Common Striped Woodlouse

From beneath a rotten log in the woods, this species already recorded at Cullaloe is nevertheless new for the year and for me. It's always nice to connect with one of the species already recorded.

Oulema melanopus, Cereal Leaf Beetle

Spurred on by unexpected success with the sweep net I had a bit of a swish around some of last year's  Canary Reed-grass beside the burn. Expecting nothing, and getting more or less what I expected I was surprised to find finally a beetle in the bottom of the bag. It's a pretty common beetle - a 'pest' even - but a new record for the reserve.

Given that I intended to add something to both the spider and leaf-beetle records this year I'd say the sweep net is looking like a pretty good introduction to the armory.

Oulema melanopus, Cereal Leaf Beetle

Starlings and Fieldfares

A visit this morning on a fine verging-on-springlike day saw hundreds of Starlings and a fair few Fieldfares hanging out in the woods north of the pond, with some occasionally dropping into the fields to feed. Apart from the loitering Buzzard there may have been something else scary out there too, as they were very skittish. I also gave the sweep net a run out again and, not expecting anything, was delighted to find a nice beetle in a stand (a fall? a lean?) of last year's Phalaris. more on that to follow.

Yesterday's Amaurobius:

Poorly marked back. Post moult?

A 'cribellate' spider - the cribellum

subadult male palps - nearly there

First spider, impending sheep

Took the sweep net out for a run yesterday without much expectation, but I ended up sweeping two species of spiders from an area of long grass. The first was Tetragnatha extensa, which is a spider I've seen in that area during summer. There was also a little one of this species, which I am only tentatively identifying on its shape and habit of extending the legs. The second species, and just short of species identification, was an immature male Amaurobius species, so down to two species (fenestralis/similis) which I think can't be separated before maturity.

Also shown up in the paddock in recent times is a water container, presumably for sheep which are expected to arrive sometime soon

A new spider for me, but not at Cullaloe

At home on the wall I have nailed my second spider since the spider training course. This is the jumping spider Pseudeuophrys lanigera.

Invertebrate threshold

Having a quick visit of the invertebrate records for Cullaloe and especially the 2002 Invertebrate Survey. Puliing the numbers together for where we currently are I see that there have been almost 500 species recorded. I have a feeling that after the 2002 survey something about half of that was the total. Most significantly the number of Lepidoptera is hugely greater through moth trapping, and the Diptera total is more than double. The 2002 report I have only in paper form, so I can publish a comparison once I've digitised the numbers.

Order	English	2002	2014
Arachnida	'spiders'	52	56
Chilopoda	'centipedes'	4	4
Cladocera	'water fleas'	0	1
Colembola	'springtails'	0	1
Coleoptera	'beetles'	43	64
Dermaptera	'earwigs'	1	1
Diplopoda	'millipedes'	12	13
Diptera	'true flies'	23	71
Ephemeroptera	'mayflies'	1	1
Hemiptera	'true bugs'	38	44
Hymenoptera	'wasps,bees,ants'	12	23
Isopoda	'woodlice'	4	4
Lepidoptera	'moths, butterflies'	41	169
Mecoptera	'scorpion flies'	0	1
Mollusca	'molluscs'	16	18
Odonata	'dragonflies,damselflies'	4	7
Orthoptera	'grasshoppers'	1	1
Ostracoda	'seed shrimps'	1	1
Plecoptera	'stone flies'	0	2
Psocoptera	'bark lice'	4	4
Siphonaptera	'fleas'	3	4
Trichoptera	'caddisflies'	0	6
Total		260	496

Make up of the Diptera by family:

Family	#
Agromyzidae	2
Anisopodidae	1
Cecidomyiidae	4
Conopidae	1
Dolichopodidae	4
Lonchopteridae	1
Muscidae	3
Scathophagidae	1
Rhagionidae	1
Stratiomyidae	1
Syrphidae	45
Trichoceridae	1
Tabanidae	1
Tephritidae	1
Tipulidae	3
Limoniidae	1

Coleoptera by family:

Family	#
Apionidae	1
Cantharidae	8
Carabidae	10
Chrysomelidae	7
Coccinellidae	1
Cryptophagidae	2
Curculionidae	2
Dytiscidae	1
Elateridae	1
Geotrupidae	1
Hydrophilidae	2
Lathridiidae	2
Nitidulidae	1
Scarabeidae	1
Scydmaenidae	1
Silphidae	4
Staphylinidae	19

5 weeks, 22 new species (revised - 23 with Wood Sage!)

22 new species have been discovered on the reserve so far this year - about 4 a week. It will be interesting to see how things go when the invertebrates start to get serious. No doubt I won't be able to keep up! Already this year there have been fungi which have gone unsolved, but that's all part of the fun.

	Preferred Name	Common Name	Date
23	Trichocera regelationis	A Winter Gnat	04/02/2015
22	Lunularia cruciata	Crescent-cup Liverwort	04/02/2015
21	Parmelia sulcata	A lichen	29/01/2015
20	Gloeocystidiellum porosum	A corticioid fungus	24/01/2015
19	Marchantia polymorpha	A liverwort	24/01/2015
18	Glechoma hederacea	Ground-ivy	23/01/2015
17	Pleuridium acuminatum	Taper-leaved Earth-moss	23/01/2015
16	Sistotrema oblongisporum	A corticioid fungus	23/01/2015
15	Mercurialis perennis	Dog's Mercury	17/01/2015
14	Primula veris	Cowslip	17/01/2015
13	Septoria arundinacea	A fungus on Phragmites	16/01/2015
12	Teucrium scorodonia	Wood Sage	14/01/2015
11	Cladonia coniocraea	A lichen	10/01/2015
10	Peniophora nuda	A corticioid fungus	10/01/2015
9	Hyphodontia pallidula	A corticioid fungus	07/01/2015
8	Polyporus leptocephalus	Blackfoot Polypore	04/01/2015
7	Exidia glandulosa	Witches' Butter	03/01/2015
6	Phlebia radiata	Wrinkled Crust	03/01/2015
5	Phlebiella pseudotsugae	A corticioid fungus	03/01/2015
4	Plicatura crispa	A fungus	03/01/2015
3	Schizopora paradoxa	Split Porecrust	03/01/2015
2	Coleroa robertiani	A fungus on G.robertanium	01/01/2015
1	Geranium pyrenaicum	Hedgerow Crane's-bill	01/01/2015

A new fly

Yesterday's flies turned out to be, not surprisingly, a Winter Gnat (Trichocera), of which there are relatively few species. The key, from 1938, is available online, and is no longer available for 20 shillings!

Trichocera regelationis has an abdomen without rings, hairy eyes, ocelli. and a clouded R-M vein

Bryo bits bonus

A quick tour at lunchtime on a beautiful day turned up some nice rewards. First up a pass over a ditch for some known species produced liverworts Diplophyllum albicans and Calypogeia arguta that I knew were there, before rolling a log to uncover a nice Brown Centipede in the woodland. Also picked up a millipede which I probably have previously recorded, but not this year. I also uncovered Plagiothecium undulatum in a place I didn't spot it before.

Diplophyllum abicans

Plagiothecium undulatum

Quick look at the water showed it was pretty but unproductive, before I dropped into a small corner that is building a reputation for providing surprises. It certainly did this time with a new liverwort. How did I not notice before Lunularia cruciata! With this area having Pellia endivifolia and Conocephalum conicum, I probably just assumed that green patch was one of those.

Lunularia cruciata

Pellia endivifolia

A small swarm of flies (Nematocera. Winter gnats?) were dancing in the dappled sunlight under the pines and I managed to catch one in my collecting box by sweeping up through them and shutting the lid quickly. Hopefully this will produce an identification.

Dancing flies in the winter sun

Cold

Looking forward to this weather breaking and finally getting some movement. It's a bit chilly!

Didymodon insulanus, filter beds