Thursday, January 10, 2013

TM2499 Shotesham, 10th Jan

Work's been getting in the way of the listing, but I suppose it tends to do that. Anyway, my list has crept up to 99, with additions of:
Aceria fraxinivora - ash galls cut open to reveal mite
Lasius niger - small black ant keyed (I think the clypeus was hairy enough to rule out platythorax)
Herring Gull Larus argentatus - one in the field by the house.

Slow. Anyway, an opportunity to download some photos. Here's some I have tentative names for - would appreciate thoughts on how correct/definitive these IDs might be...

Gall on Forsythia in garden - Googling suggests caused by a Phomopsis fungus? Anyone know more about this?


Common lichen, this on Field Maple. Appears to be Xanthoria parietina - is that a safe ID?


Think this is Common Jellyspot Dacrymyces stillatus?


Slug in the garden, think it is Deroceras but not sure. I think it was ca 5 cm long (I know, should have written it down). Slime was a bit orangey/yellowish.

I think this is simply Wild Privet, on the general jizz - wasn't sure I could 100% tell it from naturalised Garden Privet though?

Distinctive lichen patch on ash trunks. Googling suggests perhaps Arthonia radiata? 


This is the occupied mine of what I assume is Euleia heraclei in Alexanders


Have also been getting a bit confused by snails Oxychilus and Aegopinella. Using key Land Snails in the British Isles by Cameron - not terribly convinced by the rapidly-expanding whorls (or otherwise). Any advice gratefully received!

Cheers

Andy

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12 comments:

  1. SkevJanuary 11, 2013 at 5:30 PM

    Xanthoria parietina and Arthonia radiata look okay to me; Dacrymyces stillatus probably okay but also check Bisporella citrina (looks a bit yellow, maybe lighting on photo); slug is a Deroceras and I guess must be a dark form of reticulatum. No idea on the 'gall fungus' or the privet.

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  2. Andy MusgroveJanuary 11, 2013 at 9:41 PM

    Thanks Mark - think I'll have the two fungi then, and leave the others for further confirmation.

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  3. Andy MusgroveJanuary 11, 2013 at 10:20 PM

    ....sorry, I meant I'll have the two lichens....

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  4. James EmersonJanuary 12, 2013 at 2:14 PM

    Hi Andy.

    Having a look in Rex Hancy's galls of Norfolk book, the only gall he lists on Forsythia is caused by a bacterium called Coronybacterium fascians (although this may be a typo for Corynebacterium fascians). It appears this is now known as Rhodococcus fascians and looks like your specimen.

    With regards to the fungus, I think that your photo is Bisporella citrina, whenever I have seen Dacrymyces stillatus it has been orangier and more blob like (as opposed to disc shaped).

    Regards,
    James

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  5. Andy MusgroveJanuary 12, 2013 at 9:04 PM

    Thanks James. I'm going to check the little orangey fungus again, if I can remember where it was exactly! As for the gall... philosophical point, can you tick the bacterium based on the gall? With other galls, we're playing by the rules of trying to see the organism!

    Cheers

    Andy

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  6. James EmersonJanuary 13, 2013 at 10:39 AM

    I'm afraid that I don't give philosophical advice, in fact I tend to run in the opposite direction if asked. On a practical level it would depend why you are trying to see the organism. If it is because you need to see the organism to count it, then you probably can't. If it is simply to exclude the possibility that the organism has departed and is no longer in your square, then you could count it as the bacterium is presumably still present.

    In reality I think you just need to reach a consensus with the other original competitors on any 'grey area' signs/species.

    Good luck.
    James

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  7. SarahJanuary 13, 2013 at 6:50 PM

    I agree with the gall - same as 'witch's brooms' on birch etc. Don't think we are allowed to count bacteria ;)

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  8. SarahJanuary 13, 2013 at 6:51 PM

    I agree with the gall - same as 'witch's brooms' on birch etc. Don't think we are allowed to count bacteria ;)

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  9. Mark G. TelferJanuary 16, 2013 at 2:47 PM

    Andy, the slug is either Yellow Slug Limax flavus or Irish Slug Limax maculatus. They're not too difficult to tell apart but I've forgotten how - hopefully you'll find the answer on google. Irish has gone from being an Irish endem with a few British localities to being a common British species in the last couple of decades.

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  10. Andy MusgroveJanuary 17, 2013 at 9:05 PM

    Thanks Mark. I thought Deroceras on the basis of the key saying "keel truncated at tail when extended", and I thought the photo looked like the keel didn't go far from the tail. I'll look at more specimens though, with this in mind. Ta.

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  11. Mark G. TelferJanuary 22, 2013 at 4:34 PM

    Andy, Your slug is Irish Yellow Slug Limacus maculatus (both flavus and maculatus have been transferred to genus Limacus). Compare flavus:
    http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/252503
    and maculatus:
    http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/311358
    Note both these are det. Brian Eversham and the maculatus is one of several iSpot records where Brian has explained the ID features.
    Deroceras reticulatum (www.ispot.org.uk/node/311477) has quite different markings and is not yellow.

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  12. Andy MusgroveJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:22 PM

    Thanks Mark

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