Tuesday, February 28, 2017

NT1582, Dalgety Bay: End of February roundup

Today saw the "Big Five" of woodlice completed (Oniscus asellus, Porcellio scaber, Philoscia muscorum, Trichoniscus pusillus and Armadillidium vulgare) along with the other very common Sea Slater Ligia oceanica. This was helped on my the arrival of the FSC woodlice key and hopefully I may add another species through the year though a browse through the distribution of species suggests I shouldn't hope for too much - woodlice seem to mostly be southern softies!

Most groups have been recorded more or less in line with expectations, though Staphylinidae have done well comparatively. If any groups have been surprising they've been Collembola and Molluscs. Collembola is really only surprising because I didn't set out to pay that much attention to them - it just sort of happened. No doubt I'll add a few more now I'm into the swing with them. Molluscs of course benefitted hugely from working the seashore, though my land mollusc list has grown somewhat too and I'm developing an affinity for slugs. I expect to add a few more through the year and I haven't even recorded Arion ater yet!

Another group I'm expanding my awareness of is the marine algae, and the target for that is growing, aided by arrival of new literature.

Species of the month in January was easily the springtail Anurida denisi. Species of the month for February, though it isn't the most scarce, has to be reprazentin for Molluscs and is the Prickly Snail Acanthinula aculeata


Below the high water mark I loved seeing this Willy Wonka Snail (flat periwinkle), which I don't think I ever got round to posting on here


So the numbers at the end of February (anything I do tonight will be lumped into March)

Class Jan Feb target %
Algae 8 13 22 59
Lichens 37 41 60 68
Fungi 28 31 100 31
Vert - Birds 38 50 110 45
Vert - Other 2 4 10 40
Lepidoptera 1 2 110 02
Diptera 4 7 100 07
Arachnida 5 13 55 24
Coleoptera 6 17 100 17
Mollusc 9 24 32 75
Invert - Other 29 43 135 32
Plants - Vascular 47 63 124 51
Plants - Bryo 22 29 45 64

236 337 1003 33

The only groups I've recorded less than 1/6th of are Diptera and Lepidoptera, but no surprise there really.It won't be long, though, before it all kicks off.

2 comments:

  1. Congrats on attaining the first third by the end of February! It'll slow down a touch now until the plants and inverts burst to the fore, at least I hope it will else you'll be over-hauling my totals any day soon :)

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    1. Ta. I was looking at my targets and thinking where the hell are 100 species going to come from in march. They're there though. First muscid landed on my hand the other day. Of course I was holding an open container with alcohol and a pooter in the other hand. I think it knew, to be honest.

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