Thursday, May 31, 2018

Skye - End of May update

Well I fell far short of my required 73 new species over the final eight days of May, which would have landed me on 750. As it happened I barely managed to scrape across the 700 mark, adding just 26 new species in the end. Partly this is because I've been very busy at work, plus painting various folks' houses in my spare time, and I've had away days out of the square (and even off Skye on one occasion). 

The good news is that the weather is still glorious and I have tomorrow off work. The light trap has thrown a modest selection of moths my way, including five that were lifers for me. In May I increased my 1KSQ tally from 611 to 703 species and added 16 lifers (from NG3963) to my PSL. 

June needs to be an awful lot better than that! 

Tachypeza nubila - 4mm of sheer amazingness!
Whooper Swan - 1600mm of sheer awesomeness! 
No snazzy graphs and swanky visuals from me - so here's a dusty dry breakdown for you to yawn your way through instead :)

Algae - 44
Protists - 2
Lichen - 40
Fungi - 59
Bryophytes - 36 
Plants - 198
Sponges - 1
Cnidarians - 1
Molluscs - 29
Bryozoans - 2
Annelids - 7
Platyhelminths - 6
Arachnids - 19
Myriapods - 11
Crustaceans - 11
Springtails - 2
Bristletails - 1
Odonata - 1
Orthopteroids - 1
Hemiptera - 10 - laughably low
Hymenoptera - 6 - quite pathetic
Coleoptera - 21 - oh dear...
Diptera - 34 - must try harder
Butterflies - 1
Moths - 55
Insects RSO - 9
Echinoderms - 1
Fish - 4
Amphibians - 2
Birds - 83
Mammals - 5
Others - 1 (nemertean worm)

As can be seen, I really ought to start looking at stuff with six legs sometime soon. My predictions/plans are famous for always being wildly off the mark, but I'm going to say that I'll be over 900 by the end of June. Of course, I have some of the country's most talented PSLers visiting at the end of the month (oh, and Ali, Tim and Pete are due too..) so who knows where the true tally will end up after that. I'm massively looking forward to showing them some cool species, and I'm bound to be shown some lifers too, but realistically that's just a bonus side-effect to providing the guys with a memorable weekend. Hopefully for all the right reasons! 

Anyway, there's a Rose-coloured Starling playing hide and seek with me, found yesterday by another birder (as it flew through my square...grrrrrrr!) but I haven't relocated it yet. Full on adult too, proper Pink Stink rather than a grotty juv. Been a while since I saw an adult, over ten years in fact. I have my network of locals all keeping an eye out for it...

I'm not greedy, just one would do. Oh alright, so 60 would be kinda nice too :) 








Dalgety Bay - end of May - 872

I'll probably add one or two tonight but what the heck - I like these end of period summaries

Amazingly I found my 5th new hover fly for the month yesterday - 30th species of May. I can't wait to see what else might show up. There's a preponderance of new things for me associated with wetlands and alders, which reflects where I haven't been (I'm also looking forward to working a conifer area, where I also haven't really been!). Eumerus funeralis is my 88th hover out of a county fauna of 124 (70%)  so to add 5 new species in one month is way beyond expectations.

I'm expecting to finish tonigh on circa 875, way ahead of  a half-intended 800 after a 200 species leap in May which included 80 additional diptera. You can see from the graphic below where the numbers are coming from - unsurprisingly flying beasties and plants.

So, the question now is ... can I finish before Skye!

Eumerus funeralis

Numbers
Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Plants - Vascular 65 77 85 114 151
Diptera 15 24 38 61 141
Fungi 60 83 86 92 96
Vert - Birds 54 62 75 82 85
Lepidoptera 4 8 14 32 69
Plants - Bryo 46 52 55 61 61
Invert - Other 22 41 54 57 58
Lichens 27 31 35 38 38
Coleoptera 8 13 16 23 32
Arachnida 7 12 17 20 30
Mollusc 12 17 27 28 29
Algae 6 15 26 28 28
Hymenoptera 3 4 4 14 18
Hemiptera 4 5 7 9 17
Collembola 5 8 10 10 10
Vert - Other 3 5 5 7 8
341 457 554 676 871
116 97 122 195

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Graphic

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Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Dalgety Bay

A mixture of interesting things keeping things ticking along, including another new county calliphorid in Melinda viridicyanea. Since the moth trap's getting precious little I had to go out and find some in the bushes...

Acrobasis advenella

Green-brindled Crescent

Most amazing to me is that I've recorded 78 additional species of fly in May. Last year I had recorded total 86 by end of June. I'll almost certainly pass last year's year total of 161 in June.

Looking forward to Skye trip now and thinking we need to firm up some plans. Contemplating heading up Thursday night to make the most of it.

Numbers:
850 * diptera Limnophora olympiae A muscid fly
851 lep-moth Eupithecia assimilata Currant Pug
852 mollusc Cepaea hortensis White-lipped Snail
853 diptera Episyrphus balteatus Syrphidae
854 * aphid Eriosoma ulmi Elm-currant Aphid
855 * diptera Calliphora loewi A blow fly
856 diptera Coenosia tigrina Muscidae
857 spider Araniella cucurbitana A spider
858 * flowering plant Veronica arvensis Wall Speedwell
859 * diptera Melinda viridicyanea A blow fly
860 * spider Neottiura bimaculata A spider
861 lep-moth Allophyes oxyacanthae Green-brindled Crescent
862 * lep-moth Acrobasis advenella A micro moth

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Moths - slow but improving...

Getting to the productive period for this square, lots out there. The easiest group to add new species with little effort is moths, so it would be nice to lose these easterlies and get a warm gentle SW wind. A nice soldier fly in the garden this morning. A walk along the dyke yesterday produced an increase in dragonflies, including 10 Hairy Dragonflies and 5 Four-spotted Chasers.

the "Black Colonel", Odontomyia tigrina
1001 Melissa officinalis Vascular Plants Balm 27/05/2018
1002 Aphis fabae Hemipteroids Black Bean aphid 27/05/2018
1003 Tortrix viridana Lepidoptera:moths Green Oak Tortrix 27/05/2018
1004 Arge ochropus Hymenoptera Symphyta: Rose Sawfly 27/05/2018
1005 Pipistrellus pipistrellus Mammals Common Pipistrelle 27/05/2018
1006 Scopula floslactata Lepidoptera:moths Cream Wave 27/05/2018
1007 Crambus lathoniellus Lepidoptera:moths Hook-streak Grass-veneer 27/05/2018
1008 Rivula sericealis Lepidoptera:moths Straw Dot 27/05/2018
1009 * Epermenia falciformis Lepidoptera:moths Large Lance-wing 27/05/2018
1010 Protodeltote pygarga Lepidoptera:moths Marbled White Spot 27/05/2018
1012 Blastobasis lacticolella Lepidoptera:moths London Dowd 27/05/2018
1013 Laspeyria flexula Lepidoptera:moths Beautiful Hook-tip 27/05/2018
1014 Myelois circumvoluta Lepidoptera:moths Thistle Ermine 27/05/2018
1015 Elachista argentella Lepidoptera:moths Swan-feather Dwarf 27/05/2018
1016 Xanthorhoe montanata Lepidoptera:moths Silver-ground Carpet 27/05/2018
1017 Celypha lacunana Lepidoptera:moths Common Marble 27/05/2018
1018 Plagodis dolabraria Lepidoptera:moths Scorched Wing 27/05/2018
1019 Lasiommata megera Lepidoptera:butterflies Wall Brown 28/05/2018
1020 Libellula quadrimaculata Odonata Four-spotted Chaser 28/05/2018
1021 Ischnura elegans Odonata Blue-tailed Damselfly 28/05/2018
1022 Oedemera nobilis Coleoptera Swollen-thighed Beetle 28/05/2018
1023 Falco subbuteo Birds Hobby 28/05/2018
1024 Merodon equestris Diptera Syrphidae 28/05/2018
1025 Philonthus laminatus Coleoptera Staph. 28/05/2018
1026 Eupeodes corollae Diptera Syrphidae 28/05/2018
1027 Dolichopus ungulatus Diptera Dolichopodidae 28/05/2018
1028 Pterostichus melanarius Coleoptera Carabidae 26/05/2018
1029 Sarcophaga dissimilis Diptera Sarcophagidae 28/05/2018
1030 Sarcophaga nigriventris Diptera Sarcophagidae 28/05/2018
1031 Artemisia vulgaris Vascular Plants Mugwort 28/05/2018
1032 Anthoxanthum odoratum Vascular Plants Sweet Vernal Grass 28/05/2018
1033 Carex otrubae Vascular Plants False Fox-sedge 28/05/2018
1034 Aelia acuminata Hemipteroids Bishop's Mitre Shieldbug 28/05/2018
1035 Cordylepherus viridis Coleoptera Malachiidae 28/05/2018
1036 Clubiona reclusa Arachnids Clubionidae 28/05/2018
1037 * Sitona cylindricollis Coleoptera Weevil 28/05/2018
1038 Scoparia ambigualis Lepidoptera:moths Common Grey 28/05/2018
1039 Axylia putris Lepidoptera:moths The Flame 28/05/2018
1040 Donacia clavipes Coleoptera Chrysomelidae 28/05/2018
1041 Cantharis lateralis Coleoptera Cantharidae 29/05/2018


Dalgety Bay - 850 up

So advanced-revised target reached and topping up in preparation for the final hurdle. Who knows whether I'll make it in June. It is surely possible but time constraints, a bioblitz and a weekend away all contrive to  make a June finish a stretch. The moths may come back on stream though so who can tell? I'd be looking to finish up the next three days probably with another 20 or so species in the bag for that to happen.

Here are a couple of pics of new-to-county Rhaphium crassipes, my second Rhaphium of the campaign





Numbers:
834 diptera Cheilosia impressa A hover fly
835 insect-other Panorpa germanica A scorpion fly
836 diptera Azelia cilipes A muscid fly
837 diptera Helina impuncta A muscid fly
838 diptera Pollenia griseotomentosa A muscid fly
839 * diptera Rhaphium crassipes A long-legged fly
840 * diptera Siphona maculata A tachinid fly
841 hemiptera Monalocoris filicis Bracken Bug
842 lep-moth Esperia sulphurella A micro moth
843 lep-moth Eupithecia tripunctaria White-spotted Pug
844 lep-moth Glyphipterix simpliciella Cocksfoot Moth
845 spider Philodromus aureolus A spider
846 coleoptera Cantharis cryptica A Soldier Beetle
847 * diptera Limnophora maculosa A muscid fly
848 lep-moth Dysstroma truncata Common Marbled Carpet
849 lep-moth Ancylis badiana Common Roller
850 * diptera Limnophora olympiae A muscid fly
851 lep-moth Eupithecia assimilata Currant Pug


Sunday, May 27, 2018

Gibbaranea gibbosa - 1000 up!

A mega recording day yesterday resulted in getting to species number 1000, a male Gibbaranea gibbosa

Gibbaranea gibbosa male

And a couple of great local records were Clouded Buff, a fantastic moth which I never dreamt I'd see here, plus a rare beetle, Ptinus sexpunctatus, with only a handful of Norfolk records.

Clouded Buff, new for garden

Ptinus sexpunctatus, lifer and new for square
The other additions were:

928 Timandra comae Lepidoptera:moths Blood-vein 23/05/2018
929 Eupithecia vulgata Lepidoptera:moths Common Pug 23/05/2018
930 Calliteara pudibunda Lepidoptera:moths Pale Tussock 23/05/2018
931 Cochylis atricapitana Lepidoptera:moths Black-headed Conch 23/05/2018
932 Agonopterix propinquella Lepidoptera:moths Black-spot Flat-body 23/05/2018
933 Chamerion angustifolium Vascular Plants Rosebay Willowherb 24/05/2018
934 Hemaris fuciformis Lepidoptera:moths Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth 24/05/2018
935 Vanessa atalanta Lepidoptera:butterflies Red Admiral 24/05/2018
936 Magdalis cerasi Coleoptera Curculonidae 24/05/2018
937 * Andrena labiata Hymenoptera Andrenidae: Red-girdled Mining Bee 24/05/2018
938 Andrena scotica Hymenoptera Andrenidae: Chocolate Mining Bee 24/05/2018
939 Ancistrocerus trifasciatus Hymenoptera Caterpillar-hunting potter wasp 24/05/2018
940 Scatopse notata Diptera Scatopsidae 24/05/2018
941 Themira annulipes Diptera Sepsidae 24/05/2018
942 * Paregle audacula Diptera Anthomyiidae 24/05/2018
943 Lomographa temerata Lepidoptera:moths Clouded Silver 24/05/2018
944 Drymonia dodonaea Lepidoptera:moths Marbled Brown 24/05/2018
945 Watsonalla binaria Lepidoptera:moths Oak Hook-tip 24/05/2018
946 Simyra albovenosa Lepidoptera:moths Reed Dagger 24/05/2018
947 Acronicta rumicis Lepidoptera:moths Knot Grass 24/05/2018
948 Epiblema cynosbatella Lepidoptera:moths Yellow-faced Bell 24/05/2018
949 Diarsia rubi Lepidoptera:moths Small Square-spot 24/05/2018
950 Abrostola tripartita Lepidoptera:moths The Spectacle 24/05/2018
951 Abrostola triplasia Lepidoptera:moths Dark Spectacle 24/05/2018
952 Grapholita funebrana Lepidoptera:moths Plum Fruit Moth 24/05/2018
953 Sarcophaga haemorrhoa Diptera Sarcophagidae 24/05/2018
954 Liophloeus tessulatus Coleoptera Curculionidae 25/05/2018
955 Gracillaria syringella Lepidoptera:moths Common Slender 25/05/2018
956 Cantharis cryptica Coleoptera Cantharidae 25/05/2018
957 Phryganea grandis RSO Caddis Fly 24/05/2018
958 Sarcophaga variegata Diptera Sarcophagidae 24/05/2018
959 Philaenus spumarius Hemipteroids Common Froghopper 25/05/2018
960 Sepsis punctum Diptera Sepsidae 24/05/2018
961 Sarcophaga incisilobata Diptera Sarcophagidae 24/05/2018
962 Sarcophaga subvicina Diptera Sarcophagidae 24/05/2018
963 Diacrisia sannio Lepidoptera:moths Clouded Buff 25/05/2018
964 Chrysoteuchia culmella Lepidoptera:moths Garden Grass-veneer 25/05/2018
965 Eurrhypara hortulata Lepidoptera:moths Small Magpie 25/05/2018
966 Spilosoma luteum Lepidoptera:moths Buff Ermine 25/05/2018
967 Hepialus lupulinus Lepidoptera:moths Common Swift 25/05/2018
968 Agrotis ipsilon Lepidoptera:moths Dark Sword-grass 25/05/2018
969 Sterna hirundo Birds Common Tern 26/05/2018
969 Cyclophora linearia Lepidoptera:moths Clay Triple-lines 25/05/2018
971 Persicaria maculosa Vascular Plants Redshank 26/05/2018
972 Dioctria rufipes Diptera Common Red-legged Robberfly 26/05/2018
973 Rhagio scolopaceus Diptera Downlooker Snipefly 26/05/2018
974 Malachius bipustulatus Coleoptera Malachite Beetle 26/05/2018
975 Taeniapion urticarium Coleoptera Weevil 26/05/2018
976 Grammoptera ruficornis Coleoptera Common Grammoptera 26/05/2018
977 * Ptinus sexpunctatus Coleoptera Anobiidae 26/05/2018
978 * Dolerus gonager Hymenoptera Symphyta: Selandriinae: Dolerus 26/05/2018
979 Cantharis rustica Coleoptera Cantharidae 26/05/2018
980 Cantharis nigricans Coleoptera Cantharidae 26/05/2018
981 Himacerus apterus Hemipteroids Tree Damsel Bug 26/05/2018
982 Ceutorhynchus obstrictus Coleoptera Curculionidae 26/05/2018
983 Bruchus rufimanus Coleoptera Bean Seed Beetle 26/05/2018
984 Neocoenorrhinus germanicus Coleoptera Strawberry Rhyncites 26/05/2018
985 Eupithecia centaureata Lepidoptera:moths Lime-speck Pug 26/05/2018
986 Silpha atrata Coleoptera Black Snail Beetle 26/05/2018
987 Hoplodrina ambigua Lepidoptera:moths Vine's Rustic 26/05/2018
988 Mythimna pallens Lepidoptera:moths Common Wainscot 26/05/2018
989 Lacanobia oleracea Lepidoptera:moths Bright-line Brown-eye 26/05/2018
990 Oligia fasciuncula Lepidoptera:moths Middle-barred Minor 26/05/2018
991 Conocephalus fuscus Orthopteroids Long-winged Conehead 26/05/2018
992 Leptopterna dolabrata Hemipteroids Mirid Bug 26/05/2018
993 Aphomia sociella Lepidoptera:moths Bee Moth 26/05/2018
994 Odontomyia tigrina Diptera Black Colonel 26/05/2018
995 Netelia infractor Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae 26/05/2018
996 Anaspis regimbarti Coleoptera Scraptiidae 26/05/2018
997 Byturus tomentosus Coleoptera Raspberry Beetle 26/05/2018
998 Donacia simplex Coleoptera Chrysomelidae 26/05/2018
999 Araniella opisthographa Arachnids Areneidae 26/05/2018
1000 Gibbaranea gibbosa Arachnids Araneidae 26/05/2018

Now I need a rest!

Update - here's a breakdown of the 1000 species ranked in taxa order, and including a breakdown of the species I've seen in my garden

  TG4523 all Garden
Insects: Diptera 191 154
Insects: Coleoptera 187 143
Vascular Plants 140 42
Insects: Moths 122 113
Birds 103 92
Arachnids 61 51
Insects: Hemipteroids 52 36
Insects: Hymenoptera 48 38
Fungi/Lichens 22 9
Mammals 13 8
Insects: RSO 12 11
Insects: Butterflies 11 9
Molluscs 9 7
Myriapods 6 6
Springtails 6 6
Bryophytes 4 4
Insects: Odonata 4 4
Insects: Orthopteroids 4 2
Crustaceans 3 3
Fish 1 0
Reptiles 1 0
Algae 0 0
Cnidarians 0 0
Annelid Worms 0 0
Amphibia 0 0
Other Animals 0 0
Echinoderms 0 0
     
Grand Totals 1000  738 
Totals since Oct 2013 2328  1874 


Friday, May 25, 2018

Dalgety Bay - 833, The Number of the Beast

A couple of days ago I saw a spectacularly blue-black fly with a bright silver face and insanely long legs in the Clearing of Wonder (TM). I snagged it and pinned it but had not got around to keying it yet. Yesterday I saw another of the same and snagged it also, and it turned out last night to be a male (very late, since I had other stuff to do until about 11!).

Looking at it every single aspect of this fly was interesting. Its overall appearance was striking, like if you saw a black Ferrari in the car park at Aldi. Its legs were outrageous. The mid legs are incredibly long, and have an upturned spur on the apex of the femora. The hind femorae have a weird "peg" about half way along below and the hind tibia have long cilia dangling down. The front femora are like spiky shovels. They are just absurd. It would be interesting to know why all these things are as they are.

It was already my new favourite fly. And that was before I figured out it was Hydrotaea DIABOLUS. Cool fly, cool name. Apparently this is the 3rd Scottish record (NBN caveats...) and it certainly looks new to the county. Only worth one "point" in the 1KS scheme, but what a point!

Also I had my fifth new hover of the year in Chalcosyrphus nemorum - and before May's out!

Most stunnning addition of the day though I suppose has to go to Barn Swallow. My first hirundine of the year.







Numbers:
828 * diptera Syntormon pallipes A long-legged fly
829 diptera Argyra leucocephala A long-legged fly
830 bird Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow
831 mammal Erinaceus europaeus West European Hedgehog
832 * diptera Chalcosyrphus nemorum A hover fly
833 * diptera Hydrotaea diabolus A muscid fly