Invertebrate Notes April 2026

A selection of notable records reported to us or found on iRecord. Includes older, but newly recognised vice county records. ‘The region’ is VC58, 59, 60 plus Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester. All photos are copyright of the recorder unless stated otherwise.

Coleoptera

Tychius junceus Weevil (Curculionidae)

Recorded and determined by: Clive Washington, confirmed by Mark Gurney
Date: 19 April 2026
Site: Ashton’s Flash
County / VC: Lancashire (VC59)

There is just one previous, old record for VC59. It is a small, easily overlooked weevil associated with legumes.

Cicindela campestris Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindelidae)

Recorded and determined by: Gary Hedges
Date: 22 April 2026
Site: Little Woolden Moss
County / VC: Lancashire (VC59)

An unusually high number (50+) active on the exposed bare peat bunds

Ernoporicus caucasicus (Curculionidae)

Recorded by: Gary Hedges
Determined by: Clive Washington
Date: 8–30 April 2026
Site: Dunham Forest Golf Course
County / VC: Cheshire (VC58)

The only other North West record is from Tatton Park, where it was recorded in a Tanyptera vane trap in 2021. This specimen was again caught using a vane trap, this time placed on a dying birch.

Trypodendron signatum (Curculionidae)

Recorded by: Gary Hedges
Determined by: Clive Washington
Date: 8–30 April 2026
Site: Hare Hill and Dunham Forest Golf Course
County / VC: Cheshire (VC58)

There are few records of this species from the North West. Previously found at Dunham Massey, where it was recorded in a Tanyptera vane trap in 2021, and from Appleton. The 2026 specimen was caught in a vane trap placed on an exposed veteran beech.

Glischrochilus grandis (Nitidulidae)

Recorded by: Gary Hedges
Determined by: Clive Washington
Date: 8–30 April 2026
Site: Dunham Forest Golf Course
County / VC: Cheshire (VC58)

This species was new to Britain in 2022 and remains known from only a small number of sites. This record was obtained from a vane trap set directly against sappy wounds on a veteran beech.

Rhizophagus fenestralis (Monotomidae)

Recorded by: Gary Hedges
Determined by: Clive Washington
Date: 8–30 April 2026
Site: Dunham Forest Golf Course
County / VC: Cheshire (VC58)

Nationally Scarce and new to Northern England. There are currently only 19 records on the NBN Atlas. The specimen was caught in a vane trap placed on a dying birch, providing a significant regional range extension for this species.

Diptera

Phorbia penicillaris (Anthomyidae)

Recorded and determined by: Phil Brighton
Date: 23 April 2026
Site: Hightown Dunes
County / VC: South Lancashire (VC59)

This species was first found at Hightown Dunes last spring, when it proved to be new to Britain. A repeat visit in April 2026 resulted in the capture of 71 specimens, comprising 40 males and 31 females, indicating a well‑established population at the site. Further details are available in a dedicated blog, read more here: https://www.northwestinvertebrates.org.uk/update-on-the-hightown-fly/

Phorbia penicillaris – courtesy of Jindřich Roháček (c), Silesian Museum

Hemiptera

Pachybrachius fracticollis (Rhyparochromidae)

Recorded and determined by: Phil Brighton
Date: 8 April 2026
Site: Little Woolden Moss
County / VC: Lancashire (VC59)

Pachybrachius fracticollis was recorded at eight out of twelve sample points during a survey at Little Woolden Moss in April. It was found at one sample point in the March survey, when it was a first for Lancashire. This species was already known from Cheshire, where it has expanded in numbers in the last ten years.

The species is locally and patchily distributed across England and Wales, favouring bogs, fens and wet heathland. It is often associated with cotton grass, bog myrtle and various sedges.

Chilopoda

Cryptops anomalans Centipede (Cryptopidae)

Recorded and determined by: Nicola Garnham
Date: 16 April 2026
Site: Carnforth
County / VC: North Lancashire (VC69)

This centipede record is potentially the first for Lancashire, although previously recorded in North Cumbria. The species is a large, fast-moving centipede, most frequently found beneath stones, dead wood, or within leaf litter. Cryptops anomalans has a scattered British distribution, with patchy records across England and Wales, but more frequent in the south-east.

iRecord – Top 10 Species Recorded (April 2026)

iRecord Summary – Top 10 Invertebrate Groups Recorded (April 2026)