Worcestershire Record No. 23 November 2007 pp. 4-5

Geoff Trevis

At the end of each committee meeting we have a round table report which gives the opportunity for each member to report any interesting records they have had since the last meeting. Many important things come to our attention and I thought it might be of interest to the members generally to pass on some of the data obtained. Records have come from every member of the committee and are too numerous for all to be listed here but I have tried to extract the most notable ones to give a flavour of what goes on. In bringing them together perhaps the most outstanding thing is the sheer range of expertise on the committee.

At most meetings the invertebrate records tend to be the most numerous so I will begin with these. The main points of interest have been the spread of the Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis and of Long-winged Conehead Conocephalus discolour and Roesel’s Bush Cricket Metrioptera roeselii. Harry Green counted 123 sites with Long-winged Coneheads and 62 with Roesel’s Bush Cricket. Records of Noble Chafer Gnorimus nobilis continue to increase from old plum orchards, emphasising the importance of Worcestershire for this species. Other notable records include:

Ladybirds: Cream-streaked Ladybird (Harmonia 4-punctata) and Eyed Ladybird Anatis ocellata.

Hymenoptera: Lasius fuliginosus (an ant found mainly in old trees but one nest has been found in an old beehive at Norchard Farm); Formicoxenus nitidulus (the Guest Ant), found in many Wood Ant nests in Wyre Forest); Formica sanguinea ( the Blood-red Robber Ant, a slave maker re-found in Wyre Forest); Myrmica scabrinodis (an ant, Cleobury Wood); Crossocerus styrius (a solitary wasp, 1st county record at Rough Hill Orchard); Nomada fulvicornis (a solitary bee at Upper Blackstone Farm); Dasyoda hirtipes (Nb, solitary bee at Upper Blackstone Farm and Burlish Top); Andrena bimaculata (Nb, mining bee at Upper Blackstone Farm); Lasioglossum xanthopus (Nb, mining bee at Hollybed Common); Eucera longicornis (Nb, mining bee at Joan’s Hole, 1st record since 19th century); Andrena nigrospina (RDB2, at Upper Blackstone Farm, record yet to be confirmed by DNA analysis).

Lepidoptera: An important observation is the increasingly early records for some species. These included February records for the Brimstone butterfly and a March record for Humming Bird Hawkmoth.

Regular reports come from the butterfly Transect Recording Scheme and good numbers of most species were recorded in the early part of the year including Green Hairstreak, Grizzled Skipper and Brown Argus. Several members were lucky enough to see the Six-belted Clearwing moth at Hollybed Common. Other notable records included Great Brocade (a rare migrant); Assura terebrella (a pyralid moth, 1st county record); Camera ohridellaria (a leaf-mining moth on Horse Chestnut); Phyllonorycter platini (a leaf-mining moth on London Plane, relatively6 new to Britain).

Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera: There have been many additions to the county lists during the year amongst them 12 species of leaf-hopper (most notable Graphocephalus fennatii, the Rhododendron leaf-hopper); Ceutorhyncus campestris (Nb beetle); Rhagonycha translucida (Nb beetle); Nysius gaminicola (RDB3 bug); Cassida hemisphaertoa (beetle, 2nd county record). Great Willow aphid has been reported as frequent this year. A further report was of thousands of red Gorse Mites (Tetramychus lintearius) covering a bush on Castle Morton Common with silk.

Diptera: Generally we have records of hoverflies, particularly Volucella inanis and V. zonaria, but now that Mick Blythe has been co-opted to the committee we have had records of other rare species including Cordilura albipes, Lycoriella vanderweili (from a Wood Ant nest), Leptocera oldenbergi and Coenosia stigmatica. These were from Wyre Forest.

Snails: Hygromia limbatare-found at a known site on the Malvern Hills and Hygromia cinctella continues to invade gardens.

Mammals: Serotine and Barbastelle bats.

Birds: Regular records are reported from the red and amber listed bird survey. Additionally, there has been anecdotal evidence of increased numbers of Turtle Doves in 2007.

Vascular plants: There have been records of 10 new species of dandelion Taraxacum sp.; a 3rd county record of Poa infirma; Iva xanthifolia (a North American species);a 3rd post 1987 record of Misoplates orontium (Weasel’s Snout); 4th county record of Bassia scoparia ( Summer-cypress).

Bryophytes: There have also been additions to the records of bryophytes including Leucobryum juniperoideum, Tortella Bamberger, Sphagnum denticulatum and Aphanorhegma patens.

Fungi: We do not get many records of fungi but of those we did receive the most notable were Geastrum rufescens (an earth star) and Hygrocybe ingrata (a waxcap).

However, among the records I think pride of place must go to John Day for unearthing a record of a beetle Airaphilus elongates excavated from a Roman well dug between 289 AD and 360 AD!