Monday, December 2, 2019

Thorne; End November update

A few mosses, fungi and lichen plus a moth and some oak galls takes the species list at Thorne to 1032 as shown below


Group
Thorne
Group
Thorne
Slime moulds
1
Hemiptera
39
Lichens
30
Coleoptera
37
Fungi
95
Diptera
54
Bryophytes
38
Hymenoptera
44
Plants
310
Butterflies
21
Molluscs
12
Moths
218
Annelids
5
Insects RSO
6
Arachnids
18
Fish
1
Myriapods
0
Amphibia
3
Crustacea
10
Reptiles
0
Springtails
2
Birds
64
Odonata
9
Mammals
8
Orthoptera
7
Total
1032


The photo this time is Feathered Thorn taken last week at Thorne







Sunday, November 17, 2019

Thorne mid November update

Finally over 1000 and now on 1016 species for the year at Thorne as detailed below


Group
Thorne
Group
Thorne
Slime moulds
1
Hemiptera
39
Lichens
27
Coleoptera
37
Fungi
92
Diptera
54
Bryophytes
32
Hymenoptera
42
Plants
310
Butterflies
21
Molluscs
12
Moths
217
Annelids
5
Insects RSO
6
Arachnids
18
Fish
1
Myriapods
0
Amphibia
3
Crustacea
10
Reptiles
0
Springtails
2
Birds
63
Odonata
9
Mammals
8
Orthoptera
7
Total
1016

Photo this time is of the amazingly patterned Merveille du Jour moth taken at Thorne a couple of weeks back.









Friday, November 1, 2019

Thorne end of October update

Couldn't quite make it to 1000 by the end of October and finished on 997 species as detailed below.

Group
Thorne
Group
Thorne
Slime moulds
1
Hemiptera
38
Lichens
22
Coleoptera
37
Fungi
91
Diptera
54
Bryophytes
29
Hymenoptera
42
Plants
310
Butterflies
21
Molluscs
12
Moths
210
Annelids
3
Insects RSO
6
Arachnids
18
Fish
1
Myriapods
0
Amphibia
3
Crustacea
10
Reptiles
0
Springtails
2
Birds
63
Odonata
9
Mammals
8
Orthoptera
7
Total
997

Photo wise still getting many new fungi for the site including the strangely named Plums and Custard
shown below



Cullaloe LNR, Fife - early "Best of 2019"

With the year running down and time spent on the reserve dwindling in favour of other pursuits I was meditating on what this year's highlights have been. There have been at least two species new to Scotland, some very scarce species in Scotland and numerous welcome new-for-county records. There is, I realise, a preponderance of flies in this list, but what can you do? Flies and fungi are my strongest suits. I swear I do try to see other things!

End of October total: 1140

NEW FOR SCOTLAND
Asaphomyces tubanticus - a laboulbeniomycete fungus (24/01/2019)
This was found on the elytrae of a Catops beetle and was fortunately ID-able with some reading. Just been featured in British Wildlife, though I haven't yet seen it.



Hydrotaea floccosa - a muscid fly (26/05/2019)
Hydrotaea is a cool genus with all kinds of weird and wonderful modifications to the legs. This makes them both interesting (yes, it does) and easy to identify. Only days before I found 2nd-for-Scotland Hydrotaea meteorica on the 20th.



NEW FOR COUNTY
Melangyna quadrimaculata - a hover fly (26/03/2019)
Long awaited first-for-county this Salix lover finally fell at the end of March.



Protophormia terraenovae - a blow fly (11/04/2019)
One of some nice finds at a roadkill badger corpse. Shame about the badger but nice of it to "take one for the team"


Cheilosia nebulosa - a hoverfly (27/04/2019)
Not something I was really expecting but a welcome addition to the county fauna. I've just noticed on NBN that there aren't other Scottish records for this. At this point I have no idea whether that's legit or not! I feel like it isn't, but it's a good record nonetheless



Lauxania cylindricornis - a lauxaniid fly (05/05/2019)
Tim had this before. When I looked it up I was jealous. Seen a few since though.


Hydrotaea meteorica - a muscid fly (20/05/2019)

Rhogogaster punctulata - a sawfly (22/05/2019)
I wanted to look at more sawflies this year. That was with mixed success but this was a nice one for sure



Brachicoma devia - a flesh fly (15/07/2019)

Zabrachia tenella - Pine Black (29/09/2019)
This pine specialist has only been seen in Scotland three times (highlands) - 1906, 1907 and 1938. It's listed as endangered and range is noted as limited to SE England. I guess this changes things a bit. (edit: subsequent conversations revealed two other dipterists in Scotland who have seen this, but recording is sadly, let's say, "patchy" among many experienced dipterists)



Triplax aenea - a beetle (15/10/2019)
A second record for Scotland. Examining the standing trunk of a horse chestnut that had been culled recently after a chunk of it fell off there were plenty of these under the bark. Initially mis-ID'd as Tetratoma fungorum I twigged as soon as I got them under the microscope.



JUST HAPPY TO SEE
Boettgerilla pallens - Worm Slug (03/03/2019)
Common, I'm told, but I'd wanted to see this for ages and I hadn't.


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Thorne mid October update

First week back at work after a holiday is never much fun but thankfully I had The Challenge to take my mind off things. And added quite a few species so Thorne is now on 958 as shown in the table below

Group
Thorne
Group
Thorne
Slime moulds
1
Hemiptera
38
Lichens
22
Coleoptera
37
Fungi
66
Diptera
54
Bryophytes
26
Hymenoptera
42
Plants
310
Butterflies
21
Molluscs
12
Moths
202
Annelids
3
Insects RSO
6
Arachnids
17
Fish
1
Myriapods
0
Amphibia
3
Crustacea
10
Reptiles
0
Springtails
2
Birds
61
Odonata
9
Mammals
8
Orthoptera
7
Total
958
 
 
The wet weather seems to have resulted in the best fungi season for several years and the photo this time is of a Pink Waxcap taken at Thorne last week.



Friday, September 20, 2019

Thorne; Brief update

Nothing added at Bridport since my last update but at Thorne, with a handful of fungi and moths added, the score creeps on to 938.

The main reason for this update is to say that I am away tomorrow for a 2 week birding trip to Foula. So my next planned update will not be until mid-October.
Ah yes a photo, I think one of a Fly Agaric (taken earlier this week at Thorne) is appropriate.



Monday, September 16, 2019

Cullaloe LNR - Fungus Fantasia

So in a busy weekend I managed to sneak out to the woods for an hour and a half - and what an hour and a half! 9 new fungus species for the reserve and 5 of them lifers for me.

First up, before the woods, was this pathside Volvopluteus gloiocephalus



Then into the woods the Oak Milkcap, sometimes called the Oakbug Milkcap, which is an oak mycorrhyzal species which smells of bugs. Its milk is white, only mildly turning yellow-ish on tissue.


There were Amethyst Deceivers


... and plain old Deceivers


There was Hydnum repandum


And Sulphur Knight, Tricholoma sulphureum, in amongst the roadside debris and litter (leaf litter and actual litter).



There was also the rather splendid Thelephora anthocephala


This already recorded Cortinarius bolaris (Dappled Webcap) was very pretty


There were the usual suspects of 1000 Russula nobilis (Beech Sickener) and Lactarius Blennius and Tricholoma sciodes (Beech Knight) and all in all it was a magnificent sight.

On Sunday I managed a lifer spider (Centromerita bicolor) from a grass pile and the little yellow springtail Dicyrtomina minuta 



All in all a productive weekend, with the reserve additions for this year now over 400, and the fungus list over 300

Latest additions to yearlist:

1098 R diptera Calliphora subalpina Wood Bluebottle
1099 R lep-moth Epiblema costipunctata A micro moth
1100 R M Fungus Volvopluteus gloiocephalus Stubble Rosegill
1101 R M Fungus Hydnum repandum Wood Hedgehog
1102 R M Fungus Thelephora anthocephala
1103 R Fungus Tricholoma suplhureum Sulphur Knight
1104 R Fungus Lactarius quietus Oak Milkcap
1105 R Fungus Amanita submembranacea
1106 R M Fungus Cortinarius torvus
1107 R M Fungus Cortinarius elatior
1108 R Fungus Laccaria lacccata The Decevier
1109 Fungus Amanita rubescens
1110 Fungus Cortinarius hinnuleus Earth Webcap
1111 Fungus Lactarius blennius  Beech Milkcap
1112 Fungus Laccaria amethystina Amethyst Deceiver
1113 Fungus Russula atropurpurea
1114 R M spider Centromerita bicolor A linyphiid spider
1115 R collembola Dicyrtomina minuta  A springtail