Invertebrate news 2011 |
Featuring news and sightings from Eakring and Sherwood Forest |
In most cases, clicking on the photos will link to larger images or related pages |
Hummingbird
Hawk-moths on return migration Hummingbird Hawk-moths have been noted regularly in our Market Warsop garden, with a series of adults nectaring briefly at Valerian. Early morning and late afternoon/evening seem to be the best times for them to drop in, with most recorded coming in from the north before flying off strongly south. Our September and October records to date include two on September 18th at 14:10h and 18:50h; one on September 19th at 15:00h; two on September 21st at 06:45h and 12:45h; one on September 23rd at 18:50h; six on September 24th at 06:55h, 09:10h (2), 11:45h, 14:35h and 15:18h; three on September 25th at 08:15h and 18:50h (2); four on September 26th at 06:50h, 09:35h, 09:45h and 10:55h; one on September 28th at 18:45h; two on September 29th at 17:45h and 18:35h; one on October 1st at 06:49h; two on October 5th at 15:50h and 18:20h and one on October 7th at 15:20h. A total of 26 moths. Other recent migrants included single Rusty Dot Pearls at MV light from Clipstone Old Quarter on 15/09/11, Sherwood Forest CP on 22/09/11 and another on 28/09/11 and Budby South Forest on 25/09/11 and another Hummingbird Hawk-moth at Burns Lane, Market Warsop on 01/10/11. Small numbers of Silver Y continue to nectar on Valerian in our garden, where we also had a single Painted Lady from 23/09/11-25/09/11, with one south over Budby South Forest on 01/10/11. |
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Some
recent invertebrates new to Sherwood Forest NNR The past few weeks have seen the additions of several new species, thought to be new to Sherwood. These include the Harvestman Opilio canestrinii, which turned up whilst moth trapping at Sherwood Forest CP on 31/08/11 and Wax Moth (Pyralidae) at Sherwood Forest CP 20/08/11. New Diptera include two Philophylla caesio (Tephritidae) at Sherwood Forest CP on 30/08/11 and several Dexiosoma caninum (Tachinidae) at Sherwood Forest CP on 30/07/11. The grass bug Megaloceroea recticornis (Miridae) was also found in numbers by sweeping at Sherwood Forest CP on 30/07/11 |
Scaeva
pyrastri in
Nottinghamshire There was an arrival of this attractive migrant hoverfly earlier on in July, but numbers have picked up more recently when there were five together (we normally just get singles) attracted to Valerian in our Market Warsop garden on July 31st. |
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Site
record count of Yellow-legged Clearwing Late July produced a new site count for male Yellow-legged Clearwings, when at least 29 were attracted within just over an hour early afternoon on July 30th. |
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First
Glow Worms of the year exceptionally early We started our searches for adults on the very early date of May 7th. Although over a fortnight earlier than last years first date of May 24th 2010, we were optimistic that an extremely early date could be possible, in view of what is a very early season for many other invertebrates. It took seven successive evenings before we found our first Glow Worm of the year on May 13th. Then we were amazed to find two more females glowing within three feet of each other in another section of the survey area. Although not the earliest UK date this year, this is still an extremely early start to the season. |
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Two new Cionus
weevils to the Sherwood Forest NNR species list A recent walk around Clipstone Old Quarter provided three excellent records from just one Figwort plant, growing along one of the forest tracks. This one plant held about a dozen different Figwort weevils, but included Cionus alauda and Cionus hortulanus (both new for the NNR) and several Cionus scrophulariae, which hadn't been recorded since 1899. Cionus scrophulariae is the most common of the Figwort weevils we come across, being found almost anywhere Figwort grows locally. |
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Two
new additions to the Sherwood Forest NNR Diptera
species list Diptera have always been under-recorded within the Sherwood Forest NNR, but late April has seen the addition of two new species with the Crane Fly Tipula lateralis (Tipulidae) and the striking Phasia hemiptera (Tachinidae). Phasia hemiptera is a known parasite of both Green Shieldbug and Forest Bug and is one of a small group of distinctive and often easily approached Tachinid flies. Phasias are quite easily identifiable in the field if seen well, being quite large and stocky flies, with the males often having well defined wing markings. |
First
Cryptocephalus coryli of 2011 found
early On a very warm and sunny April 23rd, that saw first records of the year of many beetles from Sherwood Forest Country Park, it was especially exciting to find what is certainly the earliest ever Cryptocephalus coryli from the NNR and possibly the first ever April record nationally. The coryli (a male) was found freshly emerged on grass at 10:20h. As mentioned, there were several other species recorded for the first time this year including Agriotes pallidulus, Kibunea minuta, Paradromius linearis, Cytilus sericeus and Attelabus nitens. |
Macrodema
microterum During a short visit to Sherwood Heath near Ollerton on April 16th, numerous tiny bugs were found and photographs obtained. Identity was confirmed as being the ground bug Macrodema micropterum, a common heathland species with a length of only a few millimetres, but still surprising that this species was a first NNR record. |
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Early Tooth-striped new to the Sherwood Forest
NNR Two Early Tooth-striped attrated to an MV light trap operated at Clipstone Old Quarter on April 15th, surprisingly represented yet another new species for the Sherwood NNR. Three more were subsequently taken from the Country Park on April 18th. |
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Recent
new invertebrates for the Sherwood NNR Although still only early April, the Sherwood Forest NNR species list continues to grow with several new inverts recorded over the past week or so. Perhaps most surprising was the Oil Beetle Meloe proscarabaeus, discovered at a site within the NNR by Adrian Dutton and his wife on April 2nd 2011. This followed a first record of Platyrhinus resinosus, found under a small log pile at Sherwood Heath the same day, whilst the Tachinid fly Tachina ursina, was recorded from the Country Park on March 24th. |
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Pammene
giganteana and
argyrana - two new micros for
Sherwood Two new micro moths have been added to the growing Sherwood Forest NNR species list. Following the trapping of a small tortrix at a location within the Country Park on March 23rd 2011, the moth was identified the following day as Pammene giganteana, one of several similarly looking species, whose larva develop within Oak Galls. The second new moth, came purely as an oversight. When inputting the P. giganteana record into the database for the Sherwood NNR, it became clear that no records for Pammene argyrana were listed, despite being found by day back in 2006 and then trapped at MV light in April 2010. |
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First
Glow Worm larvae of 2011 The first Glow Worm larvae of the year, have already been found at our usual study location of Clipstone Old Quarter. This seems to be another species which has been unaffected by the cold weather during November and December 2010. |
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Nottinghamshire
County Council issue press release on Ctenophora
ornata at Sherwood Forest NNR More favourable publicity for the Sherwood Forest NNR, should come after Nottinghamshire County Council's imminent press release regarding the confirmation of the Crane Fly Ctenophora ornata (see item below) found at Sherwood Forest in 2009. |
Fresh
details on the 1938 Hazel Pot Beetle records from
Sherwood Forest Recent work to re-organise the collection of around 97 000 coleoptera specimens at Leicestershire Museum CRC, Barrow-upon Soar, has begun to help clear up some of the confusion regarding the currently known records of Cryptocephalus coryli on the NBN Gateway, dating back to 1938. |
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The re-organisation has
also provided additional records dating from 1929, 1939
and 1940, for which there are no known records. Although
most of these records still list no recorder or
determiner, it is hoped that we can make further
enquiries to complete the relevant information over the
next few days or weeks. The records are all listed as
Sherwood Forest and shown in the table on the right. It
is likely that the 1939 and 1940 records are attributed
to D. Tozer. The lack of any associated recorder or determiner for the previously known coryli records dating to 1938, had meant that we did not include them in the 2011 edition of the Sherwood Forest Invertebrate Directory we produce and maintain. |
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The Hazel Pot Beetle's recent national and international publicity following Natural England's press release, coincided with the publication of the Natural England Commissioned Report NECR066 ..The status of the hazel pot beetle at Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve (A.E. Binding, A. Binding, T. Pendleton, D. Pendleton & S.J. Clifton) published on 23 February 2011. This report can be downloaded free from Natural England's website at the link below. | ||||||||||||||||||||
NECR066 The status of the hazel pot beetle at Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve | Free Download | |
Sherwood Forest Invertebrate Directory 2011 | Free Download | |
During the Winter months, some essential thinning work has been carried out at the site of the colony, but we have been personally involved with this and in addition to a general thinning of the plantation where the Hazel Pot Beetle occurs, new areas of suitable habitat for the beetle have been created. It remains to be seen, what effect the cold period of December 2010 has had on the over-wintering success rate of the larvae. |
New Ladybird
wintering site preferences Both 14-spot and 10-spot Ladybirds were recently found over-wintering within the lightly rolled leaves of one of the evergreen Viburnum shrubs in our Market Warsop garden in late January. This is the first time that we have found the wintering location of either species, despite concerted efforts over the years. |