FIT Counts

The UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (UK PoMS) launched FIT Counts (Flower-Insect Timed Counts) in the UK several years ago. At the time, I decided not to bother. This year, with the moth trap in my suburban garden not justifying the electricity to run it (other than to document the disastrous decline in flying insect numbers this year), FIT Counts seem much more attractive. For one thing, they are a very low carbon way of recording - in good weather, spend ten minutes watching flowers and insects in your garden or local park, then upload the results via a mobile phone app or the website. I'm usually disappointed by big citizen science projects, which tend towards engagement rather than useful data, but the FIT Count methodology is geared towards long term monitoring which is desperately needed. Please give it a go. It could become a habit. 

 

The return of Enoplognatha latimana

In 2019 I first recorded the spider Enoplognatha latimana in VC55, see: Enoplognatha latimana - a new species of spider for VC55. By 2021 this newly arrived species had spread widely across the two counties but since that time, the advance seems to have slowed down. Despite much tedious checking of Enoplognatha epigynes and palps it's been Enoplognatha ovata all the way. Yesterday I was sweep netting when I turned up several Enoplognatha specimens. Despite the statistics arguing otherwise, some sixth sense told me they were interesting. On checking, one turned out to be Enoplognatha ovata but the other was my first Enoplognatha latimana in a long time. Which was nice. 

 

 

Entomology Journal - June 2024

A busy month of entomology. Finally things have clicked into gear. 

Green Shieldbug development

I managed to document a nice photo series of Green Shieldbug development:

My Journal, June 2024

01.vi.2024

Two sets of Harlequin Ladybird eggs from last weekend hatched so I documented the process before releasing the larvae in the garden - read more here: A Hatch of Harlequins. The Collard Doves are nesting again in the garden and have resumed their hyper-aggressive behavior, not tolerating the Magpies or the Wood Pigeons.

02.vi.2024

A rare warm, sunny day at Lyddington Meadow. It's poorly managed and the vegetation is very rank; I never find as much here as I expect to. It's four years since I've been there (our first post-lockdown trip) but shocked to find no-one else has submitted any records in that time either. Entomology was hard work, it feels like everything is a month behind. Across the Welland in Northants a Cuckoo called continuously, my first for two years.

03.vi.2024

It's been a couple of years since I've managed to add any new spiders to the VC55 list, so I was very pleased to confirm that one of the specimens from yesterday turned out to be Ozyptila simplex. A good find for Lyddington Meadow!

05.vi.2024

Made a new spi-pot with a glass window to improve on the poor optical quality of the plastic ones, then took a short walk to try it out. This was surprisingly productive, including finding lots of adult Issus coleoptratus sunbathing on Ivy, a species I see more often as winter nymphs. In the evening I finally managed to make it to Microscope Club at Rutland Water, shamefully my first visit in its new format. Had an enjoyable time keying out water beetles with expert tuition, although I fear I'll never be a good Coleopterist. Lots of useful tips received and delivered, including additions to the entomological library.

07.vi.2024

A productive trip to Prior's Coppice. Even though it was still wet underfoot (which has saved Prior's Coppice from "improvement" over the centuries) and there were Damselflies everywhere, the small ponds at the side of one of the rides I was planning to dip for aquatic invertebrates have now completely silted up. Sadly this reflects the wider loss of aquatic environments. Even if there had been water remaining, for a relatively remote site Prior's Coppice attracts a surprising (to me) number of dog walkers, and although we did meet one with their dogs on leads (imaging my surprise - dogs on a lead in a SSSI!), for the most part any aquatic invertebrates are doomed due to pet parasiticides (see: Toxic to fleas is toxic to bees). Now on to the good news. I made an interesting discovery about Malachite Beetles, and also found a Willow Tortrix, Epinotia cruciana, quite a scarce moth.

09.vi.2024

This morning's brief pre-lunch trip down to the Soar was an object lesson in ... well, I'm not quite sure what, maybe you can tell me. I took only the dip net intending to look for aquatic insects but the first half was extremely frustrating, not being able to reach the river channel due to vegetation and steep banks. When I did eventually manage to get down there was little to be found other than fish fry (Sticklebacks and Minnows), huge numbers of Banded Demoiselle larvae, and tiny crayfish. However, I did find the first VC55 "Killer Shrimp". 

I had given up and was heading back to the car when I noticed Pond Skaters on a small muddy dog-infested puddle next to the path. I eventually managed to catch one, assuming they were bound to be Gerris lacustris, when I noticed there were lots of beetles in the puddle too. The visibility was zero and the depth less than two inches but trawling the mud produced a Corixid, lots of tiny Sticklebacks and what looked like at least three different beetle species. The Pond Skater turned out to be Gerris odontogaster and the beetles were of three different species.

12.vi.2024

Worked on some postal specimens sent to me for identification.

17.vi.2024

A brief inter-thundershower trip to a local pond. This used to be a gem, hosting a huge Common Toad colony but sadly has become very polluted and the toads are long gone. This year however the rain has flushed it out and life has returned. Swarming with Acilius sulcatus and Corixia punctata - high numbers but low diversity.

18.vi.2024

Spent the day training a student on spider identification. Good to be paying forward some of the help I've had over the years.

20.vi.2024

Spent the afternoon refereeing the garden thugs. The Great Tits have a second brood. They are very secretive and we only realised this yesterday, hearing the chicks (which sound well advanced) for the first time today. This brood will have a happier time than the first lot when the weather was dreadful. At 9.50pm precisely celebrated the solstice outside with a small glass of whisky. First garden bat of the year zoomed across the garden at high level but didn't hang around. Summer is here.

21.vi.2024

14/6 in the moth trap, best night of the year in spite of the full moon. Very sad numbers, but including my first Large Yellow Underwing for two years! I followed up with a quick local pond dipping trip. A lot of the aquatic bugs are currently nymphs but I'm slowly getting better with the water beetles.

22.vi.2024

Welford Road Cemetery open day. One of the local sites I never visit at this time of year, only in winter when there's not much around. Found a good range of bugs, and very pleased to find Denticulate Leatherbug.

23.vi.2024

Took a trip out to Ingarsby to dip the brook. Surprised at how low the water level was, barely a trickle. Very pleased to find a colony of Water Crickets, Velia caprai.

25.vi.2024

The Bug Team visited Hicks Lodge. Uncomfortably hot (mad dogs and hemipterists...) and many species still nymphs but some nice finds, including lots of Acetropis gimmerthalii. My personal highlight was finding Anthocoris limbatus on the Sallows. Having looked for this for a year it was satisfying to finally find one.

27.vi.2024

Woken at 4am by intolerable itching from the "Souvenir of Hicks Lodge" Horsefly bite. At least I managed to avoid the Deerflies. The second brood of Great Tits fledged.

29.vi.2024

A trip to Ulverscroft. Water levels in the Brook were very low and not much to be found, but very good numbers of Water Cricket, Velia caprai. The orchids were rather faded but I was able to make a nice comparison between Leptopterna dolabrata and L. ferrugata in Herbert's Meadow.

Read previous Journal entries

  

Green Shieldbug development

On 07.06.2024 (Day0) I spotted a Green Shieldbug, Palomena prasina, laying eggs outside my kitchen window:

By Day2 post-laying, the little perforated lids out of which the nymphs would eventually pop were already visible:

And then, not much happened. The weather was cold and the eggs developed a little more slowly than they might have done otherwise. Then, on Day16 after laying, tiny red eyes were visible through the shells:

Day18 - great excitement, the eggs hatched and the nymphs emerged:

24 hours after hatching the first instar nymphs had hardly moved, possibly waiting for their first moult to disperse?

At this point I moved ther nymphs to a less exposed spot where they will have a better chance of survival. Bon chance, mes petites. 

  

Erratum: Demons not Killers

Updated: 30.01.2025

All Dikerogammarus species are non-native invasive species which are potentially harmful to other aquatic life. There are at least two species present in the UK and microscopic examination of the projections on the urosome is required to distinguish between them. In June 2024 I found a specimen of Dikerogammarus in the River Soar in Leicester (described below). At the time I identified this as D. villosus, however, recent correspondence with the Environment Agency has resulted in correction of my I.D. to D. haemobaphes, the "Demon Shrimp".  At one level this makes no difference, but D. haemobaphes was previously known from the Soar so my find is not in fact a new invasive species for VC55. 

Reference: Dobson, M. (2012) Identifying invasive freshwater shrimps and isopods. Freshwater Biological Association. Available at: https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/InvasiveFWShrimpsIsopods.pdf

 

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Yesterday I found a single specimen of Dikerogammarus villosus in the River Soar near Leicester. Popularly known as the "Killer Shrimp", this species was first identified in the UK in 2010. It is true that this is a voracious predator, killing invertebrates and small fish. It is also a highly successful colonizer, having swept across Europe from their origin in eastern Europe. This isn't the first time this has happened, other Gammarids have colonized the UK in successive waves, e.g. Gammarus pulex and Crangonyx pseudogracilis. A closely related species, Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, is well established along the Soar, but my recent find is the first VC55 record for D. villosus, which has been demonized even more than its congeners (Killer!). Papers published in the years after its UK arrival predicted dire consequences, including problems with biotic indices for water quality assessment - after the Killer Shrimp has eaten everything else ("Killer shrimps", dangerous experiments and misguided introductions: how freshwater shrimp (Crustacea: Amphipoda) invasions threaten biological water quality monitoring in the British Isles. (2012) Freshwater Reviews, 5(1), 21-35. https://doi.org/10.1608/FRJ-5.1.457). 

D. villosus is certainly tough as old boots - pollution tolerant (which is *very* helpful in British waterways), salt-tolerant and can survive in damp conditions for up to five days so it can potentially be spread by equipment including fishing gear, nets, boats, kayaks and trailers. And yet, fourteen years after its introduction, the distribution of this species still appears to be relatively restricted - it certainly hasn't spread as rapidly as first predicted. Part of the reason for this is certainly under-recording - identifying D. villosus requires close examination - but is relatively straightforward (see: https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/ID_Dikerogammarus_villosus_Killer_Shrimp_v2.1-1.pdf ). 

Even so, this species has not swept across the country quite as easily as predicted. We need to take sensible biosecurity precautions such as disinfecting nets and equipment - but that doesn't deal with wild birds, etc. Even so, maybe the Killer Shrimp!, like the Killer Harlequin Ladybird! and the Killer Asian Hornet! - may not be quite as bad as first feared. It is another undesired pressure on aquatic ecosystems, but I'm a lot more concerned about pollution than I am about Killer Shrimp! 

  

Air-bags Deployed!

On a recent trip I learned something interesting about Malachite Beetles.  I popped a specimen in my new spi-pot for a quick record shot and when I looked at the photo I noticed four triangular triangular pinkish "things" attached to it.

They didn't look like ectoparasites so I wondered if they could be orchid pollinia, lots of Common Spotted-orchid being present. However, when I asked on Facebook Michael Geiser kindly informed me that these structures are in fact a chemical defence system consisting of inflatable membranous "air-bag" like pockets. These produce a pheromone presumably targeted at ants and other smaller predators, to fend them off. All members of Malachiinae have this kind of chemical defence, inflate their "air bags" when feeling threatened. 

On release, the beetle wandered off unharmed, presumably quite pleased with itself - but who knows what goes on in the mind of a Malachite Beetle?

 

New! Improved! Spi-pot

 

A "spi-pot" is a very useful gizmo for examining or photographing details of insects needed for identification, e.g. if you need to photograph the underside of a specimen which won't conveniently lie on its back. If you Google "spi-pot" the standard instructions for making one involve using clingfilm as a clear window through which the insect is observed. In my experience, this doesn't work very well in the field as the plastic film soon crinkles and marks and has to be replaced after a few uses. I've been using a plastic specimen tube with a foam plunger for a while but these tubes soon accumulate marks which interfere with detailed photos. I haven't been able to find any flat bottomed tubes which are free of moulding marks or writing, and glass would be far better for photography as well as more robust then soft plastic. Today it dawned on me that I could saw the bottom off the tube and tape a 5cm glass petri dish (available online) on the end. A simple hack but coupled with the Olympus TG6 a powerful tool for identification.

 

Ozyptila simplex

It's been a couple of years since I've managed to add any new spiders to the VC55 list, so I was very pleased to find a specimen of Ozyptila simplex yesterday. This one looked interesting from the moment I clapped eyes on it so I was pleased when my initial feeling was confirmed. At first sight, the habitat, a dampish meadow with rank vegetation on the banks of the Welland, seems a bit odd for a species normally thought to be associated with sand-hills, coastal grasslands, and estuarine habitats, but it is known to live in inland grassland habitats including fens and reed-beds in Europe. Yet another example of a species on a North Westwards march. 

A Hatch of Harlequins

For a recent ladybird walk I popped a few specimens in tubes so I could do the "Here's one I found earlier" trick if necessary (thankfully not needed, we found plenty of ladybirds). On returning home, I found a couple of the Harlequin Ladybirds, Harmonia axyridis, I had taken to show the three main colour forms had laid eggs in the pots.  I released the females and decided to document the development process. 

Five days after laying the first change could be seen, a slight darkening of the eggs and the legs visible down one side of the egg. Six and a half days after being laid, the larvae emerged. Emergence was well synchronized, designed to prevent their highly carnivorous siblings eating the unhatched eggs. 

On hatching, the larvae hungrily chowed down on the egg shells for a few hours, but it clearly wasn't going to be long before they started on each other. I'm not sure how to feed first instar larvae, which are a bit small for most aphids. There are various artificial diets published but research papers show these are a poor substitute for natural foods, so the simplest solution would be to let them cannibalise each other and then move the strongest larvae on to aphids for subsequent instars. I have little experience rearing insects and my few attempts have been fairly unsuccessful, so because I was feeling quite protective of my little house guests I distributed them across our aphid-infested Honeysuckle where they will do some good. I like to think they didn't get such a rough deal, protected from a pretty awful week's weather and, more importantly, all those nasty Ichneumons, before being freed to go about their lives.