NEWSLETTER 55September 2016LEICESTERSHIRE

ENTOMOLOGICALSOCIETY

VC55

As its name suggests the Campanula Bee Chelostomacampanularum specialises on feeding from flowers ofthe Campanula genus. This includes Harebell, thenative bellflowers and the garden varieties, of whichthere are many. It may also be seen visiting Geraniumflowers.

This solitary bee is only 6 or 7 mm long and is easilyoverlooked as it resembles a small, black fly as it flitsaround the flowers – the feature to look out for is thewhite fuzz of pollen-collecting hairs underneath theabdomen of the female (p 3). The male (below) issmaller and narrower, with two small, blunt prongs onthe end of the abdomen which are said to help to anchoritself in flowers when sheltering from adverse weather.

The female nests in tubular beetle borings and othersmall holes in wood or in hollow dried plant stemswhere it provisions each cell in the tube with pollenbefore laying an egg in the cell and sealing it up witha mud and nectar mix. The flight period is June toAugust – when the flowers are out.

The Campanula Bee

Until our recent search, the only records for VC55were from Jenny Owen’s garden Malaise trap inScraptoft Lane, Leicester. There were three species ofCampanula growing in the garden. Having found thisbee ourselves in 2014 on the “Kipper” roundabout,Barrow upon Soar, we have carefully searchedCampanulas in gardens. We have recorded it fromWoodhouse, Quorn, Barrowden, Melton Mowbray,Shenton House and Belgrave Hall, Leicester.

Male Chelostoma campanularum in a bellflower in Belgrave HallGardens. This species is oligolectic, meaning that the adults visita very restricted range of flowers. We have more records fromgardens than in the wild. Photos: Steve Woodward.

This tiny black Chrysomelid beetle (3 mm long) is unlikely tobe noticed by anyone other than a beetle specialist. FortunatelyGraham Finch is on the case and we can enjoy more of hisstunning close-up photos on pages 10-12.

continued on p. 3.

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LEICESTERSHIREENTOMOLOGICAL

SOCIETY

Affiliated to:Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust

Chairman &LES Occasional Publications Editor:

Ray Morris16 Hinckley Road, Dadlington

Leics. CV13 6HUTelephone: 01455 213569Email: ray@cactusbob.net

Secretary:Anona Finch

14 Thorndale, Ibstock, Leics. LE67 6JTEmail: m.finch4@ntlworld.com

Treasurer:Stuart Poole

18 Croft Drive, Wigston, Leicester LE18 1HDTelephone: 0116 288 0236

Email: ad.ap@btinternet.com

Committee Members:Dave Budworth

121 Wood Lane, Newhall, SwadlincoteDerbys. DE11 0LX

Telephone: 01283 215188Email: dbud01@aol.com

Maggie Frankum3 Chapel Lane, Knighton, Leicester LE2 3WF

Telephone: 0116 270 5833Email: maggiefrankum@uwclub.net

Peter PatrickThe Hollies, Holly Street, Stapenhill, Burton on Trent,

Derby DE15 9ETTelephone: 01283 548704

Email: petebass03@aol.com

Newsletter Editor:Steve Woodward

19 Highfield Road, Groby, Leicester LE6 0GUTelephone: 0116 287 1679

Email : grobysteve@talktalk.net

Publications downloadable from:www.naturespot.org.uk/content/leicestershire-

entomological-society

The editor will be happy to receive articles, short notesand photos (in focus please!) about insects or otherarthropods in Leicestershire and Rutland, also news ofmembers’ activities further afield. Photos to be sentseparately please at high resolution. Unless otherwisecredited, photos are by the author of the article.

Next Copy Deadline: 10 Jan 2017

Editorial

Beetlemania

We have several coleopterous contributions in thisedition. I make no apology for including them all,beetles account for a quarter of all animal species yetlocally they have been studied by very few naturalists.There is a lot of catching up to do! With the secondvolume of the Beetles of Britain and Ireland seriespublished (Duff, A. G., 2016), one of the hurdles toidentification (i.e. lack of up-to-date keys) is lowered.We have an enthusiastic and helpful county co-ordinator in Graham Finch so there is no better timeto start recording beetles.

Where are our insects?

In Newsletter 53 I bemoaned the dearth of insects in2015, hoping that 2016 would be better. Well, numbershave not recovered as far as I can see. Some ordersseem to have become scarcer than ever. I can offersome data to support this, from my own biologicalrecords database. I put all my records onto this system(which I call Observant*), including provisionalrecords and a handful from beyond VC55. I believemy recording effort has been comparable for the years2013 to 2016, for the groups shown in Table 1. I haveexcluded groups such as stoneflies and moths, forwhich I tried harder in some years than others. Iacknowledge that the 2016 season is not quite finishedand the data set is far from being scientificallyrigorous. But I wonder if anyone is collecting properquantitative information across a wide range of groups?

Wasps have been very scarce - “hoorah” some peoplewould say (those who are ignorant of the multitude ofsmall species that bother no-one but perform keyecological roles). Only two Hornets have appeared sofar this year (17 Sept).

I catch any Mayflies, Lacewings, Stoneflies andScorpionflies that come my way (as I am co-ordinatorfor these orders), but hardly any have done so.

Grasshoppers and crickets did seem to benefit fromgood grass growth in 2015 - but numbers have crashedthis year. Grassy sites that are normally buzzing withOrthoptera were curiously silent this year.

Dragon and damsel numbers in the last two years seemto be half of what they should be.

*My Observant records are sent annually to LRERC (or the countyrecorder) where they are validated then appended to the countydatabase.

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Helen Ikin & Steve Woodward

The only record from a wild flower is from Harebellin Lea Meadows NR – diligent examination of thehundreds of Harebells in Bradgate Park over the lasttwo years has been in vain, despite the use of opticaltechnology to search for them (see right)!

Solitary bees require two things to be successful – asuitable nesting site and a feeding site. The nesting siteseems to take priority as they are able to travel somedistance to the right flowers for pollen. However, ithelps if the two resources are reasonably close together– as they often are in gardens.

Female Chelostoma campanularum. Females of most bees havepollen-collecting hairs on their hind legs, but those in this family(Megachilidae) have them under the abdomen. As the white hairscontrast with the black body, they are easily spotted.

Mirror - Signal - Manoeuvre. Helen demonstrates a novel methodof searching for specialist bees that hide inside Harebell flowers.A long-handled mirror avoids having to bend down to peer up intoevery flower. Despite the abundance of Harebells in the last coupleof years on Bradgate Park, not one Chelostoma campanularumhas been found. We suspect that nesting habitat may be the limitingfactor. Photo: Steve Woodward.

We should be delighted to hear of any Campanula Beesin your garden and will come and verify the sightingif you offer us a cup of tea!

continued from p. 1.

Steve Woodward

In the Loughborough Naturalists’ Club journalHeritage, Peter Gamble (surely our most experiencedlocal naturalist) also reports very low numbers ofbutterflies, based on data from many recorders.Howard Bradshaw, a keen observer of insects overmany decades, gives a similar tale of woe for assorted“other insects” (including hoverflies).

Plummeting moth populations have been reported overthe last few years. I worry that similar declines areoccurring in the less popular orders. The reasons, nodoubt, are complex: far beyond the LES to unravel...

I hope the conservation organisations are taking noteand pressing for research to find out what is happening.As the charity Buglife reminds us, invertebrates are“the small things that run the planet”.

Table 1. Number of records logged by the author in groups thatreceived roughly similar attention between 2013 and 2016.

Group 2013 2014 2015 2016

Bees 343 605 408 452

Social, Potter & MasonWasps

46 26 9 8

Solitary Wasps 103 157 128 60

Butterflies 342 244 231 198

Booklice & Barklice 12 19 11 8

Lacewings 2 13 4 1

Grasshoppers & crickets 68 44 57 21

Dragonflies & Damselflies 72 60 31 34

Mayflies 6 15 1 1

Scorpionflies 5 5 1 1

True Flies 298 296 185 177

Totals 1297 1484 1066 961

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Flowers need bumbles (forpollination); bumbles needflowers (nectar to powerflight and pollen fordeveloping young); andgardeners need both for thefruit and vegetables that wegrow:- courgettes, tomatoes,beans, raspberries,strawberries, apples, pears,plums, blueberries.........

As usual, my bumble year started off at the 2016Recorders Conference in Rothley on Sunday, 28February, where I chatted to lots of visitors at thebumble stand.

The first opportunity to check bumbles again was atthe Welford Road Cemetery Bioblitz (21 May),organised by Helen O'Brien of Leicester City Council.Weather conditions were not very favourable, withflying insects keeping a low profile in strong winds.Only three bumble species (workers) were seen in lownumbers - Bombus pratorum foraging a large patch ofWild Garlic; Bombus lapidarius foraging patches ofbuttercups that had been left between the mown areasin the lower meadows; and Bombus terrestris foragingthe Holly bushes that were in full flower.

At the Brocks Hill Garden Party (5 June), one visitorto my bumble stand casually mentioned seeing lots ofbees near where they were sitting on a large log.....which on urgent closer investigation, turned out tohave an active Bombus terrestris nest underneath!Visitors were discreetly moved some distance away toalternative seating and a “keep clear” notice put up.Armed with a Bumblebee Conservation Trustidentification chart - it was an ideal opportunity for a

MAGGIE'S BUMBLENOTES 2016

bit of bumble education and the visitors werefascinated to watch all the "comings and goings"activity.

There were three Bumble Workshops at the Universityof Leicester Botanic Garden in 2016. The first one (22May) was the day after the Bioblitz. The recent mixedweather conditions, as well as making it difficult forthe bumbles, also meant delays in the start of floweringperiods (typical of many local gardens) and a limitedchoice of flowers to forage - comfrey, Geranium,Green Alkanet, Bergenia and Azalea. Even so, wecaught and identified five bumble species, mostlyworkers - Bombus pratorum, B. pascuorum, B.lapidarius, and B. hypnorum; and a huge, long-tongued B. hortorum queen foraging Rhododendron(late getting her colony started). No cuckoo bumbleswere seen on this occasion since they usually emergeabout six weeks after their hosts. However, we did seelots of solitary Hairy-footed Flower Bees (Anthophoraplumipes), looking like small furry bumbles - the blackfemales were foraging comfrey and the brown maleswere on Bramble.

A month later, nine bumble species were seen onBotanic Garden Workshop 2 (19 June):- Bombuspratorum and its cuckoo B. sylvestris, B. hypnorum,B. terrestris and its cuckoo B. vestalis, B. pascuorumand its cuckoo B. campestris, B. lapidarius, and B.hortorum. They had a different range of flowers toforage - Geranium phaeum, Nectaroscordon,Centaurea montanum, Arnica, Cotoneaster, Hebe,Phlomis, Bergenia, Veronica sp., Thyme, Aubrieta,and Hedge Woundwort. There were no Anthophoraplumipes this time because their life cycle had finished.

At the Botanic Garden Plant Sale & Family Day (3July), visiting Bombus hypnorum drones were seen ina "drone cloud" dancing around the nest entrance in

Maggie’s Bumble Stand

Bombus lucorum queen. Photo: Steve Woodward

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the stonework above the door to Knoll House, waitingfor new daughter queens to emerge, so they could matewith them. Activity was noticed for several days. Notall drones manage to find a mate.

On the Botanic Garden Workshop 3 (7 August), tenbumble species were seen, again including threecuckoo bumbles, although these were different species- B. vestalis, B. campestris.....but there were no B.sylvestris and only one dead drone of its Early Bumblehost B. pratorum on the path at the end of its life cycle.The third cuckoo was B. rupestris, parasitic in the nestof B. lapidarius. For the first time in 2016, we did seeseveral B. lucorum drones, but only one B. hortorumdrone foraging Salvia, since the Hedge Woundwortthat it favoured in June had been pollinated and goneto seed. The comfrey and Aquilegia had finished too,so there was no evidence of "robbery" by B. terrestris.Plants of note that the bumbles favoured this time wereVeronicastrum, Penstemon, Origanum, Eryngiumechinops, knapweed, scabious, Hemp Agrimony,Inula, and especially the lavender in the Herb Garden.

"Buzzing About on the Allotments":- This year, wedecided to do three bumble walks at the AylestoneAllotments & Leisure Garden Society allotments overa longer period of time than previously, to showallotmenteers which bumble species are important forthe pollination of fruit and veg crops. At Bumble WalkNo. 1 (12 June) we recorded six bumble species -Bombus terrestris, Bombus lapidarius; and theraspberries were buzzing with lots of Bombuspratorum and Bombus hypnorum workers - expect abumper crop! The broad beans had already set pods,courtesy of long-tongued bumbles such as Bombushortorum and B. pascuorum. The latter were alsopollinating the comfrey bells "properly", whereas

short-tongued bumbles such as B. terrestris could notreach far enough down the corolla, so nipped roundthe back and bit a hole at the base of the tube to accessand rob the nectar, thus by-passing the pollinationprocess. Other opportunist bumbles then use the holesfor "secondary robbery". This happens with runnerbeans and Aquilegia spurs too.

Bumble walk 2 (10 July). There was a brief rainshower and it was a bit breezy but these weatherconditions do not necessarily bother foraging bumbles,unlike honeybees. This time only four bumble specieswere seen on the same route around the site:- B.terrestris, B. pascuorum, B. lapidarius and B.hortorum. There were no B. pratorum or B. hypnorumbumbles - because they had most likely reached theend of their annual life cycle, when all castes, the oldqueen, the workers and the drones all die. Only thenewly mated daughter queens survive and go intohibernation until 2017. There were tomatoes in flower,requiring the specialist short-tongued bumbles such asB. terrestris to "buzz-pollinate" them. The pollen isheld within the anthers and only bumbles are able tograb the anthers and vibrate their muscles at just theright frequency to release the pollen for collection -and the bumble moves on to pollinate the next flower.Where would our tomatoes be without our nativeBritish bumbles?

Bumble walk 3 (14 August). Only three bumblespecies were seen this time.:- Bombus terrestris, B.pascuorum and B. lapidarius. There were still one ortwo active workers with pollen loads, usefullypollinating the pumpkins and courgettes; and long-tongued B. pascuorum were still active on raspberries,blackberries and runner beans, however most of thebumbles seen were drones. These were visiting theopen, easy access (less effort) flowers such as cosmos,marigold, ragwort, Hieracium and sunflower. Theirrole complete and with nothing else left to do than lookafter themselves, with an occasional slurp of nectar atthe "bumble pub" until it was their turn to die.

Sometimes it is difficult to identify the bumblesbecause they get tatty and faded at the end of their life,however it looks as if the allotments (over time)support six regular "gardeners friends" to carry out theimportant process of pollination. The allotmenteersshould learn to appreciate the hard work that the wildbumbles carry out on their behalf, and this autumn,plant lots of flowers in a corner or two of their plots,ready for 2017.

Maggie Frankum

Bombus lapidarius queen. Photo: Steve Woodward

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We started “having a go” at trapping and identifyingmoths in 2002; the first record we can find is writtenin a little diary on the 31 March indicating a catch offour Hebrew Characters and one Early Grey. Later thatsame year, there is a record of 45 Large YellowUnderwings (see below) so we must have been doingsomething right. We were using an 12 inch ActinicTrap and occasionally fitted up a 150 W bulb over awhite sheet in front of the patio windows so that wecould sit in comfort but dash out to catch whatevermoths appeared. Searching for this record hasreminded us that these early records have not yet beenentered in Mapmate which is where we now keep allour garden records. At this time, we were usingSkinner’s Moths of the British Isles to identify ourcatch and, as you well know, this is not the easiest ofbooks to use for identification. From 2003 onwards,all records have been written in an A4 page-a-day diary– much more space!

This enthusiasm was greatly encouraged by ourmembership of the Market Bosworth & DistrictNatural History Society (http://www.naturespot.org.uk/content/market-bosworth-district-natural-history-society) and coincided with several othermembers deciding to catch moths in their own gardenstoo. It has certainly helped to be able to compare notesand to ask for opinions on identification. The help andencouragement of Adrian Russell and Graham Finchhas been a great help.

In 2004, we both went on a week-end course on MothIdentification run by the FSC (http://www.field-studies-council.org/), held at Flatford Mill and the tutorwas none other than Richard Lewington. We learnt alot at this course and came away feeling much more

confident about our ability. Now that we had the FieldGuide to the Moths of Great Britain and Irelandillustrated by Richard, we were finding it so mucheasier to find what we were looking for - in fact wesoon decided that we each needed a copy! Afterborrowing a mercury vapour (MV) trap in 2005, wecaught a Pine Hawkmoth and subsequently purchaseda trap from Adrian and this has obviously increasedour catch.

Once Richard Lewington had illustrated another book,this time on Micro Moths, we have tried to identify asmany of these moths as possible but it is not easy,particularly as we have no wish to identify them bygenitalia. Would you believe it, but we have ten bookson various aspects of moth identification! Our gardenbacks onto a permanent grass field so we do get plentyof grass moths.

When we first started using the MV trap, we were veryconscience of disturbing our neighbours with the brightlight so we (or should I say David) designed a woodensurround to the back sides and top of the trap so thatthe light was focused down the garden; this hasproved very successful and does not seem to haveaffected the numbers of moths caught. The number ofspecies caught each year ranges from 126 in 2003 to245 species in 2015. The largest number was 293 in2014 and we have recorded 487 species on ourMapmate recording scheme since 2006.

Since we have become more adept at identifyingmoths, we have been involved with three bioblitzevents organised by the Market Bosworth & DistrictNatural History Society as well as many “moths &brunch” events run by the Society – all very interestingand enjoyable. Whenever possible whilst staying atvarious holiday cottages, we have taken our trap,identified the moths and notified the relevant CountyRecorder; this extends our knowledge of moths found

Moth Trapping in Market Bosworth

Our mercury vapour moth trap was made by Adrian Russell. Weadded the shroud at the back to avoid dazzling our neighbours.

Large Yellow Underwing, often the most numerous moth in ourtrap in late summer. Photo: Steve Woodward

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David & Mary Penton

in areas other than our own locality. Areas visitedinclude Arran, Dumfries & Galloway,Northumberland, Somerset, Lincolnshire and Norfolk.On these occasions, our catch always proves of greatinterest to the owners of the cottages.

Graham encouraged us to join the Garden MothScheme (http://www.gardenmoths.org.uk/) which isproving useful nationally in monitoring particularspecies numbers from year to year.

Our one “claim to fame” was in 2004 when we founda pyralid that we were unable to identify. It was sentto Adrian and after much deliberation it was identifiedas Sclerocona acutellus. This is a moth that lives onreeds and it had presumably arrived from CentralEurope on thatch which had just been used on a roofacross the other side of the field.

We already identified the birds seen in our garden aswe belong to the BTO Garden Birdwatch Scheme butthe identification of moths caught in the garden has ledto us recording dragonflies, butterflies and any insectsthat we can identify (or others can identify for us!) andhas greatly extended our knowledge and love of thegarden.

Mimicry fools Hymenopterists

Excursions to the Holwell Iron Works site at AsfordbyHill often turn up interesting bees and wasps (seeNewsletter 53). So hopes were raised on 10 July whenHelen Ikin and myself spotted two (or more?) puzzlingyellow and black insects quartering the ground in awasp-like manner. Once we had one in a pot, wescratched our heads and realised that the antennae werewrong for a wasp. The venation and markings on thewings were not very waspish either. It dawned on usthat we had caught a clearwing moth, the Six-beltedClearwing Bembecia ichneumoniformis.

Steve Woodward

First VC record for solitary wasp

A small (4 mm), black wasp on a wall near Lyddingtonchurch looked, to the naked eye, like any other. I putit under the microscope and ran it through key VII inthe Naturalists’ Handbook for Solitary Wasps (Yeo &Corbet, 1995), I noted a single submarginal cell in theforewing, cell 10 absent, no notch in the eye and cell7 distinct from the submarginal cell. So far, this was afamiliar route for small, black wasps, including thelarge genus Crossocerus. But the next step in the keyasked me to look at cell 9. It was open at the far end.Also the borders of the eyes diverged between the frontocellus and the antennae (visible in the photo). Theseunusual features sent me to the unfamiliar genus

Nitela. There are only two British species, neither ofwhich is reported from VC55. The difference is thesurface texture of the propodeum (at the rear of thethorax): being “coarse and shiny” in one and “fine anddull” in the other. Words or even illustrations are littlehelp with subtle differences like this - comparison withreference specimens is essential. There are no Nitelaspecimens at the Barrow collection, so I took myspecimen to Liverpool Museum, where I was helpedby Carl Clee. We agreed that my specimen matchedNitela lucens Gayubo & Felton, 2000. There are lessthan 20 spots (10 km squares) on the nationaldistribution map (http://www.bwars.com/wasp/crabronidae/larrinae/nitela-lucens), most in the Londonarea and none as far north as Rutland. Such a smallwasp seems likely to be under-recorded.

Unfortunately, the abdomen from my specimen waslost before arrival at Liverpool. The tips of theantennae are also missing, so I am unable tell the sexof my specimen.

Record SFW131859, Lyddington, SP876969, 28 May2016, coll. S. F. Woodward, conf. C. Clee.

Steve Woodward

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Since the publication of The ground beetles of Priory Water (Cook & Clark2013) an additional six species of Carabidae have been recorded, bringingthe total count to 74. Although none of the additional species has eitherIUCN or GB conservation status, some are uncommon (or under-recorded)in VC 55, i.e. Demetrias imperialis , Dyschirius aeneus (see LES Newsletters51 & 53 respectively) and Trechoblemus micros (pictured right), a specieswhich is predominantly subterranean and apparently associated with smallmammal burrows.

Most of these additional species were found in pitfall traps at the edge of areed-bed at Priory, the focus of current research. Trapping for carabids atthe edge of the reed-bed also recorded three new species of water beetlesfor Priory; Agabus bipustulatus, A. sturmii and Hydroporus angustatus, allof which are fairly common in VC55, bringing the total number of waterbeetle species to 32 (see Cook & Clark, 2012). A total of eight species ofwater beetles were caught in pitfall traps, some in traps 2-3 metres awayfrom the waters edge.

References

Cook, T. & Clark, F. (2012) A Study of the water Beetles of Priory waterNR, Leicestershire. LESOPS 28 (December 2012) ISSN 0957 - 1019.

Cook, T. & Clark, F. (2013) The Ground Beetles (Carabidae) of Priory WaterNR, Leicestershire. LESOPS 30 (December 2013) ISSN 0957 - 1019.

Notes from Priory Water

Tony Cook & Frank Clark

The Pipunculidae are small black flies (5-10 mm) thatcan be easily recognised because the head is virtuallyall eyes! About 90 species are known in Britain withmany European species expected to be recordedeventually. They are not an easy group! The standardkey is that of Coe (1966) while some updates areavailable on the Internet. There are virtually no recordsfor VC55 but three genera are relatively easy toidentify as they can be distinguished from other speciesin the family by the obvious presence of ocellarbristles, absent in other species. As these flies arebeing caught in the Rutland Water malaise traps I havehad a go at two genera which have complete venation(Verrallia, Jassidophaga) while the third genus,Chalarus which has vein M1+2 missing, is moredemanding.

Verralia aucta is probably the easiest being the onlyBritish species of this genus. It can be easilyrecognised as there is an appendix on vein m2.

Big-eyed Flies!

Ray Morris

Currently there seems to only four records for VC55being recorded by Richard Wright at Market Bosworthin 2011 and then at the Rutland Water Egleton malaisetrap June-July 2015. No records seem to have beeninputted to the NBN Gateway and nationally there areonly 280 records in the database.

The Verrallia genus of Coe has been split into twowith the Jassidophaga constituting four species withocellar bristles. To date only J. villosa has beenrecorded in VC55, again at the malaise trap (July2015). Nationally, there seems to be only 47 scatteredrecords. The other three species - J. beatricis, J.pilosa, J. setosa - have similar numbers of nationalrecords. As tends to be the case with little-studiedgroups, national distribution indicates recorder biasrather than true occurrence. Hopefully VC55 will startto contribute to the overall picture.

Reference

Coe, R.L. (1966). Diptera: Pipunculidae. RESHandbooks for the Identification of British Insects, vol10 part 2c.

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Two new county records

Mycetochara humeralis. Twoindividuals of this distinctive specieswere beaten from a dead Oak branchlying on the ground in Bradgate Parkby G. L. Finch on 18 June. Normallyrestricted to the south east of Englandand is given a Nationally Notable Astatus by the NBN.

Chrysolina herbacea. A singletonwas found on Water Mint growing atColony Reservoir at CharnwoodLodge on 26 June by G. L. Finch.This is another species that is foundmainly south of the Wash and Severn,becoming very thinly distributedfurther north. Scrutinising any WaterMint colonies could repay the effortit is a large bright metallic greenbeetle so if it is around we should findit.

Significant records

Cryptocephalus aureolus. Many were found in KettonQuarry by S. F. Woodward on 28 May on yellowcomposite heads. This represents the fifth record forthis species and all other records are from KettonQuarry in May and June. Sweeping meadowscontaining yellow flowers may help to add other sitesfor this species.

Cilea silphoides. A singleton was sieved from horsedung near Saddington Reservoir 6 August by G. L.Finch. There have only been two previous records forthis species both with scant details. Leicestershire1894-1896 J. H. Woolley and Leicestershire 1907 F.Bouskell. This is a very small beetle approx. 3 mm inlength, and the preferred medium of dung, manureheaps or decaying vegetable matter no doubt accountsfor the very few records.

Lomechusa emarginatus.A singleton was found in anant’s nest (Myrmica rubra)at the “Rocks by Rail”museum, Cottesmore on 1May by H. Ikin & S. F.Woodward. There are justthree previous records forthis species: Ketton Quarry1994 and the other two fromBuddon Wood 2011. Thereseems to be scantinformation available forthis Nationally Notablespecies, which is very thinlyscattered mainly throughmiddle England.

Beetle Highlights for 2016

Mycetocharahumeralis

Cilea silphoides

Lomechusaemarginatus

Cryptocephalus aureolus. Photo: Steve Woodward

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Elodes minuta. At least four individuals were sweptfrom low vegetation at Sandhills Lodge, Ulverscrofton 14 July by G. L. Finch. There are just sevenprevious records for this species. First recorded inStanford Park by F. Bates 1848-1895. Although widelydistributed throughout England, this is designated asNationally Scarce. I am sure this is another species thatcould easily be found by sweeping grassland areas inmarshy situations, Misterton Marsh and the SoarValley sites spring to mind.

Kateretes pusillus. This species was found atMountsorrel Marshes on 31 Marchand Sandhills Lodge 27 May by G. L.Finch. Although there are 14 previousrecords it was last recorded in 1995near Aylestone. I suspect this willprove to be a common species alongthe Soar valley and comparablemarshy areas.

Nitidula bipunctata. A singleton wasbeaten from a bracket fungus in CloudWood on 1 July by G. L. Finch. Withjust three previous records: BradgatePark 1848-1895 F. Bates, KirbyMuxloe 1922-1972 C. W. Hendersonand Buddon Wood 1990 D. A. Lott.

Bruchidius villosus. See front cover.Three individuals were beaten offBroom from Swithland Railwaysidings on 6 May by G. L. Finch.There are only five previous recordsfor this species, given that Broom is awidespread shrub in the county this

surely a concentrated effort would add significantly toour knowledge of its true distribution.

Corticeus unicolor. This species was added to thecounty list in 2012 at Cloud Wood by G. L. Finch.Additional individuals were found here in a totallydifferent area where at least eight were beaten from abracket fungus in a deeply shaded part of the wood.Also a remarkable high count of at least 80 individualswere beaten from a series of bracket fungi in GraceDieu Wood, again in a very shaded area on 7 July byG. L. Finch. This constitutes a new VC55 site for this

species. NBN status is IUCN (pre1994) Rare, interpreted as beingfound in 15 or fewer 10 km squares.

Trichosirocalus barnevillei. At leastfive individuals were found onYarrow at Great Central Railwaysidings at Quorn on 28 April by G. L.Finch. There have been six previousrecords for this species; the last isstated Loughborough andinterestingly also on the Great CentralRailway in 1993 by P Kirby. Theother records are very widespread, soit does not seem restricted to anycertain locality, ranging fromCottesmore, King Lud’sEntrenchments, Loughborough andeven in Leicester City centre. TheNBN maps show this to be on theextreme western edge of itsdistribution and designates it to be aNationally Notable B. Yarrow is themain host plant for this species and

Elodes minuta Kateretes pusillus Nitidula bipunctata

Corticeusunicolor

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again considering how abundant thisplant is, a dedicated search effortshould add more records.

Graptus triguttatus Fabricius. Twoindividuals were found in MarketBosworth by D. & M. Penton at MVlight. Nine previous records, lastseen at Muston Meadows in 2014 byG. L. Finch, but previous to that, thelast record was Loughborough BigMeadows in 1993 by A. C.Sanderson. With a host plant ofRibwort Plantain, another abundantplant in VC55, sweeping the hostought to add more records for us.

Stop press

The longhorn beetle Leptura quadrifasciata wasphotographed at Hick’s Lodge on 27 August by S.Plant. Once the ID is confirmed this will be a newcounty record. It seems the larvae of this species preferdead or decaying wood, especially of fallen trees orthe lower parts of standing trees usually in the damperareas. I guess, as with most longhorns, it is just a caseof looking closely at all flowers during the summermonths, especially Umbellifers, knapweeds, etc., younever know.

The above represents quite an impressive list anddemonstrates the possibilities that we have to add

Graham FinchMore of Graham’s beetle finds are regularly reported inLoughborough Naturalists’ Club quarterly journal Heritage - Ed.

Graptustriguttatus

noteworthy beetle records to ourknowledge. They do not have to berare species and as there is hardlyanyone seriously recording beetles inVC55 all records are important. Therare species are a bonus for the timeand effort we put into our hobby.Also it is quite obvious there is thegreat potential of finding rare speciesplus species that are on the move,locally and from neighbouringcounties. There are several otherspecies not mentioned in the abovelist, which have very few records andseemingly (to us at least) no apparentreason for their restricteddistribution, so the more of us thatare looking, the more we will find.As with many other “small order

groups” beetles are not getting the attention theydeserve. There are over 4000 species in Britain andIreland, over 2000 have been recorded in VC55, about400 species get recorded annually, where are the other1600 species? Okay some will probably never bere-found in the county, but that still leaves a lot ofbeetles out there for us to go at.

Gorytes laticinctus female is about 13 mm long. Identification isfairly straightforward on a specimen, but a live insect may be

Wasp moving north

Despite the general shortage of wasps mentioned inthe editorial, one surprising species that has shown upa few times in and around Leicestershire is Goryteslaticinctus. The first VC55 record seems to be my ownfrom Croft Hill on 29 Jun 2014. The specimen ID wasverified by Matt Smith of BWARS. The BWARS maphttp://www.bwars.com/wasp/crabronidae/nyssoninae/gorytes-laticinctus shows a thin scatter of dots insouthern England, a few in East Anglia and one inLincs. Helen Ikin received a specimen from Shearsbycollected by P. Adams in July 2015. It was probablythe same species, unfortunately the specimen isincomplete and certain identification is not possible.David Gould posted photos on NatureSpot of anotherat Aylestone Meadows on 16 August 2015. Waspscaught at Freeby and Ulverscroft by myself in 2016appear to be this species, but I want to get them

confirmed. I am more confident about further Julyspecimens from Northants and Warks. The firstNorthants record, according to their records centre,was made the previous week! So this seems to be yetanother “rare” (RDB3) wasp that is moving into themidlands.

Steve Woodward

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September 2016

Living in a Victorian farmhouse (SP394992) withadjacent brick buildings in various states of repair,surrounded by overgrown and weedy ornamentalflower garden, vegetable garden and as a satellite,arable fields, we are used to a variety of wildlifecrossing our threshold. As a rule, wild creatures arewelcomed for the recording opportunities they bestowor, in the case of my Black Ant colony, the endlessamusement experimenting with their choice of foodand adventurousness. The Carabid beetle Harpalusrufipes is no stranger to the house and garden and isnoted but poorly recorded every year, especially in latespring. Occasional years, however, seem to produce areal bounty, 2016 is one such, if not the best examplewe can remember for this easily identified beetle.

Harpalus rufipes, is one of 22 Harpalus species andis found commonly throughout the UK, it is a mediumsized beetle of around 11-16 mm, with a generalappearance of a red-legged, black beetle with apubescent golden hue. A concise description and clearphotographs can be found on the excellent WatfordColeopterist Group website www.thewcg.org.uk, orNatureSpot for description, photos and local sightingswww.naturespot.org.uk. Looking at NatureSpot makesme realise that many of our common and fairly easyto identify species do need a boost from the recordingcommunity.

This is an easy beetle to find by turning logs andmoving garden debris, bricks, sheets or similar and isoften found with Pterostichus madidus and Nebriabrevicollis and is, I expect, in most gardens especiallythose growing 'top fruit'. Despite the fact that, as withmost Carabids, it is an active, nocturnal hunter it alsorevels in the name of 'Strawberry beetle' and is knownto eat and be a serious pest of strawberry and raspberryfruit.

We often find odd examples of H. rufipes drowning inwater barrels or stuck in buckets but 2016 has been areal explosion with tens of beetles in any upturned pot,jar or container with one or two specimens in all roomsof the house scurrying across the floor or marooned inthe sinks or on a few occasions, the dog’s dinner bowl(much to her disapproval). Unfortunately, we haveonly recorded a few examples of numbers in the pastand these are a huge underestimate, however this year,we started with one on a woodchip pile on 2 May, on20 May we noted 15 under a log on woodchip, on 29

Beetle bounty at North Farm, Shenton

May there were around 100 under a large sheet in thevegetable area and by the 4 June we counted around40 inside the house and without moving from the backdoor counted a further 200 outside. On the 8th, I hadgiven up on numbers and recorded 'Harpalus rufipeseverywhere in bowls, pots etc'. These numbers seemedto coincide with the hot and prolonged period of dryweather as by the 10 June I recorded 35 mm of rain inabout 2 hours and 14 June 40 mm in a shorter timewhich put a severe dent in the numbers. I recountedthis fact to Graham Finch (VC55 Coleoptera CountyCo-ordinator) on the 17 June and a quick check thatday still produced five or ten beetles under any log orrailway sleeper-sized object with close contact to theground. Oddly, I have not noticed numbers as high asthis on other parts of the farm or elsewhere.

A couple of ancillary comments I have noted on thesebeetles in the past are that it very commonly attractedto light and is often in our moth traps (both actinic andmercury vapour) but never in as high a number, around30 on occasions, as we find sheltering under the MVlight choke box placed on the floor. It appears to beattracted to the warmth. Beetles seem to be headingtowards the house door rather than away from it.

We use very few slug pellets in the garden or on thefarm but it and many other Ground beetles do appearto succumb to Metaldehyde pellets so be aware.Whether this beetle would be classified as 'living withman' due to its proximity to the house and our lifestyle,a garden pest or just a beneficiary of a non too tidygarden may be of some debate.

I had fully intended to make systematic countsthroughout the Summer but unfortunately workcommitments got in the way, however beetles werestill being seen well into July but in much lowernumbers.

I thank Graham Finch for his assistance.

Stephen Smith

Harpalus rufipes

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LES Newsletter 55

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September 2016

The Malaise trap theme continues from LES Newsletter54 as more work has been done to identify cranefliesin the catches. There are now 35 species from theRutland Water margin and another species has beenadded to the VC 55 list which now stands at 145 (thenational total is 330). It is a member of theCylindrotomidae called Diogma glabrata, a wetwoodland species which seems to prefer the marginsof aquatic habitats where some flooding occurs. It iswidespread in Britain flying in June and July Itoccurred in a trap sample from Egleton in July 2015.The male terminal segment is very distinctive with itspincer-like claspers. The larvae have been found interrestrial mosses on stones, or less often on soil.There are just four species in this family on the nationallist. The only other Leicestershire species isCylindrotoma distinctissima, another wet woodlandcranefly the larvae feeding on the leaves of MarshMarigold, violet and some other small plants.

Another find at Egleton was Tipula peliostigma. Thepresence in VC55 of this species in 1934 was raised

More on Rutland Water Craneflies

The tiger bares his teeth

The Green Tiger Beetle Cicindela campestris is alarge, predatory carabid. Like its namesake, the adultbeetle (Fig. 2) grabs its prey with huge jaws. Its larva,however, is equally ferocious but hunts by stealthrather than running around. The larva (Fig. 1) digs avertical tunnel in sandy soil then positions itself so thatits flat head is flush with the ground’s surface (Fig. 4).When an unsuspecting invertebrate wanders withinrange, the front of the larva springs out with is toothedjaws open (for a video of a related species, seehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6yfOQUiUbg).The victim is pulled into the burrow and consumed.

The Green Tiger Beetle occurs in several places atBradgate Park, where it has been known since 1842(Lott et al., 2011). A good place to see it is the pathalong the north wall, near Hallgates. The adult isaround from March to August. Our records for larvaeare between July and September. On 7 Sept 2016 wecounted 100 holes (Fig. 3) in about 50 metres

Fig. 1. Green Tiger Beetle larva, fished out of its burrow by pokinga bit of grass down. I kept my fingers away from the sharp end!The blunt end of the larva is normally secured in the burrow by apair of hooks (arrow) on its back. Photos: Steve Woodward

(SK538113), and the path is much longer than that. Iguess there must have been 1000 holes.

The Green Tiger Beetle can also be found at KettonQuarry NR and has recently turned up at NewfieldColliery (Woodward, 2012) and Bardon Hill (Finch,2016). There are historic records for twelve sites (Lottet al., 2011) including the Vale of Belvoir - so keepyour eyes peeled.

References

Finch. G. 2016. Beetles. LNC Heritage 222.

Lott, D., Finch, G. & Price, G. A 2011. A ProvisionalAtlas of the Carabidae of Leicestershire & Rutland.LESOPS 25.

Woodward, S. 2012. New Leics site for Green TigerBeetle. LES Newsletter 47.

Steve Woodward & Helen Ikin

The latest issue of The Hemipterist is nowavailable for download athttps://sites.google.com/site/thehemipterist.

The next issue will be published in Jan 2017.

Fig. 3. Many creatures (bees,wasps and other beetles) makeholes in the ground, but withpractice it is possible to pick outthose likely to be occupied byGreen Tiger Beetles. They arealways on flat, open ground,neat, round holes, 4.5 mmdiameter with no spoil heap.They are often clustered, likethis. Probing six holes revealeda maximum depth of 110 mm.On the afternoon of 7September, most holes wereopen, suggesting that the larvaehad finished feeding.

Fig. 4. The larva’s face is roundand fits perfectly over theburrow like a man-hole cover.The jaws are held open inanticipation of the next meal!

Fig. 2. A pair of adults showingtheir fearsome white jaws.

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September 2016

The following are willing to act as an initial point ofcontact for providing advice and information tomembers.

Arachnids (Mites & Ticks):- Ivan Pedley, 48Woodlands Drive, Groby, Leicester LE6 0BQ. 0116287 6886. ivan.pedley@gmail.com

Arachnids (Opiliones, Harvestmen): - Ray Morris,see page 2.

Arachnids (Spiders, pseudoscorpions):- vacant.

Biological Recording:- Sue Timms, Leics &Rutland Environmental Records Centre; Room 400,County Hall, Glenfield LE3 8RA. 0116305 4108Sue.timms@leics.gov.uk

Looking for help?

Chilopoda:- Helen Ikin, 237 Forest Road,Woodhouse, Woodhouse Eaves, Leics LE12 8TZ.01509 890102. helen.canids@btinternet.com

Coleoptera:- Graham Finch, 14 Thorndale, Ibstock,Leics. LE67 6JT: m.finch4@ntlworld.com

Diplopoda:- Helen Ikin (see Chilopoda).

Diptera (Acalypterates,& Brachycera):- DarwynSumner, 122 Link Road, Anstey, Leicester LE77BX. 0116 212 5075.Darwyn.sumner@ntlworld.com

Diptera (Syrphids & Stratiomyids):- Ray Morris(see page 2).

Diptera (Nematocera - Mosquitoes, Blackflies &Craneflies):- John Kramer, 31 Ash Tree Road,Oadby, Leicester LE2 5TE. 0116 271 6499.john.kramer@btinternet.com

Hymenoptera (Symphyta - Sawflies):- DaveNicholls, 69-71 Church Lane, Ratby, LE6 0JF.nicholls.99@btinternet.com

Hymenoptera (Bumblebees):- Maggie Frankum,see page 2.

Hymenoptera (Other aculeates - Bees, Wasps &Ants):- Helen Ikin (see Chilopoda).

Hemiptera:- Dave Budworth, see page 2.

Isopoda (Woodlice):- Helen Ikin (see Chilopoda).

Lepidoptera:- Adrian Russell, 15 St Swithin’s Road,Leicester LE5 2GE. 0116 241 5101.Adrian@wainscot.demon.co.uk

Mecoptera, Neuroptera, Plecoptera :- SteveWoodward, see page 2.

Mollusca: - Dave Nicholls (see Hymenoptera(Symphyta)).

Odonata:- Ian Merrill i.merrill@btopenworld.com

Orthoptera:- Helen Ikin, see Chilopoda.

Phthiraptera, Siphonaptera:- Frank Clark, 4 MainStreet, Houghton on the Hill, Leicester LE7 9GD.0116 243 2725. ClrFlea@aol.com

Plant Galls:- Maggie Frankum, see page 2.

Psocoptera:- Helen Ikin, see Chilopoda.

Thysanoptera: - Ivan Pedley, see Mites.

Male terminalia of Diogma glabrata.

by an historic record(LES Newsletter 50,2014) so it is good toknow that it is stillpresent. The larvae,unusually for a Tipula,have been recordedliving in elm and birchlogs. Five larvae wereeven found together inan old Song Thrushnest. Most records arein June from southernBritain but at RutlandWater it occurred intwo trap samples inJuly 2015.

A female specimen of Tipula helvola was trapped inthe Heron Bay Malaise trap (sample 30/7-6/8/2015).I reported the first VC55 record of Tipula helvola fromDimminsdale NR in September 2015 (LES Newsletter53, 2015). This reserve spans theLeicestershire/Derbyshire border. Although thespecimens were taken on the Leicestershire side of theboundary, it was only by about 100 m, so it is good tohave a record from well within the Vice-County.Tipula helvola is widespread in the southern half ofBritain and the adult emerges in June and July.

John Kramer

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September 2016

Indoor Meetings Programme

Our venue is Kirby Muxloe Free Church, Main Street,Kirby Muxloe LE9 2AN SK517042. The session startsat 7:30, but most members arrive half an hour earlierfor a natter and a cuppa. Visitors are welcome.

Hedgerow LaneLadysm

ith Rd

B5380

Main StCastle Rd

Church RdKMFC

Kirby Muxloe

To Hinckley Rd

Barwell Rd

Thursday 20 October 2016 - Members’ evening

This is your evening, a chance to share the highlightsor disappointments of the entomological year. Bringalong any digital images* or 35 mm slides plusanything you want to exhibit. New books or gadgetsand your comments on their practicality are alsowelcome. If you are bringing 35 mm transparenciesplease bring your projector.

Thursday 17 November 2016 – ‘AttenboroughNature Centre – The 1000 species challenge’

Tim Sexton will show us the habitats for visitingentomologists and the the challenge he set for himselfto record a 1000 species in a year. Tim’s photographyis exceptional and he includes all invertebrate orders.

Thursday 15 December 2016 - LES AnnualGeneral Meeting.

The first part of the evening is our AGM. The secondpart of the evening is a feast of mince pies andChristmas cake, whilst watching members slidepresentations* and/or exhibits.

Thursday 19 January 2017 – Speaker to beconfirmed

Thursday 16 February 2017 – Kate Nightingale– ‘How I got interested in insects’

Kate talk will tell us about her journey into the worldof insects through her personal observations and theiridentification and will be illustrated by her superphotographs.

March 2017 – ‘Annual Moth RecordersMeeting’ Date and venue to be announced.

Anona Finch* if bringing digital media, please be sure to virus check them.

Reminder of spring ... this Peacock was one of the over-wintering generation.Buddon Wood, 3 May. Photo: Gianpiero Ferrari FRPS.