Invertebrate Notes March 2023

A selection of notable records reported to Tanyptera. Includes older, but newly recognised regional vice county records (dates blue). ‘The region’ = VC58, 58, 60 + Cheshire, Lancs, Merseyside, Greater Manchester.

Araneae (Spiders)

Chilopoda (Centipedes)

Cryptops parisi (Cryptopidae), Nether Kellet, VC60, 5/3, N. Garnham.

• Probably the first VC60 and regional record. A non-native, naturalised species.
• Most UK records are from SW Wales.
• Found in bag of horse manure.
• Can be found in various situations near the ground, often in woodland areas.

Coleoptera (Beetles)

Phyllotreta astrachanica (Chrysomelidae), Helsby Quarry, VC58, 12/3, C. Washington.

• Probably the first VC58 and regional record.
• Records up to South Yorkshire on NBN Atlas maps. Generally scarce.
• According to Duff (2016), feeds on various Brassicacaeae and hibernates in various locations such as under bark.

Psylliodes luteola (Chrysomelidae), Formby, VC59, 19/3, C. Washington.

• Probably the first VC59 and regional record.
• According to Duff (2016), local and scarce in Central and Southern England.
• Feeds on various grasses, trees and shrubs.

Mecinus collaris (Curculionidae), Formby, VC59, 19/3, C. Washington.

• Not recorded in the regional since 1927. Local in England.
• Gall causer on Sea Plantain (in salty marshes) and most record on iRecord relate to detection via the distinctive gall formation.

Otiorhynchus rugosostriatus (Curculionidae), Helsby Quarry, VC58, 12/3, C. Washington.

• Few regional records, and only found in VC58 according to the C. Washington (2020) checklist.
• Feeds on a range of herbaceous plants where the larvae are external root-feeders.
• Adults are parthenogenetic and so far only females have been recorded.
• Appears widely distributed in England and Wales but local and with a seemingly coastal bias.

Collembola (Springtails)

Diplopoda (Millipedes)

Diptera (Flies)

Platycheirus ambiguus (Syrphidae), Ainsdale NNR, VC59, 27/3, P. Kinsella

• A male on a flowering Prunus. This may be the 1st Sefton Coast record but within the region, has been recorded from The Fylde and in the Manchester area.
• Strongly associated with Blackthorn. The larvae feed on aphids on the foliage of Blackthorn and other Prunus species.
• Widespread but local in the UK.

Hemiptera (True Bugs)

Acericerus heydenii (Cicadellidae), Mossley, Greater Manchester, VC63, 17/3, S. Suttill

• Appears to be a new record for Greater Manchester.
• Also reported in Feb 2023 notes, having also been found in VC59 (Formby).
• This leafhopper has spread rapidly through the UK since being detected in 2010 in southern England. There are now 5 regional records, having been first identified by Steve McWilliam in Woolston in 2021. Apparently not yet recorded from VC60.

Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps & Ants)

Bees

Wasps

Sawflies

Aglaostigma aucupariae (Tenthredinidae), Alexandra Park, Crosby, VC59, 26/3, P. Kinsella

• A common and widespread Sawfly in the UK but this seems to be only the 2nd Sefton Coast record (1st in 2000 by Tom Green at Ainsdale)
• A species with an early flight period. The larvae feed on bedstraws.

Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies)

Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Orthoptera (Grasshoppers and Crickets)

iRecord top 10 species