Insect News 2025

Invertebrate news 2025

Insect and Arachnid related news from around Nottinghamshire

Want your interesting or notable Nottinghamshire sightings listed? email trevorpendleton63@gmail.com

Two surprising new locations for Small Eggar in Nottinghamshire For many years, the Small Eggar has teetered on the edge of extinction as a breeding species in Nottinghamshire. Linked to just one small area of the Trent Valley, for the past number of years, found only along the hedgerows of a small country lane at Sutton-on-Trent, larval webs have been recorded from two sites further west, in June 2024 and most recently May 2025. Both found by the same observer too.

		This is an extremely rare moth in Nottinghamshire and a species which has also declined nationally over recent years. However, it does seem to be holding on to it's status as a breeding species in VC56 Nottinghamshire. All of the county's recent records had come from the Sutton-on-Trent, Besthorpe and Collingham areas north of Newark, after larval webs were recorded for the first time in over 60 years in 2002, 2003, 2004 and again in 2007. It then went 'missing' for over 15 years, before larval webs were found at Sutton-on-Trent once more in 2020, 2021 and 2023, but not in 2024, despite being surveyed for. A larval web was found at Kirton in June 2024 (Wilson, S.), which was a new site for the moth in the Nottinghamshire and then the same observer found another larval web at Kersall in May 2025 (Wilson, S.), again, another new site and away from the known Trent Valley locations. A number of larval webs (13) were subsequently found by targetted surveying of roadside hedgerows in the Kneesall, Kersall, Norwell Woodhouse, Kirton, Caunton, Ossington, Tuxford, Maplebeck, Milton, Eakring Meadows and Carlton-on-Trent areas in May 2025, but it was not found at Sutton-on-Trent.

Has this moth recently spread into this part of Nottinghamshire, or has it remained undetected across farmland areas for many years? The search is continuing, but it seems to be on a much larger scale, as other parts of the UK have seen a similar increase.

A first county record for an unwanted species I've always found it worth keeping an eye out for the unusual, no matter you might happen to be. Over the years, I've had many a rare species, species new to the county etc, so always carry a pot around with you. It might come in handy one day. But of all the likely species which could turn up, I never expected a WhatsApp message asking if I wanted Bostrichus capucinus to photograph for this website. has proved difficult to research and track down. Bostrichus capucinus is a stunning 10mm-13mm long wood-boring beetle, officially classed as Regionally Extinct in the UK and it only occurs here now as an accidental import. It's an unwanted species in the UK, but it's still a fabulous looking beetle. There are just three records listed on the NBN Atlas and two of these are either classed as unconfirmed and/or plausible and relate to historical records. But there is a more recent record listed from Staffordshire from 2021, although frustratingly, this record is again unconfirmed.

These records probably represent a fraction of what actually occurs in the UK and it seems very likely that this beetle passes by completely unnoticed, purely because those seeing this beetle are unaware of it's UK status. The ones illustrated below, came out of wood being soaked before use in a vivarium, after being purchased from a local pet store and represents the first confirmed occurrence of Bostrichus capucinus in Nottinghamshire. I visited a Mansfield pet store recently and found that much of the wood for sale there (especially the Cork bark) was littered with the holes of various wood-boring beetles. I just hope that procedures to sterilise and eliminate pest species are followed by the importers of Cork bark, bogwood and other exotic wood/branches for use in the reptile/tropical fish trade, on arrival into the UK. Surveying for the ant Lasius platythorax Everyone is familiar with the Common Black Ant Lasius niger (Linnaeus, 1758), which is ubiquitous in most Nottinghamshire gardens. But what many are unaware of, is that there is an almost identical species known as Lasius platythorax (Seifert, 1991). L. platythorax is extremely similar to Lasius niger but differs by having a sparsely-haired Clypeus compared to niger. L. platythorax also has erect hairs on the tibia, which niger does not and these can be easily seen under a microscope, or with good close up photographs. But there is another difference between the two species and that's in habitat preferences of the two species. It is likely that most Lasius niger-type ants collected from shady/damp situations in woodland, will likely turn out to be platythorax, which does not have the same affiliation to synanthropic habitats as Lasius niger. For over a century, the only Nottinghamshire record of Lasius platythorax was from Langford Moor near Newark in 1914. This was re-identified almost 100 years later, from a specimen retained in the Natural History Museum in Dublin by Mike Lush in 2007. The county's only modern records, appear to be from Budby South Forest in June 2024 (Clark, G.) and again in April 2025 (Pendleton, T.A.), which has also been found at Misson Carr in April 2025 (Pendleton, T.A.) and further surveys are underway to confirm/find more sites in Nottinghamshire.

		*The weevil Brachonyx pineti* new to Nottinghamshire** Adrian Dutton, the Nottinghamshire county recorder for coleoptera, has reported the discovery of Brachonyx pineti (Paykull, 1792) as being new for the county. Found on Budby South Forest by Adrian in early April 2025, this is the second weevil to arrive in Nottinghamshire within a year, which is negatively associated with Scot's Pine Pinus sylvestris. I went looking for it after being contacted by Adrian regarding the find, and soon beat a single specimen off a small Pine at the western end of Budby South Forest. Brachonyx pineti (Paykull, 1792) is a very small (2.0-2.5mm) light brown weevil, best looked for by beating the foliage of Pines. But it's arrival in Nottinghamshire is worrying, as it is something of a pest species of forestry plantations, in much the same way as Magdalis phlegmatica, which was recorded new to the county in 2024. Brachonyx pineti has a similar distribution in the UK as M. phlegmatica too, with strongest populations being found in Norfolk and parts of Scotland.

Lasius mixtus - a surprising new addition to Nottinghamshire The heading for this may be a little misleading, as Lasius mixtus (Nylander, 1846) has likely been in Nottinghamshire for many years, despite UK records on the NBN Atlas being thinly scattered over a wide area of Wales and parts of England.

As one of the so-called 'yellow' ants, living entirely underground and being visually identical to more common species such as Lasius flavus, it's easy to see how it has likely gone overlooked in my opinion. But this find was a complete surprise and completely accidental, a case of pure luck, being in the right place at the right time. I was actually looking for Stenamma debile at Cockglode Wood between Edwinstowe and New Ollerton and about to take a closer look at a Myrmica-type ant hunting on the path. My eyes caught site of an immediately different-looking Queen ant, coming out of nearby leaf litter. It was excitedly potted up and later keyed out as a Queen Lasius mixtus. Now what a Queen of any Lasius species was doing actively running around on the surface in early April, remined a mystery, until I read that de-alate (post nuptial flight) Lasius mixtus Queens, can sometimes be found in the manner just described the following Spring. Mated Lasius mixtus Queens take over an existing colony of other Lasius species, killing the host Queen, ultimately leaving the colony to become entirely Lasius mixtus.

A fifth county record of Scutigera coleoptrata A decade or more ago, the spectacular House Centipede Scutigera coleoptrata would have always been considered unlikely at best, to ever occur in any Midland counties. And even the most optimistic of us, would have regarded the likelihood of it turning up in Nottinghamshire, as being little more than just hopeful fantasy. How things have changed within the past couple of years.
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		In recent years, there has been a pronounced increase in UK records of Scutigera coleoptrata, with specimens being recorded from a number of well scattered sites and it still remains a very rare find. Usually occurring indoors, it has a tendancy to suddenly turn up anywhere, often causing great alarm for the residents. Most records come from the interior walls of houses, but factories where goods are imported into, would seem the most likely places for it to occur and I believe it's even more likely to turn up on the exterior walls of houses. Its just that no one looks for it. I also think that it is very much an under-recorded species in Nottinghamshire and that in time, that will certainly change. Although there are now five known records from Nottinghamshire, it seems that it is more likely to occur in the south-west of the county, especially in the Nottingham area. I have heard rumour that it is not uncommon now, in the Beeston area of the city. Nottinghamshire's first officially documented record of Scutigera coleoptrata, turned up in the house of Richard Jones, in the village of Upton near Southwell in January 2024, but it turns out that there was an unsubmitted claim of Scutigera coleoptrata from Gedling back in 2010.

Richard posted details of the Upton record onto iRecord, and both Steve Gregory and staff at the NBGRC quickly alerted me to the occurrence. Richard also very kindly allowed his photograph to be used on the website (see above and in the species account elsewhere on the website). Because of the media coverage this record received, an earlier record (confirmed photographically) from Mansfield in 2015 (Morgan, K.) came to light and there have been additional recent records from a house at Wollaton in August 2024 (Rinaldi-Semione, J. per Steve Gregory) and most recently from a house at Worksop (Chambers, D. per Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust) in March 2025.

A record year for Oil Beetles After what was perhaps the coolest Winter for a number of years, mild weather finally turned up from February 19th and so it was no real surprise that the first Oil Beetles of the year appeared on February 22nd. A total of 15 were recorded from the usual spoil heaps at the western end of Budby South Forest, all of which (somewhat unusually) appeared to be males.

A few days later on February 25th, I visited Newstead Abbey from around mid-morning, and soon located several Oil Beetles around the stump of a tree, just up from the car park. In fact I had parked less than ten yards away. A thorough survey of the entire car park and cricket pitch areas, produced a total of ten Oil Beetles, with none found around the cricket square or outfield. On a positive note, I did locate a male at the eastern end of the car park, in an area in which Dilys and I never recorded any during previous visits. Chris Jackson also visited Newstead, going on March 2nd and recorded a total of 11 Oil Beetles in the north-eastern corner of the cricket pitch, during a brief survey. But these survey counts from Newstead, were considerably bettered a few days later by David Shaw. He visited the Newstead Abbey on March 3rd and found only a single Oil Beetle in the car park area, but then had over 100 in the cricket pitch area, which I think is an absolutely astonishing count, by any UK standard. I visited Newstead again the next day (March 4th) not only to see such numbers for myself, but also to film them for the 'Ramblings of an entomologist' YouTube channel available here https://youtu.be/C_NrE_B8sgo?si=MPQe2OIRotUuj1k4

I ended up with a total of 95, most being found around the bases of trees bordering the cricket outfield, with some on the outfield itself and above the nearby car park. Newstead was then independently visited by both Chris Jackson and Lee Scudder on March 8th. Chris surveyed for longer this time and ended up with a total of 35 Oil Beetles, most around the cricket pitch area, but he did record three around the car park. Sometime that same day, Lee visited the site and counted 53, so still good numbers. For such a large species, it is surprising how they can be missed. Lee later went to survey the Bulwell Forest Golf Course site, but no Oil Beetles were found. It is still possible, that they are still present, so it's always worth visiting.

A rise in Nottinghamshire's Dotted Chestnut records There's strong indications that Dotted Chestnut is quite firmly established as a breeding species in Nottinghamshire, with three recent records coming in the first three months of 2025. Always very rare in Nottinghamshire, with a handful of recent records following a gap in the county's records of over a century, before one was recorded at Radcliffe-on-Trent on November 3rd 2019 (Sumbler, M.). There is evidence that this moth is now increasing in the UK, and as if to illustrate this, two individuals were both trapped on the same night, with one in Martin Gray's Broadholme garden on 24/03/22, and another to a trap run by Colin Watkin at Eaton Wood near Retford. Other records include singles at Radcliffe-on-Trent on 20/02/23 (Easter, M.), followed two years later by others to MV light at Gamston Wood on 20/02/25 and at Besthorpe NR on 20/03/25 (both Pendleton, T.A.) and at Misterton on 31/03/25 (Lee, P.). It looks likely that this species is set to become more regular in the next few years?

A round up of the moths recorded new to (VC56) Nottinghamshire in 2024 Although there's the full list of moths recorded new to Nottinghamshire over the past two years, I thought some people may prefer that list on this page. In the last two years, Nottinghamshire has seen just over 20 new species, which I personally think is quite a total and will we get another ten or so new species this year?. That remains to be seen.
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As is so often the case, it's the micromoths which make up the bulk of those new additions, but there were no less than five macromoths included in those 11 species turning up here in 2024. Radford's Flame Shoulder and L-album Wainscot were perhaps not entirely surprising, based on recent UK showings by these traditionally migratory moths. Yet, only a decade or so ago, the news of these moths being trapped in land-locked Nottinghamshire, would have been deemed as something akin to ridiculous. It now seems as though anything is possible, especially with regards to migratory species. How long will it be, before someone stumbles over a Crimson Speckled on a Nottinghamshire pit top? Ectoedemia turbidella Discovered new to Nottinghamshire in late October 2024, when leaf mines were found on the fallen leaves of Grey Poplar Populus canescens at Ollerton Pit Woods (Pendleton, T.A.). Ectoedemia turbidella will no doubt have a limited distribution in Nottinghamshire, limited to those sites where Grey Poplar is present. The larvae initially mines the leaf petiole, before moving into the leaf where it creates a small blotch mine.
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Metalampra italica Formerly regarded as endemic to Italy and not recorded outside Italy until suddenly turning up in Devon in 2003. A number of records have occurred in over a dozen counties since that time, with Nottinghamshire's first record coming from Misterton in late July 2024 (Lee, P.). Considered likely to become more regularly recorded over the coming few years. Depressaria daucella This was somewhat of an unexpected addition to the Nottinghamshire list, when numerous larvae were found on Hemlock Water Dropwort Oenanthe crocata, growing along the sides of the rowing course at Holme Pierrepont in late May 2024 (Sexton, T.). This moth has an almost complete westerly-bias in the UK, with a few coastal records in east Scotland. It was found in Norfolk for the first time in 2021, so it may well appear at other sites in eastern counties of the UK. Coleophora siccifolia Was recorded new to Nottinghamshire, when a number of larval cases were found on Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna at Broadholme on June 8th (Gray, M.). Surprisingly, another case was photographed at Rufford Pit Top on June 20th (Beeley, G.) and was suspected as being this species, which was later confirmed by the county recorder.
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		Perittia obscurepunctella An adult found on a garage door at Broadholme on May 6th (Gray, M.) was the first ever Nottinghamshire record. The larva mines the leaves of Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum, these mines being conspicuous round blotch mines. This moth must surely be elsewhere in VC56. Pammene albuginana An adult attracted to the FUN pheremone lure at Clumber Park on May 8th (Gray, M.), was later found to be Nottinghamshire's first ever record. There are a number of very similar looking species which are also attracted to this pheremone lure, so it could be easy to overlook this species. Synanthedon andrenaeformis Orange-tailed Clearing A male was attracted to the VES pheremone lure in a West Bridgford garden on June 24th (Freestone, R.). This is a moth which many had been keeping an eye out for, in view of an increase in its UK range over recent years. Lymantria dispar Gypsy Moth A single male was attracted to a Silver Y pheremone trap in a West Bridgford garden August 14th (Freestone, R.). This is another moth on the move north, after recolonising the UK some time ago. One likely to become an increasingly regular species in Nottinghamshire, over the next decade or so perhaps.
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Macrochilo cribrumalis Dotted Fan-foot Photographed above and confirmed as new to Nottinghamshire by the county recorder, when a single specimen was attracted to MV light at Besthorpe GP on September 2nd 2024 (Pendleton, T.A.). In some parts of the country, this moth has reportedly increased over recent years, so would have been expected to occur here at some point. Mythimna l-album L-album Wainscot Two Nottinghamshire records in quick succession during 2024, with an adult attracted to light at Colwick on September 19th (Shields, T.), then another from West Bridgford on October 5th 2024 (Freestone, R.). Ochropleura leucogaster Radford's Flame Shoulder Two attracted to MV light at Broadholme, a village on the Nottinghamshire side of the Lincolnshire border, on October 28th 2024 (Gray, M.), were the first record for Nottinghamshire.

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