Entomology Update - October 2026

As we careen towards the solstice, welcome rain continues but the impact of the summer lingers - few mature insects around and unknown prospects for next year. 

What's Old is New

The New Forest Authority is doing a first rate job of managing an ancient landscape under intense tourist pressure - hats off to them. 

A. Cann & S. Timms. Psallus (Heteroptera: Miridae) on Turkey Oak in Britain. (2026) British Journal of Entomology and Natural History Volume 39, Part 3, p146-7.

Bugnoculars

I've recently become aware of the existence of Pentax Papilio binoculars, a potentially very useful piece of kit.

Pergamasus

Every once in a while I have a crazy urge to deep dive into a new neglected taxon. Sometimes I resist.

Notable Finds

Dendrocerus aphidum, 1st record for VC55

News from Elsewhere

73% decline in studied wildlife populations

You don't know what you got til it's gone. 

30 years of monitoring reveals earlier emergence & increasing abundance in undervalued flying insects

My vacuum sampler is invaluable, but I don't think this would fit in my rucksack.

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Pergamasus

 Every once in a while I have a crazy urge to deep dive into a new neglected taxon. Sometimes I resist. 

Back in lockdown I listened to an excellent online talk on mites, and since I regularly get them in vacuum samples, I was tempted, but managed to resist. Over the stormy weekend I was clearing a backlog of samples from the past year and in one came across this chunky red-ish mite. Given the weather, I took photos and posted them on the excellent Facebook Soil Biodiversity UK group asking for help. One of the experts there was able to identify it as a male Pergamasus spp. (Family Parasitidae). I'm very grateful, but I'm still not planning on working on mites (or Thrips, which are easier) very often. 

Pergamasus (suborder Mesostigmata, family Parasitidae) is a species-rich genus of soil-dwelling predatory mites. They are key apex micro-predators within the soil food web, primarily distributed across the Holarctic region. Relatively large for soil mites, usually ranging from 0.8-1.5 mm in length. They are typically well-sclerotized with a characteristic yellowish-brown to dark reddish-brown chitinous body. Broadly oval, somewhat dorsoventrally flattened, with robust legs adapted for rapid movement and grasping prey. Adults possess a large, rigid dorsal shield (single, continuous plate covering the back) or a deeply divided schizodorsal shield depending on the species. Females possess a distinct, triangular or acuminate genital shield (epigynium) flanked by metasternal shields. Male leg II is heavily modified into a grasping organ with pronounced skeletal spurs and apophyses used during mating. The chelicerae feature a modified spermatotreme for sperm transfer. Found in soil & litter layers, both nymphs and adults are fast-moving, voracious generalist predators feeding on a wide variety of soil micro-invertebrates. They use their powerful, chelate chelicerae to puncture prey and suck out bodily fluids.

Bhattacharyya, S.K. (1963) A revision of the British mites of the genus Pergamasus Berlese s. lat. (Acari: Mesostigmata). Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History).

 

Bugnoculars

I've recently become aware of the existence of Pentax Papilio binoculars. Most binoculars struggle at close distances, causing double vision or misalignment between the left and right eyes. These binoculars solve this with a mechanism that physically shifts the front lenses as you focus closer, ensuring a comfortable view. For long-range viewing, the lenses automatically return to their normal position. They can focus on subjects just 50cm away, making them useful for examining plants, insects, etc, and very useful for anyone with limited mobility who is unable to bend or kneel. They come in two magnifications: the 6.5x version has a wider field of view and steadier handheld viewing, useful for tracking moving subjects; the 8.5x version provides more magnification for studying distant details.

I've had good reports from people who use these, although on rreflection I wondering if a used compact zoom camera such as a Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ or Sony Cybershot might be a better alternative which allows image capture too. 

Psallus on Turkey Oak in Britain

A. Cann & S. Timms. Psallus (Heteroptera: Miridae) on Turkey Oak in Britain. (2026) British Journal of Entomology and Natural History Volume 39, Part 3, p146-7. 

click for larger image

What's Old is New

I've just spent a weekend in the New Forest, a place I've always wanted to see but have never visited before.  It was called the New Forest a thousand years ago (when it was already 11,000 years old), to confuse American tourists.  And it's stunning, so rich in biodiversity.  It has a medieval feel to it, a mosaic of wood pasture, grazed by cattle and horses, and at this time of the year, herds of pigs turned out into the forest to fatten on acorns (pannage). Almost inevitably, wherever I visit I'm disappointed at the land management practices from a conservation standpoint, but I can't say that about the New Forest.  Dead wood is everywhere, pretty much left where it falls.  The New Forest Authority is doing a first rate job of managing an ancient landscape under intense tourist pressure - hats off to them.  If only more areas were managed with the same care. 

Entomology Update - September 2026

A great many wasps this month.

Squatters

I am absolutely rubbish at rearing insects but I'm trying to be a good Hymenopterist by rearing parasitoids out from their hosts. In theory, this should make my life easier by making the emerging insects easier to identify - but things often don't go to plan.

Notable Finds

Spaniopus dissimilis, 1st record for VC55

Hemiptarsenus fulvicollis, 1st record for VC55

Sycophila mellea, 1st record for VC55

Coelopisthia extenta, 1st record for VC55

Phygadeuon trichops, 1st record for VC55

News from Elsewhere

Invertebrates in big trouble

A new report by the JNCC highlights over three-quarters of all endemic invertebrates in UK Overseas Territories are classified as threatened, meaning that they are at a high risk of extinction. Across all endemic plant and animal types, the three species groups with the highest proportion of threatened species were invertebrates, with almost all crustaceans and nearly 9/10 arachnids and insects considered threatened.

More than meets the eye

A Robin's Pincushion (Bedeguar Gall) isn't just a home for the wasp larvae that caused the gall to form, it's a thriving miniature ecosystem. 

 

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Squatters

I am absolutely rubbish at rearing insects but I'm trying to be a good Hymenopterist by rearing parasitoids out from their hosts.  In theory, this should make my life easier by making the emerging insects easier to identify - but things often don't go to plan.  I collected a Bedeguar Gall (Robin's Pincushion), caused by the wasp Diplolepis rosae, on 24.07.2026.  Miraculously, it survived my tender care (only slightly moldy) until on 05.09.2026 a wasp emerged.  But it wasn't Diplolepis rosae, a brownish wasp, but instead a bright metallic green wasp with a long ovipositor.  The obvious candidate was Torymus bedeguaris, but there are 19 confirmed inquilines (from the Latin inquilinus, "tenant" or "lodger"), of Diplolepis rosae, and this squatter had an ovipositor only slightly longer than its body (that of Torymus bedeguaris is typically twice as long as the body).  Torymus species are very difficult to identify, but with some help I was able to confirm that this is Torymus rubi.  This species is a polyphagous parasitoid of Dasineura acrophila; Diastrophus rubi; Diplolepis mayri, nervosa, rosae, spinosissimae; Lasioptera rubi; Liposthenes glechomae; Stereonychus fraxini, on host plants including Fraxinus, Pteridium aquilinum (Bracken), Rubus, and Rosa. 

There's a lot going on inside Robin's Pincushions and I'm hanging on to this one for now to see if anything else emerges. 

Askew, R.R., Plantard, O., Gomez, J.F., Nieves, M.H., & Nieves-Aldrey, J.L. (2006) Catalogue of parasitoids and inquilines in galls of Aylacini, Diplolepidini and Pediaspidini (Hym., Cynipidae) in the West Palaearctic. Zootaxa, 1301(1), 1-60.

Graham MWR de Vere & Gijswijt MJ (1998) Revision of the european species of Torymus Dalman (s.lat.) (Hymenoptera: Torymidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen, Leiden 317: 1-202.

Leicestershire Entomological Society Newsletter 37, September 2007: https://www.naturespot.org/sites/default/files/downloads/Newsletter037.pdf

 

Entomology Update - August 2026

Heat and Braconids. Oh, and some moths...

A moth trap in my pocket

Reigniting my moth mojo. 

LED Evolution

I decided to convert my hulking great mains-powered ALS actinic Robinson trap to LED.

What we're missing

Trying to figure out what's flying about out there in the dark.

Notable Finds

Trichadenotecnum sexpunctatum, second record for VC55.

Pimpla insignatoria, first record for VC55.

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Latest photos

What we're missing

Netelia cristata

Over the past few years I've tried (and pretty much failed) to convince colleagues that it is a scientific and ethical imperative to at least try to analyze the bycatch from insect trapping, including but not limited to light traps. Blinded by the light (sorry, moths), I can't seem to convince people to make the effort. One notable exception is my colleague Graham who regularly sends me samples from his amazingly productive garden moth trap. Working together we have clocked up an ever growing list of new species for VC55, including many solitary wasps.

Parasitoid wasps, usually overlooked, are crucial for understanding ecosystems and environmental change. Capitalising on other projects such as the bycatch from moth trapping can provide valuable insights into these overlooked taxa at relatively low additional cost or effort. A new article describes the use of an existing citizen science project, the National Moth Recording Scheme, to monitor nocturnal parasitoid wasps in the UK. The researchers collaborated with moth-trappers to collect "bycatch" from light traps, focusing on Ichneumonidae, a family of parasitoid wasps. Over five months in 2024, they collected 6,779 specimens, representing over 184 taxa. The project successfully collected a majority of previously recorded UK nocturnal Ichneumons within the five month period (e.g. 82% of Netelia, 91% of Ophion) and provided new species records for 67 of the 71 sampled species in 82 of 91 sampled vice-counties, including some rare species.
Cunningham-Eurich, I., Aucock, L., Walters-Hutton, B., Sumner, S. & Broad, G.R. (2026) Moth traps shine a light on nocturnal parasitoid wasps: Snapshot assessment of UK diversity and distributions. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 1–23. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.70135

Plenty of research shows the effectiveness of UV LED trapping for a wide range of insect taxa, so as soon as it stops raining I'm aiming to use my newly acquired LED strings to figure out what's flying about out there in the dark.  

See also: Dietenberger, M., Jechow, A., Sann, M., & Hölker, F. (2025) Shedding light on dark taxa: exploring a cryptic diversity of parasitoid wasps affected by artificial light at night. Scientific reports, 15(1), 6237. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-88111-3