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.

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

Cullaloe LNR end of August -1090

After ignoring the site for a while and doing other things I returned to sweep up some fungi after the recent wet weather. The season is clearly in full swing and four species were added to the reserve list in one hour. Clearly lots of common fungi are still to be added. According to the recently published Fungi of Temperate Europe you should expect 5 times the number of fungi (was it 5...) as there are plants, which means I only have about another 1300 or so to find here. This is the best fungal book I've acquired for a good while and is an absolute steal for the money. It isn't a field guide, though - it's two heavy A4 volumes of great info and photos..

If you're interested in bothering fungi then you can get the aforementioned two vol set at a good price here:
https://www.nhbs.com/fungi-of-temperate-europe-2-volume-set-book

Russula xerampelina

Milking Bonnet - surprisingly new for reserve

Porcelain fungus - also new

Diatrype disciformis and Hypoxylon fragiforme on beech

Cortinarius bolaris - new

Beech Knight - abundant, as you can see

Hare's Ear

Latest additions:

1079			R		diptera	Platycheirus rosarum	A hover fly
1080					odonata	Aeshna juncea	Common Hawker
1081					flowering plant	Succisa pratensis	Devil’s-bit Scabious
1082					hemiptera	Picromerus bidens	Spined Shieldbug
1083					Fungus	Tricholoma sciodes	Beech Knight
1084					Fungus	Russula nobilis	Beechwood Sickener
1085			R		Fungus	Russula xerampelina	Crab brittlegill
1086			R		Fungus	Oudemansiella mucida	Porcelain Fungus
1087					Fungus	Otidea onotica	Hare's Ear
1088			R		Fungus	Cortinarius bolaris	Dappled Webcap
1089					Fungus	Diatrype disciformis	Beech Barkspot
1090			R		Fungus	Mycena galopus	Milking Bonnet

Cullaloe LNR, Fife - still ticking along

Still ticking along with a few nice things over the weekend. Not sure where it'll end up but I'm not exactly zooming along at the moment. Here's a nice new-for-reserve rust on burnet rose:

Latest:

1057			R	M	lep-moth	Agapeta hamana	Common Yellow Conch
1058					lep-moth	Agriphila straminella	Straw Grass-veneer
1059					lep-moth	Camptogramma bilineata	Yellow Shell
1060			R		lep-moth	Evergestis forficalis	Garden Pebble
1061			R	M	lep-moth	Mompha locupletella	A micro moth
1062			R		lep-moth	Tyria jacobaeae	Cinnabar
1063		C	R	M	diptera	Brachicoma devia	A flesh fly
1064			R		diptera	Hylemya vagans	A flower fly
1065			R		spider	Theridion varians	A spider
1066			R	M	Fungus	Phragmidium rosae-pimpinellifoliae	A rust
1067		C	R	M	hemiptera	Tachycixius pilosus	A hopper
1068					hemiptera	Evacanthus interruptus	A hopper
1069			R		spider	Araneus diadematus	Garden Spider

Cullaloe LNR - 1000 - What a difference a day makes

... about 24 little hours, really.

I did wonder whether I was going to make it to beat last year's date, especially before the dipterists forum meeting which starts this weekend. If I didn't do it now it was going to be end of next week. Anyway, in the end a very nice evening walk around the woodland edges produced enough to get over the line without evening doing microscopy when I got home. That would have been good in itself, but there were, in the last 5, 3 species I hadn't seen on the reserve and one which I added as new for the county in last year's square!

I'll have a bit of a break (as if! flies all week next week) and then re-think my targets. I want the reserve list to go over 2000 (about 50 to go) and I have some minor targets on taxon groups. Maybe I'll push through this time for the 1500.

Group	Count
Algae	1
Lichens	40
Fungi	116
Vascular	182
Bryophytes	58
Mollusc	22
Arachnida	45
Collembola	8
Hemiptera	29
Hymenoptera	29
Coleoptera	91
Diptera	157
Lepidoptera	103
Invert - Other	38
Vert - Birds	75
Vert - Other	8
Total	1001

Of the 1001 species, there were
* 307 new to the reserve
* 125 new to me
* 12 new to county
* 2 new to Scotland (possibly 3)

Common Figwort

Cullaloe LNR - 50 species in 8 days

So the clock turned over to 950 this morning when I realised I had failed to thus far record the abundant Bird's-foot Trefoil, leaving 50 to find before 21st June if I'm to match last year's effort. I'd like to do that but only one weekend remains. And it's raining. And it's 7 degrees. Well, you never know. It's close enough to try if the weather shifts.

Fish-baited bottle and pitfall traps have been returning good numbers of silphids, including the below Thanatophilus rugosus (new to reserve, new to me). Credit for this belongs in part to Ashleigh Whiffin of NMS who did a very nice presentation on silphids at a nearby ecology centre recently.

The "remaining" list -species already known from the reserve which I haven't recorded this year is ticking down too - 1014 species left. I reckon I won't be far beyond the 1000 this year before the 2k reserve tally comes up. Numbers, numbers, numbers ... still the fascination is in the organisms themselves. Even wrinkly, stinky beetles. Maybe especially ...

Latest

935			R		flowering plant	Meconopsis cambrica	Welsh Poppy
936					flowering plant	Solanum dulcamara	Bittersweet
937					lep-moth	Lomaspilis marginata	Clouded Border
938					lep-moth	Pharmacis fusconebulosa	Map-winged Swift
939					lep-moth	Apamea unanimis	Small Clouded Brindle
940					hymenoptera	Vespula vulgaris	Common Wasp
941					diptera	Dasyneura ulmariae	A gall midge
942					diptera	Chloromyia formosa	Broad Centurion
943					lep-moth	Odezia atrata	Chimney Sweeper
944			R	M	coleoptera	Thanatophilus rugosus	A Carrion Beetle
945					diptera	Limonia nubeculosa	A Cranefly
946					diptera	Polietes lardarius	A muscid fly
947			R		lep-moth	Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla	Twin-spot Plume
948			R		diptera	Calliphora loewii	A blow fly
949					diptera	Chaetostomella cylindrica	A Picture-winged Fly
950					flowering plant	Lotus corniculatus	Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil

Cullaloe LNR - that escalated quickly...

So a chance meeting with the county moth recorder on the 1st meant we stayed up until the wee small hours bothering moths, running 7 traps in all. In addition to a few flies and beetles the sudden shot in the arm for moths means that I'm into the last 100. That includes, happily, another two hovers for the site and also a couple of nice big Tipulas (maxima and vulvipennis). Here's another lovey big crane that was in the trap - Pedicia rivosa. The stockpiling of sawflies and caddisflies continues. Should we have a rainy few days I definitely won't be short of things to do.

Last year the 100th species was on 21st June. Fingers crossed... after a slow end of May I see I'm now precisely 4 species ahead of where I was last year on 3rd June. So why not?

Pedicia rivosa

Latest additions

851			R		lep-moth	Epinotia immundana	Common Birch Bell
852			R		gall mite	Phyllocoptes populi	Aspen Leaf Galler
853			R		gall mite	Phyllocoptes sorbeus	Rowan leaf galler
854			R		diptera	Heilna impuncta	A muscid fly
855					lep-moth	Thyatira batis	Peach Blossom
856					lep-moth	Pheosia gnoma	Lesser Swallow Prominent
857					lep-moth	Petrophora chlorosata	Brown Silver-line
858					lep-moth	Perizoma alchemillata	Small Rivulet
859					lep-moth	Oligia strigilis	Marbled Minor
860					lep-moth	Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder
861					lep-moth	Notodonta ziczac	Pebble Prominent
862					lep-moth	Bupalus piniaria	Bordered White
863					lep-moth	Cabera exanthemata	Common Wave
864					lep-moth	Caloptilia stigmatella	White-triangle Slender
865					lep-moth	Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet
866					lep-moth	Deilephila elpenor	Elephant Hawk-moth
867					lep-moth	Diarsia rubi	Small Square-spot
868					lep-moth	Elachista argentella	Swan feather dwarf
869					lep-moth	Epirrhoe alternata	Common Carpet
870					lep-moth	Eupithecia pulchellata	Foxglove Pug
871					lep-moth	Eupithecia subfuscata	Grey Pug
872					lep-moth	Spilosoma lubricipeda	White Ermine
873			R		lep-moth	Platyptilia gonodactyla	Triangle Plume
874					lep-moth	Blastobasis lacticolella	A micro moth
875					lep-moth	Scoparia ambigualis	A micro moth
876					bird	Vanellus vanellus	Lapwing
877			R	M	lep-moth	Agonopterix arenella	Brindled Flat-body
878			R		lep-moth	Furcula furcula	Sallow Kitten
879					lep-moth	Chloroclysta miata	Autumn Green Carpet
880			R		lep-moth	Notocelia trimaculana	A micro moth
881					lep-moth	Rusina ferruginea	Brown Rustic
882			R	M	lep-moth	Capua vulgana	A micro moth
883			R	M	diptera	Tipula maxima	A crane fly
884			R		diptera	Tipula fulvipennis	A crane fly
885					insect-other	Glyphotaelius pellucidus	A Caddis Fly
886					insect-other	Phryganea grandis	A Caddis Fly
887			R	M	coleoptera	Exochomus quadripustulatus	Pine Ladybird
888			R	M	lep-moth	Coleophora albicosta	A micro moth
889					coleoptera	Aphodius rufipes	A dung beetle
890			R		lep-moth	Nola confusalis	Least Black Arches
891					diptera	Pedicia rivosa	A crane fly
892			R	M	lep-moth	Monopis weaverella	A micro moth
893					lep-moth	Pseudargyrotoza conwagana	A micro moth
894			R		diptera	Urophora jaceana	A gall fly
895					coleoptera	Pterostichus madidus	A ground beetle
896					flowering plant	Epipactis helleborine	Broad-leaved Helleborine
897			R		lep-moth	Korscheltellus lupulina	Common Swift
898			R		diptera	Eumera funeralis	A hover fly
899			R		diptera	Parhelophilus versicolor	A hover fly
900			R		diptera	Platycheirus scutatus	A hover fly

Cullaloe LNR - (almost) end of May report

Well it didn't look like I was going to make it to 850, but happily I did it with a bit of room just as the rain set in. Slightly behind last year's total but that's still OK in terms of my overall year target (I hope!). The reserve is becoming more lush every day and invert numbers continue to increase at a rate considerably faster than I could hope to cope with in terms of identification. The key limiting factors on numbers are definitely time and ability, which I guess is always true.

Happily over the course of the month the reserve total has also crept over 1900 and is already heading towards the magic 2k. Not many people, I'm sure, have ever said they're happy to see the first caddis flies, given what a pain they are when what you want is moths. However, I was determined to make a go of them this year and that's at least started. Not as much as sawflies though. I'm a little bit in love with them right now. Especially the bright green ones. This is (new for county) Rhogogaster punctulata.

The numbers ...

Latest additions 2019 list

840					flowering plant	Sparganium erectum	Branched Bur-reed
841			R		diptera	Tipula vernalis	A crane fly
842					fungus	Triphragmium ulmariae	Meadowsweet rust
843			R		diptera	Erioptera fuscipennis	A crane fly
844					flowering plant	Sonchus asper	Prickly Sow-thistle
845			R		gall mite	Aceria pseudoplatani	Sycamore felt gall
846			R		gall mite	Aceria macrorhynchus	Sycamore gall mite
847			R		flowering plant	Elymus repens	Common Couch Grass
848			R		lep-moth	Erannis defoliaria	Mottled Umber
849					flowering plant	Geranium dissectum	Cut-leaved Geranium
850					diptera	Pipiza noctiluca	A hoverfly
851			R		lep-moth	Epinotia immundana	Common Birch Bell
852			R		gall mite	Phyllocoptes populi	Aspen Leaf galler
853			R		gall mite	Phyllocoptes sorbeus	Rowan leaf galler
854			R		diptera	Heilna impuncta	A muscid fly

Additions to the reserve list 2019

Category	Count
alga	1
Protist other	0
slime mould	2
lichen	7
fungus	40
liverwort	1
moss	4
flowering plant	8
conifer	0
fern	2
cnidarian	0
mollusc	9
bryozoan	0
annelid	5
flatworm	1
harvestman	0
pseudoscorpion	0
spider	8
gall mite	4
tick	0
millipede	0
centipede	0
crustacean	1
collembola	4
bristletail	0
odonata	0
dermaptera	0
orthoptera	0
hemiptera	12
coleoptera	40
diptera	67
lep-moth	20
lep-butterfly	0
hymenoptera	9
insect-other	5
tunicate	0
echinoderm	0
invert-other	0
fish	0
reptile	0
amphibian	0
bird	0
mammal	1
	251

Cullaloe LNR - a meteroic rise

or just plugging away, really. But with this Hydroteaea meteorica as a nice bonus yesterday

Check out the distribution map from NBN:

That aside I have now fallen under the numbers achieved by this time last year. C'est la vie. On the other hand on current rate of additions the reserve list will get over 2k in about 80 days. Yahoo!

Latests:

781					diptera	Siphona geniculata	A  tachinid fly
782			R		diptera	Beris chalybata	Murky-legged Black Legionnaire
783					odonata	Enallagma cyathigerum	Common Blue Damselfly
784			R		hemiptera	Drepanosiphum platanoidis	Common Sycamore Aphid
785					coleoptera	Cantharis nigricans	A Soldier Beetle
786			R		lep-moth	Coleophora serratella	A micro moth
787			R		lep-moth	Syndemis musculana	A micro moth
788					diptera	Empis stercorea	An Empid fly
789		C	R	M	diptera	Hydrotaea meteorica	A muscid fly

R - new to reserve
M - new to me
C - new to county