaria, Eupiagia 164 quercinaria, Ennomos 51, 163 quercus, Marumba 175 quercus, Neozephyrus 110, 112, 116, 160, 260 ab. latefasciata 160 ab. obsoleta 160 quinnata, Phyllonorycter 53 quiteria, Opsiphanes ssp. quirinus 85 radiosa, Actinotia 175 ramburialis, Diasemiopsis 166, 169 rapae, Pieris 261 recens, Orgyia 39 rectilinea, Hyppa 63, 164 repandaria, Epione 260, 264, 271 repandata, Alcis 64 resumens, Pachylioides 1 74 reticulata, Heliophobus 27 reticulatum, Eustroma 130 retusa, Ipimorpha 264 revayana, Nycteola 270 f. rosea 271 rhamni, Gonepteryx 270 rhamniella, Sorhagenia 243 XVII BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Rheumaptera sp. 1 72 rhomboidaria, Peribatodes 245 rhomboidea, Xestia 54, 67, 163, 268, 271 ribeata, Deileptenia 63, 161, 258, 264 ridens, Polyploca 54 rigidella, Agonopterix 1 7 1 rimosa, Isognathus 174 ripae, Agrotis 55,57, 138, 140, 172 riscus, Nyceryx 1 74 rivata, Epirrhoe 256 roboraria, Hypomecis 46 robusta, Pandesma 173 rorrella, Yponomeuta 169 roscida, Setina 176 roxana, Rothschildia 81 rubi, Callophrys 49 ab. brunnea 160 (fig.) rubi, Macrothylacia 57, 140, 251, 267 rubi data, Catarhoe 141 rubiginalis, Ecpyrrhorrhoe 175 rubiginata, Plemyria 258 rubiginata, Scopula 67, 268 rubiginea, Conistra 163 rubricollis, Atolmis 255 rufa, Coenobia 264,271 rufana, Acleris 169 rufescens, Helcystogramma 271 rufifasciata, Gymnoscelis 52 rupicola, Apaustis 175 rustica, Manduca 174 rusticata, Idaea 164 sabulosa, Agrotis 171 sacraria, Rhodometra 48, 163, 164 sagittata, Perizoma 268, 269 sagittigera, Pachetra 176 salaciella, Opostega 169 saleri, Idaea 173 salicicola, Dyspessa 175 salicis, Leucoma 164,260,264 sanguinalis, Pyrausta 175 satellita, Eumorpha 79, 80, 174 saxonellus, Xanthocrambus 175 scabriuscula, Dypterygia 164 scapulosa, Cerocala 171 schausi, Manduca 174 schwarzella, Pancalia 166 scolopacina, Apamea 66 scutosa, Schinia 175 secalis, Mesapamea 267 segetum, Agrotis 52 selasella, Agriphila 67,271 selene, Boloria 20, 21, 64 semele, Hipparchia 267 semifasciana, Apotomis 271 senex, Thumatha 63, 254 sennae, Phoebis ssp. marcellina 85 senticetella, Gelechia 144 sequella, Ypsolopha 168 sericealis, Rivula 67, 254 servillana, Cydia 166 sesostris, Parides ssp. xestos 85 sexstrigata, Xestia 67, 141,267 sexta, Manduca ssp. jamaicensis 174 silaceata, Ecliptopera 245 silvella, Crambus 169 similaria, Parectropis 258 similis, Euproctis 47 simpliciana, Dichrorampha 271 simulatricula, Cryphia 172 sinapis, Leptidea 47, 48 siterata, Chloroclysta 250 smaragdaria, Thetidia 143,175 smeathmanniana, Aethes 271 sobrina, Protolampra 61 sociaria, Synopsia 175 sororcula, Eilema 255 sororculana, Apotomis 59 sororiata, Carsia 63 sparganii, Archanara 54, 162, 163 sparsata, Anticollix 162 sphinx, Asteroscopus 47 sponsa, Catocala 25, 27 spuria, Cautethia 174 stachydalis, Phlyctaenia 258 statices, Adscita 46 stephensi, Dystebenna 144 stevenaria, Neognopharniia 175 sticticalis, Loxostege 166 stolida, Prodotis 175 straminea, Mythimna 163,260 straminella, Agriphila 267 striatella, Isophrictis 165 strigilata, Pechipogo 46 strigilis, Protambulyx 1 73 strigulatella, Phyllonorycter 168, 169 suasa, Lacanobia 57, 140, 163, 251 subfusca, Scoparia 250 subrosea, Coenophila 164 subsericeata, Idaea 46 suspecta, Parastichtis 63, 260, 264 syces, Pachygonidia 174 sylvata. Abraxas 57, 58, 140, 164 sylvata, Hydrelia 258 sylvestraria, Idaea 50 sylvestrella, Dioryctria 166, 169, 170, 255, 267, 268 sylvestris, Thymelicus 207, 260, 270 sylvina, Hepialus 63, 67, 141 syricola, Agrotis 171,172 tachasara, Stolidoptera 1 73 taenialis, Schrankia 164, 255 tanti 1 laria, Eupithecia 250 tenebrella, Monochroa 72 tenerella, Phyllonorycter 53 terebinthi, Parocneria 176 ternata, Scopula 63, 163 terrclla, Bryotropha 168 tertia, Noctua 176,177 xviii BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 tetrio, Pseudosphinx 174 ihyelia, Xylophanes 174 tiliae, Mimas 57, 140 tineana, Ancylis 167 titana, Xylophanes 174 tithonus, Pyronia 49, 261, 270 ab. excessa 160 tityus, Hemaris 27, 63 togata, Xanthia 52 toxea, Eumaeus 85 transversa, Eupsilia 47, 54 trapezina, Cosmia 47, 245 treitschkiella, Antispila 169 tremula, Pheosia 245 triangulum, Eumorpha 174 triangulum, Xestia 165 (fig.) trifasciata, Argyresthia 167,169 trifolii, Lasiocampa 51 trigeminata, Idaea 58 trimaculata, Stegania 175 trimaculosa, Polia 63 tripartita, Abrostola 162, 177 triplasia, Abrostola 162,177 triptolemus, Hemeroplanes 174 triquetra, Gonospileia 175 triseriatella, Elachista 167 tristata, Epirrhoe 14, 94 tristella, Agriphila 267 tritici, Euxoa 68 tritophus, Notodonta 162 truncata, Chloroclysta 64 tumidana, Conobathra 166,169 turbata, Xylophanes 1 74 turca, Mythimna 22, 23, 27, 29 tyndarus, Xylophanes 174 typica, Naenia 258 uliginosalis, Udea 64 ulula, Dyspessa 175 umbraria, Peribatodes 175 umbratica, Cucullia 46 umbrosella, Bryotropha 170 unangulata, Euphyia 258 unanimis, Apamea 46,57, 140, 163 undulata, Rheumaptera 259, 260, 271 unicolorella, Eulamprotes 72 unifasciella, Elachista 243 unipuncta, Mythimna 164 upupana, Ancylis 170 uranus, Caligo 85 urticae, Aglais 159,197,261,270 ab. connexa 159 ab. conjuncta + connexa 1 59 (fig.) ab. semiichnusoides 160 gynandromorph 1 59 (fig.), 1 60 urticae, Spilosoma 164 usitata, Euptychia 85 vacculella, Ochsenheimeria 167 valerianata, Eupithecia 258, 270 veneficella, Depressaria 171 verhuella, Psychoides 167 vernana, Earias 176 vespertaria, Epione 65, 263, 264, 265, 266 vespertilio, Hyles 175 vestigialis, Agrotis 55,57,68, 138, 140 vetulata, Philereme 58 viminalis, Brachylomia 267 violacea, Coleophora 54 virescalis, Loxostege 175 viretata, Acasis 59 virgilia, Taygetis ssp. rufomarginata 85 vitalbata, Horisme 46 vitellina, Mythimna 164 vitis, Eumorpha 174 vitrealis, Palpita 166, 169, 174 vittata, Orthonama 256, 257 w-album, Satyrium 244 w-latinum, Lacanobia 57, 140 xanthographa, Xestia 67, 245 xylostella, Plutella 68, 267 yildizae, Archinemapogon 64, 167, 169 ypsilon, Adhemarius 174 yucatana, Erinnyis 174 zeta, Apamea ssp. assimilis 61 ssp. exulis 174 ziczac, Notodonta 245 zimri, Taygetis 85 zoegana, Agapeta 271 zonaria, Lycia 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250 OTHER INSECT ORDERS DICTYOPTERA Ectobius pallidus 189 Periplaneta australasiae 43 NEUROPTERA Hemerobius 231,232 H. micans 231 H. stigma 231 Sisyra terminalis 196 Wesmaelius betulinus 231 W. subnebulosus 231, 232 ODONATA Aeshna caerulea 64 A. cyanea 213 A. grandis 213 A. juncea 213 Anax imperator 213 Coenagrion hastulatum 64 C. puella 59, 213 Enallagma cyathigerum 213 Ischnura elegans 213 Lestes sponsa 59, 2 1 3 Libel hila quadrimaculata 213 Pyrrhosoma nymphula 55, 137,213 xix BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Sympetrum danae 213,271 S. nigrescens 64 S. striolatum 213,228,240,271 ORTHOPTERA Conocephalus discolor 32 Meconema meridionale 1 89 Metrioptera roeselii 32, 35, 120 Nemobius sylvestris 55, 137 Pseudomogoplistes vicentae 189 Stethophyma grossum 32, 36 Tetrix subulata 47,212 PLECOPTERA Nemoura cinerea 47 TRICHOPTERA Drusus annulatus 267 Glyphotaelius pellucidus 267 Hydropsyche instabilis 64 Lepidostoma hirtum 267 Limnephilus lunatus 267 L. marmoratus 267 Phryganea varia 267 OTHER ORDERS ACARI Acarus siro 157 Calvolia tarsinofracta 157 C. romanovae 157 Procalvolia zacheri 157 AMPHIBIA Bufo calamita 55, 138 Triturus cristatus 228 ARACHNIDA Argiope bruennichi 32, 195, 196 Dysdera crocata 1 96 Philodromus albidus 49 Salticus cingulatus 49 S. scenicus 195 Theridion impressum 49 AVES Accipiter nisus 261 Actitis macularia 86 Agelaius phoeniceus 88 Amazilia Candida 87 A. tzacatl 87 Amazona albifrons 86 A. autumnalis 86 A. farinosa 86 A. oratrix 86 Ambiycercus holosericeus 88 Anser albifrons 197 Anthracothorax prevostii 87 Ara macao 77, 81, 83, 86 Aramides cajanea 86 Aramus guarauna 86 Aratinga astec 86 Ardea cinerea 254 A. herodias 86 Arremon aurantiirostris 88 Arremonops rufivirgatus 88 Asio otus 57, 140, 262 Attila spadiceus 87 Aulacorhynchus prasinus 81, 83, 87 Automolus ochrolaemus 87 Basileuterus culicivorus 88 Bubulcus ibis 86 Buteo magnirostris 86 B. nitidus 86 Buteogallus anthracinus 86 Calidris fuscicollis 86 C. melanotos 86 Campephilus guatamalensis 87 Camptostoma imberbe 87 Campylorhyncus zonatus 88 Caprimulgus europaeus 50 Cardinalis cardinalis 88 Caryothraustes poliogaster 88 Cathartes aura 86 Catharus fuscescens 88 Celeus castaneus 87 Centurus aurifrons 87 C. pucherani 87 Cercomacra tyrannina 87 Ceryle torquata 87 Chaetura vauxi 86 Chloroceryle aenea 87 C. amazona 87 C. americana 87 Chlorostilbon canivetii 87 Chordeiles acutipennis 86 C. minor 86 Circus cyaneus 86 Claravis pretiosa 86 Coereba flaveola 88 Columba cayennensis 86 C. flavirostris 86 C. speciosa 86 Columbina minuta 86 C. talpacoti 86 Contopus borealis 87 C. cinereus 87 Coragyps atratus 86 Crotophaga sulcirostris 86 Crypturellus boucardi 86 Cyanerpes cyaneus 88 Cyanocompsa cyanoides 88 C. parellina 88 Cyanocorax morio 88 Dendrocincla anabatina 87 D. homochroa 87 Dcndrocolaptes certhia 87 Dendrocygna autumnalis 86 Dendroica magnolia 88 xx BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 D. pensylvanica 88 Dives dives 88 Dryocopus lineatus 87 Dumetella carolinensis 88 Egretta alba 86 E. garzetta 32 E. thula 86 E. tricolor 86 Elanoides forficatus 86 Elanus leucurus 86 Empidonax flaviventris 87 Eucometis penicillata 88 Eudocimus albus 86 Euphonia affinis 88 E. gouldi 88 E. hirundinacea 88 Falco rufigularis 86 Florisuga mellivora 87 Formicarius monoliger 87 Fregata magnificens 86 Fulica americana 86 Galbula ruficauda 87 Geothlypis trichas 88 Glaucidium griseiceps 86 Glyphorhynchus spirurus 87 Habia fuscicauda 88 H. rubica 88 Heliothryx barroti 87 Henicorhina leucosticta 88 Herpetotheres cachinnans 86 Himantopus mexicanus 86 Hylomanes momotula 87 Hylophilus decurtatus 88 H. ochraceiceps' 88 Icterus dominicensis 88 L galbula 88 I. mesomelas 88 Ictinia plumbea 86 Jabiru mycteria 81,83,86 Jacana spinosa 86 Lanio aurantius 88 Larus atricilla 86 L. delawarensis 86 L. Philadelphia 86 Leptopogon amaurocephalus 87 Leptotila plumbeiceps 86 L. verreauxi 86 Leucopternis albicollis 86 Locustella rtaevia 261 Malacoptila panamensis 87 Manacus candei 87 Megarhynchus pitangua 87 Melanerpes formicivorus 87 Meleagris ocellata 86 Micrastur rtificollis 86 Microrhopias quixensis 87 Mimus gilvus 88 Mionectes oleaginus 87 Mniotilla varia 88 Molothrus aeneus 88 Myiarchus crinitus 87 M. tuberculifer 87 M. tyrannulus 87 Myiobius sulphureipygius 87 Myiodynastes luteiventris 87 Myiozetetes si m i 1 is 87 Myiopagis viridicata 87 Nycticorax violaceus 86 Nyctidromus albicollis 86 Odontophorus guttatus 86 Onchorhynchus coronatus 87 Oncostoma cinereigulare 87 Ortalis vetula 86 Otus guatemalae 86 Oxyura jamaicensis 86 Pandion haliaetus 86 Panyptila cayennensis 86 Penelope purpurascens 86 Perdix perdix 261 Phaethornis superciliosus 86 Phalacrocorax brasilianus 86 Phasianus colchicus 261 Phlogothraupis sanguinolenta 88 Piaya cayana 86 Pica pica 116 Pionus senilis 86 Pipra mentalis 87 Piranga flava 88 Pitangus sulphuratus 87 Plegadis falcinellus 86 Polioptila caerulea 88 P. plumbea 88 Progne chalybea 87 Psaracolius montezuma 88 P. wagleri 88 Pteroglossus torquatus 87 Pulsatrix perspicillata 86 Pygmornis longuemareus 86 Pyrocephalus rubinus 87 Quiscalus mexicanus 88 Ramphastos sulfuratus 87 Raniphocaenus melanurus 88 Ramphocelus passerinii 88 Recurvirostra americana 86 Rhynchocyclus brevirostris 87 Riparia riparia 87 Rostrhamus sociabilis 86 Saltator atriceps 88 S. coerulescens 88 S. maximus 88 Sarcorhamphus papa 86 Sayornis nigricans 87 Scaphidura oryzivora 88 Schiffornis turdinus 87 Scolopax rusticola 261 Seiurus aurocapillus 88 S. noveboracensis 88 Setophaga ruticilla 88 Sittasomus griseicapillus 87 Spizaetus ornatus 86 xxi BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Spizella passerina 88 Sporophila aurita 88 S. torqueola 88 Stelgidopteryx serripennis 87 Sterna albifrons 55,57, 138 S. antillarum 86 Streptopelia turtur 261 Streptoprocne zonaris 86 Sturnella magna 88 Sturnus vulgaris 192 Tachycineta albilinea 87 Tangara larvata 88 Taraba major 87 Terenotriccus erythrurus 87 Thamnophilus doliatus 87 Thraupis abbas 88 T. episcopus 88 Thryothorus maculipectus 88 T. modestus 88 Tiaris olivacea 88 Tinamus major 86 Tityra inquisitor 87 T. semifasciata 87 Todirostrum cinereum 87 Tolmomyias sulphurescens 87 Troglodytes aedon 88 Trogon collaris 87 T. massena 87 T. melanocephalus 87 T. violaceus 87 Turdus grayi 88 T. merula 261 Tyrannus melancholicus 87 T. savana 87 T. tyrannus 87 Tytoalba 68,262 Veniliornis fumigatus 87 Vireo olivaceus 88 Volatinia jacarina 88 Xenops minutus 87 Xiphorhynchus flavigaster 87 Zenaidura asiatica 86 Z. macroura 86 ISOPODA Porcellio scaber 200 MAMMALIA Alouatta pigra 83 Arvicola terrestris 228 Ateles geoffroyi 83 Bos taurus 52, 196,254 Capra hircus 195 Capreolus capreolus 261 Dama dama 2 1 Dasypus novemcinctus 83 Eira barbara 83 Equus caballus 182,257 Lutra longicaudis 83 Microtus agrestis 201 M. arvalis 201 Muntiacus reevesi 21 Nasua narica 83 Orictolagus cuniculus 195,200 Ovis aries 195 Panthera onca 77 Rattus norvegicus 1 1 6 Rhinolophus hipposideros 107 Tapirus bairdii 77 Vulpes vulpes 257,261 MOLLUSCA Cepaea hortensis 201 C. nemoralis 201 NEMATODA Onchocerca volvulus 201 PSELIDOSCORPIONES Chthonius ischnocheles 117 REPTILIA Anguis fragilis 49, 1 16 Atropoides nummifer 83 Boa constrictor 83 Bothrops asper 83 Dryadophis melanolomus 83 Natrix natrix 228 Spilotes pullatus 83 PLANTS Abies grandis 170 Acacia 92 Acer 44 A. campestre 58, 183, 186, 256 A. pseudoplatanus 44, 112, 113, 186, 245, 256 A. saccharum 112 Achillea millefolium 246 Aesculus hippocastanum 168, 169,262 Agarista populit'olia 3 Allium porrum 166 Alnus 153, 180, 186, 188 A. glutinosa 61,63,256,257 A, incana 168 Arctium 268 Asclepias curassavica 142 Asphodelus 184 Asplenium scolopendrium see Phyllitis Aster 116 A. tripolium 272 Atriplex 183 Azolla filiculoides 182 Ballota nigra 99 Berberis thunbergii 188 Beta vulgaris 183 Betula 44, 49, 53, 58, 59, 61, 63, 64, 153, 154, 155, 179, 180, 188, 256, 259, 260, 263, 266, 271 Buddleja davidii 193 Bupleurum fruticosum 171 B. rigidum 1 7 1 XXII BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Calamagrostis eanescens 270 Calluna vulgaris 1, 63, 199, 266 Campanula glomerata 100 Cannabis sativa 1 1 7 Carex 155, 180, 186, 210, 211 Carpinus betulus 53 Centaurea nigra 97,99, 100 C. scabiosa 31, 97, 99, 100 C. sphaerocephala 171 Cercis siliquastrum 92 Chaerophyllum temulum 170 Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 102, 116 Chamerion angustifolium 6 Chenopodium album 185 Cirsium 38, 97, 1 14 C. arvense 99 C. dissectum 255 C. vulgare 99, 100 Cistus 172 Cladium mariscus 47 Cochlearia 247 Coincya wrightii 194,195 Conopodium capillifolium 171 Conyza sumatrensis 115, 117, 193 Cornus sanguinea 27 Corylus avellana 53, 58, 155, 156, 165, 256 Cotinus coggygria 92 Crataegus 45, 54, 102, 155, 158, 199 C. monogyna 180,256 Cyperus 67 Daucus 71, 171 D. carota 184 Dioon edule 43 Dipsacus fullonum '181 Dryopteris filix-mas 1 67 Echium vulgare 99 Elaeagnus 89-92, 156 E. angustifolia 91 E. commutata 89, 91, 92 E. cuprea 90 E. glabra 90 E. macrophylla 90,91 E. multiflora 91 E. oldhamii 90 E. pungens 90, 91 E. thunbergii 90 E. x ebbingci 89,91,92,156 Epilobium 67 Equisetum 188 Erica 1 E. cinerea 196 E. tetralix 263 Eriophorum 197 Eucalyptus 92 Euonymus europaeus 167 Euphrasia 63 Fagus sylvatica 46, 53, 58, 245 Festuca rubra 247 Ficus carica 92 Filipendula ulmaria 254, 255, 268 Frangula alnus 166,259 Fraxinus excelsior 46, 58, 59, I 12, 183, 186, 255, 256 Fuchsia magellanica 180 Galium 271 Genista tinctoria 166,169 Glyceria 211 Hcdera helix 52, 66, 158, 182, 186 llelianthemum 64 Heracleum sphondylium 114, 153, 154 Hypericum 12 H. perforatum 99 Ilex aquifolium 256 Inula cony zae 166, 194 Iris pseudacorus 179 .1 uncus 67,210,216,254 J. effusus 59 J. maritimus 247 Juniperus 116, 169 J. communis 61,63, 167 Knautia arvensis 31,97,99,100 Laburnum 92 Lathyrus japonicus 166 L.pratensis 100 Laurus nobilis 92 Lemna 200 Leucanthemum vulgare 167 Ligustrum vulgare 27 Lilium regale 103 Lithospermum officinale 262 Lonicera periclymenum 59, 256 Lotus corniculatus 97, 99, 1 00, 246, 247 Lychnis flos-cuculi 254, 255 Lyonia 6 Lythrum salicaria 170,268 Malus sylvestris 183 Malva sylvestris 182 Melilotus altissimus 97,99,100 Molinia caerulea 50, 146, 151,255,263 Myrica gale 19,63,186 Narthecium ossifragum 50 Nepenthes 43 Odontites vernus 97,99, 100 Onobrychis viciifolia 97,99,100 Ononis 1 84 O. repens 247, 253, 263 Parietaria judaica 170 Phragmites australis 47, 48, 54, 259, 260, 261, 266, 271 Phyllitis scolopendriunt 167 Pieris formosa 3 P. japonica 3, 4, 6, cover part 1 Pinus 54, 180, 186, 199, 200 P. sylvestris 60,61 Pittosporum 92 Plantago 249 P. lanceolata 55, 57, 138, 140, 251 Platanus x hispanica I 10 Populus 158,259 P. nigra 177,200 P. tremula 58, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 189, 200, 259 xxiii BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2003, VOLUME 16 Potamogeton 211 Prunus 1 16 P. lusitanica 166 P. spinosa 47, 49, 54, 169, 256 Pteridiura aquilinum 21,27, 117,255 Pulicaria dysenterica 166, 179, 186 Pyracantha coccinea 166 Quercus 27, 46, 52, 53, 58, 59, 67, 1 1 1, 137, 144, 153, 154, 155, 156, 158, 163, 177, 181, 182, 183, 186, 199, 201, 255, 256, 259, 270, 271 Q. cerris 66 Q. petraea 168,255 Q. robur 245 Ranunculus 210 Rhamnus alaternus 92 R. cathartica 259 Rhinanthus minor 55, 57, 63, 138, 140, 251 Rhododendron 3, 4, 6 R. ponticum 195 Rosa 27, 49, 54, 102, 166, 178 R. pimpinellifolia 170 Rubus fruticosus 27, 49, 52, 54, 67, 99, 1 16, 168, 170, 179 Rumex 1 2 R. acetosa 155, 167 R. acetosella 168 R. hydrolapathum 66 Salix 1 1, 48, 52, 166, 180, 259, 261, 265, 266 S. aurita 166 S. caprea 255, 256 S. caprea/cinerea 58, 183, 186, 247, 254, 259, 271 S. cinerea 63 S. pentandra 107, 108 S. repens 65, 263 S. viminalis 1 1 Salsola kali 169 Sambucus nigra 27 Santolina 171 Saxifraga 174 Scirpus 67 Scrophularia scorodonia 195 Scutellaria galericulata 64 Sedum 187, 193 Senecio 116,213 S. erucifolius 179 S.jacobaea 38, 168, 186 S. squalidus 117 Serratula tinctoria 99, 100,255 Silene 174 S. flos-cuculi see Lychnis flos-cuculi Sorbus 58 S. aucuparia 188 Stachys 59 S. officinalis 100 S. sylvatica 13 Succisa pratensis 18,19,64,255 Taxus baccata 102 Thalictrum flavum 259, 268, 269, 270 Tilia 180 T. cordata 58, 155 T. platyphyllos 155 Trifolium 210 T. pratense 97, 99, 100, 101 T. repens 49, 67, 99, 247 Typha 54,210,211,213 Ulex 49 U. europaeus 1 64 Ulmus 57, 58, 65, 67, 140 U. glabra 244 U. procera 244 Urtica dioica 12 Vaccinium myrtillus 61 Valeriana officinalis 259, 270 Viburnum 59 Vicia cracca 99, 255, 268 Viola 21 V. tricolor 167 MOSSES Ceratodon purpureus 170 Dicranum scoparium 168 Polytrichum commune 168 Rhytidiadephus loreus 168 Schistidium 167 FUNGI Clathrus archeri 1 92 Cryptostoma corticate 112, 113 Exidia glandulosa 9 Fomes fomentarius 167 Ganoderma applanatum 1 77 Laetiporus sulphureus 1 54 Lycoperdon 1 85 Phallus impudicus 192 Piptoporus betulinus 154 Polyporus 154, 183 Taphrina tosquinetii 267 LICHEN Pycnothelia papillaria 262 OTHER PABULA Bird dropping 1 83 Bird’s nest 153 Biscuits 219 Cheese 157 Dung heap 1 82 Flowers (cut) 164 Fruit (various) 168,169,179 Sponges 196 xxiv April 2004 ISSN 0952-7583 Vol. 17, Part 1 MCZ iBRAF BRITISH JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY