A great many wasps this month.
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 VC55News from Elsewhere
Invertebrates in big troubleA 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.
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.
